Improvements in Portière or Door Curtain Rods.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 16th May, 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portière or Door Curtain Rods.
We, ARENT DE PEYSTER CHANCE, of Tyndall Works, Tyndall Street,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer and WILLIAM SMART of
No. 27 St. Silas' Square, Lozells, Aston near Birmingham, aforesaid, Mechanical
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in portière or
door curtain rods whereby the opening and closing of the door to which the
portière rod is attached causes the said rod and consequently the curtain carried
by it to rise and fall vertically, the rod preserving its parallelism with the top of
the door during its rising and falling motion.
In constructing a portière or door curtain rod according to our invention we
proceed as follows. We connect the curtain rod to the inner side of the door by
means of two or more bent arms. These arms are jointed by their upper ends to
the rod and by their lower ends to the door. These arms are so bent that while
their lower ends bear against the door their upper ends jointed to the rod are at a
distance of about two inches from the plane of the door.
To a bracket on the door frame and nearly on a level with the top of the door
one end of a nearly horizontal arm is jointed. The bracket stands out at a short
distance from the door. The other end of the said arm is jointed to about the
middle of the most distant of the bent arms supporting the curtain rod.
The action of the parts is as follows:-As the door opens the part to which the
outer bent arm is connected describes a curve having for radius the distance
between the hinge and the said part of the door while the horizontal arm describes
a curve having for radius the distance between the bracket on which one of its
ends turns and the point of the bent arm to which its other end is jointed. In
consequence of the different positions of the centres on which the door and hori-
zontal arm respectively turn, the end of the horizontal arm jointed to the bent.
arm connected to the curtain rod virtually advances towards the edge of the
opening door thereby pushing the bent arm to which it is jointed in the same
direction. The said arms are in their normal positions, that is, when the door is
closed, inclined at an angle of about forty-five degrees towards the hinged edge of
the door.
By the opening of the door and the consequent motion described of the hori-
zontal arm, the bent arm to which the horizontal arm is jointed is raised into a
vertical position as the door opens and the portière rod and curtain raised
vertically. The second bent arm necessarily takes a motion similar to that of the
bent armi to which the horizontal arm is jointed and the portière rod consequently
in its rising and falling motions preserves its parallelism with the top of the door.
On closing the door an action the reverse of that described as attending the
opening of the door occurs, the portière rod and curtain being depressed.
Dated the 24th day of August 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Portière or Door Curtain Rods.
We ARENT DE PEYSTER CHANCE, of Tyndall Works, Tyndall Street,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer and WILLIAM SMART, of
No. 27 St. Silas Square, Lozells, Aston near Birmingham aforesaid Mechanical
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in portière or
door curtain rods whereby the opening and closing of the door to which the
portière rod is attached causes the said rod and consequently the curtain carried
by it to rise and fall vertically, the rod preserving its parallelism with the top of
the door during its rising and falling motion.
In constructing a portière or door curtain rod according to our invention we
proceed as follows. We connect the curtain rod to the inner side of the door by
means of two or more bent arms. These arms are jointed by their upper ends to
the rod and by their lower ends to the door. These arms are so bent that while
their lower ends bear against the door their upper ends jointed to the rod are at a
distance of about three inches from the plane of the door.
To a bracket on the door frame and nearly on a level with the top of the door
one end of a nearly horizontal arm is jointed. The bracket stands out at a short
distance from the door. The other end of the said arm is jointed to near the lower
end of one of the bent arms supporting the curtain rod.
The action of the parts is as follows. As the door opens the part to which the
bent arm is connected describes a curve having for radius the distance between
the hinge and the said part of the door while the nearly horizontal arm describes
a curve having for radius the distance between the bracket on which one of its
ends turns and the point of the bent arm to which its other end is jointed. In
consequence of the different positions of the centres on which the door and nearly
horizontal arm respectively turn, the end of the horizontal arm jointed to the bent
arm connected to the curtain rod virtually advances towards the edge of the
opening door thereby pushing the bent arm to which it is jointed in the same
direction. The said arms are in their normal positions that is, when the door is
closed inclined at an angle of about forty five degrees towards the hinged edge of
the door.
By the opening of the door and the consequent motion described of the
horizontal arm the bent arm to which the horizontal arm is jointed is raised into a
vertical position as the door opens and the portière rod and curtain raised vertically.
The second bent arm necessarily takes a motion similar to that of the bent arm
to which the horizontal arm is jointed and the portière rod consequently in its
rising and falling motions preserves its parallelisin with the top of the door.
closing the door an action the reverse of that described as attending the opening of
the door occurs, the portière rod and curtain being depressed.
On
We will now procced to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent elevations of a portière or door curtain rod applied to
a portion of a door and door frame, the door in Figure 1 being represented closed
and the portière or door curtain rod in its lowest position and the door in Figure 2
being represented partly opened and the portière or door curtain rod in its raised
position:
Figure 3 represents a part of Figure 1 drawn to a larger scale and Figure 4
represents a part of Figure 2 drawn to a larger scale;

page_text: Figure 5 represents in front elevation and side elevation, partly in section, one
of the bent arms jointed to the door and portière rod and Figure 6 represents in
horizontal section and Figure 7 in front elevation partly in section the horizontal
arm which is jointed to the door frame and to one of the bent arms jointed to the
door and portière rod the said Figures 5, 6 and 7 being drawn to the same scale as
Figures 3 and 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a is the portière or door curtain rod connected to the inner side of the door b by
the bent parallel arms and d. The upper ends of the arms c, d are forked and
are jointed by the cross pins e, e to the portière or door curtain rod a and the
lower ends of the said arnis c and are jointed by the pins ff to the door b the
said pins working in the boxes or fixing plates g, screwed to the door (see
Figure 5). It will be seen that the said arms c, d are so bent that while their
lower ends nearly bear against the door, their upper ends jointed to the portière
rod a, are at a distance of about three inches from the door. On the door frame i .
is a bracket carrying a swivelling hearing & in a slot in which a nearly horizontal.
arm is jointed at one end, the other end of the said arm being jointed at h² to
the bent arm c. The method of jointing the horizontal arm to the door frame
will be best understood by referring to Figures 6 and 7.
When the door is closed the bent arms c, d and horizontal arm & have the
respective positions represented in Figures 1 and 3 and the portière or door
curtain rod a is in its lowest position. When the door is opened, say, to an angle
of 45 degrees, the parts take the respective positions represented in Figures 2
and 4 and the portière or door curtain rod a is lifted. That is to say, as the door b
opens the bent arm e describes a curve having for radius the distance between the
hinge of the door and the part of the door to which it is jointed, while the hori
zontal arm describes a curve having for radius the distance between the bracket
bearing and the end 2 of the said arin jointed to the other bent arm on the
door. In consequence of the different positions of the centres on which the door b
and nearly horizontal arm respectively turn, the end of the said arm h jointed to
the bent arm e virtually advances towards the edge of the opening door, thereby
pushing the bent arm e to which it is jointed in the same direction, the arm c during
the opening of the door turning on the pin or centre and moving through a portion
of the quadrant indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 and taking with it the portière
rod a to which its upper end is jointed. It will be seen by an examination of
Figures 1 and 3 that the bent arms c and d when the door is closed, are inclined at
an angle of about 45 degrees towards the hinged edge of the door, but by the
opening of the door and consequent motion of the nearly horizontal arm / the bent
arm c to which it is jointed is raised into a nearly vertical position and the portière
rod a and curtain carried by it raised vertically as represented in Figures 2 and 4.
As the second or outer bent arm d is jointed to the portière rod a thus raised, it
necessarily takes a motion similar to that of the bent arm e and the portière rod
consequently in its rising and falling motion preserves its parallelism with the top.
of the door. When the door is fully opened the bent arm describes the curve
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3.
On closing the door b the parts by an action the reverse of that described are
returned to the positions represented in Figures 1 and 3 and the portière rod and
curtain are depressed.
Although we have represented the nearly horizontal arm on the door frame
jointed to the bent arm & near the hinged edge of the door, and which arrangement
we prefer to use, yet the said nearly horizontal arm may be jointed to the bent
arm d near the distant or opening edge of the door. In this case, the nearly hori-
zoutal arm is sufficiently long to extend from the swivelling bearing 1 on the door
frame to the said distant bent arm d on the door.
By our invention the opening and closing of the door automatically effects the
raising and lowering of the portière rod and the curtain carried by it, the said rod.

page_text: preserving its parallelism with the top of the door during, its rising and falling
motion.
Portière rods made according to our invention, require no joint near that end of
the rod which is situated at or about the hinged edge of the door.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our.inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
are aware of the Specification of Lewis No. 18,857 A.D. 1890 and we claim
nothing described and claimed therein but, we claim as our invention of
Improvements in portière or door curtain rods"-
$6
The construction and combination of parts hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings for automatically raising and lowering the portière
rod and the curtain carried by it on the opening and closing of the door and for
preserving the horizontal position of the said rod during its rising and falling
motion, that is to say, jointing to the door and to the portière rod, the bent parallel
arms c and d and jointing, to a bracket on the door frame and to one of the said
bent arms on the door, a nearly horizontal arm h, the action of the said arm h on
the opening and closing of the door causing the bent arm to which it is jointed to
turn upon its lower end, thereby raising or lowering its upper end and with it the
portière rod and curtain, the connection of the portière rod with the other bent
arm, causing the last named bent arm to move in the same way as the bent arm to
which the arm is jointed and thereby to preserve the parallelism of the said
portière rod with the top of the door substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated the Twenty-seventh day of March 1893.
ARENT DE PEYSTER CHANCE.
WILLIAM SMART.