US1238064A - Screen, shade, and the like. - Google Patents

Description

A. C. HOUGH. SCREEN, SHADE, AND THE LiKE. APPLICATION mgo ee. 10. I917.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

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AZEL CLARENCE I-IOUGH, OF JANESV'ILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HOUGH SHADE CORPORATION, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

sonnnn, SHADE, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 321, 1917.

Application filed. February 10, 1917. Serial No. 147,790.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AZEL CLARENCE IIoUeir, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Janesville, county of Rock, and State of Wisconsin, have invented an Improvement in Screens, Shades, and the like, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

Mypresent invention relates to the manufacture of screens, shades, and the like, having a construction permitting ventilation therethrough and constitutes a, divisional application of my prior application, Ser. no, 87,354, filed March 28, 1916; In said prior application I have illustrated my novel ventilating screen and have claimed the same'bro adly, and in the presentapplication I describe, illustrate and claim modifications' of ventilating constructions, which may be employed in woven screens, shades or the like. The advantages and importance of a ventilating screen, or a screen or shade having a ventilating portion or portions, will be readily appreciated, and are described in my said prior application. Such a ventilatingysection in a woven screen must have suitable provision for securing the spaced relation between the slats forming the screen and the warp strands or cords holding them together, while also retaining the warp strands or cords interlaced with suflicient tension to hold, tightly, the slats and prevent endeh'ase or displacement of theslats. In my said prior application, of which the present is a divisional and a continuation, Ihave shown two methods which are practical, one thetwisting of the warp strands or cords between" adjacent'slats to space the same and yet to hold said slats firmly engaged and interlaced by thewarp strands, which form is claimed both broadly and specifically in said prior case;and the construction. of the ventilating section formed of relatively thick slats, so'that, although the warp cords are woven tightly thereabout, the length'of the cords between adjacent slats, owing to said thickness, will permit a separation of the slats when. the

shade is suspended and in use. In the present application I intend to claim the latter construction of thick slats and other modifications of ventilating shade-constructions. For example, said slats may be ofeonsiderable weight so as to separate when suspended,- or may beheld spaced by short sleeves, buttons or the like. All such devices, it will be understood, must permit the shade to be readily wound, withstand rough handling, wind pressure, etc, and yet embody a woven fabric structure. Further modifications will also readily occur to those skilled in the art, and therefore I do not intend to be limited specifically to the details herein shown, but believe that I am entitled to claim equivalent constructions, as defined by the appended claims.

In the actual. manufacture of woven screens or shades having a i 'entilating por tion, I find it desirable to employ relatively broad slats for the non-ventilating portion and comparatively narrow slats for the ventilating portion or portions. This combination of broad slats for one section and narrow for the spaced portions, affording special features and advantages in a woven fabric of this kind, and I therefore wish to claim this particular combination as a feature of my woven screen combining ventilating and non-ventilating sections.

Further features of the invention, details of construction, and'novel combinations of parts will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

Figure l is a side view of a portion of my ventilating screen showing several modifications of ventilating constructions, in combinationwith a non-ventilating section of the screen;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section along the line 22 of Fig. 1, and'Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing one method of separating the ventilating slats in detail.

I It' will be understood that the drawings are illustrative merely, and do not purport to show an actual commercial ventilating screen with the different methods of securing ventilating, nor the respective positions throughout the screen, of the ventilating section. In actual practice it will be customary to havedonly one type of ventilating construction in the same screen and it will also be probably customary'to provide such ventilating section either at the extreme top portion or nearthe extreme bottom portion,

or at or near both top and bottom of the screen. Such arrangement enables the nonyentilating screen portion to constitute the greater area and the ventilating portions,at

the extreme top or theextreme bottom or at both top and bottom, will be in the respective positions for best'service 1n admlttmg air currents to pass therethrough, while also in position to be unobjectionable in admitting the suns rays. 5

Referring to the drawings, my invention comprises a shade" or screen having a plurality of transverse slats 1, preferably of wood, fiber or the like, and of substantial width, held in a flexible yetfirm and rigid manner by a tightly woven series of warp cords or strands 2 and 3 tightly. interlaced .thereabout at spacedintervals throughout the length of the slats. Retaining strips 4 and 5strengthen the screen at the top orat suitable intervals and also serve to bind the warp cords firmly and prevent loosening of the same, while permitting flexibility throughout the entire fabric structure to allow it to be rolled up.

The ventilating portion or portions preferably comprise a plurality v of relatively narrow slats which may be of different sizes in cross section, or of different weight, as will be explained. In the particular form of ventilating section illustrated by the slat members 6, 7 and 8, the said members are relatively thick, being nearly square in cross section, or at least sufiiciently thick so that the length of the warp cords 2 and 3, as the same are interlaced during the weaving in the process of manufacture of the entire screen fabric, provide such a length of cord extendingscrosswise between the adjacent slat members as to permit sufiicient stretch or yield,-no matter how tightly beaten up the slats and tightly woventhe warp strands may be, as to permit a sub stantial separation of the slat members when the screen is suspended or the fabric stretched out. A similar construction is shown in the relatively thick slat members 9 and 10 showing how the warp'cords 2 and 3 will necessarily permit a substantialspacing or separation of adjacent thick slats, thus providing ventilating spaces between them. In the particular form shown in the slats 6, 7 and 8, however, I prefer to affix a separating element, which will hold these slats in a predeterminedspaced position,

while still permitting the flexibility and rolling'capacity of the entire screen and also tightly binding the warp cords about the slatmembers so asto hold them firmly and prevent the slats froinbecoming loose, thus eliminating end chase. Such binding and spacing members are shown at 11, 12,13 and 1a, being illustrated in enlarged view in Fig. 3. These members are claspedor otherwise aflixed about the warp strands 2 and 3 between these slats and thereby serve to hold the same in an exact spacedrelation, as well as holding the fabric firmly and retaining all the slats in proper alinement.

{a spacin These spacing and retaining members may be of any suitable material, and are preferably made as small rings or sleeves of metal, celluloid, fiber or fabric, clasped about and firmly binding the warp cords. In this construction, the ventilating slats, whether wide or narrow, are held as firmly spaced from each other as in the method shown in my prior application, wherein the warp strands are firmly twisted about each other one or more times between adjacent slats to constitute-a ventilating section, both constructions being adapted to the woven type of screen and retaining the flexibility of the fabric, to gether with a spacing of the slats wherever desired to afford ventilation. In the form illustrated with the slats 9 and 10 the spacing is secured through suspension of the fabric when in use, by the separation of the slats owing to the relative thickness thereof, identically as shown in the modifications of Figs. 5 and 6 in my prior application, Ser. No.'87,35 l. a y H i I A further modification of ventilating construction is illustrated in the arrangement of slat members 15, 16 and 17, which slat members may be either of the same thickness as the non-ventilating members 1, or

of greaterthickness, such as that of the slat members 6 to 10. These slats 15, 16 and 17, however, depend upon their weight to secure or opening when the screen is suspended and in use in order to attain the ventilating desired. It will be readily appreciated that a suitable increased weight in the slats will cause the spacing, as well as an increased thickness and although this particular modification is scarcely feasible, because it is important to have the entire screen of relatively light weight, yet I intend the scope of certain of the appended claims to cover this form also. At any point desired throughout the extent of the fabric, I may apply reinforcing strips or members 20, 20, similar .to the members 4 and 5, which will aid in binding the warp cords 2 and 3 and prevent the working or loosening of the warp strands throughout their length.

While I have shown the spacing and bind- .ing sleeves or members 12, 13 and 14 in position. about the relatively thick slats 6, 7

and 8, it will be appreciated that these spacing members may be utilized between slats of equal thickness to that of the main slat members 1, in which instance the entire fabric-could be made of the same sized slats, so far as thickness is concerned.

The various modifications herein described, while not as efficient and desirable as the method of twisting the warp strands, are neverthelessv equivalent constructions in so far as the broad idea of securing a ventilating portion in a woven screen is concerned, and therefore maybe considered as coming under the broader claims of said prior application.

p Also the particular feature of having the relatively broad slats for the non-ventilating portion and the narrow slats, irrespective of their thickness or weight, for the ventilating portion, has proven to be a feature of particular importance in the construction of a 'vcntilatingscreen and although shown in my said prior application, it is hereby elected .to claim the same in the present case.

My invention is further describedand defined in the form of claims as follows.

1. A woven screen of the kind described,

=3 comprising a plurality of transverse slats closely held together by woven warpstrands, in combination with a plurality of v the screen.

2. A woven screen of the kind described, comprising a plurality of transverse slats closely held together by woven warp-strands,

in combination with a plurality of trans verse slats of greater thickness than said closely woven slats held together with the same weave, whereby thelatter will be spaced from each other when suspended, to provide a ventilating section in the screen.

A Woven screen of the kind described, comprising a ventilating portion and a nonventilating portion, said non ventilating portion consisting in slats held closely to gether by Woven warp strands interlaced thereabout, said ventilating portion having the slats of greater thickness than those of said non-ventilating portion and so woven by said warp strands as to permit the said thick slats to be spaced from each other and from the end slat of the non-ventilating portion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AZEL CLARENCE HOUGH.

Witnesses:

BOYD C. GARDNER, STEN F. GRAVES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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