IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE SCREENS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Félix Delacour, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn (City), London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE SCREENS."
Sealed the 25th May 1855, and dated the 27th November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Félix Delacour at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th November 1854.
I, FELIX DELACOUR, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and of 16, Castle
Street, Holborn (City), London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE SCREENS" to be as follows, viz. :-
These improvements relate to screens used in habitations for preventing the
sparks of the chimney fire from being thrown about, and for other similar
purposes; and consist, first, in a rotary fire screen; second, in a folding fire
screen.
The rotary screen consists of a hollow metallic cylinder, or other tube,
suitably fastened in a horizontal position to the mantel-piece of the chimney;
a wooden or other roller is capable of turning within this roller in suitable
bearings at the end of the same. On this roller I secure a sheet or web, of
suitable length and width, & made of some incombustible material, such as
wire gauze, which may be coiled' on or unicoiled from said roller by passing

page_text: through a longitudinal slit in the hollow roller. At the opposite or lower end
of the screen web is attached a heavy horizontal bar, which uncoils the screen
web in a parallel direction when the roller is released. The screen is wound
up by means of a bevel or similar wheel fixed on the end of the screen roller,
and a bevel pinion worked by hand, by means of a crank projecting outside; in
front. I lock the screen with a click, acted upon by a spring, the click having
a lever projecting outside, which being pressed upon, the roller is released, and
the weight of the horizontal bar uncoils, the screen, as above mentioned, in a
parallel direction. The web may also have an opaque fabric or tissue applied
to it, for the purpose of protecting the eyes from the blaze of the fire. For the
same purpose I also fix sometimes a self-coiling roller, or blind of an opaque
fabric, above the said incombustible web roller; this blind is drawn up by a
spiral spring, and may be lowered to any required length and stopped thereat
by a click and ratchet wheel. I also use a similar opaque rotary screen, by
stretching it between hooks fixed on the fender and at a suitable height on
both sides of the chimney. I hang the above-mentioned metallic screen either
by means of eyes or fastenings fixed on the under side mantel-piece, or else by
tapping the ends of the hollow containing cylinder; and putting screws in the
ends. These screws have heads for working them, and an elastic packing or
buffer is applied to the end of this head, so that, both the screws being screwed
outwards, and the roller kept between the jambs of the chimney, the screen may
be permanently on the chimney without any fixing..
The folding screen consists of two or more flaps of screen hinged together;
these flaps turn at one end upon gudgeons fastened on the mouth of the
chimney, and may be folded up inwards and hooked by means of a ring to a
hook under part of the mantel-piece.

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Félix Delacour, Her special licence that I, the said Félix Delacour, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Félix
Delacour, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, 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 FIRE SCREENS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Felix Delacour, 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.
1. .
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Félix Delacour, dó hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention; and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
These improvements relate to screens used in habitations for preventing
the sparks of chimney fires from being thrown about, and for other similar
purposes; and consist, first, in a rotary fire-screen; second, in a folding fire
screen.
5+
The rotary screen consists of a hollow metallic cylinder, or other tube,
suitably fastened in a horizontal position to the mantel-piece of the chimney;
a wooden or other roller is capable of turning within this cylinder in suitable
bearings at the end of the same. On this roller I secure a sheet or web, of
suitable length & width, and made of some incombustible material, such as
wire gauze, which may be coiled on or uncoiled from said roller by passing
through a slit in the hollow cylinder. At the opposite or lower end of the
screen web is attached a heavy horizontal bar, which uncoils the screen in a
parallel direction when the roller is released. The roller is wound up by
means of a bevel or similar wheel fixed on the end of the screen roller, and a
bevel pinion worked by hand, by means of a' crank projecting outside, in front.
I lock the screen by means of a click, acted upon by a spring, the click having
a lever projecting outside, which being pressed upon, the roller is released, and
the weight of the horizontal bar uncoils the screen, as above mentioned, in a
parallel direction. The web may also have an opaque fabric or tissue applied
to it, for the purpose of protecting the eyes from the blaze of the. fire. For
the same purpose I also fix sometimes a self-coiling roller or blind made of an

page_text: opaque fabric above the said incombustible roller; this blind is drawn up by a
spiral spring, and may be lowered to any required length, and stopped thereat
by a click & ratchet wheel, the same as ordinary window blinds. I also use
a similar opaque rotary screen, by stretching it between hooks fixed on the
fender and at a suitable height on both sides of the chimney. I fix the above-
mentioned metallic, screen either by means of eyes or fastenings secured to
the under side of the mantel-piece, or else by tapping the ends of the hollow
containing cylinder, and putting screws in these ends. These screws have
heads for working them, and an elastic packing or buffer is applied to this
head, so that, both the screws being screwed outwards, the roller is kept between
the jambs of a chimney without any fixing.
The folding screen consists of two or more flaps of screens hinged together;
these flaps turn at one end upon gudgeons fastened on the mouth of the
chimney, and may be folded up inwards and hooked by means of a ring to
a hook at the under part of the mantel-piece.
Having thus briefly set forth the general nature of my Invention, I will now
describe the practical ways in which the same is or may be carried into
effect; and in order fully to illustrate these ways, I have hereunto annexed
a Sheet of Drawings, on which the improved fire screens are shewn in several
views.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a rotary spark-protecting screen without the
additional fire screen; this rotary screen being represented as being wound up
by means of bevel gear, and fastened to the chimney by means of buffer heads,
above mentioned. Fig. 1 is an end view of the winding-up gear; and
Fig. 1 & 1 represent another way of fastening the-ends of the screen on the
chimney, which is done by means of gudgeons that can be screwed in or out to
suit the width between the chimney posts. A is a sheet or web of incom-
bustible material, such as wire gauze, made of links & eyes or of narrow strips
of metal. This sheet has a heavy bar A¹ attached to it, & is coiled upon the
wooden or other roller B, which is contained in the hollow brass or metal
cylinder C.
This screen is fixed to the chimney by screws D, screwing into
bosses E at each end of the cylinder C, these screws having square heads or
round-heads-F-with-boles-to-them,-and-a-cushion, bolster,-or-buffer-of-some-
elastic substance, such as india-rubber, at the top; hence, by turning these
screws, by inserting a short lever or tommy into the holes, the cylinder may be
lengthened out or shortened, as may be, required, and by causing the buffers
forcibly to bear against the post G on each side, the screen is thus jammed in
& fixed by stifl' friction. The screws D whilst being turned carry along with
them the cover H, H, which is for keeping the internal details out of sight, &

page_text: forms a continuation of the containing cylinder C. I is the wheel & crank
for winding the screen sheet up by means of the bevel wheel K;.&.Lis a
spring click gearing into the wheel I, and by which the sheet cau be stopped
when it is wound up sufficiently.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of another rotary spark-catching fire
screen, differing from the preceding one only as regards the way in which it
is fixed to the chimney, and in which the screen is wound up.. There is
also an ordinary fire screen fastened on the containing-cylinder of the im-
proved screen for protecting the eye-sight from the blaze of the fire, &;
this blind screen being self-acting, the same as common window blinds.
Fig. 2 shews a cross section of the double screen cylinder; Fig. 2" is an
end view of the click, for stopping the uncoiling of the sheet. A, double
cylinder; B, metallic sheet; C, bar for stretching the same; D, bar or pole
of the silk blind; E, coiled springs by which the screen is wound up;
F, pulley for unwinding the screen by means of a cord. This pulley carries
also the ratchet wheel. G, supports for fastening the screen; H (Fig. 2b),
spring acting upon the click I. Fig. 2, 24, 2°, shew in front view, cross
section, & plan, respectively, the mode of fastening adopted here, which
consists of a hook L, that is closed by means of a button G, having a
bayonet slot. M is the fixed support or step into which the other end of
the roller fits.
Figs. 3 and 3ª shew in front & end view a fire screen which may be stretched
to different heights by means of a rack A inside a fender; this screen coiling,
by the effect of an interior mechanism, whenever released from the rack. The
screens above described may also be fastened down when completely drawn
out by a hook, so as to prevent children disturbing the screen or getting too
near the fire.
Fig. 4 represents an end view of a folding screen, which consists of two or
more sheets or plates hinged together, as at a. This screen is fixed at b, &
when raised, as in the Drawing, it is hooked on to a hook fixed at C.
Fig. 5 represents a particular way of securing the screen to the mantel-
piece.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, & the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that
I claim as novel, and therefore being secured to me by the herein-before in
part. recited Letters Patent, the rotary fire-screens above described, consisting
of an incombustible material for the purpose of protecting from the sparks of
the fire, this rotary fire screen being wound up & fixed to the chimney by
the means described above, or any similar ones; also, combining a silk or

page_text: other more opaque screen with the incombustible fire screen; and also the
folding screens, described above & shewn on the annexed Drawings, Fig. 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Felix Delacour, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 22nd day of May, in the year One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.