AN IMPROVEMENT IN CORD TIGHTENERS FOR CURTAIN FIXTURES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Chauncey Colton Parker, of Brooklyn, in the
State of New York, United States of America, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN CORD TIGHTENERS FOR CURTAIN FIXTURES."
Scaled the 12th November 1869, and dated the 20th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Chauncey Colton
Parker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th May 1869.
I, CHAUNCEY COLTON PARKER, of Brooklyn, in the State of New
York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN CORD TIGHTENERS FOR CURTAIN
FIXTURES," to be as follows:-
I make use of a helical wire spring to maintain the proper tension upon
the endless cord that has heretofore been employed for revolving the
roller of a window curtain or shade, and rolling the said curtain up or
down. The cord passes around a grooved pulley in the usual manner.
The peculiarity of my Invention consists in mounting this pulley upon
one arm of an L-shaped slide, the other arm passing inside the helical

page_text: spring, and these are mounted in a slotted tubular case that is to be
fastened to the window casing or other place, so that the helical spring
acts upon the pulley to keep the endless cord at the necessary tension
to act upon the curtain roller, and the spring yields to any contraction
or expansion of the cord under atmospherio changes. The arm of the
pulley slide being within the spring cannot become bound or obstructed
in its movement in the tubular case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Chauncey Colton Parker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHAUNCEY
COLTON PARKER, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Chauncey Colton Parker, Her special
licence that I, the said Chauncey, Colton Parker, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Chauncey Colton
l'arker, my 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN CORD TIGHTENERS FOR CURTAIN FIXTURES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Chauncey Colton
Parker, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of tho 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 monthis next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NCW KNOW YE, that I, the said Chauncey Colton Parker, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the samo

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being made to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
Similar marks of reference denote the same parts in all the Figures.
Window curtains and shades are frequently fitted upon a roller so
as to be wound up or unrolled, and to revolve the roller an endless belt
or cord is employed passing over a grooved pulley on the roller and
beneath a pulley upon a movable slide that forms the cord tightener.
The cord tighteuer is generally adjustable for taking up the slack, but
it is not yielding, hence the cord is injured and finally broken by
contracting under atmospheric changes.
My Invention consists in a cord tightener in which the grooved
pulley is fitted on a slide with a helical spring that yields as the cord
expands or contracts, and there is no possibility of the slide becoming
wedged or obstructed, because said slide is L-shaped, one arm carrying
the pulley and the other arm setting within the helical spring, so that
said helical spring intervenes between the slide and the case, and
prevents the parts sticking.
In the Drawing a is the sheet metal forming the face of the slide, and
b is the back of the case; these parts are united at the ends by cyclets
or rivets. I have shown eyelets at c, c, which also serve for the nails
or screws to pass through. The case thus formed becomes a tubular
receptacle for the helical spring d, and the case a is slotted for the
horizontal arm of the slide e to pass through; said slide e is L-shaped,
the vertical arm being within the spring d and the horizontal arm
receives the pulley on the outside of the case, and an ornamental
head g is affixed; this slide e may be of wire, as shown, or cut out
of sheet metal. represents a portion of the endless cord passing
around the pulley f.
The cord when first applied should be of a length to compress the

page_text: this spring will yield to the contraction or expansion of the cord and
maintain a proper tension. If desired, the metal plate & may be con-
nected to the frout part of the case by the edges being turned over,
as seen in Fig. 5, or the case a may be of cast metal.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the cord
tightener formed of a case containing a helical spring combined with
a slide, one arm of which enters said helical spring and the other carries
tho pulley, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Chauncey Colton Parker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this 23rd day of September,
A.D. One thousand cight hundred and sixty-nine.
CHAUNCEY COLTON PARKER. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
GEO. D. WALKER,
121, Nassau St., New York,
CHA. H. SMITH,
121, Nassau St., New York.