IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TOOTHED RACKS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING FANLIGHTS WINDOWS SKYLIGHTS VENTILATORS AND ANALOGOUS AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Adams of 7 Great Dover Street in the County of
Surrey for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TOOTHED
RACKS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING FANLIGHTS WINDOWS SKYLIGHTS VENTILATORS
AND ANALOGOUS AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Adams at the Office,
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th September 1883.
ROBERT ADAMS of 7 Great Dover Street Southwark in the County of Surrey
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TOOTHED RACKS FOR OPENING AND
CLOSING FANLIGHTS, WINDOWS, SKYLIGHTS VENTILATORS AND ANALOGOUS AND OTHER
USEFUL PURPOSES "
Whereas much inconvenience is sometimes caused from the construction of
toothed racks as ordinarily fitted for opening and closing fanlights windows,
skylights, ventilators, & analogous articles, from the fact that such racks are made
rigid and inflexible & from the consequent projection of such racks causing them
to come in contact with the blinds
The object of my invention is to improve the construction of racks in which
pinions or worms gear or work, by making the same flexible or jointed so as to
fold, fall down, or roll up in a more convenient manner than hitherto
I construct my improved racks in such a manner that there is a joint at every
tooth or every two or three teeth; or any other proportion of teeth to joints
according to requirements
In forming such racks the teeth may be made on the upper or under side or on
the right or left hand side of the same and worked by pinion or worm as preferred
also they are sometimes made so as to be flexible in one direction and rigid in all
other directions and flexible in two or more directions
In fitting such racks to fanlights and analogous articles-I prefer to so construct
the rack that it remains practically rigid from the frame to the stile and where it
gears with the worm or pinion it bends over in a vertical or other line below or to

page_text: the side of the worm or pinion, such pinion being actuated by a grooved pulley
formed in one herewith, and a line running in such pulley. By this semi rigidity,
or rigidity in all directions but one the rack is capable of resisting thrust as well as
tensional strain, and thus preventing the article from being slammed or closed by a
Budden gust of wind.
In constructing such a rack as last mentioned I prefer to make each tooth to
hinge on to the next tooth, and when made for worm wheels or endless screws the
teeth are sometimes diagonal and the worm placed "square" to the work or the
teeth are
" square "to the rack and the worm placed diagonally to the work or
path of the rack according to the pitch and diameter of the worm wheel-In
other cases I place an ordinary toothed pinion to gear directly into the teeth
of the rack with an actuating pulley as before described in connection with the
worm wheel
In cases where it is more convenient to gear into teeth on the upper side of the
rack, I find it advantageous to roll up the rack in a circular receptacle formed in or
near the framing or stile of the article to which it is fitted
The teeth are sometimes formed vertically on the right or left hand side of the
rack in which case the axis of a pinion to gear thereinto is at right angles thereto,
and the axis of a worm is in line with the rack
By stringing together a number of circular teeth with distance pieces upon a
chain, wire, wire rope, wire or other cord I am enabled to form a rack which is
flexible in any direction, and which may be actuated by a worm wheel with the
minimum of friction
.
Also the flexible rack is sometimes so formed as to constitute a flexible screw
thread upon or outside which a female screw or nut is fitted to actuate the same
"into which a
Also I sometimes use what is well known as a "Pitch clinin
pinion only, or a pinion driven by a worm are applied for the purpose
Suitable guides are fitted to prevent the rack from leaving the pinion or becoming
disengaged or out of gear therewith
My said improved flexible racks are suitable for doors, windows, fanlights,
ventilators and analogous articles in whatever way they may be fitted and made to
open or slide, and it is obvious that they are applicable to many analogous and
other useful purposes

page_text: '
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Adams in the Patent Office on the 4th March 1884.
ROBERT ADAMS of 7 Great Dover [Street] Southwark in the County of Surrey
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TOOTHED RACKS FOR OPENING AND
CLOSING FANLIGHTS WINDOWS SKYLIGHTS, VENTILATORS AND ANALOGOUS AND OTHER
USEFUL PURPOSES
Whereas much inconvenience is sometimes caused from the construction of
toothed racks as ordinarily fitted for opening and closing Fanlights, windows,
skylights, ventilators and analogous articles from the fact that such racks are
made rigid and inflexible, and from the consequent projection of such racks causing
them to come in contact with the blinds.
The object of my invention is to remedy such inconveniences and to improve the
construction of racks in which pinions or worms gear or work, by making the same
flexible or jointed so as to fold fall down or roll up in a more convenient manner
than hitherto.
I construct my improved racks in such a manner that there is a joint at every
tooth, or every two or three teeth: or any other proportion of teeth to joints
according to requirements.
In forming such racks the teeth may be made on the upper or under side' or on
the right or left hand side of the same, and worked by pinion or worm, as
preferred; also they are sometimes made so as to be flexible in one direction and
rigid in all other directions, or flexible in two or more directions
In fitting such racks to fanlights and analogous articles. I prefer to so construct
the rack that it remains practically rigid from the frame to the stile, and where it
gears with the worm or pinion it bends over in a vertical or other line below or to'
the side of the worm or pinion; such pinion being actuated by a grooved' pulley
formed in one therewith, and a line running in such pulley. By this semi-rigidity,
or rigidity in all directions but one, the rack is capable of resisting thrust as well
as tensional strain, and thus preventing the article from being slammed or closed
by a sudden gust of wind.
In constructing such a rack as last mentioned I prefer to made each tooth to
hinge on to the next tooth; and when made for worm wheels or endless screws
the teeth are sometimes diagonal and the worm placed "square" to the work or
the teeth are "square" to the rack and the worm placed diagonally to the work
or path of the rack, according to the pitch and diameter of the worm wheel. In
other cases I place an ordinary toothed pinion to gear directly into the teeth of
the rack with an actuating pulley as before described in connection with the worm
wheel
In cases where it is more convenient to gear into teeth on the upper side of the
rack I sometimes find it advantageous to roll up the rack in a circular, receptacle
formed in or near the framing or stile of the article to which it is fitted.
ز
The teeth are sometimes formed vertically on the right or left hand side of the
rack in which case the axis of a pinion to gear thereinto is at right angles thereto
and the axis of a worm is in line with the rack.
By stringing together a number of circular teeth with distance pieces upon
a chain wire, wire rope, wire or other cord, I am enabled to form a rack which is
flexible in any direction, and which may be actuated by a worm wheel with the
minimum of friction.
3

page_text: Also the flexible rack is sometimes so formed as to constituto a flexible screw
thread upon or outside which a female screw or nut is fitted to actuate the same
Also I sometimes use what is well known as a pitch chain" into which a
pinion only or a pinion driven by a worm are applied for the purpose.
"
Suitable guides are fitted to prevent the rack from leaving the pinion or
becoming disengaged or out of gear therewith.
My said improved flexible racks are suitable for doors windows faulights
ventilators and analogous articles in whatever way they may be fitted and made to
open or slide; and it is obvious that they are applicable to many analogous and
other useful purposes.
And in order that my said invention may be clearly understood, reference is
hereby made to the accompanying drawings wherein similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
x
L
Figure 1. is a side view of one form of my flexible rack, and Fig: 2 is a top
view of the same. In these Figures each tooth is furnished with a joint. In some
cases I fit a joint to every two or three teeth where a more limited flexibility only
is required Each link (in Figs 1 and 2) has three lugs which fit into and upon
those of the adjoining links Fig: 3 shews one of the methods of fitting and
working such flexible racks-a is a plate which is fixed to the frame over the
fanlight and to which plate the inner end of the flexible rack is pinned―The
plate b is fixed to the fanlight frame, the upper end being formed as a guide for
the rack, and the lower part of the plate carries an axle, upon which a worm wheel
is fitted. This worm wheel is actuated by a pulloy e; and cord f passing through
the guide d. Upon causing the pulley and worm to revolve in a forward or
backward direction the fanlight is opened or closed, and is safely fixed in any
required position
The flexible rack may be fitted to fold in any direction and is sometimes caused
to enter an elongated case fitted to the fanlight bar. It is also sometimes fitted to
a steel spring and thereby made self rolling and can be enclosed in a box of the form
shewn in fig: 4-Another form of box for enclosing the rack is shewn in Fig 5:
whereby the rack is coiled by the form of the box itself without the aid of a
spring
Fig: 6 shews another application of the flexible rack, in which a pinion g is used
which gears into the rack as shown. On pulling the cord h the pawl or stop i is
released and the fanlight opened to any extent another cord being used to
check the opening-On releasing the cord the position of the fanlight is at
once fixed.
Instead of the last arrangement I sometimes fit a worm wheel to actuate the
pinion g such worm wheel being worked by similar means to that shewn in Fig: 3.
An ordinary pitch chain may be used in this latter' arrangement instead of my
improved flexible racks
Fig 7 shews another form of flexible rack, each link of which is a portion of á
scrow thread, upon which a nut is made to operate, and which'nut may be turned
by a cord in a manner analogous to that of Fig: 3 or may be otherwise operated.
Fig. 8 is a top or plan view of Fig. 7. Fig 9 is another form of flexible rack,
composed of circular discs and globes which are strung upon a cord or chain, and
which may be actuated by a worm or pinion Fig 10 is a face view of one of the
discs
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The manufacture and use of the several forms of flexible racks constructed
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
and shewn on the drawings.
2. The several methods of applying flexible racks to the purposes herein before
described and shewn on the drawings or any more modification thereof

page_text: 3 The several combinations and arrangements of the respective parts, together
forming my improvements in the construction of toothed racks for opening and
closing fanlights, windows, skylights, ventilators and analogous and other useful
purposes herein before described and shewn on the drawings, or any mere
modification thereof.
.
In witness whereof I the said Robert Adams have hereunto set my hand and
seal this third day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and eighty four.
ROBERT ADAMS (L.S.)