IMPROVEMENTS IN to be as BLINDS APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY TO BLINDS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES follows
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN FULLER SPONG of 53 Chelsham Roail, Clapham in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
to be as
BLINDS APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY TO BLINDS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
follows:-
22
This Invention has for its object improvements in blinds applicable especially to
blinds for railway carriages.
My improved blind is intended to cool and moisten the air which it allows to pass
and to exclude dust whilst admitting air.
•
I provide at the top of the window or aperture to which the blind is applied a
small metal trough containing water and in this trough I arrange the roller with
the blind wound upon it.
The blind should be of an open gauze like fabric of esparto or such like grass or
fibre, which will bear repeated wetting and drying without, injury.
The blind is led over a roller or rollers at the upper part of the water trough and
thence down in front of the window or aperture to which it is applied. The blind
roller being totally immersed in the water in the trough it follows that the blind
when drawn down is thoroughly wetted. The water upon it serves effectually to
prevent the passage of dust notwithstanding the open nature of the fabric of which
the blind is composed.
The evaporation of the water on the surface of the blind will effectually cool the
air passing through it more especially when the blind is exposed to air in rapid
movement, as is the case when it is applied to a railway carriage.
The blind is drawn up and again lowered when it requires to be again
moistened.
The blind roller may be actuated by a spring as is usual for small blinds of this
class or for blinds of larger size the upper or guide roller may be actuated by an
endless cord and another short cord or other gear may connect this roller with that
upon which the blind itself is wound.
'CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: .
I, JOHN FULLER SPONG of 53 Chelsham Road Clapham in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BLINDS APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY TO BLINDS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES" and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in blinds applicable especially to
blinds for railway carriages.
My improved blind is intended to cool and moisten the air which it allows to pass
and to exclude dust whilst admitting air.
I provide at the top of the window or aperture to which the blind is applied a
small metal trough containing water and in this trough I arrange the roller with the
blind wound upon it.
The blind should be of an open gauze like fabric of esparto or such like grass or
fibre which will bear repeated wetting and drying without injury.
The blind is led over a roller or rollers at the upper part of the water trough and
thence down in front of the window or aperture to which it is applied. The blind
roller being immersed in the water in the trough it follows that the blind when
drawn down is thoroughly wetted. The water upon it serves effectually to prevent
the passage of dust notwithstanding the open nature of the fabric of which the
blind is composed.
The evaporation of the water on the surface of the blind will, effectually cool the.
air passing through it more especially when the blind is exposed to air in rapid
movement as is the case when it is applied to a railway carriage.
The blind is drawn up and again lowered when it requires to be again
moistened.
The blind roller may be actuated by a spring such as is usually employed for
ordinary carriage blinds or for blinds of larger size the upper or guide roller may
be actuated by an endless cord and another short cord or other gear may connect
this roller with that upon which the blind itself is wound.
Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed shews a transverse section-
Figure 2 a front view and Figure 3 a plan view of a blind constructed according
to my invention.
A is the metal trough. At its ends it is formed with plates projecting from it by
which it may be secured at the top of a window or other aperture-these plates
carry distance pieces A¹ which serve to keep the trough at a sufficient distance from
the window or aperture to allow of the blind passing freely between them. The
screws for fixing the trough in place are passed through holes formed as shown
through these distance pieces. B is a cover for the trough it is hinged at B¹ to the
end plates of the trough, and can be secured by a catch at C as shewn.
On the inside of each end of the trough is an upright projection A in which is a
vertical slot, the axes of the roller D drop into these slots-One of the axes is a

page_text: fixed rod F which passes into the roller and to which one end of the spring used
for turning the roller is secured--The spring is made to actuate the roller just as
in ordinary spring roller blinds. The rod F is fixed to and carried by an arm F
which lies within the vertical slot in one of the projections A2 and is so prevented
from turning. The axis at the other end of the roller lies in the vertical slot in
the other projection A and is held down therein by a block which fits down into
the groove and which is held therein by a small screw passed through the end
of the trough.
G is an open fabric formed preferably of parallel lengths of grass or such like
fibre tied together at intervals by warp threads G¹.
The fabric at one of its ends is secured to the roller and is wound around it as
shewn at Figure 1. The other end of the fabric is led off from the upper part of
the front of the trough over a small roller H and is secured to a rod I.
When the rod I is drawn downwards the openwork fabric G being wetted by
reason of its having been immersed in water in the trough A will cool the air
entering at any window or opening of a railway carriage and exclude dust as above
explained.
The blind shewn in the drawing is intended to be fixed outside the door of a
railway carriage-To prevent water being jerked out of the trough when the
carriage is in motion I secure curved metal plates to the upper part of the interior
of the trough-one of these I secure to the lid as shewn so as to allow of the blind
roller being put into or taken out of place.
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
1. The combination of a trough for containing water and a roller blind mounted
within it substantially as described.
2. My improved blind substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the drawing annexed.