End cap

Abstract

To provide an end cap that is easily attached to a curtain rail.SOLUTION: An end cap 1 to be attached to an end part 100e of a curtain rail 100 along an attachment direction includes an end cap body 10, a binding plate 20, and a screw member 30. The end cap body 10 includes: a first support part 11B for supporting the screw member 30 from below; and a second support part 12 for supporting a bottom part 101 of the curtain rail 100 above the first support part 11B and formed with a penetration part 12h through which a body 31 of the screw member 30 supported by the first support part 11B penetrates. The binding plate 20 is screwed into the body 31 and held above the second support part 12 with a space from the second support part 12. An opening 11h from which a portion of the head part 32 of the screw member 30 exposes is formed in the first support part 11B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an end cap, and more particularly to an end cap that is attached to the end of a curtain rail. [Background technology]

[0002] A curtain rail is a long rail-like member with an opening at the bottom, from which a runner for suspending a curtain hangs. The runner is designed to move along the opening of the curtain rail. End caps are generally attached to the ends of the curtain rail. These end caps cover the ends of the curtain rail to improve the aesthetic appearance and prevent the runner from escaping from the curtain rail.

[0003] Some end caps include an end cap body and a fastening plate disposed inside the end cap body. The end cap body and the fastening plate each have a through hole that communicates with each other. A screw is inserted into these through holes that communicate with each other, and the fastening plate is screwed onto the screw. The screw penetrates the end cap body so that the head of the screw is located below the end cap body. When the end cap is not attached to the curtain rail, the screw and the fastening plate that is screwed onto the screw are lowered by their own weight, and the fastening plate is supported on the bottom surface of the end cap body (i.e., there is no gap between the fastening plate and the bottom surface of the end cap body). The end cap is configured in this way.

[0004] Such an end cap is attached to the end of a curtain rail, for example, as follows. That is, first, the head of the screw, which is lower than the bottom surface of the end cap body, is pushed up, so that the fastening plate screwed onto the screw is raised from the bottom surface of the end cap body. This forms a gap between the fastening plate and the bottom surface of the end cap body. Then, while maintaining this state, the end cap is slid toward the end of the curtain rail, so that the bottom of the curtain rail is inserted into the gap between the fastening plate and the bottom surface of the end cap body. Finally, when the head of the screw is rotated in this state, the fastening plate screwed onto the screw is lowered as the screw rotates, and the bottom at the end of the curtain rail is fastened by the fastening plate and the bottom surface of the end cap body. In this way, the end of the curtain rail is clamped between the fastening plate and the bottom surface of the end cap, and the end cap is attached to the end of the curtain rail.

[0005] As described above, in the past, in order to attach an end cap to a curtain rail, it was necessary to insert the end cap into the end of the curtain rail while keeping the head of the screw pushed up, which was troublesome. As an end cap that can reduce such troublesomeness, for example, the end cap described in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0006] In the end cap described in Patent Document 1, a spring piece is provided between the bottom surface of the end cap body and the fastening plate. That is, in the end cap described in Patent Document 1, the elastic force of the spring piece is utilized to prevent the fastening plate and the screw from descending due to their own weight, and the fastening plate is maintained in a state separated from the bottom surface of the end cap. Therefore, according to the end cap described in Patent Document 1, the end cap can be inserted into the curtain rail without pushing up the screw. In the end cap described in Patent Document 1, after the end cap is inserted into the curtain rail, the end cap is attached to the end of the curtain rail by rotating the screw that penetrates the fastening plate and the bottom surface of the end cap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Jpn. Jpn. Published Application No. 55-002861 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, in the end cap described in Patent Document 1, when attaching the end cap to the curtain rail, it is necessary to turn the screw against the elastic force of the spring piece, so force is required to attach the end cap to the curtain rail. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of ease of attachment to the curtain rail.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and one of its objects is to provide an end cap that is easy to attach to a curtain rail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] (1): The end cap of the present invention is an end cap that is attached to the end of a curtain rail in an attachment direction, and comprises an end cap body, a fastening plate, and a screw member. The end cap body includes a first support portion that supports the screw member from below in an up-down direction that intersects with the attachment direction, and a second support portion that supports the bottom of the curtain rail above the first support portion in the up-down direction and has a through portion through which a body of the screw member supported by the first support portion passes. The fastening plate is screwed into the body that passes through the through portion and is held above the second support portion in the up-down direction and spaced apart from the second support portion. The first support portion has an opening through which a portion of the head of the screw member is exposed from below in the up-down direction.

[0011] In this specification, the term "curtain rail" includes not only curtain rails used for curtains, but also rails for hanging or sliding light-blocking and shading members (e.g., blinds, roller screens, roll-up curtains, etc.) to block out light from or shade the interior of a room.

[0012] (2): In (1), in a width direction intersecting both the mounting direction and the vertical direction, the opening of the first support part may be wider than a portion of the head of the screw member that is exposed from the opening, and the penetrating portion of the second support part may be wider than the body of the screw member.

[0013] (3): In (1) or (2), the fastening plate may include a wall portion extending upward or downward in the vertical direction from one end of the fastening plate in the mounting direction.

[0014] (4): In any of (1) to (3), the end cap body may have a pillar portion protruding from the second support portion toward the fastening plate, and a through hole through which the pillar portion passes may be formed in the fastening plate.

[0015] (5): In any of (1) to (4), the through portion of the second support portion may be a notch extending from one end of the second support portion toward the other end in the mounting direction.

[0016] (6): In (5), the end cap body may have a pillar portion protruding from the second support portion toward the fastening plate, and a through hole through which the pillar portion passes may be formed in the fastening plate.

[0017] (7): In (6), in a width direction intersecting both the mounting direction and the vertical direction, the opening of the first support part may be wider than a portion of the head of the screw member exposed from the opening, the through portion of the second support part may be wider than the body portion of the screw member, and the through hole of the fastening plate may be wider than the column portion.

[0018] (8): In any of (4), (6), and (7), the cross-sectional shape and dimensions of the pillar may correspond to the shape and dimensions of the through hole of the fastening plate in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the pillar. In addition, when the end cap body has a pillar protruding from the second support part toward the fastening plate, a through hole through which the pillar passes is formed in the fastening plate, and (5) is satisfied, the cross-sectional shape and dimensions of the pillar may correspond to the shape and dimensions of the through hole of the fastening plate in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the pillar. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, an end cap that is easy to attach to a curtain rail is provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a state in which an end cap according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a curtain rail. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view showing a state in which an end cap according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a curtain rail. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the end cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention before being attached to a curtain rail. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of the end cap shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the end cap shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 4 is a side view showing how the end cap shown in FIG. 3 is attached to a curtain rail. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a front view showing the end cap shown in FIG. 3 immediately after it has been attached to the curtain rail. FIG. [Figure 9]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an end cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention before being attached to a curtain rail. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an end cap according to a third embodiment of the present invention together with a curtain rail before being attached to the curtain rail. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which an end cap according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is attached to a curtain rail. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the end cap shown in FIG. 11 with the curtain rail omitted. [Figure 13] 12 is a plan view showing the end cap shown in FIG. 11 with the curtain rail and the fastening plate omitted. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the end cap shown in FIG. 11 with the curtain rail omitted. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an end cap according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention with the fastening plate omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the end cap according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments exemplified below are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved from the following embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the above-mentioned accompanying drawings, the dimensions of each member may be exaggerated or reduced, or hatching may be omitted, in order to facilitate understanding.

[0022] Furthermore, in this specification, the terms "upper" and "lower" are used to indicate the relative positional relationship in the up-down direction described below, and do not only mean "upper" and "lower" in the vertical direction.

[0023] (First embodiment) First, an end cap 1 according to a first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a side view showing the end cap according to this embodiment attached to a curtain rail. Fig. 2 is a front view showing the end cap according to this embodiment attached to a curtain rail.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the end cap 1 is attached to an end 100e in the longitudinal direction X of the curtain rail 100. For convenience, Figure 1 shows an example in which the end cap 1 is attached only to the end 100e on one side in the longitudinal direction X of the curtain rail 100, but the end cap 1 may also be attached to the end on the other side in the longitudinal direction X. Figure 2 is a view of the curtain rail 100 and the end cap 1 from the other side in the longitudinal direction X (the side opposite to the side of the end cap 1).

[0025] <Curtain rail 100> Before describing the end cap 1 in detail, the curtain rail 100 will be described.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, the curtain rail 100 is formed symmetrically in the width direction Y that intersects with the longitudinal direction X (orthogonal in this embodiment), and is formed into a flat, hollow, approximately rectangular prism shape in the width direction Y. Note that Fig. 1 is a view of the curtain rail 100 and the end cap 1 as viewed from one side in the width direction Y.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the curtain rail 100 includes a bottom 101 that faces downward in the vertical direction when it is attached to a room or the like. The up-down direction Z shown in each figure is a direction that intersects (orthogonal in this embodiment) both the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y, and corresponds to the vertical direction when the curtain rail 100 and the end cap 1 are attached to a room. The bottom 101 is a lower part of the curtain rail 100 in the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 10 described later, in the width direction Y, a notch 101h is formed in the center of the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 over the entire length of the curtain rail 100 in the longitudinal direction X. A part of a runner (not shown) attached to the curtain rail 100 (for example, a ring for hanging a curtain) hangs down below the curtain rail 100 through the notch 101h. The runner can slide along the longitudinal direction X on the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 at the end 100e is sandwiched in the vertical direction Z between the end cap body 10 and the fastening plate 20 of the end cap 1, thereby attaching (fixing) the end cap 1 to the end 100e of the curtain rail 100.

[0029] <End cap 1> Next, the end cap 1 will be described in detail.

[0030] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the end cap 1 before being attached to the curtain rail 100, Fig. 4 is a front view of the end cap 1 before being attached to the curtain rail 100, Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the end cap 1. As shown in Figs. 3 to 6, the end cap 1 includes an end cap body 10, a fastening plate 20, and a screw member 30.

[0031] <End cap body 10> The end cap body 10 includes a first portion 11 and a hanging portion 15 located on the lower side in the vertical direction Z (i.e., the vertically lower side when attached to the curtain rail 100 and installed indoors, etc.), a second portion 18 located above the first portion 11 and the hanging portion 15 in the vertical direction Z, and a column portion 16.

[0032] The second portion 18 of the end cap body 10 is a member of a substantially cubic or rectangular parallelepiped with an upper side in the vertical direction Z and one side in the longitudinal direction X open. Hereinafter, the open side of the second portion 18 will be referred to as the "open side OP". The second portion 18 includes a substantially rectangular or square plate-like bottom portion 12 extending in the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y, a pair of side walls 13, 13 extending upward in the vertical direction Z from both ends of the bottom portion 12 in the width direction Y, and an end wall 14 connecting to the ends of the other side (opposite the open side OP) in the longitudinal direction X of each of the bottom portion 12 and the side walls 13, 13 and extending upward in the vertical direction Z from the bottom portion 12. In the end cap body 10, the end face of the open side OP (opposite the end wall 14 side) in the longitudinal direction X is formed flush, and the upper end faces of the side walls 13, 13 and the upper end face of the end wall 14 are formed flush.

[0033] In each of the side walls 13, 13, the end of the open side OP is cut out in a substantially quarter arc shape that is convex toward the end wall 14 and downward, thereby improving, for example, decorativeness. However, it is not essential to cut out the side walls 13 in this manner. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the width (length in the width direction Y) from the inner surface of the side wall 13 on one side to the inner surface of the side wall 13 on the other side is slightly larger than the width (length in the width direction) of the curtain rail 100. Also, in this embodiment, the height (length in the vertical direction Z) of the side walls 13, 13 is approximately equal to the height (length in the vertical direction Z) of the curtain rail 100. Therefore, in this embodiment, when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, the entire end 100e of the curtain rail 100 is accommodated inside the end cap 1 with almost no gap.

[0034] As shown in particular in Fig. 6, the center of the bottom 12 in the width direction Y is a guide portion 17 that stands upright upward relative to other parts of the bottom 12. The guide portion 17 is rectangular when viewed from above in the up-down direction Z (in a plan view) and extends parallel to the side wall 13 over the entire length of the bottom 12 in the longitudinal direction X. The width (length in the width direction Y) of the guide portion 17 is slightly shorter than the width (length in the width direction Y) of the notch 101h of the curtain rail 100 (see Figs. 2 and 10).

[0035] In addition, the bottom 12 is formed with a through-hole 12h penetrating the bottom 12 in the up-down direction Z. The position of the through-hole 12h is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the through-hole 12h is formed in the guide portion 17 of the bottom 12. In this embodiment, the through-hole 12h is formed as a notch extending from an end portion on one side (open side OP) of the bottom 12 in the longitudinal direction X toward the other side (the end wall 14 side). In this embodiment, the end portion 12E of the through-hole 12h (notch) on the end wall 14 side is formed in a semicircular shape that is convex toward the end wall 14 side in correspondence with the curved surface of the body portion 31 of the screw member 30 described later, but this is not essential. In this embodiment, the through-hole 12h is located in the center in the width direction Y of the end cap main body 10 and extends to about half the total length of the guide portion 17 in the longitudinal direction X. However, the length of the through-hole 12h (notch) can be changed as appropriate.

[0036] The pillar portion 16 of the end cap body 10 protrudes upward from the bottom portion 12, more specifically, protrudes upward from the guide portion 17. The position of the pillar portion 16 is not particularly limited, but the pillar portion 16 in this embodiment is located at the center of the end cap body 10 in the width direction Y, and is located between the through portion 12h and the end wall 14 in the longitudinal direction X. In this embodiment, the pillar portion 16 is aligned in a straight line with the through portion 12h in the longitudinal direction X. Furthermore, although the pillar portion 16 in this embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape, the pillar portion does not have to be cylindrical, as described later.

[0037] The first portion 11 of the end cap body 10 is located below the bottom 12 of the second portion in the vertical direction Z and is connected to the bottom 12. The first portion 11 is formed in a hollow shape. Specifically, the first portion 11 is configured such that an end portion on the end wall 14 side in the longitudinal direction X is closed, an end portion on the opposite side to the end wall 14 side is open, and an upper side is open in the vertical direction Z, while a lower side is closed by the bottom 11B. Thus, the internal space 11R of the first portion 11 is communicated with the through portion 12h by opening the upper side of the first portion 11. In this embodiment, the first portion 11 is formed in an isosceles trapezoid shape narrowing toward the lower side when viewed from the longitudinal direction X. 6, when viewed from the open side OP, the isosceles trapezoid internal space 11R of the first portion 11 and the through-hole 12h (notch) formed in the guide portion 17 form a space having a shape and dimensions that generally correspond to the side shape of the screw member 30. The bottom portion 11B of the first portion 11 has an opening 11h that penetrates the bottom portion 11B in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the shape of the opening 11h as viewed from the vertical direction Z is circular, but is not limited thereto. The opening 11h communicates with the through-hole 12h and is aligned in a straight line with the through-hole 12h in the vertical direction Z.

[0038] 6, the bottom 12 includes a pair of portions that overlap the bottom 11B when viewed from above in the vertical direction Z, and these pair of portions are boundary portions 12a, 12a that define the boundary between the internal space 11R and the through-hole 12h (cutout). The boundary portions 12a, 12a are spaced apart in the width direction Y, and the guide portion 17 is formed on the boundary portions 12a, 12a. The boundary portions 12a, 12a include a portion of the surface that defines the through-hole 12h (cutout).

[0039] The suspension part 15 of the end cap body 10 is a substantially plate-like part extending downward from the end of the open side OP (opposite the end wall 14) of the bottom part 11B. The suspension part 15 is formed in an isosceles trapezoid convex downward when viewed from the longitudinal direction X. That is, the suspension part 15 forms an isosceles trapezoid together with the first part 11 above the suspension part 15 when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, and forms a part of the isosceles trapezoid. A hole penetrating the suspension part 15 in the longitudinal direction X is formed at the center of the suspension part 15. In this embodiment, the hole of the suspension part 15 is semicircular convex downward, and the ring member 90 is passed through this hole, so that the ring member 90 is suspended by the suspension part 15. For example, a hook or the like attached to the upper end of a curtain (not shown) attached to a curtain rail 100 may be hung on the ring member 90.

[0040] <Screw member 30> The screw member 30 includes a body portion 31 having a screw groove formed therein, and a head portion 32 connected to one end of the body portion 31 and enlarging in diameter from the body portion 31. As the screw member 30, various types of screws can be used, such as a hexagon socket bolt, a low head bolt, a flat head screw, a pan head screw, and a truss screw.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the screw member 30 is inserted into the through portion 12h (cutout) of the end cap body 10 and the internal space 11R of the first part 11 of the end cap body 10 along the longitudinal direction X from the open side OP toward the end wall 14, with the head 32 facing downward in the vertical direction Z.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the screw member 30 is inserted until it abuts against the end 12E (see FIG. 6) of the through portion 12h (notch). This positions the screw member 30 at the insertion position, and the screw member 30 is disposed in the internal space 11R. When the screw member 30 is disposed in the internal space 11R, a part of the head 32 of the screw member 30 is exposed from the opening 11h of the bottom 11B. In other words, when the end cap 1 is viewed from below in the vertical direction Z, a part of the head 32 of the screw member 30 is visible through the opening 11h. The exposed part of the head 32 includes a recess (such as a cross recess or a slot) formed in the head 32 for fitting a driver. In this way, the screw member 30 is supported from below in the vertical direction Z by the bottom 11B of the first portion 11. Therefore, the bottom 11B of the first portion 11 functions as a first support portion that supports the screw member 30 from below, and prevents the screw member 30 from falling. Hereinafter, the bottom of the first portion of the end cap body may be referred to as the "first support portion." In addition, the height of the internal space 11R, which is the length in the vertical direction Z from the upper surface of the bottom 11B (first support portion 11B) of the first portion 11 to the lower surface of the boundary portion 12a, is approximately equal to the height (length in the vertical direction Z) of the head 32 of the screw member 30. Therefore, when the screw member 30 is pushed upward through the opening 11h, for example, the upper end of the head 32 of the screw member 30 immediately comes into contact with the boundary portions 12a, 12a, and the upward movement of the screw member 30 is restricted.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the body 31 of the screw member 30 housed within the internal space 11R and supported by the first support portion 11B penetrates the through-hole 12h of the bottom portion 12 and protrudes upward beyond the bottom portion 12.

[0044] <Clamping plate 20> As shown in FIG. 3 in particular, the fastening plate 20 includes a plate-shaped main body portion 21 extending in the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y, and a plate-shaped wall portion 22 extending in the vertical direction Z and the width direction Y.

[0045] The wall portion 22 is connected to one end of the main body portion 21 in the longitudinal direction X, and is located at the center of the main body portion 21 in the width direction Y. The wall portion 22 includes a first portion 22a connected to the main body portion 21, and a second portion 22b connected to the first portion 22a. The first portion 22a is square or rectangular when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, and is formed so that its width (length in the width direction Y) is approximately the same as the width of the through portion 12h (cutout) and smaller than the width of the guide portion 17. The second portion 22b is formed in an isosceles trapezoid shape with a larger width on the first portion 22a side when viewed from the longitudinal direction X. As shown in Fig. 4 and other figures, the second portion 22b is generally similar to the first portion 11 and the suspension portion 15 of the end cap body 10 when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, and is smaller than the first portion 11 and the suspension portion 15 to cover the openings of the open sides OP of the first portion 11 and the suspension portion 15. A notch 22h extending toward the first portion 22a is formed at the end of the second portion 22b opposite to the first portion 22a in the vertical direction Z. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the notch 22h is formed in a keyhole shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, and is located at the center of the second portion 22b in the width direction Y.

[0046] The main body 21 includes a screw portion 23 that protrudes to one side in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the screw portion 23 is cylindrical, and a groove that can be screwed into the body portion 31 of the screw member 30 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the screw portion 23. Therefore, the fastening plate 20 can be screwed into the body portion 31 of the screw member 30 at the screw portion 23. In this embodiment, the screw portion 23 is provided at the center of the main body 21 in the width direction Y. The main body 21 further has a through hole 21h that penetrates the main body 21 in the vertical direction Z. In the longitudinal direction X, the through hole 21h is on the opposite side to the wall portion 22 side with respect to the screw portion 23, and in this embodiment, the through hole 21h is aligned in a straight line with the screw portion 23 in the longitudinal direction X. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the through hole 21h is also aligned in a straight line with the wall portion 22 in the longitudinal direction X. In this embodiment, the through hole 21h is formed in a circular shape when viewed from the vertical direction Z, and is formed to a dimension slightly larger than the circle that is the cross-sectional shape of the above-mentioned cylindrical column portion 16 (substantially the same dimension, but slightly larger enough for the column portion 16 to penetrate). That is, in this embodiment, in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z in which the column portion 16 protrudes (longitudinal direction X and width direction Y), the shape and dimension of the cross section of the column portion 16 correspond to the shape and dimension of the through hole 21h. However, the configuration of the through hole 21h is not limited to this.

[0047] In this embodiment, both end portions 21a, 21a of the main body portion 21 in the width direction Y are inclined at a predetermined angle toward the side opposite to the side from which the screw portion 23 protrudes in the vertical direction Z. For example, the angle at which the end portions 21a of the main body portion 21 are inclined may be about 45°.

[0048] The fastening plate 20 is attached to the end cap body 10, for example, as follows. That is, first, as described above, the screw member 30 is placed in the internal space 11R of the first part 11 of the end cap body 10. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, a part of the head 32 of the screw member 30 is exposed from the opening 11h of the first part 11 of the end cap body 10, and the body 31 of the screw member 30 is protruding upward from the through-hole 12h of the bottom part 12 of the end cap body 10. Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the fastening plate 20 is moved downward in the vertical direction Z with the inclined sides of both end parts 21a, 21a facing the lower side in the vertical direction Z and the wall part 22 facing the open side OP of the end cap body 10.

[0049] 5, in this embodiment, the distance from the center of the screwing portion 23 of the fastening plate 20 to the center of the through hole 21h in the longitudinal direction X generally corresponds to the distance from the center of the body 31 of the screw member 30 arranged in the internal space 11R to the center of the column portion 16. In addition, in this embodiment, the length of the body portion 21 of the fastening plate 20 in the longitudinal direction X generally corresponds to the length of the bottom portion 12 of the end cap body 10. Therefore, by abutting the end portion of the fastening plate 20 opposite to the wall portion 22 side against the end wall 14 of the end cap body 10, the screwing portion 23 of the fastening plate 20 is located directly above the body portion 31 of the screw member 30, and the through hole 21h of the fastening plate 20 is located directly above the column portion 16 of the end cap body 10.

[0050] Then, when the fastening plate 20 is lowered while the end portion of the fastening plate 20 opposite to the wall portion 22 side is abutted against the end wall 14 of the end cap body 10, the upper end of the body 31 of the screw member 30 enters the screwing portion 23 and the upper end of the column portion 16 enters the through hole 21h as shown in Fig. 3. After that, as shown in Fig. 5, a fastening tool such as a screwdriver is inserted into the head 32 of the screw member 30 exposed from the opening 11h of the first portion 11 of the end cap body 10 to rotate the head 32 (screw member 30). At this time, even if the screw member 30 rotates around the body 31 as an axis, the upper end of the column portion 16 enters the through hole 21h as described above, so that the fastening plate 20 screwed to the body 31 is restricted from rotating around the body 31. In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, the shape and dimensions of the cross section of the column portion 16 correspond to the shape and dimensions of the through hole 21h, so that the upper end of the column portion 16 is substantially engaged with the through hole 21h, and there is substantially no gap between the column portion 16 and the through hole 21h. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotation of the fastening plate 20 is more effectively suppressed. Therefore, when the screw member 30 is rotated, the fastening plate 20 is guided by the groove of the screwing portion 23 and the body portion 31 of the screw member 30 and descends as it is, and further screws into the body portion 31 (screw member 30). Then, as the fastening plate 20 descends, the upper end of the column portion 16 penetrates the through hole 21h and protrudes above the fastening plate 20. In this manner, the column portion 16 penetrating the fastening plate 20 restricts the movement of the fastening plate 20 and the screw member 30 screwed into the fastening plate 20 in the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y relative to the end cap body 10, and as a result, the fastening plate 20 and the screw member 30 are prevented from coming off the end cap body 10. The movement of the fastening plate 20 and the screw member 30 in the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y is restricted even if the upper end of the column portion 16 is only within the through hole 21h without penetrating the through hole 21h. However, from the viewpoint of preventing the fastening plate 20 from coming off the column portion 16, it is more preferable that the upper end of the column portion 16 penetrates the through hole 21h. The movement of the fastening plate 20 in the width direction Y is restricted by the side walls 13, 13 of the end cap body 10 in addition to the column portion 16.

[0051] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, when the separation distance D1 in the vertical direction Z between the lower ends of both ends 21a, 21a of the fastening plate 20 and the bottom 12 of the end cap body 10 becomes a predetermined distance greater than the thickness (length in the vertical direction Z) D2 of the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 shown in Fig. 2, the rotation of the screw member 30 is stopped. Here, the screw member 30 is supported from below by the first support portion 11B of the first portion 11, so that the screw member 30 is prevented from descending relative to the end cap body 10. In addition, the fastening plate 20 is screwed into the body portion 31 of the screw member 30, so that the fastening plate 20 is prevented from moving in the vertical direction Z along the body portion 31. Therefore, when the rotation of the screw member 30 is stopped, the separation distance D1 is maintained at the distance at the time when the rotation of the screw member 30 is stopped. That is, the fastening plate 20 is screwed into the body 31 of the screw member 30 that has penetrated the through-hole 12h, and is held above the bottom portion 12 in the vertical direction Z and spaced apart from the bottom portion 12. In this manner, attachment of the fastening plate 20 to the end cap body 10 is completed, and assembly of the end cap 1 is completed.

[0052] 3, in this embodiment, when the end cap 1 is assembled, the wall portion 22 of the fastening plate 20 extends downward toward the open side OP and covers the end portions of the open side OP of each of the first portion 11 of the end cap body 10 and the suspension portion 15. More specifically, the first portion 22a of the wall portion 22 covers the opening of the open side OP of the through portion 12h (notch) of the bottom portion 12, and the second portion 22b covers the end portions of the open side OP of each of the first portion 11 and the suspension portion 15. In addition, when the end cap 1 is assembled, the notch 22h of the second portion 22b of the wall portion 22 communicates with the hole of the suspension portion 15, so that the upper end of the ring member 90 suspended from the hole of the suspension portion 15 penetrates the notch 22h in the longitudinal direction X.

[0053] <Attaching end cap 1 to curtain rail 100> Such an end cap 1 is attached to the end portion 100e of the curtain rail 100, for example, in the following manner.

[0054] First, as shown in FIG. 7, the end cap 1 assembled as described above is placed opposite one end 100e of the curtain rail 100 in the longitudinal direction X. More specifically, the open side OP of the end cap 1 is directed toward the end 100e of the curtain rail 100, and the end cap 1 is placed opposite the end 100e. Next, the end cap 1 is moved toward the end 100e of the curtain rail 100 along the longitudinal direction X. Here, as described above, in the end cap 1, the separation distance D1 is greater than the thickness D2 of the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100. Also, as described above, the width of the guide portion 17 of the end cap 1 is slightly shorter than the width of the notch 101h of the curtain rail 100. Also, as described above, the width from the inner surface of the side wall 13 on one side of the end cap 1 to the inner surface of the side wall 13 on the other side is slightly greater than the width of the curtain rail 100.

[0055] Therefore, when the end cap 1 is moved along the longitudinal direction X, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 enters between the bottom 12 of the end cap body 10 and both ends 21a, 21a of the fastening plate 20, and a pair of side walls 103, 103 in the width direction Y of the curtain rail 100 approach the inner surfaces of the side walls 13, 13 of the end cap body 10. Furthermore, the guide portion 17 of the end cap 1 enters the notch 101h of the curtain rail 100. As a result, the guide portion 17 and the side walls 13, 13 prevent the curtain rail 100 from shifting in the width direction Y relative to the end cap 1, and the end cap 1 can be moved smoothly along the longitudinal direction X. At this time, the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 abuts against the bottom 12 of the end cap 1 and is supported from below by the bottom 12. That is, the bottom 12 of the end cap 1 functions as a second support part that supports the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 from below. Hereinafter, the bottom of the second part of the end cap may be referred to as the "second support part." When the end cap 1 is moved in the longitudinal direction X in this manner, the end 100e of the curtain rail 100 eventually comes into contact with the end wall 14 of the end cap 1, and further movement of the end cap 1 is restricted. In this manner, the longitudinal direction X can be considered as the mounting direction in which the end cap 1 is moved to mount the end cap 1 on the curtain rail 100.

[0056] Next, a screwdriver or the like is inserted into the head 32 (see FIG. 5) of the screw member 30 exposed from the opening 11h of the first support portion 11B to rotate the screw member 30. Then, the fastening plate 20 descends as shown in FIG. 8, and eventually, as shown in FIG. 2, both ends 21a, 21a of the body portion 21 of the fastening plate 20 come into contact with the bottom 101 of the end 100e of the curtain rail 100. At this time, as described above, the fastening plate 20 is prevented from rotating. In this way, the bottom 101 of the end 100e of the curtain rail 100 is clamped between both ends 21a, 21a of the fastening plate 20 and the second support portion 12 (bottom 12) of the end cap 1, and the end cap 1 is attached (fixed) to the end 100e of the curtain rail 100.

[0057] As described above, the end cap 1 of this embodiment includes the end cap body 10, the fastening plate 20, and the screw member 30. The end cap body 10 includes the first support portion 11B that supports the screw member 30 from below in the vertical direction Z intersecting with the longitudinal direction X, and the second support portion 12 that supports the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 above the first support portion 11B in the vertical direction Z and has a through portion 12h through which the body portion 31 of the screw member 30 supported by the first support portion 11B penetrates. In the end cap 1, the fastening plate 20 is screwed into the body portion 31 that penetrates the through portion 12h, and is held above the second support portion 12 in the vertical direction Z at a distance from the second support portion 12, and the first support portion 11B has an opening 11h through which a part of the head portion 32 of the screw member 30 is exposed from below in the vertical direction Z.

[0058] According to such an end cap 1, since the screw member 30 is supported from below by the first support portion 11B, the screw member 30 and the fastening plate 20 screwed to the screw member 30 are prevented from descending, and the position of the fastening plate 20 screwed to the screw member 30 in the vertical direction Z is maintained, even if the screw member 30 is not supported by a human force or a biasing member such as a spring. Therefore, according to the end cap 1, when the end cap 1 is attached to the curtain rail 100, it is not necessary to lift the screw member 30 fastening the fastening plate 20 in order to leave a gap between the fastening plate 20 and the second support portion 12 to the extent that the bottom portion 101 of the curtain rail 100 can enter between them. In addition, the first support portion 11B is formed with an opening 11h through which a part of the head portion 32 of the screw member 30 is exposed. Therefore, when the bottom portion 101 of the curtain rail 100 is placed (supported) on the second support portion 12 of the end cap 1, a screwdriver or the like can be inserted through the opening 11h to rotate the head portion 32 (screw member 30). This allows the fastening plate 20 to be lowered toward the second support portion 12, and the bottom portion 101 of the curtain rail 100 to be clamped between the fastening plate 20 and the second support portion 12. Here, since the fastening plate 20 is not supported by a biasing member or the like, the fastening plate 20 can be lowered by rotating the screw member 30 without using any extra force. Thus, according to the end cap 1 of this embodiment, the end cap 1 can be easily attached to the curtain rail 100.

[0059] As described above, the fastening plate 20 of the end cap 1 includes a wall portion 22 extending downward in the vertical direction Z from one end of the fastening plate 20 in the longitudinal direction X (mounting direction). As shown in FIG. 2, this wall portion 22 is located below the curtain rail 100 when the end cap 1 is mounted on the curtain rail 100. Therefore, in the above-mentioned runner (not shown) mounted on the curtain rail 100, an attachment portion is provided on a portion exposed on the lower side from the curtain rail 100, and an attachment portion is provided on a surface of the wall portion 22 facing the runner, so that the runner can be attached to the wall portion 22. As a result, when the curtain is opened in a single layer, the runner can be attached to the wall portion 22 to prevent the curtain from opening accidentally. Note that the above-mentioned attachment portion and attachment portion are not particularly limited in configuration as long as they are attached to each other, and may be, for example, a magnetic structure or a physical structure.

[0060] Second embodiment Next, an end cap according to a second embodiment will be described. Note that, for the end cap according to this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and other configurations will be assigned the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0061] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the end cap 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the end cap 2 has a configuration generally similar to that of the end cap 1 according to the first embodiment, but the column 216 of the end cap body 210 and the through hole 221h of the fastening plate 220 are different from the column 16 and the through hole 21h of the end cap 1. Specifically, the column 216 is formed so that the cross section in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z in which the column 216 protrudes is cross-shaped. In addition, in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z, the shape and dimensions of the through hole 221h correspond to the shape and dimensions of the cross section of the column 216. That is, the through hole 221h is a cross shape similar to the cross section of the column 216, and is formed to have substantially the same dimensions but slightly larger dimensions so that the column 216 can pass through.

[0062] According to such an end cap 2, similarly to the end cap 1, there is substantially no gap between the pillar portion 216 and the through hole 221h, so that the tightening plate 220 is effectively prevented from rotating about the body portion 31 of the screw member 30. Also, in this embodiment, the polygonal (cross-shaped) pillar portion 216 penetrates the polygonal (cross-shaped) through hole 221h of corresponding dimensions and shape and is in a substantially engaged state, so that the rotation of the tightening plate 20 can be more effectively prevented.

[0063] In this embodiment, the pillar portion 216 and the through hole 221h are cross-shaped, but they may be other polygonal shapes. For example, the pillar portion 216 and the through hole 221h may be triangular, quadrangular, n-sided (n is a natural number of 5 or more), star-shaped, etc.

[0064] Third embodiment Next, an end cap according to a third embodiment will be described. Note that, for the end cap according to this embodiment, differences from the first and second embodiments will be mainly described, and other configurations will be assigned the same reference numerals as the first and second embodiments and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0065] Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the end cap according to this embodiment together with the curtain rail before being attached to the curtain rail. As shown in Fig. 10, the end cap 3 according to this embodiment is mainly different from the end cap 1 according to the first embodiment in that the end cap body 310 has a pillar portion 216 similar to that of the end cap 2 according to the second embodiment, and that the wall portion 322 of the fastening plate 320 extends upward in the vertical direction Z from one end of the body portion 21 of the fastening plate 320 in the longitudinal direction X.

[0066] In this embodiment, the polygonal (cross-shaped) column portion 216 penetrates the circular through-hole 21h. Here, in this embodiment, the diameter of the through-hole 21h is slightly longer than the diameter of the circumscribing circle of the column portion 216 when viewed from the vertical direction Z (i.e., the former and the latter are substantially the same length, but the former is slightly longer so that the column portion 216 can penetrate). Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the fastening plate 320 tries to rotate around the body portion 31 of the screw member 30, the inner peripheral surface of the fastening plate 320 that defines the through-hole 21h immediately abuts against the column portion 216, so that the fastening plate 320 is effectively prevented from rotating relative to the end cap body 310.

[0067] As in this embodiment, in other embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the column portion and the shape of the through hole through which the column portion passes may be different.

[0068] In this embodiment, as described above, the wall portion 322 of the fastening plate 320 extends upward. As shown in FIG. 10, this wall portion 322 is located in the inner space 100R of the curtain rail 100 when the end cap 3 is attached to the curtain rail 100. Therefore, by providing an attachment portion on a portion of the runner (not shown) attached to the curtain rail 100 that is located in the inner space 100R and providing an attachment portion on the surface of the wall portion 322 that faces the attachment portion, the runner can be attached to the wall portion 322 in the inner space 100R. As a result, when the curtain is opened one layer, by having the runner attached to the wall portion 322, it is possible to prevent the curtain from opening accidentally.

[0069] (Fourth embodiment) Next, an end cap according to a fourth embodiment will be described. Note that, for the end cap according to this embodiment, differences from the first to third embodiments will be mainly described, and other configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals as the first to third embodiments and description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] Fig. 11 is a front view (viewed from the longitudinal direction X) showing the end cap according to the fourth embodiment attached to a curtain rail. As shown in Fig. 11, the end cap 4 according to this embodiment has a configuration generally similar to that of the end cap 1 according to the first embodiment, but differs from the end caps 1 to 3 of the first to third embodiments in that it is configured to be attached to a curtain rail 1000 having a different shape from those of the first to third embodiments.

[0071] The curtain rail 100 of the first to third embodiments is formed symmetrically in the width direction Y, but as shown in FIG. 11, the curtain rail 1000 is formed asymmetrically in the width direction Y. On the other hand, the end cap body 410 of the end cap 4 is formed symmetrically in the width direction Y. Therefore, when the end cap 4 is attached to the curtain rail 1000, the center line 4C in the width direction Y of the end cap body 410 of the end cap 4 and the center line 1000C in the width direction Y of the curtain rail 1000 do not coincide with each other and are shifted in the width direction Y. The end cap 4 can be easily attached to the end of the curtain rail 1000 even in such a case. This point will be described below.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 11, the end cap 4 includes an end cap body 410, a fastening plate 420, and a screw member 30. The end cap body 410 has a configuration generally similar to that of the end cap body 10, except that a bottom 412 differs from the bottom 12 of the end cap body 10 of the end cap 1 in a point described below. The fastening plate 420 has a configuration generally similar to that of the fastening plate 20 of the end cap 1, except that it differs from the fastening plate 20 of the end cap 1 in a point described below. In this embodiment, when viewed from the longitudinal direction X, the entire end of the curtain rail 1000 is accommodated inside the end cap 1, but unlike the first to third embodiments, a gap is formed between the side wall 13 of the end cap body 410 and the side wall of the curtain rail 1000 on one side in the width direction Y.

[0073] FIG. 12 is a plan view (viewed from above in the vertical direction Z) showing the end cap 4 with the curtain rail 1000 omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, a through hole 421h is formed in the fastening plate 420 of the end cap 4. This through hole 421h is aligned in a straight line with the screwing portion 23 of the fastening plate 420 in the longitudinal direction X, and penetrates the fastening plate 420 in the vertical direction Z. The through hole 421h has a track-shaped outer shape that is wide in the width direction Y when viewed from the vertical direction Z. More specifically, when viewed from the vertical direction Z, the through hole 421h has an outer shape larger than the column portion 16 of the end cap main body 10, and has an outer shape wider than the column portion 16 penetrating the through hole 421h when the fastening plate 420 is screwed into the end cap main body 410 via the screw member 30.

[0074] FIG. 13 is a plan view (view from above in the vertical direction Z) showing the end cap 4 with the curtain rail 1000 and the fastening plate 420 omitted. As shown in FIG. 13, a through-hole 412h is formed in the center of the width direction Y in the bottom 412 of the end cap body 410 of the end cap 4, penetrating the bottom 412 in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the bottom 412 is not provided with a guide portion corresponding to the guide portion 17 in the first embodiment. The through-hole 412h is formed as a notch extending from an end portion on one side (open side OP) in the longitudinal direction X of the bottom 412 toward the other side (the side of the terminal wall 14), and extends to a portion of the open side OP slightly beyond the position of half the total length of the longitudinal direction X of the end cap body 410. However, the length of the through-hole 412h (notch) can be changed as appropriate.

[0075] Returning to FIG. 11, the curtain rail 1000 is supported by the bottom 412 (second support portion) of the end cap body 410. The first portion 411 of the end cap body 410 is configured such that the end portion on the side of the end wall 14 in the longitudinal direction X is closed, while the end portion on the opposite side to the end wall 14 is open, and the upper side is open in the vertical direction Z, while the lower side is closed by the bottom 411B. Thus, the internal space 411R of the first portion 411 communicates with the through portion 412h by opening the upper side of the first portion 411. In this embodiment, the first portion 411 is formed in an isosceles trapezoid shape narrowing toward the lower side when viewed from the open side OP. Furthermore, when viewed from the open side OP, a space wider than the side shape of the screw member 30 in the width direction Y is formed by the isosceles trapezoid internal space 411R of the first portion 411 and the through portion 412h (cutout). The bottom portion 411B (first support portion) supports the head portion 32 of the screw member 30 from below in the vertical direction Z.

[0076] 11 to 13, the body 31 of the screw member 30 supported by the bottom portion 411B penetrates the through-hole 412h and is screwed into the screwing portion 23 of the fastening plate 420. As shown in Fig. 13, the through-hole 412h of the bottom portion 412 (second support portion) is wider in the width direction Y than the body 31 of the screw member 30 that penetrates the through-hole 412h. The center line 4C of the end cap body 410 passes through the center in the width direction Y of the through-hole 412h.

[0077] FIG. 14 is a bottom view (viewed from below in the vertical direction Z) showing the end cap 4 with the curtain rail 1000 omitted. As shown in FIG. 14, an opening 411h is formed in the bottom 411B (first support part) of the first part 411 of the end cap body 410. A part of the head 32 of the screw member 30 inserted into the internal space 411R of the first part 411 and the through part 412h of the bottom part 412 (second support part) is exposed from below in the vertical direction Z through the opening 411h. This opening 411h has a track-shaped outer shape that is wide in the width direction Y when viewed from the vertical direction Z. More specifically, when viewed from the vertical direction Z, the through hole 421h is wider than the part of the head 32 of the screw member 30 exposed from the opening 411h. The center line 4C of the end cap body 410 passes through the center in the width direction Y of the through hole 421h.

[0078] As described above, in the end cap 4 of this embodiment, in the width direction Y that intersects both the longitudinal direction X (installation direction) and the up-down direction Z, the opening 411h of the first support portion 411B is wider than the portion of the head 32 of the screw member 30 that is exposed from the opening 411h, the through portion 412h of the second support portion 412 is wider than the body portion 31 of the screw member 30, and the through hole 421h of the fastening plate 420 is wider than the column portion 16 of the end cap body 410.

[0079] When the end of the curtain rail 1000, which is asymmetric in the width direction Y, is placed in the end cap body 410, the center line 4C of the end cap body 410 and the center line 1000C of the curtain rail 1000 are misaligned in the width direction Y, as shown in FIG. 11. According to the end cap 4 of this embodiment, the through-hole 412h is wider than the body 31 of the screw member 30, so that the screw member 30 placed in the internal space 411R of the end cap body 410 can be slid in the width direction Y by the amount of misalignment between the center line 4C and the center line 1000C, and thus the center of the screw member 30 can be positioned on the center line 1000C of the curtain rail 1000. Also, as shown in FIG. 14, according to the end cap 4, the opening 411h is wider than the portion of the head 32 exposed from the opening 411h, so that even if the screw member 30 is slid as described above, a part of the head 32 can be exposed from the opening 411h, and the screw member 30 can be rotated by inserting a screwdriver or the like into the head 32. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 12, when the body 31 of the screw member 30 slid as described above is screwed into the screwing portion 23 of the fastening plate 20, the center of the fastening plate 420 in the width direction Y is located on the center line 1000C of the curtain rail 1000, and as a result, the fastening plate 420 is shifted in the width direction Y with respect to the center line 4C (i.e., the column portion 16) of the end cap body 410. However, according to the end cap 4, since the through hole 421h of the fastening plate 420 is wider than the column portion 16 of the end cap body 410, even if the fastening plate 420 is shifted in the width direction Y with respect to the column portion 16, the column portion 16 can be inserted into the through hole 421h. This makes it possible to prevent the fastening plate 420 from falling off the end cap body 410 and the fastening plate 20 from rotating with respect to the end cap body 410. Therefore, according to the end cap 4, it is possible to easily attach it to the curtain rail 1000 that is formed asymmetrically in the width direction Y.

[0080] Fifth embodiment Next, an end cap according to a fifth embodiment will be described. Note that, for the end cap according to this embodiment, differences from the first to fourth embodiments will be mainly described, and other configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals as the first to fourth embodiments and description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the end cap according to this embodiment with the fastening plate omitted. The end cap 5 according to this embodiment includes an end cap body 510, a fastening plate, and a screw member 30. The fastening plate according to this embodiment has a similar configuration to the fastening plate 20 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description of this embodiment, the fastening plate is not shown in Fig. 15, but may be described with the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 15, the end cap body 510 has the same configuration as the end cap body 10 of the first embodiment, except that the bottom 512 and the first portion 511 have different configurations from the first portion 11 and the bottom 12 of the end cap body 10 of the first embodiment. The bottom 512 (second support portion) of the end cap body 510 supports the bottom 101 of the curtain rail 100 from below, like the bottom 12 of the first embodiment. The guide portion 17 of the bottom 512 has a through portion 512h through which the body 31 of the screw member 30 can penetrate. This through portion 512h is a through hole that penetrates the bottom 512 (guide portion 17) in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the end portion of the bottom 512 on the opposite side to the end wall 14 side in the longitudinal direction X is not open, unlike the first to fourth embodiments. The shape and dimensions of the through portion 512h of the bottom portion 512 generally correspond to the shape and dimensions of the cross section of the trunk portion 31 of the screw member 30 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction Z. That is, the through portion 512h is substantially circular and substantially similar to the cross section (substantially circular) of the trunk portion 31, and is formed to have substantially the same dimensions as the cross section of the trunk portion 31 but slightly larger dimensions so that the trunk portion 31 can penetrate through it. The inner peripheral surface of the bottom portion 512 (guide portion 17) that defines the through portion 512h is a flat surface without a groove that screws into the screw groove of the trunk portion 31. The through portion 512h is aligned in a straight line with the column portion 16 in the longitudinal direction X, and is formed on the opposite side of the column portion 16 from the end wall 14 side.

[0083] The first portion 511 of the end cap body 510 has a similar configuration to the first portion 11 of the end cap body 10 according to the first embodiment, except for the following points.

[0084] The first portion 511 of the end cap body 510 is configured such that an end portion on the side of the end wall 14 in the longitudinal direction X is closed, an end portion opposite to the end wall 14 is open, and the lower side in the vertical direction Z is closed by the bottom portion 11B (first support portion). That is, inside the first portion 511, an internal space 511R is formed that is closed from the outside except for the opening at the end portion opposite to the end wall 14 and the through portion 512h (through hole). The internal space 511R is formed to a size capable of accommodating the head 32 of the screw member 30, and in this embodiment, the height (length in the vertical direction Z) of the internal space 511R is approximately the same height as the head 32 of the screw member 30 accommodated in the internal space 511R.

[0085] The first portion 511 of the end cap body 510 is attached to the bottom portion 512 by a rotation mechanism 540 that rotates the first portion 511 and the suspension portion 15 relative to the bottom portion 512. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 540 includes an end portion 511a on one side of the first portion 511 in the width direction Y and an end portion 511b on the other side of the first portion 511 in the width direction Y. The end portion 511a on one side is provided with an attachment mechanism that attaches the end portion 511a on one side to the bottom portion 512 in a detachable manner. On the other hand, an attachment mechanism that attaches the end portion 511a on one side to the bottom portion 512 in a detachable manner is provided on a portion of the bottom portion 512 where the end portion 511a on one side abuts. Such an attachment mechanism and attachment mechanism may be a combination of magnets, a combination of a magnet and a magnetic body, a combination of a physical mechanism (for example, a mating portion and a mated portion), or the like. The other end 511b may be, for example, a connection part with the flexible bottom part 512. Therefore, as shown by the thick arrow in Fig. 15, according to one example of the rotation mechanism 540, when the one end 511a is detached from the bottom part 512, the first part 511 and the suspension part 15 integrated with the first part 511 can perform a rotational movement about the other end 512b in the YZ plane defined by the width direction Y and the up-down direction Z when viewed from the longitudinal direction X.

[0086] According to the end cap body 510 having such a configuration, the first part 511 and the suspension part 15 can be removed from the bottom part 512 by the rotation mechanism 540, so that the first part 511 and the suspension part 15 are not present below the through part 512h. Therefore, by achieving this state, the body part 31 of the screw member 30 can be inserted into the through part 512h from below the bottom part 512. Then, after the body part 31 is penetrated through the through part 512h, the first part 511 and the suspension part 15 are rotated in the opposite direction (the direction in which the end part 511a on one side approaches the bottom part 512) by the rotation mechanism 540, and the end part 511a on one side is attached to the bottom part 512. As a result, the head part 32 of the screw member 30 in a state in which the body part 31 penetrates the through part 512h can be supported from below by the bottom part 11B of the first part 511. In this way, the screw member 30 can be attached to the end cap body 510.

[0087] According to such an end cap 5, since the screw member 30 penetrates the through-hole 512h (through hole) of the end cap body 510, unlike the first embodiment in which the through-hole 12h is a notch, the screw member 30 is prevented from falling off the end cap body 510 regardless of the presence or absence of the column portion 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the column portion 16 has an effect of preventing the fastening plate 20 from rotating when the fastening plate 20 is screwed into the end cap body 510 via the screw member 30. However, even if the column portion 16 is not present, when the screw member 30 is rotated, the fastening plate 20 abuts against the side wall 13 of the end cap body 510 after rotating to a certain extent, so that further rotation is restricted. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the column portion 16 is not present, it is possible to suppress the screw member 30 from falling off and the fastening plate 20 from rotating. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is also possible to omit the column portion 16.

[0088] The fourth embodiment may be applied to a modification in which the post 16 is omitted from the present embodiment. In this modification, since the post 16 does not exist, if the opening 11h of the first support 11B is wider than the portion of the head 32 of the screw member 30 exposed from the opening 11h in the width direction Y intersecting both the longitudinal direction X (installation direction) and the up-down direction Z, and the through portion 512h of the second support 512 is wider than the body 31 of the screw member 30, then the end cap can be easily attached to the asymmetric curtain rail 1000.

[0089] In addition, since the above-described first embodiment and the like do not require a rotation mechanism such as the rotation mechanism 540, the structure can be easily simplified, and it is easier to realize easier manufacture and reduced costs than the fifth embodiment.

[0090] Although the present invention has been described above using the above-mentioned embodiment and the like as examples, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0091] For example, in the above-described embodiment and the like, the fastening plates 20, 220, 320, 420 include the wall portions 22, 322, but the wall portions 22, 322 do not necessarily have to be provided.

[0092] The curtain rails 100, 1000 described in the above embodiments are merely illustrative. In other words, the end cap according to the present invention can be applied to curtain rails of different shapes or shading devices for blocking or shielding the interior of a room (for example, blinds, roller screens, roll-up curtains, etc.).

[0093] In addition, those skilled in the art can appropriately modify the present invention in accordance with conventionally known knowledge. As long as the configuration of the present invention is still provided even after such modifications, the modifications are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1 to 5: end cap, 10, 210, 310, 410, 510: end cap body, 11B, 411B: first support portion, 11h, 411h: opening, 12, 412, 512: second support portion, 12h, 412h, 512h: through hole, 16, 216, 316: column portion, 20, 220, 320, 420: fastening plate, 21h, 221h, 421h: through hole, 22, 322: wall portion, 30: screw member, 31: body portion, 32: head portion, 100, 1000: curtain rail, 100e: end portion, 101: bottom portion, X: longitudinal direction (installation direction), Y: width direction, Z: up-down direction

Claims

1. An end cap that is attached to the end of a curtain rail along the attachment direction, The end cap includes an end cap body, a fastening plate, and a screw member. The end cap body includes: a first support portion that supports the screw member from below in a vertical direction that intersects with the mounting direction; a second support portion that supports a bottom portion of the curtain rail above the first support portion in the vertical direction and has a through portion through which a body portion of the screw member supported by the first support portion passes; Including, The fastening plate is screwed to the body portion passing through the through portion and is held above the second support portion in the vertical direction at a distance from the second support portion, The first support portion has an opening through which a part of the head of the screw member is exposed from below in the up-down direction. End caps.

2. 2. The end cap of claim 1, wherein in a width direction intersecting both the mounting direction and the vertical direction, the opening of the first support portion is wider than a portion of the head of the screw member that is exposed from the opening, and the penetrating portion of the second support portion is wider than the body of the screw member.

3. The end cap according to claim 1 , wherein the fastening plate includes a wall portion extending upward or downward in the up-down direction from one end of the fastening plate in the mounting direction.

4. The end cap according to claim 1 , wherein the through portion of the second support portion is a notch extending from one end of the second support portion toward the other end in the mounting direction.

5. The end cap body has a pillar portion protruding from the second support portion toward the fastening plate, The end cap according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the fastening plate has a through hole through which the post portion passes.

6. The end cap according to claim 5 , wherein a cross-sectional shape and dimensions of the post portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the post portion protrudes correspond to a shape and dimensions of the through hole of the fastening plate.

Images