CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ROLLERS AND FURNITURE FOR WINDOW BLINDS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Pitcairn Wright, of the Firm of Wright
and Butler, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturers, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ROLLERS
AND FURNITURE FOR WINDOW BLINDS,"
Sealed the 18th July 1869, and dated the 15th January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Pitcairn Wright
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th January 1869.
I, DAVID PITCAIRN WRIGHT, of the Firm of Wright and Butler, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ROLLERS AND FURNITURE FOR WINDOW BLINDS," to be as follows (that
is to say):-
My Invention consists, first, in making blind rollers of wood in two
parts, that is to say, using a strip of wood of a semicircular or other
convenient form with a semicircular or other shaped groove on the flat

page_text: sides, and by cutting off strips so formed in suitable lengths, using two
of such pieces or lengths for a roller, and securing them together by glue
or other mcans,' the internal groove will be continuous and uniform from
end to end with an open joint sufficiently apart to allow the fabric or
material of the blind to pass between in manner following:-A broad
hem is formed on the top of the blind, into which a strip of wood or
other suitable material may be inserted, sliding the same with the blind
into the groove of the roller from the end and securing it by the metal
ends, one of which is used in ordinary rolling blinds, and the other has
a sunken groove to which an ordinary blind cord is connected and
-wound around the same by the drawing down of the blind, the metal
ends having projecting centres in the ordinary way working in brackets
formed on the window frame. The drawing up of the blind is effected
by the pulling of the cord winding the blind on the roller; and to
overcome the weight of the blind I hold the cord in a tension lever
conveniently placed in the same position on the window frame as the
ordinary rack or blind pulley is now placed, that the convenient or ready
release of the lever by the finger will free the cord, when the blind will
roll down by its own gravity or by the aid of a small centre cord and
tassel attached to the lower hem of the blind.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Pitcairn Wright in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
PITCAIRN WRIGHT, of the Firm of Wright and Butler, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
• Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said David Pitcairn Wright, Her
special license that I, the said David Pitcairn. Wright, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said 'David
Pitcairn Wright, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at

page_text: 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ROLLERS AND FURNITURE FOR WINDOW
BLINDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David
Pitcairn Wright, by an instrument in writing under my hand and.scal,
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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Pitcairn Wright, do hereby
declaro 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 (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists, first, in making blind rollers of wood in two
parts, that is to say, using a strip of wood of a semicircular or other
convenient form with a semicircular or other shaped groove on the flat
sides, and by cutting off strips so formed in suitable lengths, using two
of such pieces or lengths for a roller, and securing them together by glue
or other means, the internal groove will be continuous and uniform from
end to end with an open joint sufficiently apart to allow the fabric or
material of the blind to pass between in manner following:-A broad
hem is formed on the top of the blind, into which a strip of wood or
other suitable material may be inserted, sliding the same with the blind
into the groove of the roller from the end, an opening being formed in
the single flanged metal end for allowing the blind proper to pass in,
and scouring such end by screwing in the ordinary way, and the other
metal end has a sunken groove or double flanges, which metal' end I
prefer putting together in parts produced partly by casting, drawing,
and pressing, and fixed together with press tools to which a single
elevating blind cord is connected and wound around the same by the
drawing down of the blind, the metal ends having projecting centres in
the ordinary way working in brackets formed on. the window frame.
The drawing up of the blind is effected by the pulling of: the cord
winding the blind on the roller proper; and to overcome the weight of

page_text: Fig. 1 represents a strip of wood cut off to a suitable length for a blind
roller, by preference of a semicircular form in its transverse section, as
exhibited at Fig. 2, in which strip of wood a groove marked a is formed,
which may be semicircular, as here represented, or of any other con-
venient form, and two of such pieces being secured together by glue or
other means the said internal groove a will be continuous, as will be
seen by reference to Fig. 3, which is a transverse section of a blind roller
thus constructed when the two parts are so secured together, best seen
in the enlarged view at Fig. 4, leaving an open joint 6 at the bottom to
allow the blind to pass freely in, the said blind being formed with a
broad hem at the top to pass over the circular strip of wood or other
material, marked c, shown in a detached view at Fig. 5. Fig. 6 repre-
sents the said rollers connected to the metal ends, marked d and e, ready
for application to the brackets of the window frame by the pins or
axes r, r, the blind stick being represented in dotted lines, an opening
being formed in the single end 'd for allowing the blind and stick to pass
freely into the groove a, as shown in the end view, Fig. 7, marked f,
which end is screwed to the blind roller in the ordinary way. The other
metal end or pulley.e is formed with double flanges, which for expli-
citness I have represented in a longitudinal section, full size, at Fig. 8,
constructed by preference and for the sake of economy, as follows :-I
cut off a length of drawn tube, marked m, and by suitable-tools form the
annular projections g, g, and h, h, on the same, and slide on the said
tube the metal washers i, i, and j, j, forming the flanges of the pulley,

page_text: and by the well-known process of spinning turn over the end of the tube
on the face of the flange i, i, thereby securing it firmly against the annular
projection 9,9; and on the other end I apply the disc of metal, marked k,
with a cast or other pin, marked 2, rivetted or otherwise secured in the
same, forming one of the axis of the roller, and turn the end of the
tube m over the washer k, k, thereby not only securing it in position, but
also holding the flange j, j, firmly against the annular projection h, h.
n is a small hole, which I prefer eyeletted, as it prevents the elevating
cord (hereafter referred to) being rubbed or worn from contact with the
keen edge of the metal, the said cord being first tied in a knot and passed
through the hole from the inside. At Fig. 9 I have 'represented my
improvements applied to a window frame, the blind A being shown in
broken lines. The elevating cord o, o, referred to at Figure 8, is first
passed through the eyeletted hole n of the pulley e before the roller B is
fixed to the said pulley. We will suppose that the blind A with the
stick o has been passed through the groove f of the metal end d into the
groove or recess a of the roller, and the roller with the blind is placed
in the ordinary brackets of the window frame, as here exhibited, the
cord o, o, being at the same time wound on the pulley e, the drawing up
of the blind is effected by the pulling of the cord o, o, balow the detent O,
which will have the effect of unwinding the cord off the pulley e and
winding the blind on the roller B, as hero exhibited, the said detent O
preventing the blind voluntarily unwinding or descending from the
roller B; but when desired to lower the blind it is only necessary to
raise the lower end of the lever p working on the axis q of the detent O,
shown full size detached in front and edge views at Figs. 10 and 11,
thereby freeing the cord, when the blind will, from its own gravity or
by the pulling of the centre cord a, Figure 9, descend to the desired
position, when by the release of the lever p, which will naturally assume
its pendant position, as will be seen by refferring to Figure 11, the cord
will be again gripped or held and the downward couse of the blind
thereby arrested. Fig. 12 represents a detached side view of the lever p,
showing the teeth, marked t, by which the cord, and consequently the
blind, is held in any position desired.
Having thus described the nature and character of my improvements
(which I purpose restricting to roller blind furniture in contra-distinction
to Venetian or other blinds) I wish it understood that I claim, the com-
bination, that is to say, the means for applying and removing the blind

page_text: to the roller proper, the metal ends, the single cord for elevation, and
the detent for holding the said elevating cord, as herein described and
fully set forth, or their equivalents in the whole or general detail without
reference to design, size, or proportion.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Pitcairn Wright, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
W. ROBBY, jun'.
DAVID PITCAIRN WRIGHT. (L.B.)