IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING HINGES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Reap and William Henry Michelmore,
both of Borough Road, Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
Engineers and Founders, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRING HINGES."
Sealed the 10th August 1869, and dated the 26th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Reap and William
Henry Michelmore at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 26th February 1869.
We, JOHN REAP and WILLIAM HENRY MICHELMORE, both of
Borough Road, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineers and
Founders, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING HINGES," to be as follows:-
My Invention applies to the hinges employed for causing doors to
close when they are opened in either direction, and which are generally
known as spring hinges. Such hinges are usually let into the sill of
the door to which they are applied, the spring-closing apparatus being
enclosed in a box under the level of the sill or tread. As the door is

page_text: made to open either way there is generally with such hinges a slackness
at the middle portion of the door, which allows it to move to or fro a
certain distance without remaining stable at its middle or closed position,
and when the doors are double they often from this cause leave a gap
between them by their not exactly facing each other. Again, as such
hinges are usually made the hinge box once let into the sill settles the
middle portion of the door, which cannot afterwards be conveniently
adjusted without removing and refixing the box. And for repairing the
hinge the door must be anhung for the purpose of removing the box,
and has to remain so unhung until the box be replaced.
Now the object of my Invention is to construct the hinge that the
door when in its middle position is firmly held, notwithstanding wear or
slackness, that this middle position can be conveniently adjusted without
altering the position of the box, and that the whole of the working parts
can be taken out of the box for the purposes of cleaning or repair
without removing the box itself, these parts being capable of being at
once replaced by another set fitting into the existing box.
The construction which I adopt is as follows:-The pin or vertical
axis of the hinge is mounted in bearings, so that it can freely turn
through rather more than a quarter of a revolution either way. The
upper part of this pin is squared, so as to receive a lever or shoe which
is affixed to the lower angle of the door, which thus turns on and with,
this pin as an axis. On the pin are mounted two rollers so as to turn
on vertical axes which are at some distance from the axis of the pin
itself. Two curved jaws are mounted on vertical axes, one on each side
of the hinge pin, and are acted on by a spring, so as to make them
close tightly together towards the hinge pin, and these jaws are geared
together so that when either one of them is caused to move from the
hinge pin the other also moves from the hinge pin. The rollers already
described bear on the inner faces of these jaws, one upon each, and each
of these faces is made of such curvature that when by moving the door
the hinge pin with its rollers is turned, the roller running on either face.
causes the jaws to expand against the force of the spring, and con-
sequently when the door is left free the force of the spring tending to
make the jaws close together causes the rollers to be pressed towards
the middle position, and so closes the door. From this arrangement it
follows that when there is wear or slackness in any of the working parts
the spring only tends to bring the jaws closer together, still causing

page_text: pressure to be exerted on the rollers, and thus keeping the door steady.
I prefer to make the hinge pin bearings, and to mount the jaws and
spring within a framing which is let into the box, and can be readily
removed therefrom for cleaning or repair. One end of this framing, that
is, where the hinge pin is fitted into it, is let into a circular recess in the
box, so that the whole framing can be turned a little in either direction
on the same axis as the door. At the other end of the framing I fit two
adjusting screws or wedges, which bear respectively against the opposite
sides of the box. By slacking the one and tightening the other of these
screws or wedges the framing can be altered in position, and as the
whole of the working parts of the hinge are mounted in it the middle
position of the hinge can be thus adjusted..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Reap and William Henry Michelmore in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,.. we, JOIN
REAP and WILLIAM HENRY MICHELMORE, both of Borough Road,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineers and Founders, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Reap and William
Henry Michelmore,. Her special licence that we, the said John Reap
and William Henry Michelmore, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Reap and William Henry
Michelmore, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING HINGES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said John Reap and William Henry Michelmore,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our

page_text: or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Reap and William Henry
Michelmore, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our Invention applies to the hinges employed for causing doors to
close when they are opened in either direction, and which are generally
known as spring hinges. Such hinges are usually let into the sill of
the door to which they are applied, the spring closing apparatus being
enclosed in a box under the level of the sill or tread. As the door is
made to open either way there is generally with such hinges a slackness
at the middle position of the door which allows it to move to and fro a
certain distance without remaining stable at its middle or closed position,
and when the doors are double they often from this cause leave a gap
between them by their not exactly facing each other. Again, as such
hinges are usually made the hinge box once let into the sill settles the
middle position of the door, which cannot afterwards be conveniently
adjusted without removing and refixing the box. And for repairing the
hinge the door must be unhung for the purpose of removing the box
and has to remain so unhung until the box be replaced.
Now the object of our Invention is so to construct the hinge that the
door when in its middle position is firmly held, notwithstanding wear
or slackness, that this middle position can be conveniently adjusted
without altering the position of the box, and that the whole of the
working parts can be taken out of the box for purposes of cleaning or
repair without removing the box itself, these parts being capable of
being at once replaced by another set fitting into the existing box.
The construction which we adopt is as follows:-The pin or vertical
axis of the hinge is mounted in bearings so that it can freely turn
through rather more than a quarter of a revolution either way. The
upper part of this pin is squared so as to receive a lever or shoe which
is affixed to the lower angle of the door, which thus turns on and with
this pin as an axis. On the pin are mounted two rollers so as to turn
on vertical axes which are at some-distance from the axis of the pin

page_text: itself. Two curved jaws are mounted on vertical axes, one on each side
of the hinge pin, and are acted on by a spring so as to make them close
tightly together towards the hinge pin, and these jaws. are geared
together so that when either one of them is caused to move from the
hinge pin the other also moves from the hinge pin. The rollers already
described bear on the inner faces of these jaws, one upon cach, and each
of these faces is made of such curvature that when by moving the door
the hinge pin with its rollers is turned, the roller running on either face
causes the jaws to expand against the force of the spring, and consc-
quently when the door is left free the force of the spring tending to
make the jaws close together causes the rollers to be pressed towards
the middle position, and so closes the door. From this arrangement
it follows that when there is wear or slackness in any of the working
parts the spring only tends to bring the jaws closer together, still causing
pressure to be excrted on the rollers, and thus keeping the door steady.
We prefer to make the hinge pin bearings and to mount the jaws and
spring within a framing which is let into the box and can be readily
removed therefrom for cleansing or repair. One end of this framing,
that is, where the hinge pin is fitted into it, is let into a circular recess
in the box so that the whole framing can be turned a little in either
direction on the same axis as the door. At the other end of the framing
we fit two adjusting screws or wedges which bear respectively against
the opposite sides of the box. By slacking the one and tightening the
other of these screws or wedges the framing can be altered in position,
and as the whole of the working parts of the hinge are mounted
on it the middle position of the hinge can be thus adjusted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section of our improved spring hinge
taken on the line E, F, marked in Fig. 2; Fig. 2 represents a sectional
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page_text: round boss which is fitted into a circular recess in the bottom of the
casing, and in this boss is formed a cup which receives the pin or pivot
of the hinge. d, d, are two hollow-faced nuts, which bear against the
pillar c', and d³, d, are set screws pointed at the heads, their points
entering conical holes formed in the sides of the casing. By turning
the screws d', d, the whole frame c may be made to turn. partly round.
on the centre of its boss c², and thus the position of the frame c with
reference to the centre line E, F, of the hinge box can be adjusted a
little one way or the other. We sometimes for the purpose of further
adjustment mount the boss c in the manner indicated in Fig. 4,, which
in position by four set
may be adjusted both
represents a plan of the hinge box with the boss c³ made not to fit a
circular recess in the hinge box but to be held
screws, by means of which the position of
laterally and longitudinally. e, e, are two jaws or bent levers mounted
on pins e¹, e', fitted in holes in the frame c, the jaws e, e, being capable of
revolving freely on those pins. The two jaws are geared together by
cogs, so that on either being caused to turn upon its pin the other is
caused also to turn in the opposite direction. f is a spring, which we
prefer to make of several blades bent so as to bear with their ends
against the jaws e, e, and thus to close them together. The jaws e, e, arc
near their pivot pins of the whole depth between the plates of the
casing c, but their curved arms are made of less depth so that the one
can cross over or under the other and move freely past it. is the
pivot of the hinge, which is rounded at the lower end to work in a cup
formed in the frame boss c and which passing through a round hole in
the cover plate b is squared at the top to receive a socket or shoe fixed
on the door. Thus as the door is caused to turn the pivot g turns with
it. The middle part of the pivot at g¹ is so shaped as to be clear of the
jaws e, e, in their closed position, and two rollers h, h, are mounted on
axes in the pivot g', so as to bear respectively against the jaws e, e.
When by turning the door the pivot g is caused to turn on its axis, one
of the rollers h, h, bearing against the curved face of one of the jaws e, e,
causes that jaw to open outwards from the pivot g, and the other jaw
being geared to it is likewise caused to open outwards from g. Thus the
spring is subjected to flexure, and when the door is left free the
elasticity of the spring f causes the jaws e, e, to collapse again, and the
curved face of one of them bearing against one of the rollers h, h, causes
the pivot g to turn, and thus brings back the door to its central position.
We prefer to form the faces of the jaws e, e, with a hollow somewhat

page_text: V-shaped, in which the rollers h, k, rest when the door is in its middle
position, as indicated in Fig. 2. Thus it requires considerably more
force to move the door from its middle position than it does afterwards
to open it widely, the rollers h, h, being held with certain firmness in
the V-shaped recesses of the jaws. In constructing such hinges we
prefer to chill cast the lower end of the pivot g, and the cup in which
it works, in order to give those parts hardness and durability. We also
find it convenient to cast the pins e¹, e¹, of the jaws and the pins of
the rollers, h, in their places, driving them out afterwards in order to
introduce the jaws and rollers respectively. By this mode of manufac-
ture we save the expense of drilling and secure chilled holes for the
pins to fit. By constructing the hinge as described and represented in
the Drawings we can in case of fracture or derangement remove the
cover plate 6, and slacking the screws d', d', take out the framing c, c,
with the jaws e, e, spring f, and pivot g', and replace those parts by a
fresh set of working parts without removing the box d from its place,
and by means of the screws d', d', we can adjust the position of the
frame c, c, so as to bring the door in its middle to face either the door
style, if the door be single, or to face the other door if the doors be double
replacing the cover plate 6 when the adjustment has been made.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which it is performed, we would have it understood that we do not
limit ourselves to the precise dimensions or proportions represented on
the Drawings, as these may be varied to suit different sizes and weights
of doors, and different ranges in their opening.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Reap and William Henry
Michelmore, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN REAP.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HENRY MICHELMORE. (L.S.)