IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHECK ACTIONS OF VENETIAN BLINDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean, both of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, trading under
the Firm of H. Cutts and Company, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHECK ACTIONS OF VENETIAN BLINDS,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 9th October 1874, and dated the 30th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Twells Cutts
and John Dean at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 30th April 1874.
We, HENRY TWELLS CUTTS and John Dean, both of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineers, trading under the Firm of H.
Cutts and Company, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF 'CHECK ACTIONS' OF VENETIAN
BLINDS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-

page_text: applied to Venetian blinds, and by which check motion the movement of
the cords, and thereby the descent of the blinds, may be stopped at any
convenient place.
"
The apparatus consists of a suitable frame in which two rollers are
mounted, over which the two sides or ends of the cord by which the
blinds are drawn up or let down pass. On the same fixed pin round
which the two rollers revolve, and between the same rollers, an eccentric
is mounted surrounded by a ring or hoop, which, extended in form of an
arm outside the rollers and cords, terminates in a cross piece extending
to the right and left of the arm over the rollers. This arm is provided
on each side with a stop piece, serrated if preferred, so as to insure a
perfect hold of the cords. This cross piece by reason of the eccentric
round which it turns rests on the frame and sufficiently far off the rollers
to allow the cords to move over the rollers freely when desired; but when
the cords are drawn sufficiently to one side to touch the serrated stopping
pieces and draw them towards the rollers, or when the cross piece is
drawn towards the rollers by a proper check cord, the stopping pieces
attached to the cross arm will, by reason of the eccentric round which
it turns, be drawn close towards the rollers, thereby nipping the cords
and arresting the further descent of the blinds.
The arrangement above described may also be used with advantage for
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 30th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
TWELLS CUTTS and JOHN DEAN, both of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto us, the said Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean,
Her special license that we, the said Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean, our executors, administrators,
and 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 Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
'CHECK ACTIONS' OF VENETIAN BLINDS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Twells Cutts and
John Dean, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
The improvement relates to the apparatus called the check motion
applied to Venetian blinds, and by which check motion the movement
of the cords, and thereby the descent and ascent of the blinds, may be
regulated at any convenient place.
The apparatus consists of a suitable frame in which two or more rollers
are mounted, over which the two sides or ends of the cords by which the
blinds are drawn up or let down pass. On the same fixed pin round
which the two rollers revolve, and between the same rollers an eccentric
is mounted surrounded by a ring or hoop, which extended in form of an
arm outside the rollers and cords terminates in a cross piece extending
to the right and left of the arm over the rollers, and provided on each
side with a stop piece, serrated if preferred, so as to insure a perfect hold
of the cords. This cross piece by reason of the eccentric round which
it turns rests on the frame, and sufficiently far off the rollers to allow

page_text: the cords to move over the rollers freely when desired; but when the
cords are drawn sufficiently to one side to touch the ring or hoop or
serrated stopping pieces and draw them towards the rollers, or when the
cross piece is drawn towards the rollers by the drawing up cords or a
proper check cord, the stopping picces attached to the cross armi will, by
reason of the eccentric round which it turns, be drawn close towards the
rollers, thereby nipping the cords and arresting the further descent or
ascent of the blinds.

page_text: '
when checking their movement. The parts of this cross piece which come
in contact with the cords may be serrated so as to secure a safe hold.
The arme when not used rests on the framing holding the cross piece
out of contact with the cords, allowing the same to pass freely over the
rollers, but the same arme is on its lower part at e' carried out from the
hoop portion and shaped in such a manner that when one of the cords is
slightly drawn aside so as to catch the edge of the part at e¹ the arm is
drawn over in the position shown in Fig. 2, whereby the stopping
piece comes in contact with the cords and arrests their further move-
ment, and thereby the descent of the blinds. As the cords are drawn in
the other direction the stopping pieces release the same and return to
their former position. The stopping pieces may also be brought into
contact with the cords by the use of a separate check cord, such check
cord being fastened to the arm on the side opposite to the stopping piece.
When the cord is drawn downwards the arm turning round the eccentric
will cause the stopping piece to come into contact with the cords.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 show the Invention applied to a block; Fig. 5 is a
front view with front plate and one roller removed; Fig. 6 is a front
view with front plate only removed; Fig. 7 is an end view of the same;
g, g, is the framing of the block in which the two rollers h, h, over which
the ropes pass are mounted on the fixed pin or bolt i; to this bolt i, and
between the rollers, an eccentric k is fastened immovable, and on this
eccentric the arm is mounted, which extends outside the rollers and
terminates in a cross piece m, which carries the serrated stopping pieces
n, n, which may be either in one piece with the cross part of the arm or
fastened separately to the same. Another cross piece o is attached to
the arm on its lower part. This extends across the framing of the
block, as shown at Fig. 7. When the ropes have to be stopped one of
them is drawn slightly outside, until catching the cross piece o it draws
the same, and thereby the arm 7 turns partly round the eccentric k,
whereby the stopping pieces come in contact with the ropes, as shown
in Fig. 6, and arrest their further movement.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed and carried into practical effect, we
hereby declare that we claim as our Invention the arrangement and
combination of apparatus as and in the manner described, set forth,

page_text: In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Twells Cutts and John Dean,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-seventh day
of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.
Witness,
W. HRY. DAWSON,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
HENRY TWELLS CUTTS. (L.S.)
JOHN DEAN.
(L.S.)