US371300A - buhmeiee - Google Patents

Description

(No Model-) 1 H. T. BUHMEIER. vENBTAN BLIND.

No. 371,800. Patented Oct. '11, 1887 1 u| v. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\S x Yin Fig. 1.

UNITED STATES HENRY T. BUHMEIER,

PATENT GEEICE.

OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

VENETIAN BLIND.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 371,300, dated October 11, 1887.

Application filed June 21, 1887. Serial No. 241,977. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY T. BUHMEIER, of the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Venetian Blinds and Means for Adjusting and Locking theMovable Slats Therein; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section, of a window-blind fitted with my improvement; Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section, upon an enlarged scale, in line w w of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical section in line y y of Fig. l; Fig. 4, a crosssection in line e cof Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a vertical detached section in line fu rfof Fig. 4. Figs. 6 to 9 are sectional views of like character with Fig. 2, illustrating, severally, modifications in the invention. l

The object of my invention is to facilitate the adjustment and locking of the movable slats in Venetian blinds.

It consists, mainly, in the combination,with the pivotal axes of the several slats, of a chain or cord actuated in one direction by a spring and adapted to engage and by its movement rotate the slat, and in the combination, with such a springactuated chain or cord, of a suitable actuating-lever and catch, as hereinafter fully described.

It consists, also, in combining one or more of the blind-slats with the actuating-chain by means of a clutch, whereby the slat may be thrown at will into and out of gear with said chain.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the shutter-frame, of wood or metal, having a longitudinal recess, 2, formed in one of its stiles 3. The pivot-pin 4t of each slat, at the end thereof adjacent to said recess, is made long enough to pass through an aperture pierced in the inner side of the stile and project into the longitudinal recess 2, as shown Each pivot-pin is tted with an actuating wheel or pinion, 5, whose periphery is armed with pins 6 6, adapted to engage the links of a cha-in, 7, carried longitudinally within the recess, so as to come into contact and engagement with each of said pinions 5 5. This chain may be endless, as shown in Fig. 2, to pass continuously around the pinions of the upper and lower slats.` In such case its engagement with the pinion of each intermediate slat is secured by leading it over two frietion-rollers, 8 8, placed centrally between the several pinions in such position as to draw in the otherwise parallel lengths of the chain betweenthe several pinions, as shown wheel, 12, upon a shaft, 13, mounted to rotate" in a recess in said lower bar of the frame parallel with the slats, and' to project into 'the longitudinal recess .2, so as to carry the lower pinion of the series over which the chain is carried.

By the oscillation of the lever 10 this pinion is partly rotated, and its movement, by actuating the chain 7, will cause all the other pinions and slats to move in unison. The lever 10 is locked in its movement by means of a spring-actuated catch or pawl, 14, (see Fig. 3,) which engages automatically the teeth of the segment 1l. When this pawl or catch is lifted, the spring 9 is left free to operate in closing the slats, the lever 1() being .thereby turned upward. By pressing the lever downward the chain is drawn in the reverse direction, thereby winding up the spring and simultaneously opening the slats'.

To permit the opening of any one of the V slats independently of the others, I mount the pinion for said' slat loosely upon its pivot, so that the slat may turn independently of the pinion, and I fit upon the pivot-pin of the slat a simple clutch device, which may cnsist of a friction-disk, 15, (see Figs. 4 and 5,) left free to play longitudinally thereon to and from the pinion, but which is prevented by a spline from turning independently of the pivot. This friction-disk is serrated upon the face thereof, which comes into Contact with the face of the pinion, so as to engage the same,

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the face of the pinion being in like manner serrated to form a counterpart of the disk, whereby the two, when brought together, will interlock.

The disk 15 is moved to and from the pinion by means of a lever, 16, andthe two are automatically held in contact by means of a spring, 17.

The application of my invention to blinds admits of various modifications, both in the arrangement of the spring-actuated chain and in the device for operating the same.

Fig. 6 ofY the drawings illustrates the slats as actuated by means of a toothed segment,

v 18, fitted upon one of the slats to be engaged by a sliding rack, 19, fitted upon the frame, the rack being locked by a spring-actuated latch, 20. It also represents the chain as governed by springs coupled to the pivots 21 21 of two of the slats.

In Fig. 7 two separate chains, 22 22, each actuated by an independent spring, 25, are substituted for the single endless chain and springs shown in Fig. 6, the slats in this case being represented as turned by a simple arm or lever, 23, projecting from one of them.

Fig. S illustrates the combination of a single straight spring-actuated chain, 24, `with the pinions 5 5 of the slats, the spring 25 being, however, coupled directly to the chain, instead of mediately to one of the pinions.

Fig. 9 shows a single straight spring-actuated'chain, 26, made of ilat links, to engage an arm projecting from each slat, instead of a wheel or pinion secured thereto.

In the use of my invention the slats will all move in unison, because of their engagement severally with one common connecting-chain. The spring attachment operates automatically to so draw the chain so that the slats will all be turned thereby into their closed position. When it is desired to open the slats more or less, this is accomplished by a movement of the chain, said movement being produced either by turning, in manner as described, one of the pinions engaging the chain or by moving a lever projecting radially from the axis of one of the slats.

I claim as my invention- 1. VThe combination, with the pivoted slats in a Venetian blind, of a chain geared to the several slats to cause by its longitudinal movement a partial rotation thereof, and a spring actuating said chain to draw it automatically in one direction, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, with the pivoted slats in a Venetian blind and a spring-actuated chain geared thereto to turn them automatically in one direction, of a pivoted segment Whose axis is parallel with that of the slats, operating by its movement to turn the slatsin the opposite direction, and a catch operating automatically to lock the segment and slats, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the pivoted slats in a Venetian blind, pinions secured severally to one end of each slat, and a chain engaging the periphery of each pinion, of intermediate guide-rollers over which the chain is led and which by reason ot'- their location cause the chain to bind upon the pinions, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the pivoted slats in a Venetian blind, pinions secured severally to the end of each slat, and a chain engaging the peripheries of the several pinions, of a loose pinion engaged by said chain and fitted upon the axis of one of said slats, a clutch iitted upon the same axis to move into and out of engagement with said loose pinion, and a lever actuating said clutch, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony Whereofl have signed my name to this speci tlcation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' HENRY T. BUHMEIER.

Witnesses:

A. N. JEsBERA, M. E. FINLEY.

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