A curtain wire fastening system onto a window frame

Abstract

The invention relates to a curtain wire (1) fastening system onto a window frame comprising at both ends (4) of the curtain wire (1) a wire fastener covered with a hollow cover element (5) with a cap (8) for fastening the end (4) of the curtain wire (1) to the window frame. A side wall of the hollow cover element (5) includes a side opening (6) for the wire fastener (3) and a bottom of said cover element (5) includes a bottom hole (7) for screwing said cover element (5) to the window frame with a fixing element (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a curtain wire fastening system onto a window frame, wherein the curtain wire is intended for hanging a curtain in front of a window.Background Art

[0002] Prior art includes a number of known curtain wire fastening systems for hanging curtains in front of the windows. Normally, suitable hooks or couplings are used for fastening curtain wires to the wall and the fastening point - i.e., the coupling point of the two fixing elements - remains visible. Using this solution may result in injury to both the user and the curtain fabric. Also, this type of attachment is not visually attractive.

[0003] UK patent GB2420834A (published 07.06.2006) describes a curtain fastening system that is easy to install and where the fixing element is covered by a cover element.

[0004] The closest solution known from the prior art can be considered the solution described in the Estonian utility model EE01264U1 (publ. 15.12.2014), which is published on 05.01.2017 also as US patent application US2017 / 000279A1, both belonging to the same applicant and relating to a curtain wire fastening system onto a window frame. The system includes at both ends of the curtain wire a fastening bracket fixed onto the window frame, where one end of said bracket is fastened behind the external edge of the window frame and where at the other end of said bracket a fixing element has been formed for attaching the curtain wire. A hollow cover element is attached over the fastening bracket. The drawback of this solution is that said system cannot be permanently affixed onto the window frame, and thus such a suspension system is suitable mainly for free-hanging lightweight curtains, such as curtains made of voile fabric. When used to hang heavier curtains, such a fastening system may end up deforming and damaging the edges of the window frame.Disclosure of Invention

[0005] The aim of the present invention is to provide a curtain wire fastening system onto a window frame that can be fixed securely to said window frame, which is easily installable, and which is safe to use, i.e., in use all potentially hazardous projecting elements are covered. The aim of the invention is also to provide an option to a change and / or refresh an appearance of the fastening system by replacing the cap of the cover element if desired.

[0006] An advantage of the present invention besides being easy and safe to use, is that the cap is changeable and therefore the appearance of the fastening system can be changed and refreshed solely by replacing the cap if desired. The external surface of the replaceable caps may include various relief patterns, or the caps may have different shapes (flowers, butterflies etc.) or said caps may have printed decorations on them.

[0007] Present invention provides a curtain wire fastening system onto a window frame comprising at both ends of the curtain wire a wire fastener covered with a hollow cover element with a cap for fastening the end of the curtain wire to the window frame. A side wall of the hollow cover element includes a side opening for the wire fastener and a bottom of said cover element includes a bottom hole for screwing said cover element to the window frame with a fixing element.

[0008] During use said wire fastener connected to the end of said curtain wire and passing through said side opening of said cover element is connected inside of said hollow cover element to the fixing element, which in turn is screwed through the bottom hole of said cover element to said window frame.

[0009] In other words, when in use, the wire fastener connected to the end of the curtain wire and coupled to the fixing element, which in turn is screwed through the bottom of the cover element, are both located inside said hollow cover element. At the top of said hollow cover element is a cap closing an end of said hollow cover element.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing element screwed through the bottom hole of the cover element and the wire fastener connected to the end of the curtain wire and connected to said fixing element are both hook screws.

[0011] The hollow cover element is formed by two end walls and by a mainly cylindrical side wall between them, where one end wall is formed by the cap attached to the cover element, where a side wall of the hollow cover element includes a side opening for the wire fastener and curtain wire and where another end wall, i.e. a bottom of said cover element includes a bottom hole for attaching said cover element to the window frame by using a fixing element.

[0012] Instead of the cylindrical side wall, said side wall of said cover element may have cross-section other than generally rounded shape, such as a polyhedral, oval, square or other shape.

[0013] Preferably the bottom hole in the bottom of said cover element is conical, where said bottom hole is expanding towards the interior of said hollow cover element.

[0014] The cap is preferably fixed to the cover element with a snap-fit, with the threaded fastening or an interference fit. The exterior surface of the cap (i.e., the surface facing the user during use) may have a raised surface (embossed surface) and the exterior surface of the cap may have any shape - round, curved, square, polyhedral, trapezoidal, rectangular, flower-shaped, etc.

[0015] According to second preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing element screwed through the bottom hole of the cover element is a hook screw, and the wire fastener connected to the end of the curtain wire and connected to a fixing element, is a loop screw.

[0016] According to third preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing element screwed through the bottom hole of the cover element is a loop screw, and the wire fastener connected to the end of the curtain wire and connected to a fixing element, is a hook screw.

[0017] According to forth preferred embodiment of the invention, the wire fastener connected to the end of the curtain wire is a loop screw or hook screw, which can be connected to the fixing element, which in this case may be a screw with grooved head screwed through the bottom hole of the cover element, where such a screw may by in the form of a thumbscrew, which is installable without using tools.

[0018] The cover element and the cap are preferably made of plastic.Brief Description of Drawings

[0019] Further the present invention is described in more detail with the help of non-limiting exemplary embodiments with references to the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 shows the curtain wire fastening system according to the invention on the window frame with a curtain hanging from the curtain wire; Figure 2 shows an axonometric exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the curtain wire fastening system according to the invention; Figure 3 shows an axonometric view of the preferred embodiment of the curtain wire fastening system according to the invention with cap removed; Figure 4 shows an axonometric bottom view of the cover element; Figure 5 shows an axonometric top view of the cover element according to Figure 4; Figure 6 shows an axonometric top view of the cap of the cover element; Figure 7 shows an axonometric bottom view of the cap according to Figure 6; Figure 8 depicts a hook screw used in the curtain wire fastening system according to the invention; Figure 9 depicts a loop screw used in the curtain wire fastening system according to the invention; and Figure 10 depicts a thumbscrew with grooved head used in the curtain wire fastening system according to the invention. Mode(s) for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Next the invention is described in more detail with the help of exemplary embodiments. In different drawings for a sake of clarity, the same reference numbers are used for the same elements.

[0021] Figures 2 and 3 depict the preferred embodiment of the curtain wire 1 fastening system, where hook screws are used as fixing element 2 and wire fastener 3. The curtain wire 1 fastening system to be installed onto the window frame (Figure 1) have the same design both on the left and on the right, thus there is no need to describe them separately.

[0022] The curtain wire 1 fastening system onto a window frame comprises at both ends 4 of the curtain wire 1 a wire fastener 3 covered with a hollow cover element 5 with a cap 8 for fastening the end 4 of the curtain wire 1 to the window frame. During use the fixing element 2 screwed through the bottom of cover element 5 and coupled with the wire fastener 3 connected to the end 4 of the curtain wire 1 inside the hollow cover element 5. A side wall of the hollow cover element 5 comprises a side opening 6 for the wire fastener 3 and curtain wire 1 and a bottom of said cover element 5 comprises a bottom hole 7 for screwing said cover element 5 to the window frame with a fixing element 2.

[0023] In the first embodiment, the wire fastener 3 connected to end 4 of curtain wire 1 and fixing element 2 screwed through the bottom hole 7 of the cover element 5 are both hook screws.

[0024] For installing the curtain wire 1 fastening system according to first embodiment, cover element 5 is placed against the window frame, and then the fixing element 2 - in this case a hook screw - is screwed through the bottom hole 7 in the bottom of the cover element 5 into the window frame.

[0025] The wire fastener 3 connected to end 4 of the curtain wire 1 - in this case the hook part of the hook screw - is engaged with the hook part of the hook screw in the bottom of cover element 5 such that curtain wire 1 exits from the interior of the hollow cover element 5 through the side opening 6. The same is implemented at the other end of the curtain wire on the other side of the window frame.

[0026] Then a cap 8 is placed on a cover element 5. In embodiment shown on Figures 6 and 7, the cap is fastened using a snap-fit, but a threaded joint or an interference fit may also be used:

[0027] According to the second embodiment of the invention, the wire fastener 3 connected to end 4 of curtain wire 1 is a loop screw and fixing element 2 screwed through the to bottom hole 7 of the cover element 5 is a hook screw. The installation of the curtain wire 1 fastening system is implemented in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0028] According to the third embodiment of the invention, the wire fastener 3 connected / screwed to the end 4 of the curtain wire 1 is a loop screw or hook screw and the fixing element 2 screwed through bottom hole 7 of the cover element 5 to the window frame is preferably a screw with grooved head, preferably so-called thumbscrew (Figure 10) which can be installed without instruments. The installation of the curtain wire 1 fastening system is implemented in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0029] Figures 8, 9 and 10 depict, respectively, the hook screw, loop screw and thumbscrew with grooved head usable as a fixing element 2. The hook screw and loop screw shown on Figures 8 and 9 can also be used as wire fastener 3.

[0030] In the present embodiment the curtain wire 1 is made of flexible material, such as spirally wound spring wire, which has a plastic coating, and which has openings at both ends. A hook screw or a loop screw is screwed into those openings at the ends 4 of the curtain wire 1, for example the threaded stem part of the hook screw or loop screw depicted in the examples on Figures 8 and 9 respectively.

[0031] It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that within the scope of attached claims the invention may have embodiments other than those described above.LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0032] 1 curtain wire 2 fixing element 3 wire fastener 4 end of cable wire 5 cover element 6 side opening 7 bottom opening 8 cap

Claims

1. A curtain wire (1) fastening system for fastening a curtain wire (1) onto a window frame, comprising a curtain wire (1) and a wire fastener (3) at both ends (4) of the curtain wire (1), wherein each wire fastener (3) is covered with a hollow cover element (5) for fastening the end (4) of the curtain wire (1) to the window frame, wherein the wire fastener (3) connected to the end (4) of the curtain wire (1) is a hook screw or loop screw screwed to the end (4) of the curtain wire (1), wherein each hollow cover element (5) comprises a cap (8) and a fixing element (2), wherein a side wall of each hollow cover element (5) includes a side opening (6) for the wire fastener (3), characterized in that a bottom of said hollow cover element (5) includes a bottom hole (7) for screwing said hollow cover element (5) to the window frame with said fixing element (2), wherein said wire fastener (3) connected to the end (4) of said curtain wire (1) and passing through said side opening (6) of said cover element (5) is connectable inside of said hollow cover element (5) to the fixing element (2), which in turn is screwable through the bottom hole (7) of said cover element (5) to said window frame.

2. The curtain wire fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the fixing element (2) screwed through the bottom hole (7) of the cover element (5) is a hook screw, loop screw or thumbscrew.

3. The curtain wire fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the hollow cover element (5) is formed by two end walls and a mainly cylindrical side wall between them, where one end wall is formed by the cap (8) attached to the cover element (5).

4. The curtain wire fastening system according to claim 3, characterized in that, said cap (8) is attached to said cover element (5) with snap-fit, threaded fastening or interference fit.

5. The curtain wire fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the bottom hole (7) in the bottom of said cover element (5) is conical, where said bottom hole (7) is expanding towards the interior of said hollow cover element (5).

6. The curtain wire fastening system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, the cover element (5) and cap (8) are made of plastic.

7. The curtain wire fastening system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, an exterior surface of the cap (8) comprises a relief pattern.

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