IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING SHUTTERS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to St. Thomas Baker, of King's Road, Chelsea,
Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING
SHUTTERS"
Sealed the 19th November 1858, and dated the 20th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said St. Thomas Baker
at the Office of the Cominissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th May 1858.
I, ST THOMAS. BAKER, of King's Road, Chelsea, Gas Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REVOLVING SHUTTERS" to be as follows:-
The revolving shutters or blinds at present in use are made either
of flat or convex bands, or laths of wood or metal, which are fastened
to straps or chains, & wound upon à cylinder. In this method of
making such shutters or blinds the side to which the straps or chains
are fastened must be next the window, otherwise they could be easily
forced or cut apart, and the cylinder upon which the shutters are
wound must also be inside the building. My Invention consists in
constructing revolving shutters or blinds so that either side may be

page_text: exposed, and the winding cylinder may be placed outside the house or
place, or where most convenient. The shutter is made of flat and circular
pieces of wood or metal; these are placed alternately, as shown at u, b.
Fig. 1, and held together by a flexible metallic cord passing through
them c, Fig. 2. This method of connecting them renders the shutters
very strong; and the cord passing through the centre of the flat and
circular pieces, and being wholly concealed from view, either side of
the shutter may be used, so that it may be fitted either within or ont-
side the window. "Shutters made in this manner also wind up much
closer upon the winding cylinder, and for this purpose I cut the hole
which passes through each of the pieces, of an angular form, as
shown at Fig. 2; this allows the metallic cord to lie in a smaller
circle than if the hole were cylindrical; the corners of the flat laths or
pieces may also be bevelled off. I reserve the right to vary the details
of my Invention, but substantially this is a description of the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said St. Thomas Baker in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 19th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ST THOMAS BAKER, of King's Road, Chelsen, Gas Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said St Thomas Baker, Her special licence
that I, the said St Thomas Baker, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as T, the said St Thomas Baker, my execu-
tors, administrators, 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, exer-
cise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING SHUTTERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said St Thomas Baker, 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 performed, 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 St Thomas Baker, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hero-
unto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists of improvements in revolving shutters for
closing the windows or doorways of dwelling houses, shops, warehouses,
and other similar places. Revolving shintters, as is well known, consist
of bands or laths of wood secured together in such manner as to be
easily wound upon a fixed cylinder; and, in general, the bands or
cords by which the laths forming these shutters are held together
have been either wholly or partially exposed upon one side of the
shutter. By my improved construction the shutter presents a uniform
appearance upon both sides. the cord or connecting material being
wholly concealed from view.
But in order that my Invention may be well understood I will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed. Fig. 1, ou
the accompanying Drawing represents a front elevation of a part
of one of the improved shutters as it would appear when drawn down
(the ends of the laths passing between the rabbets of the window
framing). Fig. 2, is an end view of the roller upon which the
shutter is wound. Fig. 3, is a plan of a portion of a shutter, to show
the mode of connecting the laths or bands together. Fig. 4, is a
sectional view of the same; and Figs. 5, and 6, cross sections of the
laths. The shutter is formed of a series of flat and circular laths of
wood or metal, or of wood and metal combined, placed alternately, and
secured together by a flexable metallic or other cord or material. The

page_text: form of the flat laths a, a, Fig 1, and 3, is shewn by the side views,
Figs. 2, and 6; they are flat pieces of wood or metal, about 1 inches
wide, and five eighths or of an inch thick, or any other suitable
width and thickness: these are cut to a certain length, according to
the width of the intended shutter; the edges are then bevilled off, as
shewn at b, b, and the top and bottom sides grooved, as shown at c, c.
The alternate laths d, d, Figs. 2, 4, and 5, are of a circular form, the
diameters of which are equal to the thickness of the flat laths a, a; the
grooves c, c, of the laths a, are portions of a circle of the same radius
as the laths d, d, and therefore work together accurately when secured
in the form of a shutter. I manufacture these flat and circular bands
or laths by a machine similar in its general construction to a sash-bar
machine, and differing only from that in the form and arrangement of
the "cutters." By these means the timber will be cut into pieces of
the requisite thickness, and fashioned into the required forin. The
next process is to bore holes through the laths at certain distances
apart, through which the metallic cord for sustaining them is passed;
these holes are not simply cylindrical, but are bevilled off, so that the
sides form a curve, as shown by the lines e, e, Fig. 4. The object of
this is to give greater play to the cord, and to permit of its lying in a
smaller circle than it would do if the holes were cylindrical; by this
arrangement the shutter may be coiled upon a smaller roller than the
ordinary revolving shutter. The size and number of these holes, of
course, depend upon the weight and purpose to which the shutter is
to be adapted; an apparatus for drilling these holes may form part of
the machine before mentioned. Although I manufacture these laths
by machinery, it may in some instances be preferable to make them
by hand, therefore I do not confine myself to either or any particular
mode or method of making them. Neither will it be necessary for me
to describe the arrangement of machinery adapted for the manufacture
of these flat and circular laths, as such machinery formis no part of my
Invention, and is sufficiently obvious to those acquainted with the
trade. Having prepared a number of the laths herein-before described,
the next step is to secure them together so as to form a flexible
shutter. This is done by passing through the holes pieces of cord

page_text: formed of thin metal wire so as to bend easily, or any other suitable
material may be used; a number of lengths of cord. agreeing with the
number of holes in the laths are passed, in the first instance, through a
flat lath; one end of each cord is firmly bound to form a loop, through
which is passed a pin to prevent the withdrawal of the cord; the cords
are next passed through a circular lath, then a flat one, and so on. alter-
nately, until the requisite depth for the intended shutter is obtained..
The ends of the cords are then firmly secured to a roller made either of
wood or other suitable material; if of wood, holes should be made through
the roller in an angular direction terminating in a slot or groove cut in
the surface of the roller; the ends of the cords are fastened in these
grooves by staples or other suitable fastenings. The object of termi-
nating the cords in grooves is, that nothing shall project above the
surface of the roller to prevent the laths of the shutter lying close to
its periphery; and, further, to effect this, I finish the top of the shutter
with a strong flat lath, which is firmly secured to the roller, the outer
edge of which is bevilled off, so that that the shutter will lie evenly
round the roller, as shown by Fig. 2. F, is the roller; .G, the lath,
just referred to. A metal spindle H, is screwed or otherwise fastened
to each end of the roller, and supported in suitable bearings at the sides
of the window; upon one of the spindles is fixed a grooved wheel or
pulley, below which is another, placed at a convenient height from the
floor, the spindle of which is squared at the end to receive a winch
handle; an endless cord or strap is passed over both pullies, and upon
turning the winch handle the shutter is lowered or raised, as required.
In some cases guide rollers will be necessary to keep the shutter close
to and parallel with the wood work of the window framing. In order
to conceal the projections of the metallic cords where the loops are
secured upon the under side of the hottom lath, I cover it with a piece
of metal i, which assists its descent. Both the sides of these shutters
being alike, it is immaterial whether the roller be placed inside or out-
side the window, and it may be either at the top or bottom, or fixed in
a vertical position, whichever may be found most convenient; where
these shutters are fitted in drawing rooms, or other similar apartments,

page_text: they should be made of mahogany, or painted to correspond with the
decoration or prevailing color of the room.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein-before set forth, neither lo
I limit myself to the use of any particular material for the manufacture
of these improved shutters. But what I claim, and desire to protect
by these Letters Patent, is. the manufacture of revolving shutters in
which circular or elliptical laths or bands, or any inere modification
thereof, are placed alternately with flat laths or bands, and secured in
the manner herein-before described and shown by the Drawings here-
unto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said St Thomas Baker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
ST THO BAKER. (L.S.)