Improved Apparatus for Controlling and Adjusting Sliding Sashes in Windows, Screens, and such like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1891-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Controlling and Adjusting Sliding Sashes
in Windows, Screens, and such like.
We THOMAS WHETTER Carpenter and MICHAEL SEALE Company Secretary,
both of Petersham near Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales 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 apparatus contrivances or mechanisms by
which sliding Sashes which travel in frames may be easily and effectively controlled
and adjusted to any desired position within their range of travel in such frames.
This invention has been specially devised in order that house windows may be
constructed without cords and weights and in order that the windows of vehicles
particularly of omnibuses and railway vehicles and rigid screens or blinds for same
may be positively adjusted as may be desired and at the same time be held in the
frames without rattle or disagreeable noise.
These improved apparatus for controlling and adjusting sliding sashes in windows
screens and such like consist essentially in the combination and arrangement with
the moving parts or sashes and the still parts or sash frames of a window &c. of a
toothed wheel whose revolution is controlled by the resilient force of a spring
(upon the one) and a rack in which said toothed wheel gears (upon the other) and
in which said toothed wheel travels or which said wheel causes to travel in either
case moving the sash within the frame. The one part of the apparatus hereinafter
called the controller then consists of a toothed wheel forming part of or attached
to or geared to a drum containing a wound spring whose tension is regulated in
the winding by means of a ratchet pawl which is removable when this combined
spring wheel is geared in the rack on the other part of the window &c. This part
of the apparatus is contained in a frame having an appropriate casing for attach-
ment to the sash or to the frame as the case may be. The rack is attached either
to the edge of the sash or to the face of the style of the window as the case may
be and in all cases the apparatus is used in duplicate. With the two parts just
described there is also used in duplicate a spring holder or catch adapted to fasten
the sash in its closed position and to hold the sash in any desired open position
until said holder or catch is manipulated to release it. Where it is desired that
two sashes of a window, or of a screen should be moved in the same direction, so
that one will overlap the other, one rack is affixed to the style of the sash frame,
the controller on one of the sashes with its toothed wheel in gear with said rack,
while a second toothed wheel on or geared to the spindle of the first toothed wheel,
takes into a second rack, which is affixed to the other sash, such second wheel
having such ratio in size with the first one as will cause the second rack to travel
the increased distance necessary in the overlapping of the two. In some cases,
instead of the toothed wheel of the controller, gearing directly into the rack,
multiplying gearing is used, so that a comparatively small unwinding or winding of
the spring may result in a long travel of the rack on the wheel or of the wheel in
the rack.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now be
made to the drawings herewith in which Figures 1 and 2 are sectional elevation and
cross section of a controller as affixed to the sash frame of the ordinary or house
window. Figure 3 shews in section a modified construction of such controller
which is especially suitable for light sash. Figures 4, 5, and 6, are sectional
elevation cross section and face view respectively of a further modified construction
in which the travel of the spring is multiplied by gearing. Figure 7 is a sectional

page_text: elevation of an ordinary window furnished completely according to this invention.
Figures 8 and 9 are partial sectional plans on lines a a and b b respectively in
Figure 7. Figure 10 shows details of the spring catch or holder for bottom sash
and Figure 11 is elevation plan and section of a similar catch &c. in position on
upper sash and Figure 12 shows in elevation and section a rack for the edges of
ordinary windows. Figure 13 is front elevation and Figure 14 vertical section of a
railway carriage window having sliding screens furnished according to this inven-
tion. Figure 15 is an enlarged horizontal section of the same through the
controller and Figures 16 and 17 show in sectional elevation and cross section
respectively said controller on a larger scale and Figure 18 shows in elevation and
section the modifications of the racks suitable for these overlapping sashes.
A is a toothed wheel whose centre forms a barrel or drum A enclosing a wound
spring B having one end attached to hook B' on the inside of the barrel or drum
and the other end hooked or clipped to hook B' upon the central arbor C. The
barrel A¹ has a removable cover A' which when the spring is placed in position is
fastened by screws A' and this cover and the other end of said barrel A form the
bosses A and A of wheel A running loose upon the journals C³. This combined
spring wheel is placed in a convenient casing having frame D side plates D' and D'
edge plate or face D³ and false face or protector D³. The combined spring wheel
is secured in place by one end C' of arbor C screwed against the wind of spring B
being screwed into plate D³ and by a square hole in the plate D' taking over the
other square end C of said arbor C before being fastened to frame D by screws D³
said arbor being further secured by a washer and screw C' of opposite pitch or
inclination to screw on end C' of said arbor. To prepare the controller complete
for sale and for fixing, it is necessary that the spring B should be wound or partly
wound and that means must be provided for retaining it in tension until it is
properly fixed and its wheel A in gear with the rack that the resilient force of said
spring is to act upon. The removable ratchet pawl E is fulcrumed on pin or
stud E' screwed into plate D' and it has a rearward extension or arm E' and a rear
spring E. A carrier F has a female screw on a revolvable but otherwise stationary
malo screw F¹ fastened in position by pin F. One end of this carrier F takes
against the spring E' while the other takes against arm Eª when the screw F¹ is
revolved it brings the carrier F into the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawing,
but such screw may be revolved so that the carrier will be moved to the position
shown in Figure 3 of the drawing and thus carry the pawl E altogether clear of
the teeth of wheel A. The pawl E being in gear with wheel A. the spring may be
wound by drawing a rack over said wheel until the desired tension is reached, such
tension being tested by means of a graduated spring or by a weight attached to
the rack revolving the wheel A or by other means. The pawl E now holds
wheel A and the spring B until the controller is fixed in position and the rack on
the other part of the window being placed in gear said pawl may be withdrawn by
the turning of screw F'. The controller is fixed to the sash frame by being let
into a cavity made for the purpose in the wall face of the sash frame or style and
is secured by screws D through flanges of frame D the protector plate D' being at
the same time secured to the face of said frame or style (with a hole through the
style for the insertion of a driver or key for head of scrow F) by screw D' with
the teeth of wheel A protruding through the slot in such plate. The rack G
(Figure 12) is fastened to the sash by means of screws G through flange G
(which may be of full length of rack or be short pieces at intervals in such length)
and teeth G³ are provided of the full width of the edge of the sash to enable the
sash to be placed in the frame past the protruding teeth of wheel A in said frame.
The modified construction of controller shewn in Figure 3 dispenses with the
protector plate D₁ which in this case is the front edge of the frame D through
which the teeth of wheel A project but in all other respects the construction is
identical with that described. In the modified construction of controller shewn in
Figures 4, 5, and 6, the parts are identical save the wheel A. instead of protruding
from the casing and gearing into the rack is geared with a pinion H' forming part

page_text: of a toothed wheel H on an arbor H' fastened to plates D¹ and D' and which latter
wheel projects so that its teeth will gear with the rack in the place of the teeth of
wheel A. All other parts are the same but this construction enables a spring with
a less travel and a smaller compass to be used where the range of travel of the sash
in the frame is considerable. In Figure 7 the sash frame is marked I the upper
sash I' the lower sash I' the controller J the rack G the catch or holder J¹ and the
releaser J the upper of which latter have a cord or wire J' for convenience in use.
In this Figure 7 the controller shown on the left hand side of the drawing is
similar to that illustrated in Figures 4, 5, and 6, while that on the right hand side
is a single gear one making it necessary to construct a break-away or recess J' in
the wall. But in all cases it must be remembered the controller is used in pairs of
identical construction. The catch and holder and releaser is constructed of a spring
piece K Fig. 11 screwed to the style of the sash with its catch end K' looking
downwards or upwards as the case may be and attached to a rod or wire K' leading
to a lever end K' on a thumb piece lever K' the depression of which will pull
rod K and close end K' into its cavity making the edge of sash flush and free in
its frame to be moved up or down. The resiliency of spring K will normally when
window is closed place catch K₁ in a cavity K in the frame and thus lock the sash
and when the window is open is sufficient to give a good grip from the sash on the
frame. The tension of the spring B having been regulated (by the movement
with a rack of wheel A) so that the force of the springs of the duplicate
controllers will counterbalance the weight of the sash plus such force as may be
necessary to move the sash say two-thirds of its travel it being remembered that
the further the window is run up by the force of the spring the more manual
pressure will be required to lower it and conversely. The controller is fixed as
before described and as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, and the sash I with the catch
or holder and releaser in place put in position with racks G in gear with wheels A.
Now when it is desired to raise or lower the sash the thumb lever K' is depressed
and this releasing catch K' the sash will move by spring B revolving wheel A until
the limit is reached or until thumb lever K' is released when catch K' will take
against the style of the frame and hold the sash. The racks G (Figure 12) for
ordinary windows are fitted into a groove or channel 9 (Figures 8 and 9) in the
Bash and are secured by screws G1 (Figure 12) through flange G' which is flush
with the points of the teeth and let in flush to the edge of the sash style.
Referring to Figures 13 to 18 which illustrate that modification of this invention
which is used where two sashes are moved the one to overlap the other as in the
movement of the screens or rigid blinds of railway carriage windows. The toothed
wheel A having a barrel or drum A' containing a wound spring B (as before
described) gears into the rack G fixed to the sash frame and at the same time gears
with pinion H' forming part of toothed wheel H which projects through the casing
and gears in rack G* cn lower screen I*. One of these sashes is provided with a
catch or holder J' and a releaser J' as before described. The controller has a
similar pawl E and carrier F with details as hereinbefore described and the tension
of the spring B is adjusted in a similar manner. It is secured by screws through
one of its covering plates to the edge of the top or outer screen I' and this is put
in position with the teeth of wheel A gearing in rack G on the frame after the
other screen I* is in place with its rack G* gearing with teeth of wheel H. The
screens are raised by releasing the catch when the spring B according to its tension
will revolve both wheels A and H the latter at the speed due to the relative sizes
of said wheel A and pinion H¹ that is say at twice the speed. The wheel A with
its screen I travels on the rack G and the wheel H will lift the other screen I' at
twice the rate of travel of screen 13 by means of rack G* attached thereto and in
the same space of time lift said screen I* twice as high as screen 1' and thus open
both screens fully by overlapping them.
Many further modifications of this invention might be devised to suit the
exigencies of sashes and sash frames already constructed without departing from
the nature of our invention. One of such modifications specially suitable for