Improvements in Rollers for Blinds Curtains, Maps, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1890-Accepted, 21st June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rollers for Blinds Curtains, Maps, and the like.
I, STEWART HARTSHORN of Short Hills in the County of Essex, State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLERS FOR SHADES, CURTAINS, MAPS, &c., and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention refers to rollers for shades and other purposes formed of two or
more parts or sections sliding within an outer tube; and it consists essentially, of a
novel construction of the outer tube and arrangement of the several parts by which
the outer tube is rendered elastic and expansible, thereby being capable of fitting
over parts of the roller of varying diameters, and, moreover, accommodating itself to
the swelling and shrinking of the wooden sections, and is intended to produce a
roller in which wooden sections or parts of different diameters may be united to form
the roller, and in which the several sections of the roller, when made of wood, may freely
slide or move toward or away from each other to vary the length of the roller under
all circumstances.
In the drawings illustrating my improvement, in which like letters indicate
like parts,
Figure 1 is a side view of a complete roller, showing the wooden portions united by
the metallic sections.
Figure 2 is a detached view of a part of the roller, showing the construction of
the metallic section and the method of placing it over the wooden portion of the roller.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the roller through the line a a, Fig. 1, showing the
metallic section surrounding the inner wooden portion.
Figure shows the wooden portions of the roller united by my improved metallic
section, held in place by metal clasps or clips.
Figure 5 shows an extensible roller formed with my expansible metallic section.
Figure 6 shows a modified form of the metallic section.
In the inanufacture of rollers it is often desirable to utilize small pieces of wood
which are in themselves too short to form the entire length of the roller. These
short pieces are united or joined by metallic sections or bands, which are placed
between the wooden portions and over the ends of the same, and the several parts
are generally arranged so they can move over each other in order to vary the length
of the roller to suit different sized windows. As the wooden portions are apt to vary
slightly in diameter, it is sometimes difficult to insert the ends of the same in the
metallic sections; and, moreover, as the wood is affected by the atmosphere, and is
caused to shrink and swell, the metallic sections frequently bind so tightly on the
wood that the parts cannot freely slide over each other when it is desired to make
the roller longer or shorter, or the wooden portions become so loose in the
metallic sections that the parts slide too freely in the latter, and are therefore not
held in place.
My improvement consists in constructing the metallic section which unites the
wooden portions, and which is placed on or over the wooden roller, with a
longitudinal slot extending the entire length of the section, so that it is capable of
varying in diameter and may contract and expand to receive wooden rollers of
different diameters and to accommodate itself to the swelling and shrinking of the
wood, and thus allow the metallic piece to be readily placed over the wooden portion
and enable the parts of the roller at all times to slide freely over each other and yet
bind sufficiently to remain fixed in the desired position.
In the construction shown in the drawings, which illustrates the form of my
improvement 1 deem most preferable, the metallic section A, which unites the

page_text: wooden parts B of the roller, instead of being soldered or fastened at its lap or joint
so as to form a complete barrel or tube, is left open at this point along its whole
length, and the edges a a are turned down or at right angles to the circumference,
as will be seen particularly from Fig. 2. Hence when the section A is detached a
wide open space is left between the two edges a a. As the tin or metal composing
the section is flexible and elastic, these edges may be brought close together or
spread farther apart by contracting or expanding the section A. Along the surface
of the wooden portions B is formed a groove b, of a size and shape to receive and
accommodate the turned-down edges a a of the section A. When it is desired to
connect the metallic section to the wooden portion, the edges of the former are
pressed together and the turned-down edges a à inserted in the groove b, as is shown
in Fig. 2. The pressure on the part A then being removed, the elasticity of the
metal causes the edges a a to press against the sides of the groove and thus hold the
wooden portior: B within the metallic section, and at the same time permit the latter
to slide freely over the former.
As will be understood from the above description, on account of the .flexibility and
elasticity of the metal the section A will readily contract and expand to accommodate
itself to wooden rollers of different diameters, so that if the parts B vary slightly
in size they may yet be connected together to form the roller, and, moreover, as the
wood swells the section A yields and expands with the wooden portions B, and as it
shrinks the section A contracts and the elasticity of the metal causes the edges a a
to always remain against the sides of the groove, and thus holds the wooden
portions B of the roller in place within the metallic section. Hence with my
improvement the roller may be quickly and readily put together and even when the
wooden portions vary slightly in diameter, and the parts slide freely in and on each
other at all times whether the wood shrinks or swells, and do not become too loose in
or bind on each other.
My improved metallic section may be used where it is designed to form merely an
extension-roller, or one that can be varied in length to accommodate windows of
different widths, as is shown in Fig. 5. As is there seen, the metallic section A slides
over the wooden part B of the roller, which permits the roller to be extended or
contracted at pleasure by merely sliding the paris in each other, and the metallic
piece or section accommodates itself at all times to the state of the wood, as above
described, and the parts never bind or become too loose. A small block of wood,
indicated at C, may he fastened in the end of the joint A, so as not to slide in or out
of the same, but not so as to interfere with the expansion and contraction of the
metallic section. This adjustable metallic section may also be used to form the end
caps of the roller, as shown at A' in Figs. 1 and 5, and as the metal band or section
accommodates itself to the diameter of the roller and to the state of the wood it may
be placed directly on the end of the roller without previously preparing the latter.
If it should be desired to secure the wooden portions so they cannot move in the
metallic section, this may be done in any convenient manner, as by driving a small
tack at the proper place in the wood or by the metal clasps shown at D in Fig. 4,
which are secured in the wood on each side of the metallic section A.
The groove bin the wooden portion and the open space between the edges of the
section A may be used for the purpose of attaching the shade to the roller in the same
manner as the groove in the ordinary metallic rollers; or, if it is desired, the shade
may be nailed directly to the roller in the usual manner; and, to permit this, openings
may be formed in the metal section, as shown at e to enable the tack to be driven
through the metal into the wood. These openings e also allow the shade to be
fastened with clasps having points which enter the roller.
I do not wish to confine myself to the exact form of the metallic section shown in
the drawings, as the particular form may be altered, so long as the section is made
yielding and elastic or capable of varying in diameter along its whole length, and the
edges a a may be varied to conform to any shaped groove in the wooden portion, or
the turned-down edges may be omitted, and the edges of the metal section may be
straight, and the groove in the wooden roller dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 6.

page_text: While my improvement is particularly designed to be used with a wooden roller,
it may be used with metal rollers or rollers constructed of any material-as paper or
other fibrous substance liable to be affected by the atmosphere-to form a combination
or extension roller, the elasticity of the connecting-section A keeping the parts of the
roller in position when once arranged.
Having more 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. In a shade or curtain roller, a metallic section, constructed and adapted to be
yielding and elastic, or capable of varying in diameter, as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. In an extension roller a metallic portion arranged to permit the roller to be
extended and contracted, constructed and adapted to be yielding and elastic, or capable
of varying in diameter, as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a wooden roller a metallic section for uniting the wooden parts, constructed
and adapted to be yielding and elastic, or capable of varying in diameter, as and for
the purposes set forth.
4. In a shade-roller, the combination of the sections B B with the metallic tube A,
longitudinally slotted throughout its entire length and clasping said sections by the
clasticity of the tube, whereby contraction and expansion may be evenly distributed,
as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In an extension-roller, the combination, with the roller B, of the metallic tube A,
longitudinally slotted throughout its entire length and clasping said sections by the
elasticity of the tube, whereby contraction and expansion may be evenly distributed,
substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a shade-roller, the combination of the sections B B, having the groove b, with
the metallic tube A, longitudinally slotted throughout its entire length and clasping
said sections by the elasticity of the tube, whereby contraction and expansion may be
evenly distributed, and provided with the turned-down edges a a, substantially as
described, and for the purpose set forth.
noted this 10th day at Ancil 1890
STEWART HARTSHORN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1890--Accepted, 21st June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rollers for Blinds Curtains, Maps, and the like.
1. STEWART HARTSHORN of Short Hills in the County of Essex, State of New
Jersey. United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLERS FOR SHADES, CURTAINS, MAPS, &c., and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention refers to rollers for shades and other purposes formed of two or
more parts or sections sliding within an outer tube; and it consists essentially, of a
novel construction of the outer tube and arrangement of the several parts by which
the outer tube is rendered elastic and expansible, thereby being capable of fitting
over parts of the roller of varying diameters, and, moreover, accommodating itself to
the swelling and shrinking of the wooden sections, and is intended to produce a
roller in which wooden sections or parts of different diameters may be united to form
the roller, and in which the several sections of the roller, when made of wood, may freely
slide or move toward or away from each other to vary the length of the roller under
all circumstances.
In the drawings illustrating my improvement, in which like letters indicate
like parts,
Figure 1 is a side view of a complete roller, showing the wooden portions united by
the metallic sections.
Figure 2 is a detached view of a part of the roller, showing the construction of
the metallic section and the method of placing it over the wooden portion of the roller.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the roller through the line, Fig. 1, showing the
metallic section surrounding the inner wooden portion.
Figure shows the wooden portions of the roller united by my improved metallic
section, held in place by metal clasps or clips.
Figure 5 shows an extensible roller formed with my expansible metallic section.
Figure 6 shows a modified form of the metallic section.
In the manufacture of rollers it is often desirable to utilize small pieces of wood
which are in themselves too shori to form the entire length of the roller. These
short pieces are united or joined by metallic sections or bands, which are placed
between the wooden portions and over the ends of the same, and the several parts
are generally arranged so they can move over each other in order to vary the length
of the roller to suit different sized windows. As the wooden portions are apt to vary
slightly in diameter, it is sometimes difficult to insert the ends of the same in the
metallic sections; and, inoreover, as the wood is affected by the atmosphere, and is
caused to shrink and swell, the metallic sections frequently bind so tightly on the
wood that the parts cannot freely slide over each other when it is desired to make
the roller longer or shorter, or the wooden portions become so loose in the
metallic sections that the parts slide too freely in the latter, and are therefore not
held in place.
:1
My improvement consists in constructing the metallic section which unites the
wooden portions, and which is placed on or over the wooden roller, with
longitudinal slot extending the entire length of the section, so that it is capable of
varying in diameter and may contract and expand to receive wooden rollers of
different diameters and to accommodate itself to the swelling and shrinking of the
wood, and thus allow the metallic piece to be readily placed over the wooden portion
and enable the parts of the roller at all times to slide freely over each other and yet
bind sufficiently to remain fixed in the desired position:
In the construction shown in the drawings, which illustrates the form of my
improvement deem most preferable, the metallic section A, which unites the

page_text: wooden parts B of the roller, instead of being soldered or fastened at its lap or joint
so as to form a complete barrel or tube, is left open at this point along its whole
length, and the edges a a are turned down or at right angles to the circumference,
as will be seen particularly from Fig. 2. Hence when the section A is detached a
wide open space is left between the two edges a a. As the tin or metal composing
the section is flexible and elastic, these edges may be brought close together or
spread farther apart by contracting or expanding the section A. Along the surface
of the wooden portions B is formed a groove b, of a size and shape to receive and
accommodate the turned-down edges a a of the section A. When it is desired to
connect the metallic section to the wooden portion, the edges of the former are
pressed together and the turned-down edges a a inserted in the groove b, as is shown
in Fig. 2. The pressure on the part A then being removed, the elasticity of the
metal causes the edges a a to press against the sides of the groove and thus hold the
wooden portion: B within the metallic section, and at the same time permit the latter
to slide freely over the former.
As will be understood from the above description, on account of the flexibility and
elasticity of the metal the section A will readily contract and expand to accommodate
itself to wooden rollers of different diameters, so that if the parts B vary slightly
in size they may yet he connected together to form the roller, and, moreover, as the
wood swells the section A yields and expands with the wooden portions B, and as it
shrinks the section A contracts and the elasticity of the metal causes the edges a a
to always remain against the sides of the groove, and thus holds the wooden
portions B of the roller in place within the metallic section. Hence with my
improvement the roller may be quickly and readily put together and even when the
wooden portions vary slightly in diameter, and the parts slide freely in and on each
other at all times whether the wood shrinks or swells, and do not become too loose in
or bind on each other.
My improved metallic section may be used where it is designed to form merely an
extension-roller, or one that can be varied in length to accommodate windows of
different widths, as is shown in Fig. 5. As is there seen, the metallic section A slides
over the wooden part B of the roller, which permits the roller to be extended or
contracted at pleasure by merely sliding the parts in each other, and the metallic
piece or section accommodates itself at all times to the state of the wood, as above
described, and the parts never bind or become too loose. A small block of wood,
indicated at C, may be fastened in the end of the joint A, so as not to slide in or out
of the same, but not so as to interfere with the expansion and contraction of the
metallic section. This adjustable metallic section may also be used to form. the end
caps of the roller, as shown at A' in Figs. 1 and 5, and as the metal band or section
accommodates itself to the diameter of the roller and to the state of the wood it may
be placed directly on the end of the roller without previously preparing the latter.
If it should be desired to secure the wooden portions so they cannot move in the
metallic section, this may be done in any convenient manner, as by driving a small
tack at the proper place in the wood or by the metal clasps shown at D in Fig. 4,
which are secured in the wood on each side of the metallic section A.
The groove 6 in the wooden portion and the open space between the edges of the
section A may be used for the purpose of attaching the shade to the roller in the same
manner as the groove in the ordinary metallic rollers; or, if it is desired, the shade
may be nailed directly to the roller in the usual manner; and, to permit this, openings
may be formed in the metal section, as shown at e to enable the tack to be driven
through the metal into the wood. These openings e also allow the shade to be
fastened with clasps having points which enter the roller.
1 do not wish to confine myself to the exact form of the metallic section shown in
the drawings, as the particular form may be altered, so long as the section is made
yielding and elastic or capable of varying in diameter along its whole length, and the
edges a a may be varied to conform to any shaped groove in the wooden portion, or
the turned-down edges may be omitted, and the edges of the metal section may be
straight, and the groove in the wooden roller dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 6.

page_text: While my improvement is particularly designed to be used with a wooden roller,
it may be used with metal rollers or rollers constructed of any material-as paper or
other fibrous substance liable to be affected by the atmosphere-to form a combination
or extension roller, the elasticity of the connecting-section A keeping the parts of the
roller in position when once arranged.
Having more 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. In a shade or curtain roller, a metallic section, constructed and adapted to be
yielding and elastic, or capable of varying in diameter, as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. In an extension roller a metallic portion arranged to permit the roller to be
extended and contracted, constructed and adapted to be yielding and elastic, or capable
of varying in diameter, as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a wooden roller a metallic section for uniting the wooden parts, constructed
and adapted to be yielding and elastic, or capable of varying in diameter, as and for
the purposes set forth.
4. In a shade-roller, the combination of the sections B B with the metallic tube A,
longitudinally slotted throughout its entire length and clasping said sections by the
elasticity of the tube, whereby contraction and expansion may be evenly distributed,
as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In an extension-roller, the combination, with the roller B, of the metallic tube A,
longitudinally slotted throughout its entire length and clasping said sections by the
elasticity of the tube, wherchy contraction and expansion may be evenly distributed,
substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a shade-roller, the combination of the sections B B, having the groove b, with
the metallic tube A, longitudinally slotted throughout its entire length and clasping
said sections by the elasticity of the tube, whereby contraction and expansion may be
evenly distributed, and provided with the turned-down edges a a, substantially as
described, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 101 1
1
STEWART HARTSHORN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.