IMPROVED SELF-ACTING LEVER BLIND ROLLER FURNITURE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Manuel, the elder, and John Manuel, the
younger, both of Sheffield, in the County of York, Upholsterers,
trading under the name of John Manuel & Son, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Manuel, the elder,
and John Manuel, the younger, at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th May 1871.
We, JOHN MANUEL, the elder, and JOHN MANUEL, the younger, both
of Sheffield, in the County of York, Upholsterers, trading under the
name of John Manuel and Son, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED SELF-ACTING LEVER BLIND ROLLER FURNITURE,"
to be as follows :-
:—
This Invention relates to an improved self-acting lever blind roller,
for the purpose of raising or letting fall the blind at the option of the
operator, one cord answering for both purposes. We propose to apply
to the roller between the drum or pulley and the bearing pivot, a washer
A

page_text: consisting of a ring or band of india-rubber, gutta percha, linoleum,
kamptulicon, boulinikon, leather, cork, wood, felt, worsted, linen, or
other suitable material or composition.
We then adjust on the window frame or jamb at a point above the
washer a lever brake consisting of a curvilinear and partly circular
pendant, capable of swinging on a pin or screw fixed in the frame or
jamb so as to bear against a portion of the circumference of the washer
or to be released therefrom. This friction lever may be made of metal
or wood or other combination of materials, and, may be lined internally
with additional substance or composition to enable it to exercise speedy
friction on the washer by its own gravity and contact, which always
tends to cause it to press on the side periphery of the washer. The
pendant lever or brake when in position rests with its lower extremity
(through which the cord is passed) projecting forwards from the vertical
line drawn from the centre of its pivot, and consequently the cord from
the drum or pulley is held forward at a tangent to the upper part of
the drum at a point shortly over its horizontal section, consequently
when the cord is pulled by the operator it becomes vertical by tension,
and thus throws back the projecting under point of the friction break,
and separates the bearing, which it otherwise maintains against the
roller washer. The cord may then either be pulled to raise the blind
wholly or partly, and immediately the cord is released the swinging
lever hangs forward and holds the roller exactly in the position required.
So also to lower the blind it is only necessary to slightly depress the
cord so as to throw the break out of friction, and to let the cord slip
through the hand till the blind has wholly or partly descended, the
release of the cord allowing the break to act without the use of any
rack or spring or other equivalent and merely by self-action caused by
gravity and friction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 35
filed by the said John Manuel, the elder, and John Manuel, the
younger, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th November
1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
MANUEL, the elder, and JOHN MANUEL, the younger, both of Sheffield, 30

page_text: in the County of York, Upholsterers, trading under the name of John
Manuel and Son, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Manuel, the elder, and John Manuel,
the younger, Her special licence, that we, the said John Manuel, the
elder, and John Manuel, the younger, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Manuel, the elder, and John
Manuel, the younger, our executors, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVED SELF-ACTING LEVER BLIND ROLLER FURNITURE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Manuel,
the elder, and John Manuel, the younger, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 we, the said John Manuel, the elder, and John
Manuel, the younger, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to
say:―
Our Invention relates to an improved self-acting lever blind roller
for the purpose of raising or letting fall the blind at the option of the
operator, one cord answering for both purposes. We propose to apply
to the roller, between the drum or pulley and the bearing pivot, a
washer consisting of a ring or band of india-rubber, gutta percha,
linoleum, kamptulicon, boulinikon, leather, cork, wood, felt, worsted,
linen, or other suitable material or composition.
We then adjust on the window frame or jamb, at a point above the
washer, a lever brake, consisting of a curvilinear and partly circular

page_text: pendant capable of swinging on a pin or screw fixed in the frame,
bracket, or jamb so as to bear againt a portion of the circumference
of the washer or to be released therefrom. This friction lever may be
made of metal or wood or other combination of materials and may be
lined internally with additional substance or composition to enable it to
exercise speedy friction on the washer by its own gravity and contact
which always tends to cause it to press on the side periphery of the
washer. The pendant lever or brake when in position rests with its
lower extremity (through which the cord is passed) projecting forwards
from the vertical line drawn from the centre of its pivot, and con-
sequently the cord from the drum or pulley is held forward at a tangent
to the upper part of the drum at a point shortly over its horizontal
section; consequently when the cord is pulled by the operator it becomes
vertical by tension, and thus throws back the projecting under point
of the friction break and separates the bearing, which it otherwise main-
tains against the roller washer. The cord may then either be pulled
to raise the blind wholly or partly, and immediately the cord is released
the swinging lever hangs forward and holds the roller exactly in the
position required. So also to lower the blind it is only necessary to
slightly depress the cord so as to throw the break out of friction and
to let the cord slip through the hand till the blind has wholly or partly
descended, the release of the cord allowing the break to act without the
use of any rack or spring or other equivalent and merely by self-action
caused by gravity and friction.
We designate the Invention as the Patent prehensile blind roller
furniture.
In order that our said Invention may be completely understood we
annex the accompanying Drawings in which Fig. 1 represents an eleva-
tion of the blind roller; Fig. 2 a perspective view; Fig. 3 a section;
Fig. 4 an end view with break released; Fig. 5 is also an end view
shewing the blind at rest, the hand having left the cord. Similar letters
denote corresponding parts in each Figure respectively. A is the drum
of the roller round which cord winds; B is the washer which causes the
lever C to act as a self-acting brake; D, E, shew the hand and cord.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, we claim and
desire to be secured to us by the herein in part recited Letters Patent,
the improvements in lever blind roller furniture, consisting in the action

page_text: of the washer or band B on the lever or break C, which lever may or
may not be lined with any of the materials named, and which acts
without the aid of any rack or spring, substantially as herein specified
and shewn.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Manuel, the elder, and John
Manuel, the younger, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
C. H. JOHNSON,
Surveyor,
(L.S.)
JOHN MANUEL, THE ELDER.
JOHN MANUEL, THE YOUNGER. (L.S.)
7, St James' Row,
Sheffield.