Drapery carrier

Abstract

A drapery carrier has a generally rectangular retaining plate. The width of the retaining plate is sufficiently narrow (e.g., about ¼ inch), in the dimension perpendicular to longitudinal axis of the carrier, so that it can be inserted through the horizontal slot in a drapery traverse rod when the carrier is aligned with its longitudinal axis parallel to the horizontal slot in the traverse rod. The length of the retaining plate is sufficiently long (e.g., about ½ inch) and rounded on the ends so that it prevents the carrier from falling out of the traverse rod when the carrier hangs vertically to carry a wire hook supporting a drapery pleat. The carrier may be made of cast rigid plastic with an eye to receive a wire drapery hook. The retaining plate is attached to the base of the carrier by a generally cylindrical slider.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Conventional drapery carriers (sometimes also referred to as “slides”) include plastic pieces on which pinch-pleated drapery is suspended by wire hooks. The carriers are pulled along a traverse-rod mounted horizontally above the window or doorway as the drapery is opened or closed by draw cords. Typically, each pleat of the drapery is suspended on a separate carrier. When the eye of the carrier, in which the wire hook is attached, breaks, the section of the drape previously supported by that carrier may hang down in an unsightly fashion, and the broken carrier may need to be replaced.[0002]Conventional designs for a drapery carrier include a circular retaining plate that does not permit a new carrier to be inserted into the traverse-rod at the specific position along the rod where the broken carrier needs to be replaced. An exemplary conventional drapery carrier (10) is shown in FIG. 4, and comprises a slider (20), a generally circular retaining plat...

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