IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLIND FURNITURE
Year: 1884

page_text: We ROWLAND HODGES of No 12 Frederick Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Brassfounder and JOHN JOSEPH GAUNT of No 64 Guildford Street
Birmingham aforesaid Tool Maker do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLIND FURNITURE" to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to roller blind furniture in which the blind cord is
wound upon the pulley of the roller when the blind is lowered and the blind cord
unwound from the pulley when the blind is raised and the said invention consists
of the improvements hereinafter described in the fixing and releasing mechanism
of the said roller blind furniture.
By this invention the said mechanism is made very simple in construction and
efficient in action and the arresting of the blind at any desired position is imme-
diately effected.
That flange of the cord pulley nearest the supporting bracket of the blind
furniture is made into a ratchet wheel having fine teeth. Turning on the outer
end of the said bracket and situated between the ratchet wheel and the bracket is
a nearly horizontal lever. The inner and longer arm of this lever has a tooth or
pawl at its end at right angles to the said arm the said tooth or pawl engaging
with the ratchet wheel at the rear side of the said wheel. The front and short
arm of the ratchet lever is cranked and is in front of the pulley and through an
eye in the said cranked end of the lever the blind cord is passed on its way to the
pulley. A slot is made in the longer arm of the ratchet lever and through this
slot the axis of the blind roller is passed. This slot acts as a stop and limits the
range of motion of the lever.
When the ratchet lever is at liberty to move its longer arm falls by its own
weight and engaging with the teeth of the ratchet wheel prevents the rotation of
the said wheel in the direction proper to lower the blind but the said ratchet wheel
can slip over the pawl or tooth to raise the blind By lifting the long arm of the
lever by pulling down the blind cord so as to disengage its tooth from the ratchet
wheel and holding the said lever out of gear and then paying out the blind cord
the blind may be lowered to the required extent the cord being wound the
pulley or by drawing in the cord the blind may be raised the said cord being.
unwound from the pulley. On loosing the blind cord the lever takes its normal
position and by engaging with the ratchet wheel immediately fixes the position of
the blind.
upon
By this invention a much finer adjustment of the position of the blind can be
effected than by the use of the ordinary mechanism.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
n
We ROWLAND HODGES of No 12 Frederick Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Brassfounder and JOHN JOSEPH GAUNT of No 64 Guildford Street,
Birmingham aforesaid, Tool Maker do hereby declare the nature of our Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLIND FURNITURE" 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 roller blind furniture in which the blind cord is
wound upon the pulley of the roller when the blind is lowered and the blind cord
unwound from the pulley when the blind is raised and the said invention consists
of the improvements herein after described in the fixing and releasing mechanism
of the said roller blind furniture. By this invention the said mechanism is made
very simple in construction and efficient in action and the arresting of the blind at
any desired position is immediately effected.
That flange of the cord pulley nearest the supporting bracket. of the blind
furniture is made into a ratchet wheel having fine teeth. Turning on the outer
end of the said bracket and situated between the ratchet wheel and the bracket is
a nearly horizontal lever. The inner and longer arm of this lever has a tooth or
pawl at its end at right angles to the said arm the said tooth or pawl engaging
with the ratchet wheel at the rear side of the said wheel. The front and short arın
of the ratchet lever is cranked and is in front of the pulley and through an eye in
the said cranked end of the lever the blind cord is passed on its way to the pulley.
A slot is made in the longer arm of the ratchet lever and through this slot the
axis of the blind roller is passed. This slot acts as a stop and limits the range of
motion of the lever.
When the ratchet lever is at liberty to move its longer arm falls by its own.
weight and engaging with the teeth of the ratchet wheel prevents the rotation of
the said wheel in the direction proper to lower the blind but the said ratchet wheel
can slip over the pawl or tooth to raise the blind.
By lifting the long arm of the lever by pulling down the blind cord so as to
disengage its tooth from the ratchet wheel and holding the said levér out of gear-
and then paying out the blind cord the blind may be lowered to the required extent
the said cord being wound upon the pulley, or by drawing in the cord the blind
may be raised the said cord being unwound from the pulley. On loosing the blind
cord the lever takes its normal position and by engaging with the ratchet wheel
immediately fixes the position of the blind:
By this invention a much finer adjustment of the position of the blind can be
effected than by the use of the ordinary mechanisin.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation and
Figures 2 and 3 in end elevation, roller blind furniture constructed according to
this invention, Figures 1 and 2 representing the ratchet' lever engaged with the
ratchet wheel and the blind. fixed and Figure 3 representing the ratchet lever
disengaged from the ratchet. wheel for releasing the blind roller and adjusting the
blind; Figure 4 represents a plan of Figure 1 and Figure 5 an end elevation of

page_text: Figure 4 taken on the line a looking towards the bracket e; Figure 6 represents
a plan of Figure 3 and Figure 7 an end elevation of Figure 6 taken on the line a
looking towards the bracket e.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawings.
b is the blind roller and c the blind d e are the brackets in which the axis of the
roller b turns; g is the cord pulley on which the blind cord f is wound and from
which it is unwound, the flange of the pulley nearest the supporting bracket e
being made into a ratchet wheel h having teeth by preference of the size repre-
sented; i, is the nearly horizontal ratchet lever turning on the axis k at the
outer end of the bracket e. The inner and longer arm i of the lever has a tooth or
pawl at its end at right angles to the said arm (see Figures 4 and 6) the said
tooth or pawl engaging with the ratchet wheel h at the rear side of the said wheel.
The front and short arm of the ratchet lever is cranked and through the eye / in
the said end of the lever the blind cord f passes on its way to the pulley g; m is
a slot in the long arm i of the ratchet lever through which slot the axis of the
blind roller passes. It will be seen by an examination of Figures 2, 3, 5 and 7
that the slot m acts as a stop, one end of the slot bearing against the axis of the
blind roller when the lever is engaged with the ratchet wheel and the other end of
the slot bearing against the said axis when the lever is disengaged from the ratchet
wheel. The cord f being released the ratchet lever i, 2 falls by the weight of the
long arm i and the tooth 3 engaging with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel h
prevents the rotation of the said wheel in the direction proper to lower the blind
as represented in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, but the said ratchet wheel can slip over
the pawl or tooth to raise the blind. When it is desired to adjust the blind, the
blind cord is pulled down. The short arm 2 of the ratchet lever is thereby
depressed and the long arm raised and held out of action and the tooth ³ dis-
engaged from the ratchet wheel has illustrated in Figures 3, 6 and 7. The blind
roller is now free to rotate in either direction and should it be desired to lower the
blind the cord is payed out without permitting the lever i to fall into action
the lowering of the blind causing the cord f to be wound upon the pulley g.
Should it be desired to raise the blind the cord f is drawn in or downwards so as
to unwind it from the pulley g the said unwinding of the cord causing the blind
roller to rotate in the direction proper to wind the blind upon the said roller. On
loosing the blind cord f the ratchet lever takes its normal position and by engaging
with the ratchet wheel h immediately fixes the position of the blind.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is of Improvements in roller blind furniture of the kind described
The construction of the slotted ratchet lever i, 2, 3, and its combination with
the ratchet wheel on the blind roller, the said lever being so jointed that its
toothed or pawl end when the blind cord is loosed falls by its own weight and the
tooth or pawl engages with the ratchet wheel at the rear side of the said wheel and
prevents the descent of the blind, the releasing of the said lever for adjusting the
blind being effected substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
ROWLAND HODGES.
JOHN JOSEPH GAUNT.