IMPROVE- MENTS IN WINDOW SASHES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Allen, of Little Smith Street, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDOW SASHES."
Sealed the 14th August 1860, and dated the 15th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Allen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
February 1860.
I, THOMAS ALLEN, of Little Smith Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW SASHES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in window sashes consist in so hanging them that whilst
they present all the appearance & have all the facilities of ordinary sliding
sashes, they have further the capability of lowering or falling horizontally
within the house or building for the purpose of cleaning them; I fit sliding
pieces in the channels or slides of the window frame, of a thickness rather
more than that of the beads; these pieces have the sash lines and weights
attached to them, all in the manner of ordinary windows. Between these
sliding cheeks or pieces I fit the glazed sashes, rebating them thereto to form
as tight a joint as possible; at the lower part of each sash I dispose centre pins

page_text: or gudgeons, on which the sashes move as on hinges, and on which they are
free to fall towards the interior of the building when they are released and
required to do so. Thus the sashes are free to rise and fall in the ordinary
manner with their counterbalance weights, each moving as a whole with the
sliding pieces, between which they are fitted. Spring or other catches are
applied at the top of the sashes, and attached to sliding cheeks, which catches
secure the sashes in position and connection therewith. The same catches
may also be used to catch in the window frame, in order to prevent the
side cheeks running up when a portion of the weight of sash is removed there-
from. By thus fitting and mounting the sashes the inside of the windows can
be cleaned as usual in their places, while on the other hand-the sashes may be
laid flat on a table, in order to clean the exterior; the pivots on which they
move being at the bottom, the whole of the glass comes within the building. By
this means also both sashes can be lowered and laid horizontally on each other
at the bottom of the window, thus.leaving.nearly the entire area of the window
opening free for moving articles of furniture, for escape from fire, or other
purposes. The sliding pieces for cheeks. before mentioned may be braced
together by light iron ties in the line of the sash rails.if necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Allen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ALLEN, of Little Smith Street, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex,
Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto 'me,
the said Thomas Allen, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Allen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Allen, 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 Bri-
tain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW SASHES," upon the condition (amongst others)

page_text: that I, the said Thomas Allen, my executors or administrators by an instru-
ment 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Allen, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My improvements in window sashes consist in so fitting and hanging them
that whilst they present all the appearance and have all the facilities of
ordinary sliding sashes, they have further the capability of lowering or falling
horizontally within the house or building for the purposes of cleaning them.
For this purpose I fit sliding pieces in the channels or slides of the window
frame, of a thickness rather more than that of the beads. These pieces have
the sash lines and weights attached to them, all in the manner of ordinary.
windows. Between these, sliding cheeks or pieces I fit the glazed sashes,
rebating them thereto to form as tight a joint as possible; at the lower part of
which sash I dispose centre pins or gudgeons, on which the sashes move as on
hinges, and on which they are free to fall towards the interior of the building
when they are released and required so to do. Thus the sashes are free to rise
and fall in the ordinary manner with their counterbalance- weights, each
moving as a whole with the side sliding pieces, between which they are fitted."
Spring or other catches are applied at the top of the sashes, and attached to
sliding cheeks, which catches secure the sashes in position and connection
therewith; these same catches are also used to catch in the window frame, in
order to prevent the side cheeks running up when a portion of the weight of
sash is removed therefrom. By thus fitting and mounting the sashes the inside
of the windows can be cleaned as usual in their places, while on the other
hand the sashes may be laid flat on a table, in order to clean the exterior; the
pivots on which they move being at the bottom, the whole of the glass comes
within the building. By this means also both saslies can be lowered and laid
horizontally, the one upon each other, at the bottom of the window, thus leaving'
nearly the entire area of the window opening free for any purpose that may be
required; it may be for moving articles of furniture; for escape from fire, or
for other purposes. The sliding pieces or cheeks before mentioned may be
braced-together by light iron ties in the line of the sash rails if necessary.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
. Fig. 1 represents an inside front view of a window fitted and arranged
according to my, Invention; Fig..2, a horizontal section on the line 1, 2, sup-
posing the upper sash to be lowered, so that the, section. cuts. both the sashes;
Fig. 3 is a vertical section, showing the sashes as partially removed from the
framing or opening, and as in a position for being cleaned; while Fig. 4
represents one of the sashes detached with the pieces which slide: in the sash
grooves, separated from the sashi..
I make cach of the sashes of three separate pieces a, b, c, d, e, f, b being, the
glazed frame of the upper. sash, and a, c, the side pieces connected, thereto,
while e is the lower glazed frame, and d, f, the side picces connected thereto,
all occupying and sliding in the side or sash grooves of the window. The side
pieces are connected with the sashes, which are suspended by cords and weights,
as usual, the cords being immediately connected with the side pieces, as seen.
The side pieces a, c, d, f, are fitted and slide in the ordinary grooves of case-
ments formed by the beads, as usual; they are each rebated, and receive the
sashes between; they shut from the inside, against such rebates. The sashes
are connected with the side pieces by pin joints g, g, the pins g being formed
on metal plates fixed to the sashes, and received in corresponding metal plates
fixed to the slide pieces, together forming a joint on which the sashes move, as
seen in the section, Fig. 3.
In order to hold the sashes b, e, in position between the side pieces h, h, are
spring catches jointed to the slide pieces; the long arms of these have holes
therein, so that when folded down on the tops of the sashes the horns i enter
the holes to keep them in position. Recesses are cut in the upper part of the
framework to receive these catches of the upper sash, as seen dotted. By this
arrangement it will be seen that the sashes b, c, when liberated by catches h, i,
are free to be moved on joints g, g, towards the interior of the building, and
being narrower than the space between the beads of the window no removal of
the beads is required for that purpose. It will be observed at same time also,
that the broadest part of the rebate of the upper sash is rather narrower than
the narrowest space between the rebates of the sliding pieces d and f of the
lower sash, that therefore the upper sash will fall freely forward between those
pieces d and f, and assume the position of the sashes shown in Fig. 3. In
order to keep the sliding pieces a, c, & d, f, securely in their places when the
sashes are partially removed, I form grooves k, k, in the inside thereof, and
fit thereto angle pieces of iron 1, seen in the horizontal section, Fig. 2, as also
in the front view, Fig. 1, where the framing is partially removed, in order to

page_text: show the same. When the sashes are slid up and down in the window these
pieces traverse the grooves k, and when the sashes are out, as in Fig. 3, they
retain the pieces a, c, d, & f, in position; these pieces I also form stops to the
traverse of the sashes, which are necessary for the upper sash, in order to stop
its descent at the point indicated in Fig. 3, so that the sash 6 may be brought
forward above e, in the position therein shown. The catches h have a further
object, viz., to prevent the weights preponderating and carrying the side pieces
upwards, when the sashes are partially removed, which they do by horns p
thereof entering notches 7 cut in the side frames while they are disconnected
from the horns i, and in the position shown dotted in Fig. 4.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement and com-
bination of parts connected with sliding window sashes, herein-before described
and represented in the Drawings annexed, whereby such window sashes may
be partially removed from their framework without disturbing the beads;.for
the purposes and as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Allen, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
THOS. ALLEN. (L.S.)