IMPROVEMENTS IN SUN BLINDS OR SOLAR SCREENS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julius Jeffreys, of. Kingston Hill, in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUN BLINDS OR SOLAR
SCREENS."
L
729
Sealed the 30th October 1855, and dated. the 11th July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julius Jeffreys at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th July
1855.
I, JULIUS JEFFREYS, of Kingston Hill, in the County of Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of the, Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUN BLINDS AND
SOLAR SCREENS" to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in constructing cloth blinds in such a manner as
to screen off the solar rays without acting as "blinds" to the view.
I use a succession of light wire or wooden frames suspended horizontally one
above the other, from a few inches to a foot or more apart, and cach consisting
of an inner rod next the window, and an outer one, say, six inches to a foot from
the former, connected by two or more cross and diagonal pieces. From along
the inner bar of each frame a breadth of cloth is stretched to the outer bar
of the frame next below, and the cloth at each end of. the frames is brought

page_text: round to enclose the sides. Thus, while each frame is horizontal, each breadth
of cloth stretching from one to the other is inclined like a fixed venetian, and
the whole are parallel to each other from top to bottom. The frames are sus-
pended by vertical tapes stitched to each; the whole, forming a venetian
curtain, is drawn up and lowered down thus:-At the top and bottom of the
window space are fixed two pairs of short bars of wood, each having morticed
in it an outer pulley, and one or two inner ones, side by side; the outer being
in a vertical line with the outer bars of the frames, and the inner pulley in a
line with their inner bars. An endless cord runs round the outer and one of
the inner pulleys at top and bottom; this cord is fixed only to the outer bar
of the lowest curtain frame. Another endless cord runs round the other inner
upper and lower pulley, and is fixed only to the inner bar of the lowest frame.
A long rod of iron equal in weight to the frames and curtains is suspended
horizontally across to the innermost pairs of cords next the window, and thus
balances the weight of the whole. When the rod is raised the curtain descends,
and when it is depressed the curtain rises.
While the above I consider to be the best construction, the frames may each
be covered with its own curtain separately, and in that case the frames them-
selves will require to hang inclined, but be gathered up flat on the lowest
frame; also the weight may hang at the side of the window, the cords being
guided to it by extra pullies.
My Invention also consists in the employment as a material for the leaves or
lappets of blinds, of sheet metal, either fluted or corrugated, to give it stiffness,
or lapped-over frames of metal; and I further bend the leaves into a waved or
ogee form, like a pagoda roof, to increase the stiffness and improve the appear-
ance; and for this latter purpose I cut the outer edges of the leaves into
various ornamental forms, as vandyke, tongue, border, &c.
..
Another improvement consists in the employment of a chain of metallic
weights (as plummets in a canvas case; or strung upon a cord, or cast on wire
links), for forming a balance, varying in weight with any blind in its ascent
and descent. This 'chain of weights is coiled round a small drum, so that as it
unwinds it grows in tension by hanging pendant, and at the same time winds
on the drum a cord, which descends to a couple of pullies below, and thence
.up to a cross bar fixed to the hoisting cords of the blind; or by employing
chain of twice the weight of the blind, it may be simply slung over a roller, it
halves balancing each other. Attached to one end of it is a pulley, through
which is passed a cord, having one extremity fixed to the ground or sill of the
window, and the other carried through pullies at the same level, and rising up
a

page_text: fixed to the cross bar, as above. This chain only descends one-half of its
length, and draws up twice as much cord. By either of these arrangements a
blind is balanced exactly through all its traverse.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Julius Jeffreys in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULIUS
JEFFREYS, of Kingston Hill, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Julius Jeffreys, Her special license that I, the said Julius Jeffreys, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Julius Jeffrey's,
iny 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 makė, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUN BLINDS OR SOLAR
SCREENS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Julius Jeffreys,
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 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 I, the said Julius Jeffreys, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):
My improvements consist in constructing cloth "blinds" in such a manner
as to screen off the solar rays without acting as "blinds" to the view.
I use a succession of light wire or wooden frames suspended horizontally one
above the other, from a few inches to a foot or more apart, and each consisting

page_text: .
of an inner rod next the window, and an outer one, say, six inches to a foot
from the former, connected by two or more cross diagonal pieces. From
along the inner bar of each frame a breadth of cloth is stretched to the outer
bar of the frame next below, and the cloth at each end of the frames is
brought round to inclose the sides. Thus, while each frame is horizontal,
each breadth of cloth stretching from one to the other is inclined like a fixed
venetian, and the whole are parallel to each other from top to bottom. The
frames are suspended. by vertical tapes stitched to each; the whole, forming
a venetian curtain, is drawn up and lowered down thus :- At the top and
bottom of the window space are fixed two pairs of short bars of wood, cach
having. morticed on it an outer pulley, and one or two inner ones, side by side;
the outer being in a vertical line with the outer bars of the frames, and the
inner pulley in a line with their inner bars. An endless cord runs round the
outer and one of the inner pulleys at top and bottom; this cord is fixed only
to the outer bar of the lowest curtain frame. Another endless cord runs round
the other inner upper and lower pulley, and is fixed only to the inner bar of
the lowest frame. A long rod of iron equal in weight to the frames and cur-
tains is suspended horizontally across to the innermost pairs of cords next the
window, and thus balances the weight of the whole. When the rod is raised
the curtain descends, and when it is depressed tlie curtain rises.
.
.
While the above I consider to be the best construction, the frames may each
be covered with its own curtain separately, and in that case the frames them-
selves will require to hang inclined, but gathered up flat on the lowest frame.
Also, the weight may hang at the side of the window, the cords being guided
to it by extra pulleys.
My Invention also consists in the employment as a material for the leaves
or lappets of blinds, of sheet metal, either fluted or corrugated, to give it
stiffness, or lapped-over frames of metal; and I further bend the leaves into a
waved or ogee form, like a pagoda roof, to increase the stiffness and improve
their appearance; and for this latter purpose I cut the outer edges of the
leaves into various ornamental, forms, as vandyke, tongue, border, &c.
My second improvement consists in the employment of a chain of metallic
weights (as plummets in a canvas case, or strung upon a cord, or cast on wire
links), for forming a balance, varying in weight with any blind in its ascent
and descent. This chain of weights is coiled round a small drum, so that as it
unwinds it grows in tension by hanging; pendant, and at the same time. winds
on the drum a cord, which descends to a couple of pulleys below, and thence
up to a cross bar fixed to the hoisting, cords of the blind; or by employing a

page_text: chain of twice the weight of the blind, it may be simply slung over a roller, its
halves balancing each other. Attached to one end of it is a pulley, through
which is passed a cord, having one extremity fixed-to the ground or sill of the
window, and the other carried through pulleys at the same level, and rising up
fixed to the cross bar, as above. This chain only descends one-half of its
length, and draws up twice as much cord. By either of these arrangements a
blind is balanced exactly through all its traverse. I will now proceed to describe
the Drawing hereunto annexed. In the several Figures the letters denote the
same or like parts.
My first improvement consists in the employment of leaves of sheet metal,
fluted or curved longitudinally, transversely, or obliquely, not only in the manu-
facture of ordinary venetian blinds, so as to combine stiffness and compactness
with durability and cheapness, but more especially in the construction of a new
form of blind, which is shewn by Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and is,
.. My second improvement, namely, a blind composed of a succession of broad
leaves placed one above the other, and inclined like venetians, but not over-
lapping each other like the latter, and of this peculiar construction, namely,
while the upper and inner edge A, A, of each leaf is straight horizontally, its.
lower and outer edge B, B, is curved round at each end, forming arched sides
b, b, which when the body of the leaf A, A, B, B, is itself inclined at an angle
of 45°, more or less, reach round; so as to terminate in a perpendicular
flanged edge, in a line with the suspending tapes D; D..
By this construction the entrance of the sun's rays at the sides is prevented,
so that the leaves may be suspended six inches or a foot or more apart, and be
proportionally broad, leaving between each pair a free view of the landscape.
This form also adds with the fluting so greatly to the stiffness of the leaf that
very thin and slight material may be employed, and the stiffness may be still.
further increased by giving the leaf a double ornaniental curve, as an ogce or
the like, as represented: Now, though I prefer metal as the material, leaves
may be given of the peculiar form I employ, and be fluted and curved for
stiffness and ornament, when made of other firm materials which admit of being
moulded, such as compounds of caoutchouc or of gutta percha.
My third improvement consists in the employment of cloth and wire, com-
bied in a peculiar construction, so as to produce a blind of the general shape
of the one just described.
Figure 5 is a wire frame, of which the inner rod A, A, is straight, and the
outer rod B, B, is arched round the ends at b, b, and the whole stiffened by
diagonal and cross rods c, c, so that wire of one-eighth. of an inch suffices for

page_text: the whole; Figure 6 is a side view of a series of such frames, placed over
each other horizontally. Along the inner straight rod A, A, of each frame
canvass is attached and stretched downwards and outwards to the outer curved
rod B, B, of the frame next below, and extending round its curved ends b, b,
assumes the general form of the stiff leaf blind described above.
These different blinds are suspended, raised, and lowered in the following
manner: They are suspended. either by their upper and inner edges A, A,
only, or by them and by their lower, and inner angles b', 6', Figure 7, also.
When suspended by their upper edges A, A, only to tapes D, D, fixed above,
they are tilted by tapes or cords, dotted line E, E, Figure 7, attached to their
outer edges, and carried over pulleys, as at F, F, above the attachments of the
suspending tapes D, D. These tilting tapes are caught upon hooks or buttons
on the suspending tapes, or on the inner edge of one of the leaves. When
the leaves are suspended by their lower and inner angles b', b', as well as by
the upper angles, they tilt upon these lower angles as on a centre, see Figure 7.
The suspending tapes or cords are double, cach playing over a roller at top.
One tape D, D, is attached to the lower angle 6' of each leaf, and the other
suspending tape D₁ is attached by short straps d, d, to each upper angle A.
As the tapes are made to play over the rollers above, the leaves are tilted as
much as, the,short straps d, d, allow them..
The blind is hoisted by means of a long cylindrical log of wood or metal L,
suspended on axes to the window or door head in a line with the inner edge
of the blind. Two cords G, G, attached to the inner edge of the lowermost
leaf or frame of the blind at g, but to none others, ascend direct to small
pulleys or drums 1, 1, formed one near each end on the suspending rod or
roller L, L, and two other cords or chains H, H, attached at g', g', near the
same points 9, 9, of the lower leaf, descend to pulleys J, J, one on either side,
fixed by springs to the bottom frame of the window or door, and passing round
these pulleys ascend to the suspending roller above, where they simply pass
over or make one or two turns round the roller in their way to pulleys h, h,
fixed to the boxing of the blind in a line with its outer edge, whence they
descend to the bottom of the blind, and are fixed to the outer edge B of its
lowermost leaf or frame. As the roller L, L, is turned round, the cords G, G,
are coiled upon it, and raise the inner. edge of the leaf or frame, and at the
same time act upon the cords H, H, winding them. over the roller, so as to
raise the outer edge of the lower leaf or frame. As this leaf rises, it lifts in
succession all those above it into the boxing. The rod or roller L, L, is turned
by lapping spirally.round it a chain of weights, strung on a string.or sewn in

page_text: a canvas bag. As this chain uncoils, it varies in weight and balances the
varying weight of the blind. When a chain of varying weights is not em-
ployed, the raising of the blind is effected by means of an endless cord M, M,
which is coiled one or more times round the roller L at one end, and passes
below through a stop pulley N, shown on a larger scale in Figure 8, which I
make thus:-Two flat wedges 0, 0, of wood or metal, grooved at their outer
edges to receive the cord M, M, by acting against each other, wedge the cord
against the slides P, P, of a metal case (of which P, R, P, R, is a section),
which contains them and the pulley S. These wedges are eased by twisting
the handle T, which acts upon them by pins t, t, and when let go, the handle
is recoiled by a spring, which thus tends to drive the wedges over each other,
and clip the cord tight. When the blind is heavy, power is given to the cord
M by enlarging the diameter of the part of the roller it is lapped over.
In witness whereof, I, the said Julius Jeffreys, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
JULIUS JEFFREYS. (L.S.)