IMPROVEMENTS IN RACK PULLEYS FOR THE CORDS OF WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Taylor, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Brassfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RACK PULLEYS FOR THE CORDS OF WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, AND OTHER
ARTICLES."
.
Scaled the 14th October 1870, and dated the 3rd May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd May 1870.
I, SAMUEL TAYLOR, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
** IMPROVEMENTS IN RACK PULLEYS FOR THE CORDS OF WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, AND
OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the combination or arrangement herein-
after described of the parts of rack pulleys for the cords of window
blinds, maps, and other articles, whereby great simplicity in adjusting
the position of the pulley on the rack bar for the purpose of tightening
or releasing the blind or other cord is obtained.

page_text: In constructing a rack pulley according to my Invention I make the
pulley carrier of a square tube, the said pulley carrier sliding freely on
the rack bar of the pulley plate or frame. The said square tube or
pulley carrier is provided with a tubular axis at right angles thereto,
on which axis the pulley around which the blind or other cord passes
turns. In addition to turning on the said axis the pulley is also capable
of a limited sliding motion on the said axis. Fixed to the pulley and
working in the tubular axis described is a sliding tooth, the said tooth
being pressed towards and made to engage with the teeth of the rack
bar by a coiled spring situated in the tubular axis. One end of this
spring bears against a shoulder on the sliding tooth, and the other end
of the spring bears against a shoulder in the tubular axis. When the
pulley carrier or square tube is depressed on the rack bar the sliding
tooth described slips over the teeth of the rack bar, and the blind or
other cord may be tightened to the required extent. When it is
wished to slacken the blind cord or remove it from the pulley, the
pulley carrier has to be raised on the rack bar. This is effected by
pulling forward the pulley on the tubular axis on which it turns. The
sliding tooth fixed to the said pulley is thereby disengaged from the teeth
of the rack bar and the coiled spring by which the sliding tooth is pressed
down is compressed. The pulley carrier can now be raised on the rack
bar to the required extent. On loosing the pulley the coiled spring
presses down the sliding tooth and re-engages it with the rack bar and
fixes the pulley carrier in its adjusted position. The tightening of the
cord may be effected by lifting the sliding tooth from the rack bar,
and depressing the pulley carrier instead of allowing the sliding tooth
to slip over the teeth of the said rack bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
TAYLOR, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brassfounder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of May in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel Taylor, Her special licence that I,
the said Samuel Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Samuel Taylor, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN RACK
PULLEYS FOR THE CORDS OF WINDOW BLINDS, MAPS, AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Taylor, 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Taylor, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the combination or arrangement herein-after
described of the parts of rack pulleys for the cords of window blinds,
maps, and other articles, whereby great simplicity in adjusting the
position of the pulley on the rack bar for the purpose of tightening or
releasing the blind or other cord is obtained.
In constructing a rack pulley according to my Invention I make the
pulley carrier of a square tube, the said pulley carrier sliding freely on
the rack bar of the pulley plate or frame. The said square tube or
pulley carrier is provided with a tubular axis or box at right angles
thereto, on which axis the pulley around which the blind or other cord
passes turns. In addition to turning on the said axis the pulley is also
capable of a limited sliding motion on the said axis. Connected with
the pulley and working in the tubular axis or box described is a sliding
tooth, the said tooth being pressed towards and made to engage with
the teeth of the rack bar by a coil spring situated in the tubular axis.

page_text: works.
One end of this spring bears against a shoulder on the sliding tooth and
the other end of the spring bears against a shoulder of the tubular
axis. When the pulley carrier or square tube is depressed on the rack
bar, the sliding tooth described slips over the teeth of the rack bar, and
the blind or other cord may be tightened to the required extent. When
it is wished to slacken the blind cord or remove it from the pulley, the
pulley carrier has to be raised on the rack bar. This is effected by
pulling forward or outward the pulley on the tubular axis on which it
The sliding tooth connected with the said pulley is thereby
disengaged from the teeth of the rack bar, and the coiled spring by
which the sliding tooth is pressed down is compressed. The pulley
carrier can now be raised on the rack bar to the required extent. On
loosing the pulley the coiled spring presses down the sliding tooth and
re-engages it with the rack bar, and fixes the pulley carrier in its
adjusted position. The tightening of the cord may be effected by lifting
the sliding tooth from the rack bar, and depressing the pulley carrier
instead of allowing the sliding tooth to slip over the teeth of the said

page_text: a,
and
carrier and axis c, c², and tooth d are shown separately in Figure 5.
On the square or tubular axis or box of the pulley carrier is the
pulley e around which the blind or other cord passes. The bush ƒ of
the pulley e (shown separately in Figure 6) is square internally to
receive the square axis or box c², and the exterior of the said bush on
which the pulley e works is cylindrical. The bush f of the pulley is
capable of sliding on the square axis or box c². The stem d of the
spring sliding tooth d passes through the end of the axis or box c², and
is connected by a rivetted head to the flange g of the pulley bush f;
the said sliding tooth d is thereby fixed to the pulley. When the
parts of the rack pulley are in their normal positions, the spring sliding
tooth d is engaged with the rack a, and the pulley carrier is fixed as
represented in Figure 3. By pulling down the pulley carrier by the
flange g, the sliding tooth d slips over the teeth of the rack bar
the said pulley carrier may be adjusted on the rack bar a to the required
extent to effect the tightening of the cord. When it is wished to slacken
the blind or other cord, the flange g of the pulley is pulled outwards.
The bush is thereby made to slide on the axis or box c², and withdraw
the sliding tooth d from the teeth of the rack bar a and compress the
coiled spring e², as seen in Figure 4. The pulley carrier c is thus
released and can be raised on the rack bar a to the required extent.
On loosing the pulley flange g the coiled spring e² presses back the
sliding tooth and re-engages it with the rack bar a, and fixes the pulley
carrier at the required height on the said rack bar. Although I prefer
to make the tubular axis or box c² square or angular in cross section,
yet it may be made cylindrical externally. In this case the pulley
around which the blind or other cord passes works directly on the
tubular axis or box instead of upon a bush, as represented.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in
rack pulleys for the cords of window blinds, maps, and other articles
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, the combination or arrangement of the spring sliding
tooth, tubular axis or box, and sliding pulley for fixing and adjusting

page_text: the position of the pulley carrier on the rack bar, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof; I, the said Samuel Taylor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
SAMUEL TAYLOR. (L.S.)