IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLERS AND FITTINGS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR SUSPENDING WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, CHARTS, AND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Luce Hosking, of Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight,
Watchmaker and Optician, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLERS
AND FITTINGS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR SUSPENDING WINDOW BLINDS,
MAPS, CHARTS, AND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES."
Scaled the 13th December 1878, and dated the 18th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Luce Hosking at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th June 1878.
WILLIAM LUCE HOSKING, of Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight, Watchmaker and
Optician. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLERS AND FITTINGS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR
SUSPENDING WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, CHARTS, AND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES.”
This Invention is applicable to rollers and fittings for suspending window blinds
nade of linen or other woven fabric, or any other kind of manufactured or raw
material which may be used as a blind, or hung and suspended from rollers and
employed as maps, charts, and analogous articles.
Blinds made of linen or other fabric, or maps, charts, or analogous articles are
usually attached to the rollers (on which they are wound) by means of nails or
tacks, or in the case of linen blinds they are sometimes sewn on the roller, or on a
lath or rod passing through the roller.
These modes of securing the blind or other article to the roller are objectionable
for various reasons, and the object of the present Invention is to attach the blind
or other article to the roller without the use of nails or tacks, or by sewing it on
as is now the case, and to make a ready means of taking down the blind or article
for the purpose of cleaning the same, and then putting it up after being cleaned.
To this end the roller, which is by preference made of wood, is in two parts divided
longitudinally and connected together by hinges. On the inner face of one of these
pieces is made a long groove, and on the face of the other piece is made a corre-
sponding projection piece or feather which fits into the groove.

page_text: A series of spring clips or a row of pins arranged any convenient distance (say
three to four inches) apart, may be placed along the inner face of one of the pieces
of the roller, by preference on that piece in which the groove is made. These clips
or pins project but slightly from the face of the piece of wood and are merely
intended to temporarily hold in place the upper end of the blind. When this end
of the blind has been placed under the clips or on these pins on the one piece of
the roller, the other piece which is provided with the projecting feather is placed
on it and secured there by means of clips or locking screws, or pins passed through
the ends longitudinally or transversely, or by other devices in any other convenient
manner so as to form the complete roller.
The upper end of the blind will thus be clipped between the two parts of the
roller and will be securely held. In order to remove the blind from the roller it
will only be necessary to release the clips and pins or other devices which hold tho
two parts of the roller together, then upon taking those two apart the blind can be
drawn from under the clips or lifted off the pins and removed.
As a modification of the above, a recess or recesses V shaped or slightly
modified, may be formed from end to end of the roller by cutting away about
one-fifth or more of it, and then adapting thereto a movable piece of corresponding
shape so as to complete the form of the roller. The end of the blind may be nipped
between these two parts which may be held together by lock screws or end pins,
or by ferrules on the ends, or other methods.
Another modification consists in making a narrow but deep groove from end to
end of the roller and fitting thereto a tongue piece, which said tongue piece being
pressed into the groove with the upper end of the blind round it or between it and
the other portion of the roller will firmly hold the blind to the roller, and when so
attached the tongue piece may be held in the groove so as to form the complete
roller by means of locking screws, clips, and ferrules, or other methods adapted to
the roller ends.
Another modification consists in forming in the periphery of the roller a groove,
which forms part of a convolute curve starting from the surface and running
inwards. A part of the cylindrical surface is also cut away so as to leave space for
a thin curved metal plate which fits thereon and is serrated at one of its edges.
Over this edge is placed the upper end of the blind which is then thrust into the
groove in the periphery of the roller, the thin curved metal plate being held in
place on the roller by means of screw studs.
Other modes of securing this curved plate may be used if preferred, such for
instance as spring clips, forrules, or other devices.
Any of the above rollers may be made so as to suit existing end pieces and the
brackets at present in use with the ordinary roller blind, but to allow of the more
ready adjustment of the blind or the roller in its bearings, and without the roller
being taken out of the brackets, I employ a bracket of peculiar construction, and
I so mount the roller in its bearings as to make it rest in such a position that the
blind may be adjusted, so as to make it properly cover the window. To this end I
adopt an improved set of ends and brackets which may be made in wood or metal.
My improvements consist in providing an adjusting screw running through the
bottom part of the bearing of the bracket; this screw being turned to right or left
in the female thread in the bracket allows of the raising or lowering of the axle of
the roller; and in order to keep the adjusting screw in one position, I employ a
tightening screw which presses against it through the bracket.
My improvements further consist in making in each bracket, in addition to the
hole or groove in which works the axle of the roller, a round hole or groove any
required shape for the reception of what I I shall call for distinction a steadying pin,
the purpose of which steadying pin is to keep the roller in one position when
necessary, such as while the blind is being hung or adjusted.
A further improvement consists in making the roller ends (which may be of
similar proportion, size, or design, to those at present in use), with a hole through
them to allow the above steadying pin working backwards or forwards in them,

page_text: and being employed either as a means for holding the two parts of the roller
together, or for holding the complete roller temporarily in one position in the
brackets for the adjustment of the blind, or for any other purpose for which it is
so required to be held.
To prevent this steadying pin from being lost, and to allow of it moving only
the required distance into the brackets when the roller is needed to be held in
position, or when one portion of the roller is required to be released from the other,
I make a flat slotted place upon one portion of one side of the steadying pin, and
into this slotted place a screw is screwed down and runs through a tapped hole in
the periphery of the roller ends towards the centre.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Luce Hosking in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th December 1878.
WILLIAM LUCE HOSKING, of Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight, Watchmaker and
Optician. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLERS AND FITTINGS CONNECTED THEREWITH
FOR SUSPENDING WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, CHARTS, AND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES."
The object of this Invention is to provide a facile means for attaching window
blinds and maps or charts to their rollers and detaching the same therefrom for the
purpose of cleaning, changing, or renewing them, and a means for adjusting the
rollers in their bearings so as to insure their verticality of the pendent blind, map,
or chart. The window blind, map, or other fabric which it is intended to mount
on a roller I secure in place without the use of nails or sewing, employing in lieu.
thereof gripping or binding surfaces, which when their hold is slackened will
permit of the ready removal of the blind from its roller.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn at Fig 1 a form of longitudinally
divided roller which I use for this purpose. Fig. 2 shews this roller in cross.
section; Fig. 3 shows the same in ond view.
The roller is composed of two halves a, b, which are connected together by
hinges c, c; the inner faces of these half rollers are rebated from end to end to a
depth corresponding to the thickness of the hinges, and these rebates not only form
gauges for setting the hinges in place but provide for the wide opening of the
roller to receive the blind or other fabric. The one-half of the roller a is grooved
longitudinally as shewn at Fig 2, to receive a rib or rounded projection formed in
the inner face of the part b, and it is by the interlocking of these plates that a
good grip is obtained on the blind.
Fig. 5 shews a portion of the roller thrown open, and Fig. 6 is a corresponding
view in cross section. In these Figures I have shewn the piece a, fitted with pins'
d, d, to receive the blind and retain it in place on the open roller preparatory to
closing and securing the parts of the roller as shewn at Fig. 1. The roller is
:

page_text: mounted in end pieces e, f, shewn detached at Figures 7 and 8. The end piece
consists of a circular plate from the centre of which on its outer face projects a pivot
pin el, and from its inner face a concentric segment-shaped shoe or flange e², to which
the half a of the roller is made fast by screws.
Similarly the other end of the part a of the roller is secured to a segment-shaped
shoe provided on the end piece f. This end piece constitutes a deeply flanged
pulley for the reception of the blind cord having on its outer side a pivot pin f',
and on its inner side the segment-shaped shoe f. The hinged pieces a, b, I prefer
to hold together by means of a sliding bolt which is shewn detached at Figs. 9,
and in place on the roller at g, Figures 10 and 10. This bolt is slotted longitu-
dinally to receive a screw pin which secures it to the inner face of the part a of
the roller and transversely thereof. The bolt is forked at its inner end to catch
under the shoulder of a stud / inserted in the part b of the roller, and at its other
end it has a right angled projection to facilitate the drawing back of the bolt.
The bolt is of such length that its rear end when the bolt is in its locking position
will be flush with the periphery of the roller, and its right angled projection will
then lie in a recess formed in the face of the roller. In place of this sliding bolt I
sometimes use end fastenings for connecting the hinged portion of the roller to the
end picces e, f.
This arrangement is shewn at Fig. 11 where i is a sliding pin or bolt which
passes through the end plate or pulley and enters a hole in the end of the hinged
piece b. To prevent the withdrawal from the roller of this bolt or locking pin, and
thereby to avoid its being lost, I form it as shewn at Fig. 12, that is to say, I recess
it longitudinally, stopping short of the end of the bolt, and by burring the hole in
the plate or pulley through which it passes I form a stop which will prevent the
withdrawal of the pin or bolt i.
Instead of dividing the roller into two parts to obtain the grip of the fabric I
sometimes use the arrangement shewn in front view and cross section at Figures
13 and 14. In this case the roller is recessed longitudinally on its periphery to
receive a curved plate or strip of metal having a serrated edge. This recess will be
of sufficient depth to allow the plate to fit therein and lie flush or nearly so with
the periphery of the roller. The plate is secured in place by screws passing through
it near its back edge and entering the roller. The extremity of the blind, map, or
chart is laid under this plate and gripped by the serrated edge thereof; and when
the plate is screwed down tightly the fabric will be held firmly in place on the
roller. By simply slackening the screws the fabric may be detached from the
roller.
I will now explain the means which I employ for adjusting the rollers in their
bearings.
Fig. 4 shews in end view the roller mounted in a bracket bearing k, which is
formed with a deep slot k for receiving the pivot pin. The bottom of this slot is
tapped to receive a vertical screw Z, which forms a bearing for the pivot pin, a lock
nut on this screw serves to retain the screw bearing in position when properly
adjusted.
The bracket plate I sometimes fit with a brake spring for bearing upon the
end piece of the roller and imparting the requisite friction for retaining the blind
in its raised position in liew of the tension cord ordinarily employed. This con-
trivance is shewn at Fig. 15, where m is a bowed steel spring made fast at one end
to the plate, and secured at its other end by an adjusting screw m², which passes
through a tapped hole in the plate k. By turning this screw the pressure of the
spring upon the flange of the end piece may be diminished or increased at pleasure,
and thus the roller may be held in a fixed position while the blind is being hung
or adjusted.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Rollers
and Fittings connected therewith for Suspending Window Blinds, Maps, Charts,
and analogous Articles," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I

page_text: wish it to be understood that I do not claim the holding of blind or other fabrics
between the gripping surfaces of the divided roller, but what I claim in respect of
such rollers is the manner of mounting them in end pieecs and securing the hinged
parts together by sliding bolts, as described with reference to the Drawing.
I also claim the mode of attaching blinds to their rollers, as described with
reference to Figuros 13 and 14 of the Drawing.
Lastly, I claim the arrangement of adjustable bracket bearings, as described with
reference to the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Luce Hosking, have horeunto set
my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W“. LUCE HOSKING. (L.S.)