Improvements in Venetian Blinds.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Venetian Blinds.
I, WILLIAM MARTIN GREEN of 159 Queen Street Melbourne in the Colony of
Victoria, Photo-Engraver, 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:-
Amongst the disadvantages which have hitherto been incidental to the use of
ordinary Venetian blinds are the following:-It is extremely difficult to
thoroughly clean the slats when they are soiled, whilst in attempting to effect
thorough cleansing, the blind is apt to be strained, and dust scattered about the
room in which the blind is. The attractive appearance which a new blind
possesses, is rapidly lost after it is put up in any dusty situation. Undue expense
and inconvenience also attend the repainting, renewing or repairing of the slats,
webbing or cords of the ordinary Venetian blind, because the whole blind must
generally be taken down from the window, and partly taken to pieces. Further-
more, these blinds shut off the light (more or less) except from that part of the
window which is below the point to which the bottom of the blind has been pulled
up, and it is a disadvantage not to be able to screen the lower part only, or the
upper and lower parts only, of a window, leaving the rest unscreened. By screen-
ing the lower part and allowing the natural light to enter the upper part, oper-
ations can, without destroying privacy, be conducted conveniently within rooms
without artificial light at dusk, when with an ordinary blind artificial light might
be necessary.
All of these disadvantages are removed by the application of my
invention, which can be introduced into existing blinds without trouble.
This improvement consists in making a passage way, cut, slot or opening extend-
ing from each of the cord holes in each lath or slat to the edge of the slat, so, that
there is a gap or recess made, which serves as an outlet and inlet for the cord at
each hole, whereby each lath may be inserted into its place or withdrawn there-
from independently of every other lath.
The location of the said passage way is not necessarily limited to any particular
position, but the preferable position, and that which is considered the best for
ordinary use, is the simplest possible, viz., a direct continuation of each cord hole
to the edge of the lath. It is practicable to form a large number of the necessary
cuts at one time by placing a number of slats together.
In the drawings herewith which illustrate the preferred form of this invention
Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a Venetian blind; Figure 2 is a plan
view of a part of a lath or slat, showing the cord hole having the cut or extension
aforesaid; Figure 3 is the same as Figure 2, but with a strengthening clip or band
round the slat, and Figure 4 is a sectional view through the slat and strengthening
strin

page_text: A shows the slat, B the inner part of the cord hole, C, the cut or passage way
extending to the edge of the slat from the part B, and I the strengthening band
clip, plate, or like device, made preferably of thin sheet metal, and fastened down
in any suitable manner as, for example, by indenting the metal.
In practice with short laths the use of strengthening bands is unnecessary,
though they are sometimes desirable on long laths, or those which have more than
two cord holes.
The bottom of the blind is marked 5, the vertical ladder tapes are shown by 6,
the horizontal webs are marked 7, and what are herein called the supporting cords
(for raising and lowering the blind) are marked 8. The width of the cut or slot C is
such that the cord 8 may without friction easily pass through the same, and the
said width is preferably made as narrow as will allow of such passing, and is
further preferably made less than the width of that portion of the cord recess
marked B, which corresponds with the position of the cord hole in general use.
In using an ordinary Venetian blind the cords 8 will not always occupy the centre
of the hole (as in theory they should do); therefore, the narrowing of the part C is
useful as having a tendency to restrain the cords within the parts B, except when
the lath is deliberately taken hold of and so moved as to free the same from the
cords. The narrowness of the cut C is also beneficial in view of the proximity of
the web 7, which is kept free from liability to get into the cut. The obliquely
directed dotted lines shown in Figure 2 indicate one of the numerous variations
in the position of cut C which might be adopted, and such a variation might be
employed with a view to keeping the entrance of cut C still further from the web 7,
or with a view to rendering the removal of a slat from the blind slightly less easy
than it would be with the direct cut. When oblique cuts are used they may (but
need not) be parallel to one another. The cut in one lath need not be parallel to
that immediately above it, in fact when the webs 7 are in the relative position to
cords 8 shown in Figure 1 such parallelism would not be best with inclined cuts.
The cuts need not both extend from the same edge of the lath, nor need they join
the rear end of the ordinary cord hole, as a junction at another part would be
feasible. Catches to close the cut C and open it at will, might also be provided,
but these are not all essential.
In improving a blind for the purposes served by my invention, what is most
wanted is something so simple that it costs and weighs almost nothing, and yet
can be very easily and quickly operated without any mistake. Now when the
laths are formed as shown in the drawings, all or any of them may (without the
removal of the blind from the window and without interfering with the arrange-
ments for raising, lowering and canting the blind) be taken out (for the purposes
of dusting, washing, painting and repairing) simply by taking hold of each slat to
be removed, tilting it till it disengages itself from cords (8), and drawing it out
side ways. If any lath becomes stained or damaged its position in the blind may
be easily changed, enabling it to be put in a less prominent position (as at the top).
When any web breaks, then by removing three or four slats, the place where the
repairs are required can be so easily reached that the repairs may generally be
quickly effected practically without expense.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a Venetian blind, laths or slats having openings for the passage of the
supporting cords, said openings extending completely to an edge of the lath
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a Venetian blind, laths or slats having openings through which the
supporting cords pass laterally, the outer portion of each recess being made narrow
and the inner portion thereof wider substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a Venetian blind, the combination with a lath, of recesses to permit of
the insertion or removal of each lath independently and a strengthening clip,

page_text: band, or the like, at the region of each recess substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of Septem er 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancer Lane, London, W.C., Agents.