IMPROVE- MENTS IN WINDOW BLIND APPARATUS
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 15th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Feb., 1887.
I SAMUEL EARNSHAW HOWELL of Brook Steel Works Sheffield in the County of
York Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDOW BLIND APPARATUS to be as follows
My invention refers particularly to the apparatus or mechanism connected with the
rollers of window blinds by means of which the blinds are raised and lowered and are
retained at any desired height or position, the object being to dispense with the use of
springs, clutches, and other details consequent or attendant upon the use of springs.
In carrying out my invention, I fix upon one end of the roller, a pinion geared into
a toothed wheel of larger diameter fixed upon a short axle carried by the roller bracket,
the same axle also carrying another pinion which engages with the teeth of a vertical
rack, by which the gearing may be put in motion.
The rack may be of any suitable length and is arranged to work freely in guides so
that it can be drawn down easily by hand.
For the blinds of railway carriages for example, I would make the wheel and
pinions in such proportions as regards their diameters that a movement of about
four inches of the rack would wind up about twenty four inches of blind, but I do not
bind myself to any particular proportions of the mechanism, as they may evidently
be varied to suit different arrangements.
The blind is drawn down to any desired distance by hand, and is raised or wound
upon the roller by a short downward movement of the rack, which has a convenient
handle or knob for the purpose.
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: L, SAMUEL EARNSHAW HOWELL of Brook Steel Works Sheffield in the County of
York 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:-
My invention refers particularly to the winding apparatus or mechanism connected
with the rollers of Window Blinds, by means of which the blinds are raised and
lowered, and are retained at any desired height or position, the object being to dispense
with the use of springs, clutches, and other details consequent or attendant upon the
use of springs.
And in order that my invention may be clearly defined, I annex a sheet of drawings,
in which the same letters of reference indicate the same or similar parts in any of the
figures in which they occur.
Figs. 1 & 2 represent the back, and side views of my apparatus, part of the casing
in Fig. 2, being removed.
Fig. 3, represents a modification in the arrangement of the gearing, to suit long
blinds.
In carrying out my invention I make a suitably shaped casing A, to contain the
mechanism; this casing may be cast in metal of the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
and is provided with suitable means by which it may be attached to the window frame,
such as the lugs B, and a vertical slot C, for the knob D, to slide up and down in, and
through which it is connected with the rack E.
The rack is in gear with a pinion F, fixed on a short axle, supported by each side
of the frame, and also carrying a wheel G, geared into a pinion H, fixed upon the
axle of the blind roller I; thus when the rack is moved either up or down by the action
of the outside knob D, the pinion and wheel are caused to revolve, and the pinion H
with the roller I, have an accelerated rotary motion imparted to them in consequence
of the difference in diameters of Hand G.
It will thus he obvious that by an arrangement of gearing such as that described
in Figs. 1 & 2 (and which is specially adapted to the blinds of Railway Carriages) a
blind of moderate length may be wound up on the roller by a short vertical movement
of the knob D, say about four inches of movement to a twenty four inch blind. These
dimensions may however be varied to suit various circumstances, but in the case of
applying my invention to the blinds of House Windows, or other long blinds, I prefer
to modify the arrangement of the gearing to that shown in Fig. 3. which is done by
introducing an intermediate wheel J and pinion K, and placing the rack on the
opposite side of the hottom pinion F.
By this arrangement the number of revolutions of the blind roller is increased in
such proportion, that if for example, the wheels and pinious are respectively, one and

page_text: a half inches, and half an inch, and the blind roller one inch and a quarter diameter,
then a six feet blind would be rolled up by four inches of rack movement.
To prevent the blind running down by reason of its own weight, and to retain it in
any desired position, I use a spring, such as L, acting against a loose washer M, and
thus a frictional grip is brought to hear upon the front plate of the casing between
the washer M, and the collar of the knob D, sufficient for the required purpose.
Having thus 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:-
1-The improvements in Window Blind Apparatus for the purpose specified, and
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
2 In apparatus for raising and lowering window blinds, and similar blinds, the
combination of a rack (such as E) with a series of wheels and pinions (such as F, G, H.)
for the purpose of rotating the blind roller, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated.
3-In window blind apparatus, the combination of a rack and a series of wheels
connected with the blind roller, with a frictional grip, for the purpose specified, and
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicani.