IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLIND FURNITURE WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE ROLLERS OF MAPS AND OTHER ARTICLES to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: Articles.
:
We, GEORGE FREDERICK WHITEHOUSE the younger of N° 44 High Street Aston
near Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer and WILLIAM BENDALL
of N° 133 Vicarage Road Aston aforesaid Cabinet Maker do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLIND FURNITURE
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE ROLLERS OF MAPS AND
OTHER ARTICLES to be as follows:-
"
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the parts of roller blind furniture whereby the drawing up and letting
down of the blind may be effected by the use of one cord only or where desired the
drawing up of the blind may be effected by the use of one cord and the drawing
down of the blind effected by a cord attached to the bottom of the blind. Our
improvements may also be applied to the rollers of maps and other articles such for
example as drawings mounted on rollers curtains mounted on rollers and the like.
In constructing roller blind furniture according to our invention we employ
metallic caps of the ordinary kind into which the ends of the roller are fitted and
fixed. One of the caps is provided with a pulley on which the blind cord is wound
and unwound. The axes of these caps are supported by and work in metallic
brackets one of which is of the ordinary kind. The bracket in which the axis of
the cap carrying the pulley works has a slot which is of larger diameter at top than
at its middle and bottom. The said axis at that part which occupies the said slot
is not cylindrical a portion of its cylindrical face having been removed on opposite
sides by filing or otherwise. That portion of the said axis is thereby made flat and
when the said flat part occupies the lower part of the slot in the bracket the axis
is incapable of turning. When however the flat end of the axis is raised into the
upper end of the slot in the bracket the said axis notwithstanding its angular
figure is capable of turning therein in consequence of the larger diameter of that
part of the slot. Hence when the angular end of the axis is in the upper part of
the slot in the bracket the said axis can turn and the blind may be raised and
lowered but when the angular end of the axis is in the lower part of the slot the
blind roller is fixed in the position to which it has been brought.

page_text: A lever situated between the bracket and the pulley and turning upon a pin or
centre near the inner edge of the bracket carries at the end of its longer arm a
small roller over which the blind cord passes-The short arm of this lever has a
cylindrical hole in which the cylindrical part of the axis works. When the long
aim of the lever is depressed its short arm is raised and the axis working in it is
raised so as to bring the angular terminal part of the said axis into the top of the
Blot in the bracket when the axis can rotate and the blind be raised or lowered.
When the long arm of the lever is raised its short arm is depressed and the angular
end of the axis is in the lower part of the slot and the said axis being incapable of
rotating the position of the blind is fixed.
The action of the parts described is as follows. The weight of the roller and
blind when unopposed brings the angular end of the axis into the lower part of the
slot in the bracket and the roller is fixed. When it is wished to raise or lower the
blind the blind cord is pulled when it depresses the long arm of the lever and raises
the short arm and the end of the axis is thereby raised into the top of the slot in
the bracket. By now paying out the blind cord gently the blind will descend or
by pulling it the blind will be drawn up. When the blind has been brought to the
required height it is only necessary to let go the blind cord to fix the blind in the
position to which it has been brought. The angular end of the axis falls to
the bottom of the slot in the bracket and the blind roller can no longer rotate.
In order to permit the blind to be drawn down by a cord attached to the bottom
of the blind we adopt the following arrangement. Instead of attaching the last
described axis rigid to its cap we pass the screwed end of the axis through a hole
in the cap.
Between a plate supported by a shoulder on that part of the axis
external to the cap and the outer end of the cap we place a spring made from sheet
steel and consisting of a central part through which the axis passes and a series of
radial arms. The said spring is slightly dome shaped the ends of its arms bearing
against the end of the cap. By screwing home more or less a screw nut on the
screwed end of the axis the spring may be more or less flattened and tightened.
The said screw nut may be fixed by a lock nut. This arrangement permits of the
pulling down of the blind without the rotation of the axis the friction produced by
the spring retaining the blind in the position to which it has been brought. In
place of the kind of spring described a helical or coiled spring may be employed.
: Our improvements may be applied to the rollers of maps and other articles and
the friction apparatus alone may be applied to blind furniture of the ordinary kind
as well as to the rollers of maps and other articles on rollers.
Dated this tanter fauntl
D1 100

page_text: Improvements in Roller Blind Furniture which Improvements
may also be Applied to the Rollers of Maps and other
Articles.
We GEORGE FREDERICK WHITEHOUSE the younger of N° 44 High Street Aston
near Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer and WILLIAM BENDALL
of N° 133 Vicarage Road Aston aforesaid Cabinet Maker do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER BLIND FURNITURE
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE ROLLERS OF MAPS AND
OTHER ARTICLES, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement reference
being had to the drawings hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked
thereon:-
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the parts of roller blind furniture whereby the drawing up and letting
down of the blind may be effected by the use of one cord only or where desired we
use two cords.
The drawing up and down of the blind being effected by the use of one cord and
the drawing down of the blind effected also by a cord attached to the bottom of the
blind.
Our Improvement may also be applied to the rollers of maps and other articles
mounted on rollers.
In constructing roller blind furniture according to our invention we employ
metallic caps of the ordinary kind into which the ends of the roller are fitted and
fixed. One of the caps is provided with a pulley on which the blind cord is wound
and unwound.
The axes of these caps are supported by and work in metallic brackets one of
which is of the ordinary kind. The bracket in which the axis of the cap carrying
the pulley works has a slot which is of larger diameter at its top than at its middle
and bottom. The said axis at that part which occupies the said slot is not
cylindrical a portion of its. cylindrical face having been reduced to a flat sided
figure. When this flat part occupies the lower part of the slot in the bracket the
axis incapable of turning When however the flat part of the axis raised into
the upper end of the said slot in the bracket the axis is capable of turning therein
in consequence of the larger diameter of that part of the slot and the blind may be.
raised or lowered but when the flat part of the axis is in the lower part of the slot
the blind roller is fixed in the position to which it has been brought.
A lever situated between the bracket and the pulley and turning upon a pin or
centre near the inner edge of the bracket carries at the end of its longer arm a
small roller over which the blind cord passes. The short arm of this lever has a
cylindrical hole in which the cylindrical part of the axis works.
When the long arm of the lever is depressed its short arm with the axis working
in it is raised so as to bring the flat part of the said axis into the top of the slot in
the bracket when the axis can rotate and the blind be raised or lowered.

page_text: When the long arm of the lever is raised its short arm is depressed and the flat
part of the axis is in the lower part of the slot and the axis being incapable of
rotating the position of the blind is fixed.
The action of the parts described is as follows. The weight of the roller and
blind when unopposed brings the flat part of the axis into the lower part of the slot
in the bracket and the roller is fixed. When it is wished to raise or lower the
blind the blind cord is pulled when it depresses the long arm of the lever and
raises the short arm and the flat part of the axis is thereby raised into the top of
the slot in the bracket.
By now paying out the blind cord the blind will descend or by pulling it the
blind will be drawn up. When the blind has been brought to the required height
.it is only necessary to let go the blind cord to fix the blind in the position to
which it has been brought.
In order to permit the blind to be drawn down by a cord attached to the bottom
of the blind we adopt the following arrangement. Instead of attaching the last
described axis rigid to its cap we pass the screwed end of the axis through a hole
in the cap. Between a plate supported by a shoulder on that part of the axis
external to the cap and the outer end of the cap we place a spring made from sheet
steel and consisting of a central part through which the axis passes and a series of
radial arins
The said spring is slightly dome shaped the ends of its arms bearing
against the end of the cap. By screwing home more or less a screw nut on the
screwed end of the axis the spring may be more or less flattened and tightened so
as to adjust the strength of the spring to the weight to be carried. The said screw
nut may be fixed by a lock nut or the screwed end of the axis may be squared and
fitted with a washer which washer not revolving takes the friction off the nut and
prevents it from becoming unscrewed.
This arrangement permits of the pulling down of the blind without the rotation
of the axis the friction produced by the spring retaining the blind in the position
to which it has been brought In place of the kind of spring described a helical or
coiled spring may be employed.
Our improvements may be applied to the rollers carrying maps and other articles
and the friction apparatus alone may be applied to blind furniture of the ordinary
kind as well as to the rollers of maps and other articles on rollers.
Referring to the drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 are an end view of Roller blind Furniture shewing the Improve-
ments claimed under the first portion of our patent Fig. 3 is a section through a
roller end shewing the spring arrangement named in the second portion of our
patent.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in each of the Figures.
(a) is the lever situated between the bracket (b) and the pulley (c) and turning
upon a pin or centre (d) at the end of the long arm of the lever (a) is a small
roller (e) over which the blind cord (f) passes the short arm of the lever (a) shewn
in dotted lines at (g) has a hole at (h) through which the cylindrical part of the
axis (2) works. When the long arm of the lever (a) is depressed as shewn in Fig. 1
by pulling the cord (f) its short arm (9) with the axis (i) working in it is raised
as shown so as to bring the flat part (j) of the axis (i) to the top of the slot (k) in
the bracket (b) where it is free to turn and allow of the rotation of the roller to
'cause the blind (l) to rise or fall.
When by releasing the cord the strain on the long arm of the lever (a) is
removed the weight of the roller and blind will cause the axis (i) to fall so as to
bring its flattened part () into the narrow bottom of the slot (k) where it will be
unable to turn as shewn at (5) Fig. 2 the falling of the axis into its lower bearing
carries down with it the shorter arm (g) of the lever (a) and brings up the long
arm as shewn in Fig. 2 Fig. 3 shews the arrangement for allowing the roller (m)
with its blind (7) and pulley (c) to rotate independently of the axis (i) notwith-
standing the flattened part (9) of the axis (i) being held in the narrow part of the
slot (k), (n) is the spring made from sheet steel and consisting of a central part

page_text: through which the axis (i) passes and the radial arms (n¹ n¹) which bear against
the cap as shewn so that the pulley (c) is free to rotate upon the axis (2). The
axis () is wormed with a screw-thread to receive the screw nut (o), (p) being the
squared washer placed upon the squared portion of the axis which washer revolving
with the axis removes all friction from the nut and prevents it moving..
The spring (n) being tightened up by the nut (o) sufficiently to resist the weight
of the blind the pulley will not rotate excepting it be made to do so by the extra
weight of pulling the blind which may be done by a central cord at the bottom of
the blind as before named.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
Our improved construction and arrangement of blind roller action and bracket
substantially as herein set forth and specified for the purpose of raising and
lowering blinds maps & other articles mounted on rollers.