US643565A - Blind-slat retainer. - Google Patents

Description

No. 643,565. Patented Feb. l3, I900.

E. A. THRALL.

BLIND SLAT RETAINER.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN A. THRALL, OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

BLlND-SLAT RETAINER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,565, dated February 13, 1900. Apnlication filed December 6, 1899. $erial No. 739,879. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. THRALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Torrington, county of Litchfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Blind-Slat Retainer, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a blind-slat retainer or blind-stop which may be made from a single piece of spring-wire and at trifling expense, which may be attached to any blind, new or old and before or after hanging, by any person skilled or unskilledand without other tools than a screwdriver, which will require no manipulation whatever in use, and will hold the slats of a blind either fully open or closed or at intermediate positions, with the slats inclining either inward or outward, as may be desired.

With these ends in view I have devised the simple and novel slat-retainer which I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and using reference characters to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating the application of my novel slat-retainer to a blind, the slats being locked in the closed position; Fig. 2, a section on the line X X in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a sectional view upon the same line, but showing the slats locked in a partlyopen position .and inclining downward and outward; Fig. 4, a similar view showing the slats locked in the fully-open position; Fig. 5, a similar view showing the slats locked in a partly-open position and inclining downward and inward; and Fig. 6 is a perspective, full size, of a simple form of retaining-plate which may be used in connection with my novel slat-retainer.

A denotes the slats of a blind, which are connected together by a rod B in the usual manner, C the frame, and E my novel slatretainer as a whole, the same consisting simply of a piece of spring-wire doubled upon itself (that is, so that the two arms lie approximately parallel) at one side of its mid-length. These arms I have indicated by 10 and 11, the only difference beingthat one arm-in the present instance arm 11-is made longer than the other fora purpose that I shall presently explain.

12 denotes bows formed at the free ends of the arms. Thes'e bows are preferably made, as shown in the drawings, by curving the metal of the arms and then recurving itinward, substantially as shown in the drawings, the ends of the arms lying in contact or approximately in contact with the arms themselves.

As already stated, one of the arms is made longer than the other, so as to make one of the bows higher than the other when the device is in operative position on a blind. The difference in height is in practice just sufficient so that in the fully 1 open position of the slats, as in Fig. 4, one of the bows will be practically inoperative, and the other bowin the present instance the upper one-will lie between two of the slatsin the present instance the second and the third slats from the bottom-in such a way as to press upward slightly upon the edge of the upper slat and downward slightly .upon the edge of the lower slat, thereby retaining the series of slats in the fully-open position, from which they can not be moved by the wind or until some one uses sufficient strength in moving the slats to overcome the strength of the spring-arm which carries the upper bow.

It will be noted in Fig. 3, in which the slats are shown as locked in an intermediate or partly-open position with the slats inclining downward and outward, that the slats are held in position by the engagement with two of them of the lower bow, this bow acting as did the upper one before to press upward slightly .upon the upper slat and downward slightly upon the lower slat. When the slats are in the closed position, as in Fig. 2, it will be noted that each bow engages the upper edge of one of the slats, so that the series of slats is firmly locked in that position, it being obvious that pressure upon either one or two of the slats above its pivotal point will act to press the upper edges of the slats outward and will throw the lower edges inward, the lower edge of the lower slat engaging the usual shoulder 13 upon the frame of the blind.

In Fig. -5 the slats are shown as reversedthat is, turned so as to place the lower edges above the upper edges-and as locked in a partly-open position with the slats inclining inward. The slats are held in this position by the engagement of each bow with a slat below its pivotal point, the action being to press the upper edges of the slats downward until the lower slat engages the frame of the blind, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

My novel slat-retainer may be secured in place upon the frame of a blind in any suitable manner, as by an attaching-plate F and screw 14, the screw passing through a hole 15 in the plate and said plate being also provided with grooves 16 to receive the arms, and thereby lock the device securely in place.

In attaching in place the plate is placed over the arms of the retainer and the screw is turned partially in, the retainer being adjusted by moving it downward until the lower bow comes in contact with the upper edge of one of the slatsin the present instance the lower slat, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The screw is then tightened up, which is quite sufficient to hold the retainer securely in place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A blind-slat retainer comprising springarms each provided with a bow, the bow upon one arm being higher than the bow upon the other arm, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

2. A blind-slat retainer comprising springarms each of which is provided with a bow adapted to engage the slats, one of said arms being longer than the other arm, thereby causing one bow to engage the slats at a higher point than the other bow.

3. The combination with slat-retainer E comprising spring-arms each provided with a bow, the bow upon one arm being higher than the bow upon the other arm, of an attaching-plate having in its under side grooves adapted to receive the arms.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN A. TIIRALL.

Witnesses:

A. M. WOOSTER, S. W. ATHERTON.

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