IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW BLIND FURNITURE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Adams Peirce, of Woolston, in the
County of Southampton, Saddler, and Joseph Peirce, of the same
Place, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW BLIND
FURNITURE."
Sealed the 5th August 1873, and dated the 12th June 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Adams Peirce
and Joseph Peirce at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th June 1873.
We, WILLIAM ADAMS PEIRCE, of Woolston, in the County of South-
ampton, Saddler, and JOSEPH PEIRCE, of the same Place, Plumber, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WINDOW BLIND FURNITURE," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention has, firstly, for its object to provide a simple means for
joining an ordinary window blind of canvas or fabric to the roller upon
which it is to be wound. For this purpose I form an undercut groove

page_text: along one side of the roller, the groove being by preference circular, or
nearly so, in section with a narrow straight slit forming the entrance
into the groove. The groove is lined from end to end with a lining of
thin sheet metal, the side edges of which pass out through the slit, and
they are turned over on to the circumference of the roller and embedded
into it, or both or one only of the edges of the slit may be simply
protected by strips of metal fixed along them.
The blind has sewn to it a cord or has a thick hem formed along its
upper edge. The end of the cord is inserted into the end of the undercut
groove in the roller, and the side edge of the blind into the end of the
slit which forms the mouth of the groove; the blind is then slid
edgewise along the roller, whereby the whole of the cord along the
upper edge of the blind is drawn into the undercut groove, and the
blind is thereby connected to the roller, the cord or thick hem being too
thick to be drawn through the narrow slit or mouth of the groove.
When the rollers are formed of metal tubes the same effect may be
obtained by making a straight slit along the tube, through which the
top edge of the blind is slipped, such edge having along it a thick hem
or cord of such a thickness that it cannot be drawn through the slit.
A straight slit may be formed along the bottom of the groove for a
strip of metal projecting from the bottom of the metal lining to enter.
In this case pins may be passed through the roller and through this strip
to retain the lining.
When an endless cord passing over a pulley at one end of the roller is
used to turn the roller for the purpose of raising or lowering the blind,
we employ a weighted pulley to keep an even tension upon the cord.
This weighted pulley is arranged to work in a recess formed into the
woodwork at the side of the window. The cord is led over pullies into
this recess, and the weighted pulley is hung on to it; or for cheaper
blinds the weighted pulley might simply be hung on to the cord outside
the frame, and the cord be passed through fixed eyes or guides to prevent
the weight swinging to and fro.
In order also to prevent a window blind from being blown about by
the wind should the blind be drawn down when the window is open, and
at the same time to allow the blind to be raised or lowered by pulling a
cord on either side of the window frame, an endless cord is led over

page_text: guide pullies all around the frame, and is passed once or twice round a
pulley on the roller. The lath at the bottom of the blind has an eye at
cach end through which the cord before mentioned is passed. The cord
may have an iron tension kept upon it by a weighted pulley as before
described, or by a pulley acted upon by a spring.
At the bottom and top of the window the cord is hidden from sight
by being led along in a groove in the beading or woodwork; or in
place of the cord being endless the roller might have a pulley at each
end, and the cord be unwound from one as it is wound up on to the
other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Adams Peirce and Joseph Peirce in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
ADAMS PEIRCE, of Woolston, in the County of Southampton, Saddler,
and JOSEPH PEIRCE, of the same Place, Plumber, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Adams Peirce and Joseph Peirce,
Her special license that we, the said William Adams Peirce and Joseph
Peirce, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said William Adams Peirce and Joseph Peirce, our 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
WINDOW BLIND FURNITURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said William Adams Peirce and Joseph Peirce, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: 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 William Adams Peirce, on behalf of
myself and the said Joseph Peirce, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has, firstly, for its object to provide a simple means for
joining an ordinary window blind of canvas or fabric to the roller upon
which it is to be wound. For this purpose, we form a groove along one
side of the roller, the groove being, by preference, circular or nearly so
in section with a narrow straight slit forming the entrance into the
groove. The groove is lined from end to end with a lining of thin sheet
metal, the side edges of which are turned over on to the circumference
of the roller, and embedded into it, or both, or one only of the edges of
the slit may be simply protected by strips of metal fixed along them.
The blind has sewn to it a cord or has a thick hem formed along its
upper edge. The end of the cord is inserted into the end of the groove
in the roller, and the side edge of the blind into the end of the slit
which forms the mouth of the groove; the blind is then slid edgewise
along the roller, whereby the whole of the cord along the upper edge of
the blind is drawn into the groove, and the blind is thereby connected to
the roller, the cord or thick hem being too thick to be drawn through
the narrow slit or mouth of the groove.
A straight slit may be formed along the bottom of the groove for a
strip of metal projecting from the bottom of the metal lining to enter.
In this case pins may be passed through the roller and through this strip
to retain the lining.
When the rollers are formed of metal tubes the same effect may be
obtained by making a straight slit along the tube through which the top
edge of the blind is slipped, such edge having along it a thick hem or
cord of such a thickness that it cannot be drawn through the slit. The
stick or lath attached to the bottom of the blind we also form in a
similar manner, so that the bottom edge of the blind may readily be
detached from it.

page_text: When an endless cord passing over a pulley at one end of the roller is
used to turn the roller for the purpose of raising or lowering the blind,
we employ a weighted pulley to keep an even tension upon the cord.
The weight is carried at the back of a metal plate which is to be fixed
to the woodwork at the side of the window. The weight has pins or
projections upon it which pass through a longitudinal slot in the metal
plate, so that the weight is free to rise or fall. The pulley over which
the cord is to pass is in front of the plate, and is carried by a pin
projecting out from the weight.
In order also to prevent a window blind from being blown about by
the wind should the blind be drawn down when the window is open, and
at the same time to allow the blind to be raised or lowered by pulling a
cord on either side of the window frame, an endless cord is employed at
each side of the window frame, either of which cords may be used for
raising and lowering the blind. The lath or stick at the bottom of the
blind has an eye at each end through which the cords are passed, and
the eyes are so formed as to be readily detached from the ends of the
stick.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed we have shewn at Figure 1 a
perspective side view of a window blind roller, constructed as herein-
before first described with an undercut groove formed in it from end to
end, and with the edges of the groove strengthened and protected by a
metal lining or protection.
Figures 2, 3, and 4, shew various ways in which the metal lining may
be formed. In Figure 2 the lining a is formed from thin sheet metal,
the side edges of which are turned over on to the circumference of the
roller and embedded into it. At Figure 3 a similar lining is shewn
having a projection 6 from it at the back to enter a straight slit cut into
the wooden roller at the bottom of the groove; in this case pins c may
be passed through it at intervals as shewn. At Figure 4 a lining is
shewn which forms one edge only of the groove.
At Figure 5 is shewn a transverse section of a blind roller formed of
a metal tube with a strait slit along it, and at Figure 5* a similar tube
is shewn surrounding a wooden roller in which an undercut groove is
formed, the slit in the tube coming opposite to the mouth of the groove
in the roller.

page_text: The pulleys and spindles may be fixed to the ends of the rollers in any
ordinary manner, and either of the pulleys or discs which carry the
spindles has a slit formed through it at its periphery, as shewn at
Figure 1, so as to correspond with the undercut groove in the roller.
The edge of the blind which is to be attached to the roller has as
before stated a cord sewn to it or has a thick hem formed along it; this
is slipped in the manner before described into the undercut goove of the
roller, and the edge of the blind is thereby securely held as the thick
hem or cord is too thick to be drawn through the mouth of the groove.
By connecting a window blind to its roller in the manner above
described it can quickly be either put up or taken down to be washed.
At Figures 6 is shewn a tubular metal stick or lath to which the
lower end of a blind may be similarly attached; at the ends of the stick
are knobs or ends d the stems of which are formed either to slip into or
over the ends of the stick. By this means the ends may readily be
attached to or detached from the stick; these ends may also have slits
formed in them so that they may be caused to embrace the endless cords
at the two sides of a blind.
At Figures 7 and 8 we have shewn a front view and edge view of a
weighted pulley for keeping an even tension upon the endless cords used
for revolving blind rollers. In these Figures e is the metal plate which
is to be fixed to the woodwork by screws; f, the weight at the back
thereof; and g the pulley over which the endless cord is passed.
At Figures 9 and 10 we have shewn views of a window frame fitted
with a blind, the roller / of which has at each end a pulley for endless
cords k, one on either side of the frame, to pass over; at the bottom of
the frame the cords also pass over weighted pulleys constructed in the
manner shewn at Figures 7 and 8, or they might pass over pulleys
drawn downwards by springs.
The stick at the bottom of the blind has also at cach end cyes d
applied to it in the manner shewn at Figures 6, and these eyes embrace
the endless cords at the two sides of the frame; thus the blind can not
only be raised or lowered from either side of the window frame but
when it is drawn down the stick at its lower end is also retained from
being blown about when the window is open.

page_text: At Figures 11 and 12 is shewn a similar arrangement of window
blind fittings, with the exception that the endless cords are passed over
ordinary pulleys at the bottom of the window frame, and an even tension
is maintained upon them by their being passed over weighted pulleys in
the manner shewn at Figure 12, the weight m of which is (as in the
construction of the weighted blind pulley shewn at Figures 7 and 8),
carried by a metal plate which is fixed by screws to the woodwork of
the frame.
The arrangement herein-before described for connecting window
blinds to their rollers is also applicable to fixing blinds to spring rollers.
In this case we form the roller of a metal tube with a slit formed along
it such as is shewn at Figure 5, and within the tube we insert a metal
lining piece, as shown at Figure 13, to form an enclosed recess for the
cord or hem at the top of the blind to lie in. A convenient way of
fixing the top of a blind to such a roller is simply to double the top part
of the blind over a loose cord and then to slip the cord with the blind
doubled over it into the recess in the roller; the loose end of the blind
may then be turned over around the roller and sewn at its edge to the
blind in the manner shewn.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim,-
1. The construction of blind rollers with a groove formed along them
from end to end, and with the entrance to the groove strengthened and
protected, substantially in the manner hercin described and illustrated
at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5*.
2. The construction of blind rollers of a metal tube with a slit formed
along it from end to end, as herein described and shewn at Figure 5;
also the construction of blind roller as described with reference to
Figure 13.
3. The construction of sticks or laths substantially as herein described
to be fixed to the bottom of window blinds, and applying knobs or eyes
to their ends in the manner herein described.
4. The construction of weighted blind pulleys, substantially as herein
described and illustrated at Figures 7 and 8 11 and 12

page_text: 5. The combined arrangements of window blind furniture, sub-
stantially as herein described and shewn at Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12.
In-witness whereof, I, the said William Adams Peirce, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
WILLIAM ADAMS PEIRCE. (L.S.)