IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WINDOWS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Dickson, of Leith, in the County of Mid
Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WINDOWS."
Sealed the 15th June 1869, and dated the 19th December 1868...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Dickson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th December 1868.
I, JOHN DICKSON, of Leith, in the County of Mid Lothian, North-
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WINDOWS," to be
as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in sliding windows,
consists of a certain arrangement and construction of the parts, whereby
the same are readily put together and as readily taken asunder, enabling
the sashes to be taken out for cleaning or repairs without necessitating
the employment of ladders and other exterior appliances at present in
use. The batten rods by which the lower sash is kept in place are
provided with a socket at the upper end of each and at suitable distances

page_text: apart. On the inner side studs with heads are fixed; these passing into
corresponding retaining plates fixed to the window frame, so that in
putting in the batten rods it is necessary only to slip the upper ends
into the sockets and the studs into the retaining plates, after which the
batten rods are forced downwards until the mitre on the lower end
rests close to the corresponding bottom part of the frame. When so
lowered the batten rods are firmly retained in position and keep the sash
in its place. To remove the batten rods they are raised sufficiently to
enable the retaining heads of the studs to clear the slots in the retaining
plates; they are then lifted out, leaving the lower sash free to be lifted
out also. The sash lines or chains are connected to the sash by being
passed through a metallic or wooden nut which is of a dovetailed form
and passes into a dovetailed recess in the side of the sash, and thus is
casily removed when requisite to detach the sash. The parting beads
are fitted into grooves in the frame by which they are retained in place,
and removed when it is required to take out the upper sash which is
connected to or detached from the sash lines by means similar to what
is herein-before set forth with regard to the lower sash.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Dickson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DICKSON, of Leith, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of December, in tho
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me the said John Dickson, Her special
license that I, the said John Dickson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Dickson, my executors,
administrators, or 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

page_text: Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WINDOWS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Dickson, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Dickson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
This Invention, which relates to improvements in sliding windows,
consists of a certain arrangement and construction of the parts, whereby
the same are readily put together and as readily taken asunder, enabling
the sashes to be taken out for cleaning or repairs without necessitating
the employment of ladders and other exterior appliances at present in
use. The batten rods by which the lower sash is kept in place are
provided with a socket at the upper end of each; and at suitable
distances apart on the inner side studs with heads are fixed, these passing
into corresponding retaining plates fixed to the window frame, so that
in putting in the batten rods it is necessary only to slip the upper ends
into the sockets and the studs into the retaining plates, after which the
batten rods are forced downwards until the mitre on the lower end rests
close to the corresponding bottom part of the frame. When so lowered
the batten rods are firmly retained in position and keep the sash in its
place. To remove the batten rods they are raised sufficiently to enable
the retaining heads of the studs to clear the slots in the retaining plates;
they are then lifted out, leaving the lower sash free to be lifted out
also. The sash lines or chains are connected to the sash by being
passed through a metallic or wooden nut, which is of a dovetailed form,
and passes into a dovetailed recess in the side of the sash, and thus is
casily removed when requisite to detach the sash. The parting beads
are fitted into grooves in the frame by which they are retained in place,
and removed when it is required to take out the upper sash, which is
connected to or detached from the sash lines by means similar to what
is herein-before set forth with regard to the lower sash.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had for the sake of more complete
elucidation to the several figures upon the explanatory Sheet of Drawings
which I have hereunto appended, that is to say :-
Figure 1 represents in front elevation a portion of a window frame
arranged in accordance with my Invention. The pulley style is marked A,
the batten rod B, and C, C¹, are the upper and lower battens
respectively.
For the purpose of indicating the details of my Invention more
distinctly than by Figure 1, which is drawn to a small scale, I have
given larger detail Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, of which
Figure 2 is a transverse section at the upper left-hand corner of a sash
frame, Figure 3 being an inside elevation corresponding thereto;
Figure 4 is a transverse section of the sash frame at about the middle of
its height or at the part marked a, b, in Figure 1, Figure 5 being an
elevation of the interior part of a sash frame corresponding to Figure 4.
The lower corners of the sash frame many be arranged similarly to the
upper corners, shown at Figures 2 and 3, or the sockets or box C at the
lower corners may be dispensed with, in which case a projection is
formed on the lower part of the mitre on the batten rod, as shown at f,
Figures 9, 10, and 11, which enters a check or recess formed in the
lower corner of the pulley style, or in lieu of arranging the lower corner,
as shown at Figures 9, 10, and 11, the batten rod A may be put on, as
shown at Figure 12, where two locks C are employed, the mitre a
being of the ordinary construction. On referring to Figures 2 and 3 it
will be seen that to the pulley style A there is fixed the metallic box C,
the latter being held to the former by the screws a. The upper part of
the box is by preference filled with wood D, and the lower part is left
hollow. The box C is of dimensions corresponding to the batten rod B,
so that the upper end of the batten rod can enter and slide up into the
box C.
The box E, shown at Figure 1, at the lower end of the frame is also
of such size as to receive the batten rod B, and the length of the batten
rod is such that when its upper end is entered and pushed up into the
upper box C the lower end is clear for entering the lower box E, which
has a less depth of hollow or cavity than the upper box, so that when

page_text: pushed down into the lower box E the upper end is still retained.in
the upper box C. At about the centre of its length the batten rod B is
retained in place. by the lock now to be described.
The lock is more particularly shown at Figures 4 and 5, and it
consists of a plate G fixed to the batten rod by screws or otherwise.
The plate carries a stud H which enters the recess I formed in the
pulley style, and over this recess another plate K is fixed, the opening
in which is made narrow at its lower end, so that the narrow part of the
stud H when the batten rod is slipped into place may pass into the slot,
wherein it is retained by the pieces a projecting at the sides constituting
a retaining x head.
At Figure 3 the parting bead B between the upper and lower sashes
is shown; it is retained in place by entering a check or groove formed
in the pulley style.
At Figure 6 the means of attaching the sash frame L to the sash
rope or line M are shown. It consists of a dovetailed nut a, also shown
in plan at Figure 8, which fits into a recess 6 in the sash frame. The
lower part of the recess is large enough to admit the nut freely, but the
upper part is formed to correspond closely with the nut, and when the
latter is in place the larger side of the dovetail is situated on the inner
side of the recess, so that the nut cannot be taken out therefrom except
by slipping it downwards into the larger part of the recess b.
Figure 7 shows a chain N in place of a rope fitted to the nut a.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the
system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be used
or practically carried into effect, I wish to observe in conclusion that
what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,-
First. The construction of window frames so that the sashes may be
taken out for cleaning or repair by rendering certain parts removeable,
as herein-before set forth and shown on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings.
Second. The mode of fixing the batten rods to the pulley styles, as
herein-before set forth.

page_text: Third. The mode of fixing sash lines or chains to sash frames by
means of a dovetailed nut, as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dickson, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN DICKSON. (L.S.)