IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REVOLVING WINDOW SHUTTERS AND BLINDS, IN WINDOW SASH BARS AND PLATES ALSO IN ADDADATHE
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Clark, of Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and Revolving Shutter
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF REVOLVING WINDOW SHUTTERS AND BLINDS, IN WINDOW SASH BARS AND
PLATES ALSO IN ADDADATHE HERD IN SHAH MANURAGH 33
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and Revolving Shutter
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF REVOLVING WINDOW SHUTTERS AND BLINDS, IN WINDOW SASH BARS AND
PLATES ALSO IN ADDADATHS TEED IN CHO MANUFACTURES"
. PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
April 1862.
I, ALEXANDER CLARK, of Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Revolving Shutter Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF REVOLVING WINDOW SHUTTERS AND BLINDS, IN WINDOW SASH BARS
AND PLATES, ALSO IN APPARATUS USED IN SUCH MANUFACTURES," to be as
follows:-
My improvements in revolving shutters and sun blinds consists, firstly, in
the application of flat, coiled, or volute steel tempered springs combined with
a barrel or case of peculiar construction revolving upon an axis, for the
purpose of coiling or rolling up the same. I prefer two of these. spring

page_text: barrels, one on either side of shutter, the top of shutter being attached to the
barrels by screwing or otherwise: The barrels being properly charged before
fixing, a pin is inserted in a hole through the boss of barrel and axis, pre-
venting the spring from discharging its power until released. The barrels
being fixed, and the shutter attached to them, the pins are removed, and the
barrels will revolve and raise the shutter. The springs may be made of
sufficient strength to raise the shutter entirely, or they may be made only to
counterbalance the weight of shutter. There is no connection between the
two barrels other than the shutter, which is fixed to both. But when I apply
this spring to sun blinds, I generally use one spring and barrel, and a roller
for the blind to roll upon, which may be of wood, tin plate, or any other
material. The foregoing only apply to shutters that coil above the window;
when I apply revolving shutters to coil below the window, I sometimes use
two of these barrels with weak springs fixed below when the shutter coils, for
the purpose of coiling the shutters only, and not to support its weight. In
raising this description of shutter I use a rope or sash line in the ordinary
mode. I also apply a spring roller, as before described, to which spring roller
I attach a rope or sash line, and its being of sufficient strength to overcome
the weight of shutter and the other two springs, the shutters can be pushed
up and drawn down with the greatest ease; two of these barrels can be
used for this purpose instead of one if more convenient. I also claim the
application of this description of spring barrel to revolving shutters working
horizontally, and coiling at the side of window, either for drawing in or out.
The second part of my Invention refers to morticing holes through the laths
of revolving shutters. For this purpose I use revolving bits or cutters, which
may be driven at great velocity, but I prefer 4,000 revolutions per minute;
one or more bits or cutters may be used, but I prefer one, the laths being
moved transversely as the cutter revolves. Or a number of round holes may
be bored close together side by side of the required width, and afterwards
broken into one mortice by moving the laths lengthways. These mortices
can be used for passing the webbing or tapes which connect the shutter as
.well as the bands of tempered steel which coil the shutter.
The third part of my Invention relates to the manufacture of sash bars and
mouldings, and brass stall board plates. The ordinary mode hitherto adopted
is to make the sash bars, mouldings, or stall plates by the ordinary process of
drawing through steel dies, which is well known, and then polish them by
floating, filing, and polishing by hand labour, which operation requires a skilled
workman to perform. I reverse this process, and polish the brass in flat
sheets, and manufacture the said polished sheets into sash bars and other parts

page_text: of windows. I take the sheet of brass in the rough as it comes from the rolls
in long lengths, and I solder or otherwise join the two ends, forming an
endless sheet, this I pass over two riggers or drums, one of which is made to
slide in a suitable frame and bearing, so that the sheet of brass may be made
quite tight, the other is driven by steam or other power; these riggers I prefer
to be of large diameter. As the rigger or drums revolve rapidly, the sheet of
metal will travel at the same velocity. I first make the sheet perfectly flat
by means of a roller, or cause it to be rubbed with a piece of wood as it
revolves. I then polish it either by a fixed self-acting rubber supplied with
emery or other polishing medium, the polishing being facilitated by the rapid
motion of the brass. The required polish having been given to the brass, I
cut it into strips of the required width and length, and draw it somewhat in
the ordinary way, but instead of using steel dies I use only one steel die, the
inside one. The outside one I prefer to be made of tin or other soft metal, or
it may be padded with leather or other soft material to prevent scratching
or marking the brass which has been polished. The advantage in this plan is
not only the great saving in labour of polishing the brass, but I am thus
enabled to use much thinner brass than heretofore. The core, which is
usually made entirely of wood, I prefer to be partly of wood and partly of
cement. I make the wood core roughly to the shape, and somewhat smaller,
and I then coat it with a cement which will form a hard medium, and prevent
the brass from being bruised; after the core is thus properly prepared I give
it a coating of adhesive cement, and draw the brass upon it before this
adhesive cement dries, so that the brass may adhere to the core. The brass
may be roughed on the back in any convenient way. For stall boards plates I
sometimes use an iron core or backing with an adhesive cement between.
When I use thin brass for stall board plates, I place raised letters upon them
instead of engraving, which letters may be engraved on the face, or the letter
may be cut out, the iron core forming the bottom to retain the wax or other
filling.
by the said Alexander Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
35 CLARK, of Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Revolving Shutter Manufacturer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alexander Clark, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alexander Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REVOLVING WINDOW SHUTTERS AND BLINDS, IN
WINDOW SASH BARS AND PLATES, ALSO IN APPARATUS USED IN SUCH MANU-
FACTURES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Alexander Clark, do. hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained' in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
:-
My Improvements in revolving shutters and blinds consist, first, in the
application of flat, coiled, or volute steel tempered springs combined with a
barrel or case revolving upon an axis for the purpose of coiling or rolling up
the shutters. For this purpose I prefer to use two of these spring barrels,
one on either side of the shutter, the top of the shutters being attached to
the barrels by screwing or otherwise. The spring of the barrels being
properly charged (wound in tension before fixing), a pin is inserted in a hole
through the boss of barrel and axis, preventing the spring from discharging
its power until released and in connection with the shutter. The barrels
being fixed and the shutters attached to them, the pins are then removed,
when the barrels will revolve and raise the shutter. The springs may be
made of sufficient strength to raise the shutter entirely, or they may be made
only to counterbalance the weight of the shutter. There is no connection
between the two spring barrels other thau the shutter which is fixed to both.

page_text: In applying the spring barrel to sun blinds, the laths of which are slight,
I generally use one spring barrel only as a roller at its midbreadth for
the blind to roll upon, which may be of wood, tin plate, or any other
material. The foregoing only apply to shutters that coil above the window,
I sometimes use two of these spring barrels with weak springs fixed below
the window where the shutter coils, for the purpose of coiling the shutter
only and not to support its weight. In raising this description of shutter
I use a rope or sash line in the ordinary manner for raising and closing
revolving shutters that coil below the windows. I can also apply an additional
spring barrel to a shutter so fitted, to which spring barrel I attach a rope
or sash line, the spring being of sufficient strength to overcome the weight
of shutter and the other two coiling springs; by this arrangement a shutter
can be pushed up and drawn down with the greatest ease.
Two of these
spring barrels & ropes can be used for this purpose instead of one, if more
convenient. I also use and adapt this description of spring barrel to revolving
shutters working horizontally, and coiling at the sides of windows, either for
drawing them in or out as will be readily understood.
The second part of my Invention refers to mortising holes through the
laths of revolving shutters to receive tapes or steel strips for connecting
them together. For this purpose I use revolving gouge bits or other
suitable boring tools or cutters, which should be driven at great velocity
say 4,000 revolutions per minute; one or more bits or cutters may be used
but I prefer one, the laths being moved laterally as the cutter revolves. Or
a number of round holes may be bored close together side by side of the
required width and afterwards broken into one mortise by moving the laths
lengthways. These mortises are used for passing the webbing or tapes
which connect the shutter as well as the bands of tempered steel which
coil the shutter, as applied in the Specification of Patent No. 2768, granted
to me and bearing date 21st November 1856.
The third part of my Invention relates to the manufacture of sash bars
and mouldings, and brass stall board plates. The ordinary mode hitherto
adopted in the manufacture of sash bars, mouldings, and stall plates is to
draw the brass or other metal by the ordinary process of drawing through steel
dies which is well known, and then surfacing them by floating, filing, and
polishing by hand labour, which operation is tedious & expensive, being neces-
sarily performed by skilled workmen. According to my Invention I reverse
this process and polish the brass or other metal in sheets and manufacture
the said polished sheets into sash bars and other parts of window furniture.
I take the sheet of brass or other metal in the rough as it comes from the

page_text: rolls in long. lengths and I solder or. otherwise join the two ends, thus forming
an endless belt or sheet; this endless sheet I pass over two riggers or drums
which I prefer to be of large diameter, one of which riggers is made to
slide in a suitable frame and bearings, so that the belt or sheet of metal may
be made quite tight on the drums, and at same time to accommodate its
length, the other drum is driven and rotated on its axis by steam or other
power. As the riggers or drums revolve rapidly the sheet of metal travels
at the same velocity in the manner of an ordinary driving belt. When the
sheet of metal is in motion I first make it perfectly flat by means of a roller
pressed hard against it on one of the drums or against other part offering
rigid resistance, or by causing it to be rubbed with a piece of wood as it
travels. Having so flattened the sheet, I then proceed to polish it by means
of a fixed self-acting or other rubber supplied with emery or other polishing
material; the polishing is quickly effected by the frictional contact of the
rubber with the metal sheet while in rapid motion, which is maintained till
the polishing is completely effected. The required polish having been given
to the metal, I cut it into strips of the required width and length and draw
it in the draw bench somewhat in the ordinary manner, but instead of using
two steel dies I only use one steel die, the inside one. The outside one I
prefer to be of tin or other soft metal or it may be iron padded with leather
or other soft material, in order to prevent scratching or marking the surface
of the metal which has been polished. The advantages of this plan are
not only the great saving in labour in polishing the metal, but I am thus
enabled to use much thinner brass than heretofore in the manufacture of
sash bars, moulding and stall boards. The cores or bodies on which the
articles of this manufacture.are mounted, are usually made entirely of wood;
according to my plaň I prefer to make them partly of wood and partly of
cement, for instance I make the wood core roughly to the shape of the
interior of the back of the articles, and somewhat smaller, and then I coat it
with a cement formed of resin, glue, and whitening, which will form a hard
substance when set and prevent the brass from being bruised; after the core
or body is thus prepared I give it a coating of adhesive cement and draw the
brass upon it, and before this adhesive cement sets so that the brass may
adhere to the core; in order the better to cause the metal to adhere to the
cement the metal may be roughened in any suitable way. For stall board
plates I sometimes use an iron core or backing with an adhesive cement
between. In using thin brass for stall board plates, I place raised letters.
upon them instead of engraving, which letters may be ornamented by engra-
ving on the face, or the letter may be cut through the brass or facing metal

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section, and Fig. 2, an inside view of a window
and revolving or coiling window shutter, furnished and worked with spring
barrels, according to my Invention; while Fig. 3 represents a lateral section
of one of the spring barrels detached; and Fig. 4, a transverse section
of the same.
a is a strong stud fixed in a plate 6, which is fixed on each side of the
window in position, and at a distance apart suitable to the breadth of the
shutter. The stud a is fitted with a barrel c, free to revolve thereon, except
as controlled by a strong volute spring d, the one end of which is attached to
the fixed stud a, and the other to the interior of barrel c, precisely in the
manner of a clock spring; the barrel is kept in its place on the pin a by a
pin c. The shutters f, f, which are similar to ordinary coiling or lath
shutters of wood, iron, or steel, are fitted and slide in their side grooves in
the ordinary manner, are connected with spring barrels by strips of steel g, g,
or other suitable material, the one end of g being fixed by rivets or screws to
the barrel, and the other end in suitable manner to the top bar h of the
shutter, which is usually stronger than the other laths or parts.
Before applying the shutter to the barrels c, c, I charge the springs thereof
by turning the barrels round a sufficient number of turns on pin a, which
places the springs in tension. The barrels c are held so charged by temporary
pins i, i, which are withdrawn as soon as the shutter is connected with the
barrels. When released, the barrels chave a tendency to rotate in a direction
to wind and coil up steel strips g, g, and the shutter upon them, and if suffi-.
ciently strong will do so; but I prefer to make them of such strength that
the shutter requires a little force to be pulled up and down.
Fig. 5 shows a transverse vertical section of a window similarly fitted, but
with a corrugated sheet steel shutter k applied to the barrels, and partially.
wound up thereon; it is attached to the barrels c, c, by steel strips 9, 9, as
before, a top bar or edge being applied to the shutter to stiffen the edges as
usual. Instead of these steel strips being used to connect the shutters to the
barrels, the shutter may be made of sufficient length, and carried up to the
barrels, and the top bar itself be fastened thereto; in either case the effect of
the action of the barrels is to wind up the shutter and coil it on them, the
ends of the shutters only resting on the barrels, which have no connection the
one with the other than by the shutter, as explained.

page_text: "
For wide shutters I employ a spring barrel at each side of the window, but
for narrow shutters and light lath blinds, I use only one, as illustrated in
Fig. 6. For this purpose, I extend the stud a to a considerable length so as
to support the barrel c in the middle of the breadth of the shutter f, which I
connect with the barrel by a steel strip or other suitable connection, or the
shutter when down and closed may extend up to the barrel, and the top bar
thereof be affixed to the barrel as seen in the Drawing.
Fig. 7 represents a revolving shutter, which coils up below the window
instead of above by means of spring barrels c¹, c', such as before described,
the action of which will be readily understood, without further description.
In this case the spring of barrel c¹ may be slight, as they do not support any
weight of the shutter as when coiled above, and being simply for the purpose
of revolving the shutter upon itself. In order to raise and close this shutter,
I apply a spring barrel or roller p above the window, which has nearly suffi-
cient strength in itself to overcome the weight of the shutter, and also the
strength of the coiling spring of barrel c'. On this barrel p a rope or line r
is attached and wound, so that when being pulled off it increases the tension
of the spring. This cord i is conducted down and across the shutter under
turning pullies s, s, mounted thereon, & thence up to point t, where the
other end is fixed. The weight of shutter f and the spring barrels c¹
being so counterbalanced and opposed, the shutters may be easily raised and
lowered, as desired. Instead of using a cord r, as seen, two spring barrels or
rollers p, & two cords may be used one on either side of the window, and con-
necting directly those barrels with the shutter.
I sometimes fit self-coiling shutters, which coil themselves by reason of
steel springs traversing the several laths of which the shutter is composed,
according to the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, & bearing
date Febry. 8th, 1859, No. 357, with spring barrels c, c, as herein-before,
in which case the strip springs may be fewer in number and less strong,
while the barrel springs c may also be weaker, as the one set of springs will
assist the other in raising & coiling the shutters.
Having described the nature of my Invention, & the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the application of volute spring barrels such as represented at Figs.
3 & 4 in the Drawiags hereunto annexed, in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim the application of boring bits to mortising the holes in
the laths or strips of revolving wood shutters (which receive the connecting

page_text: webbing or steel strips which connect them together), in manner and as
herein-before described.
Thirdly, I claim surfacing and polishing brass or other metal of which to
make sash bar mouldings, & stall board & other plates in endless sheets, as
herein-before described, as also the apparatus for the same, herein-before
described.
Fourthly, I claim mounting sash bars, mouldings, and stall board plates
on a core or backing, composed partly of a hard and partly of a plastic sub-
stance, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
ALEXR. CLARK. (L.S.)