IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND WORKING SASH WINDOWS, AND SIMILAR SLIDING OR TRAVERSING DETAILS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Smellie, of West Merrieston, in the County:
of Lanark, North Britain, Joiner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND WORKING SASH WINDOWS, AND
SIMILAR SLIDING OR TRAVERSING DETAILS."
Sealed the 15th March 1861, and dated the 11th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Smellie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
January 1861.
I, ROBERT SMELLIE, of West Merrieston, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
" IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND WORKING SASH WINDOWS
AND OTHER SIMILAR SLIDING OR TRAVERSING DETAILS," to be as follows, that is
to say:-
This Invention relates to the adaptation and use of a spring movement and
lock or detent catch to the sliding or traversing and stop actions of sash
windows and other sliding or traversing details of a generally similar character.
According to one modification of these improvements, the apparatus consists
of a horizontal bracket or holding frame screwed or attached to the case or

page_text: guide portion of the framing in which the sash traverses. This bracket carries
a spring box working upon a horizontal centre. This box carries within it a
coiled or convolute spring of flat steel, or the spring may be made of wire or
other material. On the exterior of the spring box is coiled a strap, cord, or
other connecting detail, and the upper end is attached to the spring case,
which acts as a pulley, whilst the lower end is fastened to the bottom of the
sash. The consequence of this arrangement is, that when the sash is pulled
down, the tensional action of the strap or cord operates so as to turn round the
box and wind up the spring; when the sash is pushed up the reverse action
takes place. In this way the sash is supported by the spring. To stop the
sash at any particular part a spring detent is fitted upon the spring box to
work a stop pin, which gears with holes in the edge of the sash. Instead of
this, the spring may operate through a fusee, so as to equalise the spring action
and enable the window to remain at any desired level. Both the upper and
lower sashes may be worked by this spring movement, one spring being fitted
to each, whilst to ease the action the opposite side of the sash has a
pulley between its edge and the case.
spring
SPECIFICATION-in-pursuance-of-the-conditions-of-the-Letters-Patent,
filed-
by the said Robert Smellie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
SMELLIE, of West Merrieston, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Joiner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh 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 me, the said
Robert Smellie, Her special license that I, the said Robert Smellie, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Smellie, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND WORKING SASH WINDOWS AND OTHER SIMILAR SLIDING

page_text: OR TRAVERSING DETAILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Robert Smellie, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them,
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 I, the said Robert Smellie, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being bad to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the adaptation and use of a spring movement
and lock or detent catch to the sliding or traversing and stop actions of sash
windows and other sliding or traversing details of a generally similar character.
According to one modification of these improvements the apparatus consists
of a horizontal bracket or holding frame screwed or attached to the case or
guide portion of the framing in which the sash traverses. This bracket carries
a spring box working upon a horizontal centre. This box carries within it a
coiled or convolute spring of flat steel, or the spring may be made of wire or
other material. On the exterior of the spring box is coiled a strap, cord, or
other connecting detail, and the upper end is attached to the spring case, which
acts as a pulley whilst the lower end is fastened to the bottom of the sash. The
consequence of this arrangement is, that when the sash is pulled down the
tensional action of the strap or cord operates so as to turn round the box and
wind up the spring. When the sash is pushed up the reverse action takes
place. In this way the sash is supported by the spring. To stop the sash at
any particular part a spring detent is fitted upon the spring box to work a stop
pin which gears with holes in the edge of the sash. Instead of this the spring
may operate through a fusee, so as to equalise the spring action, and enable
the window to remain at any desired level. Both the upper and lower sashes
may be worked by this spring movement, one spring being fitted to each,
whilst to ease the action the opposite side of the sash has a spring pulley
between its edge and the case.
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in apparatus for
supporting and working sash windows and other similar sliding or traversing
details may be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the several
Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended

page_text: for the purpose of showing certain modifications under which my improvements
may be judiciously carried out in practice.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is an elevation of a pair
of window sashes, showing one arrangement of my improved apparatus applied
thereto; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken at right angles to Figure 1 ;
in Figure 3, the apparatus is shown in elevation drawn to an enlarged scale;
Figure 4 is a corresponding transverse sectional plan. The apparatus is let
into a slot or recess formed in the casing or guide part A of the window
framing; a slot is formed in the woodwork, so as to admit of the pulley passing
through the opening, and of the face plate of the bracket B, being arranged
flush with the surface of the casing to which it is secured by screws. The
horizontal cheek plates which form the main portion of the bracket B have a
slot formed at the end of each, in which is fitted the stationary stay piece or
spindle C. To this stay is fixed one extremity of the convolute spring D, the
other end of the spring being made fast to a stud inside the rim of the pulley E,
which is, by preference, made of metal, and it forms a box or receptacle for
the spring D; the pulley E rotates on the spindle C, and to the periphery of
the pulley is attached one end of a leather strap F, which is wound on to the
pulley. The other end of the strap is passed over an antifriction roller G,
the spindle of which is carried in laterally projecting bracket pieces cast on the
inner part of the face plate of the bracket B. The end of the strap is carried
through a slot made in the face plate, and is then secured to the lower part of
the sash frame H. A vertical groove I is formed on the inner face of the sash
frame to admit of the strap or other attachment traversing freely and without
check therein. In lieu of a leather strap, hemp or wire cord, india-rubber
banding or other suitable material may be used for the purpose of connecting
the pulley E to the sash frame. When the bottom sash of the window is
closed the strap F is drawn off from the pulley, and this has the effect of coiling
up the springs D to a further extent around the spindles C, so that when the
sash is opened the reaction of the spring winds up the strap F on the pulley E,
and thus greatly assists the raising of the sash. A corresponding arrangement
of the apparatus is fitted in conjunction with the upper sash of the window, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings. The strap F is
fastened to the lower part of the sash, so that when the sash is lowered the
strap is drawn off the pulley, and the spring is wound up to a corresponding
extent. Upon raising the sash to close or partially close the window, the
reaction of the spring assists the operation; the difference in the arrangement
of the lower sash being, that the spring assists the opening of the sash; in the

page_text: upper one it assists in the closing of the window. In other words, the springs
are arranged to assist in overcoming the gravity of the respective sashes, and
so lessen the amount of force ordinarily required to operate them.
The apparatus also provides for firmly holding the window at any required
height from which it cannot be moved until the spring catch which holds the
sash is liberated. The bracket B has fitted to it a retaining catch J, the end of
which is slotted and connected loosely to the bracket to admit of its sliding
to and fro; the outer extremity of the catch projects out in front of the sash.
The catch has cast on it a laterally projecting pin K, the free end of which is
bent at a right angle and passes through an aperture in the face plate of the
bracket B. The lateral portion of the pin K has pressing against it a flat
blade spring L, the upper extremity of which is screwed to the back of the
face plate. The pin K is kept free of the sash when required by pushing
back the catch with the hand, which causes the notch M to catch on the edge
of the slot in the face plate, through which the catch passes. So long as the
catch is retained in this position the sash is free to slide up and down, but
when it is desired to stay the window at a certain part of its ascent or descent,
the catch is liberated by slightly raising the knob at the end, and the pin K
springs into one of the holes N, as the sash passes up or down; these holes N
are made in the side of the sash at regular distances asunder, and it is obvious
that while the pin K remains in one of the holes, the sash can neither be
moved up or down. And if the sashes are so arranged, that when both
windows are closed the pin K of each apparatus is in a contiguous hole in the
sash, it follows that both sashes will be perfectly secured, and require no other
kind of fastening. To counteract the tilting effect of the straps F being on
one side only of the sashes a small antifriction roller O, or flat spring is fitted
on the opposite side of the sash frame, which causes it to slide freely up and
down.
The apparatus as herein-before described, or with trifling modifications, is
also applicable to the raising and fixing of carriage windows. In this case the
spring pulley is arranged in the carriage door, and the band or other detail
carried down to the sash, as shown in Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawings;
the spring catch for fixing the window is placed near the lower part of the
opening in the door, so as to retain it at any desired height. Such an arrange-
ment in railway carriages would possess many advantages over the modes at
present in use.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried

page_text: into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the system or mode of
arranging, combining, and applying the several parts of the apparatus for
supporting and working sash windows and other generally similar sliding or
traversing details, as herein-before described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Smellie, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
ROBERT SMELLIE. (L.s.)