Improved Means for Supporting and Operating Curtains.
Year: 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Supporting and Operating Curtains.
I HENRY D. B. LEFFERTS, of the City of New Brunswick, State of New Jersey,
United States of America Lawyer, 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 :-
My Invention relates to means for suspending portière, or other fabrics in such
manner that they may be readily drawn apart without touching the material itself
and as quickly restored to the closed position without exertion on behalf of the
operator.
The particulars of my Invention are set forth and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings wherein
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a door casing and door, in front of which a
portière is suspended, the portière bar being shown in longitudinal section.
Figure 2 represents a front elevation of the same, and
Figure 3 a side elevation.
Figure 4 represents a rear elevation of a cornice behind which a portière, or curtain
fabric is suspended and illustrates a modified form of the means employed for suspen-
ding the same.
Figure 5 is a cross section upon the line 55 of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the end fastening shown in Figure
4, and
Figure 7 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the end pieces shown in Figure 1.
Figure 8 represents in elevation a door, door casing and suspended curtain, the
latter being supported and operated in accordance with a further modification of my
Invention shown in section and partial elevation.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.
A represents the door casing and A' the door in front of which are hung the door

page_text: curtains, or portière B B₁ suspended from a series of rings (by means of hooks d in
the ordinary manner. The ring Crests upon a hollow bar D closed at its ends by
the ornamental end caps E E having openings e e' respectively, through which the
drawing cords extend.
Within the body of the hollow bar and at each end thereof are fastened springs
G. G the inner ends of said springs being connected to lugs upon the end caps
E. E and the forward ends of said springs being attached in like manner to slotted
blocks, or travellers F. F. The mode of attachment of the springs to these pieces
may, however, be varied in any suitable manner, as will be readily understood by
those skilled in the art. The end caps E. E' are fastened within the bar by means of
the removeable fastening screws gg and the bar itself is maintained in position by
means of the brackets . I and clamping set screws. In their stretched position
the springs G. G¹ are extended in such manner as to bring the travelling blocks F. F
to the centre of the hollow bar, thereby closing the curtain fabrics, as represented
in Figure 2. The bar itself is slotted at its upper part and through this slot extend
upwardly the pins, or projections mm. To these pins are connected in any suitable
manner, as by small wires, the terminal rings of the portière fabric. The pins are
preferably screw threaded, as shown, and extend through the pieces F. F' forming
means of attachment for the cords ff. The said cords are for convenience wound
upon pins o al attached to the door casing and rings P P are connected with the cords
and adapted to engage also the said pins.
The mode of operation of this part of my Invention is as follows. When the rings
are released from the pins as shown at the right of Figure 1, the contractile force of
the springs G. G draws the blocks F. F apart until the curtains are drawn apart
entirely from the door in front of which they hang. The pins m m being connected
with the outermost rings of the portière fabric, carry the latter with them, thereby
folding the curtain fabrics longitudinally, as shown at the left of Figure 1.
When it is desired to draw the curtains or close them, as represented in Figure 2,
the cords F. F are drawn outwardly by means of the rings P. P' said rings being
secured by means of the pins o o' the curtains, or portière fabrics being drawn together
to a common central line, as represented in that figure.
In Figure 8 I have illustrated a modification of my Invention wherein the retractible
springs are located outside of the hollow suspending bar and are enclosed by the
casings B² 133.
The construction and arrangement with respect to each other of
the bar sliding blocks and end caps are similar to that represented in Figure 1.
In Figures 4 and 5 I have represented my Invention as applied to an ordinary
window cornice. In this case I am enabled to dispense with the hollow bar by
employing a rod R, attached to the sides of the cornice C said rod being encircled by
the springs and by suspending a wire, or small rod S. above the springs, as shown,
said wire, or rod forming a rest, or support for the rings C. In other respects the
construction and operation of this modification of my Invention is identical with that
herein before described.
It will be noted that in all of the modifications of my Invention the rings suspending
the fabric are supported, not by the spring itself, or in such a manner to as interfere
with the closing of the coils of the spring, but by independent devices outside of the
springs. The rings, therefore, will have no tendency to retard the action of the
springs by falling between the coil convolutions. It will be observed, moreover that
whatever the size of the suspending rings their upper portions will always rest upon
their supports directly in the path of movement of the upwardly projecting pins.
I am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to operate suspended fabrics by
means of springs located within a hollow supporting bar, and 1 do not broadly claim
such as my Invention.
I desire it to be understood that my Invention is not restricted to the manipulation,
or suspension of any particular species of curtain, or portière as it is evident that it
may be applied with useful results to all curtains of similar character to those
represented in the Drawings.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :—
1. A device for supporting and operating portières, curtains and the like, consisting
of a hollow bar longitudinally slotted at its upper portion, and supporting the sus-
pending rings, in combination with extensible springs, one end of each spring having
a fixed point of attachment, sliding blocks connected with the free ends of said springs
and having outwardly projecting pins travelling within the bar slot and connected
with one of the suspending rings and drawing cords connected with the sliding blocks
substantially as described.
2. A. device for supporting and operating portières, curtains and the like, consisting
of a support for the suspending rings in combination with extensible springs located
below the line of support of said rings, one end of each spring having a fixed point of
attachment, sliding blocks connected with the free ends of said springs and having
outwardly projecting pins connected with one of the suspending rings and drawing
cords connected with the sliding blocks substantially as described.
HENRY D. B. LEFFERTS.
By H. & W. Pataky,
Agents.