Improvements in Curtain Fixtures.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 18-9-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1900'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Curtain Fixtures.
I, WILLIAM LOWRIE ISBILLS, residing at No. 11, West Second Street, Bayonne,
in the County of Hudson, State of New Jersey, U.S.A., Carpenter, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The improvements relates to that class of curtain fixtures in which a pole
extends across and the curtain is attached to carriers traversed along the pole
to extend or contract the curtain. I mean to include by the term curtain a
portiere or analogous shade or screen.
In the best form of the invention my curtain pole comprises a plurality of
sections of wood secured together. Such has been heretofore proposed but I
have introduced novel details in the construction of the pole that constitute one
feature of the present improvements. By my compound construction, the inner
faces of the parts can be easily shaped while the parts are separate and
they can be firmly secured together after their interiors are completed.
They present a curtain pole having an under-cut groove for the reception of the
carriers designed to traverse the same. The exteriors of the pole sections may be
finished at the same operation as that of the interiors or at another stage as may
be most convenient.
One of the novel details consists in making the two pole sections of different
colored woods to secure a varying and attractive effect. In one form the pole
sections are so shaped that the undercut groove or channel has a lateral turn
or branch merging in a vertical passage which serves to mask the major portion
of the novel carriers. A modification of this last form of pole includes a metal
trackway of peculiar shape and secured on the inner face of one of the pole
sections.
An efficient and highly durable form of my pole comprises two grooved sections
secured together by a tongued intermediate member, a depending portion of
which is Hanged or widened to afford a satisfactory trackway.
Straight lengths of any of these constructions of poles can be located within
the frame of a door. The poles can be cut into short lengths and joined together
angularly to serve as a cornice.
Å valued form of my carrier consists of a blocklike body having lower parallel
rounded bearing portions adapted to rest or ride on the hottom of the pole groove,
and a central web or rib depending within the slot of the channel to aid in
guiding the carrier and carrying a certain engaging loop. While this blocklike
body can be made exclusively of wood, papier mache or other material, it will
be desirable for some uses to encase it in a metallic shell. Where the carrier
is to serve with the construction of pole in which the depending intermediate
member presents the trackway, the metal shell may have upper extensions suitably
bent to engage the track-way to suspend the carrier. The engaging portions may
be bent portions of the extensions, or may be wheels carried by the latter.

page_text: In using the pole having the more or less complex channel including the lateral
bend and central bottom slot leading from the latter, a form of carrier is employed
in which the body is presented by a wire, shaped to form the several bends
required to extend through the complex passage, and present a lower depending
curtain-engaging loop and upper oppositely extending horizontal portions for the
nounting of the tandem wheels or rollers.
The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent
what is considered the best means of carrying out the invention.
Figure 1, is an elevation illustrating the application of the improved curtain
holder to the interior of a window.
Figure 2, is an inverted plan view of my improved curtain fixture shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 3, is a cross section on the line 3-3, in Figure 2, somewhat changed.
Figures 4, 5 and 7, are cross sections on a larger scale illustrating the pole
and three constructions of carriers, the varying section shades indicating the
differing characters of wood in the poles.
Figure 6, is a perspective view of the carrier illustrated in Figure 5.
Figure 8, is a front view showing the invention applied to a portiere holder
in a door frame.
Figures 9 and 10, are cross sections showing two forms of the pole having the
complete passage including the lateral bend and depending slot, the specially
adapted carrier being also shown and
Figures 11 and 12, are a side elevation and plan respectively of the carrier
last mentioned.
Figures 13 to 16 inclusive illustrate elaborations of the construction of pole
and sheet metal carrier disclosed in Figure 7.
Figure 13, is a cross section.
Figure 14, is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 14-14, Fig. 13 and
Figures 15 and 16 are cross sections, showing further modifications.
A and B, Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, are two parts of the curtain pole, each
being not only shaped on the exterior but also smoothly cut on its inner face
to afford half of the cavity a b. It will be observed that the cavity is narrow
at its lower edge and larger above. This would be a difficult form to produce in
a single piece by machinery, but before the parts are applied together it is easy
to run the wood for each part through an ordinary molding machine provided
with sharp knives of the proper form and thus excavate the portion of the cavity
which is required to be formed in that part.
Figure 8 shows my pole applied to support a portiere; the same construction may
he adopted in the portiere holder and curtain holder shown in the previous figures.
The pole is held by screws introduced through the slot from below, and set firmly
and closely under the upper portion of a door frame. A narrow screw-driver
should be used in order to turn freely in the narrow portion of the aperture
below.
In all the forms, the parts A, B, are shown as tongued and grooved at the
upper portions, believing that this not only aids the glue in holding them
reliably and stiffly together, but also ensures their being in true relative
positions.
C, Fig. 4, is a piece of sheet brass which is bent to present a shell having
an approximately rectangular body and lower longitudinal web or rib C¹ flanked
by parallel longitudinal rounded bearing portions C. The web or rib C¹ has a
small circular hole in the center, receiving a screw eye C3, which is introduced
through it into the correspondingly shaped piece of wood D and with it con-
stitutes the carrier or runner to be traversed longitudinally in the interior of
the pole. The metal C should be elastic and left of a form to cause it to spring
together and maintain a close contact with the enclosed wood even if the wood
should shrink.
The metal may be of such stiffness as to permit the block of wood D to be
:

page_text: dispensed with; the screw eye, or loop C³ in such case, being attached directly
to the metal.
The curtain or portiere E being secured by hooks or other ordinary means not
shown to the several eyes (3 is properly supported and may be horizontally
extended by a simple pull in one direction and withdrawn by an opposite pull.
The exteriors of the curtain pole may be finished with any degree of elaboration.
I have shown them as plain moldings. The parts A, B, may be made and united
permanently together in any convenient lengths and sawed off and properly
finished. With a view of producing a window cornice, the ends are sawed off
at a mitre-bevel as shown in Figure 2, and short pieces of a corresponding
material are glued thereto, as indicated by A¹ B. The carriers or runners are
introduced in the main part A, B, before the ends are glued on. One or more
corresponding runners may be introduced in the angular parts A¹, B', at any
subsequent period before the pole is put up. This will conduce to the artistic
draping of the curtain.
Fis one of a pair of brackets of brass or other suitable material, screwed or
otherwise firmly secured to the window frame at the proper height, receiving and
supporting the curtain pole in the manner shown most clearly in Figure 3.
F is a clamping screw which may be used to tighten the hold.
Instead of using the wood filled metal shell Cas a carrier, a block D¹ of
wood, gutta percha, papier mache, or other suitable material either cut or
moulded, can be used without the shell C, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.
This block presents the lower parallel rounded longitudinal bearing portions
and central web or rib having the eye C³, screwed therein.
It may be here stated that the advantages of this form of carrier generally,
no matter how constructed, is that its rectangular body prevents undue twisting
or binding in the channel while its lower rounded bearing portions permit it
to traverse with reduced friction and at the same time allow a limited transverse
rocking motion. Moreover the depending web contributes to center the block
and avoids the necessity for connecting the curtain at a point within the pole.
Figure 7, discloses a construction of pole that will presently be more elaborated
and described. It is sufficient to say at this point that the two parts A2, B2, of
the pole are both grooved at their upper inner faces, and that an intermediate
member M is tongued to engage and secure said parts together, said intermediate
member depending within the pole channel and provided with a widened por-
tion M¹ designed to serve as a trackway.
The shape of the carrier for this construction of pole varies from the forms and
arrangements previously described, in that the metal shell C extends considerably
above the filling and is bent as indicated at C³ to embrace the lateral flanges of
the widened portion M of the intermediate member.
Figures 9 and 10, show the pole as having its channel and passage leading
therefrom especially peculiar in character.
In Figure 9, the part A³ is represented as being the main one of the pole, it
being grooved in its side near the top so that the tongue of the other part B³,
will engage therewith to hold its part against the part A³. It will be noted that
said main part A3 embodies integrally the lower track support A having the
central longitudinal groove A5, whilst the part B3 is shaped to form the upper
part of the trackway channel and is also grooved at B immediately over the
groove A5.
The form and relation of the parts A³, 13, is such that they conjointly present
a central channel for the traverse of wheeled carriers to be presently described,
the bottom and top of said channel or passage having the grooves in which the
wheels of the carriers are to be positively guided, a lateral branch extending from
said central passage and merging with a downwardly extending slot opening at
the bottom of the pole. This arrangement when the proper carriers are employed,
enables the wheels of the latter to bear centrally in the pole while the curtain
suspending loop depends at a point in substantially vertical alinement with the

page_text: bearing point of the wheels. Instead of the part A³ integrally embodying the
lower track support, this latter may be separately presented by a channeled
metal section A, secured against the inner face of the part A³ and suitably formed
as illustrated in Figure 10.
An efficient and novel carrier for service in connection with the construction
of pole disclosed in Figures 9 and 10, is that illustrated in Figures 11. and 12,
wherein it is shown as being provided with two vertical narrow. wheels H, H,
arranged tandem, the curtain suspending body or frame being formed by a
single piece of wire G embodying the parallel depending parts G₁ forming the
loop or eye H2 at their lower extremity and bent to accommodate itself to the
lower slot and bend, the upper part of said. frame being oppositely and inwardly
bent horizontally to extend through the lateral bend of the passage and serve as
journals for the wheels.
In the construction of pole of which Figures..13, to 16, inclusive represent
elaborations of what has been previously described with reference to Figure 7,
the intermediate member M is likewise tongued and also glued between the two
parts of the pole and is also widened at its lower extremity to present the lateral
flanges M. In Figures 13 and 14, the metal of each runner is shaped to the
lower portion of the interior of the pole. Vertical extensions C6 are widened
longitudinally of the pole and provided with inwardly extending pins, C7, serving
as journals for a pair of tandem wheels H at each side bearing on the flanges M
of the intermediate member M.
Figure 15 shows the same central construction but with the lower enclosing
parts of the pole omitted.
Figure 16. shows the same curtain pole as that disclosed in Figure 13 but
a different construction of the runner or carrier. In this the metal extensions C8
are made longer and are bent to bear directly on the top of the track.
The wooden or other filings may or may not be employed in connection with
the carriers illustrated in the last four figures.
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
1. The combination in a curtain pole, of two separate pieces of different
colored woods rigidly united-together and presenting a large longitudinal channel
and narrower slot below, substantially as set forth.
2+2
2. The combination with a curtain pole having a cavity a b, and narrower slot
below, of runners each comprising a block, an encasing shell of metal: presenting
the plane parallel vertical sides having sufficient length to prevent turning
and provided with parallel bearing portions extending longitudinally of the
travel of the runner, and a depending screw-eye, the latter arranged to perform
the double function of holding the block to the metal and supporting a curtain,
substantially as herein specified.
3. In a curtain pole, a main section having the lower trackway provided with
a narrow longitudinal groove, and an upper section secured to said main section
and formed to present the top of the main carrier channel with a narrow groove
immediately above that of the trackway, the carrier channel having a lateral
passage merging into a descending slot terminating at a point in vertical aline-
ment with the depression of the trackway, and the combination therewith,, of
suitable carriers having their bearing wheels guided in the narrow grooves of
the carrier passage, and their curtain engaging portions depending below the
slot in the plane of the wheels, substantially as shown in Figures 9 and 10.
4. A carrier for curtain fixtures, the same comprising a body or frame of a
single piece of wire comprising the depending parallel portions terminating in
the lower curtain engaging loop and bent to present the lateral offset bend, and
inwardly and opposite bends constituting journals, and vertical narrow tandem
wheels mounted on said journals, substantially as herein specified.

page_text: 5. In a curtain holder, the combination with two grooved pole sections, of
a tongued intermediate member having a depending portion adapted to serve as
a trackway, the tongues of said intermediate member performing the dual functions
of firmly engaging the grooves in the sections and resisting downward strain
on the trackway, substantially as shown in Figures 7, 13, 14, 15 and 16.
6. In a curtain holder, the combination with two grooved pole sections, of a
tongued intermediate member having a depending portion provided with lateral
flanges adapted to serve as a trackway, the tongues of said intermediate member
performing the dual functions of firmly engaging the grooves in the sections and
resisting downward strain on the track-way, and a carrier having upper engaging
portions suspended from said flanges, substantially as shown in Figures 7, 13,
14, 15 and 16.
7. A carrier for curtain fixtures comprising an approximately rectangular
body having lower parallel under rounded bearing portions and intermediate web
or rib carrying a curtain-eye, substantially as herein specified.
า
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1000
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.