IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS OF WINDOW FRAMES AND THEIR SASHES, AND IN THE VEntilation of Buildings thereBY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Robb, of Glasgow, in the County Lanark, and
Joseph Sawers, of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS OF WINDOW FRAMES AND
THEIR SASHES, AND IN THE VEntilation of Buildings thereBY.”
Sealed the 10th August 1877, and dated the 15th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Robb and Joseph
Sawers at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, on the 15th February
1877.
THOMAS ROBB, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, and JOSEPH SAWERS, of
Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
FITTINGS OF WINDOW FRAMES AND THEIR SASHES, AND IN THE VENTILATION OF
BUILDINGS THEREBY.”
This Invention has reference specially to the improved ventilation of the
rooms or apartments of buildings by their windows, and to fittings connected
with these for that purpose, and also to fittings for the more efficient hanging
of the window sashes, for being more easily worked and fastened, and removed
from their frames for cleaning without requiring to go outside the windows to
do o.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consist, first, as regards the
ventilation, in forming a close narrow box or chamber right across the top of the
window under the lintel and above the upper sash, which would close up against its
strong close bottom. The front of this box would be open and fitted with a hinged
closing and opening door or flap valve for the admission of fresh air from the
outside, but fitted so far in under the lintel, in the form of an ornamental moulding,
that the rain or snow could not get in, and opened and closed by the action of a
cord from a lever or pulley inside. The top of the box would also have an opening
leading into a narrow space left between the "soffit" and the ceiling above the
window recess, the outer edge of the soffit being carried by the strong close inner
side of the air box, and secured by laths or straps across the ceiling, the depth of
the air recess between them, with the facing or moulding above the inside of the
recess left a little out from the wall (or with a recess behind it), and secured to the
D..

page_text: ends of the said straps, all so that the air admitted by the inlet valve and box
would be conducted through the space above the "soffit," and up behind the facing
towards the ceiling of the room, which would diffuse it and prevent draughts.
The second improvement, which refers to hanging the window sashes, consists in
hanging the upper sash to the under one by a cord, at each side, passed over pulleys,
one carried in the strong inner ends of the air box, and another in the lower part of
the side frames of the window, having both. ends attached to near the top of the
lower sash, and a part between 'the pulleys attached to near the upper rail of the upper
sash, either by screws, nails, or studs, or a recess for a knot or knob fixed to the ends of
the cords to enter and be secured to the sash frame; the ends of the cords to be secured
to the lower sash could either have eyes or knobs on them, and be secured. on to
studs or into recesses placed at little distances apart for tightening up the cords,
or a screw coupling hook or eye, or other such adjuster might be used for this
tightening up of the cords when they became stretched or slack.
This arrangement would admit of both sashes being. opened or closed at once by
the moving of the under sash, which is always easily got at, and by fixing it by a
spring catch below both sashes would be secured at the lower part of this sash to
the window sill, and released in a moment by the pressure of the thumb before
or while in the act of so opening the window sashes; all without the use of single or
double sets of sash weights, or chambers and pulley fittings for these; as by these
improvements the weight of the one sash is made to counterbalance that of the
other, or nearly so, any difference being made up by attaching an iron or lead bar
to the lightest sash frame, or having a sneck to hold them open when raised by
. the hand.
By another arrangement the heavy sash may be pulled up and held in any
position by a drawing cord, such as used for Venetian blinds, led from an edge
pulley at the top of the window at one side, and down under a corresponding pulley
attached to the lower or heavy sash; or it might be to the side frame of the
window, and up over a side pulley at the top of the same side of the window,
across to a corresponding pulley at the other side of the window (the two latter
pulleys being either attached to the top frame or air box above the sashes, or to the
top edge of the upper sash), and carried down under a pulley attached to the lower
sash, or to the side frame, and up to the top of the window, where the end is secured
or fixed; all so as either to lift the lower sash equally at both sides with three powers,
as a block and tackle, or vice versa, when the lower edge pulleys are attached to
the side frames to pull down the upper sash, which would raise the lower sash as
desired, by the cords attaching and counterbalancing them to each other, the pulley
end of the cord from the top pulley being fixed to a knob, or other equivalent, as
the lifting cords of Venetian blinds are.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Robb and Joseph Sawers in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th August 1877.
THOMAS ROBB, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, and JOSEPH SAWERS, of
Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS
OF WINDOW FRAMES AND THEIR SASHES, AND IN THE VENTILATION OF BUILDINGS
THEREBY."
Our said Invention has reference specially to the improved ventilation of rooms
or apartments of buildings by their windows, and to fittings connected with these
for that purpose; and also to fittings for the more efficient hanging of the window
sashes, for being more easily worked and fastened, and removed from their frames to
be cleaned from the inside for the purpose of preventing the frequent accidents
which occur in cleaning the windows from the outside, as generally practised.

page_text: And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing our said Invention
may be properly understood, we shall now proceed to describe the several Figures
on the Sheet of Drawings which we have hereunto appended for that purpose, the
same reference letters indicating the like parts in all the Figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front inside elevation and a transverse section
on the line 1-1, in Figure 1, of a window frame, sash, and fittings connected
therewith complete; and Figure 3.is a plan. of the same on the line 2---2 cor-
responding to Figure 1, all constructed in accordance with and illustrative of
one modification or arrangement of our said Invention or improvements; and
Figure 4 is a horizontal section through both sashes, drawn full size, to show the
details of the new or improved construction of fittings and their action more clearly
than is seen in the general views, Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the nature, novelty, and mode of performing our said
Invention consist, first, as regards the ventilation, in forming a close narrow box or
chamber A right across the top of the window, under the lintel Z and above the
main or strong outer wood frame z and upper sash B which closes up against the
under side of this frame. The front of this box A outside is fitted with a moulding
at A', made open or perforated, and fitted with the hinged closing and opening door
or flap valve A" within for regulating the admission of fresh air through from the
outside, and fitted so far in under the lintel in the form of an ornamental moulding
that the rain or snow could not get in, and opened and closed by the action of the
duplex cord a, a¹, from a stud or lever on the valve passed over the guide pulleys
aa, to the inside. The top of the duct or box A would have an opening leading
into a narrow space left between the "soffit" z¹ and the lintel Z above the window
recess, the outer edge of the "soffit" resting on the inner side of the window
frame 2, and the inner side with the moulding A inside the wall is supported by
straps or other equivalent down from and across the lintel Z, with the depth of the
air recess A between them, with the facing or moulding A11 above the inside of the
recess left open or a little out from the wall at A2 (or with a recess or perforated
openings behind it), and secured to the ends of the said straps, all so that the air
admitted by the inlet valve A¹ and box A would be conducted through the space A,
above the "soffit" z¹, and up behind the facing A1, towards the ceiling of the room
at A², which would thus diffuse it and prevent draughts, as indicated by the arrows
in Figure 2.
The second improvement, which refers to hanging the window sashes, consists in
hanging the upper sash B to the under one B¹ by a cord at one or both sides, pre-
ferably the former, made in the form of an endless cord passed over pulleys, as seen
on the right hand of the window in Figures 1 and 4, and as will herein-after be
described. The upper sash B is shown considerably shorter than the under one B¹,
each fitted with a single plate of glass in the usual way, the upper sash being made
to nearly balance the lower one by a lead or iron weight sunk into the upper, or it
might be the lower, rail of the sash B, as seen at 6, Figure 2. The upper sash B
works close up to the usual outer facing guide beads z within its frame %9 made
considerably narrower than the inner part of the frame, which is checked wider at
for the lower sash B¹ to work within, with a central parting or batten bead B¹¹
between them on the right-hand side, and brass or other rods C, secured at C¹ in
recesses behind each sash formed in the said batten bead B" and front edge of
the checked part 2 of the frame z, for each sash B, B¹, to slide and turn on by the
hinges c, screwed to them preferably on the right-hand side, while on the left-hand
side they are formed with feathers B2, B3, which take into recesses B1, B1, formed
in the outer guiding batten and the wide part of the frame of each sash, which
would make the window frame wind and water tight, other recesses B, B+, being
formed, preferably on the other or left-hand side of the frame z, z², in front of each
sash, for guiding and retaining them close when being raised and lowered by slip
bolts c² working in cases c¹¹ secured to the front vertical sides of the sashes, two to
each, as seen particularly in Figures 1 and 4.
=
The sashes are hung, as stated, by the endless cord or chain D, passed over the

page_text: pulley E at top, carried in a brass pivot case secured in a recess at d at the top of
the frame z, behind or outside the vertical edge of the sash B, to the top of which
the chain or cord D is secured at D¹, the cord passing under a corresponding
pulley E¹ secured in a recess near the top of the lower sash, so that the double loop
of the endless chain or cord D is brought out in front above the pulley, and secured
in any one of the tightening catches e¹ of the holder e, secured in a recess in the
upper edge of the sash B¹, as seen particularly in the detached full size edge and
views of this upper part of the inner sash B¹ in Figures 5 and 6, all so that as
this sash B₁ is raised by the ordinary rings b¹, the front part of the endless cord D
raises and lowers the back part attached to the outer sash B, or vice versa; and
when the sashes B, B1, are so raised and lowered out of their ordinary checks d³, d*,
at the bottom and top of their frame z, and the slip bolts c² released, they can then
be swivelled inwards on their hinged sliding rods C, c, for being cleaned from the
inside, as seen dotted in Figure 3, all as herein-before stated in accordance with our
improvements for that purpose.
Although an endless cord or chain D has been described for hanging the sashes
and counterbalancing the one with the other, it will be understood that a chain
having its one end directly attached to the upper sash, and its other end attached
to the under sash, might be used and passed over a pulley E secured above to the
side of the window frame z; or otherwise a cord at each side may be passed over
pulleys, one carried in the strong inner ends of the air box or upper sides of the
frame, and another in a lower part of the side frames of the window, having both
ends attached to near the top of the lower sash, and a part of each cord between
the pulleys attached to near the upper rail of the upper sash either by screws, nails,
or studs, or sunk in a recess made for a knot or knob fixed to the ends of the cords
to enter and be secured to the sash frame; the ends of the cord to be secured to
the lower sash could either have eyes or knobs on them, and be secured on to
studs or into recesses placed at little distances apart for tightening up the
cords, or a screw coupling hook or eye or other such adjuster might be used for this
tightening up of the cords when they became stretched or slack.
$
.
This arrangement would admit of both sashes being opened and closed at once by.
the raising and lowering of the inner lower sash, which is always easily got at, and by
fixing it by a spring or other catch below, both sashes would be secured by this
catch at the lower part of the inner sash to the window sill or frame, and released
in a moment by the pressure of the thumb before or while in the act of so opening
the window sashes, all without the use of single or double sets of sash weights, or
chambers and pulley fittings for these, as by these improvements the weight of the
one sash is made to counterbalance that of the other, or nearly so, any difference
being made up by attaching an iron or lead bar to the lightest sash frame as herein-
before described, or by a weight attached to a cord passed over a pulley at the top
of the side frame 2, and working in a recess in an ordinary manner outside the
frame, or when nearly balanced without weight a sneck might be used to hold them
open when raised by hand.
→
Figure 7 shows a full size sectional plan of the window sashes B, B¹, fitted in
their frame z to slide up and down, and hinge and open inwards on the rods C for
the convenience of cleaning the outside of the glass from the inside of the house, all
as described in reference to Figures 1 to 4, but having each sash hung separately by
a single strong cord or chain G passed over a pulley 2, preferably fitted in a recess
through the right-hand side of the frame z at the top, and counterbalanced by a
weight to each, much in the manner usually done on both sides of the window,
which however did not allow the sashes to hinge inwards as this arrangement does.
And although both of these arrangements of windows, Figures 1 to 4, and Figure 7,
are shown as formed and fitted with our improvements for sliding up and down
and swinging inwards as doors on hinges C, c, it is to be understood that window
sashes fitted as usual to slide in grooves between their batten rods in the frame z
might counterbalance each other by fitting them with our new or improved arrange-.
ment of endless acting cords or chains D and pulleys E, E¹, herein described, and so

page_text: dispense with the ordinary weights and spaces for these at Z*, outside the frame, as
required in the ordinary windows, and also seen in Figure 7.
By another arrangement the heavy sash may be pulled up and held in any
position by a drawing cord such as used for. Venetian blinds, led from an edge
pulley at the top of the window at one side, and down under a corresponding
pulley attached to the lower or heavy sash, or it might be to the side frame
of the window, and up over a side pulley at the top of the same side of the
window, across to a corresponding pulley at the other side of the window (the
two latter pulleys being either attached to the top frame or air box above the
sashes, or to the top edge of the upper sash), and carried down under a pulley
attached to the lower sash, or to the side frame, and up to the top of the window,
where the end is secured or fixed, all so as either to lift the lower sash equally at
both sides with three powers, as a block and tackle, or vice versa, when the lower
edge pulleys are attached to the side frames to pull down the upper sash, which
would raise the lower sash as desired by the cords attaching and counterbalancing
them to each other, the pulling end of the cord from the top pulley being fixed to a
knob or other equivalent as the lifting cords of Venetian blinds are. And it is also
to be understood that the new or improved arrangement for the ventilation of
houses by admitting the air over the window frames, as shown in and described in
reference to Figure 2, might be applied to other ordinary constructions of window
frames and sashes than the improved arrangements herein described.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the manner of per-
formning the same, we have to state that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but what we consider novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The general construction of window frames, and their sashes and fittings
for the purposes of ventilation, ease of raising and lowering the sashes, and swinging
them inwards for cleaning purposes, all substantially as herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification.
thereof.
Second. The fitting of window frames with a recess A and valve A¹ above them
for the admission of air to and the ventilation of apartments, substantially as herein
described, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The fitting or connecting of the upper and lower sashes of windows with
endless-acting cords or chains D to raise and lower each other, whether hinged to
swing inwards or not, for cleaning, substantially as herein described and shewn in
the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Fourth. The fitting of window sashes so as to swing inwards on sliding hinge
rods C, c, at one side for purposes of cleaning, substantially as herein described, and
shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Robb, on behalf of the said Joseph
Sawers and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth
day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-seven
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
THOMAS ROBB. (L.S.)