F. B. SCOTT.
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`Improvement
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`in Curtain-Fixtures.
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`No. 127,274..
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`LPatentedMay 28,1872.
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`Lutron Electronics Co. EX1013
`Lutron Electron-cs C0. EX1013
`U.S. Patent No. 10,294,717
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`AK/‘HUIO'LIIHOGRAPHM cam. (Oman/v53 PROCESS} .
`U' S ' Patent NO ' 1072947 717
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`127,274
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`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
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`FRANCIS B. SCOTT, 0F LANCASTER, NEW YORK.
`
`IMPROVEMENT IN CURTAIN-FIXTURES.
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`Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,274, dated May 28,1872.
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`SPECIFICATION.
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`I, FRANCIS B. SCOTT, of the town of Lan—
`caster, in the county of Erie and State of New
`York, have invented certain Improvements1n
`Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following1s a
`specification.
`Previous to my invention an automatic grav—
`ity—pawl, pivoted to the end of the curtain-rolL
`er, and engaging with ratchets or steps on the
`adjacent face of the bracket which supports
`the end of the roller, has been employed in
`supporting window-shades.
`In these devices
`the pawl and stop have been so arranged that
`when the roller was rapidly rotated in rolling
`up or unrolling the curtain the pawl would
`be thrown outward by centrifugal force so as
`not to engagewith the stop, while with a slower
`movement of the roller the centrifugal force18
`insufficientto overcome theweight of the pawl,
`which, in such case, falls inward by gravity,
`and engages with the ratchets and arrests the
`movement of the shade.
`. My improvements are designed more par-
`ticularly for heavy shades, in which the ordi-
`nary endless cord is an insufieient or an inse-
`cure means for arresting and supporting the
`shade, especially in lowering the same. A
`heavy shade, when not checked1n unwinding,
`acquires such momentum as to cause serious
`injury to the fastenings by the sudden stop
`page of the movement when the shade has be»
`come entirely unwound from the roller.
`My invention consists of a gravity--pawl piv-
`oted to the end of the roller, and arranged with
`a stop on the face of the roller- supporting
`bracketin such a manner that when the roller
`in unwinding the shade rotates with sufficient
`rapidity to cause the centrifugal force to coun-
`terbalance the gravity of the pawl, the latter
`will be thrown outward and engage with the
`stop and arrest the descent of the shade, while
`with a slower movement of the roller the grav-
`ity of the pawl will cause it to fall inward so
`as to pass the stop, as it is brought adjacent
`thereto, by the rotation of the roller, without
`engaging therewith or arresting the descent
`of the shade.
`In the accompanying 111aw1110,Figu1e Iis an
`end elevation of the pulley of the curtain -roll-
`er and supporting bracket, showing the safety-
`pawl engaged .with the sto. Fig. IIIS an ele-
`vation of the pulley with the stopIn section,
`
`representing the safety-pawl resting on the
`hub of the pulley so as to pass by the stop.
`Fig. III is a partly sectional top-plan view of
`a curtain-roller provided with my improve-
`ments. Fig. IV is an elevation of the other
`supporting-bracket. Fig. V is an elevation of
`thepullcy, with the pawl andbracket reversed,
`the latter being indicated by dotted lines.
`Like letters designate like parts in each of
`the figures.
`A represents the roller to which the shade
`is attached, and _11pOT1 which it is wound in
`elevating it. B is the end plate, secured to
`one end of the roller A, itIs cast with the pul-
`ley b for the endless cord b’ and a hub, c,pfor
`the reception of the journal (1, which'1s shown '
`in the drawing cast with the supporting brack-
`et. The rim of the plate B, in which thegroove
`1)1s formed, projects outward beyond the face
`of the plate, so as to be flush with the hub c,
`as clearly shown in Fig. III. D is the bracket, .
`provided with a journal, 61, and forming the
`suppOIt of that end of the curtain—roller to
`which the plate Bis attached, itis constructed
`with a flange, (1’, for securing it to the win-
`dow--case by screws in the usual manner.
`6 is
`a projecting lip or stop, arranged on the bracket
`D in a horizontal line through the center of
`the journal (1, at such a distance therefrom as
`to nearly touch the inner edge of the project-
`ing rim of the plate B.
`It projects into the
`annular space or recess between said Tim and
`the hub c of the plate B, so as to nearly come
`in contact with the face of the latter, as clearly
`shown in Fig. III. f is a stopvpawl, arranged
`on the face of the plate B in the annular re-
`cess between its rim and the hub, itis piv-
`oted to the plate B near the latter by a screw,
`f7, so as to play freely on the same.
`The operation of this part of my invention
`is as follows. When the shade1s slowly low-
`ered by means of the endless cord 12’, the pawl
`f, before reaching the step e of the bracket,
`drops down so as0to rest on the hub c of the
`plate B, as clearly shown in full lines, Fig. II,
`and passes by the step e in this position with-
`out impeding the movement of the curtain-
`roller. When the shade is lowered with con-
`siderable speed, by, accident or inadvertence,
`the pawl f is thrown out by the centrifugal
`force against the projecting rim of the plate
`B so as to strike against the stop 0, whereby
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`127,274
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`the movement of tl ‘_ curtain—roller is instantly
`arrested; hence, it 1s evident that the shade
`can only be lowered at a perfectly safe speed.
`In small curtain-fixtures the projecting rim
`of the plate Bis dispensed with, and the out—
`ward movement of the pawl f limited bya
`square shoulder formed on its pivoted end, or
`in any other suitable manner.
`Gr1s the plate, attached to the other end of
`the curtain-liofler A,
`journal, 9, butwithout the usual circular flange
`on its edge, so that the shade can be nailed
`to the roller A to withingavery short distance
`f101n the edge of the plate G. His a bracket
`forming thegsupport for this end of the 0111
`tain--1oller; it is provided with a bearing,71,
`’ consisting of two h01izonta1jaws, open atzathe
`front for the introduction of the journal 9,
`which latter is retained in the bearing by a
`lockingpin, 11’, passing veltically through both
`jaws, as clearly shown1n Fig IV. The bear
`ing It projects inwardly from the web of the
`bracket toward the plate G, as shown at h’,
`Fig. III. This construction enables the edge
`of the cuitain to project beyond the edge of
`the plate Gwithout coming in contact with
`the bracket, thereby maintaining the edge of
`the curtain smooth and unrufiied. The brack-
`ets D and H are censtructed symmetrical on
`' both sides of their horizontal center lines,
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`it is constructed with a,
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`whereby they are enabled to be used as right
`or left hand brackets, as may be desired.
`The pawl f is constructed with a countersink
`on each side for the head of its pivot f’, so as ‘
`to be likewise leversible, the face of the plate
`B being cast with a small p1ojecting hub, as
`shown in Fig III, which fits in the counter-
`sink of the pawl, whereby the friction of the
`latter on the plate B is greatly lessened.
`In Fithhe pawl f and bracketD are shown.
`reversed, the latter being indicated by dotted
`lines.
`The operation of hanging window-shades is
`greatly simplified by making the parts revers-
`ible, as it is not necessary for the operator to
`have two sets of biackets on hand, as was for
`Inerly the case.
`1 claim as my invention-—=
`The combination, with a curtain-1oller and
`supporting bracket, of the gravity--pawl f and
`stop 6, when arranged so that the pawl will
`be actuated by centrifugal fo1ce in engaging
`with the stop, and be released by gravity, and
`caused to pass by the stop without engaging
`therewith when the centrifugal fome is re
`duced, substantially as hereinbcfore set forth.
`FRANCIS B. SCOTT;
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`Witnesses:
`VICTOR H BECKER
`JOHN J. BONNER.
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