Curtain Chain Safety Locking for Fixed Vertical Loop Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing safety devices for curtain control chains often remain unfixed, allowing the chains to oscillate freely and fail to provide effective protection against strangulation risks, especially for children.

Innovation Solution

A safety device with a casing that must be securely fixed to a wall or floor, featuring locking means to prevent chain sliding and disabling these locks when attached, ensuring the chain remains in a vertical configuration and prevents noose-like formations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the safety device is left hanging on the chain without wall fixing, then the device can be easily installed and moved, but the device cannot effectively prevent chain twisting and oscillation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of installationVSAvoidsafety effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The device incorporates locking means that are automatically activated when the device is mounted on a support surface. The locking means include locking elements that engage with the chain to prevent twisting and oscillation, but only after the device has been properly installed on the wall or floor. This preliminary action ensures that the safety function is enabled only when the device is in its intended fixed position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The device transitions from a movable state (when hanging on the chain) to a fixed state (when mounted on a support surface). The locking means are designed to be dynamic, engaging only when the device is mounted on a support surface. This dynamic behavior allows the device to be easily installed and moved during installation, but provides reliable safety functionality when properly mounted.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If locking means are added to prevent chain sliding, then the safety effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety effectivenessVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The locking means are designed to automatically engage and disable themselves when the device is mounted on a support surface. The mounting action itself triggers the locking mechanism, eliminating the need for separate manual locking operations. This self-service approach provides enhanced safety functionality without requiring additional complex control systems or user intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If the device requires wall fixing to activate safety function, then the safety reliability is improved, but the ease of operation during installation is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety reliabilityVSAvoidinstallation convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The locking means are pre-configured to automatically activate upon mounting. The device includes mounting elements and locking elements that are positioned and configured in advance, so that the act of mounting the device on a support surface automatically triggers the safety locking function. This eliminates the need for separate locking operations and maintains installation simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2491835B1Safety device
Publication Date: 2016.10.05 MOTTURA
  • EP2491835B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2491835B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2491835B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Safety device to be applied on the control loop of a curtain, said loop having two substantially vertical branches, hanging from the support structure of the curtain, which extend substantially parallel to each other and are joined at the lower part defining a loop portion, said safety device having a casing (2) intended to be fixed to a wall or floor, which is adapted to receive at least one portion of said control loop and it has an abutment element adapted to prevent the exit of said portion of said loop from said casing, said device being characterised in that it has locking means (11, 8) adapted to prevent the sliding of said portion of control loop with respect to the device and means (13) adapted to disable said locking means when said casing is fixed to said wall or floor.