IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR DOORS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Newman of Ryde in the Isle of Wight, Civil
Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR DOORS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Newman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th July 1883.
FRANCIS NEWMAN of Ryde in the Isle of Wight, Civil Engineer
MENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR DOORS
33
"IMPROVE-
My invention has reference to fastenings for doors whereby these are enabled to
open outwards automatically when pressure is applied to them from the inside.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement applicable more particularly to
double or folding doors, hinged to open outwards, I provide on the inner side of
the one leaf a short bolt at top and at bottom, arranged to slide in a guide, but
prevented from turning therein. The inner ends of these bolts are tubular and
into them fit the ends of a rod extending vertically along the door. This rod has
on each end a screw thread of very quick pitch working in female threads in the
bolts, so that when the rod is turned somewhat it causes both bolts to be shot or
withdrawn. At a convenient point the rod has an arm projecting from it, which,
when the bolts are shot, projects at a certain angle from the door, so that when
the arm is pressed against by a crowd of persons or otherwise so as to force it
against the door, the consequent turning of the rod will cause both bolts to be
withdrawn, allowing the door to give way and open outwards under the pressure.
As the distance through which the bolts are moved by this means would be
comparatively small, they are rendered capable of accurate adjustment in the
sockets by constructing them with a screw connection. In place of actuating the
bolts by a screw thread as described, they may be worked by any other convenient
known mechanical device whereby their withdrawal can be effected by turning the
beforementioned arm through a comparatively small angle. If necessary, the said
arm can be kept in its outward position, in which the bolts are shot, by a spring
that will give way when a certain pressure is applied. In order to prevent persons
from getting between the arm and the door, thereby preventing the former from

page_text: being pressed against the latter, the end of the arm can be connected to the door
by an articulated rod acting as a guard. Although the above described arrange-
ment is more particularly applicable to folding doors, yet it will be evident that it
is also applicable to single doors, and to doors having a folding joint in the middle.
For the latter however I prefer to employ an arrangement in which the folding
joint of the door prevented from folding together by means of a strut or catch
having an arm projecting at an angle from the door and so arranged that when
the arm is pressed against the door, the strut or catch is released, allowing the
door to fold together outwards. The said strut or catch and its arm are by
preference made to swing on a pivot, so that when disengaged they will swing
round into a vertical position so as to allow the two leaves of the door to fold
together.
:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Francis Newman in the Patent Office on the 9th January
1884.
FRANCIS NEWMAN of Ryde in the Isle of Wight Civil Engineer.
MENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR DOORS
"
"IMPROVE-
My invention has reference to fastenings for doors whereby these are enabled to
open outwards automatically when pressure is applied to them from the inside.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement applicable more particularly to
double or folding doors, hinged to open outwards, I provide on the inner side of
the one leaf a short bolt at top and at bottom, arranged to slide in a guide, but
prevented from turning therein. The inner ends of these bolts are tubular, and
into them fit the ends of a rod extending vertically along the door. This rod has
on each end a screw thread of very quick pitch working in female threads in the
bolts, so that when the rod is turned somewhat it causes both bolts to be shot or
withdrawn. At a convenient point the rod has an arm projecting from it, which,
when the bolts are shot, projects at a certain angle from the door, so that when
the arm is pressed against by a crowd of persons or otherwise, so as to force it
against the door, the consequent turning of the rod will. cause both bolts to be
withdrawn, allowing the door to give way and open outwards under the pressure.
As the distance through which the bolts are moved by this means would be
comparatively small, they are rendered capable of accurate adjustment in the
sockets by constructing them with a screw connection. In place of actuating the
bolts by a screw thread, as described, they may be worked by any other convenient
known mechanical device whereby their withdrawal can be effected by turning
the before mentioned arm through a comparatively small angle. If necessary, the
said arm can be kept in its outward position, in which the bolts are shot, by a
spring that will give way when a certain pressure is applied. In order to prevent
persons from getting between the arm and the door, thereby preventing the former
from being pressed against the latter, the end of the arm can be connected to the
door by an articulated rod acting as a guard. Although the above described
arrangement is more particularly applicable to folding doors, yet it will be evident
that it is also applicable to single doors, and to doors having a folding joint in the
middle. For the latter, however, I prefer to employ an arrangement in which the
folding joint of the door is prevented from folding together by means of a strut or
catch having an arm projecting at an angle from the door and so arranged that
when the arm is pressed against the door, the strut or catch is released, allowing
the door to fold together outwards. The said strut or catch and its arm are
by preference made to swing on a pivot, so that when disengaged they will swing
round into a vertical position so as to allow the two leaves of the door to fold
together.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a sectional plan of a pair of folding
doors with one arrangement of my before described invention applied thereto..
Fig. 2 shews an inside elevation of the doors on a smaller scale, and Fig. 3 shews
an enlarged elevation of the upper fastenings.
The doors shewn are constructed with double hinges A A¹, so as to open in
either direction, but the invention is equally applicable to doors opening only in
the direction of the hinges A¹. The one leaf of the door is secured by sliding
bolts B B at top and bottom, the inner ends of which have an enlargement B¹ in
a screwed hole in which works a screw C of very quick pitch attached to an arm
or leaf D that turns in hearings E fixed to the door, and that is inade to project.
to an angle from the door as shewn at Figs 1 and 2 when the bolts B are shot..

page_text: The upper and lower screws C being right and left handed, it will be seen that on
pressing the leaf. D towards the door both bolts B will be simultaneously
withdrawn by the turning of the screws, and the folding doors will be free to
swing outwards. In order to prevent the possibility of the body or arm of the
person. getting behind the leaf D and thus interfering with its action, a second
leaf F is hinged thereto,.and is connected by links G to the door, both leaves
being capable of assuming the dotted position at Fig. 1 when pushed against.
The part B of the bolt may be made adjustable in the part B₁ by screwing or
otherwise, in order to regulate the extent to which the bolt is shot so as to
correspond exactly to the action of the screws C. These screws might also be
made female, and the male screw formed on the bolt B. Figs. 9 to 15 shew
another arrangement of the mechanism for withdrawing the bolts; Fig. 9 shews
an elevation of the doors; Figs 10 and 11 shew enlarged side views of the bolt
and actuating mechanism; Fig. 12 shews a sectional plan of the doors, and
Figs 13 to 15 shew details of the mechanism. In this arrangement the leaf D has
boxes HH, carrying a vertically pivotted frame I having two rollers J J between
which passes the inclined arm B₁ of the bolt B, the arm of the upper bolt being
inclined downwards and that of the lower one upwards. Thus it will be seen
that when the leaf D is moved away from the door, as at Figs 10, 12 and 14, the
rollers J in acting on the arms B₁ will cause the bolts to be shot, but when the
leaf is pressed against the door as at Fig 11, the bolt will be withdrawn. The
space behind the leaf D may be enclosed by attaching a piece of flexible material
to the edge of the leaf and to the door.
Figs. 16 to 20 shew another modification of the mechanism for actuating the
bolts. Fig. 16 shews a sectional plan of the doors; Fig. 17 shews an inside eleva-
tion of the same to a smaller scale, Figs. 18.and 19 shew vertical sections with the
bolts respectively in the shot and the withdrawn positions, and Fig. 20 shews a
front view of the mechanism. In this arrangement, the leaf D is connected to the
bolts B B by elbow levers K K, and links K' K', the levers being carried by
brackets L L on the door. Thus when the leaf is moved away from the door as
at Fig. 18, the bolts are shot, and when it is pressed against the door as at Fig 19,
the bolts are withdrawn.
Figs. 4 to 8 shew an arrangement which may also be applied to folding doors of
the same description as above, but which is more particularly applicable to doors
wherein the one leaf or fold is hinged to the outer edge of the other leaf, as shewn
at Figs. 4 and 5, so that on pressure being applied inside, both doors can fold or
double together in an outward direction, upon the middle hinges, although the door
may be locked at M, turning for this purpose on the hinge A¹; but when the hinges
at N are prevented from folding by the arrangement to be presently described, the
entire door can be opened inwards on the hinges A. Fig. 4 shews a sectional plan
of the door, Fig. 5 shews an elevation of the same, and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are details.
The outer leaf of the door has hinged to it the strut O, the tail O¹ of which, when
in the position at Fig. 4, bears against the outer leaf. The strut is locked in this
position by a stud P (Fig. 8) fixed to the edge of the hinged leaf D and entering a
groove O2 on the outer end of the strut, and it will be seen that when the strut is
held in this position by the leaf D, the tail O¹ will prevent the outer leaf of the
door from turning upon the hinges at N, but when the leaf D is pressed towards
the door so as to release the stud P from the groove of the strut O the hinges N
will be free to fold together as above described. The hinge of the strut O is carried
by a plate Q that can turn on a swivel, so that when the strut is released it will
drop down into a vertical position, so as not to interfere with the folding together
of the door. Although in all the above cases I have shewn my invention as applied
to the withdrawing of bolts simultaneously at the top and the bottom of a door,
yet it will be evident that it is equally applicable to a single bolt, either at top or
at bottom, as also, that it is applicable to doors opening on centres or pivots instead.
of on hinges.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim :-
First. In combination with the bolt of a door, the use of a hinged arm, leaf or
shutter, so connected to the bolt, that when it projects at an angle from the door,
the bolt is shot, but when it is pressed towards the door the. bolt is withdrawn,
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
Second. In combination with the fold or middle joint of a folding door, the use of
a strut, catch or equivalent device on the one leaf of the door operating in combina-
tion with an arm, or leaf hinged to the other leaf of the door in such manner, that
when the arm or leaf projects at an angle from the door, the strut is locked thereby
so as to prevent the door from folding together or opening, but when the arm is
pressed against the door it liberates the strut and allows the door to fold or open,
substantially as herein described.
Third. The arrangements herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and
9 to 20 of the drawings wherein an arm or leaf D hinged to a door, is connected to
the bolts B in such manner that when the arm or leaf is pressed against the door the
bolts are withdrawn substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. The arrangement herein described with reference to Figs. 4 to 8 of the
drawings wherein an arm or leaf D hinged to a door operates in combination with
a strut or catch O in such manner that the strut is locked so as to prevent the door
from folding when the arm or leaf projects at an angle from the door, but is
liberated so as to allow the door to fold when the arm or leaf is pressed against the
door.
In Witness whereof I the said Francis Newman have hereunto set my hand and
seal this seventh day of January in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty-four.
FRANCIS NEWMAN. (L.S.)