Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1897-Accepted. 17th Apr., 1897
I, JOSEPH BULL of 14 Stanhope Street Strand W.C. London, Ironmonger do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide improved means for lifting and
supporting a portiere rod in order that when the door, to which the portiere is
applied, is opened, the curtain may be immediately raised and lifted' from the
ground before the door has been moved through an arc of for instance five inches,
and may be held in such raised position without further movement while the door
is open more widely than such distance aforesaid, and allowed to fall again during
such time as the door is moving to a closed position within said distance, the
portiére rod being at all times horizontal.
On the door are fixed two or more brackets terminating in vertical guide rods
and the portiere rod is perforated or otherwise adapted to slide vertically on said
rods. On the door are fixed bearings for a rotary horizontal shaft carrying arms,
usually curved, the ends of which are connected by rods to the portiere rod so that
when said shaft is partially rotated the arms and rods lift the portiere rod until-
the centres of connection surpass a straight line, whereupon stops are placed to
prevent further rotation and the portiere rod is held raised until the shaft is again
rotated in the reverse direction.
To rotate the shaft it may be provided with a toothed sector meshing with a
toothed sector on a vertical shaft supported in suitable bearings on the door and
having a horizontally projecting arm having preferably in its end an antifriction
roller to ride into a part staple, box or guide way on the lintel of the doorway.
As the door is opened the arm retained by the guide way revolves the vertical
shaft which revolves the horizontal shaft sufficiently to raise the portiere rod to its
highest position or slightly beyond such movement as aforesaid, the door will then
have been slightly opened for instance five inches. On further opening of the
door the arm on the vertical shaft leaves the guide way and the parts retain their
position until when the door is again nearly closed the said arm re-enters the guide
way and is returned together with the other parts to their previous position.
Where jointed portiere rods are used, such rods having a binged extension
intended to remain parallel with the wall while the door is opened or closed, an
arm is attached to or controlled by the vertical shaft and has a vertical extension
guided to be movable along the hinged extension of the portiere rod and thus
engaging therewith. By this means the hinged extension of the portiere rod is
brought to an angle with the rod which is the more acute the further the door is
opened, and is returned into a straight line with the rod when the door is fully
closed.
Dated this 11th da
1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.

page_text: I, JOSEPH BULL, of 14 Stanhope Street, Strand, London, Ironmonger 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 object of this invention is to provide improved means for lifting and
supporting a portiere rod in order that when the door, to which the portiere is
applied, is opened, the curtain may be immediately raised and lifted from the
ground, before the door has been moved through an arc, of for instance about
eight inches, and may be held in such raised position without further movement
while the door is open more widely than such distance aforesaid, and allowed to
fall again during such time as the door is moving to a closed position within said
distance, the portiere rod being at all times horizontal.
The construction of this portiere rod with its various adjuncts is represented in
the annexed drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan showing the parts in the position
they occupy when the door is closed.
Fig. 3 is a plan illustrating the position of the parts when the door has been
partially opened.
On the door are fixed two or more brackets A terminating in vertical guide
rods B and the portiere rod C perforated or otherwise adapted to slide vertically
on said rods B. On the door are fixed bearings D for a rotary horizontal shaft. G
carrying arms F F usually curved, the ends of which are connected by rods E E
to the portiere rod C so that when said shaft G is partially rotated the arms F and
rods E lift the portiere rod C until the centres of connection surpass a straight
line, whereupon stops are placed to prevent further rotation and the portiere rod C
is held raised until the shaft is again rotated in the reverse direction.
To rotate the shaft it may be provided with an arm H the end of which is
loosely connected by a screw or pin J with a connecting rod K hinged to a lug L
on a horizontally projecting arm M pivoted on a bracket O and having preferably
in its end an antifriction roller N to ride into a part staple box or guide way P on
the lintel of the door way. As the door is opened the arm M retained by the
guide way P revolves on its pin 01 in bracket O and acting through the
parts L, K, J, H, revolves the horizontal shaft G sufficiently to raise the portiere
rod to its highest position or slightly beyond such movement as aforesaid, the door
then will have been slightly opened for instance eight inches. On further opening
of the door (see Fig. 3) the arun M leaves the guide way P and the parts retain
the position until when the door is again nearly closed the said arm M re-enters the
guide way P and is returned together with the other parts to their previous
position as in Fig. 2.
The parts retain their position when the door is opened as in Fig. 3 because the
arm F and rods E forming toggle joints have been fully extended and the arms F
have been moved slightly further than is necessary to lift the portiere rod C. The
knees of the toggles are thus bent backwards or inwards and the weight of the
rod C and the curtain thereon then tends to bend the knees of the toggles further
inwards, but a suitable stop being provided to limit the movement in this direction
the result is that the portiere rod is held in its raised position. In the example
here illustrated this stop is provided at O2 on the bracket O. This limits the
movement of the arm M and consequently of the parts L K J H G.
Where jointed portiere rods are used, such rods having a hinged extension C

page_text: intended not to touch the wall while the door is open or closed an arm M' is
attached to or extended from the arm M and has a rod fixed to it ending in a
vertical extension M 2 guided to be movable along the hinged extension C₁ of the
portiere rod C and engaging therewith for instance in the bow C 2. By this means
the hinged extension C of the portiere rod C is brought to an angle with the rod C
which is the more acute the further the door is opened, and is returned into a
straight line with the rod C when the door is fully closed.
The end of the arm M¹ is bevelled in two directions and the rod M 2 has a
shoulder M 3 (Fig. 1) to fit against either bevelled face. This maintains the
rod M 2 in proper angular position when in use while it enables the said rod M2
to be fixed in either of two positions according as the mechanism is put together
as illustrated or reversed left for right to be fitted on a door opening to the right,
instead of to the left as illustrated in the drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a portiere rod of brackets guiding said rod vertically
and means for lifting said rod while maintaining the same parallel, said lifting
device being operated upon the opening of the door and during the first part of
said opening movement only and reversed during the closing movement of the door
during the last part of said closing movement only.
2. The combination with a portiere rod C of brackets having extensions B to
guide said rod, a shaft G connected to rod C by lifting and lowering gear and
means for rotating the shaft in the manner described.
3. The combination with the guide way P of the arm M, and means for revolving
the shaft G by motion of said arm M and a stop to limit the movement of said
parts, the whole for lifting and maintaining a portiere rod substantially as
described.
4. The combination of the portiere rod C with the extension C¹ hinged thereto
and means connected with the lighting gear of said portiere rod to move the
extension C² in order to swing the same outward for the purpose set forth.
5. The construction of the mechanism substantially as herein described for
lifting and replacing a portiere in the manner set forth.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents to Applicant.