An Improved Curtain Rod for Room Doors or Windows to Allow of Ventilation and at the Same Time to Exclude Draught.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1899-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Curtain Rod for Room Doors or Windows to Allow of
Ventilation and at the Same Time to Exclude Draught.
I, MARGARET CARMICHAEL MANN, of 202, Merton Road, Wimbledon, in the
County of Surrey, Gentlewoman, Married, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
An improved curtain rod specially allowing of ventilation at doors and windows
and at same time excluding draught.
The object of my sad invention is to fit or bang a curtain or curtains by means
of swinging curtain rod on the inside of the room in such a manner as to cover
the aperture made when the door or window of such room is open or partly open
the door or window is kept open to permit of ventilation and my arrangement of
the curtain or curtains rod prevents draught from either of these.
In carrying my said invention into practice I suspend or fix in any convenient
manner the said curtain and rod from a bracket by rings or other suitable attach-
ment. The said bracket is attached to the wall adjoining the door frame at the
side on which the door opens the said rod is free to swing horizontally in suit-
able bearings to permit the door being opened or shut. When the door is shut
the said curtain & rod are swung across behind the door. When the door is
open at any angle to permit of ventilation the curtain is moved so as to cross
the open door way till it meets the door so preventing any direct draught of air
into the room but leaves a triangular space at top of door for purpose of said
ventilation.
To accomplish this movement of the said curtain and rod I fit two cords or
chains one or either side of the rod so as easily to direct its movement in such
a manner that by drawing one of the said cords or chains I can move the curtain
to any angle across the door way or by drawing the other cord I can open the
curtain so as to allow of persons entering or leaving the room or to form an
artistic drapery when the curtain is not required for use.
To allow of the curtain and rod being arranged from the outside of room after
the door is shut I purpose passing the said cords or chains through two rubber
lined tubes in the wall having the ends of the said cords or chains fitted with
handles weighted and labelled for convenience Open and Shut these for external
use. Two similar handles not weighted to said chains or cords to hang inside
of the room for internal use. The curtain would be hooked on to the door
frame at said bracket side of curtain so as to make a close join. The same
arrangement applied to windows prevents draught from them the said handles for
interior only being necessary.
In a modification of my said invention I also fit the said bracket with an
attachment to the door near the hinge side so as to make the opening and shut-
ing of the said curtain and rod automatic in its action in connection with the
pening and closing of the door when so preferred.
Dated this 25th day of October 1898.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Curtain Rod for Room Doors or Windows to Allow of
Ventilation and at the Same Time to Exclude Draught.
I, MARGARET CARMICHAEL MANN, of 202, Merton Road, Wimbledon, in the
County of Surrey, Gentlewoman, Married, 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; —
The object of my invention is to fit or hang a curtain or curtains by means
of a swinging curtain rod on the inside of the room in such a manner as to cover
the aperture made when the door or window of such room is open or partly
open. The door or window is kept open to permit of ventilation and my arrange-
ment of the curtain rod prevents draught from either of these.
In carrying my said invention into practice I "suspend or fix in any convenient
manner the said curtain on a rod from a bracket by rings or other suitable attach-
ment. The said bracket is attached to the wall adjoining the door frame at the
side on which the door opens. The said rod is free to swing horizontally in suit-
able bearings to permit the door being opened or shut.
When the door is shut the curtain and rod are swung across behind the door.
When the door is open at any angle to permit of ventilation the curtain is moved
so as to cross the open door-way till it meets the door, so preventing any direct
draught of air into the room but leaves a triangular space at top of door for pur-
pose of such ventilation.
To accomplish the movement of the said curtain and rod I fit two cords or
chains, one on either side of the rod so as easily to direct its movement in such
a manner that by drawing one of the said cords or chains I can move the curtain
to any angle across the doorway or by drawing the other cord I can open the
curtain so as to allow of persons entering or leaving the room or to form an
artistic drapery when the curtain is not required for use.
To allow of the curtain and rod being arranged from the outside of the room
after the door is shut, I purpose passing the said cords or chains through two
tubes in the wall having the ends of the said cords or chains fitted with handles
weighted and labelled for convenience "open" and shut." The curtain would
be hooked on to door frame at said bracket side of curtain so as to make a close
join.
66
The same arrangements applied to windows prevents draught from them.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 shews in elevation my improved curtain
rod fixed with the door shut, Fig. II is a section through the line pq Fig. I
shewing the tubes inserted in the wall to conduct the cords for operating the
rod from the exterior of the room. Fig. III is an elevation of the hinged end
of the rod shewing one method of attaching the rod to the wall plate and the
arrangement of the cord for operating the rod from the opposite side of the wall.
Fig. IV is a view of part of the wall shewing the cords and handles for use in
moving the curtain rod to any desired position before entering or after leaving
the apartment in which said rod is fixed.
In all the figures the same letters are used to indicate corresponding parts.
is the back-plate made of brass or other suitable material, mounted on a
wooden block to cause the rod to swing clear of the architrave or door frame k,
and constructed with lugs a¹ and pierced with screw holes as at a² for attach-
ment to the wall or other surface to which the apparatus is required to be fixed.
The lugs a are also drilled with countersunk holes h of suitable size to take the
cords i, i. bb are two metal studs or projections attached to the backplate a by

page_text: rivetting screwing or other suitable means and drilled to receive the pin c which
passes through the upper stud, then through corresponding holes in the
two arms of the fork d forming one end of the curtain rod e, thence through the
lower stud, thus holding the curtain rod securely in a horizontal position whilst
permitting it to move radially with perfect freedom and at the same time allow-
ing the rod to be readily detached from the plate for cleaning, repairs etc. with-
out unscrewing the back-plate from the wall. f, f, are metal eyes or rings
attached to the rod e in any suitable manner each to receive one end of the
operating cords i, i which cords are thence conducted through the wall by the
tubes 0, 0, (previously inserted in positions to correspond with the holes h, h in
the back-plate) and their free ends are attached by any suitable means, to
handles n Fig. IV the cords being of such lengths that the relative positions of
the handles indicates to a person on the outside of the room, which cord is to
be pulled to open the curtain away from the door or close it over the doorway,
as desired. The words "shut" and open" may be exhibited on the wall by
labels or other means or written or printed on the handles themselves, if desired.
To avoid damage to the curtain by the door being pushed open from the outside
by anyone ignorant of its position when drawn across the doorway, a bracket
or arm of suitable material and of a shape and size to correspond with the size
of the rod and projection of the top rail of the door frame or architrave k, is
provided and fixed by screwing or otherwise to the upper part of the door itself
in such a position that on the door being opened this arm will push against the
curtain rod and so cause it to swing round sufficiently to permit of the door
being opened clear of the curtain. This arm is shewn at Figs. I and II. If
desired, a small wooden or other roller may be fitted on the upper end of this
arm and by revolving when it comes in contact with the curtain rod as above
described, avoid friction and the risk of injury to the material of the curtain
itself or the rings or other means of suspension employed. The free end of
the curtain rod is turned or bent at right angles to its length and continued
upwards to a point above the frame of the doorway and finished or capped by a
circular grooved button or disc of metal wood or other material of sufficiently
large diameter to prevent the framework of the door being damaged by the curtain
rod striking it when forcibly drawn over the doorway. To prevent damage to
the wall, this grooved button or disc (shewn at m Figs. I and II) and also the
handles n, n, Fig. IV. are fitted preferably with rubber rings in the grooves, at
their largest diameters.
A catch or stop (g Figs. I II and III,) is also provided and hinged to the back
plate in such a manner as to normally rest in a horizontal position, and is made
of suitable length to engage with the fork when the rod is drawn to a position
at right angles with the wall and prevent the rod and curtain being swung round
beyond that point. This catch can however be pushed upwards against the back-
plate to allow the curtain rod to be drawn or swung in a complete semi-circle
when desired.
For operating the curtain from inside the room a cord and tassel may be
attached to the curtain in a convenient position. It may also be desirable to
fix small grooved guide pulleys on the back-plate near the cord holes h, h, to
avoid friction in the case of wide doorways or rods carrying curtains of heavy
material, and modifications of detail can obviously be made in this respect and
also in the method of attaching or hinging the rod to its supporting brackets or
plate, without departing from the principle of my invention, and I do not con-
fine myself to the precise shape or arrangement of the different parts as shewn
in the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
An improved adjustable curtain rod for doors or windows by means of which

page_text: ventilation is secured without draught, the foul air being extracted through the
triangular aperture over the door when fitted to doorways, and direction of the
fresh air currents ensured when the appliance is attached to windows, with means
for operating the same from either outside or inside the room and worked inde-
pendently of the door itself, substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of July 1899.
MARGARET CARMICHAEL MANN,
Applicant.