and Device for Raising and Lowering, Window Blinds, Signal Lamps and other Articles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
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Device for Raising and Lowering, Window Blinds, Signal Lamps and
other Articles.
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We, JOHN SKELLY, Colliery Manager; ALLAN SKELLY, Clerk, and DAVID SKELLY,
Timekeeper, all of 180, Lethanhill by Dunaskin, in the County of Ayr, N.B; 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:
.
The hereinafter described invention refers to apparatus. for raising. and lowering
window blinds, signal lamps and other articles, and shall be illustrated in its
application to window. blinds only, but. its adaptation for other purposes whero
articles are to be raised or lowered for the purpose of show, will be readily, under-
stood. The object of the invention is to so construct such, apparatus that the
raising or lowering of the suspended window blind will involve the expenditure
of the minimum of time and labor.
:
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front view showing the apparatus
applied to a window blind roller. Figure 2 is a front view and Figure 3 an end
view of the raising and lowering mechanism, both being to a larger scale than
shown in Figure 1.. Figures 4 and 5 are modifications of the, raising and lowering
device and of the hand actuating mechanism. Figure 6 shows a further modifica-
tion of the improved apparatus..
:
4.
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Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, A, represents a casing, which carries the
raising and lowering mechanism which casing is carried in front of or behind the
window style B.. C is the blind roller, the spindle D of which is square and fits
a square socket on a spindle E carried in the casing .A and having a small
pinion F secured, upon it. G. is a toothed. wheel secured on a spindle H and
gearing with the pinion F in a ratio preferably varying from 12 to 1, to 24 to 1:
On the side of the casing A. one end of a coil spring I is secured, the other end
being secured to the spindle H, so that when the spindle turns in one direction
according as the blind C is being raised or lowered, the spring I is either uncoiled
or coiled., J is a pulley fixed on the side. of the toothed wheel G to which the
pulling cord J is attached and round which it is is coiled by the lowering of the
blind C. K is a second coil spring wound in an opposite direction to and of
lesser strength than that of the spring I, one, end being secured to the casing and
the other end to a sleeve L on the spindle H. This sleeve, is screw-threaded and
is strung upon a screw-threaded portion .H, of the spindle H, so that the sleeve L
has for a time a turning movement upon the spindle H. and thereafter carries: the
spindle with it as hereinafter described. The lower end of the pulling cord J
is attached to a rod M guided in a slotted tube N, the rod having a handle M
which is entered into notches N₁ in the 'tube, in order..to retain the blind. Cin
any desired position. Around this rod M, and within the tube N a spiral spring:0
is provided and is situated between the handle M¹ and a collar on the upper end
of the slotted tube N.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-

page_text: i
When it is desired to lower the blind C¹ the handle M is released from the
notches N. of the tube N, and the coiled spring K unwinding, turns the sleeve L
upon the spindle H thereby gaining an appreciable momentum before the sleeve L
engages the spindle to lower the blind. sufficiently far to enable the weight of the
latter in conjunction with the action of the spring to provide the power neces-
sary to lower the blind C simultaneously with the coiling of the larger spring I,
in order that the latter may eventually assist in the raising of the blind C¹. When
the blind is falling the velocity naturally increases but this is compensated by the
action upon the rod M of the spiral spring O whose force increases as the velocity
of the blind increases and acting in an opposite direction compels the blind to fall
at a constant speed.
When the blind C is falling which it does automatically after the release of the
handle M¹ from the notches N1, the pulling cord J' is being wound upon the cord
pulley J on which owing to the ratio of gearing of the wheels F, G, it is wound
only one or two convolutions, so that in raising the blind afterwards it is only
necessary to pull the rod M a distance of about three inches, or thereby, in order
, to raise the blind through a distance of six feet.
By the use of the device constructed as described and geared to the raising and
lowering drum as shown, articles such as signal lamps, arc lamps and the like
can be raised or lowered in a comparatively short time at a constant speed, the
pulling cord or chain having only a short distance to travel to effect this, and the
raising and lowering mechanism being so balanced that comparatively little
power is expended in effecting the raising and lowering of the article.
Instead of securing the pulling cord to the rod M as shown at Figures 1, 2
and 3, and where the raising and lowering device is modified as at Figure 4 or
where owing to circumstances the hereinbefore described arrangement would not
be suitable, the cord J may be secured as shown at Figure 5 to a lever arm P
'pivoted at Q and connected to an arm R centred on the same pivot, and carrying
a pawl R which engages a toothed quadrant S to retain the arm in any desired
position. The lever is connected to the pawl arm by means of a loop R on the
arm R and a pin P¹ on the actuating lever arm P, the manner of connecting these
admitting of the actuating arm being traversed far enough to allow of a pin Pa
upon it acting on the pawl R¹ to raise said pawl out of the teeth of the quadrant S.
When the blind is being raised the pawl R is lifted out of the teeth of the
quadrant S and the lever arm P is actuated by hand through the arc of a circle,
and when the blind is being lowered, the lever arm P is actuated in the opposite
direction to start the apparatus, the combined weight of the blind C¹ and the
strength of the spring. U which takes the place of the coiled spring K, (which is
dispensed with in the modifications shown at Figure 5,) eventually effecting the
lowering of the blind. A spiral spring V is provided for regulating the velocity
of the descent of the blind.
Either of the hand actuating devices described in Figures 2 and 5 may be
employed or where a horizontal pull is desired the form of these may be suitably
modified.
Figure 6 shows the improved raising and lowering apparatus applied direct
on the blind or winding roller C and is modified accordingly. a is a tube slipped
on to one end of the blind or winding roller C and secured thereto by screws, or
otherwise, these together forming the blind or winding roller, the tube a being
closed at c and d by screw threaded collars each having a central hole in it in which
a hollow slotted tube b is centred. This tube is fixed in a bracket e carried
either on the outside or inside surface of the window style X. On the tube. b. a
sliding collar
is strung and is free to move longitudinally of the tube 6 being
prevented from turning thereon by a pin h which passes through the collar
and
through slots b' in the tube b, these slots being of such length as to allow the
collar a few inches of travel. A pulling cord J is secured to the pin h and
passes through the tube 6 and over a pulley e¹ in the bracket e. A screw thread
of quick pitch or a double or treble thread is formed on the outer periphery of the
9

page_text: collar and a corresponding thread or threads is or are formed on the inner
periphery of the tube a so that when the collar g is pulled by means of the cord J¹,
to pull up the blind, the outer tube a is caused to revolve and take up the blind,
a very short travel of the pulling cord being all that is necessary for raising the
blind a number of feet. À spiral spring i is situated between the fixed collar o
and the sliding collar g to assist in the raising of the blind C or other article, the
blind, when freed so that it can drop, falling by its own weight and compressing
the spring so that its power is stored to afterwards assist the raising operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The improved device for raising and lowering window blinds, railway signal
lamps and other articles constructed and arranged in a manner substantially as
herein before described with reference to the various figures of the accompanying
drawings.
2. A device for use in raising and lowering articles comprising a toothed
wheel G keyed on a spindle H, a coil spring one end of which is fixed to the
spindle H and the other end to a stationary casing A, a cord pulley J secured to
and rotating with the toothed wheel G, a cord J¹ secured to said pulley J and to
an actuating rod M, a slotted and notched tube N in which the rod M works, and
a second coil spring K of lesser strength than the first mentioned, having one
end secured to the stationary casing A and the other to a sleeve L strung upon a
screw-threaded portion H¹ of the spindle H, the device being geared to the
spindle D of the raising and lowering drum C, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. A device for use in raising and lowering articles comprising a toothed
wheel G keyed on a spindle H, a coil spring I one end of which is secured to the
stationary casing A and the other end to the spindle H, a cord pulley J secured to
and rotating with the toothed wheel G, a cord J attached to said pulley J and to.
a lever arm P connected to a pawl lever R, a spring pawl R' centred on the latter
lever R, a toothed quadrant Swith which the pawl R¹ engages, a spiral spring U
connected to the lever arm P to assist the lowering of the article and a second
spiral spring V also connected to the lever arm P for regulating the speed of the
falling article, substantially as described.
4. A device for use in raising and lowering articles comprising a screw threaded
tube a secured to the raising and lowering roller engaging a sliding screw
threaded collar g, a pin h in said collar 9 passing through a slotted tube b and
attached to a pulling cord J, the latter passing through the tube b and over a
pulley el in a bracket e, a spiral spring i situated between the sliding collar g and
a stationary collar e substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1898.
JOHN SKELLY.
ALLAN SKELLY.
DAVID SKELLY.