US1772892A - Rear-curtain-operating device for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

G. S. GREEN Aug. 12, 1930.

REAR CURTAIN OPERATING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Oct. 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l NVENTOR ATTORNEY 2 6201296 ,6. Green BY G. S. GREEN Aug. 12, 1930.

REAR CURTAIN OPERATING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Oct. 19. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR zor ge S. Green 7% ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1930 GEORGE s. GREEN, or PORTLAND, MAINE REAR-CURTAIN-OPEBATING DEVICE .FOR AUTOMOBILES Applicationfiled October 19, 1928. Serial No. 313,504.

This invention relates to means for lowering the rear spring curtain of a motor vehicle at will, whereby the glare from other vehicles coming from behind will be eliminated.

'One object of this invention is to provide a device of the above nature which may be readily controlled from the instrument board or other point convenient to the drivers seat.

A further object is to provide a device of the above'nature having detachable means for retaining the curtain in its lowered position.

A further object is to provide curtain-con 1 trolling mechanism of the above nature adapted to be operated by power derived from the suction of the engine.

A further object is to provide curtain-controlling mechanism having two suction conduits, one of which will cause the shade to unroll and render a detent efiective to retain the shade in lowered position, the other conduit serving to render said detent inefiective for releasing the shade which will then be rolled up by its spring.

A further object is to provide a device of this nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, compact, ornamental in appearance,

and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, several forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practlce.

Fig. 1 represents a shade or curtain and the mechanism for operating the same.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating one of the joints between the shade and its operatingmechanism.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale of the shade-operating mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a side'view, partly in section, illustrating the manual control device as it appears when mounted on the instrument 52 board.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the manual control mechanism of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the valve controlling andle.

Fig. 8 is a view of the valve block of the manual control mechanism looking at the face over which the valve controlling handle oscillates.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a modified form of detent mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a modified form of manual control mechanism.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the valve controlling handle employed with the mechanism of F 1g. 10.

It is well known that when driving a motor vehicle at night, the glare coming through the rear window from the headlightsof cars following is often very annoying. This annoyance ma be avoided by drawing the rean curtain or s ade down over the window, but' this shade is generally out of the reach of the driver, making it necessary for him to stop the car to lower the shade.

By means of the present invention, the above and other disadvantages have been avoided.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote correspondin parts through the several views, thenumera 10 indicates a curtain or shade mounted upon a spring roller 11, the latter being supported in the usual brackets 12 and 12 at the rear window of amotor car such as a sedan. The shade 10 is provided at its bottom with the usual wooden rod 13 from each end of which extends a screw eye 14 for supporting the upper ends of a pull chain 15 guided by a air of diverging tubular members 1 1. The ower ends of the pull chain 15 are connected by a wire link member 15 to a screw bolt 16 forming part of a loosely-fitting piston member 17 adapted to reciprocate in an elonated cylinder 18. The bolt 16' extends downwardly through a flanged spool member 19 and carries a metal guide washer 20 at its lower end. A leather cup washer 21 is secured upon the top of the piston member 17, as by a nut 22. In order to draw the shade to'its lower or r roller.

closed position, the lower end of the cylinder 18 is provided with an end cap 30 having a small tubular projection 31 communicating with the interior of the cylinder 18 and fitting into the end of a flexible suction con.- duit 32. Provision-is also made of aside opening 33 near the bottom of the cylinder 18, said opening 33 being covered by a detent casing 34 having an interior chamber 35 in alinement with the opening 33 The casing 34 is separated from the'cylinder 18 by a flexible diaphragm 37, as of leather or'rubber. The casing 34, and the diaphragm 37, are secured to the cylinder 18 in any suitable manner, as by screws 38. The casing 34 is also provided with a tubular extension 39 communicating with the interior of the chamber 35'and fitting into the end of a flexible suction conduit 40.

In order to detachably hold the piston 17 at" the bottom of the cylinder 18, the diaphragm 37 is provided with a detent plate 41, the upper edge of which is positioned between the diaphragm 37 and the edge of the opening 33 in the cylinder 18 so that said aperture 47 wit-h the apertures 48 and 49 late 41 will swing about said edge as a pivot. e plate 41 and diaphragm 37 are urged toward the inside of the cylinder by means of the suction in the cylinder 18. The spiral spring 42 holds the plate 41 in locked positionafter the washer 20 passes below said plate.

In operation, when suction is applied to the conduit 32 by mechanism to be later described, the piston 17 will be drawn to the bottom of the cylinder 18 and the shade will thereby be drawn across the rear window (not shown). When the piston approaches the bottom of the cylinder, the guide washer 20 will move by the detent plate 41, forcing it outwardly against the action of the spring- 42. When the washer 20 moves below the plate 41, the latter will be forced inwardly partly by the sprin 42 and partly by the suction in the'cylin er 18 intoengagement with the upper or back face of the washer 20, the plate 41 thus serving,to hold the piston down and the shade unrolled. This detent action is necessary on account of the fact that the suction at the source of vacuum, such as the intake manifold, is variable and often diminishes to such a point, as when the car is ascending a hill, that the shade would otherwise roll up into open position.

When it is desired to raise the shade, the suction will he released in the conduit 32 and applied to the conduit 40,. whereupon the diaphragm 37 andplate 41 will be drawn back against the action of the s ring 42. The lower edge of the plate 41 wi I thus be withdrawn from the path of the washer 20, releasing the piston 17 and permitting the shade 10 to be again wound up by the spring bular projections 31 and 39 of the cylinder 18. The central tube 44 is connected to a flexible conduit 50 leading to a source of vacuum, preferably the intake manifold of the englne.

A control lever 51 having a flat face is ivotally mounted in fiat contact with the Face of the block 43, said lever 51 being pressed against said block 43 by a plate 51 pressed by springs 51 mounted on headed screws 51". The lever 51 has an aperture 51 fitting upon a pivot pin 52 upstanding from said block 43.

In order to selectively connect the suction for raising or lowering the shade 10, the control handle 51 has a pair of angularly disposed grooves 53 and 54 in its face, said grooves terminating in recesses 55, 56 and 57. The grooves 53 and 54 are so positioned that when the lever is swung downwardly, the recess 55 will be brought into register with the aperture 48, and the recess 56 will then regis ter with the aperture 47, thereby connecting the tubes 44 and 45. On the other hand, when the lever is swung upwardly to the osition shown in Fig. 5, the recess 55 will be rought into register with the aperture 49 and the recess 57 will register with the aperture 47, thereby connecting the tubes 44 and 46.

The control lever is provided with a handle 58 adapted to project through a suitable slot 60 in-the instrument board 59. The slot 60 is surrounded at the front of the instrument board by a rectangular plate 61 held in place by screws 63 passing through the plate 61 and threaded into a pair of ears 64 projecting from the valve block 43. The control lever 51 is preferably beveled at the end farthest from the handle to provide stop edges 65 and 66 adapted to engage the screws 51 to limit the rotation of the lever 51 in both directions.

In operation, it will be evident that upon depressing the handle 58, suction will be communicated through the conduit 32 and the shade 10 will be unrolled b the downward movement of the piston 17, eing retained in this condition by engagement of the washer 20 by the detent plate 41. When it is de- 1 be communicated through the conduit 40m nected the detent plate 41 will be withdrawn to ineffective position, thus releasing the piston 17 which will fly up under the influence of the shade roller sprlng.

In the modified form of cylinder and detent means shown in Fig. 9 the piston-operating suction conduit32 is connectedwith a nipple 67 at the side of a cylinder 68 correspondmg with the cylinder 18 of the first form of the invention already described. The detent-releasing conduit 40 in this embodiment is connected with a nipple 69 depending from the bottom closure member 70. Fixedly mounted in the cylinder 68 between the side nipple 67 and the closure member 70, provision is made of a partition 71 having a post 72 at one side thereof, one end of a bell crank detent lever 74 being pivoted to said post 72. The upper and longer arm of said bell crank lever 74 has a detent hook 75, said hook being bevelled at 76 for engaging a beveled inwardly extending flange 77 on a hollow looselyfitting shade-operating piston 78. Between the partition 71 and the end closure member 70, provision is made of a plunger 79 cony a rod 80 to the bell crank lever 74 at the point 80 thereof.

In the operation of the modified form of the invention, when suction is communicated to the conduit 32, the piston 78 connected with the shade chain 15 will be drawn downwardly until the piston engages the beveled upper end of the hook 74. During this operation, the detent hook 75 will first be swung to the left as viewed in Fig. 9, but will immediately be again forced to the right for engaging the upper part of the flange 77, it being understood that the plunger 80 will exert an upward pressure upon the bell crank lever 74 by reason of the suction exerted on the piston 79 from the conduit 32. Upon relief of the suction in the conduit 32 and the application of suction in the conduit 40, the plunger 80 will be drawn down and will swing the hook 75 to inefi'ective position, thus releasing the piston 77 and allowing the shade to rise. A

In the modified construction of the manual control mechanism shown in Figs. 10 and 11, a block 81 is provided which has openings 82, 83, 84. therein, similar to the openmgs 47, 48 and 49 in the form of control block previously described. The block 81 is adapted to be secured to the instrument board 59 by an upstanding flange 85 having holes 86 for receiving screws 86. The control lever 87 has a handle 88 and on its under face is provided with a pivot socket 89, fitting upon a pivot pin 90 on the block 81. An arouate slot 91 is also formed in the lever 87 for fitting about a tension screw 92 which limits the rotation of the lever 87 in both directions, a coiled spring 92 being located on said screw 92 for ressing said lever 87 u on the block 81. ear the end of the lever B provision is made of an arcuate recess 93 which serves to selectively connect the central hole 82 with the right and left hand holes 83 and 84 respectively depending on the direction the handle 88 is swung.

While there have been disclosed in this specification several forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without, departing from the spirit thereof. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described theinvention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device for operating an automobile spring roller shade from a remote point, means for pneumatically unrolling said shade, detent means for holding it in unrolled condition, and means for releasing said detent means to permit said spring roller to roll up said shade.

2. In a shade-operating device, the combination with a spring roller and a shade thereon, means for controlling said shade from a distant point including a suction-operated device for unrolling said shade,detent means for holding said shade in unrolled condition, and means for releasing said detent means to permit the spring roller to roll said shade.

3. In a shade operating mechanism, a cylinder, a spring-actuated piston therein having. connection with a shade, detent means adjacent one end of said cylinder for holding said piston, suction-operated and pivoted means to draw said piston into position to be engaged by said detent means, and suction-operated means to release said detent means.

4. In a shade operating mechanism, a cylinder, a shade, a piston in said cylinder having connection with said shade and normally urged toward one end of said cylinder, a detent at the other end of the cylinder, a suction conduit connected with said cylinder to draw said piston into position for engage- .ment by said detent, and means for releasing said detent.-

5. In a shade operating mechanism, a

cylinder, 9. spring-wound shade, apiston in shade, pneumatic means communicating with one endof said cylinder for moving said piston to lower said shade, a spring-pressed detent for holding said piston in lowered position, and pneumatically-controlled detent releasing means to permit said shade to automatically roll up.

7. In a shade operating mechanism, a cylinder, a shade, a piston in said cylinder connected with said shade, a suction conduit communicating with one end ofsaid cylinder, a chamber communicating with one side of said cylinder, a detent urged toward the interior of the cylinder to hold the piston at one end of said cylinder, and detent-releasing across said chamber and controlled by relative changes of fluid pressure at opposite sides thereof.

8. In a shade operatin mechanism, a cylinder, 9. spring rol ed sha e, a piston therein connected to said shade, a suction conduit communicating with one end of said cylinder, a chamber communicating with one side of said cylinder, a detent in said chamber, spring means for urging said detent toward the interior of said cylinder to hold the piston at one end of said cylinder, (latent-releasing means including a diaphragm extending across said chamber and controlled by relative changes of fluid pressure at opposite sides thereof.

9. In a shade operating mechanism, a spring. rolled shade,- a cylinder, a suctionoperated piston therein connected to said shade, a suction-operated detent adapted to hold said piston in lowered position, and means to exert suction upon said piston and detent to lower said piston and lock it down, and means to exert suction upon said detent to release said piston.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature to this specification.

' GEORGE S. GREEN.

means including a diaphragm extending

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