Improvements in Folding or Collapsible Gates, Shutters, or the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 6th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding or Collapsible Gates, Shutters, or the like.
I, GEORGE MAXWELL MANSELL of S Exchange Arcade, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to collapsible or folding gates, shutters, guards or the
like, and has for its object to avoid certain defects which have hitherto been so
much objected to in this class of invention. Folding gates have hitherto sometimes
been made with rails pivoted to the vertical guard rails and passing right across
each gate, so that when the gate is folded or collapsed, it will occupy a considerably
greater height than before being folded, the height, when folded, being propor-
tional to the length of the rigid cross rails to which are pivoted the vertical ones.
This increased height in some cases absolutely debars this class of gate from
being used, and my present invention is therefore designed to avoid this defect.
In carrying my invention into effect, I form my gate with uprights or vertical
bars placed at a suitable distance apart and coupled together by a series of short
horizontal links or levers, the ends of which are severally pivoted to the vertical
bars. These links or levers are so formed at the ends, that they can be hinged
together and fold flat or unfold to a certain degree, and the pivots that couple
them together also pivots them to the vertical bars. The first of these short links
or levers is pivoted at one end to the first vertical bar and at the other to the second
vertical bar, the second link is pivoted to the second vertical bar and the first link at
one end, and at the opposite end to the third vertical bar, and the third link, and so
on, and there may be two or in fact any suitable number of rows of these short
coupling links, the width of each link being by preference approximately equiva-
lent to the width of each vertical bar. The links are preferably so hinged
together at the ends that when folded together, the surface of each shall be in the
same plane or approximately so. The vertical bars are suspended from rollers
which hang on a horizontal rail. These rails may be hinged at the end or ends
so that they may fold out of the way when the door is open.
In opening the door, the vertical bar at the end is collapsed against the next
bar, and so on until all the bars of the door lie closely together, the hinged links
folding together in front of or behind the vertical bars or between if there is a
double layer of bars. The rails aforesaid from which the gate is suspended can
then be turned down or swung out of the way or folded up, or if desired these
bars can be a fixture, but in such case they must be placed high enough to enable
persons to pass under.
In a slight modification, I provide vertical bars at each alternate hinge of the
links, instead of at each hinge. By this arrangement a smaller number of vertical
bars are required, and the links can be made thicker and stronger. Pulleys

page_text: may also be provided at the bottom of the gate to run on a way or track on the
floor, thus securing smoothness and evenness of movement.
Dated this 27th day of November 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COME LIE NIELITICATION.
Improvements in Folding or Collapsible Gates, Shutters, or the like.
I, GEORGE MAXWELL MANSELL of 8 Exchange Arcade, Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to collapsible or folding gates, shutters, guards or the
like, and has for its object to avoid certain defects which have hitherto been so
much objected to in this class of invention. Folding gates have hitherto sometimes
been made with rails pivoted to the vertical guard rails and passing right across
cach gate, so that when the gate is folded or collapsed, it will occupy a considerably
greater height than before being folded, the height, when folded, being propor-
tional to the length of the rigid cross rails to which are pivoted the vertical ones.
This increased height in some cases absolutely debars this class of gate from
being used, and my present invention is therefore designed to avoid this defect.
In other cases slots have been employed in the vertical rails in which pins in the
ends of coupling links are fitted to slide, but these sliding pins are liable to scrape
off the paint and otherwise look unsightly, and my invention avoids this defect
also.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved gate partially extended to close
the gateway;
Figure 2, the gate collapsed;
Figures 3 and 4, sectional plans thereof;
Figures 5 and 6, slight modifications.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, I form my gate with vertical bars or guard
rails placed at a suitable distance apart and coupled together by a number of
short folding links or levers arranged in rows or series horizontally across the
structure which are severally pivoted to the vertical bars in such a manner as
to keep the bars parallel to one another and enable them to move nearer
together or to separate. These links or levers are so formed at the ends, that when
hinged together they can be folded flat, or unfolded to a certain degree, the
abutment C (Figure 6) confining the extent of their movement. The pivots that
couple the links together also pivot them by preference to the vertical bars. The
first of these short links or levers B' is pivoted at one end at I to the first vertical
bar A and at the other end at E to the second vortical bar A2. The second
link B is pivoted at E to the second vertical bar A2 and the first link 1
at one end, and at the opposite end to the third vertical bar A3 and the
third link B at F and so on. There may be two or in fact any suitable number
of rows of these short coupling links, the width of each link being by preference
approximately equivalent to the width of each vertical bar. In the drawings
there are four rows shown, rows Nos. 1 and 4 being constructed on the arrange-
ment above described, and the two others Nos. 2 and 3 arranged on a similar plan,

page_text: with this difference, that the links or levers are lengthened somewhat and coupled
together by pivots at G. Referring to these latter, E and F as before are the
pivots that couple the links together and also pivot them to the vertical bars.
The links are however extended in length sufficient to enable them to be pivoted
together at G, which pivots are free to move independently of the vertical hars
and so allow for vertical play. I is a pillar either fixed or capable of axial
movement and provided with arms h. This and also the bar at the opposite.
extremity of the gate, are coupled to the other bars by short links as shown. The
pivots Fremain in one uniform plane when the gate is opened or closed, while
the pivots E and G rise or fall in opposite directions slightly with the opening
or closing of the gate. The position of the pivots E and G can of course be
reversed, that is to say, G can be pivoted to the vertical bars and E left free,
in which case a few inches of space must be allowed at the base G instead of at
the top to allow for the slight vertical movement of each alternate vertical bar
which takes place in collapsing the structure. I is a horizontal rail hinged to
one of the arms h, and on which the structure is suspended by rollers, J a hori-
zontal rail at the base hinged to the other arms and adapted to serve as a guide
for the vertical hars and keep them rigid when the structure is expanded. These
rails can be folded when the gate is collapsed, as shown in Figure 2.
In opening the door, the vertical bar at the end is in the case of rows 1 and 4
collapsed against the next bar, and so on until all the bars of the door lie closely
together, the hinged links folding together in front of or behind the vertical bars
or between if there is a double layer of vertical hans as shown in the drawings.
When however the lengthened links are provided and arranged as shown in the
rows Nos. 2 and 3 of Figure 1 and in Figure 5, all the vertical bars are closed
nearer together, or separated simultaneously, by the impulse communicated to
the first pair or links, that is to say in opening the gate the pivots F are advanced
while at the same time the pivots E and G are separated further apart. The
rails I and J aforesaid can then be folded up, and the whole structure turned
by means of the axial pillar flat against the wall. If preferred the bars I and J
can he fixtures, but in such case the bar I must be placed high enough to enable
persons to pass under.
In a slight modification I provide vertical bars at each alternate hinge of the
links as indicated by way of example in Figure 5, instead of at each hinge. By
this arrangement a smaller number of vertical bars are required and the links
can be made thicker and stronger. Pulleys may also be provided on the bottom
of the gate to run on a way or track on the floor if so desired, thus securing smooth-
ness and evenness of movement. Furthermore it is obvious that the vertical bars
may be pivoted to the links at a point intermediate between the two ends of the
links as shown in Figure 6, but I have found that this does not work quite so
well as the other arrangement. Finally it is obvious that the structure may be
arranged to collapse or expand vertically in which case the parallel bars are
arranged horizontally and the short folding links or levers vertically from top to
bottom. In such case the structure may if desired be counterweighted by springs
or weights or worked by ratchet tooth and pinion, so as to facilitate the collapsing
of the structure by hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The improvement in folding or collapsing gates, shutters, or the like, substan-
tially as described, whereby the space which the parallel bars or guard rails occupy
in a longitudinal direction remains substantially uniform whether the structure bo
folded or unfolded, and the use of slots or their equivalent in the bars for attain-
ing this result is avoided.
2. In a collapsible or folding gate, shutter, or the like, the arrangement for
coupling the parallel bars or guard rails of such structures together, which consists

page_text: in a number of short folding links or levers arranged in series transversely across
the structure to which the bars or guard rails are pivoted at equi-distant intervals,
whereby the latter can be collapsed transversely into a small compass, while the
space which they occupy longitudinally remains quite or approximately uniform
substantally as described.
3. A collapsible or folding gate, shutter or the like, wherein the folding links
or levers that couple the parallel bars together are made of a length approximately
equivalent to the distance apart of the bars, and the pins that serve as pivots for
coupling together the said links also pivot them to the parallel bars, whereby the
use of slots in the bars for the pins to slide in are dispensed with, substantially
as described.
4. A collapsible or folding gate, shutter or the like consisting of a parallel
series of bars or rails connected pivotally with a number of short folding links
or levers arranged in series transversely across the structure, each series of said
links being hinged to a rod or pillar H or its equivalent, which is either fixed or
capable of axial movement, substantially as described.
5. In a collapsible or folding gate, shutter or the like, in which folding links
or levers couple the parallel bars or guard rails of the structure together, forming
said links or levers with an abutment such as C so arranged as to confine the
extent of their movement or prevent their being straightened out beyond a
certain degree substantially as set forth.
6. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
improved folding or collapsible gate, shutter or the like, substantally as described,
with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and Figure 5 and Figure 6 of the accompany-
ing drawings.
D
001
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London, Patent Agents.