Privacy curtain on a roll

Abstract

An assembly and method for forming a cubicle curtain includes providing a curtain assembly with a curtain-supporting dispenser core supporting a curtain material. The curtain material has a length, a width, an upper connector portion spanning substantially the entire width, a mesh portion spanning substantially the entire width, a lower portion spanning substantially the entire width and coupled to a lower edge of the mesh portion, a horizontal line of weakness spanning substantially the entire width, and at least one vertical line of weakness spanning substantially the entire length. A first portion of the curtain material is unrolled from the dispenser core so that at least one of the at least one vertical lines of weakness is exposed and a force sufficient to separate the first portion of the curtain material from the dispenser core is applied to the vertical line of weakness.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 394,492, filed Oct. 19, 2010, the contents of which are relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to privacy curtains and, more particularly, relates to single-piece privacy curtains for health-care facilities and other applications where the curtain is provided on and dispensed at the facility directly from a roll.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Privacy curtains, or “cubicle curtains,” are well known and are used to divide areas and / or provide privacy in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and other applications. Virtually every fire code requires the upper section of every cubicle curtain to be made of a mesh material, called the “top mesh.” in the event of a fire, the top mesh allows water from ceiling sprinkle...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a privacy curtain that can be quickly and conveniently made to the desired size on site and on demand. The curtain includes a single piece of material with a mesh section, a solid privacy section, and perforations for cutting panels to the desired size. The curtain material has a length, a width, an upper connector portion, a lower portion, and at least one vertical line of weakness. The at least one vertical line of weakness has a tear force less than the tear force of the portions of the curtain material immediately on either side of it. The curtain material is made from a homogeneous material and the at least one vertical line of weakness is followed by a horizontal line of weakness. The invention also includes a curtain assembly with a curtain material that has a curtain material with a length, a width, an upper connector portion, a lower portion, and at least one horizontal line of weakness. The at least one horizontal line of weakness has a tear force less than the tear force of the portions of the curtain material immediately on either side of it. The invention allows for easy and quick installation of a privacy curtain that can be adapted to different needs and provides a more convenient and flexible solution compared to existing methods."

Problems solved by technology

In the majority of hospital / patient care facilities, the ceilings are eight to nine feet from floor to ceiling, which makes it impossible for a facility's maintenance / engineering / environmental services personnel to reach the carriers and hang the curtains without using a ladder or other elevating tool.

The facility is charged both for the service and for the use of leased temporary curtains, in each case, the task of removing and replacing top-mesh curtains is titne-consuming and the cost in manpower and required equipment is extensive.

Searching through the various curtains stored in the laundry area to find the appropriately sized curtain is an inefficient use of manpower.

It is very time consuming for the staff responsible for re-hanging curtains, and expensive for the facility, as staff could be performing other necessary tasks.

Also, the curtains are routinely hung on improper track sizes, resulting in inadequate patient privacy.

A large expense results from having to fulfill these custom orders.

The purchase and maintenance of these three machines is costly.

In addition, movement of each curtain from one machine to the next is labor intensive and, therefore, increases labor costs and the possibility for defective workmanship.

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