US2227043A - Stage curtain rigging - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 31, 1940. c. E. ToMPKlNs STAGE CURTAIN RIGGING Filed Dec. 28, -193'? 4 z3 2 2+ INVENT UR EMBL/55 E TDMPKINS 27 22 2f' BY TTDRNEYS Patented Dec. 3l, 1940 'UNITED 'STATES PATENT ortica@ STAGE CURTAINRIGGING p Charles E. Tompkins, Syracuse, N. Y., 'assigner to J. R. Clancy, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y.,jacorporation of NewYork Ap'plieeuen December z8,iesaserieiive.182,130 Y mm. (cuasi- 141) My invention relates to rigging for raising and lowering a stage curtain and more particularly` to means for taking up the slack or stretch in .i

for preventing movement of the block in one direction while at the same time enabling its movement in the opposite direction under `the action of gravity to thereby tauten the purchase 2" line.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

`-` Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the floor block of a stage curtain rigging in which my invention is incorporated.

Figure 2 is a view of a portion of Figure 1 showing the locking device for preventing move- 5" ment of theblock in one direction.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 except that it is partly in section.

Figure i is a perspective View of the locking device.

The floor block in which my invention is incorporated may be used in a conventional stage curtan rigging or may be used as a substitute for the floor block shown in my application led December 1'?, 1937, Serial No. 180,471, now Patent No. .2j-42.063, issued December 27, 1938.

In general, a stage curtain rigging system comprises a piuralitv of curtain supporting ropes wh' h are loperatively connected to a counteru ht slidable in suitable guides. The counterif w... t adapted to counter-balance the weight oftne curtain. The counter-weight is also operatively connected to a purchase line through which the curtain is raised and lowered. The purchase line is passed over a plurality of sheaves 5" so the. con pulling upon the purchase line in one direction the counter-weight is raisedand the curtain lowered, and upon pulling on the purchase line in the opposite direction the counter-weight is lowered and the curtain raised. 5i" The purchase line oi such systems, in use,

on guides, the block being provided with means stretchesso that in'many installations a'ffioor blockis provided A,which is :slidable `or movable on guides so that` theslack in the purchase line is automatically taken upas it stretches. In the past, 'one of the disadvantages of suchvmcvable iioor blocksrfor taking up the slack has been that when the purchasel line. is pulled upwardithe cor block has a tendency to move or slide upward with it.- Then when the purchase line is released, the floor block moves` Yor slides-down-10 wardgecausing a` considerable noise back-stage which is extremely objectionable` i In my invention, I have `provided a slidable iioor block with means for preventing the upward `movement of the block when the purchase line is raised whilestill enabling the floor block to. move downward on its guides as the purchase line stretches under the action of gravity toV thereby take up the slack.

In AFigure 1, I have shown a slidable floor block, indicated generally by the numeral l0, which is mounted ona platform or base plate Il adapted to be bolted or otherwise secured to the rigging door. The base plate Il has secured therein, in any suitable manner, a plurality of guides I2. A cross bar i5 is adapted to receive the tops of the guides and maintain the structure rigid. The guides are slidably received in apertures provided in bosses or lugs I3 formed in this instance integral with a pair of plates I6, four on each plate. The plates IB constitute a sheave block and are secured together in any suitable manner. If desired, cross rods l1 may be used. Rotatably mounted on a shaft I8, carried by the plates lli, is a sheave i9 adapted to 35 receive a pull rope or purchase line 2 I It will be appreciated that in the ordinary stage curtain rigging in which a slidable block is provided, an upward pull on the purchase line to raise the curtain tends te reise with' n the siidabie 40 block upward on its guides. As soon as the purchase line is released, the block slides down on its guides causing a considerable noise. I have provided simple means of preventing this from occurring. As shown more clearly in Figures 2, 3 and 4,` a locking device, indicated generally by the numeral 20, is provided comprising a plate 22 having riveted thereto, as indicated at 23, a U-shaped member 24 having legs 26. The plate 22 is pro- 50 vided with an aperture 21 whichis adapted to encircle one of the guides l2. The locking device 20 is placed in operative position Vby loosely mounting it on top of one of the plates i6, as indicated in Figure 2, in such position that the legs 5 26 loosely straddle the plate. The aperture 21 is somewhat larger in diameter than the guide so that the locking device tends to hang downward in angular relationship to the guide I2, as indicated in Figures 2 and 3. W'hile a locking device may be provided at each end of each of the plates, I have found that one locking device is sufficient, although I have shown two in the drawing, one mountedon each plate.

A further advantage of my structure, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, is that the lock 20 may be raised upward clear of the plate I6 and rotated from the solid line position of Figure 2 to the dotted line position of that gure. This enables free movement of thek block` upward whereby adjustment of the pull rope may be made. Further, if a theatre is shut down for any appreciable period, the locking device may be moved to its inoperative position so that expansion and contraction of the pull rope due totem-r perature or humidity changes is freely permitted. It will now be appreciated that when the purchase line 2| is pulled upward, the margins of the aperture 2l will dig into the guides, as indicated at 28 and 29 in Figure 3, and prevent upward movement of the block. At the same time, it vwill be-appreciated thatl downward sliding movement of the block on its guides under'the action of gravity as the rope stretches in use-is freely per- While I have shown an exceedingly simple way of accomplishing my desired result, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a rigging for raising and lowering a stage curtain, a pull rope by which said curtain is raised and lowered, and means for taking up the slack in said pull rope as said rope stretches in use comprising a slidable block having a sheave over which said pull rope is passed, guides for said block, a lock member slidably and rotatably mounted on one of said guides adjacent said block by means of an aperture through which said guide passes, said aperture being larger than said guidesaid block having two surfaces adapted to cooperate with said lock member in two positions of :rotation thereof, one a locking position and the other an unlocked position, said lock member when in its locking position being held bythe cooperating block surface with said apertureinclined to said guide whereby said lock ing block surface with said aperture substantially 'coaxial with said guide whereby said block is free to move in either direction along said guides.

CHARLES E. TOMPKINS.

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