Drooped cellular covering for architectural openings

Abstract

A covering for an architectural opening includes a panel of material consisting of a first flexible sheet of material on which a second flexible sheet of material is secured along vertically spaced horizontal lines of attachment so that the second sheet of material billows or flexes away from the first sheet of material to define a plurality of vertically superimposed cells. The creases placed in the cells are designed so that as the panel of material is wrapped around a roller, the creases are reinforced to extend the life of the creases and thus the desired billowing effect of the cellular panel of material. Various systems are disclosed for extending and retracting a panel of material as well as for anchoring the top and bottom edges of the panel to a roller in a manner so that they can be easily attached/detached without disassembling the hardware for the covering.

1 . A cellular panel for a covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination: 
 a vertically oriented flexible support structure, and    a flexible sheet of material secured to said support structure along vertically spaced horizontal lines of connection so as to define a plurality of horizontally disposed elongated cells, said cells including an elongated outwardly directed crease spaced from a line of connection to define a top wall of the cell between the crease and the line of connection and a front wall drooping downwardly from said crease and continuing through a curve to a bottom wall which is connected to said support structure along the next adjacent lower line of connection.    
     
     
         2 . The panel of  claim 1  wherein said support structure is a sheet of material.  
     
     
         3 . The panel of  claim 1  wherein said cells include a second crease in the opposite direction of said first-mentioned crease.  
     
     
         4 . The panel of  claim 3  wherein said second crease is along a line of connection.  
     
     
         5 . The panel of  claim 4  wherein said top wall of said cells inclines downwardly away from said support structure at acute angle of less than 45°.  
     
     
         6 . The panel of  claim 5  wherein said bottom wall forms substantially a right angle with said support structure.  
     
     
         7 . A covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination: 
 a head rail,    at least two flexible looped lift elements having one end secured to said head rail and a second end for manipulation so as to increase or decrease the size of said loop,    a bottom roller suspended within said loops of said lift elements, and    a cellular panel suspended at an upper end from said head rail and having a lower end secured to said bottom roller, said panel including at least one crease,    said bottom roller being rotatable by movement of said lift elements between larger and smaller loops and when said bottom roller is rotated in one direction it causes said panel to be wrapped therearound with said crease being folded on said roller in a reinforcing direction.    
     
     
         8 . The covering of  claim 7  wherein said at least one crease is on a second sheet of material in said panel with said second sheet being secured to a first sheet of said panel along parallel spaced lines of attachment to define a plurality of parallel cells between said first and second sheets, a top wall of each of said cells being defined between a line of attachment and said at least one crease, a front wall hanging downwardly from said at least one crease in a drooping curve and a bottom wall between the curved bottom of said front wall and the next lower line of attachment.  
     
     
         9 . The covering of  claim 8  wherein said at least one crease is directed outwardly of said cell.  
     
     
         10 . The covering of  claim 9  further including a second crease which is inwardly directed along the line of attachment between said top wall and said first sheet.  
     
     
         11 . The covering of  claim 9  wherein said second sheet is a resilient material.  
     
     
         12 . The covering of  claim 7  wherein said second end of said looped lift elements is secured to a rotatable rod about which said lift elements can be wrapped or unwrapped by rotative movement of said rod, and a control system for reversibly rotating said rod.  
     
     
         13 . The covering of  claim 12  wherein said lift elements are cords.  
     
     
         14 . The covering of  claim 12  wherein said lift elements are straps.  
     
     
         15 . The covering of  claim 12  further including guide straps secured to said rotatable rod for wrapping and unwrapping about said rod with rotation thereof, a guide rod secured to said guide straps for vertical movement in response to wrapping and unwrapping of said guide straps about said rod, said guide rod including slots therethrough for slidable receipt of said flexible elements to guide movement of said flexible elements.  
     
     
         16 . The covering of  claim 15  wherein said flexible elements are straps.  
     
     
         17 . A covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination: 
 a head rail,    a first flexible lift element operatively associated with said head rail, said first element having a first end and a second end, the second end being manipulatable to raise and lower said first end,    a flexible strip of material having a top edge supported by said first end of said first lift element and a bottom edge,    a second flexible lift element operatively associated with said head rail, said second element having a first end and a second end, the second end of said second lift element being manipulatable to raise and lower said first end of the second lift element, said first end of said second lift element being connected to said bottom edge of said flexible strip,    a rotatable bottom roller suspended by said lift elements and said flexible strip, and    a flexible panel secured at a lower edge to said bottom roller and operatively secured at an upper edge to the bottom edge of said flexible strip,    whereby upon selected movement of said first and second lift elements, said flexible strip of material can be positioned beneath said bottom roller in supporting relationship therewith.    
     
     
         18 . The covering of  claim 17  wherein said bottom roller can be raised and lowered as well as rotated by selective movement of said first and second lift elements.  
     
     
         19 . The covering of  claim 18  wherein said flexible strip of material can be positioned beneath said bottom roller in supportive relationship therewith at any raised or lowered position of said bottom roller.  
     
     
         20 . A system for securing an edge of a flexible panel to an elongated element comprising in combination: 
 a flexible panel having a semi-rigid strip of material secured to an edge thereof,    and an elongated element having a recessed channel along the length thereof, said channel opening through an elongated slot in said element defined by at least one overhanging lip, said slot having a widened portion at a preselected position along the length of said slot, said widened portion being wide enough for said strip of material to fit through but the remainder of said slot being narrow enough to encapture said strip of material in the channel,    whereby said strip of material and secured edge of said panel can be inserted into or removed from said channel through said widened portion.    
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20  wherein said elongated element is a cylindrical roller and said slot opens through the cylindrical surface thereof.  
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20  wherein said panel has a hem along said edge thereof and said strip of material is received in said hem.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20  wherein said strip of material has opposite ends and is inserted into said channel by first inserting one or both of said opposite ends through said widened portion and continuing to insert the strip of material until it is fully confined within said channel.  
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23  wherein said strip of material is removed from said channel by pulling an intermediate portion of said strip of material from said channel and through said widened portion until the entire strip is removed from said channel.