US3029465A - Drapery fixture - Google Patents

Description

April 17, 1962 J. v. GRABER ETAL l 3,029,465

DRAPERY FIXTURE Filed March 25, 1960 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 fice 3,029,455 nnArnnY Frxronn This Iinvention relates to drapery fixtures and particularly to a device for supporting a drapery rod intermediate its ends.

An important object of this invention is `to provide a bracket for supporting a drapery rod intermediate its ends and which `is so arranged as to enable the rod to be readily mounted or detached from the bracket, and which will not interfere with the drapery slides or the draperies as they are moved along the rod.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device for supporting a drapery rod intermediate its ends, which support device has an improved latch arrangement for holding the drapery rod on the bracket, and which latch is adapted in one position thereof to support the rod for free axial sliding movement to facilitate adjustment of the rod during installation and which latch is operative in another position thereof to firmly lock the rod against axial movement relative to the bracket.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a bracket for supporting a traverse rod intermediate its ends, which bracket has a latch lever rotatable into and out of a position supporting the traverse rod, and which lever is arranged so as to enable manipulation thereof from a convenient position below` the drapery fixture after the rod has been installed in the bracket.

These, together with vario-us ancillary objects and advantages of this invention will `be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective View of the drapery rod support bracket;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the support bracket and drapery rod with the latch lever in a position to slidably support the rod;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the drapery rod support bracket;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a modified form of support bracket for the outer section of an adjustable traverse rod and showing the latch lever in a position locking the rod against axial movement.

In those drapery rod installations wherein the drapery rod extends through a relatively long span, it is necessary to provide one or more intermediate support stirrups for supporting the rod, The support stirrup of the present invention is designed for use on a track `of the type having a continuous longitudinal slot 11 in the rear lface thereof and a rearwardly extending bead 12 located above the slot 11. In the form shown, the track also has a forwardly extending bead 13 adjacent its upper edge.

The stirrup includes a generally L-shaped support bracket 15 having a vertically disposed leg or plate 16 adapted to be attached to a wall and a horizontally disposed leg 17 extending outwardly from the upper edge of the vertical leg. Openings 14 are provided in the leg 16 to receive the usual attaching screws. Asbest shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal leg 17 has a generally at portion 17a extending down the centerline thereof and downwardly opening channels 17h along the-side edges shaped so that the outer edges of the channels project below the underside of the central portion 17a to dene a guideway Cil therebetween. l stiten or rigidity the horizontally disposed leg; Alon'gitudinally extending slot 18 is formed down the centerline of the central portion 17a, for a reason to be described hereinafter.

A stirrup bodyf21, in the formof an elongated strap, is mounted' on the horizontal leg 17 oli-the bracketA 15 for adjustment longitudinally thereof. Thestrap VIll-also has a generally flat central portion 21a adapted to underlie the iiat central portion 17a of Athe4 bracket, and has olset ribs 2lb along opposite side edges thereof adaptedto extend partway into the channels 17b ofthe bracketto the guide the strap for rectilinear movement alongthe horizont-al leg of the bracket. A screw or the 'like-23 extends through the slot 18 inthe leg- 17 and into a tapped hole 24 in the# strap 21 to lock the strap in` an adjusted position. The strap has a hook portion 26 at itsouter end which extends downwardlyV and terminates atan inwardly directed lip 27 at itsouter end, The hook portion is arranged to engage the-forwardlyextending bead'13`on the rod 1i),v to support the front side of the rod. In the event the rod 1G does not have a front bead such 215013," the hook portion 26may be extended'so as to engage the underside of the rod to support the same.

A latch lever 31 is mounted on the underside of the strap 2t ata pointspaced inwardly from the hook 26:' The latch lever is supported for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the strap intoand out ofa position engaging the rearbead 12 of the rod. The latchv` lever is spaced below the flat-central portieri 21a ofthe strap 21 and-for this purpose the strap has a depression 33'forn1ed intermediate the ends thereof 'defining an annularbearing surface which is spaced below the underside of the central portion 21a. A drawn sleeve 36 is formed in the Ydepression 33 in the strap and extends lthrough an opening 37 in the latch lever to rotatably support the same. After the latch lever is assembled `on the `sleeve 36v,the-sleevefis spun over to form a retaining flange 40. Preferably, the flange 40is arranged to press the latch liver firmly against the underside of the strap so as to frictionally' retainV the latch lever in any preset position. When the stirru'p'fis mounted on the ceiling, anattachingA screw (not shown) may be inserted through' the opening inthe sleeve-r36 to provide additional support for the stirrup.

The latch lever 31 has an embossed'central area- 31a dening a downwardly extending cup-shaped portion which 'abuts against the bearing surface on-the underside of the strap. The lever has a rst nose -portion 38 ex tending outwardly from the lower edge of the cup-shaped portion and arranged to engage the inwardlyrextendingv bead 12 Von the traverse rod. As will be noted from FIGS. 3 and 5, the bead 12 is'tapered in a direction crosswise of the rod and the ynose 38h-spaced fromthe underside of tne strap 21 la distance slightly less than the thickness of the'bead so that the nose `f'rmly'presses the rod against the strap to hold the same in its clamped position. Preferably, the upper side of the nose 38 is serrated as indicated at 33a to increase the gripping action of the latch lever. This firmly locks the rod against `axial movement relative to the support stirru'p; However, during installation, it is frequently necessary to longitudinally adjust the rod relative to the-bracket; For this purpose, a second nose portion 41l is provided on the latch lever. The nose v41 is angularly spaced from the nose land is'also spaced a slightly 'greater distance from the underside of the strap 21. The lever is movable to a second position,- shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; in which the nose 41 underlies the beadv 12 on-the-rod; The'spacing ofthe nose41 is selected'so as"to`slidably support the rod on the stirrupv and enable longitudinal adjustment of the -rod during Ymounting-of'-thesarnei':

The latch lever, intermediate the noseAport-ionsfsand As is apparent, the channelslserve to 41, is cut away as indicated at 43 to permit the rod to pass thereby, when the latch lever is positioned to yalign the cutaway edge 43 with the rod. In the form shown, the edge 43 is inclined at an angle of about 30 with respect to the rod when the nose 41 on the latch lever engages the bead 12. lt is therefore only necessary to move the latch lever in a clockwise direction through an angle of from the position shown in FIG. 2, to enable the rod to be inserted or removed from the stirrup bracket. A stop nger 48 is formed on the strap 21 and extends downwardly therefrom. The latch lever has a generally straight side 49 extending along the side thereof opposite the nose portion 41, and which side is arranged to engage the stop 48 to limit movement of the lever between its slide position shown in FIG. 2 and its lock position shown in FIGS. l and 5.

The support stirrups are located intermediate the ends of the drapery rod and it is essential to proper operation that the stirrups be so arranged as to not interfere with the slides such as or the draperies as the slides move along the rod. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the latch lever lies wholly above the slot or trackway 1l formed in the rod so as to not interfere with the drapery slides or draperies. The latch lever has an elongated slot formed therein and located eccentric to the axis of rotation of the lever, which slot is arranged to nonrotatably receive the blade S of a screw driver. With this arrangement, a screw driver can be inserted into the slot 55 from -a position below the support stirrup, and the latch lever rotated between successive positions by merely turning the screw driver. Since the screw driver iS removed after the rod is installed, it does not interfere with the operation of the slides or draperies. Moreover, this yarrangement enables rotation `and manipulation of the latch lever from a more convenient height spaced below the drapery bracket. This is of considerable importance since these support stirrups are generally mounted `at an elevated position and are not readily accessible. Preferably, the slot 55 extends generally tangent to its path of rotation so as to minimize the overall size of the lever required.

It is apparent that each stirrup is arranged to take only a certain size drapery rod and that different size rods will require stirrup brackets of different size. Thus, when adjustable type rods are employed in which an outer section 10' surrounds one end portion of the inner rod 10, the stirrup bracket must be modified accordingly.

This can be conveniently achieved by modifying the shape of the strap 21 in such a manner as to enable use of the same support bracket 1S and latch lever 31. In the stirrup bracket shown in FIG. 5, the support bracket 15 and latch lever 31 are the same as shown in FIGS. l-4 and like numerals `are used to designate corresponding parts. The modified strap, designated 21', has the same general configuration as that previously described. However, the hook portion 26 and inwardly extending lip 27' on the strap are shaped to conform to the front bead on the outer rod section 10 and the central depression 33' in the strap is modified so that the latch lever 31 will properly engage the rear bead on the outer rod section.

From the foregoing it is thought that the operation and use of the stirrup will be readily understood. When installing the rod, the latch lever 3l is positioned with the edge 43 thereof extending parallel to the edge of the hook 26. The rod is then inserted into the hook and the lever moved to the position shown in FIG. 2 to slidably suppor-t the rod during installation. After the other brackets (not shown) have been properly installed, the latch lever is then rotated to the position shown in FIG. l to firmly lock the rod against axial movement. As previously described, the lever is rotated between successive positions by a screw driver inserted into the slot 55 in the latch lever. Since the latch lever lies wholly above the trackway 11 in the rod 10, it does not interfere with movement of the slides 50 or drapery along the rod.

We claim:

l. A drapery fixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead extending longitudinally of the rod above said trackway, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting said latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point spaced inwardly from the outer end thereof for rotation about an axis perpendicular to said strap, said lever having a cup-shaped portion extending downwardly around said mounting means, and a nose portion on the lever extending outwardly from adjacent the lower edge of the cup-shaped portion in spaced relation to the strap and engaging the bead on the rod in one rotative position of the lever for clamping the rod against the underside of the strap.

2. The combination of claim l wherein said lever mounting means includes a hollow rivet defining an opening extending through the lever and strap.

3. A drapery fixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead extending longitudinally of the rod above said trackway, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting said latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point spaced inwardly from the outer end thereof for rotation about an axis perpendicular to said strap, said lever having a cup-shaped portion extending downwardly around said mounting means, a nose portion on the lever extending outwardly from adjacent the lower edge of said cupshaped portion in spaced relation to the strap and engaging the bead on the rod in one rotative position of the lever for clamping the rod against the underside of the strap, said lever having a blade portion spaced from said nose portion and extending outwardly from adjacent the lower edge of said cup-shaped portion in spaced relation to the underside of the strap, said blade portion having a slot therein dimensioned to receive the blade of a screw driver to enable rotation of the lever into and out of said one rotative position by a screw driver inserted into the slot from below the fixture.

4. A drapery fixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead extending longitudinally of the rod above said trackway, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting said latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point spaced inwardly from the outer end thereof for rotation about an axis perpendicular to said strap, said lever having a cup-shaped portion extending downwardly around said mounting means, a first nose portion on the lever extending outwardly from adjacent the lower edge of the cup-shaped portion in spaced relation to the strap and engaging the bead on the rod in one rotative position of the lever for clamping the rod against the underside of the strap, said lever having a second nose portion angularly spaced from said first nose portion and extending outwardly from the cup-shaped portion in spaced relation to the underside of the strap a distance greater than said first nose portion and slightly greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod, said second nose portion loosely underlying the `bead on the rod in said second rotative position of the lever to slidably support the rod for free axial movement relative to the stirrup.

5. A drapery fixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead extending along the upper edge of the rod, a rod support stirrup including a strap overiying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting the latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point inwardly of its outer end for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the strap between iirst and second rotative positions, said lever having a first nose portion spaced from the underside of the rod a distance no greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said first nose portion engaging the bead on the rod in said first rotative position of the lever to firmly clamp the rod to the strap and lock the same against axial movement, said lever having a second nose portion angular-ly spaced from said first nose portion and laterally spaced from the underside of the strap a distance greater than said first nose portion and slightly greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod, said second nose portion loosely underlying the bead on the rod in said second rotative position of the lever to slidably support the rod for free axial movement relative to the stirrup.

6. A drapery fixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead extending along the upper edge of the rod, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting the latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point inwardly of its outer end for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the strap between first and second rotative positions, said lever having a first nose portion spaced from the underside of the rod a distance no greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said first nose portion engaging the bead on the rod in said iirst rotative position of the lever to firmly clamp the rod to the strap and lock the same against axial movement, said lever having a second nose portion angularly spaced from said first nose portion and laterally spaced from the underside of the strap a distance greater than said first nose portion and slightly greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod, said second nose portion loosely underlying the bead on the rod in said second rotative position of the lever to slidably support the rod for free axial movement relative to the stirrup, said lever having a blade portion spaced below the underside of said strap and a slot in said blade portion dimensioned to non-rotatably receive the blade of a screw driver to enable rotation of the lever between said rst and second rotative positions by a screw driver inserted into the slot from below the xture.

7. A drapery xture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead along its upper edge, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting the latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point inwardly of its outer end for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the strap between a first rotative position and a second rotative. position at substantially a right angle to said first position, said lever having a first nose portion spaced from the underside of the rod a distance no greater than the thickness of said bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said first nose portion engaging the bead on the rod in said one rotative position of the lever to firmly clamp the rod to the strap, said lever having a second nose portion extending at substantially right angles to said rst nose portion and laterally spaced from the underside of the rod a distance greater than said iirst nose portion and slightly greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said second nose portion looseiy underlying the bead on the rod in said second rotative position of the lever to slidably support the rod for free axial movement relative to the stirrup.

8. A drapery iixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining a longitudinally extending trackway and 'having a rearwardly projecting bead along its upper edge, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the front face ofthe rod, a latch lever, means mounting the latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point inwardly of its outer end for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the strap between a first rotative position and a second rotative position at substantially a right angle to said first position, said lever having a first nose portion spaced from the underside of the rod a distance no greater than the thickness of said bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said first nose portion engaging the bead on the :rod in said one 4rotative position of the lever to rrmly clamp the rod to the strap, said llever having a second nose portion extending at substantially right angles to said first nose portion and laterally spaced from the underside of the rod a distance greater than said first nose portion and slightly greater than the thickness of the lbead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said second nose portion loosely underlying ythe bead on the rod in said second rotative position of the lever to slidably support the rod for free axial movement relative to the stirrup, said lever having a peripheral portion intermediate said tirst and second nose portions and spaced radially inwardly of said nose portions to provide clearance between the lever and the hook portion on the strap for insertion and removal of the rod when the lever is in a-rotative position intermediate said tirst and second positions.

9. A drapery fixture comprising, in combination, a traverse rod defining la longitudinaily extending trackway and having a rearwardly projecting bead along its upper edge, a rod support stirrup including a strap overlying the top of the rod and having a hook portion at its outer end engaging the iront face of the rod, a latch lever, means mounting `the latch lever on the underside of the strap at a point inwardly of its outer end `for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the strap between a first rotative position and a second rotative position at substantially a right angle to said first position, said lever having a first nose portion spaced from the underside of the rod a distance no greater than the thickness of said bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said first nose portion engaging the bead on the rod in said one rotative position of the llever to firmly clamp the rod to the strap, said lever having a second nose portion extending at substantially right angles to said rst nose portion and laterally spaced Jfrom the underside of the rod a distance greaterl than said first nose portion and slightly greater than the thickness of the bead on the rod at the point of engagement therewith, said second nose portion loosely underlying the bead on the rod in said second rotative position of the lever to slidably support the rod for free axial movement relative to the stirrup, and a stop arm extending downwardly from said strap yand engaging said lever in each said iirst and second rotative positions to stop the same in said first and second positions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 874,651 Bagnall Dec. 24, i907 2,720,373 Bell Oct. 11, 1955 FORElGN PATENTS 536,073 Great Britain May 1, 1941V 652,898 Great Britain May 2, 1951

Images