An Improved Curtain Stretcher.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1291
Complete Specification Left, 18th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Curtain Stretcher.
I SAMUEL SAUNDERS of 93 Upper Moss Lane Hulme Manchester in the County
of Lancaster Heating Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:
My said invention relates to novel means for stretching or stenting curtains as
for example when drying the same. According to my invention the curtain is
thrown over a line and to each end of the curtain I attach a light bar of wood by
means of spikes or other suitable agents. Near the top of the bar I loosely pivot
another shorter bar which can be set and held at any suitable angle relatively to
the first bar by means of a strut pivotted on the shorter bar and engaging with
one of a series of holes in the first bar. On the shorter bar there are two hooks
one at the inner end and one at the outer end, the hook at the outer end being so
formed that when pressed upon the line it will bite and hold the same.
At the top
of the first bar there is an inverted hook over which the line is carried and by
which the first bar is prevented from rising. In using my appliances the bars are
hung on the line by means of the aforesaid hooks on the shorter arms. The
curtains are then secured to the vertical bars by the spikes or other means.
If the
struts were not used at all it would be found that the lower edge of the curtains
would pull the lower ends of the vertical bars inwards and the curtains would not
be stretched at the foot. But by connecting the shorter bars to the longer by
means of the struts the lower ends of the longer bars are pulled towards the shorter
bars and made to hang plumb from the line so that the curtains are strained
equally at the top and bottom between the longer bars. The outer hook which
bites and holds on the bight of the line prevents the pull of the curtains from
dragging the stretching bars towards each other along the line, and the stretching
strain on the curtains can be easily increased by casing the line in the biting hook
and pulling the appliance along the line in which new position the hook will hold
as before.
The appliance may be modified in various ways; for example the strut might be
pivotted to the longer bar instead of to the shorter and it might be adjusted by
means other than a series of holes such for example as a slot and thumbscrew
or it might be replaced by a quadrant. These changes in detail are apparent and
do not affect the gist of my invention which lies in the employment of the two
bars for suspending on the line and capable of adjustment to different relative
angles for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day of May 1891.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
No text detected.

page_text: The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrate my invention.
Fig. 1 shows the invention employed in the drying of a curtain.
Fig. 2 is a separate and enlarged view of the right hand appliance and
Fig. 3 a similar view of the left hand appliance.
Figs. 45 and 6 are detail views of the hooks on the shorter bars for engaging
with the line.
The curtain a to be dried is thrown over a line as in Fig. 1 and to each end
of the curtain I attach a light bar of wood c by means of spikes or other suitable
agents at the points d. Near the top of each bar e 1 loosely pivot another shorter
bar.e which can be set and held at any suitable angle relatively to the first bar c
by means of a strut pivotted at on the shorter bar and engaging with one of
a series of holes in the bar c. On the shorter bar e there are two hooks one
marked at the inner end and one marked i at the outer end, the hook i at the
outer end being formed as a spring hook so that when pressed upon the line it will
bite and hold the same. At the top of the first bar c there is an inverted hook j
over which the line is carried and by which the first bar is held down.
In using my appliances the bars ce are hung on the line
aforesaid hooks on the shorter arms e e.
by means of the
The curtains a are then secured to the vertical bars ce by the spikes or other
means at d. If the struts were not used at all it would be found that the
lower edge of the curtains would pull the lower ends of the vertical bars ce
inwards and the curtains would not be stretched at the foot. But by connecting
the shorter bars e e to the longer bars ce by means of the struts the lower
ends of the longer bars are pulled towards the shorter bars and made to hang
plumb from the line so that the curtains are stretched equally at the top and bottom
between the longer bars. The outer hook which bites and holds on the bight of
the line prevents the pull of the curtains a from dragging the stretching bars
towards each other along the line and the stretching strain on the curtains can be
easily increased by casing the line in the biting hook and pulling the appliance
along the line in which new position the hook will bite and hold as before."
The curtain may either be hung double over the line or it may be attached by
one edge to the line and allowed to hang as a single-width.
The appliance may be modified in various ways: for example the strut may
be pivotted to the longer bar instead of to the shorter and it might be adjusted by
means other than a series of holes such for example as a slot and thumbscrew or
it might be replaced by a quadrant, or an adjustable piece of cord, wire or chain
might be used instead of the strut. These changes in detail are apparent and
do not affect the gist of my invention which lies in the employment of the two bars
for suspending on the line and capable of adjustment to different relative angles for
the purpose set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
The improved curtain stretcher consisting of the bars for attachment to the
ends of the curtain and provided with inverted hooks and with hinged or pivotted
arms e which carry hooks or catches such as which engage with the line and
anchor the appliance thereon, the arms e being capable of being adjusted to any
desired angle relatively to the bars ¢ by means of struts, ties or attachments
whereby the bars c can be caused to hang plumb and so impart equal stretch to the
curtains throughout their width substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 17th day of February 1892.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1. St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.