Improvements in Apparatus for Suspending, Drawing, and Withdrawing Curtains.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Apr., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
TRUVIDIUNA DE MOLTIVATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Suspending, Drawing, and
Withdrawing Curtains.
I, WILLIAM MARSHALL HUSKISSON, of 12 Lancaster Road London W. in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
This invention relates to a method of suspending, drawing & withdrawing
curtains, without employing rings, suspension pins, poles, guides & such devices.
In order to do this I suspend the curtain (in a manner which I will describe later)
on an extensible girder, which is supported at one end on a suitable bracket, that
is to say on a girder the span of which can be altered at will.
In the case of a window having curtains at either side, there will be an extensible
girder supported on a bracket at each side, such brackets being securely fastened
to the window moulding.
The girders are of the double cantilever type, that is to say that the bars of one
set of cantilevers, (which are connected end to end by fitted pins) lay diagonally
across those of the other set, these diagonals being connected at the points of
intersection, (which are the centres of the bars) by a centre pin passing through
both; every alternate centre pin carrying a roller which is free to turn around it,
all these rollers being on the one and the same side of the girder, which is to be
placed nearer to the window ;-In order that the construction of this girder may be
clearly understood, I may mention that if the centre pins (referred to above) were
to be knocked away then there would remain two long separate and distinct bars
made up of a number of short links of equal length jointed together end to end and
having a hole through their centres for the centre pin, when the bars are coupled
together by a centre pin passing through and jointing together a link of one to that
of the other, & so on with all the links each to each, then it becomes a girder made
up of a number of double toggle levers or links. One end of this girder is secured
to a bracket by a turned pin passing through the point of intersection of the two
first links, (that is their centres) this pin being rigidly fixed in the bracket, part of
this bracket runs parallel to the horizontal moulding at the top of the window, and
is of rectangular section and extends a short distance across the window; against
the outer side (i.e. that further from the window) slide the lower half of sides
(i.e. that below the rollers) of alternate toggle links or levers which make up the
girder while the rollers roll on the upper side & so support the girder, a good
sliding fit is insured between the alternate links or levers' lower sides and the outer
side of the rectangular part of the bracket, by rivetting a link (similar in all
respects to those making up the girder) to distance pieces fitted to the ends of the
link or lever carrying the first roller, this link will glide against the inner side
(ie. that nearer the window) of the rectangular part of the bracket; the roller and
this rectangular part will be between these two links.
The girder can be extended by pulling on the centre pin through the last two
diagonal links or levers, in an opposite direction to that of the fixed pin in the
bracket this will alter the angle that the toggle links make with one another, but
the girder remains rigid; when the girder is fully extended across the window, one
end is fixed by the fixed pin and the first roller supports it by bearing on the upper
side of the rectangular part of the bracket, when the girder is closed then all the
rollers are bearing on the upper side of the rectangular part of the bracket.
Cords, for pulling on the last centre pins of the girders and so altering their

page_text: span, are passed over suitable pulleys fitted to the brackets; the course of these
cords may be traced as follows-From one hand of the operator at, (say) right
hand side of window, over pulley in right hand side bracket, across top of window,
the centre pin in last links of right hand side girder are connected to it, then over
pulley in left hand side bracket, back again across the top of the window, the
centre pin in the last links of the left hand side girder being connected to it, then
over pulley in right hand side bracket to operator's other hand; it will be obvious
that if the operator pulls one end of the cord that the girders carrying the curtains
will simultaneously approach one another, & so close the curtains, or if he pulls the
other end then they will simultaneously recede from one another & so open the
curtains by duplicating the cords & pulleys the curtains can be manipulated from
both sides. In case there should be only one curtain to be manipulated and it is
desired that all the gear should be self contained on the bracket, although the
girder can be drawn back by attaching a cord to the last centre pin & passing it
over a pulley in the bracket to the operator's hand as in the previous case, yet in
order to extend the girder it is necessary to pivot a bell crank lever on the bracket,
one crank of which being coupled to a link connecting it to a centre pin in the
girder, while the operating cord is attached to the other crank, so that when the
operator pulls on this cord then the centre pin is forced along in a horizontal
direction and the girder extended throughout its length, or another method is; to
attach a cord to the pin joining the lower ends of two links in the girder and passing
it over a grooved pulley turning around the pin vertically above, joining the ends of
two other levers & from thence to operator, who will be pulling on a toggle joint &
force out the girder.
:-
In the case of a portière curtain :-
The bracket and girder as described above, can be fitted on the door with the
addition of two toggle levers on the hinge side of the door which are pivotted to
an arm attached to the door frame, so that the action of opening the door closes the
girder and the curtain & lifts the curtain off the ground.
I attach the curtains to the girder, by means of a wedging apparatus, consisting
of plates bent so as to form a channel, and rivetted to the centre pins of the girder
(on the opposite side to that on which the rollers are) this channel plate being an
easy fit on the rivet and free to always hang in such a position that the channel is
vertical, the ends are open top and bottom and these as well as the edges at the
front are bell mouthed the back of this channel plate being rivetted to the girder
centre pin; one side of this channel plate is stamped out in a wedge shape recess
to receive a wedge the thick end of which is uppermost, the wedge having teeth on
its face opposite to the plain side of the channel plate, so that when a pleat of the
curtain shall be drawn up through or pushed through the front of the channel, then
the wedge drops and the weight of or a pull on the curtain, merely tightens the
wedge on it so the curtain is held firmer.
It will be cbvious that the same end may be attained by attaching plates to
the centre pins of the girder each plate having two eccentric rollers pivotted in
them in such a position that their lines of throw produced will intersect above the
pivots, so that they will jam on and grip a curtain pleat inserted between their
faces, which could have teeth cut on them, a modification of the above is an angle
plate one side of which is rivetted to the centre pin of the girder & having also
pivotted on it an eccentric roller with teeth cut on its face which is in such a
position as to jam and grip a pleat of a curtain inserted between its face & the
plain side of the angle plate.
In the case of a portière curtain, these fasteners must be rivetted to the end and
not the centre pins of the toggle links, so that the curtain will not only be opened
and closed, but also lowered and raised slightly off the ground by the action of
shutting & opening the door.
Dated this 17th day of July 1895.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Suspending, Drawing, and
Withdrawing Curtains.
WILLIAM MARSHALL HUSKISSON, of 12 Lancaster Road London, West, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 :-
As I have given a description of the general principles underlying my invention
in the Provisional Specification I will now refer more specifically to its
construction.
Figure 1 is an outside elevation of a window fitted with an extensible girder for
carrying a curtain at each side, the right hand side girder is shewn collapsed or
closed up, while the left hand side girder is shewn extended or fully open.
Figure, 2, is a view shewing a spring clip for suspending the curtain.
Figure, 3, illustrates the method employed for retaining the girder a sliding fit
against the supporting bracket.
Figure, 4, is a detail view of the supporting bracket.
Figure 5, is a view illustrating the method employed for manipulating one
curtain alone.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
The girder is made up of the several flat links, C, C, C, (rivetted together at
their centres and ends as shewn), the girder is supported on the bracket B (Fig. 4)
by the first centre pin being fixed at V, while the other centre pins H carry rollers G
which roll on the top of the bar part of B, the flat link F being rivetted to C, the
bar part of B being between them so retains the girder a sliding fit against the
bracket, which is secured to the window moulding A by screws through the lugs T,
the cord P for moving the girders passes over the roller K in the left hand bracket
(Fig. 1) across the window and is secured to D the centre pin in the last two links
in the right hand girder, then around roller K in bracket carrying this girder, across
window & is secured to D in opposite girder then over roller K in left hand side
girder bracket & is seen marked O.
The clip E for holding the curtains is a spring plate bent to the form shewn, is
secured to the centre pin H by a bayonet slot, the curtain is held between the jaws
of the clip.
It will be evident that on pulling end of cord marked O, the girders will be
collapsed & recede from one another, or on pulling cord marked P they will be
extended or approach one another, & the curtains opened or closed.
In order to work one girder from one side, I replace the first two links by
levers M & L (see Fig. 5), the cord S used for collapsing the girder is secured to
the centre pin of the last two links but the cord R for extending the girder, is
secured to the eye in lever L, passes over roller N in lever M, so on pulling R the
curtain will be closed or on pulling S it will be opened the other details used in this
system being similar to those described above for the previous case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An arrangement and apparatus substantially as shewn & for the purpose
specified.

page_text: 2. The combination of a bracket and extensible girder supported by it at one
end, for the purpose specified.
3. The form of clip E substantially as shewn & for the purpose specified.
Dated this 21st day of April 1896.
WILLIAM MARSHALL HUSKISSON.