Improvements in or Additions to Portiere and like Rods.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Portiere and like Rods.
I, PHINEHAS EDWARD AYTON, of the Firm of Thomas Pemberton and Sons,
of Livery Street, in the City of Birmingham, Brassfounder, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in, or additions to, portiere and other like
curtain rods, and has for its object, the picking-up or shortening of a trailing
curtain affixed to a door from the front or back of which the same is hung.
In ordinary portiere rods provided with picking up or shortening means, the rod
or pole member is either made to move vertically upwards and so lift the curtain
suspended, or it is provided with supplementary and standing-out rails, which,
when rotated and turned with the said rod member picks up the curtain as the door
is opened.
Now such mechanical contrivances or devices are usually fitted with complicated
auxiliary means which is calculated to make the said articles expensive or to inake
the same liable to get out of order.
By my invention I use no complicated devices, and the rod is an ordinary one, or
is immovable relative to the door.
The means of picking up or shortening consists essentially of a cord passing
through a runner of an attachment carried by the rod member or pole, and with
one end of the said cord attached to the architrave or other part of a door frame,
and the other end, which may have branching cords, connected to the lower part of
the curtain to be shortened by lifting on the opening of a door.
Thus, in carrying out my invention, I take an ordinary curtain rod, mounted at
front upon and sliding over a rollered bracket attached to front of a door, whilst
the other end is jointed, and with the termination of the jointed part fixedly
connected to a fixed bracket carried upon one of the uprights of the door framing.
Connected to the middle of the rod from which the curtain is hung, is an attach-
ment or a hanging attachment consisting of a threaded eye or loop which embraces
the rod member, and is held in a determinate and fixed position by a clamping
screw.
The under part of the attachment is made in the form of a frame, having fitted
and working within it, a ball shaped runner, pivoted at two opposite sides, alike
unto a ship's gimbal, and with a runner or cord hole through its middle.
This runner is capable of making a universal movement in a horizontal plane, so
as to admit of the cord following any angle which the opening of a door may
dictate.
Now assuming that this universal runner has a cord passed through it, with the
back end thereof attached to the middle of the architrave and the other end
attached either directly or by branch cords, to the lower part of a curtain to be
lifted, and also assuming that the cord between the two points is taut by the weight
of the curtain, then the opening of a door, and the carrying of the curtain-rod and
curtain with it changes the relative distance between the runner and the point of
the cord's connection with the curtain to an extent equal to the distance now between
the runner and the point of the cord's connection with the architrave, therefore the
extent of the shortening of the curtain is equal to the distance between the runner
and the point of the cord's connection with the architrave.
On the door being released the weight of the curtain acts as a counterpoise at
the end of the cord by means of which the door is closed, and the whole of the

page_text: parts made to resume their normal positions with the bottom edge of the curtain
lying upon the floor.
Instead of a vertically mounted runner capable of moving in a horizontal
direction only, the said ball may be mounted ball and socketwise, with the frame
acting as the socket.
Or I may employ two or more rollers or sheave or other pulleys in lieu of the
runner.
Instead of the attachment being fixed, it may be made to turn upon the rod
member, and I propose that the mouth entrances to the runners should be flared.
The pulleys may be universally mounted and at right angles to each, and the rod,
besides being inexpensive, easily fitted and readily made, is when in use, perfectly
noiseless.
Dated this 17th day of November 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Portiere and like Rods.
1, PHINEHAS EDWARD AYTON, of the Firm of Thomas Pemberton and Sons,
of Livery Street, in the City of Birmingham, Brassfounder, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in, or additions to, portiere and other like
curtain rods, and has for its object, the picking-up or shortening of a trailing
curtain suspended from a portiere rod fitted to a door or door frame.
In ordinary portiere rods provided with picking up or shortening means, the rod
or pole member is either made to move vertically upwards and so lift the curtain
suspended, or it is provided with supplementary and standing-out rails, which, when
rotated and turned with the said rod member, pick up the curtain as the door is
opened.
Now such mechanical contrivances or devices are usually fitted with complicated
auxiliary means, which are calculated to make the said articles expensive, or to
make the same liable to get out of order.
By my invention I use no complicated devices, and the rod is an ordinary jointed
drapery one.
The means of picking up or shortening consists essentially of a cord, passing
through a runner of an attachment carried by the rod member or pole, and with
one end of the said cord attached to the architrave or other part of a door frame,
and the other end, which may have branching cords, connected to the lower part of
the curtain to be shortened, by lifting, on the opening of a door.
Thus, in carrying out my invention, I take an ordinary curtain rod, mounted at
front upon and sliding through an eyed bracket attached to front of a door, whilst
the other end is jointed, and with the termination of the jointed part fixedly
connected to a fixed bracket carried upon one of the uprights of the door framing.
Connected to the middle of the rod from which the curtain is hung, is an attach-
ment, or a hanging attachment, consisting of an eye or socket, capable of adjustment
upon the rod member, and held in a determinate and fixed position by a clamping
screw.
The under part of the attachment is made in the form of a frame, having fitted
and working within it, a ball-shaped and eyed runner, pivoted at two opposite
sides, alike unto a ship's gimbal, and through the eye of which, the lifting cord
runs.

page_text: This runner is capable of making a universal movement in a horizontal plane,
so as to admit of the cord following any angle on the opening of a door.
Now assuming that this universal runuer has a cord passed through it, with the
back end thereof attached to the middle of the architrave and the other end
attached either directly, or by branch cords, to the lower part of a curtain to be
lifted, and also assuming that the cord between the two points is pulled taut by
the weight of the curtain, then the opening of a door, and the carrying of the
curtain-rod and curtain with it changes the relative distance between the runner
and the point of the cord's connection with the curtain, to an extent equal to the
distance now between the runner and the point of the cord's connection with the
architrave, therefore the extent of the shortening of the curtain is equal to.
the said distance between the runner and the point of the cord's connection with
the architrave, less the normal distance between the said points.
On the door being released the weight of the curtain acts as a counterpoise at
the end of the cord, by means of which the door is closed, and the whole of the
parts made to resume their normal positions, with the bottom edge of the curtain
lying upon the floor.
Instead of a vertically mounted runner capable of moving in a horizontal
direction only, the said ball may be mounted ball and socketwise, with the frame
acting as the socket.
Or I may employ two or more rollers or sheave or other pulleys in lieu of the
runner.
Instead of the attachment being fixed, it may be made to turn upon the rod
member, and I propose that the mouth entrances to the runners should be flared.
The pulleys may be universally mounted and at right angles to each, and the
rod, besides being inexpensive, easily fitted and readily made, is when in use,
perfectly noiseless.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents a portiere rod and curtain
fitted to a door. and door frame, and provided a curtain picking-up attachment
constructed and arranged according to one form of my invention.
Figure 2 represents an enlarged view of a portion of the same, showing the eyed
ball runner, mounted and revolving within the hanging frame fixedly secured to the
portiere rod, and also showing the picking up cord passing through the eye of the
said ball runner, and having its ends connected to the curtain and architrave
respectively.
Figure 3 represents a vertical section of Figure 1 upon the dotted lines a―e,
and upon a still further enlarged scale.
Figure 4 represents a front elevation of the attachment, with a part of the rod
member, separately.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of Figure 4, without the rod.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the attachment, and Figure 7 is an underside plan
of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 7, in
which a is the attachment, consisting of an adjustable eye or socket a', having upon
its underside, a circular depending frame a', with the inside fitted with a revolving
and eyed ball runner b, having a mouthed or flared eye 61, through its middle, and
with the same mounted and running upon upright trunnions or gimbals working
within bearings a³, formed at the two opposite sides of the frame a³.
c is a clamping screw, taking through the walls of the eye or socket a', and
adapted to clamp or fix the said attachment a, upon the member d', of the portiere
rod d, whose front part. d, is supported and slides through an eyed bracket ³,
carried by a door, and with the other end d', jointed at d³, to an end section dº,
and with the same supported by a bracket, supported by and affixed to the
architrave of a door.
e is the picking-up cord, passing through the eye b', of the revolving part of the
attachment, and with the end e, made fast to a hook or other connection f,
carried by the door frame, and with the other end e³, connected to the lower

page_text: part 9², of a curtain g, supported from sliding rings h, threaded upon the
-curtain-rod.
The connection end of the picking-up cord may be branched, or connected to
branched or strand terminations, whose ends are connected to varying points across
the curtain.
Figure 8 represents a modified form of attachment, with the frame of the
revolving and eyed ball runner coming between sections of the portiere rod
member, and Figure 9 is a topside plan of the same.
Figure 10 represents a side elevation of a further form of attachment, and
Figure 11 is a front view of the same. In this arrangement, the revolving and
eyed runner is mounted within its frame socket-wise, so that the same has a
universal movement within certain limits.
a is the attachment, consisting of an eye or socket a', secured to the rod by a
clamping screw c, and having depending from its underside, a ball socket a*, which
is fitted with an eyed ball runner b.
The socket frame, wherein the eyed ball runner is mounted, may be made into
a complete frame, instead of being gapped at the bottom.
Figure 12 represents a still further modified form of attachment a, consisting of
a socket a', secured to the rod member by a clamping screw c, and having a
swivelling frame a³, carrying a runner b, depending from its underside.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the methods described
for mounting the runner, or the frame of the runner, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my invention.
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
First. An attachment for portiere or like rods, consisting of an adjustable eye
or socket, having a frame fitted with an eyed and ball-shaped runner, wherethrough
a picking-up cord, whose ends are connected respectively to door frame and curtain,
passes, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 7.
Secondly. The improvements in portiere rod fittings, substantially as and for
the purpose described and set forth in Figures 8 and 9.
Thirdly. An attachment for portiere rods, consisting of an adjustable eye or
attachment; having an eyed runner mounted within a socket frame, substantially
as described and set forth in Figures 10 and 11.
Fourthly. An attachment for portiere rods, consisting of an adjustable eye or
attachment, having a swivelling frame carrying a runner, substantially as described
and set forth in Figure 12.
Fifthly. The improvements in the means and fittings for the picking up of
curtains and like draperies, on the opening of doors and the like, substantially as
described and set forth in the several figures of the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of July 1894.
PHINEHAS EDWARD AYTON,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.