Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 11th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 11th Mar., 1887.
1 ALEXANDER JOHN ARTHUR of Fort Dodge, in the County of Webster and
State of Iowa, United States of America, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The slats composing the improved blinds are usually of wood, hinged together, edge
to edge, and the hinges at one edge are towards one side, and at the other edge
towards the opposite side so that the slats may be opened out into line with each other
when drawn across the window, but they will fold in alternate directions or zig-zag
when the slats are closed together and pressed back towards the window casing. The
hinges that unite the slats are of metal driven into the wood, and in some cases the
hinges are of wire with penetrating points and with interlocking eyes, and in other
instances the penetrating points are of sheet metal with barbed edges and the eyes for
the hinge pin formed by bending up tongues upon the sheet metal. In many
instances it is desirable to prevent the direct rays of light passing through the cracks
between the slats, in this case the edges of the slats except where the hinges are
attached are bevelled so as to lap past each other when the blind is opened out
for use.
If the window is small, a single blind may be employed to close the same when
spread, but usually two or four sections are employed, the sections being attached to
the window frame or casing and shutting up to the right and left against such casing,
and being drawn towards the centre of the window when the blinds are spread.
It is preferable to employ guide rails for the ends of the slats, such slats having
projections at their ends that run in grooves in the guide rails to steady such slats
when partially or entirely opened or closed, and where the blinds for one window are
made in upper and lower sections, there may be a central guide rail, grooved for the
reception of the projecting studs at the upper ends of the lower slats and the lower
ends of the upper slats, and the guide rails may also be used at the top of the window
frame and upon the sill.
Hooks or other suitable fastenings are provided for the blinds to keep them in place
when either opened or closed.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Blinds for Windows and in Hinges
therefor.
1, ALEXANDER JOHN ARTHUR, of Fort Dodge, in the County of Webster, and
State of Iowa, United States of America Merchant, 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
--
Inside blinds for windows have been made to fold back against the window frames,
but such blinds have occupied considerable space and project inwardly so as to usually
require recesses in the window frame for their reception. My improvement is made
for simplifying the construction and lessening the cost of inside blinds and rendering
them compact when folded so that they can be applied to ordinary window frames and
do not require to be incased.
My improved blinds can be made use of in place of ordinary rolling window shades
and are much more durable and convenient and they can be opened or closed for
modifying the quantity of light admitted into the apartment and they can be orna-
mented to any desired extent. I make use of narrow slats of wood or other material
hinged together at alternate edges so that the slats will fold zigzag and shut close
together and out of the way when they are not in use and when distended they serve
to exclude light.
Usually the blinds for each window will be made in four sections, the slats being
vertical and each section of slats being fastened to the window frame or casing, so
that when folded, the blinds will be out of the way and project but little from such
casing.
In the drawing
Fig. 1. is an elevation of several slats hinged together and forming one section.
Fig. 2. is a section in larger size at,, Fig. 1. Fig. 3. is an elevation of a
window with the blinds applied thereto. two sections being folded back and two
sections opened out for use.
Fig. 4. is a vertical section in larger size, representing the top, bottom and inter-
mediate grooved guides and bars and the end portions of the slats.
Fig. 5. is a perspective view of one of the wire hinges.
Fig. 6. is an elevation of a portion of some slats connected with the wire hinge.
Fig. 7. is a horizontal section in larger size of several slats partially folded and
connected by wire hinges.
Fig. S. is a perspective view of the hinge made with barbed penetrating points.
Fig. 9. represents the two parts of the hinges fig. 8. laid out flat, and
Fig. 10. is a horizontal section representing some slats connected by the hinge
shown in figs. 8 and 9.
The slats A. A. are hinged together at B. B. so as to be folded in opposite directions
or zigzag and to close back against the window case or frame.

page_text: The slats are of suitable width and thickness and of a length adapted to the window
frame, so that the section formed of these slats may compose one of the sections used
in the window frame.
Where the hinges B. are applied, the edges of the slats are square or nearly so.
Between the hinges and preferably above and below such hinges, the edges of the
slats are beveled as at C. C. so that there are diagonal openings between the slats.
These openings admit the passage of the atmosphere for ventilation and allow some
light to enter, in order that the blinds may not require to be open during daylight to
see to pass about a room but too much light is excluded. Usually the edges of the
beveled portions overlap as shown, the slats at such beveled portions being wider than
they are at the places where the hinges are applied as seen in fig. 2. This provents
the rays of light passing through the joints at right angles to the plane of the blind.
The edges of the slats at the inner and outer edges of the sections should be square as
at D. D. and the slats may be perforated if it is desired to admit more light.
The beveled portions C. improve the appearance of the blind. The slats composing
the sections, extend above and below the hinges. They can be cut or sawed off at
either top or bottom, or both, to accomodate smaller sizes of windows and one or
more slats can be removed if the sections are too wide or the slats can be lapped and
fastened in the middle. In figs. 3. and 4. I have shown projecting studs C² upon
cach alternate slat and these studs are used to guide the window blind sections and
steady the same in place when open for use. I provide grooved guides for receiving
these studs, such grooved guides being attached to or formed with the window sill
at 1 or the window lintel at E. or both; or where desired, a cross-bar F. grooved
on its upper and lower surfaces may be attached at its ends to the window case
about in line with the meeting rails of the sashes, to guide the pins C² at the bottom
ends of the upper slats, or at the upper ends of the lower slats, or both.
The guides
on the sill and lintel may be dispensed with when the center guide is
used, and it will now be apparent that by this improvement I am able to retain the
sections forming the window blinds in whatever position they may be placed whether
fully extended and hooked or whether partially extended.
The grooved guides may be made in any desired manner such for instance as
grooved wooden strips or bars, or U shaped strips of sheet metal as shown at E²
fig. 4. or by two bars united together.
The guides may extend entirely across the window, or be separated for each blind
section, and if desired, the guide for each blind section may be hinged, as at 2. fig. 3.
so that the outer portion may be swung either up or down when the blinds are closed
together against the window frame, the end portion in which the studs C. are con-
tained when the blind is folded, being stationary.
The hinges are made with penetrating points and may be made of wire or of sheet
metal.
When made of wire, each hinge is made with two sides or leaves in one of which
there is a bow a. to lie flat upon the surface of the wood, and two points b. b. that
pass through the wood and are turned up or clinched as indicated in fig. 7.
The end of the bow or loop a. is in line with one edge of the slat.
The other leaf of the hinge is made with a bow d. to lie flat upon the surface of the
slat and with an eye e. at the outer end of the bow that is bent up at right angles to
the surface of the wood, and this leaf of the hinge has two penetrating points i. i. to
pass through the slat and be clinched.
It is to be understood that the bow a. is to be threaded through the eye e. and that
the two parts of the hinge are to be applied at the proper place to unite the slats
together. There should be two, three or more hinges between each two slats and the
hinges are applied at the outer edges of two adjacent slats, and similar hinges at the
inner portions of the next two adjacent edges of the slats as indicated in Fig. 7. so
that the slats fold together in alternate or zigzag directions.
When the hinges are made of sheet metal each hinge is formed of the leaves 5. 6.
with the interlocking tongues 7 & 8 which are bent around the pivot pin 9. and these
leaves 5. 6. taper towards the outer ends and are made with barbs or lance points 10.

page_text: so that the points of the hinge leaves can be driven into the wood and the lance points
will hold said hinges in their proper places and the leaves of the hinge are bent to
form right angled off-sets at 12. the object of this being to allow the leaves of the
hinges to be driven into the slats A. at the edges thereof and for the pivots 9. to be in
line with the faces of the slats A. at one side.
As these hinges are applied to the edges of the slats they are to be placed in alter-
nate opposite directions so that the slats will fold up zigzag without the hinges
binding.
Usually it is not necessary to add to these hinges any devices for more firmly
holding them in place as the barbs ordinarily are sufficient for this purpose; but if
desired, small pins or rivets may be passed across the slats through holes in the hinges
as illustrated by dotted lines at 13, fig. 10.
The blind sections are made up in the manner before described and are very light
and inexpensive. The sections are to be made up of various sizes so as to be easily
fitted to different windows. When these blind sections are put in place the outer
slats or leaves of the respective sections are to be connected to the window frame or
casing by screws as shown in fig. 7. or by hinges as shown in figs. 1. & 3. or any other
convenient device, and a hook may be made use of as at 14 fig. 3. to take over a
pin 15. upon the outer slat of the adjacent section and fasten the moving edges of the
blinds together when they are closed. When the blinds are opened back the slats lie
close against each other and occupy very little space. The surfaces of the blind
sections may be painted, varnished or otherwise ornamented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1st. A folding blind having vertical ranges of slats hinged together at alternate
edges so as to fold together, and the slats beveled on their edges except where the
hinges are applied, substantially as set forth.
2nd. The slats for folding window blind sections having square edges for the
reception of the hinges and beveled edges between the hinges, the slats being wider at
the beveled edge than at the square portions as set forth.
3rd. The combination with the vertical blind-slats hinged together at alternate
sides and provided with projecting studs at the top or bottom ends, or both, of a hori-
zontal grooved guide or guides in which the studs upon the ends of the slats move in
opening or closing the blind sections, substantially as set forth.
4th. The combination in a folding blind section, of thin, flat narrow vertical wooden
slats and metallic hinges having penetrating points driven into the wooden slats at
alternate sides so that the slats will fold together laterally and open out flat and edge
to edge, substantially as specified.
5th. The combination with the thin narrow slats, of wire hinges having the
bows a. d. eye e. and penetrating points b. b. i.i. substantially as set forth.
6th. The two part wire hinge made with the loop a. d. penetrating points b. b. i. i.
and the eye e. at the end of the loop d. for uniting the two parts of the hinge, in com-
bination with the wooden slats that are connected by said wire hinges, substantially as
set forth.
7th. The combination with the blind slats A. of hinges the leaves of which are made
as barbs to be driven into the edges of the slats, substantially as set forth.
BREWER & SON,
For the Applicant.