Cellular Shade Vertical Collapse Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cellular shades have an unattractive angular appearance in the fully deployed position and a deep stack dimension when contracted, which is aesthetically unpleasing and problematic for mounting, while Roman shades with a 'soft' front face are falling out of fashion and have stacking issues with multiple layers.
Innovation Solution
A unique cellular shade design with vertically aligned closed cell structures that collapse into a flat profile, featuring a lift system with cords outside the cells, allowing for a compact vertical stack and a crease structure that enhances the aesthetic appeal by creating a billowing front face, reducing the depth of the contracted configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If cellular shades use conventional tube construction with cords through connecting points, then the shade can be extended and retracted, but the contracted stack projects too far into the room and has an unattractive appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the stacking dimension from horizontal projection to vertical collapse. The tubes are configured to collapse vertically along their length rather than stacking horizontally, reducing the projection depth from half the cell perimeter to minimal depth while maintaining the insulating cellular structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of cords running through the front connecting points between cells, the patent inverts the cord placement to run through rear connecting points. This reversal allows the tubes to collapse toward the mounting surface rather than projecting outward, creating a flush mounted appearance when contracted.
2Shape
If Roman shades use multiple layers with soft front faces, then aesthetic appeal is improved, but the layers stack inside each other creating deeper horizontal dimension requiring more frame depth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vertical collapse in the length dimension rather than horizontal stacking in the width dimension. This allows multiple layers to be achieved without increasing frame depth, as the collapse occurs along the vertical axis of the tubes rather than horizontally between layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The shade is divided into multiple independent cellular tubes that can collapse individually. Each tube maintains its insulating cellular structure while collapsing vertically, allowing multiple functional layers without the horizontal stacking problem of conventional Roman shades.
3Shape
If cellular shades use larger pleats to reduce angular appearance, then aesthetic appeal improves, but the contracted configuration becomes too wide and projects further into the room
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redirects the collapse from horizontal width reduction to vertical length reduction. Larger pleats can be used to improve aesthetic appearance without increasing contracted width, because the collapse occurs vertically along the tube length rather than horizontally across the pleat width.
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable and contractable shade assembly includes a plurality of closed cell structures aligned vertically one above another with juncture lines defined between adjacent structures. A lift system is configured for vertically drawing the closed cell structures from the fully expanded configuration into a fully contracted configuration, and includes a plurality of lift cords that are attached to back faces of the closed cell structures and lie along a vertical line of action rearward of the closed cell structures. In the fully contracted configuration of the shade assembly, the closed cell structures collapse into a flat profile and hang from the lift cords in a vertical and adjacently disposed orientation whereby upper edges of the collapsed closed cell structures are adjacent and oriented in an upward vertical direction, and bottom edges of the collapsed closed cell structures are adjacent and oriented in a downward vertical direction.