USRE7182E - Improvement in curtain-fixtures - Google Patents

Description

' A. H. KNAPP.

l CURTAIN FIXTURES.

N'o. 7,182. v v Y Ressued June 20,1876.

I/VUWESSES A INVENTUR,

UNITEDy STATES IFrrrn1\r1A OFFCn.

A. HAYDN KNAIP, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT INCURTAIN-FIXTURES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 129,893, dated July 30, 1872; reissue No. 7,182, dated June 20, 187th application tiled May 19, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known' that I, A. HAYDN KNAPP, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description thereof', reterenee beirg had to the accoinlninying drawings, making part et' this specification- Figure 'l being a front view ot' a curtainrollcr, with the curtain and fixtures, provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, a central lon gitudinal section of the roller with the ixtures; Fig. 3, nn end view of hesaine; Fig. fl, an endview of the roller with its spindle, and witha ratchet andpawl, which constitute, in ecnnection with the roller, spindle, and the actuating-spring, the principal features of my invention.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all ot' the figures.

The main feature of :ny invention consists in a sellacting;` ratchet device, in connection with a spring-actuated curtain-roller, and ii: so arr-.ingingv the lixture that either the said self-acting; ratchet device may be employed as such, or may he inactive, and allow it to 0perate as a simple spring-balance fixture, with a weighted slat or tassel, according to preference.

Also, by this invention I produce a springroller which is convenient to operate, and which may be taken down at any time without unwinding;` the spring, -and whereby a weighted iasselor slat may be dispensed with, it' desired.

Also, by an improved bearing, when the halance device is used, the trouble ot' an imperti1ctly-balancing spring, which tends to cause the shade to run up at the bottom, and down at the top, of the window, is nearly obviated.

My invention also consists in a spe ,ial t'eature of improvement, which 1 shall first describe in place.

Although an ordinary spring may be used in combination with my principal improve. ments, LI prefer tense my improved redoubledlayer spring', patented September 5, 1871, but there is one objection to winding the outer layer ofthe said spring shorter than the next interior layer, since, where the end is attached to the roller-oase, the pressure'upon the said interior layer, produced by a kind of leverage of the spring near the point of attachment, is se great as to cause the adjacent surfaces of the layers to rno one another, thereby roughening; the same, so as to grate harshly and make a disagreeable noise.

I obviate this objection by extending a tube or hollow cylinder', a, from the adjaeeiht rollercap b inward a short distance between the outer layer and the 'next inner layer ot the i 'spring B, thus forming` a smooth hearing for the outer layer, and entirely relieving` the other layers ot t-he said spring oli the pressure, and. preventing,` their winding close around or against the spindle.

In order to obviate in a grs-at measure, if not to entirely prevent, the running up ot` the shade ati the bottom, and the running down thereof at the topr ot' the window, I employ an enlarged bearing, o, made ot' some soi't metal, .as shown at the left-hand end of the roller, this bearing 'turning on a fixed pivot of the bracket; and a similar enlarged bearing may be used at the spring end of the roller, the bearing turning on an enlargement ot', or an enlarged pivot-surface around, the spindle of the roller.

I tind that this enlargementot' the bearing or hearings ct" thc roller atfords sutlicient friction to hold the shade stationary when once at rest, though it otlers no4 inconvenient resistance while the shade is in motion. And, as a further assistance in this respect, as well as to furnish a wider bearing-surface in the eyes ot' the caps b and d, the said caps are made first with a smaller perforation, and then the metal is swaged so as to produce an extended surface. This also causes the bearing' to wear better and. to be less liable to crealring. tzliuce windows etl the saine house and nominally et the sume width are apt to vary in width considerably, sonnftinws a quarter ot' an inch. or more, there is a difficulty in cutting the rollers to [it all, unless at the house, from actual measurement ot' each window. Io obviate this necessity, I malte the tube 0r side ot' the blank cap d considerably longer than usual, and t'orm a longitudinal slotor notclnf, therein, in which to drive a lilsi'eningr nail or screw, s0 that the cap may be driven farther on or less far, thereby shortening or lengthening the roller to suit the window, and still the cap shall be held iirmly on the roller.

fllhe self-acting ratchet xture, which constitutes the principal feature of this invention, is constructed with a notched inner periphery or ratchet, 7L, on a projecting flange, g, of the roller-cap b, into which ratchet takes a detent or pawl, t', pivoted to afixed projection, 7c, on the spindle C, or for retaining the shade when the fixture is mounted-it might be on the bracket D-the said detent being so arranged as to fall by its own weight into the notches of the ratchet and hold the roller A from winding up the shade, and so that a slight lifting thereof' will disengage it from the ratchet. Below this detent is situated a lifter, G, preferably acting as a lever, and pivotcd to the bracket D, in such a way that, on raising its main nrmm, which projects forward, and has a projection, o; under the detcnt i, the said detent is lifted out ofthe ratchet. Another arm or projection of the lifter terminates in, or has attached to it, a rod or wire,` a, or its equivalent, which extends downward and laterally, so as to be suspended or held in position close in front ofthe shade'S. The device being thus constructed and arranged, when the' shade is simply drawn in` its proper plane or position it will not disturb' thevdcv tent, which will'hold the shade secure-ly from being moved upward by the force of the rollerspring; but by swinging the shade outward a little it pushes forward the wire a, and thereby, through the lifter Gr, lifts the detent away from the ratchet, and allowsthe spring-roller to wind up the shade, which it will continue 'to do while the shade is thus held forward;

but the detent immediately descends and en gages with the ratchet the moment that the shade is allowed to drop into its natural sus-- be arranged in any way so that a lateral Inoveinent ofthe shade will thereby lifi the detent.

This device is very eiiicient and convenient in action, oering two especial and important advantages over all other ratchet-and-pawl iixtures in use, particularly those depending on centrifugal force to liberate the pawl: First, if the shade slips from the hands itinr mediately swin gs into its vertical position and locks the ratchet, so that it can run up but a very short distance, Whereas it" the shade gets away with the centrifugal fixture it runs to the top of the window'with violence, causing great annoyance from the noise, and damag ing the shade by tearing the hem, or entirely ripping it from the'slat. But this fixture always stops the shade when fully run up the moment the same falls into the Vertical position, while the centrifugatxture shade often keeps on unwinding from the roller until the spring loses its active force by uncoiling; second, when theshade is drawn down to any desired point it does not start back more than one-fourth ot' an inch, or the distance which one notch ofthe ratchet allows, so that When it is brought down to the window-sill it stays there, whereas, with the centrifuga-il fixture, the shade is liable to run back three or four inches, making it difficult to cover the bottom of the window, and, with deep box 'wii1d0w casings, if the shade is drawn forward and down lower than the window-sill itis liable to get soiled by the dust thereon.

To change the ratchet-fixture into a simple lialance-iixture the spindle C of the roller is turned halfway ro'und in the bracket, thereby turning the pawl over so as always to swing away from the ratchet as long as the roller remains mount-cd in the brackets; but upon the removal ofthe roller therefrom the pawl is caused byl centrifugal action to at once en gage with the ratchet in the same manner as ii' impelled by gravity, and thus prevents the roller-spring from unwinding.

What- I claim as 'my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A pawl lifter or disengager, G, in combination with a spring-actuated curtain-roller, provided with a ratchet-and-pawl shade-retaining devicc, so arranged that alateral movement of the shade from its vertical or hanging position lifts or disengages the pawl from the ratchet and allows the shade to risc, and the return of the shade to its vertical position allows the pawlagain to engage with the ratchet, substantially as herein specified.

2. in combination with the spindle of a spring-actuated curtain-roller, a clutch, which upon the removal of the spindle from its bracket is caused .by centrifugal force to engage with the roller, so as to prevent further unwin-ding of the spring, substantially as herein specified.

3. An enlarged bearing' or bearings, c, for a spring-actuated curtain-roller, A, made of soft metal, in combination with a pivotproiection ofthe bracket, which supports the end of the roller, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

4. A tubular bearing, extending inward between the coils orl layers of a redoubleddayer spring,substantially as and for the purpose herein specied.

A. -IIAYDN KNAPP.

Vitnesses:

JOHN GATER, Giras. H. GUSHMAN.

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