IMPROVE- MENTS IN OPENING AND CLOSING VENTILATING LOUVRES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Restell, of the Strand, in the City of
Westminster, Chronometer Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OPENING AND CLOSING VENTILATING LOUVRES."
Sealed the 18th March 1854, and dated the 19th September 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Restell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th September 1853.
I, THOMAS RESTELL, of the Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Chronometer Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPENING AND CLOSING VENTILATING LOUVRES" to
be as follows:-
The louvres are now each retained in separate frames, which are
acted upon in order to open or close them by various complicated
Now on one side of the frame in which the louvres are
mounted I sink a rod or bar with as many pins or studs projecting from
it as there are louvres. When the louvres are closed the rod reaches
to the bottom of the side of the frame; by raising the rod by means of

page_text: a string or cord passing over a pulley at the top of the frame the studs
come in contact with the arms of the louvre mountings, and cause
them all to be opened simultaneously and to an equal distance. Upon
letting down the rod the weight of the louvres causes them to close
wholly or to the extent required: When acting upon one louvre only
I make the pulley excentric, and dispense with the studded rod or bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Restell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th March 1854.
TO. ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
THOMAS RESTELL, of the Strand, in the City of Westminster, Chro-
nometer Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Restell, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Restell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Restell, iny executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPENING
AND CLOSING VENTILATING LOUVRES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Restell, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Restell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed (that is to say):
My Invention consists in adapting to one side of the frame in which
the louvres arc mounted a rod or bar with as many pins or studs
projecting from it as there are louvres, such louvres being each
retained in separate frames. When the louvres are closed the rod reaches
to the bottom of the side of the frame; by raising the rod by means of
a string or cord passing over a pulley at the top of the frame the studs
come in contact with the arms of the louvre mountings, and cause
them all to be opened simultaneously and to an equal distance. Upon
letting down the rod the weight of the louvres causes them to close
wholly or to the extent required. When acting upon one louvre only
I make the pulley eccentric, and dispense with the studded rod or bar.
Figure 1, of the Drawings hereunto annexed represents a vertical
section of a frame with the louvres shewn open. A, A, is the frame.
B, B, are two strips of metal which are secured to the inside of
the frame A, by countersunk screws, and at a small distance apart from
each other, so as to form guides to the rod C. D, D, are the frames
for holding the louvres, which are formed as represented in the detached
view of one of them in Figure 2, in order that the louvres may
be easily withdrawn for purposes of repair or cleaning when such
louvres are made of glass, the louvres being retained in their places
when placed in the frames, and prevented from dropping out by the
bottom edge a, being turned round, as shewn. E, E, are snugs or
arms which are formed in a piece with the louvre frames, and project
therefrom, and are attached to one of the strips of metal B, by means
of screws b, b, which allow of a certain amount of action upon them as
centres. c, c, are a series of pins which project from the rod C, there
being one pin to each louvre frame D. The top sung or arm E',
projects beyond the screw b', and forms a lever e, for raising the rod €,
through the medium of the pin d, which is placed immediately above
the snug E, so that when the projecting portion e, is drawn down by a
cord or other suitable arrangement the snug E', comes in contact with
the pin d, thereby raises the rod C, and thus brings the pins c, c, up

page_text: against the snugs E, whereby the louvres are opened to the extent
required. Upon releasing the cord the bar C, falls, and with it the
louvres by their gravity, and become closed or partially so according to
the length of cord let out. In order to better regulate the opening
and closing of the louvres, and also to retain them in any desired
position, I fix the lower end of the cord to a pulley f, formed with a
shoulder and thumb piece g, by which the pulley is turned within the
socket h, which is secured to the framing A, by screws. i, is a pin pro-
jecting from the shoulder of the pulley, and taking into one of a series
of notches formed in the face of the socket h, a spiral spring being
placed between the pulley and the framing A, so as to keep the pin i,
secure in whatever notch it may be placed, and in this manner prevent
the louvres from altering their position until desired, when it will be
necessary to press upon the thumb piece g, to collapse the spring, and
withdraw the pin from the notch, which will then allow of the pulley
being turned to wind up or unwind the cord to open or close the louvres.
Figure 3, represents a modification of the preceding arrangement for
opening or closing the louvres, and by which I am enabled to dispense
with the cord and pulley, or any lever projecting from beyond the
framing A, whereby this method of ventilation may be applied to a
sash. G, is an eccentric, free to turn upon the pin k, projecting from
one of the fixed bars B, when operated upon by the knob . m, is a
stud or stop projecting from the bar C, and resting upon the top of the
eccentric G, whereby, when the eccentric is turned, the bar C, is raised
or lowered, and through the snugs or arms E, and pins c, the louvres
opened or closed. Fig. 4, represents an arrangement of only one
louvre, and the method which I adopt for opening or closing the same.
A, is the framing. B, the louvre, which has its fulcrum at o. C, is a
snug projecting from the frame of the louvre, and furnished with a
pin q, which takes into a groove p, formed in the side of a pulley D.
This pulley is free to revolve upon the pin 2, which is placed eccentri-
cally upon it so as to give to the groove p, when it is caused to revolve
by the double cord s, an excentric motion, whereby the pin g, is drawn
in towards or pushed out from the pin 7, and the louvre opened or
closed. Figure 5, shews an arrangement for tightening the cord s.

page_text: Figure 6, is a section of the same. E, is a metal tube, a portion of
cach end of which is cut away, and the remaining part flattened down
so as to enable it to be fastened by screws to the framing A. F, is a
slot, which is cut from end to end of the tube; and G, G, a series of
openings. H, is the pulley round which the cord runs.
This pulley
turns upon a pin projecting from a piece I, formed with a shoulder of
the same size as the openings G. A spiral spring is placed at the back
of the piece I, whereby the shoulder is always kept in the particular
opening in which it may be placed. In order to tighten the cord
pressure is applied to the pulley so as to collapse the spring, and with-
draw the shoulder from out of the opening, and so enable the pulley to
be shifted to either of the other openings, when, upon the pressure being
withdrawn, the shoulder takes into the opening, and is thereby rendered
secure. Figure 7, represents a modification for opening and closing tho
single louvre, in which I am enabled to dispense with the eccentric.
A, is the framing. B, the louvre. C, a projecting snug, to which is
attached one end of the cord D, which, after passing round the
pulley E, is fixed by its other end to a staple G, on the frame of the
louvre. F, is the fulcrum upon which the louvre turus. To open or
close the louvre it is only necessary to pull that end of the cord which
is attached to either the end of the snug C, or to the staple G.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the
opening and closing of ventilating louvres by means of the several
methods represented in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 7, of the Drawings
hereunto annexed and berein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Restell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
THOMAS RESTELL. (L.S.)