IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW BLINDS.
Year: 1885

page_text: COMILLIE
DILUIFICATION.
"
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and
323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW BLINDS.'
(A communication from abroad by Henry E. Willer, of the City of Milwaukee,
State of Wisconsin, United States of America,) and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in devices for opening and closing the
slats of window blinds.
These devices are intended as a substitute for the slat connecting rods heretofore
attached to the middle front edge of the slats; which rods are unsightly and do
not secure a perfect closing of the slats and when used on blinds intended to slide
past each other do not permit of so close an adjustment of the blinds to each other
as is desirable.
These devices are especially intended and adapted for use with blinds made to
slide past each other; the rods being entirely within the blind and so attached
as to secure a perfect closing of the slats; such blinds being usually constructed in
sections, each section having a number of slats intended to open and close
uniformly and concurrently and are peculiarly desirable with reference to the
beauty of the blinds in that the rods being small and neat and attached at the
end of the slats are nearly invisible and are in no way unsightly to the eye or
obstructive of light, and by their absence of obtrusiveness permit a much more
perfect and beautiful finish of the blind and window than is possible with the form
of connecting rods and method of attachment now in common use.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of a section of a blind the side rail being omitted showing
the ends of the slats and the connecting rods as improved and attached according
to this invention.

page_text: Figure 2 is a front view of a section of the blind with one rail removed but
indicated by dotted lines, showing the tenons of the slats and the connecting rods.
Figure 3 is a front view of a portion of a section of a blind with rail removed
showing an alternative form of connecting rod in a single piece.
Figure 4 is a horizontal cross section of the section of a blind shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section of the part of a section of a blind shown in
Figure 3, and
Figure 6 is an end view of the form of a slat shown in the preceding figures and
to which the rods may be most successfully attached. Like parts are referred to
by the same reference letters in all the views.
A A are the side rails of the blinds.
B B are the slats arranged horizontally crosswise of the blind in a series in each
section and adapted to be swung apart on their tenons thereby opening them for
the admission of light, and to be closed up together for the exclusion of light.
CC are the tenons of the slats; a tenon projecting centrally from each end of
each slat and having their bearings in recesses therefor in the side rails A A, upon
which tenons in said recesses the slats are supported and turn.
DD are the connecting rods constructed of thin narrow strips of metal having
perforations as far apart as the slats are from each other in the blind which
perforations permit the small, headed, loosely fitting pins E E therethrough into
the slats. These connecting rods are usually made in short pieces extending from
one slat not further than to the second slat therefrom and put ou in a series over-
lapping each other at their ends as shown in Figures 1 and 2, whereby a most
perfect closing of the slats may be secured, but a long single rod for each section
as shown in Figure 3 may be used if preferred.
To enable the use of these connecting rods without a thick and clumsy slat the
slats B B are constructed with a bead or projecting flange F, on one side of each
edge the beads being diagonally opposite each other, as shown in Figure 6 and
extending the entire length of the slat as indicated in Figure 2 which beads serve
as a place of attachment for said connecting rods by and through the pins E E
driven into that part of the slat enlarged thereby.
The slats B B, being provided with the beads FF the rods D D may be readily
attached thereto by the pins E E therethrough, driven into the slat on a line with
or outside of the extended cross line of the flat surface of the slat on the same side
as the bead and with such reference to the tenons CC that the slats may be
readily closed tight without the rods D D coming in contact with the tenons C C
as they would do if such rods were attached to the slats on or as near to, the
centre line of the long cross axis of said slats as would be unavoidable in slats of
the form in common use.
It is necessary to use connecting rods only at one end of the slats but if greater
strength or security is desired such rods may be attached at both ends of the slats.
The slats being thus connected together it is obvious that the turning of one slat
carries with it by means of these connecting rods the other slats of the section in
harmonious and concurrent movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st. In window blinds the connecting rods D D attached to the outer edges of
the blind slats 'B B by the small headed pins EE passing loosely through
perforations in the rods into the slats, in combination with the slats B B supported
and turning on their tenons in the side rails A A, substantially as and for the
purpose described.

page_text: 2nd. In window blinds, the connecting rods D D, and slats B B, said slats being
provided with the beads F F on diagonally opposite edges, to the outer ends of
which slats said rods are attached by pins loosely fitting in perforations in the
rods D D and driven into the enlarged bead part of the slat, in combination with
the rails A A, in which rails said slats are supported and turn, substantially as and
for the purpose described.