A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW BLINDS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brass Founder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of November, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Newman, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said William Newman, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Newman, my exors, admors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW BLINDS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said William Newman, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what mauner the same is to
be performed, to be iurolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the above
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, doth more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Newman, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being

page_text: marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention consists of,-
Firstly, a method of raising and lowering ascending roller blinds.
Secondly, of the application of the said method of raising and lowering
ascending roller blinds to the raising and lowering of descending roller blinds.
Thirdly, of a method of attaching roller blinds to the blind stick or rod.
And lastly, of a method of removing and replacing the rollers of roller
blinds.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a window furnished with a roller blind
in which my several improvements are adopted. Figure 2 represents a plan
of the upper part of the window frame, and those parts of the mechanism of
my improved ascending roller blind attached thereto. Figures 3, 4, and 5
represent some of the parts of the inechanism of my improved ascending roller
blind. The whole of the said Figures, excepting Figure 5, are drawn on a
reduced scale; the said Figure 5 is drawn of the full size. a, Figure 1, is
the blind attached to the roller b. The said roller b is situated at the bottom
of the window frame, and is of that kind commonly called a spring roller.
The method of constructing the said spring roller is well known, and consti-
tutes no part of my Invention. c is the axis of the said spring roller. The
said axis fits in square bearings on the window frame d, and is consequently
fixed, or is incapable of rotating with the said roller. The roller b is shewn
separately in Figure 3. e, f, are cords for raising the blind a. One end of
the cord e is attached to the end e¹ of the blind stick x, and one end of the
cord. is attached to the end f¹ of the said blind stick. The cord e passes
over a pully g placed at the upper part of the window frame, and immediately
over that end of the blind stick to which the said cord is attached; and the
cord also passes over a pulley h fixed at the upper part of the window frame,
and immediately over that end of the blind stick to which the said cord f is
attached. The cord e, after having passed over the pulley g, is carried hori-
zontally along the top of the window frame, and passes over the pulley h,
over which the cord f passes, that is to say, both cords pass over the pulley h.
The two cords are thus brought side by side, and are tied together, so that
when drawn down or loosed up by the hand, the same length of each cord is
drawn or loosed, and the blind stick a is consequently always preserved in
the horizontal position. Instead of using two strings, it is obvious that a
single string may be doubled, and its two ends used for the purpose of raising
the blind stick, as herein-before described. I prefer this latter method, and have
represented it in the accompanying Drawing. In order to fasten the blind a

page_text: is a wire to which
The said wire is fur-
said knobs or nuts m
at any desired height, it is only necessary to pull down the strings until the
blind rises to the required position, and by placing one of the loops formed in
the cord, by tying the knots i, i, on one of the pins or knobs j, j, fixed on the
window frame for their reception, the blind is fastened in its place. In order
to roll up or lower the blind, the loop in the blind cords which, by being
placed on one of the pins or knobs j, j, held the blind in its place, must be
removed from the said pin or knob, and by allowing the cords to rise slowly
the spring in the barrel b winds up the blind on the said barrel. By invert-
ing the blind a, Figure 1, and the mechanism thereto belonging and herein-
before described and represented, the said blind becomes a descending blind.
When using the said blind as a descending blind I make the spring in the
barrel or roller 6 on which the blind is rolled somewhat stronger than is neces-
sary when using the same for an ascending blind, for in rolling up or lowering
the ascending blind the spring has only to overcome the resistance pre-
sented by the friction of the various parts, and the rigidity of the cords;
whereas in the case of a descending blind it has an addition to act against and
counterbalance the weight of the blind and blind stick. Figure 4 represents
my method of attaching a roller blind to the blind stick or rod. k is a
metallic tube having a slit k running from end to end.
the blind is attached as to an ordinary blind stick.
nished with a knob or nut at each end, one of the
being fixed, and the other, m', being moveable, in order to allow of the blind
being placed on the said wire. When the blind has been placed on the wire
the said wire is introduced into the tube k, the blind passing through the
slit k¹. The loose knob or nut m' is then screwed on the end of the wire l,
and the blind and blind rod are thus held securely together. In order to
detach the blind from the blind rod, the loose knob or nut m must be
unscrewed, and the wire withdrawn from the tube k, the blind can then be
removed from the wire l. Figure 5 represents of the full size the spring catch
by which the roller b, Figure 1, (also shown separately in Figure 3) is removed.
This spring catch consists of a lever n, one end of which enters a recess (shewn
in dotted lines) in the plate of brass c, which plate of brass is of the form repre-
sented, and is attached to the side of the window frame by screws or other-
wise. A spring p, attached to the under side of the lever, bears against the
brass plate, and presses the said lever upwards. When the lever is in the
position shewn in the Drawing it cannot be withdrawn from its place by
being drawn horizontally, for the shoulder n', on the said lever, bears against
the projection o¹ on the plate o. In order to remove the said lever, the end
n is depressed, so as to disengage the shoulder n¹ from the projection o' on

page_text: the plate o; the said lever may then be withdrawn. In replacing the said
lever it is only necessary to introduce its end into the cavity (shewn in dotted
lines) which is made in the brass plate o for the purpose of receiving it, and
pressing it forwards horizontally. Immediately the shoulder n¹ has passed the
projection o¹, on the plate o, the spring p presses the lever n upwards, so as
to cause the said shoulder to engage itself with the said projection in the
manner shewn in the Drawing. The rectangular hole shewn in the lever at
Y is for the purpose of receiving the end w of the axis of the barrel or roller,
Figure 8, which is formed so as to fit the said hole y, and thus prevent the
rotation of the said axis.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise method of carrying my Invention into effect herein-
before described, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my said Invention. But I claim,-
Firstly, the method of raising and lowering ascending roller blinds, herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing; that is to say,
by a cord or cords attached to the ends of the blind stick or blind rod, the
said cord or cords being carried over pullies in such a manner as to raise the
said blind horizontally by simultaneously raising both ends of the blind stick
or blind rod, the arrangement of the said cord or cords and pullies being also
such that the said cords do not cross the panes of the window.
Secondly, the application of the said method of raising and lowering ascend-
ing window blinds to the raising and lowering of descending window blinds,
by inverting the mechanism herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly, the method of attaching roller blinds to the blind stick or blind
rod, herein-before described and represented in Figure 4 of the accompanying
Drawing, whether the said method be used in connection with my improved
ascending or descending blinds, or in connection with blinds of any other
construction.
Fourthly, the method of constructing a spring catch, to be used for removing
and replacing the rollers of roller blinds, herein-before described and repre-
sented in Figure 5 of the accompanying Drawing, whether the said spring catch
be used in connection with my improved ascending or descending blinds, or
with blinds of any other construction.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Newman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
WILLIAM (L.S.) NEWMAN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid William Newman came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.