Improved Means of Supporting Railway and other Carriage Windows.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 27th June, 1894-Accepted, 28th July, 1894
Improved Means of Supporting Railway and other Carriage
Windows.
We, EDWARD JACOB HILL of 11, Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S. W.,
Engineer, and VINCENT WALKER HILL of the Hull and Barnsley Railway
Company, Hull, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved means of supporting railway and other
carriage windows at any required height.
The invention has for its object to provide a means of support which is effectual
in operation, is readily applicable to existing windows, is easily manipulated, either
alone or in connection with the strap commonly used for raising such window sashes,
and whereby the holes usually provided in the strap for attachment to a fixed stud
are rendered unnecessary.
The invention consists essentially of a gripping jaw pivoted to the garnish rail
of the door or in equivalent position and adapted to become jammed either against
the glass or the frame of the sash with a pressure directly due to and increasing
with the weight of the sash so as to firmly retain the latter at whatever height it
may be raised and yet admit of being automatically disengaged from its grip by
the slightest lifting motion of the sash, the action of the jaw being to bind the sash
in its grooves in such manner that rattling of the sash is prevented.
The said gripping jaw may have an eccentrically curved face or is otherwise so
formed and pivoted that the tendency to jam increases as the strain increases, and
the gripping face may be formed of rubber, leather, or equivalent material to
prevent slipping.
The jaw may be acted on by a spring or weight tending to throw it in one
direction (which may either be the position of engagement or disengagement, as
the case may be) and in the other direction by hand, directly or through the
intervention of the sash-lifting strap, the jaw in the latter case jamming the strap
against the sash in order to sustain the latter at the required height.
Where the garnish rail is provided with a friction roller for the strap to run
over, the jaw would be pivoted upon the roller axis but independently of the roller,
so as not to interfere with its action, and in such position that by holding the strap
in a particular position whilst letting it slip it will engage with the jaw and act.
upon it in opposition to the spring or weight and so throw the jaw into or out
of operative position, as the case may be.
Instead of a single jaw, there may be two such jaws jamming against each stile
of the sash frame, the two jaws being pivoted upon a common axis, so as to work
together as one, operated in the one direction by a spring or weight and in the
other direction either directly by hand or through the medium of the sash-lifting
strap acting frictionally on a segment carried by the axis at an intermediate point.
.Dated this 7th day of December 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Supporting Railway and other Carriage
Windows.
-
We, EDWARD JACOB HILL of 11, Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S. W.,
Engineer, and VINCENT WALKER HILL of the Hull and Barnsley Railway
Company, Hull, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improved means of supporting sash windows at any
required height.
The invention is more especially designed for supporting railway carriage windows
but it is applicable also to the windows of other vehicles and carriages (including
ships deck cabin windows) and, therefore, although the invention is described with
special reference to railway carriage windows, I would have it understood that I do
not limit myself in this respect.
This invention has for its object to provide an efficient means of support which
is readily applicable to existing windows, is easily manipulated, and may either be
. used in connection with the usual sash-lifting strap (in which case the holes in the
strap and the fixed stud on which they engage are dispensed with) or the new
fastener may be used alone and the strap be entirely dispensed with.
The invention consists essentially of a gripping jaw pivoted to the one part
viz. the door or the sash, and adapted to become jammed against the other
part, viz. the sash or the door, as the case may be. Usually the device would be
pivoted to the "garnish" rail of the door and it is applied so as to become jammed,
or to grip, either against the sash-glass or its frame with a pressure directly due to
the weight of the sash, so as to firmly retain the latter at whatever height it may
be raised and yet admit of being automatically disengaged from its grip by the
slightest lifting motion of the sash, the action of the jaw being to bind the sash in
its grooves in such manner that rattling of the sash is prevented. The said
gripping jaw is so formed and pivoted that the tendency to grip increases as the
strain increases, and the gripping face is formed preferably of india rubber, to
prevent slipping and avoid injury to the surface against which it grips.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, I have
illustrated the invention as applied to act in connection with the sash-lifting strap
in Figures 1 to 9, and as applied to act alone in Figures 10 to 18.
Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections of a railway carriage door and window
illustrating the operation of the gripping jaw in connection with the sash-lifting
strap and the roller over which such strap passes. Figure 3 is a front elevation
(part section) of the same device, the strap being omitted and two slightly different
forms of the gripping jaw being shewn in the same figure, and Figures 4 and 5 are
cross-sections, on line 1-1 Figure 3 illustrating those two forms of jaw.
Figure 6 is a front elevation, and Figure 7 a cross-section of a similar device.
Figure 8 is an inside elevation, and Figure 9 a vertical section of a brougham
door with the device applied and acting in conjunction with the lifting strap.
Figure 10 is a vertical section and Figure 11 an inside elevation of a railway
carriage door and sash to which the gripping jaw is applied apart from the lifting
strap.
Figure 12 is a similar view to Figure 10 of a slightly modified form of jaw.
Figures 13 and 14 are similar views to Figures 10 and 11, the jaw being acted on
by a spring.
Figures 15, 16 and 17, 18, illustrate modifications in the application of the
gripping jaw, to suit sash-windows arranged to work as the windows of Pullman cars.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

page_text: Referring to Figures 1 to 5 A is the grooved frame of the door in which the
window sash B is fitted to slide. C is the ordinary sash-lifting strap passing over
an anti-friction roller D, as usually provided in first-class carriages, said roller
being mounted on the "garnish" rail A¹ of the door. The nipping jaw is formed
of a pad preferably of rubber E clamped or fixed in a metal holder F, which in this
example, extends the whole length of the roller D and is carried by arms attached
to bosses G which are pivoted on the axis d of the roller, between the ends of
the roller and the end pieces of the bracket H in which the axis d is mounted so
that the action of the roller and the gripping jaw E will be independent.
The rubber pad E may either be of circular section and be squeezed into the
somewhat smaller cylindrical cavity of the holder F so that it is firmly held thereby
whilst a portion of the rubber projects, as in Figures 1, 2 and 4, or the rubber pad
may fit in a slot in the holder, as in Figure 5, and be secured by rivetted cross-
pins.
The gripping jaw shewn at the left half of Figure 3 is thrown into, and out of
action only by the contact of the strap, as hereafter explained, whilst the jaw at the
right hand half of the same figure is thrown into action by the strap and is
provided with a spring I tending to throw it out of operative position, this spring
being coiled and contained in a cavity in the boss G and having one end i engaged
In either case,.
in the boss G and the other end engaged in the fixed bracket H.
both ends of the jaw might of course be similarly fitted with springs.
The operation of the device is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. On raising the
sash B by pulling on the strap C in the direction of the arrow 1 the strap runs
freely over the roller D and the gripping jaw either falls, or is thrown by the
spring, into the position shewn in Figure 1; then when the sash has been raised to
the desired height, by moving the part of the strap which is held in the hand in
the direction of the arrow 2 until the strap is in the full-line position, the under-
face of the strap comes in contact with the rubber pad E of the jaw, so that on
slightly slacking out the strap in direction of arrow 3 the gripping jaw will
be carried, by the frictional contact of the strap, in the direction of the arrow 4
until it reaches the position Figure 2 where the strap C is jammed by the jaw
against the glass pane of the sash, the radius of the acting face of the pad E
from the centred being such relatively to the distance of the glass from the same
point that the motion of the jaw is arrested, as shewn, and the frictional contact of
the rubber face with the strap is sufficient to prevent the strap slipping and cause
the jaw to tend to become more tightly jammed the greater the weight of the
window, which is thus firmly supported, and tightly held in its grooves, so that it
cannot rattle.
In order to lower the sash, it is only necessary to pull the strap until the jaw is
thrown back, as in Figure 1, either by the contact of the strap, or by its spring, as
the case may be, and then to hold the strap clear of the jaw whilst allowing it to
run over the roller D.
It will be observed that the use of my contrivance in no way interferes with
the lifting of the bottom of the sash over the "fence" rail J when the window is
quite closed, or its return to the grooves when opened again.
Figures 6 and 7 shew the device modified for use where no roller is provided. In
this case the gripping jaw is carried by a single central boss G pivotted between
cheeks projecting from a plate H fixed to the garnish rail A', and may, or may
not, be provided with a spring I to throw it out of operative position, the action
being similar to that before described.
Figures 8 and 9, shewing the device as applied to a brougham or similar carriage
door, differ only from the last in the dimensions of the parts and in the fact that
the pivot d on which the jaw works, is mounted in a pair of metal blocks H H' fixed
on the garnish rail A' of the door.
Referring now to Figures 10 to 12, which shew the gripping jaw applied to act
directly on the frame of the sash at one side thereof, it is to be observed that the
construction of the rubber pad E and its holder F is precisely similar to that before

page_text: described, and the gripping action is precisely the same, except that the jaw comes
directly in contact with the stile of the sash frame instead of gripping against the
glass through the intervention of the lifting strap. The gripping jaw is pivoted by
a single central arm f between a pair of ears on a base plate K, and is provided
with a tail piece L projecting in an approximately horizontal direction and acting
as a counterweighted lever arm tending to throw the jaw back out of gripping
action, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 10, this being the normal position of
the jaw, so that it is necessary to lift the tail piece L with one hand in order to
bring the gripping jaw into the full line position of engagement with the sash
frame, for the purpose of supporting the sash at the height to which it has been
raised by pulling on the lifting strap or acting on the sash lifter M, with the other
hand. To lower the sash it is only necessary to slightly raise it whereupon the
gripping jaw falls back to the dotted position, leaving the sash free to descend.
In order to enable the gripping jaw to be readily and securely affixed to the door
with the least possible hand labor in fitting it to the garnish rail, and adjusting the
position of the jaw to suit the distance of the garnish rail from the sash, which
may vary slightly in different patterns of doors, the base plate K is seated upon
the inclined botton of a notch cut in the edge of the garnish rail A' by making two
parallel saw-cuts, corresponding to the width of the base plate K and the latter is
secured to the garnish rail by a single screw near its forward end. The position of
this screw is that best calculated to withstand the thrust of the jaw and the object of
seating the plate K on an incline as shewn is to ensure the point of this screw
being directed towards the middle of the thickness of the garnish rail and so
obtaining a firm hold, even though it may be necessary to slide the base plate so far
towards the sash that the screw will enter the garnish rail very near its inner face.
The upper face of the base plate K is horizontal and limits the outward motion of
the jaw, by forming a stop for the tail piece and it remains horizontal whether the
base plate be adjusted forward or backward in its inclined seat.
In Figure 12, the form of the rubber pad is, slightly modified as before
described, and the garnish rail is shewn thicker than in Figure 10 so that the base
plate K does not project from the inner face of the door, as in the former case.
In Figures 13 and 14 the base plate or bracket Kis recessed into a rectangular
notch cut in the garnish rail A and the weight of the tail piece alone being
insufficient to throw back the gripping jaw, the boss G of the gripping jaw is
hollow and contains a coiled spring one end of which is secured to the boss G
and the other to the cheek of the bracket K, so that the spring tends to throw the
gripping jaw back out of action.
Figures 15 and 16 illustrate the device as applied. to windows such as those of
Pullman cars, in which the window is opened by raising the sash instead of by
lowering it as in ordinary railway carriages. It is therefore necessary to mount
the gripping jaw at a sufficient height to enable it to grip and hold the sash at
any position to which it may be raised. It is therefore preferred to pivot the
jaw upon a centre n, in a bracket N, fixed to the stile O of the window frame,
the jaw F projecting from the edge thereof in position to act on the stile of
the sash B as shewn, the construction and operation of the jaw being otherwise
precisely similar to those shewn in Figures 10 to 12, and needing therefore, no
further description.
In Figures 17 and 18 which also represent a gripping jaw adapted for a Pullman
car, the position of the parts is reversed, the jaw being in this case mounted on the
sash B, and gripping against the stile of the window frame. The construction
and operation of the gripping jaw are substantially the same as before described the
jaw consisting of a rubber pad E held in a holder F carried by an arm pivoted on
a centre p in a bracket P of the form shewn, standing out from the plate N, which
is screwed to the stile of the window sash B. In this case, however, the gripping
jaw being hung below its centre of oscillation, the tail piece L tends to throw it
into the position of gripping engagement, the self-engaging action being per-
missible and convenient when the gripping jaw is mounted on the sash, because the

page_text: hand by which the gripping jaw is released will sustain the sash and prevent it.
from falling suddenly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the sail
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what.
we claim is :-
1. The herein described means of supporting the sashes of railway carriage and.
other similar sash windows, consisting essentially of a gripping jaw faced with.
india-rubber or equivalent material, pivoted in such position to the one part (riz
the frame in which the sash slides or the sash) as to be adapted to become
jammed with a wedge-like gripping action against the other part (viz. the sash or
the frame in which it slides) substantially as specified.
2. In a railway carriage or other similar sash window, the combination with the.
sash lifting strap of a gripping jaw faced with india rubber or equivalent material.
pivoted to the garnish rail of the door, so that the strap will pass over and come in'
contact with it, the jaw being so acted on by a spring or its own weight as to tend
to fall out of engagement and into such position that it may be frictionally engaged
by the strap, and thereby caused to jam or wedge itself, and the strap, against the
sash-glass, and thereby to retain the sash in the raised position as specified.
3. The particular construction and arrangement of the gripping jaw in co-axial
combination with the friction roller on the garnish rail, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the pivotted gripping jaw of springs contained in its.
hollow pivotal bosses and adapted to throw the jaw out of operative position as
specified.
5. The particular construction and arrangement of the gripping jaws adjustably
fitted to the garnish rail and adapted to grip against the stile of the sash sub-
stantially as specified.
6. The particular construction and arrangement of the gripping jaws adapted to.
be fixed to the sash and to grip against the frame in which it slides substantially as.
specified.
Dated this 20th
ՄԱԵ 10747
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
E. J. HILL,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.