IMPROVEMENTS IN DOORS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, of
No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Patent Solicitor, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOORS."--A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand le Comte
de Fontainemoreau at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 7th September 1857.
I, PETER ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINEMOREAU, of No. 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, Patent Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOORS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
The Invention communicated to me consists in certain appendages, appli-
cable to the doors of habitations, for the more effectual stopping out all
draughts or currents of air arising from the imperfect closing of the same.
The appendages consist of a plinth or narrow strip of thin wood, somewhat
broader than the width of the chink under the door, and in length correspond-
ing with the width of the door after deducting the portion thereof covered by
the hinge side rabbet. This plinth is connected by hinges and edge to edge
with a second strip of wood, of equal length but narrower, by means of which
it is screwed on to the outer side of the lower batten of the door. The plinth
is so hinged to the strip just described, which I call the connecting piece, as
to be perfectly parallel with the same, and hang vertically in the same plane,

page_text: or form at pleasure an angle of 45° therewith.
The connecting piece is
provided with a spring, so placed as to force the plinth outward, and cause it
to take the aforesaid angle limited to 45° by means of a check. The plinth
is applied to the outside of the door, to which it may either be simply
attached by means of screws passed through the connecting piece into the
batten of the door, or it may be let into the said batten, so as to form a flush
or level surface therewith, and then screwed as before. To explain the
action of the apparatus, suppose it to be applied as above described, and
the door closed, in this case the plinth, notwithstanding the action of the
spring, will be maintained in a vertical position, in consequence of its being
pressed against the lock side rabbet of the door frame, and us in this position
its lower edge touches the floor, it will intercept all currents of air; but if the
door be now opened, and the plinth no longer retained in a vertical position
by the pressure of the door frame, and, urged by its spring, describes a segment
of a circle, of which its hinges may be considered as the centre, and assumes
immediately an angle of about 45°, which is sufficient to detach it from the
floor. In case the plinth is simply screwed on, either the rabbet in the door
post must be hollowed out to receive the additional thickness of the plinth, or
the length of the plinth must be diminished by limiting it to the space
between the door posts. And at the foot of one of the door posts must be
placed a small stud or pallet, in such wise as to come in contact with the
plinth, and determine the vertical position thereof when the door closes. In
the case of folding doors, the stud or bearing point is replaced by a small cone
of metal, porcelain, or other hard and smooth substance, screwed on to the
lower parts of the door post, so as to come in contact with the hinged plinth,
and force the same into the vertical position when the door closes. At the
points of contact with the studs the plinth is covered with a thin sheet of
metal. To insure perfect contact with the floor, the under edge of the plinth
is provided with a small tube of vulcanized india-rubber or strip of baize
extending along its whole length and parallel with it.
For preventing side and top draughts, I also make use of a vulcanized
india-rubber tube, which I lodge in a semicircular groove formed in the back
of the lintel and lock rabbets, and in the side of the hinge rabbet. The tube
extends the whole length of the rabbets, and becomes closely pressed against
the door, when the latter is closed so as to effectually to intercept all currents
of air.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 5th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINEMOREAU, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, Patent Solicitor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, Her special licence that I,
the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontainemoreau, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Armand le Comte
de Fontainemoreau, my executors, 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 Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DOORS," communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de
Fontainemoreau, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de-Fontaine-
moreau, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:-
The Invention consists in a certain appendage or apparatus applied to doors,
for preventing draughts or currents of air from under the same, which
apparatus is composed of two narrow strips of wood (oak or mahogany being
preferred) connected edge to edge together by hinges. One of the strips,
termed the "connecting piece," is secured to the lower part of the door;
the other strip, termed the "flap," hangs in such a position that when the

page_text: door is closed it may cover any opening which may exist between the floor and
the door. When the door is opened, the flap turns on its hinge by the action
of a spring, so as to form an angle of about forty-five degrees, which permits
it to pass freely over a carpet or other obstacle without touching the same.
On closing the door the flap is brought again into a vertical position by its
being pressed against the door post or a stop suitably placed for that purpose.
Before describing the manner of applying the flap to the door, and its
mode of action, it will be necessary to state that in making use of the term
"outside" as applied to a door, I mean the side thereof which falls into the
rabbets of the door frame, or the side of which a portion of the width is
concealed by the said rabbets when the door is closed. Moreover, I designate
the vertical and opposite rabbets of the door posts either as "hinge side" or
"lock side," by way of distinction. The flap is always applied to the outside
of the door, to which it may be attached either by three or four screws through
the connecting piece into the batten of the door, or, which is preferable, it may
be let into the said batten so as to be level or flush with its surface, and then
screwed as before. In either case, when in its proper position, it must touch
the floor and extend the whole width of the door, excepting the portion of the
latter covered by the hinge side rabbet; or, in other words, it should not
extend to this side within one-eighth of an inch of the door 'post, as the latter
would otherwise interfere with its movement.
To explain the action of the apparatus, suppose it to be applied as above
described, and the door closed. In this case the flap, notwithstanding the
action of its spring, will be maintained in a vertical position (as regards its
transversal section.) in consequence of its being pressed against the lock side
rabbet of the door frame, and as in this position its lower edge touches the
floor all currents of air will be intercepted. But if the door be now opened,
the flap no longer retained in a vertical position by the pressure of the door
frame and by its spring, describes a segment of a circle, of which its hinges
may be considered as the centre, and assumes immediately an angle of forty-
five degrees, which is sufficient not only to detach it from the floor, but also
to cause it to rise considerably above the same, so as to clear a carpet or any
similar obstacle. On closing the door the flap naturally resumes its vertical
position. It has been mentioned that the flap may be simply screwed on
instead of being let into the door. In this case it will be observed that either
the rabbet in the door post "lock side" must be hollowed out to receive the
additional thickness of the flap, which would otherwise prevent the door from
closing, or the length of the flap must be diminished by limiting it to the
space between the door posts. And at the foot of one of these (that on the

page_text: lock side) must be placed a small stud in such a manner as to come in contact
with the flap, and determine the vertical position thereof when the door
closes. At the points of contact with the studs or stopping pieces, in order
to prevent wear and diminish friction, the flap is covered with a thin metallic
plate; the inside of the rabbet of the door post may also be furnished with
the same. To insure perfect contact with the floor, the under edge of the flap
is provided with a small strip of baize, and may be also dressed or "scribed "
to the floor for the same purpose.
I will now refer to the Drawing hereto annexed for the better understanding
of the Invention, and shew the manner in which it is carried out; identical
parts are represented in the Drawing by the same letters,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the apparatus applied to a door
(open); Figure 2, elevation of the same with all the accessory parts; Figure
3, vertical section of the same, the door being closed; Figure 4, plan of
Figure 2; Figure 5, section of flap in contact with a stud or stop; Figure 6,
the same, the door being closed; Figures 7, 71, part of the flap, in elevation
and plan; Figure 8 shows a section of the apparatus flush with the surface
of the door, which is closed; Figure 9, the same, with the door open; Figure
10, perspective view of a door to which the apparatus is applied. D, lower
portion of door; H, P, hinge door post; L, P, lock door post; B, moveable
flap attached by hinges e, e, to the connecting piece C, which is screwed to
the door, so that when the latter is closed the lower edge of the flap, to which
is nailed or otherwise fixed a doubled strip of baize f touches the floor; T is a
rectangular piece of metal screwed to the lock door post; it forms a stop
with which the flap comes in contact when the door is closed, and by which
it is forced into a vertical position; b, spiral spring of iron wire connected
with the under side of the connecting piece C by a staple d, which runs
through its centre, and on which it turns freely. One end of this spring is
fixed on the piece C, while the other end g presses on a cross wire i, attached
to the flap B, which it thus forces outwards in an angular direction.
hook at the end of the wire g prevents the flap rising beyond the required
angle. The under part of C is formed with a recess to allow the spring to
work freely, and without touching elsewhere than on the cross wire i. jis a
check plate, which answers the same purpose as the hook h; K, plate screwed
to the flap at the point at which the latter comes in contact with the stopping
piece. In Figures 8 and 9 a rabbet has been formed in the door, to allow
the flap to be flush with the surface of the door. In this arrangement the
A small

page_text: apparatus is painted the same color as the door, and made without a moulding,
so that it is scarcely visible when the door is shut. This arrangement
dispenses also with the necessity of a metallic stud, as the moveable flap can
be extended so as to come in contact with the bottom of the rabbet of the
door post lock side when the door closes.
Having now particularly described the nature of the Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I
do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein laid down,
reserving to myself the right of modifying the same; what I claim as my
Invention, and intend to be secured by Letters Patent, is,
First, the prevention of draughts or currents of air from the under part of
doors by means of a moveable flap kept extended when not in use by a spring,
substantially as herein-before described, and represented in the annexed
Drawing.
Secondly, the employment of a stud to be fixed to the door post in order
to place the flap in a vertical position when the door is closed, as herein-
before described, and shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine-
moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day
of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight.
L DE FONTAINEMOREAU. (L.S.)