Improvements in Appliances for Holding Doors in Open Positions.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Holding Doors in Open Positions.
I, JOHN HORACE REEVES, M.A., of 85, Eltham Road, Lee, in the County of
Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to appliances attached to doors whereby these can be held
in a more or less open position when required.
According to my invention I so construct such appliances that, on opening the
door it can be readily secured in any open position that may be desired by
merely applying the foot with a downward pressure to a slightly projecting lug,
while by applying pressure to a releasing catch the door is at once set free.
again, the holding device being so arranged with spring action that although it
holds the door in the open position, it will yield sufficiently on applying pressure
to the door to allow this to be pushed either farther open or into a more closed
position.
For this purpose the said lug upon which the pressure of the foot is exerted
projects. from a sliding or pivoted piece which is connected to a sliding bolt or
pivoted disc through the medium of a spring, so that on depressing the sliding
piece the bolt or disc is forced down with elastic action on to the surface of the
floor.
The lower end of the bolt or disc is made with a rounded enlargement or
foot, or it may carry a roller so that while this foot presses on the floor with
sufficient force to hold the door in position it will yield to a push in sliding over
the floor.
A second spring is provided by which the bolt is raised into its original
position again when the catch holding it is released by the foot.
The appliance can be constructed in a variety of ways for operating in the
above described manner. Thus according to one construction a plate fixed
against the side of the door carries a vertically sliding piece having an outward
projecting lug for pressing it downward by the foot and two inward projecting
lugs through holes in which slides the before, mentioned holding bolt having an
enlarged rounded head at bottom.
Between the top lug of the sliding piece and a collar on the bolt a helical spring
is mounted on the latter, so that on depressing the slide the spring forces down
the bolt, pressing its head with spring action on the floor. Between the lower
lug of the slide and a lug at the bottom of the fixed door plate a second helical
spring is mounted on the bolt which is compressed when the bolt is pushed down
so that when the slide is released again this spring forces the slide and bolt up
into their original position again. The slide carries a suitable catch that
holds it in its depressed position, and that can be disengaged by a pressure of
the foot. The catch may either be formed as a spring pawl engaging with a
stud or with a beak in one or more holes or ratchet teeth on the fixed plate, or
it may be a cam lever operating with a jamming action.
According to another modification of the appliance I employ in place of the
sliding piece and bolt a cam shaped disc fixed on a spindle pivoted in a casing

page_text: that is fixed against the door the spindle carrying loose upon it a short lever arm
situated outside the casing so as to be depressed by the foot.
The boss of the lever has formed on it inside the casing ratchet teeth with which
gears a spring pawl having a tail which can be depressed by the foot for releas-
ing the lever, the boss' also has fixed to it a spring arm the end of which bears
against a stud on the side of the cam disc, so that when the lever is depressed
the cam disc is turned by the spring arm so as to bear with a rounded edge upon
the floor.
A helical spring attached at its upper end to the casing and at its lower end
to the cam disc, effects the raising of this and of the lever when the pawl is
depressed to release the ratchet teeth.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Appliances for Holding Doors in Open Positions.
I, JOHN HORACE REEVES, M.A., of 85, Eltham Road, Lee, in the County of
Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention relates to that kind of appliance for holding a door in a more or
less open position, wherein a vertically sliding bolt is combined with two springs
so arranged that in pressing down the bolt so as to bear with its lower end upon
the floor, the one spring is compressed while the second spring operates in com-
bination with a suitable catch for holding the bolt down with an elastic pressure
so that the bolt can readily pass over inequalities of the floor, while on releasing
the catch the compressed spring raises the bolt up again.
According to my present invention I construct such appliances as I will
describe with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shews
a front elevation of the appliance, Figure 2 shews a vertical section taken at
right angles to Figure 1, and Figure 3 shews a cross section on line X-X.
A is a plate of any desired configuration adapted to be fixed against the
bottom part of a door. It has its lower, end bent up to form a bracket B and
at an intermediate point it has a second bracket C which may conveniently be
stamped out of the plate and bent down as shown.
Through holes in these brackets passes the sliding bolt, composed of the
lower cylindrical piece D with rounded head. E adapted to bear upon the floor,
and the upper tubular, piece F fitting over the upper part of D, and having
fixed to its upper end a disc G., Surrounding the upper part of F is a helical
spring H bearing with its upper end against the disc G and with its lower end
against the bracket C, and consequently tending to hold the combined parts D
and F in the raised. position shewn at Fig. 2.
Within the upper part of F is a second helical spring I, also bearing with its
upper end against the disc G while its lower end bears against the upper end
of D, and consequently it tends to force the part D downward relatively to F;
this motion is however prevented in the raised position by a pin fixed in F. and
passing transversely through both parts, the holes. K in D through which it
passes being slotted as shewn, so that D can be forced upward in F against
the action of the spring I to an extent limited by the-slots.
Over the lower part of F is fitted a clutch plate L having its fulcrum in a

page_text: slot in plate A and forced up into the angular position shewn by means of a
small spring M bearing with its upper end against an inner flange on the
sliding tubular piece N, which in its turn bears against the clutch plate, while
the lower end of the spring bears against the tubular abutment piece resting
on the bottom bracket B.
When the clutch plate L is in the raised angular position shewn, it exercises
a frictional grip upon the tube F, in the well known manner, and prevents its
upward motion.
The appliance constructed as above described is operated as follows. The
parts being in the position shewn at Fig. 2, when the door is opened to a position
in which it is desired to retain it, the foot is applied to the disc G so as to press
downwards the tube F and with it, through the medium of the spring I, also the
tube D until the head E bears upon the floor, that is to say, in the position
shewn at Fig. 1. By such depression the spring H will be compressed between G
and C, as shewn at Fig. 1, but spring I, being somewhat stronger than H, will
not be compressed much beyond the position shewn at Fig. 2 as it merely moves
downward with F, pushing D down with it until E bears with a certain pressure
against the floor; the pin J will then have been pushed slightly away from the
upper end of the slot.
On removing the foot from G the spring H will tend to force the parts D, F,
upward again, but this is prevented by the frictional grip of the clutch plate L,
which is tightened by any tendency of F to rise.
Consequently when the parts are in the position shewn at Fig. 1 the appliance
holds the door open by the elastic pressure of E upon the floor, the elastic pres-
sure being afforded by the spring I, and if when in this position the door be
pushed in one direction or the other, the foot E will readily yield to any slight
obstruction in its. path in being forced up thereby against the downward pres-
sure of the spring I the slotted hole K allowing of such motion relatively to
the part F which remains held stationary by the clutch.
For freeing the door, the foot is applied with slight downward pressure to
the frictional clutch plate L so as to cause this to release the part F whereupon
the compressed spring H will be free to raise the combined parts D, F and I
into their original position at Fig. 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is;-
In an appliance for holding doors in open positions, a sliding telescopic bolt
consisting of a lower cylindrical part D with head E adapted to bear on the floor
and an upper tubular part F with head G adapted to be pressed down by the
foot; a spring I interposed between part D and part F tending to force the
former downwards, a second spring H interposed between the head G of part F
and a bracket C on the holding plate A which spring compressed when the
parts D, F, I, are depressed and a frictional clutch plate L pivotted to the
holding plate A and held in an inclined position by means of a spring so as to
grip the part when in the depressed position, so that on the depression of the
clutch plate L the spring H will raise the parts to the original position again,
substantially as described with reference to the drawing.
1000
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicant.