Curtain rod

Application filed October 27, 1922. Serial No. 597,274.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James· H. Boye, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain Rods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in curtain rods, and has reference more particularly to sectional rods of the flat type which are commonly made of thin sheet metal with the upper and lower margins folded rearwardly and inwardly, forming a substantially hollow structure of oval or oblong cross-section. Many rods of this type are made extensible to fit varying widths of window and door frames, and to this end comprise end elements that are mounted in supporting brackets on the window or door frame, and an intermediate element telescopically engaged with the end elements. Where curtain rods of unusual length are desired or required, the intermediate element itself is frequently made in two or more sections telescopically engaged with each other, this being done partly for convenience in packing and shipment to reduce the length of the package, and partly to afford greater flexibility in respect of longitudinal adjustment by using or omitting altogether one or more of the sections of the intermediate element.

One serious fault in curtain rods of this type lies in the fact that, when made of considerable length and employing several telescoping elements to obtain the required length, they are unduly weak, and under the weight of the curtains tend not only to sag in a vertical plane, but also to warp or twist. That is, the upper edge of the. intermediate element of the rod bends laterally and downwardly and its lower edge· correspondingly bends laterally and upwardly, causing the central portion of the rod to more or less closely approach a horizontal plane and presenting an unsightly appearance.

The main object and purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved construction which, in a long sectional rod will greatly reduce and substantially: eliminate the above-noted fault; and this object is attained through the provision of an im- ^:proved means for separably uniting the sections of the intermediate element of the rod whereby much greater strength and rigidity 55 to resist sagging and warping under the load of the curtain is obtained.

Another annoying fault which the ordinary extensible rod composed of telescoping sections presents lies in the fact that, in slid- eo ing the curtains lengthwise of the rod, the fabric of the pocket of the curtain, or the curtain rings or hooks (where the latter are employed) tend to catch and stick on the. exposed ends of the outer telescoping sec- 65 tions, thus making it somewhat difficult to adjust the curtains to desired position.

Another object of my present invention is to provide a sectional rod, the upper margin of which will for .the most part be smooth 70 and substantially continuous, so that the upper edge of the curtain or the. curtain rings or hooks may be readily drawn thereover by simply pushing the curtains to one side or the other. A further object of the T5 invention is to provide a sectional rod of such a character that it may be packed and shipped in small compass, and will by its construction readily disclose its proper man-. her of assembling, and mounting to users un- 80 familiar with its structural features. ^!

A still further. specific object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device for strongly and rigidly, and also separably, joining the meeting ends of two 85 hollow curtain rod sections, so as to secure the advantages above mentioned, irrespective of the particular cross-sectional form of the rod.

In order that my invention may be readily 90 understood by persons familiar with the art, both as to its structural features and manner of use, and as to its inherent advantages, I have, in the accompanying drawing, illustrated one practical embodiment thereof 95 which in practice has been found to satisfactorily effectuate the stated purposes and objects of the invention; and referring thereto—

Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of my im- 100 proved curtain rod, showing the intermediate element thereof as composed of two separable η

1,481,981 sections joined by my improved connector;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a somewhat longer rod, the intermediate element of which is composed of three sections united 6 by my improved connector:

Fig, 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken on the line 3—3 of Fig. 2; .

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on the line 4—4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing one end of an intermediate, section with the connector or splice inserted therein; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective elevation of the 15 connector or splice.

Referring, to the drawing, 10 designates each of the end. elements of a tubular flat curtain rod, herein shown as of elbow, shape, with their.. rearwardly projecting ends 20 adapted to engage with, suitable brackets (not shown) attached to the wall. The straight intermediate element of the rod, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a pair of straight flat tubular sections 11 which at their outer 25 ends telescope over the inwardly extending arms of . the end elements 10. with a, snug sliding fit, whereby the adjustability of.-the rod. in point of length is obtained. The inner ends of the curved end elements 10 are 30 preferably equipped, with friction, springs 12 in rubbing contact with the upper and lower edges of the outer telescoping section 11 to secure increased rigidity, as disclosed and claimed in my former Patent No. 35 1,309,060 dated July 8, 1919; but this feature in itself forms no essential part of my present invention.

The intermediate sections, 11 are of uniform and. equal width and thickness, and 40 the meeting ends of these sections are each formed on the front face with a semi-circular notch. 13 in she end edge of the face and with a hole 14 a slight distance in rear of the notch 13.

15 designates as an entirety the connector oi· splicing member. This consists of a short section, preferably six to eight inches in length,, of metal stock of a size and shape to tightly interfit with the meeting ends of 50 the rod sections 11. This splicing member is preferably made of sheet metal of much greater strength and rigidity than the stock of the rod itself,.and bent into the form of the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, where55 in. the relative thicknesses, of the rod stock and the connector stock are shown. From the rear side of the front face of the connector there are punched outwardly a central protuberance or boss. 16, and a slight disco tan.ce on either side of the latter two additional protuberances or bosses 17. The connector 15 is first driven into the end of one of the sections 11, and in so doing the boss 17 on the entering end, passing beneath the 65 edge of the notch 13, springs the metal form ing the face of the rod section outwardly until it comes into register with the hole 14, whereupon it snaps into yieldable locking engagement with said hole. The meeting end of the other rod section 11 is then 70 forced over the exposed half , of the connector 15, its end notch 13 riding over the lug 17, in the manner already described, until its end meets and squarely abuts against the end of the other section 11. 75 This, brings the end notch into register with the other half of the central boss 13 and simultaneously brings its hole 14 into yieldable locking engagement witli the other boss 17. When the rod sections are thus, united, 80 the connector or splice 15 is. wholly concealed except as to its bosses 16 and 17, and the. intermediate element of the rod presents a straight, smooth and practically continuous, appearance. However, the sec- 85 tions 11 may be separated by a pull sufficient to overcome the yieldable locking hold of the lugs 17. Preferably one of the lugs 17. is made slightly higher than the other, so that in separating the rod sections the same ⁹⁰lug (the lower) will always, yield, leaving the splicing element within the end of the other section.

The relatively heavy and inflexible sp.lic- : ing elements 15, tightly fitting the meeting ⁹⁵end portions of the intermediate rod sections 11, greatly stiffen the latter at these points against both downward bending or sagging in a vertical plane and lateral twisting or warping; thereby making it 100 practicable to employ a longer rod without, any intermediate supporting bracket or brackets than has heretofore been possible. It will also be noted, that the specific struc- . ture of the connector or splice, with its cen- 105 tral boss .16 . engaged with semi-circular notches in the meeting ends of the. rod sections insures that the connector or splice will, always be centrally located with refer- , ence to the meeting ends of the rod sections, no extending an equal distance into each of the latter, thereby affording equal strengthening and stiffening effects to the rod .sections. The notching of the. end edges of the rod . ., sections, to encircle the central boss. 16 pb- 115 viously permits the squared ends to. meet in a perfect, registration, thus creating a smooth and substantially continuous upper edge throughout. the entire intermediate portion of the rod lying between the ex- 120 posed portions of the end elements 10, so that the curtains may be drawn, apart or together without any catching of their upper, ends on the upper edge of the rod.

In practice the intermediate sections are 125 preferably made equal in length and substantially equal, to the length of the end. sections ;, so that, when the rod is fully disassembled, the several sections can be packed ,.. side by side in a box or other package but 130

1,481,981 slightly exceeding the length of a single section; and the manner in which the sections are to.be assembled for mounting is obvious from mere inspection.

Finally, it is manifest that the described advantages of the snugly fitting internal connector or splice which joins the sections of the intermediate element are not dependent upon the particular cross-section or 10 form of the rod herein shown; but are also present when the connector is used in rods of round or other cross-sectional form, provided it is so made as to snugly fit the meeting ends of the rod sections, and is of .15 heavier and stronger stock than the rod itself.