Improvements in Apparatus for Regulating and Fixing Fanlights, Ventilators, Casements, Mirrors, and other Articles of Furniture Moving on Pivots or Hinges.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1889-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Regulating and Fixing Fanlights,
Ventilators, Casements, Mirrors, and other Articles of Furniture
Moving on Pivots or Hinges.
DAVID BURNS, Canal Bank, in the City of Carlisle and County of Cumberland,
Engineer, and JAMES BLYTH CAIRNS, 58 English Street, in the City of Carlisle and
County of Cumberland, Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
This Invention has reference to the means of fixing at any desired angle, sashes,
skylights and other ventilators that turn on hinges or pivots, placed either at one end
or side, or in the middle of their length or breadth. It is also applicable to mirrors,
doors that require to be fixed a certain distance open, and any article of furniture that
moves on a pivot or hinge, and requires to be fixed in certain positions. It is further
applicable to the locking of skylights, sashes and ventilators, when closed and,
especially, when they are in a position difficult of access.
At present many sashes are regulated by having long bent arms projecting from
the wall at the open end of the sash, and some means of guiding the sash along the
These arms are apt to get loose, have a very ungainly appearance and require
complicated arrangements to move and secure the sash.
arin.
Our plan is cheaper, neater, less liable to derangement, and of more extended
application..
To the sash or other article to be moved, or to the axle on which it revolves we fix
the sector of a worm wheel. The length of the arc of this sector will depend on the
angle through which the sash is required to open; it may be any size up to a full
circle, but the most usual size is a quadrant. This sector must be placed concentric
with the hinge or pivot round which the sash revolves. Secured in a suitable pedestal
we gear a worm into the sector. If the sash be within reach, we place a hand wheel
on the spindle of the worm by which we turn the worm and hence the worm wheel
and sash. The worm always locks the sash in whatever position it is left, while the
sash can at any time be moved by turning the hand wheel.
When the sash is not easily accessible we carry the spindle of the worm along to
an accessible point; or, we put a grooved pulley on the worm spindle and pass a cord
over it and over the necessary intervening pulleys to a convenient station for adjusting
the sash. When necessary to reduce the strain on the cord we put some form of
gearing, as a worm and worm wheel, between the axle of the grooved pulley and that
of the worm so as to reduce the speed of the latter with respect to the former.
To further lock a skylight or sash when closed, we use a sector of a worm wheel
free to revolve on its own axle, and which we actuate by a worm turned by means of a
grooved pulley or otherwise. If the skylight open outward, this arrangement we fix
on the skylight near the opening edge, so that the sector can be turned to project on
to the fixed frame, and so secure the skylight against being opened. If the sash open
inward, the lock is put on the fixed frame and the sector is turned to project over on
to the sash. This arrangement is also suitable for securing sliding sashes.
Dated this 26th day of October 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Regulating and Fixing Fanlights,
Ventilators, Casements, Mirrors, and other Articles of Furniture
Moving on. Pivots or Hinges.
DAVID BURNS, Canal Bank, in the city of Carlisle, Engineer, and JAMES. BLYTH
CAIRNS, 58 English Street, in the city of Carlisle, Ironmonger, 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 :-
This invention has reference to the means of fixing at any desired angle sashes,
skylights, and other ventilators, that turn on hinges or pivots, placed either at one end
or side, or in the middle of their length or breadth. It is also applicable to mirrors,
doors that require to be fixed a certain distance open, and any article of furniture
that moves on a pivot or hinge and requires to be fixed in certain positions.
It is further applicable to the locking of skylights, sashes, and ventilators when
closed, and especially when they are in a position difficult of access.
At present many sashes are regulated by having long bent arms projecting from
the wall at the open end of the sash, and some means of guiding the sash along the
arm. These arms are apt to get loose, have a very ungainly appearance, and require
complicated arrangements to move and secure the sash.
Our plan is cheaper, neater, less liable to derangement, and of more extended
application.
To the sash or other article to be moved, or to the axle on which it revolves we fix
the sector of a worm wheel. The length of the arc of this sector will depend on the
angle through which the sash is required to open; it may be any size up to a full
circle but the most usual size is a quadrant. This sector must be placed concentric
with the hinge or pivot round which the sash revolves. Secured in a suitable pedestal
we gear a worm into the sector. If the sash be within reach, we place a hand wheel
on the spindle of the worm by which we turn the worm and hence the worm wheel
and sash. The worm always locks the sash in whatever position it is left, while the
sash can at any time be moved by turning the hand wheel.
When the sash is not easily accessible we carry the spindle of the worm along to an
accessible point, or, we put a grooved pulley on the worm spindle and pass a cord over
it, and over the necessary intervening pulleys to a convenient station for adjusting
the sash.
When necessary to reduce the strain on the cord we put some form of gearing (as
a worm and worm wheel) between the axle of the grooved pulley and that of the
worm, so as to reduce the speed of the latter with respect to the former.
To further lock a skylight or sash when closed we use a sector of a worm-wheel
free to revolve on its own axle and which we actuate by a worm turned by means of
a grooved pulley or otherwise. If the skylight opens outward this arrangement we
fix on the skylight near the opening edge so that the sector can be turned to project
on to the fixed frame and so secure the skylight against being opened. If the sash
open inward the lock is put on the fixed frame and the sector is turned to project over
on to the sash.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying drawing shews the ordinary form of the sash regulator.
A is the sector of a worm wheel so placed that the centre of the wheel is on the
line B C, which is the axis of revolution of the sash. D E is the fixed frame and F G
the side or end frame of the movable sash. H is a worm, or screw which gears
accurately into the teeth of A, H is held in position by the pedestal I and this is
screwed or bolted to the frame DE: the plates of A and I may meet on the line BC
and there be hinged together if so desired. J is the pulley and cord keyed to the
spindle of H. When the cord is pulled J and H revolve and H causes A and the
sash to revolve round B C. When left H locks A and prevents any further motion of
the sash.

page_text: The form shewn is the most usual but it may be modified in detail to suit circum-
stances. The pedestal I may be of various forms to suit the casement to which it is
applied. The spindle may be any length and pass through two or more pedestals.
If within reach a hand wheel may be conveniently substituted for the pulley J, and if
the sash be a heavy one J may be a worm wheel actuated by another worm which in
turn may be moved by a pulley and cord, or any of the other usual mechanical devices
for reducing circular motion may be substituted.
Should the hinges of the sash or door consist of a rod revolving in sockets A can
be formed with an eye at its centre to key on to the rod instead of having the plates
shewn in the drawing.
When A has an eye free to revolve on a fixed axle and is placed so as to project
over the opening edge of a sash or door-the junction of sash and door being in this
connection represented by the dotted line M N-and when A is turned close down
on M N the sash is locked and when turned up through a right angle the sash is
free to open.
When the sash, mirror, or other article is pivotted on its centre line, Fig. II shews
the arrangement by which it is regulated. A is a worm wheel keyed on to the pivot
or secured to the frame concentric with the pivot. H is a worm actuated as before
with a pedestal on one or both sides of it, which pedestals must be formed to suit the
circumstances of the case. The worm is moved by a hand wheel or pulley as before.
EF is the side of the frame of sash or mirror. By turning A, E F is moved to any
position desired and locked there.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
(1) The Regulating and Fixing fanlights, ventilators, casements, mirrors and other
articles of furniture moving on pivots or hinges, by means of a worm wheel or sector
of worm wheel fixed thereto and concentric with the pivot or hinge and actuated by
a worm as described.
(2) The locking of sashes by placing a sector of a worm wheel so that it will shut
and overlap the opening edge of the sash, or move backward and allow the sash
to open, the said sector being moved by means of a worm and pulley as described
herein.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of July 1889
DAVID BURNS.
JAMES BLYTH CAIRNS.