IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOWS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Wood, of East Wemyss, in the County
of Fife, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WINDOWS."
Sealed the 30th June 1868, and dated the 16th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Wood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1868.
I, JAMES WOOD, of East Wemyss, in the County of Fife, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOWS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of windows,
whereby the window sashes or frames may be conveniently removed
from the cases. for cleaning the glass panes or other purposes. It
consists essentially of a metal box bracket or guide fixed to the window
case at about the height of the centre of the top frame and in the
line of the ropes of the lower sash. This bracket or guide is constructed
with flanches between which the rope runs, and these are of such depth
that the groove in the lower frame may pass over them. Attached to
the bracket is a lever projecting far enough to allow the window lines

page_text: to pass behind it, the lever being actuated by an arm which is pressed
upon by the batten rod of the window, when the batten rod is removed
and the lower frame taken out the rope which is attached to a hook
in the frame is removed, and the lever which is attached to the box
bracket prevents the weights from running down. The parting rod
instead of being made in one piece as at present is made in three pieces,
the upper and lower piece is fixed, but the central piece which is a
little larger than the height of the top sash is hinged on the inside of
the window case so that it can be pushed into the case and allow the
window frame to fold down inside of the window, this is effected by
fixing a metal bush a short distance from the wooden sill. In the bush
a circular hole is formed and a slit made on the top side to admit an
oval or oblong pivot which is attached to the bottom of the sash. When
the sash is lowered the pivot enters the circular opening in the bush
and acts as a hinge on which the window is folded down to the inside.
To prevent the noise occasioned by the sashes when subject to the action
of wind or other causes spiral springs covered with leather or other
substance are inserted into the outer side of the sashes, these press
against the case so that the sashes are continually forced inwards, and
the recoil of the window when acted upon by the wind is prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
Wood, of East Wemyss, in the County of Fife, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Wood, Her special license that I, the
said James Wood, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Wood, executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,

page_text: should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOWS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Wood,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Wood, do hereby declare.
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is.
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
My said Invention relates to an improved construction of windows
whereby the window sashes or frames may be conveniently removed
from the cases for cleaning the glass panes or other purposes. It
consists essentially of a metal box bracket or guide fixed to the window.
case at about the height of the centre of the top frame, and in the line
of the ropes of the lower sash. This bracket or guide is constructed
with flanches between which the rope runs, and these are of such
depth that the groove in the lower frame may pass over them. Attached
to the bracket is a lever projecting far enough to allow the window
lines to pass behind it, the lever being actuated by an arm which is
pressed upon by the batten rod of the window. When the batten.rod
is removed and the lower frame is taken out, the rope which is attached
to a hook in the frame is removed and the lever which is attached to
the box bracket prevents the weights from running down. The parting
rod instead of being made in one piece as at present is made in three
pieces; the upper and lower piece is fixed, but the central piece which
is a little larger than the height of the top sash is hinged on the inside
of the window case, so that it can be pushed into the case, and allow
the upper window frame to fold down inside of the window; this is
effected by fixing a metal bush a short distance from the wooden sill:
In the bush a circular hole is formed, and a slit made on the top side
to admit an oval or oblong pivot which is attached to the bottom of
!

page_text: the sash. When the sash is lowered the pivot enters the circular
opening in the bush, and acts as a hinge on which the window is
folded down to the inside. To prevent the noise occasioned by the
sashes when subject to the action of wind or other causes, spiral springs
covered with leather or other substance are inserted into the outer side
of the sashes; these press against the case, so that the sashes are
continually forced inwards, and the recoil of the window when acted
upon by the wind is prevented.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood,
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had for the sake of more complete
elucidation to the letters and figures upon the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings which I have hereunto appended, that is to say,→
Figure 1 is an elevation of a window from the outside, with the facing
removed for the purpose of showing the hanging cords and weights,
the lower sash is also shown partly in section; Figure 2 is a vertical
transverse section of the window case.
The woodwork of the sashes A is constructed in the usual manner,
with this exception, that instead of forming grooves in the styles of
the upper sash for the sash lines to fit in, that part of the style in
front or outside of the cord is cut out, as shown at a, Figure 1.
According to the manner in which sash windows are hung at present
great inconvenience attends the operations of cleaning, painting, and
glazing them, as the sashes cannot without difficulty be removed from
the window cases, there being no means of detaching the sashes from the
cords by which they are suspended.
One part of this Invention consists then of an improved method of
hanging the sashes, so that they may be conveniently removed from
the cases for cleaning, painting, glazing, or other purposes. This is
effected by fixing a bracket B, Figures 2, 3, and 4, to the breast of the
window case C in the line of the cord D, by which the lower sash is
suspended, the cord D being made to pass through a bracket B. A
lever E is fitted in the front of the bracket B, from which an arm F
passes under the batten rod G, so as to keep the lever E in the position
shown in Figure 4, allowing the cord D to pass up and down freely
through the box bracket B when the sash is raised or lowered. The
grooves in the styles arc formed sufficiently large to allow the sash to

page_text: pass over the box bracket B, and the cords D, Figure 1, are attached
to the sash A sufficiently far down so that the sash may be raised to
the top of the case without interruption. A method of attaching the
cords to the sash is shown in Figure 5. The cord D is attached to a
hook or link b, or the end of the cord D may be formed into an eye,
and passed over the hook c; the link 6 is prevented coming off the
hook c by means of the spring d. When the lower sash is to be
removed from the window the screw e, Figure 2, in the batten rod G
is released, and the hatten rod G is removed. The arm F of the
lever E is now free, and the lever E is turned to the position shown
dotted on Figure 4, and the cord D is pressed into the curve formed in
the back of the box B, as shown in Figure 4. The sash A is now
removed from the case C, and the cords D are detached by pressing
back the spring d, Figure 5, and unlocking the link 6 from the hook c.
The whole pressure of the balance weights f now act upon the cords D,
and as the centre of the lever E is placed a little above the centre of
the curve in the back of the box, as shown in Figure 4, the cords are
wedged in, so that the weights cannot run down. When the the sash
is replaced the lever E is lifted up and the batten rod replaced over
the arm F, which prevents the lever E from falling down, as herein-
before described.
Another method of supporting the balance weights f while the
sash is removed from the case is shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8. In
this case the cords are pressed outwards against a box g by a lever h
fixed on a spindle i turned by the screw j gearing into the pinion k.
The screw is covered by the batten rod G, which must be taken out
before the screw j can be turned. The pin 1, Figure 8, prevents the
lever h being turned too far round. The upper sash is constructed to
fold down to the inside after the under sash has been removed. To
effect this an oval pivot m, Figure 1, is screwed near to the bottom of
each style of the upper sash, and near to the bottom of the case a metal
bush n, Figure 2, is screwed to the breast C; when the sash is pulled
down the pivot m enters the bush by a notch formed in the top of the
bush n, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and forms a hinge upon which
the sash turns. To allow the sash to be turned inwards the parting
rod o is made in three pieces, as shown in Figure 2; the pieces at the
top and bottom of the case are fixed in the usual manner, but the
centre piece p is hinged to the piece of wood g, which is also hinged
to the piece, which fills the "pocket hole" in the breast C, as shown

page_text: in Figures 10 and 11. The breast C is cut through behind the piece
of the parting rod q so as to allow it to be pushed back. Figure 11
shows the position of the centre piece of the parting rod p when the
sash is in its normal position; a pin s is fixed on the batten rod G.
which presses against the tongue t, and keeps the parting rod p out.
When the sash is to be folded down it is lowered until the pivot m
enters the bush n (it being understood that the lower sash has been
removed), the piece of the parting rod p is now pushed back into the
position shown in Figure 12, and the sash is turned round upon the
pivot m in the bush n. Figure 9 shows the position of the pivot m in
the bush n when the sash is turned down, it is also shown dotted in
the position in which it enters or leaves the bush n when the sash is
in a vertical position.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of a skylight window, showing the
application of a pivot and bush hinge. The pivot is attached to the
sash and the bush to the case, as shown at L, Figure 13. When the
sash is open it is held up by jointed rods M, Figures 13 and 14, which
are kept in position by the bar N pressed against them by the nut O.
By detaching the rods M from the hooks u the sash may be turned up
and the pivot removed out of the bushes, as herein-before described,
for Figure 9, and the sash removed. While the sash is shut down it is
perfectly secure, as the pivot cannot get out of the bush when the
window is closed. To prevent the noise occasioned by the shaking of
the sashes when subject to the action of the wind or other causes, spiral
springs may be inserted into holes bored in the sashes, as shown at 10,
Figure 1. The springs press against the case, so that the sashes are
pressed inwards and the recoil of the window when acted on by the
wind is prevented. The hole in which the springs are placed may be
covered with leather or other soft material to keep the spring in
its place when the sashes are removed from the case, and also to
prevent the springs tearing or rutting the case. To assist the sash
in moving up and down smoothly small rollers may be fitted in the
sash opposite to each of the springs w, Figure 1; or the springs
may be fitted in behind the rollers, and the rollers will be pressed
against the case so that no leather or other covering will be required.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider

page_text: novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The method of suspending the balance weights of sash windows
so as to permit the sashes to be entirely removed from the cases, by
detaching the cords from the sashes, as herein-before described, or any
mere modification thereof.
Second. Constructing the parting rod in separate pieces, one of the
pieces being made a little longer than the height of the sash, and
hinged so that it can be pushed back into the case, and allow the sash
to be folded down or taken out, as herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof.
Third. The use of a bush and pivot hinge as applied to the sashes of
hung sash windows, and also to skylight windows, as herein-before
described, or any mere modification thereof.
Fourth. The use of spiral springs to prevent the shaking of window
sashes when acted on by the wind or other causes, as herein-before
described, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Wood, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-eight.