Improved Means for Lowering the Sashes of Railway and other Carriage Windows.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1899-Accepted, 6th May, 1899
PRUNAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Lowering the Sashes of Railway and other
Carriage Windows.
WE, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer; and VINCENT WALKER HILL, of The Constitutional Club,
Northumberland Avenue, London, Gentleman; do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
This invention has for object to enable railway and other carriage window
sashes to be raised clear of the fence rail and lowered by a single movement of
the operator without the necessity of the latter rising from his seat in the
carriage or making use of the window strap or other contrivance for lifting the
sash over the fence rail.
The invention consists in the combination, with the bottom rail of the sash, of a
short lever bar so hinged to the centre of said rail as to tend to fall inwards over
the garnish rail when the sash is raised, the hinge being preferably fixed to the
sash at such a height as to be about level with the top of the garnish rail when
the window is closed, so that the lever will then project inwardly so as to rest on
the garnish rail in an approximately horizontal position.
When it is desired to lower the sash it is only necessary to depress the free
inner end of the hinged bar, which is thereby caused to act as a lever, fulcrumed
upon the top of the garnish rail, so as to lift the bottom of the sash above the
level of the top of the fence rail. The bar being now held sloping downwards
towards its free inner end, acts as an inclined plane or guide to the sash so that
the latter slides downwards and inwards until clear of the fence rail. When the
sash has thus been brought directly over the well, of the door or other part of the
carriage in which the window is fitted, the hinged bar is released and the sash
drops by its own weight into the well, carrying with it the bar which in descending
is folded so as to lie against the window.
The bar may carry a weighted tablet, or the like, hinged to its free end by a
knuckle joint so as to increase the tendency of the bar to fall inwards over the
garnish rail when the sash is raised, the tablet forming a convenient means of
displaying a notice as to the use of the bar.
In cases where a strap is employed to raise the window sash, the bar may be
attached either directly to the sash, or to the strap near to its junction with the
sash, and would in either case be so arranged as to lie between the strap and the
window when the sash is lowered, the strap serving during the raising of the
sash to prevent the bar catching against any projections within the well such as
that usually formed by the bottom edge of the garnish rail. In cases where no
strap is used, other suitable means would be provided for preventing the bar so
catching.

page_text: Improved Means for Lowering the Sashes of Railway and other
Carriage Windows.
WE, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, and VINCENT WALKER HILL, of The Constitutional Club,
Northumberland Avenue, London, Gentleman, 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:-
.
This invention has for object to enable railway and other carriage window
sashes when in the completely closed position to be raised clear of the fence rail
and nicved inwards for the purpose of being lowered by a downward pressure of
the hand applied through a special lifting device hereafter described, so as to
avoid the necessity of the occupant of the carriage rising from his seat in order to
obtain the necessary lifting power as usual when making use of the window
strap or other known form of sash lifter for lifting the sash over the fence rail.
The invention consists in the combination, with the sash, of a lever so hinged
thereto as to fall over the garnish rail when the sash is in the closed position so
that the lever will then rest on the garnish rail as a fulcrum in position for use
when it is required to lower the sash. For this purpose it is only necessary to
depress the inner end of the lever so as to lift the bottom of the sash inwards
over the fence rail and either bring it directly over the sash well or admit of its
being so brought by the lever sliding upon its fulcrum and acting as an inclined
guide for the sash whereby the latter is caused to move inwards and downwards by
its own weight until it is clear of the fence rail. When the sash has thus been
brought directly over the sash well the lever may be released whereupon the
sash will drop directly into the well the lever folding against the sash in which
position the strap will serve, during the raising of the sash, to prevent the lever
catching against any projections within the well.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sections of an ordinary railway
window sash provided with our improvement, the sash being shewn in the raised
and lowered positions respectively. Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 shew the improvement
as applied to a sash having a flap or bar hinged to its lower edge, as described in
the Specification of a previous Patent dated the 26th day of October 1897
No 24,830; Figures 3, 4, and 5 being respectively an inside face view, plan, and
cross-section of the window with the sash raised while Figure 6 is a cross-section
of the window with the sash lowered.
A is the window sash and B is the strap attached at b to the bottom rail of the
sash in the usual manner for the purpose of raising the sash and lifting it out-
wards over the fence rail C.
D) is the sash lever of the present invention. It is a lever hinged to the sash
at d by means of a plate d' screwed to the bottom rail of the sash and below the
point of attachment of the strap B. The said plate d¹ may be made large enough
to serve also as the means of attachment of the lifting strap B to the sash,
supposing such a strap not to be already provided, and in that case the said plate
also serves to cover over and conceal any cutting away or other defect of the sash
which may be exposed by the removal of an ordinary thumb piece or other sash
lifter which may have previously been applied to the sash. F is the garnish
rail which may or may not be provided with a roller f for the strap B to pass over
as usual, and G is the well in which the sash is received when in the lowered
position.

page_text: The strap B engages with the lever D by passing through a slot da near the free
end of the lever, or otherwise, so that when the sash A is in the raised and closed
position with the flange a which is fixed to its lower edge dropped outwards over
the fence rail C the lever D lies upon the roller f of the garnish rail (or upon the
garnish rail F itself if there be no roller) as a fulcrum, the lever then occupying
a nearly horizontal position, its free end projecting into the carriage in convenient
position to be pressed upon when it is desired to lower the window. The effect of
so pressing upon the free end of the lever D is to rock it upon its fulcrum so that
the free end of the lever describes an arc and the lever is brought to the dotted
position (shewn in Figure 1) thereby raising the lower bar of the sash through an
arc described about the same centre as that about which the lever moves.
movement the flange a of the sash is raised and brought inwards over the fence
rail C until the sash is in a direct line with the well G into which it is to be
dropped. Or, if not thereby brought quite into a direct line with the well, the
lever D occupies such a downwardly inclined position (as shewn in dotted lines)
that by allowing it to slide upon its fulcrum without releasing it it will guide
the sash into a line with the well G so that on releasing the lever the sash will
drop directly into the well. In this position the lever D folds upwards against
the bottom rail of the sash as shewn in Figure 2.
By this
In Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 the sash is shewn as having a bar or flap H hinged to
its lower edge at h to which bar the strap B is attached as shewn at 62 for the
purpose of causing the sash to be forced outwardly over the fence rail when the
sash is raised. This bar forms no part of the present invention but when it is
used and when the strap is attached to it as shewn, the lever I would not engage
with the strap B but would simply rest upon it when in position for operation as
shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5.
In order to prevent the lever rattling against the sash when it is lowered and
to ensure the lever falling into the operative position (shewn in Figures 3, 4,
and 5) directly the sash is raised to its full extent an elastic buffer of rubber,
leather, or other soft material is provided for the lever to bear against, this buffer
throwing the lever quickly over to the position shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5 when
the sash is raised should it not so fall by its own weight which it however tends
to do.
It will be obvious that the lever D instead of being hinged directly to the
bottom rail of the sash might be similarly hinged to the flap or rail H the opera-
tion of the lever being in all respects similar.
The lever is also applicable to a sash unprovided with a lifting strap, means
being taken to prevent the free end of the lever catching against the interior of
the well while the sash is being raised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
The combination, with a railway carriage or similar window sash, of a lever
adapted (when the sash is in the closed position outside of the fence rail) to rest
upon the inner or garnish rail and to project towards the interior of the carriage
in such position that by depression of the free end of the lever the sash will be
lifted inwards over the fence rail into a position to admit of its being lowered
into the sash well substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of February 1899
A M & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.