Improvements in or Additions to Portière or Door Curtain Rods.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Portière or Door Curtain Rods.
We, JAMES WHITFIELD of No. 38 Oxford Street, Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Manufacturer, and WILLIAM SMITH of No. 27 Sherbourne Road,
Balsall Heath, Birmingham aforesaid, Warehouseman do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the improvements in or additions to portière or door
curtain rods hereinafter described, whereby on the opening of the door to which
the portière or door curtain rod is applied the said rod takes in addition to its
angular motion in a horizontal plane an angular motion in a vertical plane. By
the action described the portière or door curtain is automatically raised from off
the carpet or floor of the room on the opening of the door and allowed to fall
on the closing of the door. The curtain is thereby prevented from getting under
the bottom edge of the door and impeding the opening of the said door.
The said portière rod consists of a metallic rod or tube supported at or near its
inner end by a bracket fixed to the door jamb and at its outer end by a grooved
disc or wheel eccentrically mounted on a horizontal pin or pivot carried by a
bracket on the outer edge of the door.
The portière rod is connected to the bracket on the door jamb by a clip jointed
to the head of a vertical pin or pivot turning in the top of the said bracket. By
the turning of the clip on the head of the said vertical pin the rod is capable of the
vertical angular motion hereinbefore described and by the turning of the vertical
pin in the head of the bracket the rod is capable of the horizontal angular motion
hereinbefore described.
Passing around the grooved disc or wheel carried by the bracket on the outer
edge of the door is a chain or cord the inner end of the said chain or cord being
connected to the portière rod at or near its middle and the outer end being
connected to the outer. end of the said rod.
The grooved disc and portière rod supported by it are in their lowest positions
when the door is closed and in their highest positions when the door is fully
opened.
On opening the door the bracket carrying the grooved disc describes an arc of
shorter radius than that described by the outer end of the chain and the chain
being fixed to the grooved disc the said disc virtually performs a backward motion
under the portiere rod. In consequence of the eccentric mounting of the disc the
motion described brings the part of the disc on which the rod rests higher and
higher as the door opens and thereby raises the curtain from the floor.
Dated the 26th day of March 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Portière or Door Curtain Rods.
We, JAMES WHITFIELD, of No. 38 Oxford Street Birmingham in the County.
of Warwick, Manufacturer and WILLIAM SMITH, of No. 27 Sherbourne Road,.
Balsall Heath, Birmingham, aforesaid, Warehouseman, do hereby declare the
nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention consists of the improvements in or additions to portière or door.
Prins ad7

page_text: "
curtain rods herein after described, whereby on the opening of the door to which
the portière or door curtain rod is applied the said rod takes in addition to its
angular motion in a horizontal plane an angular motion in a vertical plane. By the
action described the portière or door curtain is automatically raised from off the
carpet or floor of the room on the opening of the door and allowed to fall on
the closing of the door. The curtain is thereby prevented from getting under the
bottom edge of the door and impeding the opening of the said door.
The said portière rod consists of a metallic rod or tube supported at or near its
inner edge by a bracket fixed to the door jamb and at its outer end by a grooved
disc or wheel eccentrically mounted on a horizontal pin or pivot carried by a
bracket near the outer edge of the door.
'
The portière rod is connected to the bracket on the door jamb by a clip jointed
to the head of a vertical pin or pivot turning in the top of the said bracket. By
the turning of the clip on the head of the said vertical pin the rod is capable of the
vertical angular motion hereinbefore described and by the turning of the vertical
pin in the head of the bracket the rod is capable of the horizontal angular motion
hereinbefore described.
Passing around the grooved disc or wheel carried by the bracket on the outer
edge of the door is a chain or cord the inner end of the said cham or cord being
connected to the portière rod at or near its middle and the outer end being
connected to the outer end of the said rod.
The grooved disc and portière rod supported by it are in their lowest positions
when the door is closed and in their highest positions when the door is fully
opened.
On opening the door the bracket carrying the grooved disc describes an are of
shorter radius than that described by the outer end of the chain and the chain
being fixed to the grooved dise the said disc virtually performs a backward motion
under the portière rod. In consequence of the eccentric mounting of the disc the
motion described brings the part of the disc on which the rod rests higher. and
higher, as the door opens and thereby raises the curtain from the floor.
We will now describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the manner
in which our invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in front elevation a portion of a door and door jamb to
which a portière or door curtain rod constructed according to our invention is
applied; the door being représented closed in Figure 1 and partly opened and the
portière rod raised in Figure 2;
Figure 3 represents in front elevation and side clevation, a portion of the portière
rod, the eccentrically mounted grooved disc or wheel and the supporting bracket of
the same, drawn to a larger scale; and
Figure 4 represents in front and side elevation (partly in. section), the bracket
fixed on, the door jamb, carrying the jointed and swivelling clip, drawn to a larger
scale.
I
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a, a is, the portière or door curtain rod supported at its inner end by the
bracket fixed to 'the door jambe and at its outer end to the door by the
grooved disc or wheel g carried by the bracket f fixed near the outer edge of
the said door.
The portière rod a is connected. to the bracket bon the door jambe by the clip e
jointed to the head of the pin'or pivot h, swivelling in the top of the said bracket b
as best seen in the enlarged views Figure 4. By the jointing of the clip e to the
head of the vertical pin or pivot at the portière rod is capable of a vertical
angular motion, as the said rod is raised or lowered by the opening or closing of
the door, as indicated by the dotted lines; and by the swivelling of the pin of
pivot in the top. of the bracket b, the said portière-rod is capable of a horizontal
angular motion as the door is opened or closed...
"
"The portière rod, supported at its outer end by the eccentrically grooved wheel

page_text: or disc d, is connected to the said wheel or disc by the cord or chain i, passing
around the said wheel, the inner end of the cord being connected at k to about the
middle of the portière rod and the outer end of the said chain being connected at?
near the outer end of the portière rod. In order to ensure the turning of the
wheel d by the motion of the chain, one of the links of the chain is connected to
the wheel by a pin as seen at ³ Figure 3.
N:
It will be seen by an examination of Figures 1 and 3 that the grooved disc
or wheel and the portière rod.supported by it, are in their lowest position
when the door c is closed. On opening the door the bracket carrying
the grooved disc or wheel .d describes an arc of shorter radius than that
described by the outer end of the chain and the said chain being fixed to
the grooved wheel or disc d the latter virtually performs the backward motion
under the portière rod indicated in Figure 2 where the door is partly opened, the
outer end of the chain being uncoiled from and the inner end of the chain-being
coiled upon the wheel or disc.. The wheel or disc d in its virtually backward
motion turns on the pin or pivot g on the bracket in the direction of the arrow
near the said wheel and in consequence of the eccentric mounting of the said wheel
the backward motion described brings the part of the wheel ou which the portière
rod rests higher and higher as the door opens and thereby raises the curtain from
the floor as will be understood by a comparison of the relative. positions of the
eccentrically mounted wheel & when the door. is closed as represented in
Figures 1 and 3 and when the door is partly opened as represented in Figure: 25
On closing the door, the reverse motions take place, the wheel d performing a
motion contrary to that described and permitting the outer end of the portière rod
to descend and with it the curtain.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in front elevation, a portière rod to which a modified
lifting arrangement constructed according to our invention is- applied, Figure 5
representing the door closed and the portière rod in its lowered position and
Figure 6 representing the door partly opened and the portière rod in its partly
raised position; Figure 7 represents in side elevation and Figure 8 in end elevation
(partly in section) the portière rod lifting mechanism and door bracket drawn to &
larger scale.
The inner end of this modified portière rod is supported by the bracket & fixed on
the door jamb c by the jointed and swivelling clip e, h, h (Figure 4) as hereinbefore
described with respect to the portière rod represented in Figures 1, 2 and 3, but
the eccentrically mounted wheel near the outer end of the portière rod and supported
on the door bracket is modified in the following way. Near the outer or front
end of the portière rod a a clip m is fixed carrying on its underside the saddle n in
which the wheel p is capable of turning, the said wheel being provided with an
arm p3 which is jointed at to the top of the bracket f on the door c². The wheel
and arm pp' are connected to the clip on the portière rod a by the chain or flexible
connection g jointed at r to the inner arm of the wheel so that the wheel and
arm p p can have motion upon the joint p without interfering with the clip and
saddle m, n.
The wheel and arm p p² virtually constitute an eccentrically mounted wheel of
the kind herein first described and the joint p³ on which they turn is the equivalent
of the eccentric joint or pivot of the wheel first described.
The action of the modified lifting mechanism of this portière rod is substantially
the same as that of the arrangement first described. That is to say, when the door c³
is closed, the wheel and arm pp and parts connected with them occupy the positions
represented in Figures 5, 7 and 8, and on opening the door the said wheel and arm
turn upon the joint p' in the direction of the arrow Figures 5 and 7, the said wheel
and arm virtually performing a back motion under the portière rod upon the joint p³
and at the same time lifting the said wheel and arm and the portière rod as
represented in Figure 6. On closing the door the reverse motions take place, the
wheel and parts supported by it returning to the positions represented in
Figures 5, 7 and 8.

page_text: Having now-particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as our invention of "Improvements in or additions to portière or door
curtain rods":---
First: The arrangement or combination of parts hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings for automatically
raising the portière or door curtain on, the opening of the door to which the
portière or door curtain rod is applied and allowing the said portière or curtain to
fall on the closing of the door; that is to say, the combination with or addition to
the door bracket of the portière rod of an eccentrically mounted grooved disc. or
wheel, the said disc or wheel supporting the outer end of the portière rod and
being connected to the said rod and acting substantially as described and
illustrated.
+
Secondly The modified arrangement of the eccentrically mounted wheel or disc
and the appliances connected with it herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly The arrangement or combination of the jointed and swivelling clip
herein before described' and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the accom-
panying drawings for connecting the inner end of the portière rod to the bracket
on the door jamb, whereby the portière rod is made capable of a vertical
angular motion and a horizontal angular motion on the opening and closing of
the door.
Dated the Twelfth day of December 1899
JAMES WHITFIELD.
WILLIAM SMITH.