NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR MECHANISM FOR SETTING SWING LOOKING GLASSES IN ANY REQUIRED POSITION, AND FOR SETTING WINDOWS, VENTILATORS, FAN LIGHTS, AND OTHER SWINGING ARTICLES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frank Simons, of Edgbaston, in the County of
Warwick, Merchant's Clerk, for an Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS OR MECHANISM FOR SETTING SWING LOOKING GLASSES IN ANY
REQUIRED POSITION, AND FOR SETTING WINDOWS, VENTILATORS, FAN LIGHTS,
AND OTHER SWINGING ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frank Simons at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1880.
WILLIAM FRANK SIMONS, of Edgbaston, in the County of Warwick, Merchant's
Clerk. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR MECHANISM FOR SETTING SWING
LOOKING GLASSES IN ANY REQUIRED POSITION, AND FOR SETTING WINDOWS,
VENTILATORS, FAN LIGHTS, AND OTHER SWINGING ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts herein after
described of apparatus or mechanism to be applied to swing looking glasses and
other swinging articles, whereby the position of the looking glass or article can be
readily adjusted, and the looking glass or article fixed in its adjusted position.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a swing looking glass.
The looking glass is supported as usual on two uprights, the position of the
glass with respect to the bearings on which it turns being, by preference, such that
when at liberty to move the lower part of the glass retires, so that if it were to
pass. into a horizontal plane the glass or reflecting side would be undermost. One
of the bearings on which the glass turns, by preference that on the left hand side,
is of the ordinary kind. The other bearing is constructed as follows:-A metallic
plate to be fixed by screwing or otherwise to the innerside of the top of the
upright carries a short fixed axis, and a second metallic plate to be fixed by
screwing or otherwise to the looking glass frame has a hole in its middle through
which the axis on the first named or upright plate passes, the end of the axis
being riveted; the two plates are thus connected together, but one can rotate
without the other. The frame plate has a ratchet wheel concentric with the axis,
and on the plate of the upright is a spring pawl which takes into the teeth of the
said ratchet wheel. The said pawl has a lever or thumb plate by pressing on
which the pawl can be raised from the ratchet wheel. The positions of the
ratchet teeth and pawl with respect to the plates carrying them are such, that

page_text: when the plates are fixed to the upright and frame respectively, the looking glass
is prevented from moving in the way its balancing gives it a tendency to move.
When it is required to give the glass a greater inclination it may be moved either
by pressing back the top, or drawing forward the bottom without acting on the
pawl lever, as in moving in the direction indicated the teeth of the ratchet wheel
slide under the pawl. When however it is required to move the glass in the
opposite direction it is necessary to press upon the pawl lever, so as to raise the
pawl from the ratchet wheel. The glass them moves in the required direction, or
may be moved by gentle pressure if the parts work stiffly, and when it has reached
the required inclination it may be fixed in that position by ceasing to press the
pawl lever. The pawl again engages in the ratchet wheel, and arrests the further
motion of the glass.
In order to give greater certainty of action to the pawl, I prefer to make it with
two teeth engaging in two teeth of the ratchet wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed 1
by the said William Frank Simons in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th July 1880.
WILLIAM FRANK SIMONS, of Edgbaston, in the County of Warwick, Merchant's
Clerk. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR MECHANISM FOR SETTING SWING
LOOKING GLASSES IN ANY REQUIRED POSITION, AND FOR SETTING WINDOWS,
VENTILATORS, FAN LIGHTS, AND OTHER SWINGING ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts herein after
described of apparatus or mechanism to be applied to swing looking glasses and
other swinging articles, whereby the position of the looking glass or article can be
readily adjusted and the looking glass or article fixed in its adjusted position.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a swing looking glass.
The looking glass is supported as usual on two uprights, the position of the
glass, with respect to the bearings on which it turns, being by preference, such
that when at liberty to move the lower part of the glass retires, so that if it were
to pass into a horizontal plane the glass or reflecting side would be undermost.
One of the bearings on which the glass turns, by preference that on the left hand
side, is of the ordinary kind. The other bearing is constructed as follows:-A
metallic plate to be fixed by screwing or otherwise to the inner side of the top of
the upright carries a short fixed axis, and a second metallic plate to be fixed by
screwing or otherwise to the looking glass frame has a hole in its middle through
which the axis on the first named or upright plate passes, the end of the axis
being rivetted or otherwise fixed. The two plates are thus connected together, but
one can rotate without the other. The frame plate has a ratchet or ratchet wheel
concentric with the axis, and on the plate of the upright is a spring pawl which
takes into the teeth of the said ratchet wheel. The said pawl has a lever or thumb
plate by pressing on which the pawl can be raised from the ratchet wheel. The

page_text: positions of the ratchet teeth and pawl, with respect to the plates carrying them,
are such that when the plates are fixed to the upright and frame respectively, the
looking glass is prevented from moving in the way its balancing gives it a tendency
to move. When it is required to give the glass a greater inclination it may be
moved either by pressing back the top, or drawing forward the bottom without
acting on the pawl lever, as in moving in the direction indicated the teeth of the
ratchet wheel slide under the pawl. When however it is required to move the
glass in the opposite direction it is necessary to press upon the pawl lever, so as
to raise the pawl from the ratchet wheel. The glass then moves in the required
direction, or may be moved by gentle pressure if the parts work stiffly, and when
it has reached the required inclination it may be fixed in that position by ceasing
to press the pawl lever. The pawl again engages in the ratchet wheel, and arrests
the further motion of the glass.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in edge view, partly in vertical section, a portion
of a swing looking glass to which setting apparatus or mechanism constructed
according to my Invention is applied; Figure 3 represents a front elevation of the
same, and Figure 4 represents the same view as Figure 3, with a part represented
in vertical section; Figure 5 represents the frame plate of the mechanism
separately; Figure 6 represents in edge view the upright plate separately, and
Figure 7 represents the curved ratchet or ratchet wheel separately.
As the mechanism constituting my Invention is applied to one side only of the
swing looking glass, I have only represented that side of the swing looking glass
in conjunction with the said mechanism, the other side of the swing looking glass,
not represented, being provided with the ordinary bearing.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
a is the right hand upright of the swing looking glass, and b is the frame of the
swing glass. To the top of the inner side of the upright a a metallic plate c is
fixed by the screws d, d. This plate is shown separately in edge view in Figure 6.
Projecting from the plate c is a rivetted pin or axis e. Fixed by the screws f, f, to
the looking glass frame b is a second metallic plate g (shown separately in Figure 5).
The two plates c and g are connected together in the manner herein after described.
Jointed at 2 to the upright plate c is a pawl h pressed upon by the spring i.
The said pawl h is furnished with a lever or thumb plate h³ for moving it. Fixed
to the frame plate g is a curved ratchet or portion of a ratchet wheel k, which
turns upon the axis or pin e on the upright plate c. The curved ratchet kis
concentric with the said pin or axis e, and with the teeth of this ratchet the spring
pawl h engages, as represented in Figures 1 and 2. The ratchet k is secured to
the frame plate g, and the frame plate g and upright plate c are connected together
in the following manner :-
The ratchet c is furnished with a hole of a size proper to take upon the pin or
axis e on the plate c. The ratchet has also a square shoulder m, and the frame
plate g has a square hole g³ in it of a size proper to take upon the square shoulder m
on the said ratchet.
In putting the parts of the mechanism together the ratchet k is passed onto the
pin or axis e on the plate c, and the square hole gå in the other plate g is passed onto
the square shoulder m on the ratchet k, the end of the axis e projecting from the
outer face of the plate g. A washer n (see Figure 4) being placed on the pro-
jecting end of the axis e, the said axis is rivetted upon the said washer. The two
plates c, g, are thus connected together, and the ratchet connected to the plate g.
The two plates c and g being fixed by screws to the upright a and glass frame b
respectively, as represented in Figures 3 and 4, on the movement of the swing
glass the plate g and ratchet k move with the said glass, the said ratchet rotating
upon the pin or axis e of the fixed or stationary plate c on the upright a.
The positions of the teeth of the ratchet k and the pawl h with respect to the

page_text: plates g, c, carrying them, are such that when the said plates are fixed to the
upright and frame respectively, as described and represented, the looking glass is
prevented from moving in the way its balancing gives it a tendency to move, that
is, in the direction of the arrows Figures 1 and 2, by the engagement of the spring
pawl h with the ratchet k.
When it is wished to move the glass from the upright position Figure 1 to the
inclined position represented in Figure 2, or into an intermediate position, it may
be moved either by pressing back the 'top or drawing forward the bottom of the
glass without acting upon the pawl lever h³, as in moving the glass in a direction
contrary to that indicated by the arrows the ratchet slides under the pawl h.
When however it is wished to move the glass in the opposite direction, that is, in
the direction indicated by the arrows, it is necessary to press upon the pawl lever h³,
so as to raise the pawl h from the teeth of the ratchet k. The glass now moves in
the required direction, and when it has reached tho required inclination the glass
may be fixed in that position by lifting the hand from the pawl lever h³, when the
pawl h again engages by the action of its spring i in the teeth of the ratchet k, and
thereby arrests the further motion of the glass. In order to limit the motion of
the glass in either direction, a curved slot p is made in the ratchet k, which slot
works upon a fixed stud q on the frame upright c.
When a complete ratchet wheel, instead of a portion of a ratchet wheel, as
represented, is used, the limiting pin and slot represented in Figures 1 and 2 are
not required.
In order to give greater certainty of action to the pawl, when the mechanism is
used with heavy swing looking glasses, the pawl may be made with two teeth
engaging in two teeth of the ratchet or ratchet wheel, but for ordinary purposes
the pawl need only have a single tooth, as represented in the Drawing.
I apply my Invention to the setting or adjusting and fixing the position of
swing windows, ventilators, fan lights, and other swinging articles, substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing with respect
to a swing looking glass.
Having now described the nature of iny Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
the new or improved apparatus or mechanism for setting swing looking glasses in
any required position, and for setting windows, ventilators, fan lights, and other
swinging articles herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, apparatus or mechanism for the purpose described, con-
sisting essentially of a curved ratchet or ratchet wheel carried by the swing
looking glass or other swinging article, with which ratchet or ratchet wheel a
spring pawl provided with a lever or thumb plate on the upright or fixed part of
the swing looking glass or article engages, the several parts being constructed,
arranged, and operating substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frank Simons, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM FRANK SIMONS. (LS.)