Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8156991 | Cord lock of window coverings A cord lock of the window blinds or shade includes a box having a chamber therein, an engaging block on an outer side, a first opening for a cord exiting the box, a second opening for the cord entering the box, a fixed locking portion on the outer side, and a flexib... | 04/17/2012 |
| 7775254 | Child safe cord lock A cord lock for window coverings has one or more cams adjacent a locking surface over which a one or more lift cords travel. The cams may be spring biased to a locked position in which they press the lift cords against the surface. A release member through which the... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7690415 | Lifting control apparatus for window covering A window covering lifting control apparatus includes a holding unit, a locating set and a pushbutton. The holding unit has a first spacer and a second spacer formed thereon that are spaced from each other. The spacers have two slots inclining downwards. The first sp... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7597131 | Cord lock apparatus of window shade assembly A cord lock apparatus of a window shade is provided, which includes a base, a panel structure, and a cord gripping device. The base includes an adjustable portion allowing cords to pass through and a first-direction ascending opening is formed allowing the cords to ... | 10/06/2009 |
| 7406995 | Pull cord device and window covering including the same A pull cord device for controlling raising and lowering of a base rail of a window covering includes a locking wheel having a toothed segment turnable between locked and unlocked positions to engage and disengage from a cord spool, respectively, a cord-release contr... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7373965 | Window shade lift cord apparatus A window shade lift cord apparatus includes a seat, a control switch and a cord assembly. The seat has an aperture on the bottom and axles in the interior. The control switch includes an anchor member and a depressing member that are movably coupled together and int... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7302738 | Safe disengaging device for the pull cord of a blind A safe disengaging device for the pull cord of a blind includes a male support base and a female support base. The male support base is fixed on the upper frame of a blind and provided with a protruding clasping block having its upper side formed with an engage shou... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7264035 | Temporary window covering The invention is directed to a temporary window covering that may include a pleated cover formed from a sheet of material having a plurality of horizontal creases extending across the width of the sheet thereby defining a plurality of pleats, a bottom rail attached ... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7261138 | Child safe cord lock A cord lock for window coverings has one or more cams adjacent a surface over which a one or more lift cords travel. The cams are spring biased to a locked position in which they press the lift cords against the surface. A cam lock with a release cord is provided wh... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7255149 | Temporary window covering The invention is directed to a temporary window shade that may include an elongated cover having a top end and a bottom end, and that may be adapted to be oriented in a retracted position, an extended position, and a plurality of intermediate positions. The temporar... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7216687 | Cord tensioner A cord tensioner for the guide cords of a cord-guided window blind with movable rails holding a blind material. The cord tensioner, located at one of the rails, is a helically wound, extension spring with an integral extension limiter, extending axially through the ... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7174943 | Curtain hoisting clutch apparatus An improved curtain hoisting apparatus is wedged to a left end of a track and mainly includes a gear located on the bottom of an anchor body. The gear has a spindle pin movable in an m-shaped channel formed on an inner side of a wedge plate. The spindle pin is allow... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7159638 | Pull cord control device for Venetian blind A pull cord control device for Venetian blind includes a mounting body made up of an engagement piece having symmetrical registration posts for positioning rollers to be mounted thereto, and a limiting piece equipped with a pair of teeth racks symmetrically extendin... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7117920 | Automatically activated cord lock A cord lock for use in a window covering for selectively locking lift cords in a predetermined position includes a housing adapted to be fitted in the head rail of the window covering with the housing having a pivotal locking lever with a cord gripping formation at ... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7114544 | Cord tensioner for covering for architectural openings A tensioner for the control element of a covering for an architectural opening includes a base member attachable to a support surface adjacent to the architectural opening with the base member supporting an upstanding plunger about which a surrounding housing is ada... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7108038 | Cord tensioner A cord tensioner for a guide cord of a cord-guided blind which has an upper rail, a lower rail and a blind material extending between the upper and lower rails and in which the upper rail, the lower rail or both is movable; the cord tensioner being attached to the u... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7000672 | Venetian blind operated with non-pull cord structure A Venetian blind operated with a non-pull cord structure includes a blind embodiment, a lower beam having a pivot hole disposed at the bottom side of each end thereon, and a control unit and a sealing cap to be sequentially adapted to each end of the lower beam ther... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6994143 | Child safety blind A child safety blind having a head rail, a bottom rail, at least one ladder tape, a plurality of slats, a tilt wand and a pair of registry clips. At least one ladder tape extends horizontally between the head rail and the bottom rail, and the ladder tape comprising ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6971434 | Non-pull cord operated Venetian blind A non-pull cord operated Venetian blind includes a blind embodiment having left/right retaining cords led through both lateral sides thereof and fixed to a windowsill at the bottom ends thereof, and a pair of clamps securely sealed at both ends of a lower beam to cl... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6941996 | Double shade with modular end caps and method of assembling same A double shade is disclosed as well as a method of assembling same. The double shade includes a headrail, a first shade mounted at its upper end to the bottom surface of the headrail and operable with lift cords, and a first control module mounted at a side edge of ... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6935399 | Cord stopper for window blind assembly A cord stopper for use in slidably and detachably connecting a lift cord of a window blind assembly includes a first cover shell having an insertion hole for insertion of the lift cord, a second cover shell openably closed to the first cover shell to form a receivin... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6899156 | Headrail with reversible cord lock position A headrail for a venetian type blind or pleated shade has an insert that carries a cord lock. The insert fits into the end of the headrail and is carried by a slot or rib on the sidewalls of the headrail. A pair of pockets are provided on the insert. The pockets are... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6823926 | Cord lock A cord lock for a venetian type blind or pleated shade has a flange extending from each of the front wall and the rear wall of the cord lock housing. The cord lock fits into a pocket in the headrail. A tab on the upper edge of the pocket is received by a slot in one... | 11/30/2004 |
| 6786270 | Lift lock for blind A lift lock for blind is disclosed to include a shaft pivoted to a headrail of a blind for synchronous rotation with a lift rod of the blind. The shaft has a constraint device. A switching mechanism is mounted inside the headrail of the blind and has a sliding membe... | 09/07/2004 |
| 6772817 | Adjustable window blind cord stopper An adjustable window blind cord stopper includes a locking guider slidably connected on a lift cord of the window blind assembly by constructing an adjustable knot at a guiding through slot of the locking guider. In which, in an unlocked position that the adjustable... | 08/10/2004 |
| 6648049 | Cord lock and method for adjusting the length of a window blind assembly A cord lock desirably for a window blind assembly adapted to be releasably locked to a cord, such as a vertical cord of the window blind assembly, at alternate locations along the length of the cord. The cord lock desirably includes a first member and a s... | 11/18/2003 |
| 6516860 | Device for safely containing and operating lift cords of a vertical covering A telescoping wand safely encloses the control ends of a set of lift cords of vertically raisable "blinds" (as defined in the specification). The wand includes a selectively releasable cord locking mechanism which cooperates with a lift cord tensioner and... | 02/11/2003 |
| 6253823 | Headrail for cut down venetian type blinds A venetian type blind has a headrail that can be cut down along cut lines very close to the outermost ladder locations. The cradle and spool in the headrail are sized and configured so that the cord lock and tilter can be positioned between a cradle and o... | 07/03/2001 |
| 6213188 | Cord control device for a venetian blind to control raising and lowering of the slats A cord control device includes a mounting seat mounted removably in a horizontal top housing, from which a plurality of horizontal slats are suspended downwardly one above another. A bottom rail is disposed below the slats. Each of two control cords passe... | 04/10/2001 |
| 6202730 | Vertical window blind carrier A carrier for supporting vertical blinds used in covering window and door openings. The carrier has a clip with an inner space for permitting a vane to translate relative to the clip as the vane rotates to close the opening. The clip inner space can be U-... | 03/20/2001 |
| 6189595 | Louvered blind lock A cord lock engaged with a vertically moveable handle for selectively engaging and disengaging a cord for transporting vanes in a blind. A rotatable mechanism is proximate with a vertically moveable handle. An extension is attached to the rotatable mechan... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6148894 | Headrail having reversible modular controls A headrail for a venetian type blind has reversible modular controls that can be easily switched from the right side of the blind to the left side of the blind or vice versa by the installer. The headrail has an elongated body having a base, a first sidew... | 11/21/2000 |
| 6056035 | Apparatus and method for hanging shades and curtains Apparatus for hanging and removing various styles of shades and curtains such as Roman, Austrian, balloon, or cloud type shades or curtains. The apparatus comprises a hanging bracket, which can either be attached to a wall above a window or within the win... | 05/02/2000 |
| 6050321 | Cord lock A cord lock for fitment to the end of a head rail of a blind, the cord lock including a base element, a cap structure on the base element and together with the base element and together with the base element defining therebetween a cord inlet, a cord outl... | 04/18/2000 |
| 5904198 | Operating device for a venetian blind to control raising and lowering of the slats and to adjust tilting angle of the slats A mechanism for combining, into a single structure, the functions of raising, lowering and tilting the slats of a Venetian blind. The mechanism is attached to a slat actuating shaft and comprises a hollow positioning tube coupled to the shaft so that axia... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5890528 | Roll-up blind and cord guide unit A cord guide unit 2 for a roll-up blind 4 having a top rail 6 in the form of an extruded section. The guide unit 2 is moulded from a plastics material and is dimensioned to frictionally fit within an end 20 of the top rail extruded section 6. The guide un... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5850863 | Operating device for a venetian blind to control raising and lowering of the slats and to adjust tilting angle of the slats An operating device for a Venetian blind includes a hollow base which is adapted to be disposed in a top housing of the Venetian blind, a locking seat disposed in the hollow base, and a biasing member. The hollow base includes a pair of side plates which ... | 12/22/1998 |
| 5791580 | Cord retraction device A cord retraction device for drawing excess cord lengths into a housing through a cord aperture, the housing, containing a rotating spool driven by a coiled spring, the cord being attached to the spool through a lead member and cord retention member, wher... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5645685 | Venetian blinds An improved venetian blind having a head rail which carries an elongated rotator member. A first rotator band is connected to the rotator member and to the edges of a plurality of slats carried below the head rail. A second rotator band is connected to th... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5623982 | Pull cord stopper device for use in a blind apparatus A pull cord stopper device (20) for use in a blind apparatus operative in response only to a cord control string attached to pull cords. The pull cord stopper device (20) is disposed in a head box (10) and is adaptive to a large-scale blind apparatus. A s... | 04/29/1997 |
