Year: 1897

page_text: I, RICHARD WILLIAM LAWs, a Director of Benham and Froud Limited, of
Chandos Metal Works, Chandos Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Art
Metal Workers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
The invention relates to improvements in fire screens, and has for its object to
obtain a screen which whilst having an extremely ornamental appearance will admit
a view of the fire and enable the heat therefrom at will to be more or less screened
or cut off without the necessity for moving the screen as a whole.
In carrying the invention into effect an ornamental frame is employed provided
with feet adapted to firmly support it in any position in which it may be placed
and supported upon vertical axes of motion, mounted at opposite points in two
horizontal bars of the frame are a number of frames or holders in which are
mounted vertical strips of plate glass which may conveniently be alternately plain
and coloured, for example, ruby.
The upper one or end of each frame or holder is provided with a slotted offset at
right angles thereto, and at the side of the upper one of the horizontal bars is
arranged a sliding bar which is provided with long slots to receive screw studs
which screw into the fixed horizontal bar and permit of a limited endway move-
ment of the sliding bar, whilst the sliding bar is also provided with studs which
engage the slots of the offsets of the frames or holders so that the traversing in
one direction of the sliding bar will cause the vertical louvre panels of glass to lie
in the same vertical plane, and close the screen, whilst the opposite movement of
the sliding bar will cause the louvre panels to more or less open or assume any
desired angle to the horizontal bars of the frame according to the extent to which
the sliding bar is traversed.
The necessary horizontal movement is imparted to the sliding bar by means of
a handle pivotally mounted on the upper horizontal bar and furnished with an
offset which engages a slot formed in a flange or projection from the sliding bar.
It will be. understood that the means for giving motion to the louvre panels the
position in which the same are mounted and other details may be more or less
varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.
-
By the means herein before described a highly ornamental and effective screen
is obtained which will admit of the passage of the heat being entirely cut off or
regulated at will.
Doted this 22nd day of September 1897.
WHITE AND WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.

page_text: I, RICHARD WILLIAM LAWS, a Director of Benham and Froud Limited, of
Chandos Metal Works, Chandos Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Art
Metal Workers, 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; -
The invention relates to improvements in fire screens, and has for its object to
obtain a screen which whilst having an extremely ornamental appearance will admit
a view of the fire, and enable the heat therefrom at will to be more or less screened
or cut off without the necessity for moving the screen as a whole.
In carrying the invention into effect an ornamental frame is employed provided
with feet adapted to firmly support it in any position in which it may be placed
and supported upon vertical axes of motion, mounted at opposite points in two
horizontal bars of the frame are a number of frames or holders in which are
mounted vertical strips of plate glass which may conveniently be alternately plain
and coloured, for example ruby, or the panels might be of other suitable material.
The upper one or end of each frame or holder is provided with a slotted offset at
right angles thereto, and at the side of the upper one of the horizontal bars is
arranged a sliding bar which is provided with long slots to receive screw studs
which screw into the fixed horizontal bar and permit of a limited endway move-
ment of the sliding bar, whilst the sliding bar is also provided with studs which
engage the slots of the offsets of the frames or holders so that the traversing in
one direction of the sliding bar will cause the vertical louvre panels of glass to lie
in the same vertical plane and close the screen, whilst the opposite movement of
the sliding bar will cause the louvre panels to more or less open or assume any
desired angle to the horizontal bars of the frame according to the extent to which
the sliding bars is traversed.
The necessary horizontal movement is imparted to the sliding bar by means of
a handle pivotally mounted on the upper horizontal bar and furnished with an
offset which engages a slot formed in a flange or projection from the sliding bar.
It will be understood that the means for giving motion to the louvre panels, the
position in which the same are mounted and other details may be more or less
varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fire screen constructed according to the present
invention and showing the louvre panels closed.
-
Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof.
Figure
3 is a plan thereof partly in section.
Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 but showing the louvre panels open.
Figure 5 represents a portion of Figure 1 shown partly in section.
Figure 6 is a sectional plan or top view thereof.
Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a face view of a louvre panel representing a slight modification.
Figure 9 is a side or edge view thereof.
Figure 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 8, and
Figure 11 represents a portion of Figure 10 drawn to an enlarged scale.
In the several figures in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of refer-

page_text: ence Figures 5, 6, 7, and 11 are drawn to an increased scale with respect to the
other figures of the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 to 7 a represents the uprights of an ornamental frame
which is provided with feet a¹ adapted to firmly support the frame in any position
in which it may be placed, and to the uprights a are fixed two horizontal bars a² a3
and upon the horizontal bar a3 is supported and fixed by screws 3* a rectangular
frame b which at its upper end is fixed with the uprights or standards a by rings 63.
Within the frame b are arranged a number of vertically disposed strips of glass c
which may conveniently be alternately plain and coloured for example ruby, and
the ends of these strips c are mounted in frames or holders el provided with axes
of motion mounted at opposite points in the two horizontal bars 12 of the
frame so that the strips of glass c may be rotated upon the axes of the frames
or holders c¹ within given limits.
The device may be constructed in any suitable manner to admit of the putting
together of the parts, but according to the example given in the drawings the
axes ² of the lower holders' c simply drop into corresponding steps in the lower
horizontal bar 61 of the frame b, whilst the axes 2 of the upper holders or frames c¹
consist of screw studs which are screwed through holes or bearings formed in the
upper horizontal bar 62 of the frame b coincident with the lower axes and screw
into threaded holes provided in bosses formed on the frame or holder c¹.
The studs or axes of the upper holder or frame c¹ are enclosed by a covering
plate which is formed with projections or tenons which enter corresponding
notches formed in the upper horizontal bar 2 of the frame and the covering
plate is fixed with the upper horizontal bar 3 of the frame b by means of screws 1,6
which also secure the ornamental scroll work in position.
The upper one of the frames or holders c¹ is provided with a slotted offset e at
right angles thereto and at the side of the upper one 2 of the two horizontal bars
of the frame is arranged a sliding bar which is provided with long slots d
to receive screw studs which screw into the tenons or projections 6 of the cover-
ing plate 64 fixed with the upper horizontal bar 62 of the frame b and permit of
the limited endway movement of the sliding bar d.
The sliding bar d is also provided with studs d³ which engage the slots of the
offsets of the frames or holders e¹ so that the traversing in one direction of the
sliding bar will cause the vertical louvre panels c of glass to lie in the same
vertical plane as represented more particularly at Figures 1, 2, and 3, and close the
screen whilst the opposite movement of the sliding bar will cause the louvre
panels to more or less open or assume any desired angle to the horizontal bars b¹ 7,2
of the frame b according to the extent to which the sliding bar d is traversed and
as represented more particularly by the full and dotted lines in Figure 4.
The necessary horizontal movement is imparted to the sliding bar d by means
of a handle e pivotally mounted on the covering plate 6 of the upper horizontal
bar 62 of the frame b and furnished with an offset e¹ which engages a slot de formed
in a flange or projection d from the sliding bar d.
In the example given at Figures 8 to 11 the glass panels c instead of having raw
edges as in the previous arrangement, have their edges completely encased and
according to the arrangement shown this is effected by slightly enlarging the
interior of the holders at each end and introducing into such enlargements the
ends of trough shaped bars or sides c¹* in such manner that they enclose the edges
of the glass panels c.
It will however be understood that complete frames for the glass panels c might
be formed otherwise than in the manner herein before shown and described.
It will also be understood that the means for giving motion to the louvre panels c
may be more or less varied without departing from the spirit of the invention
whilst instead of forming said panels of glass they may be of any other suitable
material and such for example as mica, china, wood or metal.
Instead of forming the so-called louvre panels e so as to lie precisely in the same
vertical plane in their closed position as represented in the drawings said louvre
panels might take the precise form of louvre boards and be caused to overlap one

page_text: another at their edges as will be readily understood whilst instead of mounting
the louvre panels vertically in the frame b they might with slight modifications be
mounted horizontally therein but the arrangement herein shown and described
is the preferred one.
By the means herein before described a highly ornamental and effective screen
is obtained which will admit of the heat emanating from a fire being entirely
obstructed or the passage thereof regulated at will.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A fire screen comprising a frame and several strips or panels of glass or other
suitable material carried in holders mounted upon axes of motion in said frame in
such manner that the panels may be turned upon their axes and more or less opened
or closed substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
2. A fire screen comprising a main frame, several strips or panels of glass or
other suitable material carried in holders mounted upon axes of motion in said
frame in such manner that the panels may be turned on their axes and more or
less opened or closed and means for coupling and giving motion to the several
holders in unison substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
3. A fire screen comprising a frame, several strips or panels of glass or other
suitable material carried in holders mounted upon axes of motion in said frame in
such manner that the panels may be turned upon their axes and more or less
opened or closed, slotted offsets from the holders, a sliding bar carried by the frame
and provided with studs engaging the slots of the offsets, a handle pivotally
mounted upon the frame, a slotted projection from the sliding bar and an offset
from the handle engaging said slot substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose stated.
102nd day of June 1898
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Rooms 221-225, Birkbeck Bank Chambers,
Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.