CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTERS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Deakin, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Architect, and John Cresswell, of the same Place, Builder,
Sealed the 26th April 1861, and dated the 23rd January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Deakin and John
Cresswell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 23rd January 1861.
We, JAMES DEAKIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Architect,
and JOHN CRESSWELL, of the same Place, Builder, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTERS," to be as
follows, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of improvements in shutters for windows, doors, or
other openings by forming them of laths, either wood or metal strips, and
hinging or otherwise connecting such laths together by in-and-out joints, in
such manner that the transverse section of each pair of laths when the shutter
is expanded is of a ✓ form, the entire shutter presenting this section
The laths for an ordinary window shutter are hung by cords or chains and
pulleys, and, if requisite, by balance weights horizontally across the opening,
and thus, by their own weight and the sectional form they assume, the shutter

page_text: folds down lath upon lath in reversed joints, and may be received into a casing
either above or beneath the floor. A cotter pin or other suitable stop applied
under any one of the laths is sufficient to retain the entire shutter when up.
The joints of the laths may be of any suitable description; probably a grooved
and tongued joint upon the edge of the lath will be found the best for
excluding light.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Deakin and John Cresswell in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
DEAKIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Architect, and JOHN
CRESSWELL, of the same Place, Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Deakin and John Cresswell, Her special-license that we,
the said James Deakin and John Cresswell, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Deakin and John
Cresswell, our executors, administrators, and'assigns, should at any time agreo
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel'
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHUTTERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James
Deakin and John Cresswell, by an instrument in writing under our hands
and' seals, should particularly describe and' ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar, months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Deakin and John Cresswell,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in

page_text: piece being partially housed in the grooves on the edges of the laths, and
fitted well together; a length of metal tubing, of equal section to the ends of
the tongue pieces, is placed in the groove filling up the entire length of the
lath between the tongue pieces. A pin or rod to form the joint is then
passed through the tongue pieces and through the tube, or short lengths of
pin or rod may be used, passing through the tongue pieces, and only into the
tube a sufficient length to form a strong joint. These pins being properly
secured, the several parts of the joint are kept together, and thus the laths
are so connected as to present a very neat appearance, no light being
perceptible between the laths, and the metal joints tending very much to
strengthen the shutter. The application and manner of attaching these
shutters to a window will be thoroughly understood by a reference to
(Figs. 1, 2,) and 3). In (Figure 2) it will be seen that the shutter, con-
sisting of a number of laths, jointed together in manner already described, is
fitted in a groove in the frame of just sufficient width to receive it; or this
groove may be even narrower by attaching to the sliding edges of the laths
small metal snugs, to work in a groove in the frame. To the top of the
shutter a cord is applied, which cord passes over the pulleys (a, x',) (y, y',)
fixed at the top of the frame, and shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1; and this
cord is used for the purpose of raising the shutter; the sliding sill or flap (f)
at the foot of the shutter, which acts as a cover for the casing below when in
the position seen in (Fig. 2), prevents the shutter from falling or from being
lowered until it is withdrawn, consequently the shutter is kept firmly up in
position without any fastening whatever, although for additional security, if
desired, one or more cotter pins may be employed to pass through the shutter
into the frame, or into the sash, casement, or door. By withdrawing the
sliding sill (f), and thus opening the casing, the shutter falls, folding lath
upon lath into the casing in the position seen at (9). The sliding sill (f)
may be furnished with a lock, so that when the shutter is up it cannot be
released until the casing has been unlocked. For large windows, such as
shop windows, instead of making the shutter in one sheet, working in the
frames at either side of the window, we can make the shutters of the size to
fit each square or light of the window separately, and work them in grooves in
each sash bar or mullion; a very simple arrangement of pulleys and lines
would allow of all the shutters in a large window being raised or lowered
simuitaneously, and they may be hung with balance weights, and worked by a
winch from the side of the frame, if required.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we do not confine ourselves to the exact

page_text: details herein exhibited, as such details are susceptible of considerable
modification without injuring the efficiency of the shutters; but that which
we claim and desire to have secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is the improvements in the construction of shutters by forming
such shutters of laths or splats hinged or jointed together in a series of V forms
in section, in such manner that they become self-acting by their own weight.
closing down or falling each lath in a reversed direction to the other, or by an
in-and-out action, and substantially as herein more fully set forth and
specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Deakin and John Cresswell, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES DEAKIN.
(L.S.)
JOHN CRESSWELL. (L.B.)