Improvements in or in connection with Blind Rollers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Blind Rollers.
I, JAMES MCLEAN ATKINSON of 24 Dickenson Street, Kentish Town,
London, N.W. Civil Service, Postal Department, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to blind rollers and more especially to rollers of the
character where no spring is used and in which the blind is wound up by pulling
(i.e. unwinding) a cord off a pulley or equivalent on the blind roller while in letting
down the blind the rotation of the roller thereby caused serves to wind up the
cord again on to said pulley-the object of my present invention being (inter
alia) to provide a simple and ready means to stop the rotation of the roller
at any desired point and again release same by means of the winding cord so
that the blind can thus be held at any desired point without having to fasten
the cord to a clete or other cord fastener such as are now usually used with
roller blinds of the above description-thus not only saving time in raising or
lowering such roller blinds but also saving injury or wear on the cord hitherto
caused by such fastenings.
Also this invention relates to other improvements and details all of which will
be fully explained hereafter.
My present invention is as follows:-
The roller itself may be of the usual or any well-known or suitable construction
although I find the following construction of roller to be very advantageous.
The roller is divided in two halves longitudinally one of such halves carrying
spikes or pin points or equivalents projecting into the other half which lattel
has holes or recesses formed or adapted to receive same.
To secure the blind to the roller the two halves are taken apart and the top edge
of the blind material is placed therein between advantageously by impaling same
on said spikes and the two halves of the roller are then firmly placed together and
may be locked and held by a ring slid over each end or this ring may be dispensed
with and the two halves held together by the end bearings or axes on which the
roller rotates which for this purpose are respectively mounted on
a disk or
radial arms or equivalent on the opposite side of which two long pins or
projections extend parallel to said axis one pin fitting into a hole adapted to receive
same in the end of one such half of the roller and the other pin into the end of the
other half and the same at the other end of said roller thus not only firmly securing
the two parts of the roller together but also serving as a ready means to cause the
rotation of said roller and on the other hand ensuring the rotation of the roller
being imparted to the said bearing axes.
The bearing axis at one end is or may be mounted or supported in any suitable
bearing or support for same and need not therefore be here further described.
The other bearing axis carries thereon a second disk or ratchet wheel between
which and the first disk thereon is thus formed a kind of pulley or deep grooved
wheel in or on which the blind cord is wound in the opposite direction to the
direction of unwinding the blind-means being advantageously provided for
instance a hole bored through the said pulley by which to secure the end of the
cord thereto.

page_text: This said second disk or flange of the winding pulley has the circumference
thereof formed as a ratchet or having inclined teeth or recesses thereon so as to
readily permit the winding thereof in one direction (i.e. the winding up of the blind)
while the rotation in the reverse direction is normally stopped by a pawl tooth or
equivalent which is so arranged and mounted as to normally bear against the
periphery of said disk and thus immediately and of its own weight drops into or
comes against the next tooth or recess when the operation of winding up the blind
ceases and thereby automatically locks the roller and prevents the unwinding of
the blind.
This pawl or locking tooth is formed or mounted so as to project from a long
curved or other suitably shaped arm or lever (which for brevity I shall hereinafter
refer to as the releasing arm) which is hinged or pivotted to the mount or other
part of the bearing or support carrying the bearing axis of the last-named end of
the roller or this releasing arm may be mounted on its own separate support or
mount as desired.
This releasing lever partly encircles the circumference of the aforesaid toothed
disk and terminates at its free end in an eye or loop advantageously a horizontally
disposed eyelet which serves the double purpose of (1) a guide for the cord to the
aforesaid winding pulley and (2) by pulling the cord at an angle i.e. outwardly as
well as downwardly (and not vertically only) thereby the releasing arm is caused to
lift and remove the pawl or tooth from said ratchet wheel or toothed disk and this
permits the blind to be lowered to any desired point whereupon immediately on
releasing the strain on the cord the roller is again locked in position.
To wind up the blind it is simply necessary to pull on the cord vertically and
immediately on releasing the strain on the said cord the roller is automatically
locked as before described.
Thus it will be seen that there are very few working parts in this invention and
none of same are delicate parts or such as are liable to get easily out of order.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1895.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or in connection with Blind Rollers.
I, JAMES MCLEAN ATKINSON of 24 Dickenson Street, Kentish Town, N.W.
Civil Service, Postal Department, 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 :-
This invention relates to blind rollers and more especially to rollers of the
character where no spring is used and in which the blind is wound up by
pulling (and thereby unwinding) a cord off a pulley or equivalent on the blind
roller while in letting down the blind the rotation of the roller thereby caused
serves to wind up the cord again on to said pulley-the object of my present
invention being (inter alia) to provide a simple and ready means to stop the
rotation of the roller at any desired point and again release same by means of the
winding cord so that the blind can thus be heid at any desired point without having
to fasten the cord to a clete or other cord fastener such as are now usually used
with roller blinds of the above description; thus not only saving time in raising
or lowering such roller blinds but also saving injury or wear on the cord hitherto
caused by such fastenings.
Also this invention relates to other improvements and details all of which will
be fully explained hereafter.

page_text: And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to describe same with reference to the drawings
hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a blind roller and connections according to my present
invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 are each end views looking in the direction of the arrow =
Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a plan or top view (the roller being shown partly in section) looking in
the direction of the arrow y Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the roller on line - Fig. 4.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
The roller A itself may be of the usual or any well-known or suitable construc-
tion although I find the following construction of roller according to my present
invention to be very advantageous.
The roller is divided longitudinally in two halves A' and A² (see Figs. 4 & 5)
one of such halves if desired carrying spikes or pin points or equivalents projecting
into the other half which latter has corresponding holes or recesses formed or
adapted to receive same or said pins etc. may be dispensed with.
To secure the blind to the roller the two halves A¹ and A² are taken apart and
the top edge of the blind material B is placed therein between (for instance by
impaling same on said spikes if used-or by winding it once or more round one
half alone say A¹ as shown in Fig. 5) and the two halves of the roller are then
firmly placed together and may be locked and held by a ring slid over each end or
this ring may be dispensed with and the two halves A' and A2 held together by the
end bearings or axes C & D on which the roller A rotates which for this purpose
are respectively formed or mounted on a disc C' and D' (or radial arms or
equivalent) on the opposite side of which latter respectively two long pins or
projections C² and D² extend parallel to said axis C and D one pin C2 fitting into
a hole adapted to receive same in the end of one such half A' of the roller and the
other pin C fitting into the end of the other half A2 and the same with the pins D²
at the other end of said roller thus not only firmly securing the two parts A¹
and A2 of the roller together but also serving as a ready means to cause the
rotation of said roller as hereinafter explained and on the other hand ensuring the
rotation of the roller being imparted to the said bearing axes C and D and winding
pulley on the former.
The bearing axis at one end viz.: D is or may be mounted or supported in any
suitable bearing or support E for same (fixed to the window frame or other desired
place in any usual and suitable manner) and need not therefore be here further
described.
The other bearing axis carries thereon a second disk or ratchet wheel C³ between
which and the first disk C¹ thereon is thus formed a kind of pulley or deep grooved
wheel in or on which the blind cord F is wound in the opposite direction to the
direction of unwinding the blind B-means being advantageously provided for
instance a hole bored through the said pulley by which to secure the end of the
cord F thereto.
This said second disk or flange C³ of the winding pulley has the circumference
thereof formed as a ratchet or having inclined teeth or recesses thereon (for instance
as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 acting in conjunction with a pawl or tooth hereinafter
described) so as to readily permit the winding thereof in one direction (i.e. winding
up of the blind) while the rotation in the reverse direction is normally stopped by
pawl or tooth such as H or equivalent which is so arranged and mounted as to
normally bear from above against the top or upper part of the periphery of said
disc C3 and thus immediately and of its own weight (without the aid of any
additional weight or spring) drops into or comes against the next ratchet tooth or
recess when the operation of winding up the blind ceases and thereby automatically
locks the roller A and prevents the unwinding of the blind B.
*This pawl or locking tooth H is formed or mounted so as to project from or

page_text: formed integral with a longed curved or other suitably shaped arm or lever H³ as
shown in Figs. 2 & 3 (which for brevity I shall hereinafter refer to as the releasing
arm H¹) which releasing arm H¹ is hinged or pivoted at H2 to the mount I or
other part of the bearing or support K carrying the bearing axis C of the last-
named end of the roller and this releasing arm H' descends in a curved and forward
direction in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4.
a
This releasing lever H¹ partly encircles the circumference of the aforesaid
toothed disk C and terminates at its free end in an eye or loop advantageously a
vertical hole through same such as H* which serves the double purpose of (1)
guide for the cord F to the aforesaid winding pulley and (2) by pulling the cord
at an angle i.e. outwardly as shown in Fig. 3 thereby the releasing arm H¹ is
caused to lift and remove the pawl or tooth H clear of said ratchet wheel or
toothed disc C³ and thereby releases the latter and this permits the blind B to be
lowered to any desired point whereupon immediately on releasing the "outward
strain on the cord F the pawl again locks the ratchet C³ and the roller A is thereby
again locked in position.
"
To wind up the blind B it is simply necessary to pull on the cord F vertically
as shown in Fig. 2 and immediately on releasing the strain on the said cord the
roller A is automatically locked and prevented running back as before described.
Thus it will be seen that there are very few working parts in this invention and
none of same are delicate parts or such as are liable to get easily out of order and
furthermore have this advantage that all (or nearly all; the brass work or metal
parts can be easily cast if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a blind roller of any suitable character where no spring
is used and in which the blind is wound up by pulling and thereby unwinding a
cord off a pulley or equivalent fixed to said roller, of a ratchet wheel or toothed
disc such as C³ forming part of or adjacent to said pulley a pawl or tooth such as H
which without being weighted is adapted to fall from above by its own weight into
or onto the top or upper part of the periphery of said ratchet wheel C³ an arm or
lever such as H' extending from said pawl H pivoted to the mount at H² and
partly encircling said ratchet disc C³ and an eyelet or guide hole such as H* in
said arm through which the cord such as F is guided in such wise that upon pulling
said cord outwardly the pawl will be disengaged and the blind lowered and on
releasing said cord the blind will be held at any desired point substantially in the
manner and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
2. In a roller blind of the character described having a ratchet wheel or toothed
disc such as C³ fixed thereto-the combination therewith of a bent arm or rocking
lever such as H H pivoted to the mount at H2 in suchwise that by its own weight
the end H thereof drops from above into or onto the said ratchet wheel such as C³
and thereby retains the blind at any desired point while the cord F passing through
a hole such as H* in the other end of arm H₁ of said rocking lever will by pulling
same outwardly (i.e. other than vertically) rock said lever and thereby release the
pawl H from the ratchet C³ and permit the blind to be lowered substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
3. The combination with a retaining and releasing device as claimed above of a
roller formed in two halves such as A A2 a hole or opening formed in each end of
each such half pins such as C2 D2 carried on discs such as C¹ D' respectively fixed
to the axes C and D) on which said roller rotates said pins C2 and D2 being adapted
to fit respectively in said holes or openings in the end of said parts A¹ and A2
respectively to thus firmly secure said halves together and thereby form the roller
and hold the blind therein or thereon substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: 4. The combination with a roller blind-in which the roller is made in two parts
such as A¹ and A2-of a device such as C C¹ and C³ having two pins such as C²
carried thereon and extending laterally therefrom substantially in the manner and
for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
Dated this 28th day of September 1895
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.