IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO SUN BLINDS
Year: 1884

page_text: We BENJAMIN BOOTHROYD of Southport in the county of Lancaster, Cabinet
Maker, and JOHN DOHERTY of the same place, Foreman in the employ of the said
Benjamin Boothroyd, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO SUN BLINDS "to be as follows:-
In sunblinds for household use especially it is very desirable to have a bonnet or
hood so that without drawing up the blind the occupants of the house can see out,
If however a stiff hood capable of withstanding a wind be added to the blind, it
has hitherto been found impossible to wind said blind up beyond the top of the
hood.
Now our invention is designed to obviate this evil, and to form a hood or series
of hoods one above the other stiff enough to withstand the wind, yet capable of
being rolled up on a spring or other roller as if only an ordinary boodless blind.
Our invention consists in forming the hood or hoods with jointed props so arranged
that while stiff enough when in working position, it or they can fold up and cause
no impediment when the blind is wound or rolled up.
In carrying out our invention, we form the top and bottom boundaries of the
hole left in the blind for the hood of a horizontal stiffening lath extending
completely across the blind and sewn into the material. The object of the
stiffening laths is to prevent puckering or bulging of that part of the blind through
the strain brought upon it by the hood. The lower front edge of the hood is also
a covered lath, and between this lath and the lower cross lath the jointed props of
the hood are fixed abutting at each end on one of said laths. The jointed props
can either be two hinged flat bars hinged together so as to be rigid vertically but
capable of rotation on their hinges horizontally and maintained in place by spring
catches-by passing the vertical line-by metallic sheaths slipped over the centre
joints to hold them rigid or in any other manner; Or instead of these hinged rods
the hood could be caused to project by a horizontal lazy-tong movement, the lazy-
tong bars having locking pieces or springs to hold them distended or folded.
A third plan to be adopted is the use of two single bars hinged to or near each
end to the lower cross bar and the hood bottom bar, and fitting into catches on the
other, but which when not in use lie back flat against the lath they are hinged to,
and are held there by a spring catch. It will however be seen by the three

page_text: examples above that the props can be made in a variety of ways-the sole important
points being: 1st. That they shall fold and be flat against the lath when the blind
is rolled up.
2nd. They shall when expanded be capable of remaining stiff against
the force of a reasonable wind. 3rd. They shall afford a support to the sides of
the hood. The sun-blind is mounted on spring or other rollers in the usual manner,
and held from flying out by the cord or cords at the bottom attached to terminal
strengthening lath. There can be several hoods one above the other, and, if the
lower ones are stiffened by flexible steels or their equivalent, the hinged props can
be omitted in the lower ones, as these can be tied by tension cord or cords to the
uppermost one.
CM: 1004

page_text: We BENJAMIN BOOTHROYD, Southport, Lancashire, Cabinet Maker, and JOHN
DOHERTY of the same place, Foreman in the employ of the said Benjamin
Boothroyd, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO SUNBLINDS" and in what manner the same is to
be porformed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
In sunblinds for household use especially it is very desirable to have a bonnet
or hood so that without drawing up the blind the occupants of the house can see
out.
If however a stiff hood capable of withstanding a wind be added to the
blind, it has hitherto been found impossible to wind said blind up beyond the top
of the hood.
Now our invention is designed to obviate this evil and to form a hood or series
of hoods one above the other stiff enough to withstand the wind, yet capable of
being rolled up on a spring or other roller as if only an ordinary hoodless blind.
Our invention consists in forming the hood or hoods with jointed props so arranged
that while stiff enough when in working position, it or they can fold up and cause
no impediment when the blind is wound or rolled up.
The
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings,
in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an actual blind discovered by us.
Figures 2. 3 and 4 views of hinges and slides. We form the top and bottom
boundaries of the hole A left in the blind for the hood of a horizontal stiffening
lath B and C extending completely across the blind and into the material.
object of the stiffening laths is to prevent puckering or bulging of that part of the
blind through the straining brought upon it by the hood. The lower front edge of
the hood is also a covered lath, and between this lath and the lower cross lath C
the jointed props of the hood are fixed abutting at each end on one of said laths.
The jointed props can either be two hinged flat bars hinged together so as to be
rigid vertically but capable of rotation on their hinges horizontally and maintained
in place by spring catches-by passing the vertical line--by metallic sheaths slipped
over the centre joints to hold them rigid or in any other manner; Or instead of
these hinged rods the hood could be caused to project by a horizontal lazy-tong
movement, the lazy-tong bars having locking pieces or springs to hold them
distended or folded. A third plan to be adopted is the use of two single bars
hinged at or near each end to the lower cross bar and the hood bottom bar, and
fitting into catches on the other, but which when not in use lie back flat against
the lath they are hinged to, and are held there by a spring catch.
In the drawing the props E are jointed at each end with a common hinge F, but
at the end where they abut on the lath C the shorter hinged part is made in the
form of a sliding clasp G sliding on a bar H secured to C, so that the entire hinged
bar can fold up flat against C and between C and D. When the blind has to be
rolled up, the sliding clasps G are slid along the bar H by hand and the blind rolled
up in ordinary course. It will however be seen by the three examples above described
that the props can be made in a variety of ways-the sole important points being
1st. That they shall fold and be flat against the lath when the blind is rolled up.
2nd. They shall when expanded be capable of remaining stiff against the force of
a reasonable wind. 3rd. They shall afford a support to the sides of the hood.
I I are cords used only when there is a second hood below the first; these are
fastened to lath D as shown and to a corresponding lath in the lower hood. We
prefer however in almost all cases to have only one hood so these cords are shewn
only in dotted lines.

page_text: The sun-blind is mounted on spring or other rollers in the usual manner and
held from flying out by the cord or cords at the bottom attached to terminal
strengthening lath. Where there are several hoods one above the other the lower
ones can be stiffened by flexible steels or their equivalent, and the hinged props
omitted in the lower ones, as these can be tied by tension cord or cords I I to the
uppermost one as described.
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
1st. The manufacture of sun blinds having hoods, forming stiff and comparatively
rigid projections therefrom when in use, but capable of being folded up against the
blind and rolled up practically flat with it on the roller substantially as described.
2nd. The hoods having hinged or folding side struts and laths B C and D,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
3rd. The jointed props hinged to the one lath and sliding on the other so as to
be capable of standing out rigidly at right angles to the laths when in use, or of
lying parallel with and between them when rolled up, substantially as and for the
purposes described.