Improvements relating to the Windows of Railway Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1887.
Complete Left, 14th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Jan., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Windows of Railway Carriages and
other Vehicles.
I, GUILLAUME ARNAUD NUSSBAUM, civil engineer, of 17, Lancaster Street, Lancaster
Gate in the county of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to railway carriage and other windows, and has for object
to provide a cheap, simple and reliable apparatus for the retention or support of the
The system
sash at any desired height, and the raising and lowering of the same.
consists of a frame provided with an incline to which is fitted a sliding wedge. This
wedge when left to itself, tends to slide downward, by its own weight, the friction of
the sash and the push of a spring. A lever for the purpose of raising the wedge, is
pivoted to the frame. This apparatus is fitted in one of the vertical grooves of the
window, in which slides the sash, in such manner that the wedge tends to interpose
itself between the frame of the window and the sash, so as to prevent the latter from
falling or sliding down. One of the extremities of the lever passes through the frame
of the window, and is provided with a knob, a handle or a ring within easy reach of
the hand. By pushing or pulling the ring, handle or knob as the case may be, the
wedge is lifted on the incline and ceases to press against the sash, so that the latter
can slide down. To close, or partly close the window, it not necessary to touch the
lever. The sash is simply to be lifted by means of a strap or other device, the wedge
being disengaged by the friction of the sash frame. As soon as the raising movement
of the sash ceases, the wedge sets in again and the sash remains at the height to
which it has been lifted. The shape of the wedge is not material, so long as the
resulting action is the same as in a wedge, and a cylindrical or spherical shaped
body moving in the inclined plane may be employed. The wedge and the lever
may also be in one piece, one extremity of the lever being wedge shaped and the
other extremity terminating in a knob, handle or ring.
Dated 15th day of February 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Windows of Railway Carriages and
other Vehicles.
I, GUILLAUME ARNAUD NUSSBAUM, 17, Lancaster Street, Lancaster Gate W., in the
county of Middlesex, civil engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to railway carriages and other windows and has for
its object to provide a cheap, simple and reliable apparatus whereby a window
sash may be held or supported at any height, but so nevertheless, that it may be
readily raised and lowered when required. According to this invention I provide
the window frame with an inclined part or surface, to which is fitted a wedge
capable of sliding. This wedge when left to itself tends to slide downwards, under
the action of its own weight assisted by the friction of the window sash and the
action of a spring. A lever hinged or jointed to the window frame may be employed
for the purpose of raising the wedge when desired. The apparatus may be so
arranged, that the wedge occupies a position in one of the vertical grooves of the
window frame, in which the sash slides in such manner, that it tends to wedge itself
between the window frame and the sash; so as to prevent the latter from falling or
sliding down when released. One extremity of the lever passes through the window
frame, and is provided with a knob, handle or ring, within easy reach of the hand of an
operator. By pushing or pulling the knob, handle or ring, as the case may be, the wedge
is caused to rise on the inclined part or surface, and ceases to press against the window
sash, which is then free to be lowered. To close or partly close the window, it is not
necessary to operate the lever, the window sash requires simply to be lifted by means
of a strap or other device, the wedge becoming automatically disengaged by the
friction of the sash against it. As soon as the rising movement of the sash ceases,
the wedge again acts, and the sash is held at about the height to which it has been
raised.
The wedge and the lever may conveniently be formed in one piece, one arm of the
lever being wedge shaped and the other extremity terminating in a knob, handle
or ring.
And in order that the nature of this invention may be readily understood, reference
is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1. is a vertical transverse section of part of a window frame with apparatus
according to this invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2. shows in longitudinal vertical section part of a window frame and attached
apparatus, and in elevation part of a window sash held in position by such apparatus.
Fig. 3, shows in elevation the reverse side of the window frame, sash and apparatus
to that shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4, is an elevation, illustrating the application of
apparatus according to this invention to a door such as a railway carriage door,
fitted with a sliding window sash.

page_text: A, is a plate arranged in an inclined plane within a recess C, in the window
frame F. This is provided at one end with a flange or plate D, arranged at right
angles to its length, and whereby it can be secured in place to the window frame by
any suitable means such as screws, in the manner shown.
B is a wedge hinged or
jointed at E to the plate A, in such manner that it can slide up or down upon the
adjacent surface of the said plate, and thereby cause its outer flat surface to recede
from or to approach the adjacent part of the window sash N, in order to release such
sash or to hold or retain it in any desired position, as the case may be.
In fig. 2 and 4, the wedge B is shown in a lowered position, so as to hold or retain
the sash in a raised position. In the arrangement shown, the wedge B forms one
arin of a bell crank lever, the other arm G of which serves as a finger piece or handle
whereby the wedge portion may be raised when necessary. A separate lever may be
employed if desired, for raising the wedge, which in some cases instead of being
hinged or jointed as shown, may be arranged to slide vertically in suitable guides.
I prefere however the arrangement shown, as it is simple in construction and cheap
to manufacture. S is a spring interposed between the flange on plate D and the bell
crank lever, it normally acts to depress the wedge B as shown in fig. 1. With the
arrangement shown it will be seen that the window sash may be readily lifted, the
wedge B being thereby raised into the wider part of the wedge like cavity in which
it acts, by the friction of the adjacent surface of the sash. If the sash be released,
the wedge B will, under the action of its weight, and the friction between it and the
sash, aided by the spring S (when used), be forced down into a narrower part of the
wedge like cavity, so as to cause the flate outer surface of the wedge to bear upon and
hold or retain the sash in its raised position with a force proportional to the tendency
of the sash to descend. By applying pressure to the finger piece G, the wedge B
may be raised and the sash (when raised) allowed to fall. I am now aware, though
I was not at the time my provisional specification was filed, that it has heretofore
been proposed to use a ball, a roller or wheel acting within a wedge like cavity for
holding a window sash in a raised position, and therefore I do not desire to claim
such arrangements which I do not consider so reliable in practice as a wedge, owing
to the small area of the frictional surface in contact, and to the liability to grooving
of the sash and the inclined part or surface by such ball, roller or wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I claim is :
1) For holding or retaining in a raised position a sliding window sash in a railway
carriage or other vehicle, the use of a wedge in combination with an inclined plate or
surface substantially as herein above described.
2) The use in combination with the wedge referred to in the preceding claims
of means such as a lever adapted to raise the said wedge substantially as herein above
described.
3) The improved apparatus substantially as herein above described with reference
to and shown in the drawings annexed.