CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS; IN. THE CONSTRUCTION OF WINDOW SASHES; AND IN THE MODE, OF HANGING, THE SAME
Year: 1830

page_text: TO. ALL TO. WHOM THESE.. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PROSSER, of the City; of Worcester,, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS. His late most. Excellent Majesty King George, the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great, Britain,. bearing
date at Westminster, the. Sixth day of March, in the year of our. Lord One
thousand eight hundred, and thirty,,and, in the eleventh-year; of. His reign, did,
for Himself,. His heirs. and successors,; give, and, grant unto me, the said
Thomas Prosser, His especial licence, that: I,, the, said Thomas. Prosser,; my
heirs, executors; administrators, and assigns,, should and. might make, use,
exercise;, and! vend, within England;,Wales,; and the Town, of Berwick-upon-
Tweed," my Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS; IN. THE CONSTRUCTION OF
WINDOW SASHES; AND IN THE MODE, OF HANGING, THE SAME;".in. which said Letters
Patent: is contained a proviso, that if I,, the said Thomas. Prosser, should
not particularly describe and ascertain, the nature, of my said, Invention,, and
inawhat manner the same; is, 'to.be, performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal; and cause: the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months, next; and immediately,
after the date of, the said in part) recited. Letters: Patent, that then.. the said
Letters Patent; and: all liberties and advantages whatsoever. thereby granted,
shall: utterly cease,; determine; and become void, as in and, by, the same,
reference: being! thereunto had, will more fully, and at large, appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliances of the said promise, I,, the said
Thomas: Prosser; do hereby declare: that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed; are particularly described

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
"My Invention of certain improvements in the construction of window
sashes, and in the mode of hanging the same, are applicable to that description
of window sashes which are hung or suspended from cords, and slide up and
down in their frames, and are intended to render the sashes or windows more
securely weather-tight, so as to keep out wind and rain, and by which improve-
ments I am enabled to make them of a more simple construction than those
in common use; and these improvements also consist in a peculiar mode of
hanging or suspending the sashes, which will allow of their being turned
inside out for the purpose of more readily getting at the outside (or that part
which is exposed to the weather, of both the upper and lower sash, and by which
either or both of the sashes may easily be removed from out of the window
frame.
That part of my Invention by which I am enabled to form a better weather-
tight joint than heretofore used in sashes of the common construction consists
of projecting ribs or tongues on the sides of the frames of the window, which
ribs or tongues fit into grooves in each side of the sashes, and thus exclude
the weather in a more perfect manner. These ribs or tongues also. serve as
guides for keeping the sash in its place as it slides up and down the window
frame, and extend the whole length of each sash; but that belonging to the
lower or inside sash is made to slide in a groove extending from the top to the
bottom of the window frame, for the purpose of allowing the projecting ribs or
tongues to be raised up to the top part of the window frame and out of the
groove in the sash, so as to allow of this sash being turned inside out for
the purpose of more readily getting at the outside of the sash; and this move-
ment of the rib or tongue belonging to the lower sash, will allow of the same
operation being performed on the upper sash, when it is pushed down to the
bottom of the window frame, the lower sash being previously raised with its
projecting rib to the top of the window, when there will be nothing projecting a
beyond the flat side of the window frame to obstruct the upper sash from
being turned inside out.
Another part of my improvement is in the manner of hanging the sashes,
and consists of a peculiar mode of attaching or connecting the sashes to the
sash lines or suspending cords, which mode of connecting will allow of the a
sashes turning in the joint or point of suspension freely, but without disuniting.
the sash from the suspending cord, and also allow of either or both the sashes
being disunited from the sash lines and removed out of the window frame.
And these improvements also consist in the hanging or suspending both sashes.

page_text: from one sash line or cord, so that the weight of one sash will balance the
other, by which I am enabled to dispense with the double cords, pullies, and
the sash weights used in the windows of the common construction, all of which
improvements will be better understood by the Drawings hereunto annexed
and the following description thereof, the same letters of reference referring
to similar parts in all the Figures, that is to say :-
Fig. 1 is a front view of a window frame and sashes complete, as they
appear when closed; Fig. 2 is a section taken vertically through the same..
Fig. 3 is a front view of a window with the sashes partly opened; Fig. 4 is a
section of the same. Fig. 5 is another front view of a window with the lower
or inside sash turned inside out; Fig. 6 is a section of the same; Fig. 7 is a
section taken horizontally through the window frame; and Fig. 8 is another
section taken vertically through the same, but with the sashes removed, for the.
purpose of shewing the grooves and projecting ribs or tongues. a, a, a, a, is the
framework of the window; b, b, is the upper sash, and c, c, the lower. These
sashes are suspended from the sash lines or cords by a peculiar formed joint
d, d, described hereafter. e, e, are the projecting ribs or tongues on the side of
the window frames, which project into the groove f, f, in the lower sash c, c, by
which a weather tight joint is formed when the window sash is shut down or
closed. These ribs also serve as guides to keep the sash in its place as it
moves up and down in the frame of the window, and prevent the rattling or .
shaking of the window sash in the frame. The rib of the lower sash e, e, is
made to slide up and down in a groove 9, 9, in the side of the window frame
a, ä, and has small springs h, h, (see Fig. 10 and 11, which are detached views
of the projecting rib or tongue when taken out of the frame,) affixed at the
back for the purpose of keeping it in the groove f. When the bottom sash c, c,
is to be turned inside out, the rib e is to be raised up to the top of the window
frame, sliding in the groove g (see Figs. 8 and 9), and the sash pushed down
to the bottom of the window frame, when the rib being out of the way, the sash
will be allowed.to turn freely on the suspending joints d, d. When the upper
sash is to be turned, the lower one is to be raised up to the top of the window,
with its projecting rib, and the upper sash b, b, to be lowered to the bottom of.
the window frame, (leaving its rib, which in this instance is fixed to the side
of the window frame,) and will now be free to turn on its pivots at d, d. In all
the foregoing Figures the sashes are shown both connected to one suspending
cord or sash line i, i, which is passed over a pully j, turning on bearings in the
side frame of the window, and as one sash is raised the other will be lowered,
their movements being simultaneous. When the sashes are to be raised, so as.
to turn on the point of suspension, and also allow of their being taken out of

page_text: "
the window frame, I-use-the following mode of connecting them to the sash
lines or suspending cords: On-the end of the sash line is firmly attached the
piece of iron or other metakk, having a slotor-reyesin it:(shown more -par-
ticularly in the detached Figures 12, 13, and 14), which piece with the cords
move up and down in the grooves LE, in the side frame of the window. On
the side of the sash frame is the projecting studzor pivotam, having its end
formed into the shape of a T, and which "stud is-to-be introduced into the slot
in the piece k, and when put together, as shewn in Fig. 12; the connection is
complete, and the sash will be allowed to turn on the pivot in the slot. of the
suspending piece k without danger of their being disunited; the groove 'l, il
keeping the union complete, the cord and .suspending piece being. in the
groove and out of the way of the sash as it is turned. When it is desired:to
take one or both of the sashes out of the window frame, the sash is to be
turned into the horizontal position, and either side of it raised up, and the cord.
taken out of the groove 'L, when it can be disunited from the <suspending piece
k, and on the other end. being taken out of the other groove, it can also be
disunited from the sash, which is now free to be taken away: On putting a sash
into the window framo again, one of the suspending pieces' are: to be connected
to the pivot and put into the groove; then the other cord is to be attached to the
other stud and put into its groove and lowered to the horizontal position, when.it
may be turned into its proper position in the window frame; should the sus-
pending cords or sash lines at any time become stretched and require adjusting,
I use the following mode of-so doing it a part of the side frame n'of the
window, in which the pulley jis-mounted, is made to take out of the side
frame, and with it the pulley and sash line, as shewn in the detached Figs. 16
and 15. j is the pulley-before mentioned, which turns in--its-bearing in the
piece p:
On this piece.p is a dovetail piece, which fits into the groove-in the
piece of the side frame n; on the bottom of the piece p is the adjusting screw r;
the head of this 'screw.rests on the solid part of the side-frame a when the
sashes are in the window frame, and. on turning this screw round the pulley
an be raised of lowered in its position as regards the sashes; the piece:p
sliding in the groove in the piece 'n; thereby always keeping theijoint: in.the
framework closed.
Having described particularly the construction of imy improved sashes, and
the manner of hanging or suspending the same, it only remains for.me .to
remark; that when both sashes.are liung or suspended from one cord only, and
which are not intended to turn on their point of suspension, the peculiar mode
of connecting them to the sash lines as described may be dispensed with, and
the cords attached in the usual way; but when the sashes are to be constructed

page_text: so as to take out of the window frame, then I recommend that it should be
used when it is desired to hang or suspend sashes independant of each other,
and which are intended to turn on their point of suspension. The sash lines
or cords may be passed over pullies in the side frames of the window,
and balance weights connected to their ends, as in sashes of the common con-
struction. And I wish it to be understood that I do not mean or intend to
claim as a part of my Invention, the constructing of sashes so as to turn on
pivots or centres, as I am aware that they have been so made and constructed
before; but I do claim as my Invention, the peculiar method of hanging or
suspending them to the sash lines or cords by the joint or connection herein
described, so as to allow of their being disunited without taking out any part
of the window frame, and which also allows of their turning freely in their
centers, and also the manner of hanging or suspending both sashes from one
sash line or cord, and in the manner of adjusting the same; and also in the
application of the projecting ribs or tongues for the purpose of forming a more.
weather-tight joint than heretofore used, and in the making or constructing
of the same so as to slide out of the way when the sashes are to be turned
inside out.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Prosser, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of September, in the year of our Lord
THOMAS (L.S.) PROSSER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of September, in
the first year of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said Thomas
Prosser came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing. therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument aforesaid
was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth
year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Sixth day of September One thousand eight hundred and
thirty.