Improvements in Curtain Stretchers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Curtain Stretchers.
I, WILLIAM STOTHER of 48 & 50 May Street Church Street Newton Heath near
Manchester in the County of Lancashire, Curtain Frame Maker and Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates principally to that class of curtain stretchers which are used
by dyers, finishers, or steam laundries, and has for its object to provide means whereby
its manipulation is simplified and the stretching is performed uniformly in any size
of curtain.
To this end I form a rectangular vertical frame of suitable material and size
within which I employ near the bottom two longitudinal rails suspended at each end
by means of a cord & weight, guided in the ends of the said rectangular frame and
arranged to be raised or lowered and pass each other.
In conjunction with the said longitudinal rails two other longitudinal rails are
employed & made adjustable on brackets depending from the top of the said
rectangular frame.
The lower and the top edges of these longitudinal rails are respectively formed or
furnished with a rack or ratchet teeth and a sliding pawl, arranged to act in
conjunction with a vertical cross rail suitably guided and arranged to slide horizontally
on the said rectangular frame.
The cords attached to each end of the lower longitudinal bars are caused to ride
respectively over a pulley employed at the top of the rectangular frame, which latter
by means of another pulley is suspended on a rail and can be moved about as may
be desired.
The axes of the said cord pulleys are each furnished with a ratchet wheel, which
is controlled by means of a pawl actuated by means of a check cord attached thereto
and running near to the middle of the rectangular frame.
To facilitate the fixing of the curtain to be stretched the lower longitudinal bar is
raised by releasing the said ratchet wheel and thereby bringing the aforesaid weights
to action, the curtain is then pinned onto the top and the bottom longitudinal rail,
the latter being pulled down to give the curtain the required stretch in the width,
and lengthwise, by pinning one end thereof unto the rectangular frame and the other
end onto the aforesaid vertical sliding rail.
The latter after being slid along the said longitudinal rails, to give the curtain the
required stretch in the length, is locked self-actingly in position by means of the said
rack and pawl.
Dated this 18th day of February 1889.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Curtain Stretchers.
I, WILLIAM STOTHER, of 48 & 50, May Street, Church Street, Newton Heath,
near Manchester, in the County of Lancashire, Curtain Frame Maker and Machinist,
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:-
-
My invention relates principally to that class of curtain stretchers which are used
by dyers, finishers, or in steam laundries, and has for its object to provide means

page_text: whereby its manipulation is simplified and the stretching is performed uniformly in
any size of curtain.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to
he appended hereunto two sheets of drawings, marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures.
Fig. 1, Sheet, I. is a front elevation, Fig. 2, a plan partly in section and Fig. 3,
a sectional end view: Figs. 4, 5 & 6 Sheet II. are respectively a front elevation,
plan, and end view detached, on a larger scale of my improved curtain stretcher.
In carrying out my invention and referring to the figures generally I forma
rectangular vertical frame a of suitable material and size within which I employ near
the bottom and top respectively a longitudinal rail or frame 6 & c and suspended at
each end by means of a cord d and weight e, guided in grooves a¹ in the ends of
the said rectangular frame a and arranged to be raised or lowered and pass each
other.
In conjunction with the said movable longitudinal rails 6 & C, two other longitudinal
rails, fare employed on the rectangular frame a respectively near the top and
bottom thereof, the railf being made adjustable on brackets g depending from the
top of the said rectangular frame a and the rail f' being a fixture on the latter.
The lower and the top edge of the longitudinal rails of the rectangular frame a are
respectively formed or furnished with a rack or ratchet teeth on each side and
sliding pawls i, are connected and arranged to act in conjunction with the vertical.
cross rails k, suitably guided and arranged to slide horizontally on the said rectangular
frame a, the top end of each of the said cross rails being formed with one or more
teeth, to engage and run on the rack or ratchet teeth h.
The cords attached to each end of the longitudinal rails & c are caused to
ride respectively over a pulley employed at the top of the rectangular frame a.
To the latter are fixed two brackets m, each of which is furnished with a pulley.'n,
by means of which it is suspended on a rail o and can be moved about as may be
desired; viz. in and out of the drying room.
The axes of the said cord pulleys are each furnished with a ratchet wheel! ;.
which is controlled by means of a pawl, actuated by means of a check cord p,
attached thereto and running over other pulleys down the middle of the rectangular
frame a.
To facilitate the fixing of the curtains g to be stretched, viz. one on each
side of the rectangular frame a, I provide one end of the latter on both sides and
the cross rails & employed respectively in conjunction therewith as well as the longi-.
tudinal rails, employed respectively in conjunction with the longitudinal rails or
frames & c, with pins r. After raising the longitudinal rail or frame b and lowering
the longitudinal rail or frame c, by pulling the check cords p and thereby. releasing
the ratchet wheels and bringing the aforesaid. weights in action, one curtain'q is
pinned onto the longitudinal rails & &fand the other onto the longitudinal rails c &ƒ¹.
The rails & care then respectively lowered and raised to give the curtains q. thes
required stretch in the width, and lengthwise by pinning one end thereof unto the
end of the rectangular frame a and the other ends. onto the aforesaid vertical sliding
rails k. The latter after being slid along the said longitudinal rails or frames & &c,
f&f on the rectangular frame a, to give the curtains q the required stretch in the
length, is locked selfactingly in position thereon by means of the said racks &
pawls & i.
Instead of employing the said sliding rails.k. vertically, the same may be similarly
employed horizontally on the rectangular frame a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my, said inven-
tion, and in what manner the. same is to be performed, I declare that. what I
claim, is:
"In curtain stretchers."
1st. The general construction and. arrangement of parts adapted, to operate. sub-
stantially as and for the nunnar ruanifi

page_text: 2nd. The rectangular frame a respectively formed or provided on each side with
an adjustable and a stationary rail f&f, respectively in combination with the
sliding rails or frames b & c raised and lowered and retained in position by means of
weights e, check cords p, ratchet wheels and pawls & ¹ substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3rd. The combination of the rectangular frame a, adjustable and stationary
rails, and sliding rails or frames & c, as specified in the preceding claim, with
the sliding rails & respectively adapted to run on and lock itself to ratchet teeth or a
rack, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 18th day of November 1889.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.