IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLINDS AND SHUTTERS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SNOXELL, of the Quadrant, in the County of Middlesex, Blind Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fourth day of February, in the eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Snoxell, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Snoxell,
my exors, admors, or assigns, or such others as I, the said William Snoxell,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLINDS AND SHUTTERS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said William Snoxell, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said

page_text: Wam Shoxen, no ereny declare
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention consists,-
First, of improvements in the arranging window blinds and shutters made
with laths of wood, having their lower edges coated with metal; and,
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in the apparatus employed
for raising and upholding rollers, shutters, or blinds, composed of laths of
wood, metal, or other suitable material.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to described the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
are metal sockets fixed on the
which I usually make of strong
The webbing passes through the
Figure 1 shows the back view of a portion of a window blind or shutter
made with laths of wood coated with metal at their lower edges and combined
together by a series of straps. Figure 2 shews a section and a back view of
a portion of one of the laths full size. a, a, are the laths, the shape of which
is very similar to what has been before used when making roller blinds or
shutters by combining laths of wood. b, b,
laths at intervals for receiving the straps c,
webbing, but other material may be used.
sockets b, b, of the various laths, and is made fast to the sockets and to the
laths by means of screws d, d, as shewn. The sockets are made of tin plate
or other proper sheet metal, which is bent or folded over at the upper and
lower edges, so as not to offer a sharp or rough edge to the straps c, c. The
sockets are formed by bending the sides of each socket and soldering them
to a plate b, and is fixed to a wire b at top, which wire is bent or cranked,
and the pointed ends are driven into the upper edge of a lath a. The lower
end of the plate is bent under the lower edge of the lath, and then the
lower edge of the lath is bound or covered with a metal plate e shaped to
the contour of the lower edge of the lath; the same running from end to end
of the lath is made fast by nails at e', c', as is shown; and it is this mode of
applying bands to combine the laths of wood of roller shutters or blin, and
coating the lower edges of the laths with metal, which constitutes part of
'my Invention.
I will now proceed to describe another improvement in combining laths of
wood coated with metal on the lower edge into blinds or shutters. Figure 3

page_text: shews a back view and also a section of a portion of a blind or shutter com-
posed of laths of wood. a, a, are the laths, which have cords c, c, passing
thro' them. These cords may be of cord made of wire or other strong
material. The laths a, a, are fixed to the cords by means of nails, as shewn.
I will now proceed to describe the various improvements for supporting
and raising roller blinds or shutters made by combining laths; and these
improvements are not confined in their use to the improvements above
described, but are applicable to other arrangements of roller shutters or blinds
made by combining laths. Figure 4 shews a transverse section of apparatus
for supporting and raising roller shutters or blinds. Figures 5 and 6 shew
two sections of the weight box taken in opposite directions. The peculiarity
of this part of the Invention is the using of several weights as a means of
counterbalancing, and for aiding in raising roller blinds or shutters made of
laths, which weights, as the shutter or blind is wound on the roller, will
successively go out of use, as the blind or shutter will require less and less
weight to support that portion which is down. f is the roller, on and off
which the shutter or blind a, a, is wound, there being a pulley g affixed at one
end of the roller for the cord or chain h, and such cord or chain is guided by
suitable guide pulleys to a long box or trunk i, i, situated in any convenient
position. In this box or trunk the weights (1) 2) 3) 4) are placed, each
weight, towards the lower end of the trunk or box, having a step or shelf j, j,
to receive and support it, the cord or chain passing freely through the weights.
In Figure 4 the shutter or blind is shewn to be down to its lowest position,
hence the weights are at their highest position, and they are all acting with a
tendency to draw up the shutter; but the shutter or blind is to be prevented
moving by bolts or other suitable fastenings till required, and then the shutter
being unfastened is pushed upwards, and as the same becomes wound up on
the roller it will require less weight to counterbalance it, and therefore the
weights successively come on to their steps or shelves in the box or trunk i.
In some cases I use springs in place of weights to counterbalance and to aid in
raising roller shutters or blinds made of laths. Figure 7 shews a transverse
section of part of a roller shutter or blind composed of laths applied to a win-
dow having apparatus applied thereto for using a spring or springs for raising
and counterbalancing. Figure 8 is part of a front view of the same shutter and
apparatus. In this case a box or trunk i, i, aflixed in any convenient position,
and the rope wound on the pulley at the end of the roller, is conducted to the
trunk or box and guided by suitable pulleys, and the rope, or it may
be a chain, is made fast to the plate k, which is capable of moving freely
within the trunk or box, and one end of the spring rests on this plate and

page_text: the other end of the spring rests against the fixed top or cover of the box or
trunk i; and the spring will be condensed into its smallest compass when
the shutter or blind a is down, and when the shutter is pushed up the spring
will expand and aid in the raising of the shutter or blind.
I will now describe another mode of using springs for counterbalancing and
raising roller blinds or shutters made of laths. Figure 9 shows a section of
part of a roller shutter or blind composed of laths, the roller having within it
one or more spiral springs, according to the weight of the shutter or blind and
the strength of the springs used. Figure 10 shews the two ends of the roller
separately, partly in section. 1, the spring, one end of which is fixed to the
axis, and the other end of the spring is fixed to the barrel . This barrel l',
containing the spring, passes within the roller barrel, and the head of the
screw, in the barrel l, enters a slot formed in the end of the barrel l', as is
shown. The roller blind or shutter, made up of laths, is attached to the roller,
and is wound up by the spring or springs. Figure 11 shows a transverse
section, and Figure 12 shows the two ends of a roller for a roller shutter or
blind made of laths where helical springs are used in place of the spiral ones.
One end of each spring is made fast to the barrel m, m, and the other ends
are made fast to the axis at n, and the barrel, as in the former case, is free to
move round on the axis, but the axis is held fixed in its bearings. In using
springs and weights for raising roller shutters or blinds made of laths I prefer
that they should be only slightly more than enough to balance the shutter, so
that the shutters or blinds should require some effort to move them.
I will now describe another mode of using weights for counterbalancing and
for aiding to move roller shutters or blinds made of laths. Figure 13 shows a
transverse section of a roller blind or shutter applied to a shop front, and
Figure 14 a front view thereof. In this case the blind or shutter is arranged
to wind on to a roller below, and is supported by cords or chains at top, as is
shown. o is the roller, having a pulley at the end with a weighted cord, which,
being caused to descend, the roller will draw down the shutter or blind, and
the same will be wound on the roller; and the weights (1, 2,) (3) 4) 5)-6) 7)
are affixed to an endless strap carried by two rollers p, p, the larger weight 7
being attached to the cord which supports the shutter; hence, whence the
shutter is up, the whole of the weights will be on the same side of the axis of
the upper roller
1, in order by their weight to support the shutter or blind;
but as the shutter or blind is wound on the roller and requires less weight to
counterbalance it, the weights will progressively pass to the other side of the
axis of the upper roller p, and thus reduce the weight tending to raise the
blind or shutter.

page_text: I will now describe another part of my Invention, which has for its object
the causing one portion of a roller shutter or blind made of laths to counter-
balance the other. Figure 15 shows a transverse section, and Figure 16 a
front view, of a roller shutter or blind having my improvements applied
thereto. q, r, are the two parts of the roller blind or shutter, and s, t, are the
rollers on which the respective parts are wound. v are bands, cords, or chains;
one end of each is affixed to each of the pulleys u, and then, descending, is
passed several times round the pulley u, on the other roller, and then made
fast thereto. w, w, are cords, chains, or bands, made fast to the pulleys x,
and are caused to take several turns round the same; then they descend, and
are made fast to the pulleys won the other roller. y, y, are two cords,
chains, or bands, which are made fast to the cords v, and then, ascending, they
pass over pulleys, and are made fast to the upper rail of the lower portion of
the shutter or blind; hence the parts of the shutters will be in a state of
balance, & when the shutters are to closed a hook is put into the hole ¹, &
the shutter 7 drawn down, which causes the shutter r to be drawn up; and
when the shutters are to be opened the hook is placed in the hole ², and
the shutter r drawn down, which causes the shutters q, r, to be wound on
their rollers.
.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
I do not claim any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself
to the details herein shewn and described, so long as the peculiar character of
either part of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,-
First, the combining laths of wood into a blind or shutter by means of straps
and sockets, and coating the lower edges of the laths with metal, as described
in respect to Figures 1 and 2. And I also claim the mode of combining
laths of wood into a blind or shutter by cords, tapes, or straps, passing through
and affixed, as shown, the laths overlapping, as described in respect to
Figure 3.
Secondly, I claim the mode of using weights to counterbalance and to aid in
moving roller shutters or blinds made of laths, by causing the weights to go
successively out of action, as described in respect to Figures 4, 5, and 6.
And I also claim the mode of using a spring or springs for counterbalancing
and for aiding to raise roller blinds or shutters made of laths, as described in
respect to Figures 7 and 8.
And I also claim the mode of raising and counterbalancing roller shutters
or blinds made up of laths, by springs in rollers, as described in respect to
Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12.

page_text: And I also claim the mode of using weights to counterbalance and aid to
raise roller shutters or blinds made of laths, as described in respect to
Figures 13 and 14.
And I also claim the mode of balancing roller blinds or shutters made of
laths, as described in respect to Figures 15 and 16.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Snoxell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
Enrolled the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.