Improvements in Window Blinds and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
Improvements in Window Blinds and the like.
We, HENRY HAZLITT FORSYTH and HENRY HAZLITT FORSYTH, Junr. both
of No. 14 Ritchie Court, Chicago, in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, and
United States of America, Manufacturers, 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 that class of devices which are used for holding spring
actuated blinds and which are attached to the lower margin of the blind to guide
it in its adjustment as well as to lock it in any desired position.
The invention relates more particularly to a blind holding and locking mechanism
in which a tube, usually termed a blind stick, is mounted in the lower margin of
the blind and carries spring actuated rods slidably mounted within the hollow of
the tube, said rods bearing on their inner ends pendants to be grasped by the
fingers whereby they may be operated, the outer ends of said rods carrying heads
provided with friction locking tips and the extended ends of the heads having
mounted therein anti-friction rollers.
The spring actuated rods have threaded connection at their inner ends with the
pendants and are restrained from rotation when in their operative position by means
of a slot and pin connection with the tubular shade stick. The inward movement
of the rods is limited by a stop plate which is detachably connected to the blind
stick so that it is interchangeable in different lengths to accommodate variations in
the widths of windows or in the depths of the grooves thereof in which the blind
stick works. The lower margin of the blind is weighted to assist in righting the
fixture.
Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a broken elevation of a portion of a window frame, the blind' and the
blind holding and locking devices applied thereto.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view in broken sectional elevation of the blind stick and
the parts carried thereby.
Figures 3 to 9 inclusive show the head in different stages of manufacture from
the blank to the completed article.
Figure 10 a perspective view of the block used in connection with said head.
Figure 11 the friction tips thereof and
Figure 12 shows, in three positions, the stop plate.
.
Figure 13 shows a cylindrical block which is secured within the hollow of the
blind stick and which receives the end of the screw which holds the stop plate.
Figure 14 is a cross sectional view through the blind stick and the lower margin
of the curtain, the weight pocket and the weight.
In the drawings, A represents the blind, the lower margin of which is provided
with a pocket to receive the tubular blind stick B, which may be conveniently
made of gas pipe and provided with the slots b in its ends and the slot B' near its
middle. C represents rods mounted within the tube B and projecting beyond the
ends thereof. The outer ends of these rods have sleeves C¹ pinned thereto and
the inner ends of said rods are threaded as shown at c to engage the threaded
shanks of the pendants D. Said pendants project through the aperture B' of the
tubular blind stick and the rods are engaged therewith by turning their threaded
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page_text: ends into the threaded apertures of the pendants. After the parts are thus
engaged the rods are prevented from unscrewing from the pendants by means of
the pins E which work in the slots b of the blind stick. The outer ends of the
slots B serve to limit the outward movement of the rods due to the action of
the springs F, which have a bearing on the end of the sleeve C and upon the
shoulder of the shade stick B. A block G is fixed within the hollow of the
blind stick B at about its middle portion, said block having a threaded aperture g
as shown in Figure 13. A limit plate H, shown in Figure 12, is secured upon said
block G by means of the screw . This plate is interchangeable for different lengths
and forms a stop to limit the inward movement of the spring actuated rods. Such
limitation is necessary to prevent the rods from being withdrawn from the grooves
and as these grooves vary in depth and there are also slight variations in the
width of the windows, this stop plate furnishes a convenient and simple means for
adjusting the fixture to the window.
The outer ends of the spring actuated rods carry the heads I. Said heads are
struck up from sheet metal, preferably brass. A blank of the proper form from
which to make one of these heads is shown in Figure 3, such blank being widened
at its middle portion and having its corners rounded. This blank is then bent or
stamped in suitable dies to the form shown in Figure 4 in side elevation and in
edge view in Figure 5, thus making a trough shaped body deepest at its middle
portion. In the next operation the head I has the ends of its web portion cut
away as at I' and the head is then drilled to provide the apertures i to receive the
journals of the anti-friction rollers J. A metal block K of a width to fit the
trough of the bead is then inserted and soldered about mid-length of such head and
on each side of said block the friction tips L, consisting of strips of sole leather a
little wider than the depth of the groove, are secured by compressing the flanges
of the channelled head upon their sides. The friction rollers Jare placed
at this point in the operation and finally the block K and the web of the head I
are bored to provide the aperture & through which the end of the rod C passes.
The outer end of this rod may he riveted in order to lock the head to the rod.
For the purpose of unscrewing the rods from the pendants we provide the rod and
head aperture m in which a pin may be inserted.
We employ an escutcheou N which serves as a finish to the fixture and which
covers the edges of the slit which must be made in the material of the shade or
curtain. This escutcheon is slotted as shown, but its slots are of less length than
the slot of the tubular blind stick and thereby when the rods are screwed into the
windows and the escutcheon is secured in place, which may be effected by the screw
which passes through the stop plate, the spring actuated rods are thereby still
further limited as to their outward movement and their pins are prevented from
escaping from the slots b in the ends of the blind stick.
We will now describe the operation of the parts and incidentally thereto the
purpose of the several constructions. Supposing the parts to be constructed and
arranged as described and that the blind is mounted at its upper end upon the
usual spring actuated blind roller. If now it be desired to adjust the curtain to a
new position the pendants are pressed toward each other by the thumb and finger
thus releasing the friction tips L from contact with the bottom of the grooves
which are provided in the sash strips O of the window. As soon as the desired
position of the blind is attained the pendants are released and the springs press the
rods outwardly forcing the tips into contact with the bottoms of the grooves and
the blind is locked or held in the adjusted position.
The above is a description of the proper operation but to guard against the
disarrangement of the blind by the improper manipulation thereof by persons
unaccustomed to the use of the fixture we preferably make the heads quite long
and with their ends extended beyond the leather friction tips. The friction tips,
however, project beyond the plane of the said extended ends, so that when the
lower margin of the blind is moved to an abnormal angle as it is likely to be by

page_text: such improper handling, the friction tips will be carried out of contact or will have
but slight contact with the bottoms of the grooves and the bearing will be upon
such extended ends. These ends having but slight frictional resistance the fixture
will upon being released, immediately right itself and in order to facilitate this
operation we preferably employ the anti-friction rollers. We employ leather tips
preferably because this material will withstand use and does not become solidified
as will rubber, which is the material usually employed for such purposes. It will
further be observed that our improved fixture may be readily adjusted to windows
of slightly varying widths by unskilled persons without the employment of special
tools or alteration of the parts, the interchangeable stop plate of which two or more
lengths may be provided being the only part necessary to be adjusted. It will be
noted also that we employ two separate lccking tips in each head or what would
be the equivalent thereof, a single long strip of leather cut away at its middle
portion and we find such a plurality of friction bearing points preferable to the
single continuous friction bearing.
It will be further observed that the fixture is automatically self-righting, and
self locking and many of the parts thereof can be stamped from sheet metal while
others of the parts, as for example, the tubular blind stick and the rods, can be
purchased and cut into desired lengths thus making the construction economical.
We have also made provision for facilitating the self-righting of the curtain,
said provision consisting in so loading the lower margin of the blind that the
weight will assist in carrying said margin to a horizontal position. Said provision
is shown in Figures 1 and 14 in which M represents a strip of leather doubled
upon itself and having its edges secured to the lower margin of the blind below
the blind stick. Said doubled strip of leather, therefore, constitutes a weight
pocket to receive the metal bar O which may be of iron and of a size which will
add sufficient weight to the blind and the fixtures as will insure the righting of the
shade in whatever position it may be left after adjustment. With this added
provision the spring in the blind roller need be only strong enough to take up the
slack of the curtain while the curtain is moved bodily by the hand. It also results
from this coustruction that the spring for actuating the locking rods may be
correspondingly weakened and in fact need be only strong enough to maintain the
lower margin of the blind in position when the curtain is drawn down to its full
extent, that is, the spring need only furnish sufficient additional resistance to the
weight of the bliud and fixture to overcome the strength of the spring of the blind
roller at its point of greatest tension.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An automatically locking and self-righting blind-fixture, substantially as
herein described and shown.
2. In a blind locking mechanism the combination with a spring actuated locking
rod of a head formed of sheet or plate metal and provided with blocks or strips of
friction material.
3. In a blind holding mechanism the combination with spring actuated sliding
ruds with heads carried thereby said heads being formed of sheet or plate metal
and having a web or body portion and parallel side portions arranged at an angle
to the body and a bearing block secured between said side portions said web or
body and said block having registering apertures to receive the end of the spring
actuated rod, substantially as described.
4. In a blind holding and locking mechanism the combination with a tube to be
carried by the blind, said tube having a slot near its middle, spring actuated rods
slidably mounted within the tube, pendants connected therewith and a stop plate
removably secured to the tube between the pendants, substantially as described.
5. In a blind bolding and locking mechanism the combination with a blind
adapted to be carried by a spring actuated shade roller, spring actuated friction

page_text: locking rods carried by the lower margin of the blind, said blind having a
weight pocket and a weight bar therein, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this 10th day of November 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.