Coverings for architectural openings with cord lock

Abstract

A cord-lock system for use in coverings for architectural openings and adapted to lock a control cord of the opening in any desired position includes a lock member that is pivotal about an axis parallel to the head rail of the covering with the lock member being movable between locked and unlocked positions by movement of the cord in a vertical plane perpendicular to the head rail. A cover plate pivotally overlying the lock member and operatively connected to the lift cords is also moved between locked and unlocked positions by movement of the lift cords in a manner that assures movement of the lock member between its locked and unlocked positions.

1 . A covering for an architectural opening movable between extended and retracted positions comprising in combination:
 an elongated horizontally disposed upper rail,   an elongated bottom rail parallel with said upper rail,   a retractable panel extending between said upper rail and bottom rail, and   a control system for moving said covering between said extended and retracted positions, said control system including at least one lift cord operatively connected at one end to said bottom rail and being free at its opposite end, and a pivotal cord lock operatively associated with said cord for locking said cord in predetermined positions to hold said bottom rail in a predetermined releasably fixed spacing from said upper rail, said cord lock including a lock member pivotal about a pivot shaft, wherein said pivot shaft extends in parallel relationship with said upper rail.   
   
   
       2 . The covering of  claim 1  wherein said upper rail has first and second ends and wherein said pivot shaft projects longitudinally from one end of said upper rail. 
   
   
       3 . The covering of  claim 2  wherein said lock member includes (a) a lever arm pivotal about said pivot shaft, (b) a base plate on said lever arm disposed substantially tangentially to an arc in which said base plate moves about said pivot shaft, and (c) a bottom plate disposed substantially perpendicularly to said base plate, there being a gap between said base plate and bottom plate through which said cord slidably passes. 
   
   
       4 . The covering of  claim 3  wherein said lock member further includes a pivot arm pivotally connected to said lever arm and wherein said bottom plate is connected to said pivot arm so as to be disposed substantially tangentially to an arc in which said bottom plate moves with pivotal movement of said pivot arm. 
   
   
       5 . The covering of  claim 3  wherein said lock member is pivotal between a locked position and an unlocked position, said covering being movable between said extended and retracted positions when said lock member is in the unlocked position and is retained in a releasably fixed position when the lock member is in the locked position. 
   
   
       6 . The covering of  claim 5  wherein said upper rail has an opening in said one end and said cord extends along the length of said upper rail and through said opening, and wherein said cord extends in a straight line from said opening through said lock member when the lock member is in said unlocked position and extends along a tortuous path through said lock member when the lock member is in the locked position. 
   
   
       7 . The covering of  claim 6  wherein said lock member is biased toward said locked position by the weight of said retractable panel and can be moved to said unlocked position by pulling on said free end of said cord in a predetermined direction to overcome said bias. 
   
   
       8 . The covering of  claim 7  wherein said cord is straight from said opening in said upper rail through said lock member when extended in said predetermined direction. 
   
   
       9 . The covering of  claim 6  further including a cover plate pivotally connected to said upper rail at said one end for pivotal movement about an axis parallel with the length of said upper rail, said cover plate at least partially enclosing said lock member and having a hole therein through which said cord passes, said cover plate being pivotally moved between locked and unlocked positions with said cord extending in a straight line from said opening through said hole when said cover plate is in the unlocked position and along a tortuous path when said cover plate is in the locked position. 
   
   
       10 . The covering of  claim 9  wherein said cover plate is biased toward its locked position. 
   
   
       11 . The covering of  claim 10  further including a magnet system wherein said biasing of said cover plate is with said magnet system which includes a magnet operatively connected to said upper rail and a magnet operatively connected to said cover plate with said magnets being magnetically connected when said cover plate is in said locked position. 
   
   
       12 . The covering of  claim 10  further including a leaf spring wherein said biasing of said cover plate is with said leaf spring which is operatively associated with said upper rail and said cover plate. 
   
   
       13 . The covering of  claim 1  wherein said control system includes at least two lift cords with one of said cords being connected to said bottom rail at one end thereof and the other of said lift cords being connected to the bottom rail at an opposite end thereof. 
   
   
       14 . A covering for an architectural opening movable between extended and retracted positions comprising in combination:
 an elongated horizontally disposed head rail,   an elongated bottom rail parallel with said head rail,   an elongated middle rail parallel with said head rail and said bottom rail and disposed therebetween,   a retractable panel extending between said bottom rail and middle rail, and   a control system for moving said covering between said extended and retracted positions, said control system including at least one first lift cord operatively connected to said bottom rail at one end and being free at its opposite end, at least one second lift cord operatively connected to said middle rail at one end and being free at its opposite end, and second identical pivotal cord locks operatively associated with said at least one first and second lift cords respectively for locking said cords in predetermined positions to hold said bottom and middle rails respectively in predetermined releasably fixed spacings from said head rail, said cord locks including a lock member pivotal about a pivot shaft, wherein said pivot shafts extend in parallel relationship with said head rail.   
   
   
       15 . The covering of  claim 14  wherein said head rail has first and second ends and wherein said pivot shafts project longitudinally from an end of said head rail. 
   
   
       16 . The covering of  claim 15  wherein one pivot shaft is at one end of said head rail and the other pivot shaft is at the second end of said head rail. 
   
   
       17 . The covering of  claim 15  wherein said lock member includes (a) a lever arm pivotal about an associated pivot shaft, (b) a base plate on said lever arm disposed substantially tangentially to an arc in which said base plate moves about said associated pivot shaft, and (c) a bottom plate disposed substantially perpendicularly to said base plate, there being a gap between said base plate and bottom plate through which an associated cord slidably passes. 
   
   
       18 . The covering of  claim 17  wherein said lock member further includes a pivot arm pivotally connected to said lever arm and wherein said bottom plate is connected to said pivot arm so as to be disposed substantially tangentially to an arc in which said bottom plate moves with pivotal movement of said pivot arm. 
   
   
       19 . The covering of  claim 17  wherein said lock member is pivotal between a locked position and an unlocked position, said covering being movable between said extended and retracted positions when said lock member is in the unlocked position and is retained in a releasably fixed position when the lock member is in the locked position. 
   
   
       20 . The covering of  claim 19  wherein said head rail has a pair of openings therein with said openings being in one or both ends thereof with one opening associated with said at least one first lift cord and the other opening with said at least one second lift cord, said lift cords extending along the length of said head rail and through an associated one of said openings, and wherein said cords extend in a straight line from its associated opening through said lock member when the lock member is in said unlocked position and extend along a tortuous path through said lock member when the lock member is in the locked position. 
   
   
       21 . The covering of  claim 20  wherein said lock members are biased toward said locked position by the weight of said retractable panel and can be moved to said unlocked position by pulling on said free end of the associated lift cord in a predetermined direction to overcome said bias. 
   
   
       22 . The covering of  claim 21  wherein said associated lift cord is straight from its associated opening in said head rail through its associated lock member when extended in said predetermined direction. 
   
   
       23 . The covering of  claim 20  further including a cover plate associated with each cord lock, said cover plates being pivotally connected to said head rail for pivotal movement about an axis parallel with the length of said head rail, said cover plates at least partially enclosing its associated lock member and each cover plate having a hole therein through which an associated cord passes each of said cover plates being pivotally moved between locked and unlocked positions with an associated lift cord extending in a straight line from its associated opening in said head rail through said hole when said cover plate is in the locked position and along a tortuous path when said cover plate is in the locked position. 
   
   
       24 . The covering of  claim 23  wherein each cover plate is biased toward its locked position. 
   
   
       25 . The covering of  claim 24  further including a magnet system associated with each cover plate and wherein said biasing of said cover plates is with said magnet system which includes a magnet operatively connected to said head rail and a magnet operatively connected to said cover plate with said magnets being magnetically connected when said cover plate is in said locked position. 
   
   
       26 . The covering of  claim 24  further including a leaf spring associated with each cover plate and wherein said biasing of said cover plates is with said leaf springs which are operatively associated with said head rail and said cover plates. 
   
   
       27 . The covering of  claim 14  wherein said control system includes at least two first lift cords and at least two second lift cords when one of said first lift cords and one of said second lift cords being connected at one end of said bottom rail and middle rail respectively and another of said first lift cords and said second lift cords being connected to an opposite end of said bottom rail and middle rail respectively. 
   
   
       28 . The covering of  claim 17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26  or  27  wherein said first pivotal cord lock is at one end of said head rail and said second pivotal cord lock is at the other end of said head rail.