AN IMPROVED ORNAMENTAL BLIND
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Willem Pieter Van Wyk, of 84, Honey Lane Market,
Cheapside, London, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED ORNAMENTAL
BLIND."
:
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Willem Pieter Van Wyk
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th March 1881.
WILLEM PIETER VAN WYK, of 84, Honey Lane Market, Cheapside, London.
"AN IMPROVED ORNAMENTAL BLIND."
Before the present time it has not been discovered how to make a window blind
with a perfect framed border at the two sides and top and bottom, in the form of
the accompanying sketch marked A.
The reason is that to weave a cloth with such border, lines at the sides and
ends must necessarily produce the effect as in sketch marked B, which is
objectionable.
The present Invention consists in the weaving of two separate pieces of cloth,
one, say, to be called C being intended to form the body of the blind with stripes
lengthways at the two sides, while the other called D is intended to be used as
the border for the top and bottom of the blind by being sewn across the piece
called C, thus producing the complete blind as A. As will be obvious I may if
desired make my improved blind with stripes at the two sides and top only, or at
the two sides and bottom only.
There is a further economy ensured by this process, because when the border is
woven, as in sketch B, the consumer would be bound to the specific length of
blind as it was woven; wheras by this new method, as sketch A, the cloth being
woven in a continuous length it can be adapted to any length of blind which. may
be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said Willem Pieter Van
Wyk in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th September 1881.
WILLEM PIETER VAN WYK, of 8ª, Honey Lane Market, Cheapside, London.
"AN IMPROVED ORNAMENTAL BLIND."
Heretofore window blinds having a perfect framed border at the two sides and
top and bottom, or top or bottom have never been manufactured for the reason
that to weave a single piece of fabric with such border lines at the sides and end
or ends necessitates the carrying of the transverse border line or lines produced by
the weft at the end or ends of the blind from salvage to salvage, which destroys
the effect of a frame and is objectionable. Now my Invention consists in making
such blinds from two separate pieces of cloth or woven fabric, the one piece being
intended to form the body of the blind, and having woven stripes running
lengthways near the two sides, whilst the other piece is intended to be used for
forming the cross border line or lines for the top and bottom, or top or bottom of
the blind. This cross strip is cut from a separate "piece" woven with longitudinal
stripes at any suitable or convenient distance apart, such stripes being cut out and
then stitched across the main piece forming the body of the blind, so as to form a
uniform frame or border, thus producing the complete blind. If desired my
improved blind may be made with stripes or border lines at the two sides and
top only, or at the two sides and bottom only, or at the two sides and top and
bottom.
There is a further advantage ensured by my Invention since if the longitudinal
and the cross stripes or border lines be in one and the same piece of goods, the
purchaser would be bound to the specific length of blind as woven; whereas by
my Invention as the cloth is woven in a continuous length and with the longi-
tudinal stripes, it can be adapted to form in conjunction with the separate cross
stripes a frame bordered blind of any desired length.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a piece of blind fabric or cloth intended to
form the body of the blind woven with two longitudinal stripes or borders a, a, of
any desired pattern, one near each salvage.
Figure 2 is another piece of fabric or cloth having other longitudinal stripes b, b,
corresponding in width and pattern to the longitudinal stripes a on the piece
Figure 1. In making my improved blind I cut off the required length for the
blind from the piece Figure 1. I then cut the piece Figure 2 along the dotted
line 1-2 into longitudinal strips c of such a length that the pattern stripes 6
thereon shall extend just between the two longitudinal stripes a on the piece
Figure 1, but not beyond, in order to form or complete the frame. These strips c
each containing a stripe b which constitutes the top and bottom, or top or bottom
transverse line or lines of the frame or border are cut across into requisite lengths
at an angle of 45° or thereabouts, and are then sewn onto the main piece Figure 1,
as shown by the dotted lines of stitches in Figure 3, which represents the finished
blind. In order to avoid the objection of having a double thickness of fabric at
the part where the cross strip c is stitched on, the main piece Figure 1 should be
cut out at that part at a corresponding angle near the line of stitching, indicated
by the dotted lines, care being taken to leave a sufficient margin for turning in and
stitching down the raw edge, the corresponding raw edge of the strip being also
turned in and secured by a second line of stitches as is well understood. The
lower edge of the cross strip is turned under and sewn at d to receive the usual
stretcher.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
An ornamental blind, constructed substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Willem Pieter Van Wyk, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
D WHAT