Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Carriages and other Vehicles.
I, EVERARD RICHARD CALTHROP of Malabar Hill, Bombay, India, Locomotive
Engineer, Great Indian Peninsular Railway 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:-
My invention relates to means of holding the glazed or louvre sashes of railway
carriages and other vehicles in any position in which they may be placed by hand.
For this purpose I fix preferably along the outer side of the groove in which the
sash runs, a ratchet rack and I mount in the side of the sash a pawl lever, which
is urged by a weight or spring so as to engage with any of the ratchet teeth of the
rack thus holding the sash at the height determined by that tooth. When it is
desired to lower the sash it is pulled by a handle towards the operator thus dis-
engaging the pawl from the ratchet tooth by causing the tail of the pawl to press
against the inner side of the groove thereby allowing the sash to be lowered. On
letting go the handle the weight or spring causes the pawl to engage again on the
tooth of the rack next below the pawl. The inclination of the ratchet teeth of the
rack disengages the pawl automatically in the act of raising the sash. There may
be a rack and pawl as described on only one side of the sash, or they may be
applied on both sides.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section of a window sash and
frame with my invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is an elevation to an enlarged scale of part of the ratchet rack and of the
pawl lever. R is the ratchet rack fixed at either or preferably at both sides of the
window frame outside the sash S.
In a recess at each edge of the sash is mounted the pawl lever which can
turn
on the pin P as a fulcrum. A spring T bears against the tail of the lever L causing
its point C to catch over any tooth of the rack R. By making the back part B of
the lever heavy, or by providing a weight to bear down on it or to be suspended
from it, the spring T may be dispensed with. H is the handle by which the sash
can be raised or lowered. For raising it, the handle is merely pushed up the pawl
lever escaping the teeth of the rack; but for lowering the sash the handle H is
pulled towards the operator as indicated by the arrow. The back B of the pawl
lever is thus pressed upon by the inner side of the groove, causing the point C to
be withdrawn from the ratchet, leaving the sash free to be lowered.

page_text: The above described arrangement might of course be reversed, the rack being
formed on the inner side of the groove, and the pawl released by pushing the
window outwards.
Although I have shewn my invention applied to a window sash such as is
drawn upwards from a recess below, as in a carriage door, it is obvious that
similar mechanism is applicable to a glazed or to a louvred sash drawn downwards
from a recess above, and generally to any vertically sliding frame forming a sash
or shutter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
In combination with a sliding sash a ratchet rack fixed on the framing and a
pawl lever mounted on the sash, arranged and operating substantially as herein
described.
Dated this 27th day of October 1886.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.