Improvements in Venetian Blinds and Fittings therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Venetian Blinds and Fittings therefor.
I, JAMES HOLMAN, of 46, Clipstone Street, in the Parish of St. Marylebone
and County of London, Submarine Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to Venetian blinds and their fittings and provides
means by which greater command and control over the laths are obtained than with
the usual fittings and arrangement.
When a Venetian blind of the ordinary construction is partly down, a number of
laths packed close together at the lower edge of the blind form an unsightly mass
and obstruct the sight and the light.
Now one of the objects of my invention is to enable this packing together of the
laths to be made at any desired part of the window; generally preferably at the
top, so that neither the sight or the light is interfered with.
Another object of my invention is to enable the laths of part of the blind to be
inclined in one direction, and the other part in the other direction, thus for instance,
when a blind is entirely down, one part, say the upper half, may have the laths
turned so as to admit the light freely, while the other or lower half may be turned
in the opposite direction, or vice versa.
My invention also provides improved facilities for manipulating and fixing the
cords controlling the blind.
My invention may be applied to any ordinary Venetian blinds whether inside or
outside without alteration of the existing parts.
According to my invention I provide for each blind a pair of clips of peculiar
construction which are passed in between two of the laths at any desired part of
the blind, and which, when the screws are tightened, grip the tapes forming the
ladders, and the cord by which the blind is raised and lowered. Each such clip
consists of a partly open piece or frame, against the sides of which the tapes are
clamped, and which has a central bar against which the suspending cord is clamped.
Two levers, one on each side, controlled by a screw, clamp the tapes against the
before mentioned piece or frame, and a central lever similarly clamps the cord
against the central bar. The screw by which this last mentioned lever is controlled
is jointed to its extremity and a slot in one of the end levers receives the screw when
in action and forms a bearing for its head or nut by turning which nut the suspending
cord is clamped or may be released as is necessary when the blind is to be drawn
up all the way, and I may use helical or other springs to throw the levers back
when the screws are loosened. A clamp is also provided, one for each ladder,
capable of grasping one tape; this may be formed of a bar a little longer than the
width of the tape, and with a screw rising at right angles from it, at or near each
end. There is a second bar one end of which fits loosely over one screw, and the
other end partly embraces, in a slot, the other screw. The two screws are provided
with milled edged nuts which screw down on the second bar and press it towards
the first bar, and clamp the tape between them. On the middle of the front bar
of this clamp is an eye to which is attached a cord which serves to operate and
control the inclination of the laths which are below the first described clamps,
those above being controlled by the cords operating the ordinary rocking lath at
the top of the blind.
In order to facilitate the control of the action of the cords I provide fixed
clamps through which they pass with preferably screws to press on and clamp the
cord either directly or by means of an intervening roller or other piece and I

page_text: sometimes place a helical or other spring on or about such screw to give more
elasticity to the action of the apparatus.
Dated the Tenth day of March 1891
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicant.
the usual fittings and arrangement.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings
Fig. 1, is a plan of my improved clip.
Fig. 2, is a section of the same on the line Z Z.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lever C,
Fig. 3 is a plan and Fig. 4 an elevation of another clip used in conjunction with
the first.
Fig. 5 represents a Venetian blind to which my invention is applied and shews
the upper portion of the blind, with the laths arranged to admit the light freely
while the laths of the lower portion are inclined so as to exclude the light;
Fig. 6 represents a similar blind but with the order reversed.
Fig. 7 represents a blind partially drawn up with laths packed together at the
top of the window.
When a Venetian blind of the ordinary construction is partly down a number of
laths packed closely together at the lower edge of the blind form an unsightly mass
and obstruct the sight and the light.
Now one of the objects of my invention is to enable this packing together of
the laths to be made at any desired part of the window generally preferably at the
top so that neither the sight nor the light are interfered with as shown in Fig. 7 of
the accompanying drawings.
Another object of my invention is to enable the laths of part of the blind to be
inclined in one direction, and the other part in the other direction; thus for
instance where a blind is entirely down, one part, say the upper half, may have the
laths turned so as to admit the light freely while the other or lower half may be
turned in the opposite direction or vice versa, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.
According to my invention I provide for each blind a pair of clips, one of which
is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which are passed in between two of the laths at any
desired part of the blind, and which, when the screw-nuts d and j are screwed up,
grip the tapes M and N of the ladders and the cord E by which the blind is raised
and lowered.
Each such clip consists of a plate or frame A against the sides a', a of which
the tapes are clamped by the pressure of the levers B and C, which are jointed to
the plate A at b and c respectively, and are drawn towards each other so as to press
against the plate A by the bar D, one end of which has a screw thread on which
works the milled nut d. Preferably the levers B and C have longitudinal grooves
which respectively receive the edges a' and a² of the plate A. Springs, preferably
spiral, e, serve to throw back the levers B and C, when the nut d is screwed
backwards, into the positions shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The lever C, which is shown separately in Fig. 24, is made broader towards its
free end with a central slot L the use of which will presently appear.
A lever H, jointed to the plate A at h has, jointed to its free extremity, an arm I

page_text: having a thread and a milled nut j. The function of the lever H is to clamp the
cord K, by which the blind is raised and lowered, between itself and the edge a³ of
the plate A. The lever H, when not controlled by the arm I, is thrown back by
the spring g into the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The clamp is to be inserted between any two laths, with the arm I extended so
as to admit the cord K between the lever H and the edge a³, one of the tapes of
the ladder is passed between the lever B and the edge a¹ and the other tape between
the lever C and the edge a².
The milled nut d is then rotated by which the levers B and C are caused to grip
the tapes against the plate A. The arm I is next brought in the position shown in
Fig. 1, so that it rests in the forked part of the lever C. The nut j is rotated and
lever H thus caused to clamp the cord K.
If the blind is required to act in the usual manner the nut ; is unscrewed
so as to set free the cord K, and the blind may then be drawn up or let
down in the usual manner, but if it is desired to collect a portion of the laths at the
top of the window, as shown in Fig. 7, the nut ; is screwed up, the cord thereof
clamped, and then, as the blind is drawn up, the laths below the clip are lifted
altogether without alteration of their relative positions, and those above it are
gathered together at the top.
The inclination of the laths is controlled in the usual manner by cords acting on
a rocking-bar T to which the ladders are fixed, but if it is desired to incline some
of the laths in a direction or degree differing from that of the others I employ the
clamp shown in Figs. 3 and 4, one of which is required for each ladder, a plain
bar O carries two screws p. p. with milled nuts P. P. Q is a bar capable of
turning loosely on one of the screws p and of receiving the other screw in a slot
so that when the nuts P. P. are screwed down on R the latter is pressed against
and the interposed tape tightly grasped. The bar Q has an eye ŕ through which a
cord S is passed and beneath which it is knotted and which passes above over
two pullies and thus affords means for regulating the inclination of the laths
beneath.
The ends of the screws p. p. and those on D and I may conveniently be slightly
riveted or spread so as to prevent the nuts becoming detached.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Constructing Venetian blinds so that the laths may, when the blind is partly
drawn up, be packed at or near the top of the window, substantially as described
and shown in the drawings.
2. Constructing Venetian blinds so that some of the laths may be made to incline
more or less than the others or in a different direction at the will of the operator
substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
3. Constructing clamps for use on Venetian blinds substantially as described and
for the purposes set forth.
Dated the 28th day of November 1901
JAMES HOLMAN,
46, Clipstone Street, London, W.