IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING OR CLOSING WINDOWS, DOORS OR SHUTTERS, FOR RAISING BLINDS, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING OR CLOSING
WINDOWS, DOORS OR SHUTTERS, FOR RAISING BLINDS, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES”
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for drawing up window blinds, and awnings,
for opening windows and shutters and for effecting the automatic closing of doors.
The said apparatus consists essentially of an ordinary spring box which contains
a spring applied either to the roller of the blind, or to the door; the said spring
being attached at one end to the fixed spring-box and at the other end to the
roller of the blind, or to a rotary axis connected by a lever with the door, and
coiled by the descent of the blind or by the opening of the door.
The result of this arrangement is that when the blind is released after having
been drawn down the spring will uncoil and cause the roller to turn thereby
effecting the winding of the blind upon the said roller. In the same manner, the
door, when opening causes a lever bearing upon it to move through the arc of a
circle, which movement causes the shaft of the spring box, whose spring it coils, to
turn upon its axis in such a manner that, when the door is left to itself the spring
in uncoiling will turn the shaft in the inverse direction to that in which it
previously moved and cause a lever which is integral with it to operate the said
lever bearing upon the door and effect the closing thereof.
In the application of this Invention to doors, the spring-box is fixed in any
suitable manner to the door-frame; and is placed at any suitable height, but prefer-

page_text: ably near the upper or near the lower part of the door; The lever which bears
upon the door, is provided at its free end with an antifriction roller.
The said apparatus may also be adapted to keep a door at a certain angle; for
this purpose a number of holes are formed in the periphery of the bottom spring
box and a pin is caused to enter one of these holes, which pin also passes through
the lever which is fixed upon the shaft of the spring-box; but any other suitable
means for obtaining the same result can be employed. The pin or other analogous
part is removed when it is desired that the door shall shut again immediately after
being opened.
Instead of the spring-box one of the moveable eyes of the hinge may be used to
which one end of the spring is attached, the other end of the spring is then fixed
upon the hinge bolt. In this case there is no need of making use of the lever, the
spring acting directly upon the eye of the movable plate of the hinge.
It will be seen that in the application of the spring-box to the rollers of blinds
or awnings any suitable mechanism can be employed for stopping the blind or
awning at any desired height; a pull upon the stop-pawl serves to disengage the
latter and permits the awning or blind to rise as far as desired.
The improved mechanism is applicable to revolving shutters or the like.
In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing I have illustrated in elevation the
application of my invention to a carriage blind.
a is an ordinary spring box fixed upon the interior panel of the carriage. Its
axis b has a square end which is introduced into an opening of the same form
provided in one of the ends of the roller d of the blind e. The other end of the
roller is provided with a gudgeon f freely supported in a bracket g fixed on the
interior panel of the carriage, upon the same horizontal line as the axis of
the spring box. A pawl h permits the descent of the blind to be stopped where
it is desired.
By pulling the blind, it is unwound and at the same time its roller and con-
sequently the axis of the spring-box is caused to turn the spring the latter being
thus coiled. By pressing upon or pulling the pawl h, the spring uncoils and causes
the roller to turn in the proper direction to wind up the blind which rises rapidly
and in a regular manner.
Figure 2 shows in front view and Figure 3 in side view the application of my
invention to a blind outside a window and operated from the interior of the
chamber.
The spring-box is fixed, and its axis carries one end of the roller d; the other
end of the roller enters a grooved pulley c between the cheeks of which the
operating cord or string m is wound.
The cord or string m passes over a pulley n and traverses a casing having two
cheeks constituting a kind of box p open at the two ends and narrower at its upper
part than at its lower part.
In this box is located a roller o, When the cord or string is released, it tends to
rise, being acted upon by the spring of the spring box, and raises with it the
roller o which wedges into the upper part of the box p and presses upon the cord,
thereby effecting the instantaneous and noiseless stoppage of the blind at the
desired point.
Figure 4 shows in side view the application of my invention to an external blind
operated outside the room. The arrangement is the same as in the preceding case,
except that the box p is carried upon a bracket 7 which keeps it sufficiently far
from the wall for permitting the operating cord or string to be easily acted upon.
Figure 5 shows in front view and Figure 6 in side view the application of my
invention for raising a vertically sliding window.
a is a revolving spring box having a fixed external axis and in the form of a
pulley, between the cheeks of which is wound the cord or string m attached to the
window 8. The spring box is carried by a support t fixed to the wall or to the
door in which the window is placed. It is evident that by pulling the window to

page_text: shut it, the spring of the spring box is coiled. To open the window it is only
necessary to press upon the device employed for keeping the window lowered.
The different arrangements herein before described are only given as examples
and I can modify the same without departing from the nature of this invention.
Dated this 7th day of November 1885.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to apparatus for drawing up window blinds and awnings,
for opening windows and shutters, and for effecting the automatic closing of doors.
The said apparatus consists essentially of an ordinary spring-box which contains
a spring applied either to the roller of the blind, or to the door; the said spring
being attached at one end to the fixed spring-box and at the other end to the
roller of the blind or to a rotary axis connected by a lever with the door, and
coiled by the descent of the blind or by the opening of the door.
The result of this arrangement is that when the blind is released after having
been drawn down the spring will uncoil and cause the roller to turn, thereby
effecting the winding of the blind upon the said roller. In the same manner, the
door, when opening causes a lever bearing upon it to move through the arc.of a
circle, which movement causes the shaft of the spring-box, whose spring it coils to
turn upon its axis in such a manner that, when the door is left to itself, the spring
in uncoiling will turn the shaft in the inverse direction to that in which it
previously moved and cause a lever which is integral with it to operate the said
lever bearing upon the door and effect the closing thereof.
In the application of this invention to doors, the spring-box is fixed in any
suitable manner to the door-frame; and is placed at any suitable height, but pre-
ferably near the upper or near the lower part of the door. The lever which
bears upon the door, is provided at its free end with an anti-friction roller. 1.
.

page_text: The said apparatus may also be adapted to keep a door at a certain angle; for
this purpose a number of holes are formed in the periphery of the bottom of the
spring-box and a pin is caused to enter one of these holes, which pin also passes
through the lever which is fixed upon the shaft of the spring-box, but any other
suitable means for obtaining the same result can be employed. The pin or other
analogous part is removed when it is desired that the door should shut again
immediately after being opened.
Instead of the spring-box one of the movable eyes of the hinge may be used to
which one end of the spring is attached; the other end of the spring is then fixed
upon the hinge-bolt. In this case there is no need of making use of the lever, the
spring acting directly upon the eye of the movable plate of the hinge.
It will be seen that in the application of the spring-box to the rollers of blinds
or awnings, any suitable mechanism can be employed for stopping the blind or
awning at any desired height; a pull upon the stop-pawl serves to disengage the
latter and permits the awning or blind to rise as far as desired.
The improved mechanism is applicable to revolving shutters or the like.
In figure 1 of the accompanying drawing I have illustrated in elevation the
application of my invention to a carriage-blind.
a is an ordinary spring-box fixed upon the interior panel of the carriage. Its
axis b has a square end which is introduced into an opening of the same form pro-
vided in one of the ends of the roller d of the blind e. The other end of the roller
is provided with a gudgeon f freely supported in a bracket g fixed upon the
interior panel of the carriage, upon the same horizontal line as the axis of the
spring-box. A pawl h permits the descent of the blind to be stopped where it is
desired.
By pulling the blind, it is unwound and at the same time its roller, and
consequently the axis of the spring-box, is caused to turn the spring the latter
being thus coiled. By pressing upon or pulling the pawl h, the spring uncoils and
causes the roller to turn in the proper direction to wind up, the blind which rises
rapidly and in a regular manner.
Figure 2 shews in front view, and figure 3 in side view, the application of my.
invention to a blind outside a window and operated from the interior of the
chamber.
The spring-box is fixed, and its axis carries one end of the roller d; the other
end of the roller enters a grooved pulley c between the cheeks of which the
operating cord or string m is wound. The cord or string m passes over a pulley n
and traverses a casing having two cheeks constituting a kind of box p open at the
two ends and narrower at its upper part than at its lower part. In this box is
located a roller o. When the cord or string is released, it tends to rise, being acted
upon by the spring of the spring-box, and raises with it the roller o which wedges
into the upper part of the box p and presses upon the cord, thereby effecting the
instantaneous and noiseless stoppage of the blind at the desired point.
Figure 4 shows in side view the application of my invention to an external
blind operated outside the room, The arrangement is the same as in the preceding
case, except that the box p is carried upon a bracket r which keeps it sufficiently
far from the wall for permitting the operating cord or string to be easily acted
upon.
Figure 5 shows in front view and Figure 6 in side view the application of my
invention for raising a vertically sliding window.
a is a revolving spring-box having a fixed external axis and in the form of a
pulley, between the cheeks of which is wound the cord or string m attached to the
window 8.
The spring box is carried by a support t fixed to the wall or to
the door in which the window is placed. It is evident that by pulling the
window to shut it, the spring of the spring box is coiled. To open the window,
it is only necessary to press upon the device employed for keeping the window
lowered

page_text: The different arrangements hereinbefore described are only given as examples
and I can modify the same without departing from the nature of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
The improved apparatus for opening or closing a window, door, or shutter, for
raising a blind or awning, and for similar purposes the said apparatus consisting of
a spring-box a containing a spring which is coiled by the action of lowering the
window, blind, or shutter or of opening a door, the reaction of the said spring
afterwards automatically causing either the rising of the said window, blind or
shutter, or the closing of the open door when released, which apparatus may have
combined therewith a retaining catch h for enabling a blind or the like to be
maintained at any desired height, substantially as described with reference to the
accompanying drawing.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.