Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 22nd Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1895-Accepted, 16th Mar.. 1895
1, WALTER GEE of Colombo Street, Christchurch, in the Colony of New
Zealand, Blind Manufacturer, 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 :-
,
Venetian blinds in general use are operated by several cords; those for raising
and lowering the blinds work over pulleys and often become jammed thereby
causing great annoyance, moreover they soon wear through and break, owing to
the friction caused when raising and lowering the blinds, the whole strain
depending on the said cords.
Now the principal object of my invention is to dispense with pulleys altogether,
and instead of having several cords I use one cord only thus reducing the
friction and considerably simplifying the action of the blind.
" are needed to
By the use of my improvements no independent "checks
secure the blind at any required height, and a blind can be raised or lowered
with greater ease and facility, perfectly true and with far less strain than blinds
hitherto, used, moreover it becomes self checking and does not require the laths
My improvements
to be regulated after being raised, in order to hang true.
can be readily attached to existing blinds.
i
In carrying out my invention I attach to the head board of blind a pair of
brackets in which I place a roller, to which 1 secure the upper ends. of strong
tapes, (which take the place of the usual guide cords working over pulleys in
the head board),while the lower ends, after passing through the holes in laths,
are secured to the bottom lath. One end of the roller has a ratchet which
engages with a weighted check lever pivoted to the bracket carrying that end
of roller; to the same end of roller I secure one end of a cord and coil as
much of it round the roller as is required to raise the blind; the other end of
cord (after allowing sufficient to hang down within easy reach) I secure to the
front of the weighted check lever.
My invention will be easily understood by reference to the annexed sheet of
drawings wherein :
Figs. 1 and 2 are a top and front view respectively of a blind having my
improvements attached thereto.
Figs. 3 and 4 are a part top view and an end view respectively (on a larger
scale) showing more clearly the ratchet and weighted lever and also the operating
cord.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures.
A is the roller fitted with ratchet a and working in brackets b b secured to head
board B. c care the guide tapes, the upper ends of which are secured to the

page_text: roller A and then passed through the guide holes in laths d and secured to
the bottom lathe. Cis the weighted lever pivoted to bracket b'; fis the operating
cord, one end of which is secured to the roller A round which a portion (sufficient
to raise the blind) is coiled, then allowed to hang down within easy reach and the
other end secured to front of weighted lever C.
The blind being fixed in position and the laths all down, the operating cord f
will be coiled round the roller as before described, now to raise the blind, the part
of said cord leading to roller A is pulled, down (very little strain is needed) thus
causing the said roller to revolve when the guide tapes c c coil round said roller
and thereby pull up the laths d. The blind can be instantly checked at any
required height by merely releasing the cord, when the ratchet a engages the
eighted check lever C. To lower the blind the part of cord f leading to the
weighted check lever C is very slightly pulled, (at the same time retaining control
of the part of cord leading to roller A.) thereby causing the said lever to release
the ratchet a and allow the blind to fall to any required height when it can be
instantly checked by releasing the cord and allowing the check lever C to engage
the ratchet a again.
At each check of the ratchet a the roller A turns equal to the distance one lath
rises or falls.
Rollers, brackets, and check levers will be made right and left handed so as to
enable blinds to be worked from either side of a window as may be required.
Blinds fitted with my improvements will be far more durable than the ordinary
blinds in use whilst their cost is no greater.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what mannor the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
In Venetian blinds,
(1.) The attachment of the roller such as A, fitted with ratchet a and working
in brackets bb', in combination with the weighted check lever such as C pivoted to
bracket, such roller and weighted lever being operated by the one cord f,
substantially as set forth.
(2.) The attachment of the tapes c c (in lieu of the usual cords) the lower ends
of which are secured to the bottom lathe and the upper ends secured to the roller A
round which they coil when the blind is raised substantially as set forth.
(3.) The general combination and arrangement of the several parts constituting
my improvements in Venetian blinds, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 5th day of December A.D: 1894.
WALTER, GEE,