Pivot Mount for Roller Shade Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of roller shades is challenging due to the difficulty in securing extended or heavy roller tubes, particularly when they include electric motors, as it requires manual handling or additional assistance to prevent binding and ensure proper alignment with the window frame, leading to increased labor costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A pivot mount system comprising a yoke and axle member that allows the roller tube to pivot around a horizontally oriented throat, enabling secure attachment to a bracket while allowing vertical movement, thus facilitating easier installation and handling of the roller tube, even with motors, by allowing the tube to be hung from the bracket and rotated without additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the roller tube is positioned close to the window frame to minimize light infiltration, then light leakage is reduced, but the blind fabric may bind against the wall, ceiling, or window frame during winding or unwinding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pivot mount mechanism that adds rotational freedom in a vertical plane, allowing the roller tube to move from a fixed horizontal position to a pivoting position. This dimensional change enables the tube to swing away from the window frame during operation, preventing fabric binding while maintaining close positioning when stationary to minimize light leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot mount transforms the static mounting system into a dynamic one. The roller tube is no longer fixed in a single position but can dynamically adjust its position by pivoting on the mount. This dynamic capability allows the tube to automatically adjust its position during fabric winding/unwinding to prevent binding, while returning to a close-to-frame position when idle to reduce light infiltration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the roller tube is extended or includes an electric motor, then the blind functionality is enhanced, but the installation becomes tedious and may require additional assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot mount acts as an intermediary device between the roller tube and the mounting bracket. It provides a forgiving interface that accommodates the weight and length of extended tubes with motors, allowing installers to secure one end without needing to support the entire tube length. The pivot mechanism absorbs the complexity of handling long, heavy tubes during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into distinct components: the fixed mounting bracket, the pivoting mount mechanism, and the roller tube. This segmentation allows the installer to work with smaller, more manageable portions during installation. The pivot mount can be pre-installed on the bracket, providing a stable anchor point before the heavy roller tube is attached, eliminating the need for additional assistance.
3Reliability
If the roller tube is secured firmly to prevent binding, then operational reliability is improved, but the installation and removal becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot mount creates a dynamic connection that is firm during normal operation but flexible during installation. The rotational constraint provides sufficient stability to prevent fabric binding and ensure reliable operation, while the pivot capability allows easy movement during installation and removal processes, eliminating the need for complex fastening or additional assistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The pivot mount simplifies the installation and removal of roller shades by allowing single-handed operation, reducing labor costs and improving efficiency, especially with heavy or long roller tubes, while maintaining the roller tube close to the window frame to minimize light infiltration.
Implementation Method 1
at least a portion of said axle member retainable within said throat of said yoke when said axle member is generally horizontal, receipt of at least a portion of said axle member within said throat hanging the first end of the roller tube from the first end bracket while permitting the roller tube to pivot about the first end bracket in a generally vertical plane
Data Source
AI summary
A mount for a roller blind. The roller blind has a roller tube securable to a structure between first and second end brackets. In one embodiment the mount comprises at least one yoke and at least one axle member. The yoke is securable to the first end bracket and has a generally horizontally oriented throat. The axle member is releasably securable to a first end of the roller tube with at least a portion retainable within the yoke's throat when the axle member is generally horizontal. The receipt of the said axle member within the throat hangs the first end of the roller tube from the first end bracket while permitting the roller tube to pivot about the first end bracket in a generally vertical plane.