Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr., 1895-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1895
I, REGINALD WALTER BARKER, of Monument Chambers, King William
Street, London, England, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows :-
An improvement in Venetian blinds, consisting of a horizontally arranged and
eccentrically pivoted rocking bar,-the said rocking bar being approximately the
width of the slats of the blind, which slats are suspended, when in normal or
lowered position, from the said rocking bar, by means of two or more flexible strips
arranged on each side of said bar and slats, intermediate between the ends thereof,
and attached to the said bar and to the said slats.
A stationary rack is secured to, or formed with, the hanger to which the rocking
bar is pivoted; the said rack being arranged concentrically, partly around one of
the said rocking bar pivots, and having preferably ratchet teeth inclined in the
direction of the eccentric portion of the said rocking bar. A gravitating pawl is
attached to an end of the said rocking bar, and is adapted to engage the teeth of the
said rack, and when the said bar is quickly rocked or turned, by means of a cord
secured to it for that purpose, to slip the said teeth and engage such teeth as the
said pawl may come in contact with when it falls against the teeth at the halting
of the rocking bar.
Above the rocking bar, is pivoted a roll, approximately the width of the said bar
and of the aforesaid slats. This roll is provided with the ordinary automatic
spring return and at one end with a pawl catch mechanism, such as is common in
spring rollers.
Two or more grooves, concentric with the pivot centre of the roll, are cut in the
latter, and two cords, arranged to wind in a similar direction upon the said roll
are secured thereto, in the said grooves. These cords extend downward, freely,
through slots or holes formed in each slat, and are securely fastened to the lowest
slat. Another cord is reversely wound upon a portion of the said roll, when the
blind is in lowered or normal position. A pull upon this last named cord causes the
roll to revolve, and thereby wind the other cords, and by drawing upwardly,
the lower slat, thus elevating consecutively all the other slats from the lowest to
the uppermost.
D L 1
1

page_text: 1, REGINALD WALTER BARKER, of Monument Chambers, King Willian
Street, London, in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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 consists of improvements in Venetian blind apparatus whereby a
cord and roller for raising and lowering the slats, and a stop device for holding the
slats in position may be utilized to better advantage than as at present arranged.
It also consists of improved rocking bar apparatus for opening and closing the
slats, and it also consists of certain improvements in details of the apparatus all as
hereinafter fully described, reference being made to accompanying drawings,
in which
-
Fig. 1, is a front elevation of part of a Venetian blind with my improved
apparatus for operating it, the slats being open. Fig. 2, is an elevation of the same
in the reverse view.
Fig. 3, is a plan view.
Fig. 4, is a detail in vertical section on line x-x, Fig. 1, through the roller pivot
bearing at the right hand end of the roller on a larger scale.
Fig. 5, is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow at the left hand of
Fig. 3, and showing the slats open.
Fig. 6, is a similar view showing the positions when the blind is to be raised or
lowered, or the slats are to be opened or closed.
Fig. 7, is also a similar view showing the conditions when the slats are closed.
Fig. 8, is also a similar view showing a modified arrangement of the apparatus
for opening and closing the slats.
Fig. 9, is a detail showing a modification of the roll catch device.
Fig. 10, represents the front and side view of the hanger for one end of the roller,
and the rocking bar.
Fig. 11, represents a front and side view of the hanger for the other end of the
roller and rocking bar.
I provide a roll a, for raising and lowering the slats ; by the cords b, and a
corde, for turning the roll to wind up the said cords b, which are arranged with
the slats as usual to raise them, said roll being pivoted at din hangers d², which
are detachably connected by the eyes e, on suspending hooks, pendent from the
top of the window frame, or otherwise suitably arranged for readily applying and
removing said hangers, and the cord c, being wound on the roll reversely to the
winding of cords thereon. The hangers have a prong d projecting upward and
bearing against the hooks to prevent the hangers from swinging out of position by
the effect of jerks on the cord c. In the upper side of the stationary pivot hub d¹
of one of the hangers is a notch e¹ and on the end of the roller is one or more
gravitating pawls 9, to drop in said notch when the roll turns slowly and
prevent further descent of the said cords b. When the roll is allowed to turn
quickly by the unwinding of the cords b, the pawl or pawls pass the notch too
quickly to fall in and thus permit the blinds to be lowered to any desired extent.
The studs a limit the outward thrust of the pawls by centrifugal force when the
roll runs rapidly while lowering the slats. The roll is preferably grooved as at i,
where the cords b wind on it. A spur 2 Fig. 11, may serve instead of a notch to
engage the pawis.
The weight of the slats turns the roller to unwind cords b. The cord c is a
regulator controlling the action of the stop device (pawl or pawls) by allowing the
roller to turn quickly or slowly as it is controlled by the operator. It will be seen
that by the use of the gravitating pawl or pawls to stop and hold the roller an

page_text: especial advantage is secured as compared with stop devices of the roller, which
require to be especially manipulated for actuating the stop.
For shifting the slats of the blinds to open and close them, I attach the slat
suspending straps to the edges of the rocking bar m respectively, which bar is
pivoted at n, eccentrically to its longitudinal axis, in the hangers 2, below the roll
so that when the bar is free to turn on its pivots the greater leverage of the
weight hanging from one edge will cause it and the slats to turn and set obliquely
as in Fig. 7, for closing the slats and shutting out the light. A toothed rack o is
secured to the hanger and a pawl p is attached to the bar m, in such relation to the
rack that it will catch in the rack and hold the slats open or partly open according
as the pawl engages along the notches of the rack.
A cord c¹ Fig. 1, may be attached to the bar m, on the side of its shortest radius
for turning it and the slats to open them by pulling downward on the cord, but I
can utilize the same cord for this purpose, which is used for operating the roll, and
therefore I arrange the cord c, to pass from the said roll over the guide pulley 9,
on the edge of the longest radius of the bar m, and thence under bar mand
over another guide pulleys, at the other edge from which it hangs to be pulled for
both purposes.
A sharp pull ou the cord c, will turn the bar m, and open the slats when they
will be secured in the open position by pawl p, dropping into one of the notches
of the rack o. By further pulling on the cord c, the roll will be turned for raising
the slats.
To release the slat opening and closing rocking bar from the rack and pawl, a
stud t is arranged to project from the end of the rack plate o, so that when the bar
is pulled back sharply a little beyond the level position, the heel u of the pawl will
strike said stud, and the pawl will be swung so far over its pirot that it will fail to
engage the rack during the reverse movement of the bar, when the reverse
movement is not checked by a pull on the cord. The bar is to be so checked when
the slats are to be set partly open. The spur y, projecting from the end of the
rocking bar prevents pawl p, from being thrown too far over by the stud t.
The toothed rack may be attached to the rocking bar as of Fig. 8, and the
pawl may be pivoted on the hanger d². In this case the teeth of the rack
will be made with inclined points w, tending to throw the pawl up and cause
it to escape the notches under quick motion of the rack. The pawl and the
notched hub for controlling the roll a, may also be modified as in Fig. 9, in
which the hub is attached to the roll, and the pawl g is pivoted to the hanger.
To facilitate the escape of the pawl over the notches under comparative slow
speed, I have provided the spur h, in advance of the notches to thrust the pawl
upward and cause it to make longer jumps over the notch, said spur being suitably
curved to allow the pawl to ride over without obstruction.
The hangers consist of a short bar or plate having the eye for receiving the
hook, and the steadying prong d' at the upper end, also having the pivot hub at
the middle, and also having the hole near the lower end for the rocking pivot n.
The hab may either be perforated for receiving the roller pivot as represented in
most of the figures, or it may have a pivot stud z Fig. 11, to enter a pivot hole in
the end of the roller.
The plate of the toothed rack o, may be made separately and be attached to one
of the hangers as indicated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, or those hangers to which a rack is
to be applied may be made integral with the rack as shown in Fig. 11.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a Venetian blind operating apparatus a pivot stud and a ratchet in
combination with a roll having one or more gravitating pawls, slats suspended from
said roll and a cord for turning said roll, the said combination including but a
single roll whereto all the other elements are connected, substantially as described.

page_text: 2. In a Venetian blind the combination of the eccentrically separately pivoted
rocking bar with the slats and the straps connecting said rocking bar and slats, the
hangers, the pivot studs attached to the rocking bar and turning in the hangers,
and means to raise and lower the slats, substantially as described.
3. In a Venetian blind, the combination of the eccentrically pivoted rocking bar,
with the slats and straps connecting said rocking bar and slats, a cord for operating
the rocking bar, the automatic ratchet and pawl for controlling the rocking bar,
and the spur for raising the said rocking bar controlling pawl, substantially as
set forth.
4. The roller having a pivot turning in the bored and notched hub rigidly
attached to the hanger, and the pawls pivoted on the end of the roller, substantially
as described.
5. In a Venetian blind operating apparatus a pivot stud and a ratchet in
combination with a roll having one or more gravitating pawls, slats suspended from
the roll and a cord for turning the roll, the rocking bar, its rack mechanism and
means for operating said bar, substantially as described.
6. In a Venetian blind operating apparatus the combination of the roller, the slats
suspended from the roller, an automatic stop device for the roller consisting of a
notched hub and gravitating pawl, a cord for both operating the roller and
regulating the stop device and the rocking bar, its rack mechanism and means for
operating said bar, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop device,
and a cord for turning it, with the slats, the rocking bar, from which the slats
are suspended, and the slat raising and lowering cords, said cords and the cord for
turning the roll being respectively wound on the roll reversely, said cord for
turning the roll also serving to operate the rocking bar, substantially as described.
8. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop devices,
and a cord for turning the roll, with the slats; the rocking bar from which the
slats are suspended, said bar mounted eccentrically to its longitudinal axis, and
the slat raising and lowering cords, said cords and the cord for turning the roll being
respectively wound on the roll reversely, substantially as described.
9. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop devices,
and a cord for turning the roll, with the slats, the rocking bar having a toothed
rack, and the slat raising and lowering cords, said cords and the cord for turning
the roll being respectively wound on the roll reversely, substantially as described.
10. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop devices,
and a cord for turning the roll, with the slats, the rocking bar from which the slats
are suspended and the slat raising and lowering cords, said cords and the cord for
turning the roll being respectively wound on the roll reversely and the cord for
turning the roll extended around the rocking bar for turning it, substantially as
described.
11. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop devices,
and a cord for turning the roll with the slats, the rocking bar from which the slats are
suspended and which is pivoted eccentrically to its longitudinal axis, the rack and
pawl stop devices for said bar, and means for rocking the bar to open and close the
slats, substantially as set forth.
12. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop devices
and a cord for turning the roll, with the slats, the rocking bar from which the slats
are suspended, and which is pivoted eccentrically to its longitudinal axis, and the
rack and pawl stop device for said bar, said cord for turning the roll being extended
around the rocking bar for actuating it, substantially as described.
13. The combination of the roll, a notched hub and gravitating pawl stop
devices and a cord for turning the roll, with the slats, the rocking bar from which
the slats are suspended, and which is pivoted eccentrically to its longitudinal axis, the
rack and pawl stop device for said bar, the stud for raising the pawl out of
the rack and the spur for terminating the throw of the pawl by said stud,
substantially as described..

page_text: 14. The combination of the hanger suspending hooks, the roll suspended by
hangers, the roll pivoted in said hangers, slats suspended from the roll and the
prongs of the hangers above the eyes of the hangers and bearing against the sides
of the hooks to prevent swinging of the hangers by jerks of the roll turning cord,
substantially as described.
15. The improvements in Venetian blinds, substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described, set forth and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 1st day of April 1895.
REGINALD W. BARKER.