Cellular Shade Top Cell Structure to Eliminate Visible Middle Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window coverings with middle rails in top down/bottom up and day/night shades expose unaesthetic rail structures, creating visual inconsistencies and allowing light penetration due to the abutting contact between rigid head and top rails.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a rigid bar insert within the top cell of the shade panel that extends the full width, matching the cell shape to support the upper edge and maintain uniform appearance, and using lift cords connected to this bar to raise and lower the panel, eliminating the need for a visible middle rail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a middle rail is used to enable top down/bottom up operation, then the shade can be raised and lowered in sections, but the middle rail creates an unaesthetic appearance and exposes a large area of rail that does not match the panel design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional middle rail component entirely from the design. Instead, the top cell of the shade panel itself is modified to contain a rigid bar that provides the necessary structural support for top-down operation, extracting the functional element from its traditional separate rail form and integrating it into the panel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of the middle rail with the top cell structure. The rigid bar is embedded within the top cell, combining the structural support function (normally provided by a separate middle rail) with the panel's own top cell, eliminating the need for a distinct middle rail component.
2Strength
If rigid head rail and top rail are made to abut for structural support, then the upper edge is supported, but gaps are created that allow streams of light to penetrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the rigid bar support element within the top cell structure, nesting the structural support function inside the panel's own cell rather than having it as a separate external rail. This eliminates gaps between separate rigid components while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the cell material (a flexible or semi-flexible structure) to enclose and support the rigid bar, allowing the cell to conform around the support element and eliminate gaps that would exist between rigid abutting surfaces.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a middle rail is used for top down operation, then the upper panel can be raised independently, but the middle rail is exposed in various orientations creating visual inconsistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the middle rail from the visible exterior of the shade, removing it entirely from the design and replacing it with an internal rigid bar structure that remains hidden within the top cell, eliminating visual inconsistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid bar is nested within the top cell, hiding the structural support element inside the panel structure itself. This allows the top panel to be raised independently while the support mechanism remains concealed, maintaining visual consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
A shade comprises a head rail that supports the lift cords for a shade panel. The shade panel includes a plurality of cells secured to one another. A bottom rail is secured to the lower edge of the panel and to which the lift cords are connected for raising and lowering the bottom of the shade panel. The upper edge of the panel is defined by a horizontally extending top cell that is substantially the same as the other cells that create the panel. A rigid bar insert is located within the top cell that extends for substantially the entire length of the top cell. The lift cords for raising and lowering the upper edge of the panel extend through the top cell and are connected to the bar.