IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS FOR HANGING OR SUSPENDING WINDOW SASHES, DOORS, AND OTHER BODIES, AND IN CONNECTIONS FOR USE THEREWITH
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHAINS FOR HANGING OR SUSPENDING WINDOW SASHES, DOORS, AND OTHER
BODIES, AND IN CONNECTIONS FOR USE THEREWITH." A communication from
abroad by Thomas Morton, of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America
Sealed the 26th May 1876, and dated the 5th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th January 1876.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent, "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS FOR HANGING OR SUSPENDING
WINDOW SASHES, DOORS, AND OTHER BODIES, AND IN CONNECTIONS FOR USE
THEREWITH."
This Invention relates, first, to a novel construction of chain for hanging window
sashes, doors, shutters, and other bodies suspended by means of weights and
chains.
In order to adapt chains to this purpose or use I make them in the following
manner-I strike or punch out of sheet or plate metal a series of blanks or short
A link is composed
pieces, which have holes at each end and also at the center.
of three of these blanks, and the links thus formed are connected to each other by
two narrow blanks or pieces, to which they are connected by rivets in the usual
manner.
The centre blanks or pieces are made considerably wider than the outside ones,
thereby imparting to the body of the chain when finished a rounded outline or
surface, by which means it is better adapted to run in the groove of the ordinary
pulley. It is however obvious that the links may be composed of a greater number.
of blanks or pieces, care being taken to make them of proper width, so as to
preserve the rounded outline or form already described.
The object of making these links with holes through their centre, is that the chain.
may be cut of any required length, and be readily fastened at one end to the weight,
and at the other end to the sash by simply inserting a pin or rivet in the hole.
In order to attach the chain to the sash in a secure manner, and so that it can

page_text: be readily detached when necessary, the groove or recess in the side of the sash for
the chain to lie on terminates at its lower end in a vertical hole, which extends from
the open groove down to a hole bored into the edge of the sash at right angles
thereto. This hole is to receive a metal plug or stop, circular in form, and of a size
to fit in the hole, the stop having a recess in or across its face on one side of
sufficient width and depth to receive the links. The free end of the chain is
inserted through the hole and out through the hole in the sash, and the plug or stop
secured thereto by passing a pin or rivet through the ears or projections on the rear
side of the plug and through the hole in the link, after which the chain is drawn
up tight, thus drawing the plug or stop into the hole in the sash. A weight is
attached to the opposite end of the chain by means of a hook or link secured to
the link by a pin or rivet in a similar manner. When thus constructed and
arranged, it will be found that the chain will operate with as much ease and as
free from noise as a cord, and by this means I produce a very durable and efficient
device for hanging sashes, and one that is especially adapted to heavy windows..
Another improvement consists in constructing the hook of a sash or other chain
so that the chain may be secured at any joint. An ordinary sash chain is used,
which is connected with the sash by means of a slotted tube or plate, or piece of
metal or other suitable material placed in a recess or cavity at the end of the chain
groove, the said slotted tube, plate, or other fastening being so formed that the chain
will slip in the slot and be held by the enlarged end of the link when the chain is
cut to the required length. The shank of the weight hook is also constructed so as
to receive the chain by means of a slot in a similar manner.
The chain is slipped
into a circular eye or semicircular shank, and may be held in any manner by the
enlarged end of the link, and the attachment is complete.
It will be seen that for connecting the chain, either to the sash or the weight, the
chain is not drilled or altered in any manner. It is only cut to the required length
and is then ready to be connected.
It is apparent that the same mode of attaching the chain may be applied to doors
and other bodies suspended by means of weights and chains.
The advantages of the above improvements are, that there is no labor required
on the chain after it is cut to the required length; the attachment to the sash and
to the weight hook is made without rivetting, clinching, or hammering of any sort;
the end of the chain is simply slipped into a slot or held by the enlarged end of the
link or chain as before stated. When this connection is confined in the grooves of
the sash, or in the box of the frame, it cannot be disconnected, as the link cannot
be brought to the angle required for that purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
June 1876.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS FOR HANGING OR SUSPENDING
WINDOW SASHES, DOORS, AND OTHER BODIES, AND JN CONNECTIONS FOR USE THERE-
WITH."
A communication to me from abroad by Thomas Morton, of the City,
County, and State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates, first, to a novel construction of chains for hanging window
sashes, doors, shutters, and other bodies, suspended by means of weights and chains,
and is represented in the accompanying Drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a sash and frame with the improve-
ments applied.
Figure 2 is a view of a portion of the chain and the stop used for securing it to
the sash.
And Figure 3 is a transverse section of the chain and a portion of a pulley.

page_text: In the ordinary method of hanging sashes by means of cords and. pulleys, there
has always been more or less trouble, owing to the fact that the cords soon fray
or wear out, thus necessitating their renewal, which is a difficult operation. To
obviate this difficulty and provide a more durable and efficient means of hanging
sashes, I propose to use chains for this purpose, and in order to adapt chains to this
purpose or use, I make them in the following manner :-I strike or punch out of
sheet or plate metal a series of blanks or short pieces a and a', which have holes at
each end, and also at their centre. The pieces a, which I place at the centre
between the pieces a¹, are made considerably wider than the other, as shown in
Figure 3, thereby imparting to the body of the chain when finished a rounded
outline or surface, by which means it is adapted to run in the groove of the
ordinary pulley, as shown. A link is composed of three of these blanks arranged
as there shown, and the links thus formed are connected by rivets in the usual
manner, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2. It is however obvious that the
links may be composed of a greater number of blanks or pieces, care being taken
to make them of proper widths so as to preserve the rounded outline or form as
already described.
The object of making these links with the holes e through their centre, is that
the chain may cut off any required length and be readily fastened at one end to
the weight, and at the other end to the sash by simply inserting a pin or rivet in
the hole.
In order to attach the chain to the sash in a secure manner, and so that it can
be readily detached when necessary, I form in the side of the sash E a groove or
recess for the chain to lie in, as represented in Figure 1, this recess terminating at
its lower end in a vertical hole b, which extends from the open groove down to a
hole G bored into the edge of the sash at right angles thereto as shewn in Figure 1.
I provide a metal plug or stop F circular in form, and of a size to fit in the hole G,
this stop F having a recess in or across its face on one side of sufficient width
and depth to receive the links, as represented in Figure 2. I insert the free end of
the chain through the hole b and out through the hole G in the sash E, and secure
the plug or stop F thereto by passing a pin or rivet d through the ears or pro-
jections on the rear side of the plug, and through the hole e in the link as represented
in Figure 2, after which the chain is drawn up tight, thus drawing the plug or
stop F into the hole Gas represented in Figure 1. A weight D is attached to the
opposite end of the chain by means of a hook or link secured to the link by a pin
or rivet in a similar manner. When thus constructed and arranged it will be found
that the chain will operate with as much ease and as free from noise as cord, and
by this means I produce a very durable and efficient device for hanging sashes, and
one that is specially adapted to heavy windows.
Another improvement consists in constructing the hook of a sash or other chain
so that the chain may be secured at any joint as herein-after fully described.
Figure 4 represents a sectional elevation of a window with the sash suspended
according to this improvement, the section being taken on the line x, x, of Figure 5 ;
Figure 5 is a vertical section of Figure 4 taken on the line y, y.
Figure 6 is a section of the bevelled chain, and Figure 7 is a cross section through
it on the line z, z, also showing a cross section of the round grooved pulley, in which
the chain runs.
Figure 8 represents a sectional view of the chain attached to the hook, and
Figure 9 is a sectional front view of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all these Figures.
A is the sash; B, the window frame; C, is the chain; C, the chain pulley; D, the
weight; E, is the weight hook. The chain is connected with the sash by means of
a slotted tube or plate, or piece of metal, or other suitable material placed in a
recess or cavity at the end of the chain groove, as seen at F, the said slotted tube,
plate, or other fastening being so formed that the chain will slip with the slot and
be held by the enlarged end of the link when the chain is cut to the required
length. The shank of the weight hook is constructed so as to receive the chain by

page_text: means of a slot in a manner similar to that already described. This mode is seen
in Figure 8. The chain is slipped into a circular eye or semicircular shank, and
may be held in any manner by the enlarged end of the link, as represented, and
the attachment is complete.
It will be seen that for connecting the chain, either to the sash or the weight, the
chain is not drilled or altered in any manner. It is only cut to the required length,
and is then ready to be connected; this is the main feature.
The advantages of the improvement are that there is no labor required on the
chain after it is cut to the required length; the attachment to the sash and to the
weight hook is made without riveting, clinching, or hammering of any sort; the
end of the chain is simply slipped into a slot or held by an enlarged end of the link
or chain as before stated. When this connection is confined in the grooves of the
sash, or in the box of the frame, it cannot be disconnected, as the link cannot be
brought to the angle required for that purpose.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself exclusively to windows
in the application of the improvement, as it is apparent that the same mode of
attaching the chain may be applied to doors and other bodies suspended by means
of weights and chains.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. A chain having its links composed of flat strips or pieces of different widths,
arranged substantially as described, whereby the chain has a rounded outline or
surface to adapt it to run in a circular groove, substantially as described.
2nd. The links composed of flat strips or pieces, and having the hole e through
their centre, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. The hook E constructed with the peculiarly recessed slot described, and
applicable to a link chain in the manner specified.
In witness whereof, I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
A. M. CLARK. (LS.)