How to create a shade panel

Abstract

A method of making a shade panel includes the steps of forming a shade panel including a plurality of cells, each of the cells having opposing front and rear portions; stretching the shade panel, each of the cells including a bend in the front portion that protrudes away from the rear portion when the shade panel is stretched; and pressing the front and rear portions including the bends toward each other to form a crease in the front portion of each of the cells.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to window shades, and more particularly to a method of creating a shade panel for use in window shades.

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 341,818, filed May 13, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. <00,00008>

Background Art

[0003] Some conventional window shades use panels composed of multiple cells to cover the window opening. For example, according to some approaches, it has been proposed to attach a plurality of horizontal strips to each other in an overlapping relationship to form cells, and each horizontal strip is arranged to alternately form the front and rear portions of adjacent cells. These approaches require relatively complex and cost-ineffective processing steps. Further, the cells may not fold or expand as desired during use, which can affect the appearance of the panel and the ability of the cells to provide insulation.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application describes a method of creating a shade panel that can address at least some of the aforementioned problems.

[0005] According to one aspect, a method of creating a shade panel includes forming a shade panel including a plurality of cells, each cell having a front portion and a rear portion that are opposite each other; stretching the shade panel, each cell including a bent portion of the front portion that protrudes away from the rear portion when the shade panel is stretched; and pressing the front portion and the rear portion including the bent portion toward each other to form a fold in the front portion of each cell.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a window shade. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a front view showing a window shade. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a side view showing a window shade. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is an exploded view of the window shade shown. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows some of the processing steps involved in creating a shade panel. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some examples of intermediate steps in the method. [Figure 7] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some examples of intermediate steps in the method. [Figure 8] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some examples of intermediate steps in the method. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a shade panel formed in the initial steps of the method shown in Figure 5. [Figure 10] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the extension strips used to form the shade panel. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the deformation of the shade panel formed in the initial step of the method shown in Figure 5. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram showing the extension strips used to form the shade panel shown in Figure 11. [Figure 13] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some intermediate steps in the method, in which the shade panel shown in Figure 11 is formed in the initial steps of this method. [Figure 14] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some intermediate steps in the method, in which the shade panel shown in Figure 11 is formed in the initial steps of this method. [Figure 15] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some intermediate steps in the method, in which the shade panel shown in Figure 11 is formed in the initial steps of this method. [Figure 16]This is a schematic diagram showing another modified embodiment of the shade panel formed in the initial step of the method shown in Figure 5. [Figure 17] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some intermediate steps in the method, in which the shade panel shown in Figure 16 is formed in the initial steps of this method. [Figure 18] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some intermediate steps in the method, in which the shade panel shown in Figure 16 is formed in the initial steps of this method. [Figure 19] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some intermediate steps in the method, in which the shade panel shown in Figure 16 is formed in the initial steps of this method. [Figure 20] This schematic diagram shows an additional processing step to remove the front portion of the bottom cell while leaving the rear portion for mounting to the rail. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the window shade 100. Figures 2 and 3 are a front view and a side view of the window shade 100, respectively. Figure 4 is an exploded view showing some structural details of the window shade 100. Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the window shade 100 may include a head frame 102, a shade panel 104, and an actuation system assembled to the head frame 102 to control the movement of the shade panel 104.

[0008] The operating system may include a roller 106 and a control device 108 having an operating member 110. The roller 106 is connected to the end 111A of the shade panel 104 and pivotally connected to the head frame 102. According to one example, the roller 106 may be connected to the shade panel 104 by inserting an anchor strip 112, which is coupled to the end 111A of the shade panel 104, into a slot in the roller 106. The head frame 102 may include two side brackets 102A and 102B attached to the extension rail 102C. The roller 106 may have one end, which is pivotally connected around a fixed shaft 114 fixedly connected to the side bracket 102A. The control device 108 is coupled to the other end of the roller 106 and is attached to the side bracket 102B with the operating member 110 extending outward from the head frame 102. The operating member 110 may include, but is not limited to, a closed-loop element such as a bead chain. This structure allows the roller 106 to rotate in order to wind up or unwind the shade panel 104. The operating member 110 can be operated to rotate the roller 106 in either direction.

[0009] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the shade panel 104 has a length L in a first direction and a width W in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The shade panel 104 includes a plurality of cells 122 arranged adjacent to each other along the length L, each cell 122 extending along the width W and having a hollow interior. Each cell 122 has a front portion 122F and a rear portion 122R that are opposite to each other. When the shade panel 104 is unfolded, the rear portion of the cell 122 may be entirely flat, while the front portion of the cell 122 may have a corrugated profile. When the shade panel 104 is unfolded for use inside a building, the front portion 122F of the cell 122 faces indoors, and the unfolded cell 122 may form a layer of air that can help provide insulation.

[0010] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, one end 111A of the shade panel 104 is fitted to connect to a roller 106, and the other end 111B of the shade panel 104 opposite to end 111A may be connected to a rail 116. The rail 116 extends along the width W of the shade panel 104 and functions as a weighting element (measuring element) that can help spread and stabilize the shade panel 104 during use. According to the structural example, the end 111B of the shade panel 104 may be attached to an anchor strip 118. The anchor strip 118 may be located inside the hollow of the rail 116, and a limiting portion 120 may be fitted into the rail 116 to hold a portion of the shade panel 104 within the rail 116.

[0011] In relation to Figures 1 to 4, Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing steps in method 200 for creating a shade panel 104. Figures 6 to 8 are schematic diagrams showing some examples of intermediate steps in method 200 of Figure 5. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, a shade panel 104A including cells 122 is formed in the initial step 202, each of which has a front portion 122F and a rear portion 122R that are opposite to each other.

[0012] In step 204, the shade panel 104A is stretched, and each cell 122 includes a bend 124 in the front portion 122F that protrudes away from the rear portion 122R when the shade panel 104A is stretched. By stretching the shade panel 104A, the rear portion 122R of each cell 122 can be stretched along the same plane overall. On the other hand, the bend 124 in the front portion 122F of the cell 122 may form a wavy outer shape.

[0013] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, in the next step 206, the front portion 122F including the bending portion 124 and the rear portion 122R are pressed against each other to form a fold line 126 in the front portion 122F of each cell 122. For example, step 206 may include passing the stretched shade panel 104A through (against) the pressing roller 210 in the direction D. Thereby, the pressing roller 210 contacts and presses the front portion 122F against the rear portion 122R of each cell 122. In particular, the shade panel 104A can be passed through the pressing roller 210 from the end 111A to the end 111B of the shade panel 104A. The end 111A of the shade panel 104A corresponds to the end that can be attached to the roller 106 of the window shade 100.

[0014] Referring to FIG. 7, by pressing the front portion 122F against (toward) the rear portion 122R, the bending portion 124 can be flattened. As the bending portion 124 is gradually flattened, the pressing roller 210 may urge the constricted portion formed in the front portion 122F in front of the pressing roller 210 and fold it over the rear portion 122R, thereby forming the fold line 126.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a view showing the shade panel 104 obtained after step 206 is completed. Among the shade panels 104, each cell 122 includes a fold line 126 in its front portion 122F. The fold line 126 forms a hinge, and the hinge can facilitate the folding and unfolding of the cell 122 when the shade panel 104 is wound up from the roller 106 and extended.

[0016] In relation to Figures 5 to 8, Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams showing one embodiment of the shade panel 104A formed in step 202. Referring to Figures 5, 9 and 10, step 202 of method 200 may include supplying a support sheet 130, supplying a plurality of stretch strips 132, and adhering the stretch strips 132 to the support sheet 130 to form cells 122 of the shade panel 104A. The front portion 122F of each cell 122 is formed by one of the stretch strips 132, and the rear portion 122R of each cell 122 is formed by the support sheet 130.

[0017] The extension strips 132 have a similar structure. Each extension strip 132 may have two longitudinal edges 134A and 134B on opposite sides and a main strip portion 136 located between two margins 138A and 138B. Margin 138A is adjacent to the main strip portion 136 along fold line 140A and extends between fold line 140A and longitudinal edge 134A. The other margin 138B is adjacent to the main strip portion 136 along another fold line 140B and extends between fold line 140B and longitudinal edge 134B. Fold lines 140A and 140B are generally parallel to each other and extend along the longitudinal direction of the extension strip 132 (i.e., corresponding to the width W of the shade panel 104). Furthermore, margin 138B includes fold line 140C, which is generally parallel to fold lines 140A and 140B and located between fold line 140B and longitudinal edge 134B. Thus, margin 138B has a margin portion 142A extending between longitudinal edge 134B and fold line 140C, and a margin portion 142B extending between the two fold lines 140B and 140C.

[0018] Various methods may be applied to form fold lines 140A, 140B, and 140C on each stretched strip 132. For example, each of the fold lines 140A, 140B, and 140C may be a line of perforations that penetrate the stretched strip 132 and are spaced apart from each other. In another example, each of the fold lines 140A, 140B, and 140C may be a crease, which may be formed by a rolling blade pressed against the stretched strip 132. The method applied to form the fold lines 140A, 140B, and 140C may be selected depending on the thickness of the stretched strip 132 and / or the material of the stretched strip 132.

[0019] Referring to Figures 9 and 10, the cells 122 of the shade panel 104A may be formed by bonding stretch strips 132 to the support sheet 130. More specifically, the margin 138A of each stretch strip 132 may be bonded to the support sheet 130, and the margin 138B of each stretch strip 132 may be bonded to the support sheet 130 at the margin portion 142A between the longitudinal edge 134B and the fold line 140C. The margin 138B is not bonded to the support sheet 130 at the margin portion 142B between the two fold lines 140B and 140C. Examples of techniques applied to bond the stretch strips 132 include, but are not limited to, adhesive bonding and ultrasonic welding.

[0020] In the example shown in Figure 9, the stretched strip 132 may have two opposite strip surfaces 144A and 144B extending between two opposite longitudinal edges 134A and 134B. The margin 138A and margin portion 142A may be bonded to the support sheet 130 on the same strip surface 144A. For example, the margin 138A of the stretched strip 132 may have a first adhesive layer applied to its strip surface 144A, and the margin portion 142A of the stretched strip 132 may have a second adhesive layer applied to its same strip surface 144A. Next, the extension strip 132 may be positioned such that its margin 138A is bonded to the support sheet 130 with a first adhesive layer, and its margin portion 142A is bonded to the support sheet 130 with a second adhesive layer at a space away from the margin 138A. Similarly, the extension strips 132 may be bonded to the support sheet 130 adjacent to each other to form the cells 122 of the shade panel 104A.

[0021] It should be understood that the method of bonding the stretched strips 132 is not limited to the examples described above. In other examples, the margins 138A and margin portions 142A of each stretched strip 132 may be bonded to different strip surfaces 144A and 144B of the support sheet 130. In other modifications, the margin 138A of the stretched strip 132 may be bonded to the support sheet 130, and the margin portion 142A of the stretched strip 132 may be bonded to another adjacent stretched strip 132.

[0022] Referring to Figures 5, 8, and 9, step 206 may form a fold 126 in each of the stretch strips 132 between its two fold lines 140A and 140B. When the shade panel 104 thus formed is unfolded, the bottom edge of each cell 122 may be defined by the fold 126. When one cell 122 is folded by the shade panel 104 being rolled up around the roller 106, the front portion 122F can lie close to the rear portion 122R.

[0023] In relation to Figure 5, Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams showing modified embodiments of the shade panel 104B that can be formed in step 202 of Method 200. Referring to Figures 5, 11 and 12, step 202 of Method 200 may include supplying a plurality of stretch strips 150 and bonding the stretch strips 150 to each other to form cells 122 of the shade panel 104B.

[0024] According to the structural example, each of the stretchable strips 150 includes a central portion 152, two longitudinal edges 154A and 154B on opposite sides, and two longitudinal portions 156A and 156B that are respectively folded into the central portion 152 along two fold lines 158A and 158B. In each of the stretchable strips 150, the longitudinal portion 156A has a width W1 between the longitudinal edge 154A and the fold line 158A, and the longitudinal portion 156B has a width W2 between the longitudinal edge 154B and the fold line 158B that is smaller than the width W1 of the longitudinal portion 156A. In other words, the ratio W1 / W2 is greater than 1.

[0025] Cells 122 of the shade panel 104B may be formed by bonding stretch strips 150 together. Two adjacent stretch strips 150 are bonded together by bonding the longitudinal portions 156A and 156B of one of two adjacent stretch strips 150 to the central portion 152 of the other of the two adjacent stretch strips 150. For example, a first adhesive layer 160A and a second adhesive layer 160B can be applied to the two longitudinal portions 156A and 156B of the first stretch strip 150, respectively. The second stretch strip 150 can then be positioned so that its central portion 152 is bonded to the two longitudinal portions 156A and 156B of the first stretch strip 150 with the first adhesive layer 160A and the second adhesive layer 160B. Similarly, the stretch strips 150 may be bonded to each other to form cells 122 of the shade panel 104B. Within each cell 122 of the shade panel 104B, the front portion 122F of the cell 122 is formed by a portion of the stretch strip 150 including a longitudinal portion 156A and a first region 152A of the central portion 152 adjacent to the fold line 158A. The rear portion 122R of the cell 122 is formed by a portion of the stretch strip 150 including a longitudinal portion 156B and a second region 152B of the central portion 152 adjacent to the fold line 158B.

[0026] Figures 13 to 15 are schematic diagrams showing some examples of intermediate steps in Method 200 of Figure 5. Step 202 of Method 200 forms the shade panel 104B shown in Figure 11.

[0027] Referring to Figures 5 and 13, in step 204, the shade panel 104B is stretched, and each cell 122 includes a bend 124 at the front portion 122F that protrudes away from the rear portion 122R when the shade panel 104B is stretched. The bend 124 at the front portion 122F of the cell 122 may form a wavy shape. On the other hand, when the shade panel 104B is stretched, the rear portion 122R of each cell 122 is stretched along the same plane overall. In particular, within each stretched strip 150, the longitudinal portion 156B and the second region 152B of the central portion 152 (shown better in Figure 11) may be stretched so that they extend along the same plane overall.

[0028] Referring to Figures 5 and 14, the bent portion 124 can be flattened by pressing the front portion 122F against the rear portion 122R in step 206. As the bent portion 124 is gradually flattened, the pressing roller 210 may drive the constricted portion formed in the front portion 122F forward and fold it over the rear portion 122R, thereby forming a fold 126.

[0029] Referring to Figures 5 and 15, after step 206 is completed, each cell 122 of the formed shade panel 104 includes a fold 126 in the first region 152A of the central portion 152 of the stretch strip 150. When the shade panel 104 is rolled around the roller 106 and then stretched from the roller 106, the fold 126 forms a hinge that facilitates folding and unfolding of the cells 122.

[0030] Depending on the ratio W1 / W2 in each extension strip 150 (better shown in Figure 12), the cells 122 of the shade panel 104 obtained by method 200 may have different shapes. Figure 16 shows a modification in which each extension strip 150 used to form the shade panel 104C in step 202 has a ratio W1 / W2 greater than that of the example shown in Figures 11 and 12. Figures 17 and 18 show the shade panel 104C as steps 204 and 206 of method 200 described above are performed. Figure 19 shows the shade panel 104 obtained after the completion of step 206.

[0031] Referring to Figure 20, the method may further include removing the front portion 122F of the bottom cell 122' (shown by dashed lines in Figure 20) while leaving the rear portion 122R of the bottom cell 122', in order to form the end portion 111B of the shade panel 104 to be attached to the rail 116 (shown more clearly in Figure 4). For example, the front portion 122F of the bottom cell 122' may be cut and removed. This allows the remaining rear portion 122R of the bottom cell 122' to form a tail portion adapted for attachment to the rail 116. This step may be applied as needed or as optional. For example, the step of removing the front portion 122F of the bottom cell 122' may be performed if the shade panel 104 is made based on the structure shown in Figure 11 or Figure 16.

[0032] The advantages of the method and structure described herein include the ability to provide a shade panel having appropriate folds to facilitate folding and unfolding of the cells of the shade panel. The folds may be added to the cells by a pressing process after the shade panel is formed. This allows for adaptation to shade panels having cells of different structures and simplifies the manufacturing process.

[0033] The realization of the structure is described only in the context of specific embodiments. These embodiments are illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, multiple examples may be given for components described as a single example herein. In the exemplary configurations, structures and functions presented as individual components may be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may be included in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for creating a shade panel, The step of forming a shade panel comprising multiple cells, wherein each cell has a front portion and a rear portion that are opposite to each other, The step of stretching the shade panel, wherein each cell includes a bent portion of the front portion that protrudes away from the rear portion when the shade panel is stretched, A method comprising the steps of pressing the front portion including the bent portion and the rear portion toward each other to form a fold in the front portion of each cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of pressing the front portion including the bent portion and the rear portion toward each other, a constricted portion is created in the front portion which is folded over the rear portion to form the fold.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of extending the shade panel comprises extending the rear portion of each cell along the same plane as a whole.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of pressing the front portion including the bent portion and the rear portion toward each other, passing the stretched shade panel through a pressing roller, thereby causing the pressing roller to contact and press the front portion with the rear portion.

5. The shade panel has a first end and a second end that are opposite to each other. The method according to claim 4, wherein the shade panel is attachable to a roller for a window shade at the first end, and the shade panel passes through the pressing roller from the first end to the second end.

6. The step of forming a shade panel containing multiple cells is: To supply support sheets, To supply multiple stretched strips, This includes adhering the stretched strip to the support sheet to form the cell, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the front portion of each cell is formed by one of the extension strips, and the rear portion of each cell is formed by the support sheet.

7. Each of the extension strips has first and second longitudinal edges that are opposite to each other, and a main strip portion located between the first margin and the second margin. The first margin is adjacent to the main strip portion along the first fold line and extends between the first fold line and the first longitudinal edge. The second margin is adjacent to the main strip portion along the second fold line and extends between the second fold line and the second longitudinal edge. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second margin includes a third fold line that is generally parallel to the second fold line.

8. The step of adhering the stretched strip to the support sheet is, The first margin of each stretched strip is bonded to the support sheet, The process includes adhering the second margin of each stretched strip to the support sheet at the first margin portion between the third fold line and the second longitudinal edge, The method according to claim 7, wherein the second margin is a second margin portion between the second fold line and the third fold line, and is not adhered to the support sheet.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of pressing the front portion including the bent portion and the rear portion toward each other is to form the folds in each of the stretched strip between the first fold line and the second fold line.

10. The step of forming a shade panel containing multiple cells is: The supply involves supplying multiple stretch strips, each stretch strip comprising a central portion, a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge opposite to each other, and a first longitudinal portion and a second longitudinal portion folded above the central portion along a first fold line and a second fold line, respectively. This includes bonding the stretched strips together to form the cell, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein two adjacent stretch strips are bonded to each other by bonding the first longitudinal portion and the second longitudinal portion of one of the two adjacent stretch strips to the other central portion of the two adjacent stretch strips.

11. In each of the stretched strips, the first longitudinal portion has a width between the first longitudinal edge and the first fold line. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second longitudinal portion has a width between the second longitudinal edge and the second fold line that is smaller than the width of the first longitudinal portion between the first longitudinal edge and the first fold line.

12. The front portion of each cell is formed by the first longitudinal portion and the first region of the central portion of one of the extension strips, The method according to claim 11, wherein the rear portion of each cell is formed by the second longitudinal portion and the second region of the central portion of one of the extension strips.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of extending the shade panel is to extend the second longitudinal portion of each extension strip and the second region of the central portion along the same plane overall.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of pressing the front portion including the bent portion and the rear portion toward each other is to form the fold in the first region of the central portion of each stretched strip.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cell includes a bottom cell, and the method further comprises the step of removing the front portion of the bottom cell while retaining the rear portion of the bottom cell.

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