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Title:
CURTAIN HANGING DEVICE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/1991/003198
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A curtain hanging device for removing the problem of sagging which occurs at the ends of hanging curtains due to lack of proper support to the curtain rail resulting also in the curtain heading at these points leaning or tilting and generally being out of line with the rest of the heading. The general effect is to give the curtains an unsightly and unprofessional appearance. The curtain hanging device of the invention is composed of a rigid plate (1) provided with hooks (2) for insertion in the usual certain heading material, either Buckram or taped heading, at the curtain ends, and preferably a series of holes (5) for engaging 'S' shaped hooks attached to the pulleys of the curtain rail or other support. By this means the plane of the plate is held vertically which has the effect of holding the heading vertically erect along the length of the plate to bring it into line with the rest of the heading and prevent sagging at the curtain ends by increasing support at these weak areas.

Inventors:
GRECH VICTORIA THERESA (GB)
Application Number:
PCT/GB1990/001373
Publication Date:
March 21, 1991
Filing Date:
September 05, 1990
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
GRECH VICTORIA THERESA (GB)
International Classes:
A47H13/04; (IPC1-7): A47H13/04
Foreign References:
US2901037A1959-08-25
GB1052774A
US3636587A1972-01-25
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS
1. A device for use in hanging curtains comprising a rigid plate member, said member being provided with hook means for attachment to a curtain heading, and means for hanging said plate member from a curtain rail or other curtain support whereby to maintain the curtain heading erect and inline along the curtain rail.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hook means are in the form of spaced hooking arms each of which extends substantially across the width of the.plate member, the hooking arms being pointed to permit penetration of the curtain heading.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein each hooking arm is spaced substantially equidistant from the body of the plate member along their lengths, such that when inserted in the curtain heading the plate member fits snugly adjacent the curtain heading and in a plane or substantially in a plane paralled to the plane thereof.
4. A device as claimed in claims 2 or 3 wherein the hanging means is in the form of a series of holes along that edge of the plate member opposite that SUBSTITUTESHEET edge along which extends the root of each said hooking arm the spacing between said holes and said roots being such that in use the plate member acts to stabilise the curtain heading vertically and inline along the curtain rail.
5. A device as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the banging means is in the form of a series of hooks on the opposite side of the plate member to said hooking arms, and in inverted relationship thereto, for engaging pulleys or runners on a curtain support rail, the base of the hooks being spaced widthwise of the plate member from the root of each hooking arm such that in use the plate member acts to stabilise the curtain heading vertically and inline along the curtain rail.
6. A device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the hooking arms are formed on a strip separate from said plate member, said plate member being provided with a longitudinal recess along one edge thereof into which the strip is engagable by snapfit action so enabling the hooking arms and plate member to be installed separately from the curtain heading and support respectively and then .snapfit connected one to the other.
7. A curtain hanging device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. SUBSTITUTE SHEE.
Description:
CURTAIN HANGING DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to curtains and particularly to a device for use in hanging curtains from a curtain rail or other curtain support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is standard practice to hang curtains from a curtain rail or other suitable support by means of hooks attached to pulleys or runners which slide along the rail or support.

The hooks are attached at selected intervals along the heading of the curtains which may be of the traditional Buckram or taped variety.

The weight of the hanging curtain is evenly distributed along the curtain rail in either the closed or stacked back position with the exception of the leading and trailing edge portion where unsightly sagging and stretching occurs leading in some cases to the curtaining material giving way and tearing. A normal pair of curtains will often show signs of this defect within a very short period of time after initial hanging.

In addition the trailing ends of curtains, suspended by traditional means as mentioned above, are liable

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to extend over the rails or poles at the stop ends thereof resulting in interference with soft or hard pelmets that may be suspended over the curtains, when the curtains are stacked back.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages or difficulties as outlined above, and to provide a device for use in hanging or suspending curtains which will ensure the end sections of the curtains, either at their trailing edges, do not sag or buckle and do not get out of line with the rest of the heading of the curtains, thus extending the life of the curtaining and adding an asthetic appeal especially when the curtains are in the closed position.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for use in hanging curtains comprising a rigid plate member, said member being provided with hook means for attachment to a curtain heading, and means for hanging said plate member from a curtain rail or other curtain support whereby to maintain the curtain heading erect and in-line along the curtain rail. Advantageously the device above defined is employed

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

only along a portion of the curtain heading at the leading and trailing ends of a representative curtain, and say over a span length of two to five curtain hooks. In consequence that particular span of the heading will at all times remain stiff and rigid and the curtain will not sag over the span, thereby presenting a neat and pleasing appearance in contrast to the prior art. Moreover, in some applications by virtue of the incorporation of the device, the trailing ends of a curtain will not be able to extend over the ends of the curtain rails from which it is hanging, and will not be pushed outwardly when the curtain is stacked back causing interference with an overhanging pelmet when such may be in use. Advantageously the means for attaching the rigid plate member to the curtain rail runners is in the form of a series of holes, drilled or otherwise formed in the plate member to permit known 'S' hooks or metal pin hooks to be inserted between the holes and the eyes of the pulleys provided on the curtain rail. The hook means is preferably in the form of a row of hooking arms attached to the plate member and suitably spaced along its length to enable the arms to be embedded in the curtain heading and so that when the device is suspended from the curtain rail

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by means of the 'S' hooks, the plate member maintains the curtain heading vertically erect with the plate member lying in a vertical plane and in the plane or substantially in a plane parallel to the erect heading.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a front and side view of the curtain Q hanging device according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the device according to the invention;

Figure 3 illustrates one method of forming the curtain hanging device according to an embodiment 5 of the invention;

Figure 4 illustrates a second method of forming the curtain hanging device according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 illustrates the use of the curtain hanging o device of the Figure 1 embodiment applied to Buckram pinch pleats; and

Figure 6 illustrates the use of the curtain hanging device according to the Figure 1 embodiment applied to pencil tape curtain headings. 5

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BEST MODES OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION

The curtain hanging device shown in Figure 1 comprises a rectangular rigid plate 1 made of, for example, a metal or plastics material, from one face of which projects a series of five spaced hook members 2, the point of attachment of each hook member being adjacent one lower edge 3 of the rectangular plate 1 and extending upwardly substantially to its upper edge 4.

Adjacent the upper edge 4 of the rigid plate 1 extends a series of four spaced holes 5, the holes being positioned midway between the hook members 2. In use the hook members 2 of the device shown in Figure 1 are inserted into a curtain heading, for example see Fig 5, and the curtain then supported from a curtain rail by 'S' shaped hooks one end of which are inserted through the holes 5, and the other end through the holes of the curtain rail pulleys or runners. Particular modes of using the device will be described in greater detail later in this disclosure.

Instead of employing a series of holes 6, as in the Figure 1 embodiment, the other face of the rectangular plate may be provided with 'S' shaped

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hooks 6, see Fig 2, which themselves are respectively inserted through the eyes of the pulleys or runners of a respective curtain rail or pole thereby to suspend the curtain by means of the device according to the invention.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate two methods whereby the device shown in Figure 1 may be formed.

The first method shown in Figure 3 comprises forming or moulding a longitudinal recess 7 along the base edge of a metal or plastics rigid base plate

8, and separately forming hook members 9 on an elongated metal strip 10 for snap-fit engagement in the recess 7 so that in use, the strip 10 with the hooked members may be attached to a curtain heading at the required drop and the support plate 8 then snapped into position for hanging to the curtain rail.

The second method shown in Figure 4 comprises forming the device out of a solid piece of rigid metal sheet 11, the holes 12 being drilled along one longitudinal edge and the hooking arms 13 punched out of the other half of the sheet, and then bent upwardly as shown, in the desired position.

The curtain hanging device as shown illustrated in Figure 1 and formed for example according to the method shown in Figure 4, is illustrated in use in

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Figure 5 and 6, applied to a Buckram pinch pleat curtain heading and a pencil tape curtain heading respectively.

In Figure 5, the curtain hanging device used has a maximum of four hook members 2 and is shown positioned to stabilise the end portion of a curtain heading H when hanging from a curtain pole P provided with surrounding ring shaped pulleys 12.

To achieve the effect desired, the second inner hook shape member 2, is inserted in the last pinch pleat 13 before the curtain edge 14, the particular hook member being chosen to ensure that the device imparts maximum support along the end of the curtain heading H. 'S' shaped curtain hooks are then connected between the support holes 5 and the eyes E or the curtain rail runners 12.

In the Figure 6 example, all the hook members 2 have an insertion site in the pencil tape heading and are positioned at a predetermined hook drop from the top of the curtain, say 1%". I n this case the curtain shown is suspended from a curtain rail 14 provided with pulleys 15 and the rigid plate 1 is attached to these runners by means of 'S' shaped hooks 16 engaging the holes 5 of the plate 1 and the eyes E of the curtain rail pulleys 15.

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The curtain hanging device as herein described may have a variety of sizes to suit requirements. The number of hooks for insertion in the curtain heading may vary as also the holes or hooks used to suspend the device from the curtain rail or other support. As a practical example the rectangular plate 1 shown in Fig. 1 is typically 100mm long, 34mm deep and 1mm thick.

Five hook members 2 are provided on the plate 1, with four drilled holes 5 intermediate the hook members 2.

In this design the hook members 2 are 25mm long with a 30° angle at the base making in total 28mm. The space between the hook members at that length is 20mm, the first hook being 10mm from an adjacent end of the plate with the bases of the hooks being 5mm from the bottom edge of the plate 1.

The spacing of the holes will be the same as the spacing of the hook members commencing 20mm from each end of the plate. The holes may be 5mm in diameter, with their centres 2mm down from the top edge 4.

The curtain hanging device as above described is for use on all Buckram headed curtains and all taped headed curtains. It may be used in conjunction with all types of rails and poles with or without pulleys.

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While not illustrated herein it will be appreciated that the device may also be of utility when hanging soft or hard pelmets either throughout the width of the pelmets or just at the end using standard rails and hooks or by being screwed into the wooden pelment board using the drilled holes 5 provided.

The curtain hanging device as above described provides rigid support at the ends of curtaining edges reducing stress which results in unnecessary wear and tear. At the same time the curtain edges are maintained in line which imparts visual appeal especially when used with Buckram headed curtains where excessive sagging and drooping is prone to occur between the last two hooks at the leading and trailing edges thereof. The need to stabilise set curtains in a specific line becomes important in cases where a border is sewn along either edge of a curtain for decorative purposes.

To show the border off to its best advantage it is necessary to keep the border straight. This is difficult to achieve with traditional fittings because the curtain ends are often hidden when the curtains are stacked back or swing inwards on leading edges. The present invention will solve this particular problem.

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The invention is also particularly useful for solving the problem of the ugly and unsightly sagging and tilting which occurs at leading edges of curtains when they overlap in the closed position. To some extent this problem is lessened on curtains which are draw pull controlled, but where this facility is absent the condition can become acute.

By virtue of the ability of the device to maintain the curtain heading erect the curtains overlap neatly and tidily in the closed position. To avoid possible collision of the opposing curtain hanging devices, the plate members thereof may be give a slight curvature.

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