FOLDED CURTAIN WITH RETRACTABLE MOTION SYSTEM

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates in general to the field of pleated curtains. Specifically, the present invention relates to a type of movement system, manual or motorized, i.e. for closing and reopening the pleated curtain with respect to the rear window.Prior art

[0002] Two types of pleated curtains are mainly known in the curtain technique, namely the classic pleated fabric, having a "V" section of its folds, and the one that is currently the most popular, that is the honeycomb fabric.

[0003] Each of these fabrics has particular advantages and features, appreciated by their respective customers, but also some drawbacks intrinsic in their very nature.

[0004] In fact, the classic pleated fabric, with "V" folds, is very elegant due to its composition, it is pleasant to the touch, but it has the defect of showing the holes (made in the fabric for the passage of the threads) and the threads themselves which are used to move the curtain where it is used.

[0005] Conversely, the honeycomb fabric has the advantage of concealing the threads and holes made in the fabric, making the fabric more uniform to the eye; on the other hand, the defect is that of looking like "paper" and is very delicate to the touch, creating problems even for normal cleaning.

[0006] The honeycomb fabric also has the drawback of being more difficult to pack because, due to the effect of its chambers, it must expel all the air inside it, in order to close properly.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to allow the use of any type of material for manufacturing the pleated curtain, combining it with a movement system that is not visible from the preferred observation side, achieving a much higher aesthetic and finishing quality than the pleated curtains currently in use.

[0008] Some international patents have pleated curtains as their object, such as WO2014 / 171422 A1 or the Chinese patent CN108729834. This latter claims a pleated curtain capable of suppressing the loss of light generated by the hole passing through the lifting string.

[0009] Another patent, this time a U.S. patent, published with the number US2014284005, claims a complex system of sliding carriages for the movement of pleated curtains in an easy way for the user.

[0010] In none of the patents just briefly described, nor in the others currently in existence, does a movement system seem to have been claimed which is completely retractable for one of the two sides of the curtain, as in the present invention.Description of the invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a pleated curtain is provided, associated with a movement system which, on one side of the curtain, is completely invisible, effectively solving the above problems.

[0012] Like normal pleated curtains, that of the present invention is included in a pair of fixed lateral guides. At least a plurality of pairs of rods are installed inside said guides, either both sliding or one fixed and one sliding within said guides to allow opening and closing of the pleated curtain. At least one pair of threads connects the two rods of each pair of rods to allow a controlled and uniform folding of all the pleats when the curtain is stored in a closed configuration, that is, in which it occupies as little space as possible in the proximity to the upper or lower end or bottom of the guides.

[0013] Advantageously, in order to avoid viewing the two threads from the preferred viewing side of the curtain, when this is in the open configuration, that is, it is extended, the curtain of the present invention is provided, in one embodiment, with at least one intermediate rod which embraces a pleating placed in a median position between the upper and lower rods. Said intermediate rod is irreversibly engaged with the median pleating, which will always be in the closed configuration, even when the curtain is generally in the open configuration.

[0014] Alternatively, the intermediate rod will affect the pleating only at the upper portion thereof, thus allowing the opening and closing thereof, depending on the position of the curtain.

[0015] A further alternative provides for the provision of a rigid insert glued at the upper portion of the median pleating in the point where the passage of each movement thread takes place.

[0016] Advantageously, the intermediate rod or the rigid inserts are constrained to the entire pleating or to the upper half thereof, by means of a common glue.

[0017] The intermediate rod protrudes slightly from the side of the passage of the threads and is therefore advantageously invisible from the preferred observation side of said curtain. The intermediate rod or the rigid inserts and the possible pleating that the intermediate rod embraces are provided with at least one pair of through holes which allow the crossing of the plurality of threads which, necessarily, move said curtain in an ordered manner.

[0018] Advantageously, when the curtain of the present invention is in the open configuration, from the preferred observation side, the threads and the intermediate rod, or the rigid inserts, are completely invisible, contributing to a superior aesthetic result compared to common pleated curtains available on the market today.

[0019] The great aesthetic effect provided by the curtains of the present invention allows their application even in places other than windows, since they can also act as folding doors or as a sliding false ceiling.

[0020] To avoid the intermediate rod or the rigid inserts from still being visible due to the shadow they generate towards the opposite side of the curtain, they can be made of any rigid and transparent material.

[0021] Therefore, from the side opposite to the observation one, at least two threads will be visible starting from the upper rod, crossing the intermediate rod or the rigid inserts at said through holes, and reaching up to the lower rod without crossing all the pleats as it was done in the past.

[0022] The curtain may optionally comprise more than one intermediate rod and more movement threads configured as above, to make up for a considerable extension of the curtain itself.

[0023] A further advantage deriving from the interposition of these rigid rods between the folds of the curtain, consists in the possibility of making considerably larger curtains, both in width and in height, which can be installed both vertically and horizontally without the fabric, towards the central part of the curtain, tending to fall down due to gravity. The intermediate rods, in fact, also act as a structural element.

[0024] Preferably, said intermediate rods will be arranged at regular intervals, even more preferably every 10-20 pleats and, every 15 pleats in the preferred embodiment.

[0025] The innovative configuration of the curtain allow the installation, inside the same lateral guides, of a plurality of fabric packets, each of which is moved by its own pair of sliding rods. By way of non-limiting example, a particularly advantageous embodiment provides a first curtain consisting of a common mosquito net, a second curtain consisting of an attenuating fabric, which filters a part of the light, and a third completely blackout pleated curtain.

[0026] A significant variation of the present invention consists in the use of a photovoltaic fabric as fabric of the curtain itself.

[0027] Advantageously, this fabric will produce a certain amount of electrical energy starting from the sunlight that strikes it when the curtain is in an open configuration. The electricity will be advantageously stored in a common battery integrated in the guides that make up the curtain. In turn, the battery will be advantageously connected to at least one motor adapted to move the lower rod or all the rods to change the configuration of the curtain from open to closed or vice versa. In addition to or as an alternative to the motor, the curtain of the present invention can also include a motorized winder for the threads that move the rods. In the event that the winder is not also supported by the motorization of the lower rod, it will only be possible to close the curtain automatically, using the energy accumulated in the battery, while the opening will necessarily be manual.

[0028] The movement of the curtain can take place thanks to a common switch and / or a remote control.

[0029] Other very advantageous features of the curtain, possible in the version made from photovoltaic fabric, include at least one photocell, installed in a predetermined point of the lateral guides, connected to a motor and / or motorized winder to cause the open configuration to be assumed when the window is hit by the sunlight and the closed configuration to be assumed when the window is in the shade.

[0030] Preferably and advantageously, the movement of the curtain can be connected to a common home automation system that allows the user to operate the means for opening and closing the curtain according to his / her preferences, even remotely.

[0031] The advantages offered by the present invention are clear in the light of the above description and will be even clearer from the accompanying figures and the related detailed description.Description of the figures

[0032] The invention will hereinafter be described in at least one preferred embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying figures, in which: FIGURE 1 shows a section of a window provided with the curtain 10 of the present invention provided according to the more complex embodiment envisaged. (a) and (b) are two alternative embodiments of the intermediate rod 14, while keeping the other features unchanged. FIGURE 2 shows the front elevations of the aforesaid window. In particular, Fig. 2(a) illustrates the view from the outside, while Fig. 2(b) represents the view from inside the room provided with the window. Detailed description of the invention

[0033] The present invention will now be described purely by way of non-limiting or binding example with the aid of the figures, which illustrate some embodiments relative to the present inventive concept.

[0034] With reference to FIG. 1 shows the curtain 10 object of the present invention, in section, mounted at a common window 20.

[0035] The fabric 12 with which the curtain 10 is made is of the photovoltaic type and consists of a certain number of pleats 12' suitable for being folded and stretched to uncover or shield said window 20 from the internal side of the room that uses the curtain 10.

[0036] The two threads 16 which allow the orderly and controlled folding of the pleats, when the curtain is placed in the closed configuration, are connected to a fixed upper rod 13, pass through a pair of through holes 14' made in an intermediate rod 14 and reach up to a lower rod 15 that is movable, that is, sliding inside the lateral guides 11 which support said curtain 10.

[0037] Said intermediate rod 14 is irreversibly engaged with the median pleat 12' of the fabric 12, at the external side thereof, remaining invisible from the inside of the room. The pair of holes 14' is also invisible from the inside.

[0038] The preferred embodiment of the intermediate rod 14 is the one shown in Fig. 1(b) or that in which the rod 14 affects only one side of a selected pleat. In this way, when the curtain 10 is in the open configuration, no irregularity of the fabric will be seen from the inside, which will be evenly distributed in all parts of the frame.

[0039] In the preferred embodiment of the curtain 10, the electrical energy produced by the photovoltaic fabric 12 is stored in a battery 30, integrated in the frame 11, which powers a motor 19 adapted to move said lower rod 15 to allow the configuration change of said curtain 10. The set is completed by a photocell 17 installed in the point of the lateral guides 11 which is first struck by the sunlight during the day.

[0040] Thanks to these features, all self-powered by the electricity stored in the battery 30, the curtain 10 will automatically assume the open configuration when the photocell 17 is hit by the light and then automatically assume the closed configuration when the sun stops illuminating the photocell 17.

[0041] Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants may be made to the invention described thus far which are obvious to a man skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection that is provided by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Pleated curtain (10) for a room, with retractable movement system, consisting of a fabric (12), provided with a plurality of folds or pleats (12'), supported by a pair of lateral guides (11) inside which said curtain (10) can assume a first closed configuration, in which all the folds (12') are pressed together and compressed between an upper rod (13) and a lower rod (15) close to each other; said curtain (10) being able to assume a second open configuration, in which said folds (12') are extended and said lower rod (15) is located away from said upper rod (13); said curtain (10) comprises at least one intermediate rod (14) able to engage irreversibly with the outer surface of at least half of a pleat (12') placed in an intermediate position between said upper rod (13) and said lower rod (15); said at least one intermediate rod (14) projecting towards the outer side of said curtain and being provided with at least a pair of through holes (14') projecting towards the same outer side of said curtain (10), adapted to allow the crossing by a corresponding pair of threads (16) mechanically connecting said upper rod (13) with said lower rod (15) to allow the controlled movement of the fabric (12) of said curtain (10) during the transition between said first closed configuration and said second open configuration; said curtain (10) being characterized in that said pair of lateral guides (11) is fixed and when said curtain (10) is in the open configuration, said threads (16) and said at least one intermediate rod (14) are completely invisible from the inside of the room.

2. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized in that said intermediate rod (14) embraces the outer surface of the totality of a pleat (12') which is always in the second closed configuration; said through holes (14') also affecting the pleat (12') engaged with said intermediate rod (14).

3. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fabric (12) is of the photovoltaic type, or adapted to produce electrical energy starting from the solar energy that hits said fabric (12) when said curtain (10) is in the second open configuration and is impinged by sunlight.

4. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to the preceding claim 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one battery (30) for storing the energy produced by said photovoltaic fabric (12), said battery (30) being integrated in the guides (11) of said curtain (10); battery (30) supplying a motor (19) adapted to move at least said lower rod (15) to allow the configuration of said curtain (10) to be changed.

5. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to the preceding claim 4, characterized in that said battery (30) supplies a motorized winder (18) adapted to recall said threads (16) to modify the configuration of said curtain (10) from said open configuration to said closed configuration.

6. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to the preceding claim 5, characterized in that said motor (19) and / or said motorized winder (18) are adapted to operate on pressure of a suitable switch or a remote control by a user.

7. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to the preceding claim 6, characterized in that it also comprises at least one photocell (17), installed at a predetermined point of said lateral guides (11), connected to said motor (19) and / or said motorized winder (18) to cause the taking of the open configuration when a window (20) at which said curtain (10) is installed is impinged by the Sun and the taking of the closed configuration when said window (20) is in the shade.

8. Pleated curtain (10) with retractable movement system, according to any one of the preceding claims 6 or 7, characterized in that it comprises a common connection system to a home automation system adapted to allow a user to remotely control the operation of said motor (19) and / or of said motorized winder (18).