IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND HOLDING VENETIAN AND OTHER BLINDS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Burgess Young, of Instow, in the County
of Devon, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND HOLDING VENETIAN AND OTHER
BLINDS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS
OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES."
Sealed the 16th May 1873, and dated the 23rd November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Burgess Young
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd November 1872.
I, HENRY BURGESS YOUNG, of Instow, in the County of Devon,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND HOLDING
VENETIAN AND OTHER BLINDS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO VARIOUS OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
burhan this Insention is annlied to raising lowering and holding

page_text: mounted eight pulleys, is suspended the upper part of the blind 6 by webs
in the usual manner. This part may consist of about one-half the total
number of laths in the blind, or more or less. The under part from g
to d I prefer to suspend to the bottom lathe of the upper part by the
cords or webs f, which are nailed to or otherwise fastened to the top
lath g of the under part of the blind. These cords f, are free to slide
up on the bridges h in the lathe and permit of the laths of the upper
part 6, and the laths of the under part g to d being placed at different
angles of inclination.
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, shews the means I employ to hold at any required:
height Venetian blinds, and which may be applied to any pulling or
hoisting gear. To the sides of the window frame or its vicinity I affix
the reels ; these reels which are made of metal or other suitable
material hold the cords upon the same principle. Although they shew
two out of the many different ways of applying it I have drawn the
full size cords in a line with the scale drawn cords m, n, in order to
shew clearly how they are made to hold the blind at any desired height.
The cords h, coloured blue, pass up by one edge of the blind and over
the pulleys 1, 2, 3, 4, and down through the lath holes to the lath e,
to which their ends are nailed or otherwise fastened, as shewn at o.
The cords m, coloured yellow, pass up by the other edge of the blind
and over the pulleys 5, 6, 7, 8, and down through the lath holes to the
lath d to which they are knotted or fastened in the usual manner.
B' shews the upper part of 6 of the blind drawn up to its highest limit by
the blue cords, while the laths of the lower part from g to d remain open
and about equidistant. This upper part is held up by the blue cord h
being wound round the conical barrel of the reel p far enough to cross
the vertical part of the cord as shewn, which by the upward tension
upon it grips the cross cord against the inside of the reel and holds up
the blind.
To release the hold it may either be unwound so far as to be clear
of the vertical part of the cord, or the vertical part of the cord may be
pressed towards the base of the cone.
Figs. 3, 4, shews a diagonal reel which holds the yellow cords m
which are gripped against the inside of it in the same manner as at the
reel p.
under part of the blind
These cords raise or lower the
from 9 to d. Although one reel is shewn holding one cord and the

page_text: other as holding two cords, it is obvious that if made large enough they
may hold any number of cords of any size.
Although the Drawings shew the application of this arrangement to
blinds having only four raising cords and eight pulleys in the top rail,
yet it is equally applicable to those having six raising cords and twelve
pulleys in the top rail, or to those having eight raising cords and sixteen
pulleys in the top rail, or a greater number.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Burgess Young in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BURGESS YOUNG, of Instow, in the County of Devon, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Burgess Young,
Her special licence that I, the said Henry Burgess Young, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Burgess Young, 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 AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING,
AND HOLDING VENETIAN AND OTHER BLINDS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Burgess Young, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or

page_text: one of their hands and seals, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Burgess Young, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to
say) :-
My Invention has for its objects improvements in the construction and
arrangement of Venetian blinds as ordinarily used for shading windows,
by which improvements less obstruction is caused to the sight from the
windows, and the moveable laths or strips which form the blind may
be fixed at different angles of inclination at different parts of the
blind.
Also improvements in the construction of the fastenings or apparatus
by which the cords used for raising and lowering the blinds are fixed
and held firmly in any required position.
This part of my Invention is also applicable to other analogous pur-
poses, in which cords used for raising, lowering, or moving weights have
to be fixed at any required part of their length, so that they can be
readily fastened or released, and at the same time shall hold the cords
sufficiently firmly to resist any pull in the direction of the length of the
latter.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of my Invention.
Figure 1 is a front view of a Venetian blind; Figure 2 is a front view,
and Figure 3 a cross section of a part of the blind upon a larger scale.
a is a rail which is screwed or fixed to the upper part of the window
frame or opening in which the Venetian blind is to be placed. The
upper part of the blind b is suspended to the rail a by means of webs
in the usual well understood way, and this part of the blind may consist
of one-half, or more or less as may be desired, of the total depth of the
blind. The lower part of the blind is suspended by the cords or
webs ff, to the lowest rail e of the upper part of the blind, in the
'same way as the latter is suspended to the rail a as already described.
.

page_text: The cords ff, are free to move freely through openings and over
bridges in the rail e, and in this manner I am able to adjust the laths
which form the lower part of the blind at a different angle of inclination
to those which form the upper part of the blind. Another set of laths
forming a third part of the blind may be suspended in the same way
to the lowest rail of the second part of the blind, or any required
number of parts of the blind may be suspended below each other, the
laths which form each separate part being capable of adjustment at a
different angle from those which form the other parts.
"
In the top rail a already described are arranged pulleys 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, and 8, over which are passed cords, by means of which the
different parts of the Venetian blind are raised or lowered as required.
The two cords n, n³, pass up outside one side of the blind and over the
pulleys 1 and 2 (only one of which is seen in Figure 1, as they are
fixed side by side), whence one cord passes over the pulley 3 and the
other over the pulley 4, and then descend through holes in the laths to
the bottom rail e of the upper part of the blind to which they are
fastened by knots or nails or in any other convenient manner, as shewn
ato (Figures 1, 2, and 3). The cords m, m³, are led up outside the
other edge of the blind over the pulleys 5 and 6 (which are side by
side), whence the cord m passes over the pulley 7, and the cord m¹ over
the pulley 8, and they are then led down through holes in the laths
forming the upper part of the blind and also through holes in the laths
forming the lower part of the blind, and are fastened to the lowest
rail d of the latter in the same way as those already described. By
this arrangement either the upper part of the blind or the lower part
of the blind can be raised or lowered as required without affecting
the position of the remaining part, and the upper part of the window
only may be shaded without the laths which form the lower part of
the blind being collected together so as to obstruct the sight.
If more than two parts be used for the blind, an additional number of
cords and pulleys similar to those already described should be used
for the purpose of lowering and raising the additional number of parts
of the blind.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, are in illustration of the second part of my

page_text: b
hold the cords in any required position as already described. Figure 4
is a cross section, and Figure 5 a front view of one form of such
fastening, in which a is a diagonal reel or disc attached to a stem and
fastening 6 by which it is fixed to the window frame or other support.
By the arrangement of the disc diagonally as shewn the vertical part of
the cords m when wound round it as shewn presses the horizontal part
against the inner side of the disc and the greater the pressure upon
the cords (in the direction of the arrow) the more firmly are they
held.
To release the cords the horizontal part may be unwound sufficiently
to free it from the vertical part, or the vertical part may be pressed back
so as to release the horizontal part.
Figure 6 is a vertical section, and Figure 7 a front view of another
arrangement which I use for the same purpose. a, Figure 6, is a
conical barrel round which the cord is wound and the base of which is
screwed or otherwise fixed to the window frame or other support; 6 is a
disc or cap fixed outside the cone and shewn slightly hollowed behind.
The horizontal part of the cord m is wound round the cone sufficiently
to cross in front of the vertical part, by which it is pressed against the
back of the disc b, and the greater the force upon the cord (in the
direction of the arrows) the more firmly is the cord held.
To release the hold the horizontal part may be unwound so as to be
clear of the vertical part of the cord, or the latter may be pressed
towards the base of the cone until the former is released.
Figure 8 is a side view, and Figure 9 a front view of another
modification of this part of my Invention, in which 6 is the inclined
disc or cap fixed upon the stem a formed with a screw c which is
screwed into the window frame or other support, and is then prevented
from turning round by one or more separate screws as shewn.
The fastenings described and shewn in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9,
may be made large enough to hold any number of cords.
Having now described my Invention and the manner n which the
same is to be performed, I claim the methods substantially as described
and shewn in the Drawing, of making and arranging Venetian blinds of
two or more independent parts, so that either part may be raised or

page_text: lowered, and the laths which compose it may be set at a required angle
independently of the other parts.
Also the fastenings for holding cords used for moving or suspending
weights, so that the part of such cord which is stretched by the weight
grips the loose part between the fastening and itself, substantially as
described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Burgess Young, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.