Improvements in Stair, Curtain and other Rods, and in their Fittings
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stair, Curtain and other Rods, and in their Fittings,
I, CHARLES HARVEY, of The Swifts, South Yardley, near the City of Birming-
ham, Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
-
This invention relates principally to stair rods and stair-rod eyes, but is appli-
cable to other rods and their fittings, such as curtain rods and cornice poles and
their brackets, and the object of the invention is a simple and ready way of lock-
ing such rods in their assigned positions.
In carrying out one form of my invention, the stair rod eye may consist of an
angle plate provided with a front gapped or open-fronted seating coming within
the inside of the angle, with the said gap being of a breadth about equal to, or
greater than, the breadth or diameter of the rod to be used with the said eve, so as
to admit of the rod being introduced into the seating of the eye laterally or
directly from the front prior to being moved longitudinally or in the longer
direction of the rod for locking.
Situated upon, or made fast to, or formed on end portions of the rod, at a
distance apart corresponding to the distance between the pair of rod eyes, are
two conical or taper collars, busses or annular enlargements, with their inclined
sides both raking in the same direction and adapted to lock themselves within
like conings formed in the eye seatings. In the operation of introducing and
locking the rod, parts of the rod proper near the collars, are first introduced
through the openings in the eyes, and then the rod is moved longitudinally so
as to force the conical parts of the enlargements home into the correspondingly
coned seatings of the eyes, whereby the rods are rigidly affixed and can only be
withdrawn after the rods have moved back.
Instead of employing eyes both having coned seatings and correspondingly
coned collars on the rod, only one of the seatings and collars may be coned whilst
the other collar and its seating may be parallel.
To enhance the grip, the collars may be longitudinally split at parts and
attached to the rod at one point or at the outward end, so that the split parts
admit of opening out and are closed when the collar is forced into the seating
and thus make a tight fit. Or the socket part of the eye may itself be split to
give a better grip.
Instead of the collars and their corresponding seatings being coned, they may
be parallel and a stud or other projection on the rod may engage with a circum-
ferential or other sinking channel or slot in the eye or a projection from the eye
may be made to engage a sinking on the rod. Or the locking may be effected
by a spring tongue or equivalent upon the one part engaging a notch in the
other part.
As a further modification, the rods, instead of having collars, may be reduced
in diameter, either conoidally or parallel, at separated positions corresponding
to the distance between the eyes, whose fronts are of a breadth about equal to

page_text: the diameter of the said reduced parts, whilst the seatings in the eyes, when
coned, are of a diameter slightly less than that of larger parts of the rods, but
when the seatings are plain then they are of a like diameter to the said parts
of the rods so as to admit of the latter sliding therein longitudinally.
The rods and their eyes may be round, oval, angular or of any other suitable
cross section.
The application of my invention to curtain rods and their brackets or supports
differs in no essential respect from its application to stair rods and eyes as herein
described.
In order to provide for setting the collars or ferrules at varying distances
apart upon the rods to suit different widths of carpet, one or both of them may
be loose and adjustable upon the rod and may be locked in the adjustable posi-
tion thereon either (in the case of a split collar) by closing together the split
parts by a locking ring screwing on one end, or by a small set pin or other suit-
able device.
Datel this 20th day of April 1890
CHARLES HARVEY.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in Stair. Curtain and other Rods, and in their Fittings.
I. CHARLES HARVEY, of The Swifts, South Yardley, near the City of Birming
ham. Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement:-
-
This invention (which is an amplification or developement of the invention
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and hearing date
the 27th day of December 1898 No. 27807) relates principally to stair-rods and
stair-rod eyes, but is applicable to other rods and their fittings, such as curtain
rods and cornice poles and their brackets, and the object of the invention is to
provide a simple and ready way of locking such rods in their assigned positions.
In carrying out one form of my invention as applied to stair-rods, the rad
eyes each consist of an angle plate provided with a front-gapped or open-fronted
seating coming within the inside of the angle, with the said gap being of a
breadth about equal to, or greater than, the breadth or diameter of the rod to
be used with the said eyes, so as to admit of the rod heing introduced into the
seatings of the eyes directly from the front prior to being moved longitudinally
or in the longer direction of the rod for locking.
Situated upon and made fast to, or formed on end portions of the rod, at a
distance apart corresponding to the distance between the pair of rod eves, are two
conical or taper collars, bosses or annular enlargements, with their inclined sides
both raking in the same direction that when the collars are introduced laterally
or sideways into the corresponding coned sentings of the attachment eyes or
brackets, and forced home, they lock themselves in place and provide a means
for securing the rod in its proper position relative to the said eyes.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a front elevation of a stair
rod having eyes or brackets and connection fittings in accordance with this form
of my invention, and showing the coned collars on the rods engaged and locked.
within the like seatings of the eyes. Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1

page_text: but representing the collars fast upon the stair rod before being introduced into
the sockets or seating parts of the eye brackets.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of Figure 1 upon the dotted line ‚r.
Figure 4 is a cross section of Figure 2 upon the dotted line a', Figure 5 is
another section thereof upon the dotted line 2ª.
Figure 6 represents an edge view of one of the eye pieces or brackets, separately
and Figure is a vertical section thereof upon the dotted line Figure 6.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the said Figures 1
to 7.
a is the stair-rod, which may be of any section and pattern and b, b. are its
conical locking collars made fast upon the same. preferably at equal distances
from the opposite ends, whilst c are the pair of eyes or brackets by which the
rod is secured to a stair. The said eyes, which are affixed by screws or otherwise
at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the fixed collars on
the rod, have the coned seatings, and open fronts c
In the operation of introducing and locking the rod. parts of the rod proper
near the collars are first introduced through the openings in the eyes directly
from the front and then the rod and collars are moved bodily and longitudinally
so as to force the conical parts of the enlargements home into the correspondingly
coned seatings of the eyes, whereby the rod is rigidly aflixed and can only be
withdrawn after the collars have been disengaged or liberated and moved back.
Instead of employing eyes both having coned seatings and correspondingly
coned collars on the rod, only one of the seatings and collars may be coned whilst
the other collar and its seating may be parallel.
To enhance the grip, the collars may be longitudinally split at parts and
attached to the rod only at a point or at the outward end, so that the free split
parts, which normally open out or away from the rod, are closed when the collar
is forced into the seating and thus make a tighter fit. Or the socket part of the
eye may itself be split to give a better grip.
Instead of the collars and their corresponding seatings being coned, they may
be parallel and a stud or other projection on collars of the rod or upon the rod
itself may engage with a circumferential or other sinking channel or slot in the
eye or a projection from the eye may be made to engage a sinking on the rod.
Figure (Sheet 2) represents one form of this modification, showing the
parallel collars fixed on the rod introduced into the eye sockets and there locked
by the engagement of projections on the former being engaged with recesses in
the other.
Figure 9 is a view showing the parts before the collars are introduced into
their seatings.
Figure 10 is a transverse vertical section of Figure 8 upon the dotted line a.
In Figures S. 9 and 10 is the rod, b, b, are the parallel side collars or
enlargements made fast thereon and e are the eye pieces, having open-front seat-
ings or sockets c, in which are formed, recesses or sinkings with which studs
or projections upon the collars are engaged by slightly rotating the rod in
order to lock the latter in its assigned position to the eye brackets. (Or the
locking may be effected by a spring tongue or equivalent upon the one part
engaging a notch in the other part."
As a further modification, the rods, instead of having collars, may be reduced
in diameter either conoidally or parallel, at separated points corresponding to
the distance between the eyes. whose front openings are of a breadth about equal
to the diameter of the said reduced parts, whilst the seatings in the eyes, when
coned, are of a diameter slightly less at the narrower end than that of larger parts
of the rods, but when the seatings are plain then they are of a like diameter
as the said larger parts of the rods so as to admit of the latter sliding therein
longitudinally.
Figure 10 shows a rod having a reduced conoidal part and one of the attach-

page_text: ment brackets of such a rod. This view shows the rod disengaged from the
seating whilst Figure 10 shows it forced home and locked by the frictional
between the opposed he and she coned parts.
In order to provide for setting the collars or ferrules at varying distances
apart from the rods to suit different widths of carpet, one or both of them may
be loose and adjustable upon the rod and may be locked in the adjustable posi
tion thereon either (in the case of a split collar) by closing together the split
parts by a locking ring screwing on one end, or by a small set pin or other suit-
able device.
Figure 11 (Sheet 1) represents an elevation, with one of the collars in section.
of one such arrangement in which both the collars are adjustable and are secured
to the rod by small set pins.
Figure 12 is an elevation of the rod with the adjustable collars removed.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the left hand collar and Figure 14 a longitudinal
section of the right hand collar.
a is the stair-rod, the collars which are loose or free to slide longitudinally
along the rod for adjustment and are locked in their determined positions by
screwing home tlie set pius 4, whose inner ends bear against the rod. The
connection of the collars and their rod to the eyes is effected in this arrangement
by the he or she coning of the socketting parts, although the shanks of the set
pins may be made to engage with notches formed in the eyes, or other con-
venient means, such as previously indicated, may be employed for the purpose.
Instead of providing the rods with a pair of complete adjustable collars,
ferrules or annular enlargements as in Figures 11, 12, 18, and 14, they may be
fitted with partially encircling collars, half ferrules or closures adapted to engage
or take either over or into the eye piece of the attachment brackets with the
said half ferrules locked both to the eyes and to the rod (which is thereby retained
in its adjusted position) by screwing home small set pins directed through the
ferrules and bearing against the rod.
Figure 15 is an elevation of a stair-rod with its fittings constructed accord-
ing to one form of this last modification, in which the half ferrule slides over
the open-fronted eye piece of the bracket.
Figure 16 is a transverse vertical section of Figure 15 upon the dotted line
Figure 17 is an inside elevation of one of the adjustable locking half ferrules.
or closures separately and Figure 18 is an edge view thereof.
a is the rod, the brackets and the sockets or eye pieces with open fronis.
through which the rod is introduced into position, whilst are the locking
ferrules or closures the enlarged parts of which are of a diameter inside that
will admit of them taking over the outsides of the eyes, whilst the inside middle
parts 2, are adapted to come within the front openings of the said eyes and la
are the set pins, by the screwing up of which both the rod and its adjustable
ferrules are secured to the brackets.
Figure 19 is an elevation of the arrangement in which the adjustable half
ferrules slide into the eye pieces.
Figure 20 is a transverse vertical section of Figure 19 upon the dotted line.
Figure 21 represents an inside elevation and an edge view of one of the half
ferrules separately.
f.
a is the stair-rod, & the attachment brackets and the sockets or eye pieces:
is the front opening, the edges of which are recessed at e³, in receive the edges 12
of the loose and adjustable half collars or ferrules b, which are slid longitudinally
into position and their locked both to the rod and to the eyes by screwing home
the set pins '. To prevent these balf collars or closures from becoming lost
they may be connected to or carried by loose rings or sleeves encircling and
sliding upon the rod.
Figures and 23 represent in elevation and section the application of the
first form of the invention to an ornament stair rod of triangular section.
The application of my invention cornice poles, curtain and other rods and

page_text: their fittings differs in no essential respect from its application to stair-rods and
the fittings of stair-rods as herein described.
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:—
:
First In stair and other rods and their attachment fittings providing the
rod with fast collars or enlargements adapted to be engaged end-wise into or with
open fronted seatings or sockets of the attachment brackets, whose front open-
ings are of a width less than the diameter of the said collars but greater than
the diameter of the rod.
Secondly: A stair or other like rod, provided with one or more fast and ho
coned collars, adapted to be engaged end-wise into open fronted and she coned
seatings or sockets of the attachment plates or brackets, with said front openings
being of a width less than the diameter of the collars but greater then that of
the rod, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 7.
Thirdly: A stair or other like rod, provided with one or more fast collars
adapted to be engaged end-wise into the open fronted seatings of the attach-
ment brackets and there secured by a projection on the one part engaging with
recesses or sinkings on the other part, the said front openings of the seatings
being of a less width than the diameter of the collar but greater than that of the
rod, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 8, 9 and 10.
Fourthly: In stair and other rods for use in connection with attachment
brackets having open-fronted sockets or seatings, necking or reducing the diameter
of the said rods at parts to an extent that the reduced parts are less in diameter
then the width of the front openings in the seatings, which said openings are
narrower than the body of the rod whilst the said seatings are adapted to receive
the larger parts of the said rod, substantially as described and as set forth in
Figures 10 and 10".
Fifthly: In stair and other rods having collars part collars or closures, adapted
to be engaged end-wise into or with the open-front seatings or sockets of their
attachment brackets, making the said collars, or closures longitudinally adjustable
upon the rod, which said collars or closures are locked or made fast to the said
rod by set pins or equivalent, substantially as described and set forth in
Figures 11 to 21.
Tatal 1
101
1
1000