CERTAIN APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING PICTURES AND CURTAINS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
POTTS, of Birmingham, Brass Founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of April, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Potts, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Potts, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Potts, my exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING PICTURES AND
CURTAINS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said William Potts, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Potts, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: Figure represents a front view of part of an apparatus for suspending
pictures according to my Invention. Figure 2 is a bird's-eye view of the same
parts. Figure 3 is an edge view thereof, the dotted lines indicating a picture
frame supported by such apparatus. a, a, are two graduated rods, which are
suspended from the hook 6 on or in the rails k, as will be hereafter explained.
The rods a in this case are hollow tubes, and have a series of holes formed
therein at equal distances to allow of the picture frames being supported
thereby at any desired points of suspension, and the openings b, b, in each rod
are so formed that the enlarged head of the instrument, which passes through
the larger part of the openings b, will not pass through the smaller part of the
openings b, by which means when the instruments c, d, are applied in any of
the holes they will be retained from coming out until they are raised
upwards; they will therefore be in a proper condition to support a picture-
frame, as represented by dotted lines. The instruments c each consists of a
pulley and frame, which has a button or stud with an enlarged head, which
enters into one of the holes b, as is shewn in the Drawing; and each of the
instruments & consists of a short stem or button, having at one end a stud,
which enters a hole b, and at the other end an enlarged head, which receives
a ring on the picture frame. On the picture frame is applied and affixed
the hollow bar e, in which are formed a series of holes f, as is shewn in the
Drawing. And it will readily be seen that a picture may be with facility
suspended by the rods a, and any desired extent of inclination given thereto
by means of the bar e, together with the cord g, for it will be seen that such

page_text: cord g is supported by the two pulleys c, c, and by pulleys carried by the
bar e, and thus by means of hooks h affixed to the cord g entering some two
of the holes in the bar e, the position of the frame.will be regulated and
adjusted, all which will most readily be traced on examining Figures 1, 2, and 3
of the Drawing; and it will also be seen that when it is desired to vary the
inclination of the picture frame, then it will only be necessary to change the
position of the hooks h in the holes of the bar e; and further, when it is
desired to change the height of the picture frame it will only be necessary to
change the positions of the parts c, c, d, d, in holes 6 higher or lower as
desired in the rods a. The apparatus thus far requires steps or other means
to enable the person desirous of altering the inclination of the picture frame
to stand in a position above the top of the picture frame in order with facility
to change the position of the hooks h, hence this apparatus is more suitable for
pictures not often requiring change of position; and in order to allow of the
inclination of a picture frame being varied from time to time more readily, I
apply certain other apparatus by which a person may change the inclination of
a picture, and thus cause it to be placed in a more favorable position to be
seen, depending on the state of the light. Figures 4, 5, and 6, shew similar
views of apparatus for suspending picture frames to that described in Figures 1,
2, and 3, but in this case the rods a, a, are made in imitation of a chain, and,
in fact, the mode of suspending a picture, shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3, might
be applied to the ornamental rod a, shewn in Figure 4, by making the
attachments at back of pulleys c suitable for fitting into the ornamental rod a,
shewn at Figure 4. The instruments a, which form parts of the general mode
of apparatus herein described, simply require to be vertical graduated surfaces
capable of receiving the parts c and d in the manner above explained. In
Figures 4, 5, and 6, in place of using the bar e the cord g is affixed, as shewn,
to the back of the picture frame, and passing partly around the pulleys c, and
being guided by the pulleys c', affixed at the back of the picture frame, the
cords descends to the small windlass i at the back of the picture frame, such
small windlass being provided with a suitable ratchet wheel and catch, and the
barrel or cylinder thereof has one end of the axis squared to receive a key j,
as will readily be understood on examining the Figures now under description,
by this arrangement the picture frame may be varied in its inclination with
great facility. I have already stated that the vertical surfaces a may be varied
in their construction so long as they offer graduated surfaces in such manner
that suitable supports may be hooked into and supported by suitable recesses
or supporting surfaces, and readily moved from one point to another in the
manner already described; and in order fully to shew that this is the case, I

page_text: have, in Figure 7, shewn three varieties of rods a, a, together with the parts
c, d. And it will be evident that the design and pattern may be varied in a
great variety of ways; my Invention does not, therefore, depend on the
figure or design of the various parts, but the mode in which those parts act
and are combined together to produce the apparatus according to my Inven-
tion. k, Figure 7, is a moulding, the figure and construction of which is
better shown in side section, Figure 8, and it will be seen that the rods a are
by their hooks b capable of being slided further apart or nearer together in
order to adjust them to the width desired for particular sized picture frames.
Figure 9 shews an arrangement whereby various rods a may be combined
by bars a¹, having sliding hooks by which picture frames may be suspended at
any point. The various parts in Figure 9 being full size, so far as they are
shewn, and as the different parts are shewn from different points of view, and
partly in section, their nature and construction will readily be traced on a
careful examination of the Drawing. Figure 10 shews a front view and trans-
verse section of another arrangement of moulding, and means of carrying the
rods a. In this case the hooks which support the rods a, in place of having
hooks to move over a straight edge within the interior of the moulding,
as before explained, they have runners or rollers, and are supported on two
straight surfaces within the moulding, as is clearly shown. And I would
remark that the mouldings are faced with any device, the nature of which may
be varied, as it does not interfere with the parts which carry the rods a, a, a.
Figure 11 shows another construction of rod wherein the graduation is at the
back, whilst the parts c, d, embrace the rod a, and by the parts thereof
moving on an axis they can be closed so as their ends may enter the holes b,
as will readily be traced in the Drawing.
Figure 12 shews that part of my Invention which relates to apparatus for
suspending curtains. m is an ornamental cornice, which may be of any design
so long as the interior is suitably arranged according to my Invention, which
will be seen more clearly at Figure 13, which represents a transverse section
of the cornice. The peculiarity of this apparatus consists of dispensing with
the curtain rods and rings at present employed, and applying the apparatus
shewn at Figures 12 and 13, which consists of the runners n, with rollers or
wheels, as is shewn in the Drawing, and the hooks to which the curtains are
suspended, may be of an ornamental design, all which is clearly shown in the
Drawing. And it only requires further to remark that the cords and pulleys for
drawing and undrawing the curtains are similarly arranged to those now
used, when curtain rings and curtain rods are employed, all which are clearly
shown in the Drawing; and although these cornices are only shewn for window
curtains, the same improvements are applicable to bed cornices.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as the
Invention secured by the present Letters Patent are,—
First, the modes herein described of constructing apparatus for suspending
picture frames in respect to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. And,
Secondly, I claim the mode of constructing apparatus for suspending curtains
as described in respect to Figures 12 and 13.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Potts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.