Mounting arrangement for a window blind

Abstract

A mounting arrangement for securing a blind to a window which comprises a sheet of glass held in a frame with a sealing gasket interposed between the sheet of glass and the frame. The mounting arrange

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to window blinds. BACKGROUND Window blinds are generally fitted in a window opening using mounting brackets which are attached by screws to opposite sides or top of the opening. In some cases it is desirable to attach the blind to the window frame or casement, for example if it is necessary to open the window with the blind in place, or to minimise the spacing between the glass and the blind. This is particularly important with thermal blinds where the blind needs to be fitted as close as possible to the window to minimise the intervening air space which is subject to solar heating. One method of attaching the blind to the window frame is to screw the mounting components direct to the frame, but with upvc or aluminium windows this risks causing serious damage and leaves unsightly holes if the blind has to be removed. 09 06 25 Another method is to mount the blind in a rigid sub-frame (rectangular or triangular) which can be attached to an aluminium or upvc window frame by means of metal clips. The clips incorporate a thin blade-like finger which projects from a connecting portion. The blind is fitted by first attaching the clips by sliding the finger between the pane of glass and a resilient sealing bead or gasket. When the clips are correctly positioned the sub-frame can be engaged with the connecting portions of the clips, securing the sub-frame close to the window. One drawback of such an arrangement is that the sub-frame can significantly reduce the area of the window even when the blind is open, potentially reducing the amount of light entering the room, e.g. during overcast weather. The clips also have to be correctly positioned in the window frame before the blind subframe can be fitted. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention proposes a mounting arrangement for securing a blind (1) to a window which comprises a sheet of glass (20) held in a frame (21) with a sealing gasket interposed between the sheet of glass and the frame. The mounting arrangement includes a mounting clip having a connecting portion (42) by which the mounting clip is attached to a headrail (2) of the blind, and a planar finger (43) which projects from the connecting portion for insertion between a sheet of glass and a sealing gasket. The planar finger (43) has a retaining formation, e.g. a shoulder (51), which projects from the plane of the finger to engage behind the sealing gasket. The planar finger (43) has a leading edge (49) and a trailing portion (52), and the retaining formation comprises a step (51) which projects outward from the trailing portion. 09 06 25 To minimise the risk of damage to the gasket and assist insertion the planar finger (43) has a sloping face (50) extending from the leading edge (49) to the trailing portion (52). The mounting clips can be secured to the headrail prior to attachment to the window. In a preferred embodiment the connecting portion comprises a connecting wall (40) with a pair of spaced rails (55 and 56) extending parallel to the planar finger (43). The rails (55 and 56) may have outwardly-directed grooves (57 and 58) to slidably receive in-turned flanges (33 and 34) of a headrail in use. The invention includes a window blind having a headrail (2), a middle rail (3) and a bottom rail (4), a blind secured to the headrail and the middle rail, and a tensioning cord (5) connecting the headrail, middle and bottom rails, wherein the headrail and the bottom rail (4) are secured to a window by the mounting clips. 09 06 25 The invention also provides a method of mounting a blind (1) to a window which comprises a sheet of glass (20b) held in a frame (21) with a sealing gasket (23) interposed between the sheet of glass and the frame, wherein the method comprises connecting a plurality of clips (8-10) to a headrail (2) and then, with the clips connected to the headrail, inserting the planar fingers (43) between the sheet of glass and the sealing gasket such that the retaining formations (51) engage behind the sealing gasket. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic front view of a window blind for attachment to a window frame; Figure 2 is a general view of the blind as fitted to a window frame, with some parts omitted for clarity, and including an inset enlarged detail; Figure 3 is a sectional view of a rail extrusion used in the mounting arrangement for the blind; Figure 4 is a general view of an end clip which is used in the mounting arrangement; Figure 5 is a general view of an intermediate clip which may be required in some circumstances. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with thermally insulating blinds which are fitted close to a window. The example described below relates to the kind of blind known as a honeycomb blind, but could also be used with other kinds of blind such as pleated blinds for example. Referring firstly to Fig. 1, a honeycomb blind 1 is secured to a fixed headrail 2 and a movable middle rail 3 which is secured to the bottom of the blind. When the middle rail is moved towards the headrail the blind is folded in a concertina-like manner, but when the middle rail is moved in the opposite direction towards a fixed bottom rail 4 the blind is extended to cover a window to which the blind is fitted in use. Control of the blind is achieved by means of a lightly tensioned cord 5. One end 6 is anchored inside the bottom rail 4 from which the cord emerges and extends upwards to the middle rail 3. After passing along the middle rail the cord again passes upwards through a series of holes adjacent to one edge of the blind 1, and then enters the headrail 2. The cord continues to travel along the headrail and then passes downwards through corresponding holes at the opposite edge of the blind before traveling back along the middle rail 3, exiting the middle rail, and then re-entering the opposite end of the bottom rail 4 where the end 7 of the cord is again anchored. When the cord is correctly tensioned the middle rail is retained in any intermediate position between the bottom rail 4, with the blind extended, and an upper position with the blind fully retracted. The fixed top and bottom rails 2 and 4 are attached to a window by means of mounting clips 8-10 and 11-13 respectively. Fig. 2 shows one sectioned half of a glazed window 20 and its mounting frame 21 along with a correspondingly sectioned portion of the honeycomb blind 1 and the associated rails 2-4. Only the relevant portions of the window 20 and the frame 21 are shown for purposes of clarity. In particular, note that the outer portions of the window frame against which the outer pane of glass 20a is sealingly held are not shown. The inner pane of glass 20b is sealed by a plastic quadrant 22 (see inset detail) which clips into the frame 21. The edge of the quadrant which is opposed to the window 20 carries a resiliently compressible sealing gasket 23, normally of an elastomeric material such as neoprene, which bears against the inner pane 20b to sealingly hold the window in the frame. Various forms of sealing gasket profile are used. The illustrated profile includes a hollow D-shape, but some gaskets have a pair of flange-like sealing lips, angled towards the frame, which bear against the window. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the honeycomb blind 1 has a series of closed cells 14 which extend between the opposite side edges of the blind parallel to the rails 2, 3 and 4. The rails 2-4 are conveniently formed of the same extrusion, e.g. polymer or aluminium, the cross-section of which is shown in greater detail in Fig. 3. The extrusion has a pair of side walls 30, 31 which are joined by a cross wall 32 in the shape of an H. The opposite edges of both side walls 30 and 31 are each provided with in-turned flanges 33-36 forming a pair of channels 37 and 38 on opposite sides of the cross wall 32. Referring back to Fig. 2, the top and bottom edges of the blind are held within the aforesaid channels of the top and middle rails, 2 and 3. The edges can, for example, be provided with a flat stiffening strip which is slid into the respective channel and retained by the inturned flanges 33-36. The upper channel 37 of the headrail 2 is used to hold the mounting clips 8-10 shown in Fig. 1. The clips 8 and 10 at the ends of the rail are formed with integral end caps. Between the end clips, depending on the length of the rail, one or more intermediate clips 9 may be engaged with the rail, although in the case of a short rail (say around 300 mm long) no intermediate clips would be required. An end clip 8 as used at the left hand end of the headrail 2 is shown in more detail in Fig. 4. The clip 8, which may for example be integrally moulded from polymer material, has a connecting portion comprising a wall 40, which in this case is substantially rectangular with a top face 41 and a bottom face 42 (when viewed as shown). A planar blade-like finger 43 projects upwards from one edge of the connecting wall 40, and an end wall 44 projects downwards from an adjacent edge of the connecting wall. The finger 43 has a front face 45, a rear face 46, opposite side edges 47 and 48, and a leading edge 49. The rear face 46 is flat to slide against the glass of the window 20, but the front face 45 has a shallow sloping face 50 which commences at the leading edge 49 and extends between the side edges 47 and 48. At its farthest point from the rear face 46 the sloping face 50 meets a shallow step 51 which projects outward from a trailing portion 52 of the font face. The step 51 again extends between the side edges 47 and 48, forming a retaining formation which projects from the plane of the finger. The function of the sloping face 50 and the step 51 will be described below. The bottom face of the connecting wall 40 has a pair of spaced rails 55 and 56, both extending parallel to the finger 43. These rails are both L-shaped to form outwardly-directed grooves 57 and 58 such that the rails can slide onto the adjacent end of the headrail 2 with the in-turned flanges 33 and 34 slidably received in the grooves. The end wall 44 also carries a pair of pins 59 and 60 which enter the corresponding channel 37 to frictionally engage the underside of the flanges 33 and 34. The end clip 8 therefore forms a neat end cap for the headrail 2, with the end wall 44 closing the end of the rail. The opposite end clip 10 used at the other end of the headrail 2 is the same as the end clip 8, just described, except that the end wall 44 is formed at the opposite edge of the connecting wall 40. The intermediate clips, such as the clip 9 shown in Fig. 5, are the same as the end clip 8, just described, except that the end wall 44 is omitted allowing the intermediate clips to be adjusted to the required positions between the end caps. The reference numerals in the drawing indicate the same features already described in relation to the end cap 8. The end clips can also be used with the bottom rail 4 but since the end clips are turned up-side-down the left clip 8 becomes the right clip 13 and the right clip 10 becomes the left clip 11. The intermediate clips are not handed and can be engaged with the headrail 2 or the bottom rail 4. An advantage of the present mounting arrangement is that the blind can be mounted on the window with the clips 8-13 pre-engaged with the rails 2 and 4. The headrail 2 is fitted by pushing the fingers 43 between the window glass 20b and the sealing gasket 23. The sloping face 50 at the leading edge of the finger gently compresses the gasket as the finger is inserted until the step 51 moves past the gasket. This allows the gasket to resiliently expand behind the step, which therefore holds the clip securely in position. The same process can be followed with other forms of resilient gasket which also expand to engage behind the step 51. The same process is followed to mount the bottom rail 4, which can be fitted before after the headrail. When the two rails are fitted, fine adjustments can be made to the cord 5 to ensure that it is correctly tensioned to firmly hold the blind, extended or retracted, whilst ensuing sufficient freedom of movement. This is done inside the bottom rail by knotting the ends of the cord or adjusting the position of a screw clamp for example. Since no side rails are required the fitting of the blind is quick and simple, and once fitted there is minimum obscuring of the window. The positions of any intermediate clips can easily be adjusted along the rails as required. Furthermore, if the blind is removed there is less likely to be any permanent damage to the window frame. Whilst the above description places emphasis on the areas which are believed to be new and addresses specific problems which have been identified, it is intended that the features disclosed herein may be used in any combination which is capable of providing a new and useful advance in the art. 09 06 25

Claims

1. A mounting arrangement for securing a blind (1) to a window which comprises a sheet of glass (20) held in a frame (21) with a sealing gasket (23) interposed between the sheet of glass and the frame, wherein the mounting arrangement includes a headrail (2) for the blind and a mounting clip (8) having:- a connecting wall (40) by which the mounting clip is attached to the headrail (2) of the blind in use, and- a planar finger (43) which projects from an edge of the connecting wall for insertion between a sheet of glass and a sealing gasket in use,wherein the planar finger (43) has a flat rear face (46) with a leading edge (49) and a front face (45) with a retaining formation (50, 51) which projects from the plane of the finger to engage behind the sealing gasket in use,wherein the retaining formation comprises a step (51) which projects outward from the front face (45) and a sloping face (50) which extends from the step (51) to the leading edge (49) where the sloping face meets the flat rear face (46);wherein the connecting wall (40) has a pair of spaced rails (55 and 56) extending parallel to the planar finger (43).

2. A mounting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the rails (55 and 56) have outwardly-directed grooves (57 and 58) to slidably engage in-turned flanges (33 and 34) of the headrail in use.09 06 253. A mounting arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the connecting wall (40) has an end wall (44) which projects from an edge of the connecting wall.

4. A mounting arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the end wall (44) has projections (59 and 60) for reception in the headrail (2) in use.

5. A mounting arrangement according to any preceding claim wherein the step (51) and the sloping face (50) extend between opposite side edges (47 and 48) of the finger (43).

6. A mounting arrangement according to any preceding claim which includes a middle rail (3) and a bottom rail (4), a blind secured to the headrail and the middle rail, and a tensioning cord (5) connecting the headrail, middle and bottom rails.

7. A mounting arrangement according to claim 6 wherein the blind (1) is a honeycomb or pleated blind.

8. A mounting arrangement according to any preceding claim wherein the headrail (2) has a pair of side walls (30, 31) which are joined by a cross wall (32) in the shape of an H.

9. A mounting arrangement according to claim 8 wherein opposite edges of both side walls (30 and 31) are each provided with in-turned flanges (33-36).09 06 2510. A method of mounting a blind (1) to a window which comprises a sheet of glass (20b) held in a frame (21) with a sealing gasket (23) interposed between the sheet of glass and the frame,wherein the method includes providing a headrail (2) for the blind and a plurality of mounting clips (8) each having: - a connecting wall (40) by which the mounting clip is attached to a the headrail (2) of the blind, and- a planar finger (43) which projects from an edge of the connecting wall for insertion between the sheet of glass and a sealing gasket,wherein the planar finger (43) has a flat rear face (46) with a leading edge (49) and a front face (45) with a retaining formation (50, 51) which projects from the plane of the finger to engage behind the sealing gasket,wherein the retaining formation comprises a step (51) which projects outward from the front face (45) and a sloping face (50) which extends from the step (51) to the leading edge (49) where the sloping face meets the flat rear face (46),wherein the connecting wall (40) has a pair of spaced rails (55 and 56) extending parallel to the planar finger (43),wherein the method comprises connecting the clips (8) to the headrail (2) and then, with the clips connected to the headrail, inserting the planar fingers (43) between the sheet of glass and the sealing gasket such that the retaining formations (50, 51) engage behind the sealing gasket.

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