CERTAIN IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR ROLLER BLINDS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brass Founder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Sixteenth day of December, in the third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Newman, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Newman,
my exors, adors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William
Newman, my exors, adors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR ROLLER BLINDS," which it
is intended to denominate "Simcox and Company's Patent Blind Furniture;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said
William Newman, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Newman, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention con-
sists in certain metallic appendages to roller blinds for windows, technically

page_text: $6
called "roller blind furniture," but which furniture is equally applicable to the
mounting of maps, plans, drawings, prints, and such like. The chief objects of
my improved mechanism" for these purposes are to supersede the use of
the rack pulley and the ratchet and catch, one or other of which are the
common adjuncts of ordinary roller blind furniture, and are found to be
exceedingly troublesome and uncertain in their action. The mode by which
I effect these objects I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and characters marked thereon.
The central Figure 1 represents a blind to which the improved furniture
is applied, but the latter is on too small a scale for explanation. The several
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 show in detail all the parts which appertain
to the left end of the roller, while the other Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
exhibit in detal all the parts that appertain to the right-hand end of the
roller, the same letters of reference, wherever they occur, indicating the same
parts. Figure 2 exhibits an external elevation of the left furniture altogether;
Figure 3, an external end view of the same; Figure 4, a diametrical section
of Figure 2, with the exception of the bracket (a, b,) an internal view of which
is given by Figure 5. Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, show separately several parts of the
combination delineated by Figures 2 and 4. At c is a portion of the blind
roller, on which is fixed by screws the socket d; this socket is connected to a
hollow chamber e, on which is screwed the flange f, in order that the latter
may be taken off at pleasure for removing or replacing the blind. In the
centre of the chamber e is firmly rivetted a steel pin g, the thick end of which
revolves in a centre hole of the bracket when the blind roller is turned. is
a moveable friction collar, which is constantly pressed outwards by the reaction
of a compressed helical or worm spring i against a turned bearing; (see
Figure 5) on the bracket. The friction on this surface is always uniform, and
the amount of it adequate to sustain the weight of the blind in any position to
which it may be drawn. Figure 10 exhibits an external elevation of the
furniture in the right-hand end of the roller in its combined state; Figure
11, an external end view of the same; Figure 12 is a diametrical section
of Figure 10, but without the bracket, an inside view of which is given in
Figure 15. Figure 13 is an elevation of the pulley; and Figure 14, the back
or outside of the pulley cap; at a, b, is the bracket; c, part of the roller on
which is screwed the socket d that carries the pulley k on which the cord / is
wound; m is a cap that covers the upper half of the pulley, having the
underneath part cut away, as shewn in Figure 12, for the passage of the cord
off or on to the pulley on either side of it. At n is a pivot rivetted to the cap
and on which the pulley revolves, and at the back of the cap is an inclined

page_text: plane or wedge-shaped piece o cast to it, against the side of which abuts the
feather spring of a latch p having a notch at q, into which the upper edge of
the rim of the cavity r made in the side of the bracket enters and holds it fast,
by which action the axis of the pulley is made concentric with the centre of
the bracket; to insure steadiness of action there is in the interior of the bracket,
as shown at s in Figure 15, an inclined plane, which comes into contact with
the inclined plane o at the back of the cap; when the latter is slided into its
place on putting up the blind, the solid bearing of surfaces thus obtained,
together with the elastic pressure of the helical spring at the other end of the
roller, keeps the whole firmly together without shaking until there be occasion
to take down the blind, which is effected by pressing down the knob of the
latch p out of the notch g of the bracket, by the thumb of the right hand, and
at the same time gently pulling that end of the roller outward, which instantly
and easily releases it from the brackets.
Having in the course of the preceding Specification described many parts
that are not of my Invention, but which are connected therewith, I desire it
to be distinctly understood that what I do claim as original and of my
Invention are the following, namely:-The construction and application of a
moveable collar or bearing actuated by a spring so as to give clastic pressure
in a longitudinal or horizontal direction, and the combination of parts in con-
nection with the cap and bracket, by which the fastening and unfastening of
the blind is effected.
In witness that this is a true Specification of my Invention, I have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
WILLIAM (L.S.) NEWMAN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of June, in
the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid William Newman came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
0 aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.