IMPROVEMENTS. IN MOUNTINGS FOR WINDOW BLINDS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Miller Bryden and William Corbet Bryden,
of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Perth, North Britain, Window Blind
Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN MOUNTINGS FOR WINDOW
BLINDS."
Sealed the 24th August 1860, and dated the 29th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Miller Bryden, and
William Corbet Bryden, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 29th February 1860.
We, JOHN MILLER BRYDEN and WILLIAM CORBET BRYDEN, of Edinburgh,
Glasgow, and Perth, North Britain, Window Blind Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTINGS FOR WINDOW
BLINDS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
The improvements in the mountings of window blinds, constituting' this
Invention have reference to the details by which the lowering or descent is
regulated of Venetian blinds or of other blinds which lower by their own
weight, or by the action of springs. In applying the Invention, the ordinary
uncertain spring frictional contrivance by which too rapid a descent is
prevented is dispensed with, and the movement by which the pawl or ratchet
catch holding the roller is released is made to press a brake or frictional
appliance against the roller, and this regulates the descent.
In one modification of the apparatus, the ratchet catch is carried by one

page_text: end of a lever, to the other end of which a cord is attached, the downward pull
of this cord releasing the catch. The lever is formed with an inclined projec-
tion, which on the lever being pulled down presses a friction or brake-piece
against the roller or against the metal cap fixed upon its end. The brake or
friction piece may be of various forms, and may be mounted in various ways,
or the frictional surface may be formed upon the catch lever itself provided
the movement releasing the catch applies the frictional resistance to the rota-
tion of the roller and descent of the blind.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Miller Bryden and William Corbet Bryden, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
MILLER BRYDEN and WILLIAM CORBET BRYDEN, of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and
Perth, North Britain, Window Blind Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said John Miller Bryden and William Corbet Bryden, Her
special licence that we, the said John Miller Bryden and William Corbet
Bryden, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said John Miller Bryden and William Corbet Bryden, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and. at all times thereafter during the terni therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTINGS FOR
WINDOW BLINDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Miller Bryden and William Corbet Bryden, our exccutors or adminis-
trators by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months .next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Miller Bryden and William
Corbet Bryden, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say:-
The improvements in the mountings of window blinds, constituting our said
Invention, have reference to the details by which the lowering or descent is
regulated of Venetian blinds or of other blinds, which lower by their own
weight or by the action of springs.
In applying the Invention, the ordinary uncertain spring frictional contri-
vance by which too rapid a descent is prevented is dispensed with, and the
movement by which the pawl or ratchet catch holding the roller is released
is made to press a brake or frictional appliance against the roller, and this
regulates the descent.
In one modification of. the apparatus, the ratchet catch is carried by one
end of a lever, to the other end of which a cord is attached, the downward
pull of this cord releasing the catch. The lever is formed with an inclined
projection, which on the lever being pulled down presses a friction or brake-
piece against the roller or against the metal cap fixed upon its end. The
brake or friction piece may be of various forms, and may be mounted in
various ways, or the frictional surface may be formed upon the catch lever
itself; provided the movement releasing the catch applies the frictional
resistance to the rotation of the roller, and descent of the blind.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, we have delineated upon the accompanying Sheet of explana-
tory Drawings, and will particularly describe a modification of the improved
mounting which we find most successful in practice.
Figure 1 is an inside elevation of the roller with its mounting and a portion
of the blind (portions being broken away to reduce the size,) and Figure 2 is
a cross section through the roller. On the end of the roller A, to which the
ratchet and frictional contrivance is applied, there is fitted, the usual metal
cap B, with the spindle C, and a four-toothed ratchet D (indicated by dotted
lines in Figure 2). The pawl E, which retains the ratchet D, is jointed
to and carried by a lever I', centred on a pin projecting from the bracket G,
and the lever F has a cord Hattached to it, by drawing down which
the lever is made to lift the pawl and release the ratchet. The lever F is
formed with a lateral projection I, which on the cord H being drawn down
acts upon a lever friction piece J, jointed to lugs formed upon the bracket G,
and causes this friction piece to press more or less upon the cap B of the

page_text: roller A, and thereby retard its rotation and the consequent descent of the
.blind.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we have to state
that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or
delineated; but that what we consider to be novel and original, and claim as the
Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the contriving of mountings for window blinds, so that the movement, which
releases the blind at the same time applies a frictional retardation to regulate
the descent substantially as herein-before described:
In witness whereof, I, the said William Corbet Bryden, on behalf of
the said John Miller Bryden and of myself, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
WILLIAM CORBET BRYDEN. (L.S.)
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch, Square,
Glasgow.