IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSOM ADJUSTERS AND LOCKS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gilbert Jardin Dickson, of the city and county of
Albany, and State of New York, United States of America, for an invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Gilbert Jardin Dickson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th August 1882.
GILBERT JARDIN DICKSON, of the City and County of Albany, and State of
New York, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSOM ADJUSTERS
AND LOCKS"
My invention relates to improvements in devices for adjusting and locking
pivotted transoms or sashes; and the object of my improvements is to provide an
automatic device whereby the pivoted transom or sash may be moved in either
direction by means of an operating arm or lever, jointed to the casing of the
device. and adapted to retract the locking bolt whenever pressure is applied to
said lever to either open or close the transom or sash; the re-locking of the device
in any position opened closed or at any intermediate point being automatically
effected whenever the pressure is removed from the operating arm. I attain this
object by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which
forms part of this specification, and in which―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device applied to a transom, a portion of the
casing being broken away to expose underlying parts;
Figure 2 an enlarged edge view of the fastening device complete ;
Figure 3 a plan view of the stationary pivot plate of same;
Figure 4 an inverted plan view of the movable pivot plate of same; Figure 5, a
sectional view of the complete device, on the line, tt of Figure 4; Figure 6 a
transverse section of the operating arm and locking bolt on the line u, u of
Figure 4; Figure 7 a plan view of the stationary pivot plate of a modified form of
my invention; Figure 8 an inverted plan view of the movable pivot plate for
same; Figure 9 a sectional view of said modified form at the line v, v of Figure 8,
the operating arm being shown in elevation; Figure 10 a transverse section on the
Price d1

page_text: lino w, w on Figure 9; Figure 11 a plan view of another modification of my inven-
tion; Figure 12 a transverse section on the line x, x of Fig 11; Figure 13 a
side elevation of a fastening device for cords, when the latter are used for working
the operating arm; Figure 14 a horizontal section on the line y, y of Figure 13;
and Figure 15 an enlarged horizontal section on the line z, z, of Figure 1.
The stationary pivot-plate A and movable pivot-plate B may be made in the
segmental forms shewn in the drawing, or, if preferred, in a full circular formn;
each of said plates should have a standing circumferential flange, and the movable
plate B should be of sufficient diameter to enable its flange to shut freely over the
flange of the stationary plate A; by overlapping the said flanges as described, the
joint between the plates is closed to prevent the passage of cold air and dampness
therethrough.
The stationary pivot-plate A is provided with a pivot-pin a and gear-teeth a¹ or
other suitable projections; said teeth as shewn in Figures 1 and 3 are formed on
the outer side of the circumferential flange but as shewn in Figure 7 they are
formed on the inner side of said flange; the change in the location of said teeth
being made to adapt the parts to the different forms and modifications of the
device.
The movable pivot-plate B is provided with a central opening b which fits the
pivot pin a of the stationary plate, and forms a centre bearing upon which the
plate B turns.
In the construction shewn in Figures 1 to 6 of the drawing the movable pivot
plate has a slotted-arın b¹ which projects radially from its circumference; a sliding-
plate C fitted to slide radially in a recess formed in the plate B, and having a
spring c attached thereto, so as to force said sliding plate inwardly is provided
with a lug c', which slides in the slotted opening of the arm b¹ and engages with
the teeth a² of the stationary pivot-plate when the movable pivot-plate is to be
locked in any fixed position. An operating arm D is pivotted at d to the sliding
plate C and is provided with shoulders d' which rest against the outer end of the
arm band when pressure is applied to the arm D to deflect it in either direction
from a radial line, the shoulder remaining in contact with the end of the arm b¹
serves as a fulcrum bearing for the arm D and enables the latter to move the
sliding-plate C outward so as to withdraw the lug c¹ from its engagement with
the teeth of the plate A; and as soon as this disengagement is effected, the pressure
continued against the side of the arm D will cause the transom or sash to turn on
its pivotal centres in the direction in which the arm D has been moved. The
instant that the moving pessure is removed from the arm D the spring c forces
the sliding-plate C inward thereby causing the lug c¹ to reengage with the teeth a',
and restoring the arm D to its initial position.
In the modification illustrated in Figures 7 to 10 of the drawing the movable
pivot-plate B has a radial arm b³ formed upon its back-plate and the outer end of
said arm is flattened to form the lug e to which the operating arm D is pivotally
connected; a sleeve E is fitted to slide on the arm 62 and is provided at its lower end
with an inwardly projecting flange e having teeth that are adapted to engage with
the internal teeth a¹ of the stationary pivot plate A shewn in Fig 7; a spiral
spring e¹ contained in the sleeve E exerts its pressure against the flange e' and
forces said sleeve outwardly against the shoulder d' of the operating arm D, as
shewn by the full lines in Fig 8; the outward pressure exerted by the spring e¹
against the sleeve E also causes the teeth on the flange e of said sleeve, to engage
with the teeth a' on the stationary pivot-plate A (Fig 7) and lock the movable
pivot-plate B in a fixed position in respect to said stationary pivot-plate.
It will be observed that in the different constructions above described the
releasement of the locking mechanism whereby the movable pivot-plate B is at any
point of its movement secured to the stationary pivot-plate A is effected by meaus
substantially the same, but in different manners.
In the construction first described the operating arm D moves the sliding plate C
outwardly to effect the releasement of the parts, while in the other construction

page_text: the operating arm D presses the sliding sleeve E inwardly to effect the same
purpose.
The stationary pivot-plate A is secured to the casing and the movable pivot-
plate B to the edge of the transom or sash as shown in Fig 1 and it is obvious
that my device can be applied to any swinging transom or sash having its pivotal
centres arranged either vertically horizontally or obliquely.
Figs 11 and 12 shew a modification of my device designed for use in places
where the pivot-plates cannot be employed, and where the pivotal centre of the
sash and the curvature of the fastening rack are not in accord with each other.
In said modification, the pivotal centre of the sash is marked a; F a segmental
rack having teeth on its inner edge and bent to a curvature formed by any radius;
G a hollow case adapted to slide on the rack F and provided with a sliding-bolt g
arranged to engage with the teeth of said rack, into which the said bolt is forced
by means of a spring gl (shown by dotted lines in Fig 11); an operating lever H
projecting from the outer end of the case G is provided with lateral arms, (shown
by dotted lines in Fig 11) which bear against opposite corners of said case, and
its base rests against the head of the bolt g in such manner that a side pressure
against the lever H in either direction, will depress said bolt and disengage it from
the teeth of the rack F, and permit the case G to move on said rack responsively
to the pressure applied to the lever H. An arm I is secured to the face of the
sash, in line with, or near to, the pivotal centre a of said sash; the outer end of
said arm is adapted to receive a sliding movement in the head g² on one face of the
case G; the said sliding movement compensating for any difference between the
forin of the rack F and the location of the pivotal centre a on the sash; and it is
obvious that by this means of compensation a straight rack may be substituted
for the curved rack F whenever such a form is preferred or can be used to greater
advantage.
To adapt my device to use on transoms and sashes that are placed in elevated
positions I employ an operating rod as shown in Fig 1 which consists of sliding
rod J provided with a perpendicular slotted arm j which engages with a knob or
handle d on the operating arm D, to move said operating arm in either direction
as herein before described; said sliding rod passes through guide brackets K one of
which should be provided with a lever k having an eccentric cam k¹ through which
the rod J passes in such manner that when the eccentric cam is thrown over into
the position indicated by the dotted lines of Fig 15 the rod can thereby be
bound in the bracket K and held stationary therein.
When preferred cords L may be employed in place of the rod J to operate the
arm D; in such cases one of said cords should pass over a guide-sheave fixed above
the arm D so as to effect the upward movement of the said arm and the other cord
is arranged to move said arm downwardly.
When such cords are employed I preferably attach, to their lower ends short
rods which slide through the bracket M provided with a roller m and an
eccentric cam lever m¹ through which the rods are arranged in such manner
that when the eccentric cam is moved into the position indicated by the dotted
lines in Fig 14 the rods will be bound in the bracket M and held in an
immovable condition.
I claim as my invention ;-
1. A transom adjuster composed of a stationary pivot-plate and a movable pivot-
plate substantially as described; the said stationary pivot-plate having a series of
teeth or indentations formed in a curved line, and the movable pivot-plate being
provided with an operating-arm arranged to flex in directions corresponding to the
movements of said inovable pivot plate; and the said operating-arm being adapted
to effect the disengagement of a bolt or other locking device from the teeth of the
stationary plate, and impart motion to the movable pivot-plate in the manner
herein specified.
2. The combination with a stationary pivot-plate A having a series of teeth a
arranged in a curved line thereon as herein described, of a movable pivot-plate B

page_text: provided with an operating-arm D arranged to flex in directions corresponding to
the movements of said movable pivot-plate, so as to disengage the locking mechanismı
and impart motion to the pivot-plate B as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a transom adjuster, the combination, with a stationary plate or other
fixture provided with a series of teeth arranged in a curved line, of a movable
plate or other device having an operating arm arranged to flex in such manner
that it will disengage a locking mechanism and impart motion to the movable
portion of the device substantially as herein specified.
4. The sliding-rod J provided with a slotted arm j adapted to engage with the
operating arm D of a transom adjuster, in combination with a bracket K provided
with a cam-lever k arranged as described to secure the sliding-rod J as herein
specified.
5. The combination with the duplex rods of the bracket M provided with a
roller m, an eccentric cam-lever mall constructed and arranged to operate as and
for the purpose herein specified.
In witness whereof I the said Gilbert Jardin Dickson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty fourth day of July in the year of our Lord
1882
GILBERT JARDIN DICKSON. (L.S.)