IMPROVEMENTS IN STAIR-ROD EYES
Year: 1885

page_text: I CHARLES WALKER TORR of the firm of Robert Walter Winfield and Company
of Cambridge Street Works Birmingham in the County of Warwick Merchants
and Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
'IMPROVEMENTS IN STAIR-ROD EYES to be as follows:-
"1
Stair-rod eyes as ordinarily constructed are made of one piece of metal and the
stair rod is introduced into them by a sliding motion. The fixing and removal of
stair carpets by the use of eyes of the ordinary construction is troublesome and the
rod is injured by its sliding in the eyes. By my improvements the fixing and
removal of stair carpets is much facilitated and the stair-rods are not injured in
being fixed or removed. In making a stair rod eye according to my invention I
form the body of two arms or branches at right angles to one another. These arms
have screw holes near their ends through which the screws are passed which fasten
the eye in the angle formed by the vertical front of one stair and the horizontal
part or tread of the stair next below it.
On that arm of the eye which when the eye is fixed is situated vertically and
near the top of the said arm I make a knuckle to which a moveable arm is jointed.
The said moveable jointed arm and the two arms of the body form the three
sides of a right angle triangle. The jointed arm has at its free end a projecting
thumb plate which extends beyond the horizontal arm of the body. By means of
the said thumb plate the jointed arm can be raised into a vertical position. In a
slot in the vertical arm is a spring which bears on the end of the jointed arm which
said end is so shaped that the spring maintains the said arm with considerable force
both in its open and closed positions. On the upper face of the horizontal arm and
near the part at which the jointed arm shuts down upon it is a projection which is
inclined in wards that is towards the vertical arm. The tension of the stair carpet
tends to draw the stair rod forward but the pressure on the rod is borne by the
said projection and has no tendency to raise the jointed arm.
The action of my improved stair rod eye is as follows:-The eyes having been
fixed at the required places on the stairs and the stair carpets placed approximately
in position the stair rods are in succession made to press the carpet into the angles
of the stairs the ends of the rods being introduced into the open eyes at the angle of
the stairs. The jointed arm is shut down when the stair rod is fixed in position.
ID 077

page_text: Thus the stair rod may be readily and quickly fixed in the eyes by the shutting
down of the jointed arms and it may be lifted from the eyes after the jointed arms
have been raised.
When a stair rod of a figure in cross section other than triangular is employed
the projection on the horizontal arm is shaped to fit that part of it which when in
its place bears against the said projection. The configuration of the jointed arm is
also varied to suit the figure of the stair rod.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
I CHARLES WALKER TORR of the firm of Robert Walter Winfield and Company
of Cambridge Street Works, Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Merchants
and Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVE- 1
MENTS IN STAIR ROD EYES and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
Stair rod eyes as ordinarily constructed are made of one piece of metal and the
stair rod is introduced into them by a sliding motion. The fixing and removal of
stair carpets by the use of eyes of the ordinary construction is troublesome and the
rod is injured by its sliding in the eyes. By my improvements the fixing and
removal of stair carpets is much facilitated and the stair rods are not injured in
being fixed or removed.
In making a stair rod eye according to my Invention I form the body of two
arms or branches at right angles to one another. These arms have screw holes
near their ends through which the screws are passed which fasten the eye in the
angle formed by the vertical front of one stair and the horizontal part or tread of
the stair next below it.
On that arm of the eye which when the eye is fixed is situated vertically and
near the top of the said arm, I make a knuckle to which a moveable arm is jointed.
The said moveable jointed arm and the two arms of the body form the three
sides of a right angle triangle. The jointed arm bas at its free end a projecting
thumb plate which extends beyond the horizontal arm of the body. By means of
the said thumb plate the jointed arm can be raised into a vertical position. In a slot

page_text: in the vertical arm is a spring which bears on the end of the jointed arm which
said end is so shaped that the spring maintains the said arm with considerable force
both in its open and closed positions. On the upper face of the horizontal arm and
near the part at which the jointed arm shuts down upon it, is a projection which
is inclined inwards, that is, towards the vertical arm. The tension of the stair
carpet tends to draw the stair rod forward but the pressure on the rod is borne by
the said projection and has no tendency to raise the jointed arm.
When a stair rod of a figure in cross section other than triangular is employed,
the projection on the horizontal arm is shaped to fit that part of it which when in
its place bears against the said projection. The configuration of the jointed arm is
also varied to suit the figure of the stair rod.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation Figure 2 in
front elevation and Figures 3 and 4 in vertical section, a stair rod eye constructed
according to my invention to be used with a stair rod triangular in cross section ;
Figure 5 represents a back elevation of the stair rod eye detached.
In Figures 1, 2 and 3 the jointed arm of the stair rod eye is represented shut down
for holding the stair rod in position and in Figure 4 the jointed arm is represented
raised for the introduction of the stair rod into the eye.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawing.
a, b are the two fixed arms or branches of the body of the stair rod eye the said
arms being situated at right angles to one another, a being the vertical arm fixed
by a screw at c to the vertical front d of one of the stairs and b being the horizontal
arm fixed by a screw at e to the horizontal part or tread f of the stair next below
it. On the vertical arm a and near the top thereof is a knuckle joint g to which
the moveable arm his jointed, the said moveable arm having motion in a vertical
plane and being provided with a thumb plate h for moving it. When the moveable
arm h of the stair rod eye is shut down upon the horizontal branch or arm b of the
body, the said moveable arm h and the two fixed arms a, b of the body form a
right angle triangle. The heel h³ of the jointed arm h has the construction best
seen in Figures 3 and 4 and upon the said heel h³ the free end of the strong plate
spring bears. This spring is situated and works in the slot made in the vertical
arm a. By the action of the said spring i the jointed arın h is maintained with
considerable force both in its open position Figure 4 and in its closed position
Figures 1, 2 and 3. On the upper face of the horizontal arm b of the body of the
stair rod eye, is an inclined projection m of the same breadth as the arm b under
which projection the stair rod is passed and against which it bears. The pressure
of the stair rod against the lower part of the arm his thus prevented and there is
little or no tendency in the said arm h to rise by the pressure of the stair rod on
its upper part, which last named pressure is counteracted by the spring i.
Figure 6 represents in side elevation; Figure 7 in front elevation and Figure 8
in plan a stair rod eye constructed according to my invention to be used with a
half round stair rod and Figure 9 represents in side elevation; Figure 10 in front
elevation and Figure 11 in plan, a stair rod eye constructed according to my
invention to be used with a cylindrical stair rod. The parts of the stair rod eyes
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are constructed as herein before described with respect
to the triangular shaped stair rod cye and corresponding parts are marked with
the same letters of reference.
The action of my improved stair rod eye is as follows:-The eyes having been fixed
at the required places on the stairs and the stair carpets placed approximately in
position, the stair rods are in succession made to press the carpet into the angles of
the stairs, the ends of the rods being introduced into the open eyes at the angle of
the stairs. The jointed arm h, ha, h³ of each eye is then shut down and the stair
rods are thereby secured in position. Thus, the stair rods may be readily and
quickly fixed in the eyes by the shutting down of the jointed arms and they may
be lifted from the eyes after the jointed arms have been raised.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my Invention of "Improvements in stair rod eyes
"
The combination in a stair rod eye of the right angled part or body a, b having
a projection m for resisting the pressure of the lower part of the stair rod and the
jointed arm h, h2, h3 moving vertically, the said jointed arm being held with
considerable force both in its open and closed positions by means of a spring į
acting upon the heel of the said jointed arm, the several parts being constructed
and arranged substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing.