IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDING SHUTTERS FOR. SHOP AND OTHER WINDOWS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Mullin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th March.
1866.
I, JOHN HENRY MULLIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Contractor and Manufacturer of Steam-cut Mouldings, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDING SHUTTERS FOR.
SHOP AND OTHER WINDOWS," to be as follows (that is to say) :—
This Invention has for its object a convenient, strong, and inexpensive
system of shutters for closing shop and other windows, and may be applied to
shop windows as now generally constructed; one of the main objects of the
Invention being to divide the shutters used to close a window into two or
more parts, in contradistinction to the sliding shutters now commonly in use,
which extend from one side of the window to the other, thus requiring the
whole mass to be moved at once, and consist of two or more vertical sliding
shutters, made of wood or metal, which may be plain, moulded, pannelled,
or otherwise ornamented.
To apply this Invention to, say, a shop window of considerable width,
recesses are made below the ground line to receive the vertical sliding shutters,
which run in vertical metal guides, which extend to or near to the bottom of

page_text: the chambers or recesses in which they descend when out of use, and which
guides may be attached to the front of the vertical sash bars of the window;
or, where no sash bars are used, the vertical guide in front of the window may
be made moveable, so that they can be taken away when the shutters are not
in use. The guides may consist of T, I, V, or other suitably shaped pieces of
metal, rolled or otherwise formed to the required form. In some cases, where
it is desired to conceal the guides when the shutters are closed, the edges of
the shutters may be rabetted or grooved to receive the bulb or arms of the
guide in such a way that the exterior of the shutters will be edge to edge.
These several shutters may be counterweighted in the ordinary way or other-
wise, as may be desired. In some cases it is preferred to fit the edges of the
shutters with small antifriction rollers, which travel within the guides. Where
these shutters are applied, where it is desirable to admit light into the
basement of the building the upper portion of the shutters may be glazed, or
formed with open fretwork or bars; and where it is desirable to have an
entrance into the basement from the exterior of the building, that portion of
the shutter or shutters may be so jointed that it can be turned up to tho
roof of the basement story and there suspended, forming a port opening,
or a portion of one of the shutters may be formed with an ordinary door
through it for admission to the basement of the building. These shutters
may be elevated and lowered by means of cords or chains actuated by a
winch through a crank handle, which may be placed in any convenient
position, as will be well understood, when they may be actuated jointly or
separately in any convenient manner.
When this Invention is applied to an old window, where the recesses to
receive the shutter below the ground line cannot be formed conveniently in
vertical line immediately below the front of the sash bars, the guides in front
of the window may be placed in advance of the sash bars, and may be
moveable or stationary; or they may be connected to the vertical bars by
open fretwork of metal or other suitable material. When metal is used for
constructing the vertical sash bars they may be formed so as to act as guide
bars, they being made the necessary width and form for that purpose.