IMPROVE- MENTS IN SHUTTERS, METAL OR WOOD DOORS, SASHES, WINDOWS, METAL CURTAINS, OR COVERS AND BLINDS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stansfield Sutcliffe, Builder, of Shep-
perton, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SHUTTERS, METAL OR WOOD DOORS, SASHES, WINDOWS, METAL
CURTAINS, OR COVERS AND BLINDS."
Sealed the 11th January 1873, and dated the 13th July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stansfield
Sutcliffe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th July 1872.
I, WILLIAM, STANSFIELD SUTCLIFFE, Builder, of Shepperton, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTERS, METAL OR WOOD DOORS, SASHES, WINDOWS,
METAL CURTAINS, OR COVERS AND BLINDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in shutters, metal or
wood doors, sashes, windows, metal curtains, or covers and blinds, and is
particularly applicable to such forms of shutters as those in which the
laths are intended to be strongly connected together so as to form a

page_text: safeguard against fire or violence. I construct these shutters, doors,
sashes, windows, metal curtains, or covers and blinds of any suitable
metal, and sometimes more or less of wood, and I do not claim any
peculiarity in coiling or revolving, or of any sliding side action, whereby
they may be drawn up or down, or raised or closed in any manner`now
known. These shutters, doors, sashes, windows, metal curtains, .or
covers and blinds may be adapted to work in all or any of these
manners as may best suit the position and circumstances to which they
may be applied.
I usually prefer to make the leaves or laths of the shutters, or blinds,
or curtains to slide up or down or sideways, so that the leaves or laths
range themselves one behind the other so as to occupy a very small
space, and I similarly arrange the parts of the doors, sashes, and
windows.
When the shutter, door, sash, window blind, or curtain is intended to
slide, I connect the laths or moving portions by means of strips of metal
preferably narrow, which I term slide guides or connectors. These slide
guides are attached to the upper and lower parts of the laths or sliding
portions by passing the ends of the guides through suitable holes
situated at the upper and lower parts which have been previously folded
over, then bending back the protruding ends of the guides so as to
clench and fasten them upon the folded over parts of the laths or sliding
portions of the doors, sashes &c. When a lath or sliding portion of
door is thus fitted, the next lath or sliding portion slides upon these
guides which run through holes cut in that part of the second lath or
sliding portion which is folded over. The second lath or sliding portion
is then similarly fitted with guides, but the holes through which the
guides are clenched in this second lath must be placed at some distance
on one side or the other of the holes in this lath through which the
guides of the first lath slide. A third lath may then slide upon the
guides of Number Two, care being taken to keep the holes through which
its own guides are clenched at a sufficient distance from the holes
through which the guides of the former lath slide. In this manner any
number of laths can be connected, and doors, sashes, windows, metal
curtains, or covers and blinds may be formed of any number of portions.
sliding one on the other.

page_text: are held together by the connecters being clenched as closely as may be
desired through the holes in those parts of the laths which are folded
over; by this means sufficient play is allowed to permit the shutter to be
wound closely over a roller of small diameter.
filed by the said William Stansfield Sutcliffe in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
STANSFIELD SUTCLIFFE, Builder, of Shepperton, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Stansfield Sutcliffe, Her special
licence, that I, the said William Stansfield Sutcliffe, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Stansfield Sutcliffe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTERS, METAL OR WOOD DOORS, SASHES, WINDOWS,
METAL CURTAINS, OR COVERS AND BLINDS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Stansfield Sutcliffe, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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.
for

page_text: 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 shutters to doors,
sashes, windows, metal curtains, or covers and blinds; and is par-
ticularly applicable to metal shutters which are intended to form a
safeguard against fire and violence. These shutters are made of any
suitable metal (or of wood, or part wood and part metal), formed in
strips or platės varying in width according to circumstances; the plates
for sliding shutters may be from nine inches to three feet in width, and
from the one-twentieth to the one-fourth of an inch thick, and are herein-
after called "sheets"; the strips for roller shutters and blinds vary from
an inch to six inches in width, and are herein-after called "laths"; the
sliding shutters may be arranged, adapted, and fixed to be drawn up and
down, or sideways by any of the methods now in use therefor, as may
best suit the circumstances of each case to which they may be applied.
I prefer to arrange the sheets of my improved sliding shutters, blinds,
or curtains so that when closed the said sheets arrange or fold them-
selves one behind the other, so as to occupy a very small space; and I
similarly arrange such parts for doors, sashes, and windows.
In order that my said Invention may be more easily and more clearly
understood, and be more readily carried out in practice, I now proceed
to explain the same with the aid of the accompanying Drawing, which
forms part of this Specification; reference being made thereto by the
letters and figures marked thereon, which reference applies to each
Figure of the said Drawing where the same index letters and figures
appear.
Figure 1 is a front view of my improved shutter of four sheets,
arranged to move up and down, and to slide or fold in a recess formed.
below the window; Figure 2 is a back view of the same shewing the
slide guides, also a section thereof shewing the method of uniting or
connecting the several sheets, and the recess into which the shutter
falls or is lowered when stowed away.
Figures 3 and 4 are sections (full size) of my improved laths for roller
shutters and blinds.
Figure 5 shews in section my improved roller blinds as fitted or :
adapted to a hothouse; Figure 6 is a section of a rafter of the sail

page_text: hothouse, and shewing thereon the metal grooves in which the blind
slides.
Figure 7 is a plan view of a groove in which the sliding shutters slide
up and down..
The sheets a of my improved sliding shutters I usually make about
two feet wide, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. When the shutter is
intended to slide I connect the sheets a by means of narrow strips of
metal b, which I term slide guides or connectors. These slide guides
are attached to the upper and lower parts or folds a², a²; of the sheets a,
by passing the ends of the said slide guides through suitable holes or
slots cut through the said folds a¹, a'; I then bend back the protruding
ends of the said guide so as to clench or otherwise fasten them upon the
folds a¹, a². When a sheet a, say the uppermost one, is thus fitted, the
next lower or second sheet a slides up and down on these guides which
pass through holes or slots cut in the fold a¹ of such second sheet. This
second sheet is then similarly fitted with slide guides b, but the holes or
slots through which these guides are clenched or fastened in this second
sheet must be placed at some distance on one side or the other of the
holes in this sheet through which the guides of the first sheet slide. A
third sheet a may then slide upon the guides of Number Two sheet, carc
being taken to form the holes or slots through which its own guides are
clenched or fastened at a sufficient distance from the holes through
which the guides of the former or Number Two sheet slide. In this
manner any number of sheets of any width and thickness can be con-
nected, and shutters be thus formed of any desired size or dimensions to
suit any opening.

page_text: When a shutter is to be coiled or wound upon or pass over a roller,
the laths are made from about an inch to six inches in width (see Figures
3 and 4, where they are shewn full size). These laths are folded over
at their upper and lower edges, similarly to those of the sheets at a¹, a²,
but the slide guides now become only connectors of the laths by being
shortened so as to prevent the said laths sliding thereon, but which laths
are held together by these connectors being attached thereto as closely
as may be desired to the holes or slots in the folds thereof, at the same
time allowing sufficient play to permit the shutter to be wound closely
over a roller of small diameter; or I connect the two folds a¹, a³, together
by notching the upper part of the fold a¹ to allow of the edge of the
fold a² to protrude through or over the said notch and be there clenched
or bent over the said fold a¹, thus forming an efficient connection.
In places where it is inconvenient to fix a roller for winding a shutter
upon, such shutter may be drawn along the ceiling in grooves fixed to
bearers, or the ceiling joists by any usual means.
My improved revolving shutters may be applied as blinds or covers to
hothouses or other glazed or open roofs, by fixing the winding rollers in
a recess or ventilator formed on the ridge of such roofs (see Figure 5);
when this is done I fix metal grooves upon the rafters thereof for the
said blinds to slide in, see Figure 6.
When it is desired that my improved shutters should present a more
even surface outside I propose to form the laths thereof as shewn in
section in Figure 4.
For raising my improved shutters above a window I fix straps of iron d
about two inches wide on the back of the bottom sheet or lath, in which is
a hole near their upper ends to fix lines or chains to, which lines or chains
pass over pullies or rollers or other suitable contrivance for raising and
lowering the shutter. I also bend the bottom ends of the said straps d,
so as to form a projection of about one to two inches under the edge of
the bottom sheet in front of the shutter, so that when the said strap and
bottom sheet are raised the said projection catches the upper sheets one
by one until it carries the whole up with it into their proper place or
recess above the window.
When my said shutters are lowered under the window, I form a
projection or flange at the back of the lower sheet, and at the bottom

page_text: thereof, about half an inch wide to form a stop when the shutter is
raised.
In order to facilitate the working of my improved shutters I apply
the usual balance weights thereto, and raise or lower by chain or line
and winch, or by any other suitable and efficient method.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the method of performing the same, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the exact dimensions nor to
the precise shapes herein specified, nor do I claim the folded edges
per se; but I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure by the afore-
said in part recited Letters Patent,—
.
Firstly. The mode of connecting the sheets and laths at their edges by
the slide guides or connectors.
Secondly. The mode of forming or shaping the laths as shewn in
Figure 4.
Thirdly. The metal grooves for the shutters to slide in.
All substantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn
in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stansfield Sutcliffe, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
All substantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn
in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stansfield Sutcliffe, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
W. STANSFIELD SUTCLIFFE. (L.S.)
W. STANSFIELD SUTCLIFFE. (L.S.)