A PORTABLE WINDOW PLATFORM
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Howells, of St. Catherine Street, Car-
marthen, South Wales, for the Invention of "A PORTABLE WINDOW
PLATFORM."
Sealed the 18th December 1860, and dated the 22nd June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Howells at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd June 1860.
I, WILLIAM HOWELLS, of St. Catherine Street, Carmarthen, South Wales,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A PORTABLE WINDOW
PLATFORM," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the construction of a platform, to be called a
portable window platform, which will bear the weight and hold a person per-
fectly safe while standing outside of a window to clean, paint, glaze, or to perform
any other work required outside of a window, and thereby prevent the risk of
falling, which is so great in the ordinary means now in use.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Howells in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HOWELLS, of Saint Catherine Street, Carmarthen, South Wales, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Howells, Her special licence that I, the said William Howells, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Howells, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
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 "A PORTABLE WINDOW PLATFORM,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Howells, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
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.
was to
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Howells, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the holding and bearing the weight of a
person or persons to stand outside of a window in high or dangerous places,
and to prevent the risk of accident by falling, which is so great in the ordinary
way of doing work outside of a window.
And to attain the said object, the portable window platform is so constructed
as to form a framework of iron to be boarded with deal or other boards,
screwed fast to the window frame, or otherwise called window sill, from the
inside of the window, and having a fixed rest and support; also a moveable
support bearing on the sill stone so as to keep the platform in an horizontal
position outside of a window, there being frames on that portion of the plat-
form, which is inside of the window of a sufficient size to admit of a piece of

page_text: woodwork, termed by me a cross-tree; the same is to bear against the wall.on
each side of the window, and the same to be tightened against the wall by a
screw in each frame; the person standing on the platform outside of the
window being protected by an iron railing made in such a way as to fold.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understeed and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
In each of these Figures the same letters of referrence are used to indicate
the same parts.
Fig. 1 shews one side of the platform, as seen resting on the wood and
stone sills; a, a, is a frame to hold the cross-tree i; h, screw to tighten the
cross-tree i against the wall inside; b, b, side of the platform framework; d,
fixed support to hold the weight of the platform; f, moveable support, to bring
and hold the platform in an horizontal position; e, plate connecting d and f
to suit different sill stones; c, a, screw to tighten the bearings or the support
d against the wood sill; nut for screw c; c, a plate orifice, where the
screw c enters unto the wood sill; c³, the jointed continuation of the connecting
plate e; f, thumb screw to fasten the moveable support f to the frame b, b;
9, g, show the railings folded; i', i', front view of the cross-tree, made so to
have spaces at m, m, for the blocks k, k; l, l, plates to receive the points of
the screws h, h, as seen in Fig. 6; 2, another or side view of the cross tree.
Fig. 2 represents the platform in Fig. 1, with the addition of the railings 9, 9,
being represented open to protect the person standing on the platform from
falling; the railing g, g, may be constructed so as to extend as far as the
dotted line 9, 9*; the railing 9, 9, are to fold and meet each other on the
back; in g³, g, they are to fold over each other; o, a small scroll, to support
the railing while open; o, a curved part of the railing fastened by a screw pin
and nut to the frame b, b. Fig. 3, front end elevation of the platform, trans-
verse bar of angle iron rivetted to the side b, b, with the flange inward to hold
the boarding; front view of the nut. Fig. 4, back end elevation of the
platform; p, p, angle iron, as in Fig. 3; x, x, steel springs, with a pin-
attached to the upper end passing through the railings g, g, and into the frame
a, a, in Fig. 1, so as to secure the railings when folded; 2,2, where the side
rails are rivetted to the back rails having rule joints. Fig. 5, a back or under
view of the platform; p, p, the flanges of the angle iron beneath the platform,
with holes for rivetting or screwing to the boarding; y, extending flange of
the nut, rivetted through the boarding r, r; s, s, thin plate of iron to

page_text: strengthen the boarding; s¹, s¹, two small plates to protect the boarding being
injured by the moveable supports f, f. Fig. 6, front or top view of the plat-
form; n, n, n, dotted representation of a handle to be used to work the screws
.h, h, and c; a, a, part of the frame a, a, forming nuts for screws h, h;
i, i, cross-tree, tightened to position in frame a, a, by screws h, h, also having
the blocks k, k, set; b, b, side of the frame; 6, 6, claws for holding and
supporting the railing 9, 9, when open; r, r, front view of the boarding; f2,
thumb screw passing through b, b, to hold the moveable support.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described, but I claim the arrangement for constructing,
fastening, and securing portable window platforms.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Howells, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
DANIEL HARRIS, Accountant,
Thorn Hill, Carmarthen.
WILLIAM HOWELLS. (L.S.)