IMPROVE- MENTS IN WINDOW FRAMES AND SASHES, AND THEIR MOUNTINGS OR FITTINGS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Neil Mackay at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 24th April 1878.
NEIL MACKAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDOW FRAMES AND SASHES, AND THEIR MOUNTINGS OR FITTINGS."
This Invention has reference to or consists generally of a new or improved modo
and means of hanging the sashes of windows to their frames so as to be easily and
simply swivelled on their carrying weight cords to project nearly wholly within
the room or apartment of the house, with the outside of the window sash and glass
uppermost, all so as to be easily cleaned from within the house, without requiring
to go outside the window for that purpose, and thus avoid the frequent loss of life
resulting therefrom.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention, which is most applicable and easily
applied, with very little alteration or expense to the present arrangement of sliding
sashes, consists in attaching the cords by a hanging swivel bush to a short pin fixed
in and projecting laterally from the lower edge or sides of each sash, the swivelling
part of the bush being sunk below the flush of the edge of the sash, but having
central projections about the same width as the pivot pin, to the upper one of
which the cord is fixed, while both travel up and down a groove in the sides of the
frame so as to assist in guiding the sash and prevent the bushes from turning, but
allow the sashes to swivel by their pivot pins in the carrying bushes at or near tho
lower edge so as to fold the upper part quite inside and down to the horizontal
position, or slanting down at an angle inwards so as to enable a person to clean
the outside of the window, thus turned inside all easily from the floor or from a
chair or other equivalent set on the floor inside the apartment.
About from 6 to 12 inches down from the top of the side frames of the window,
sufficient to clear the Venetian or other ordinary blinds and their fittings, the inner
sash guide batten rod is cut and made loose for removal, preferably on hinges, at
each side to the frame, with a corresponding part of the central or parting rod or
batten above the inner sash, also made looso and portable by being attached to it
by thin metal cross bars sunk or checked below the sliding face of the frame, and
so hinge out with front batten; and which allows the upper part of both the lowor
ID 077

page_text: inner, and upper outer sashes above their swivelling pins to fold inwards through
their frames, while the small bit of the lower central parting rods, and that of tho
outer guide face or batten opposite the parts of the inner and outer sashes below
their pivots are cut away so as to allow these parts to fold upwards and outwards,
as the sashes are while turned on their swivelling pivots, and hang both sashes
nearly wholly within the house for being easily cleaned, all as described.
When cleaned the sashes are simply swivelled up again within their guides and
facings, and the inner battens at each side of the frame folded in on their hinges,
and fixed by small slip bolts or other simple catch when the sashes will be all in
proper working order again, always on their hanging cords with their usual balance
weights.
For the convenience of taking the sashes off altogether, or removing them on
their swivelling bushes and carrying cords, the lower part of one of the central
parting and outer batten rods may be inade portable and removeable by screws or
otherwise, and projecting guide snugs may be fitted in the central upper edge of
each sash to work in the same guiding groove, and the cars of the swivel bush and
their hanging cords.
In some cases, as when the upper sashes of the windows are narrower vertically
than the under sashes, the lower parts only of the inner and central batten and
parting rods need be cut and made portable, or hinged to fold inwards, to allow the
upper sash to be swivelled at the bottom of the open frame, while the inner bottom
sash is pushed up, this sash being swivelled, all as before described.
To save the cutting of a deep recess for the hanging cords in the sides of the
sliding face of the open frame of the window, the sashes might in some cases be
hung on, and by thin narrow bands of steel or steel wires run over pulleys at the
top of the window frames, as the ropes at present are only modified to suit for such
metal bands or wires.