IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND RELEASING CORDS, CHAINS, ROPES, AND BANDS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Beaumont, of Stockton Range, Chorlton-cum-
Hardy, near the City of Manchester, Captain of the 33rd Lancashire
Rifle Volunteers, and William McMaster, of the City of Manchester,
Surveyer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HOLDING
AND RELEASING CORDS, CHAINS, ROPES, AND BANDS."
Sealed the 11th January 1867, and dated the 1st August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Beaumont and
William M Master at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 1st August 1866.
We, WALTER BEAUMONT, of Stockton. Range, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near
the City of Manchester, Captain of the 33rd Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, and
WILLIAM MCMASTER, of the City of. Manchester, Surveyor, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HOLDING
AND RELEASING CORDS, CHAINS, ROPES, AND BANDS," to be as follows:-.
Our Invention is particularly applicable to holding and releasing the cords
by which Venetian and other blinds are raised and lowered, but it may be
employed for various other purposes. Our improved apparatus consists of a
light frame, plate, or casing which may be affixed to or let into any convenient

page_text: part of the window frame or the top rail from which the blind or other object
depends. In this frame, plate, or casing, is fixed the stud a, which serves as
fulcrum to a weighted swivel piece b, in which is a stud c, for one or more
tumbler catches d, the number of tumbler catches depending upon the number
of cords required for the blind' or other article to be raised and lowered.
Each cord passes through the tumbler catch and over a cross bar & connecting
the two sides of the weighted swivel piece, and the cords after passing over
suitable guide pulleys are connected to the blind or other article to be raised
and lowered. When the blind or other article is being raised the tension on
the cord or cords' holds the tumblers above referred to at right angles or nearly
so to a line drawn from the folcrum stud of the swivel piece to the cross bar,
as shewn in Figures 1 and 3, and the cords are then at liberty to pass between
the inside of the tumblers and the cross bar, but as soon as the blind or other
article has arrived at the desired 'altitude the cords are released and the
preponderating weight of the swivel piece causes it to assume a diagonal or
horizontal position, as shewn in Figures 2 and 4, and at the same time the
upward tension of the cord acting on one side of the tumbler causes the other
side thereof to bind the cord against the cross bar, thus securely holding the
cord and preventing the further descent of the blind or other article. In
some cases instead of weighting the swivel piece to make it self-acting we
connect a cord to it, which cord is tightened when it is desired to arrest the
further descent of the blind or other article. We prefer to apply a separate
tumbler to each cord, chaio, rope, or band, but we do not limit ourselves to
such an arrangement. The apparatus above described may be applied to any
pulling or hoisting gear, and would to a great extent prevent accidents, for as
soon as the power by which the article raised ceases to act the tumbler
instantly binds the cord, chain, rope, or band, and prevents their retrogression
until set free by the downward pull as above described. .
A modification of our Invention may be applied to prevent the loss of the
submerged end of a telegraph cable in case of breakage during the process of
paying out; for this purpose the swivel piece is provided with two cross bars,
and the tumbler is made with a grooved pulley of sufficient diameter for the
cable to pass over; to each cross bar is connected one end of a chain or
cord, these chains or cords are of different lengths, to the other end of the
shorter is attached a metal ball and upon the longer is attached a wooden
ball at a greater distance from the apparatus than the metal ball; the end of
the longer cord or chain is connected to the paying-out vessel; the cable passes
freely through both these balls under the two cross bars and through the
tumbler, and the parts remain in these relative positions so long as the cable

page_text: continues to be paid out. In case the cable breaks the balls will pass over
the broken end of the cable, and the shorter cord will then cease to act on the
apparatus, and the longer cord will then cause the tumbler to bind the cable
against one of the cross bars.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walter Beaumont and William M Master in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 28th January 1867.
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WALTER
BEAUMONT, of Stockton Range, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the City of
Manchester, Captain of the 33rd Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, and WILLLAM
MCMASTER, of the City of Manchester, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Walter Beaumont and William McMaster, Her special license that we,
the said Walter Beaumont and William M Master, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Walter Beaumont and
William M Master, our 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
nake, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND RELEASING CORDS, CHAINS, ROPES,
AND BANDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Walter
Beaumont and William M.Master, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and,
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the 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 months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
**
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Walter Beaumont and William
M Master, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
We declare our Invention to be applicable to any purpose wherein facility

page_text: in the detention or release of cords, ropes, chains, or bands, is desirable, but
the more immediate purpose to which we apply it is the holding and releasing
of the cords whereby Venetian or other window blinds are raised, rolled, or
gathered up, to the end that the same may be more readily arrested and
maintained at any desired altitude or position.
Our improved apparatus may be attached to any convenient form of plate,
frame, or bracket, and it consists of a combination of a swivel piece which
works or turns on a stud or axis, and one or more tumbler catches pivoted on
the swivel piece, the tumbler catches being inactive except when holding the
cord or cords which pass through the apparatus.
An apparatus with one tumbler catch only would hold more than one cord,
but we prefer to have as many tumbler catches to each apparatus as there are
cords to be operated on.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried out we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,.
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a window with a Venetian blind and one of our improved
apparatus fixed to the window casing.
Figures 2, 3, and 4 represent detached views of our improved apparatus,
which consists of a swivel piece b, which has a slightly preponderating weight
behind its axis or stud a, the stud c serves as a fulcrum for the tumbler
catelies d, each cord f,f, passes through the recess of one of the tumbler
catchés, and over the cross bar e, which connects the two sides of the swivel
piece b, and the cords f, f, after passing over the guide pulleys g, h, and i, are
connected with the blind or other article to be raised and lowered. When
the blind or other article is being raised the tension on the cords f, f, holds
the tumbler catches d in the position shewn in Figure 2, and the cords are
then free to pass between the tumbler catches d and the cross bar e, but as
soon as the cords are released the preponderating weight at the back of the
swivel piece b causes it to assume the position'shewn in Figure 3, and at the
same time the upward tension of the cords acting on the upper ends of the
tumbler catches' d causes the other ends to bind the cords against the cross
bar e, thus securely holding the cords and preventing the further descent of the
blind or other article. In lowering the blind or other article it is necessary
to pull down the cords f, f, until the swivel piece 6 has regained the position
shewn in Figure 2, this action liberates the cords from the tumbler catches,
and the weight of the blind or other article causes it to descend.
..!
Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent our improved apparatus made without the
preponderating weight behind the swivel piece b, shewn in the Figures before

page_text: described. The cords f, f, pass through recesses or slots in the swivel piece b.
When the blind or other article is being raised or lowered the tension on
the cords holds the apparatus in the position shewn in Figure 5, and when it
is required to arrest the ascent or descent of the blind or other article the
person holding the cords must draw them into the position indicated by the
dotted line in Figure 5. This action of the cords causes the apparatus to
assume the position shewn in Figure 6, and the tumbler catches d then bind
the cords against the bottom of the recesses or slot e.
Figures 8 and 9 represent two views of our improved apparatus fixed in a
mortice in the top rail of a Venetian blind. In Figure 8 the parts are shewn
in the position they occupy when the cords f, f, have been released and the
weiglited swivel piece 6 has assumed a vertical position, the tumbler catches d
being held up by the weight of the blind, and the cords being bound between
the tumbler catches d and the cross bar e.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 are three views of another modification of our
Invention, in these views the stud a of the weighted swivel piece 6 is fixed in
an angle bracket j fixed on the under side of the top rail of a Venetian blind,
and the cords f, f, are taken over the guide pulleys 9 to the pulleys h and i,
as shewn in Figure 1.
:
Figures 13, 14, and 15 represent a modification of our improved apparatus,
in which the weighted swivel piece b is provided with two tumbler catches d,
placed one behind the other instead of side by side as shewn in Figures 4, 7,
and 10.
.
In Figure 14 it will be seen that the outer tumbler catch binds one of the
cords against the cross bare, and the inner tumbler catch binds its cord
against the corner e. The weighted swivel piece b is mounted on the fulcrum
stud a, passing through the angle bracket j, which is fixed to the under side
of the top rail of a Venetian blind.
Figures 16 and 17 represent two views of our improved apparatus, in which'
the swivel piece b is made without the preponderating weight at the back,
but it is made large enough to carry the guide pulleys 9, which are supported
on a pin passing through the sides of the swivel piece b. When the blind'is
being raised or lowered the tension on the cords holds the parts in the position
shewn in Figure 16, but when' it is required to arrest. the motion of the
blind the cord k which is attached to a projecting arm from the swivel piece b
must be drawn down, thereby bringing the apparatus into the position shewn
in Figure 17, and causing the tumbler catches d to bind the cords against
the pulleys g; there is a projection on the swivel piece b to hold it in position
when the tumbler catches d are not required to act on the cords. This

page_text: apparatus is attached to a plate fixed to the top side of a Venetian blind top
rail in which a mortice is made to allow room for the apparatus.
Figures 18 and 19 represent our improved apparatus fixed on the top side
of the top rail of a Venetian blind by means of a plate on which the swivel
piece b is pivoted; when this apparatus is in the position shewn in Figure 18
the cords are free to pass through it in either direction, but when it is desired
to stop the blind the apparatus is brought into the position shewn in Figure
19 by means of the cord k, which is attached to the arm projecting from the
swivel piece b, and the tumbler catches then hold the cords in the manner
described and shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7.
Figures 20 and 21 represent the bracket j and flanged pulley / mounting
of a roller blind with our improved apparatus pivoted on a stud projecting
from the lower parts of the bracket j. For this purpose the apparatus may
be used either with or without the preponderating weight on the swivel
piece b.
The apparatus above described may be applied to any pulling or hoisting
gear, and would to a great extent prevent accidents, for as soon as the power
by which the article raised ceases to act the tumbler catch instantly binds
the cord, chain, rope, or band, and prevents their retrogression until set free
by the downward pull as above described.
A modification of our Invention may be applied to prevent the loss of the
submerged end of a telegraph cable in case of breakage during the process
of paying out, for this purpose the swivel piece is provided with two cross
bars, and the tumbler catch is made with a grooved pulley of sufficient
diameter for the cable to pass over; to each cross bar is connected one end
of a chain or cord, these chains or cords are of different lengths, to the other
end of the shorter is attached a metal ball and upon the longer is attached a
wooden ball at a greater distance from the apparatus than the metal ball;
the end of the longer cord or chain is connected to the paying-out vessel; the
cable passes freely through both these balls under the two cross bars and
through the tumbler catch, and the parts remain in these relative positions
so long as the cable continues to be paid out. In case the cable breaks the
balls will pass over the broken end of the cable, and the shorter cord will then
cease to act on the apparatus, and the longer cord will then cause the tumbler
catch to bind the cable against one of the cross bars.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described several modes
of applying the same to window blinds, we wish it to be distinctly understood
that we do not intend to limit ourselves to the details given, as it is evident
that the form and strength of the apparatus must be made to suit the

page_text: particular object for which the apparatus is required; and we claim as our
Invention the combination of a swivel piece with one or more tumbler
catches when used for holding and releasing cords, chains, ropes, and bands, as
described.
In witness whereof, I the said Walter Beaumont, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
WALTER BEAUMONT. (L.s.)