IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS OR GATES and
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND
CLOSING DOORS OR GATES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement.
"
My invention is especially adapted for use in operating the doors of Fire Engine
Houses, Stables and the like; its purpose being to ensure a doors opening,
remaining open a given length of time and closing, all automatically.
My invention consists chiefly in a combination of mechanisin substantially like
that below described for automatically operating the doors whereby after they
have been unlocked, they will be opened, held open a sufficiently long time to
allow the engine or carriage to pass through and then permitted to close.
The mechanism requisite to accomplish this result is as follows-1* a weight or
spring by means of which the door may be thrown open; 2nd a latch to which the
weight or spring is attached and means whereby the latch will release the weight
or spring after a given time has elapsed; 3rd means for closing the door when the
weight or spring has been released. It is also desirable to use a suitable latch to
lock the door automatically, which must be operated before the above described
mechanism will work.
My invention may be practised in a variety of ways and by means of a variety
of kinds of mechanism in which springs and weights may be interchangably used
to open and close the door, suitable connections being used with each, and springs,
air cushions or time mechanism of some sort be used to free the door at the proper
time from the power opening it.
The simplist combination of mechanism for attaining the result now known to
me is shown in the drawings, in which figure 1 shows an elevation of a pair of
doors adapted to operate in the desired way. Figure 2 is a horizontal section on
the line of the top of the doors in figure 1, and figure 3 is a detail showing
Din 21

page_text: mechanism for releasing the opening mechanism at any desired time after the door
has been opened.
A, A, are doors hinged to the frame B, as shown. To the upper part of each
door is attached a suitable buffer D, adapted if properly set, to yield slowly to any
pressure brought to bear upon it, and after a proper length of time to operate the
latch E, so as to free the hinged pin F. The weight or spring for opening the door
is attached by means of a ring G to the pin F, so that when the latch is operated
the pin will disengage the weight and the door will then be allowed to close by a
spring H, provided for the purpose. The spring shown is used in connection with
a door check like that described in Letters Patent of Great Britain N° 5590 of 1881,
this being the best known for the purpose.
The buffer shown is adapted to operate by means of compressed air, and it
consists of a cylinder in which works a piston d, packed air tight in the cylinder.
The cylinder-head d¹ is provided with a hole d², partly filled with a slotted screw,
by turning which the size of the hole is regulated. It is best also to provide a
valve by means of which when the piston is drawn out so as to set the buffer in
the position shown in drawings, air may be allowed to flow freely into the air
chamber in front of the piston..
By a very slight alteration the buffer may of course be adapted to operate by
means of a liquid instead of air. J is a latch for automatically locking the door
when it shuts. A.detailed description of the operation of my invention embodied
as described is as follows-When it is desired to open the doors, the apparatus
being in the position shown in the drawings, the cord j attached to the latch J, is
pulled. The doors being released, will open rapidly by means of the weights
attached to the rings G, until the knobs d of the buffers D, strike the wall at d.
Each buffer yields but slowly to the force of the weight (owing to the smallness of
the vent d², by which alone air can escape from in front of the piston) and finally
the cross pin do, attached to the buffer rod do strikes the latch É, when the pin F,
is dropped and letting go the weight allows the doors to be closed by means of the
spring H, and latched by the latch J, ready to be operated again when the weights
have been reattached to the doors and the buffers rearranged.
In case the doors should shut one over the other as is generally the case (see
figure 2) the buffers should of course be so timed as to release first the door which
should shut first.
If desired a spring may be used to throw the buffer again into its normal
position shown in the drawings. It is best also to provide suitable springs for the
latch E, and pin F, in order that they may be normally in the position shown in
figure 3.
In opening the door I have found it desirable to apply a greater force in starting
the door than is necessary during the latter part of its motion. One mode of
applying such increased force will be seen in figure 1 of the drawings where K is
the floor of the house, below which is suitably suspended the hinged arm L,
weighted at its outer end and adapted to rest upon the weight M, which is attached
to the ring G, by means of the cord g. N is a stop to prevent the arm L from
following the weight M below a certain point.
It will be seen that when either door is unlatched both weights will act upon it
until the weighted arm L, strikes the stop, after which time the weight Malone
will act upon the door.
Instead of the arm La spring may be used which shall be compressed until the
weight has dropped a certain distance or instead of this arrangement a double
spring may be so arranged that both will bear upon and operate the door, until the
door has moved a certain distance. But the simplist way of attaining the desired
result is that above described. If desired the buffer may be attached to the door
frame instead of the door, but in any case the parts will be substantially the same.
It is apparent too that the opening weight must have sufficient force to overcome
the spring H, either by its actual weight or acquired by leverage resulting from its
method of attachment to the door.

page_text: The weight L must depend in size upon the kind of spring used to close the door
and the various conditions under which the door is hung. It is best therefore to
make this weight so that it may be varied at pleasure.
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 In a door operating device the combination with a door and a suitable stop
wall of a weight suitably attached to the door whereby it may be opened and a
releasing mechanism substantially like that above described whereby said weight
at the proper time will be detached from the door all as and for the purposes set
forth.
2nd In a door operating device the combination of suitable mechanism for
opening the door, means whereby such mechanism may be attached to the door
and a buffer adapted to yield slowly to any pressure brought to bear upon it and
at the proper time to operate the attaching mechanism and disconnect the door and
opening mechanism substantially as set forth.
3rd The releasing mechanism above described consisting of a buffer, provided
with a suitable stop d³ adapted to engage with and operate the latch F, as and for
the purposes set forth.
4th In combination with a door mechanism, substantially like the above described
whereby an extra force is applied to the door to overcome its first inertia in opening
for the purposes set forth.
5th In a door operating device the hinged weighted arm L and its stop N, in
combination with the weight M and suitable means for attachment to the door
substantially as described.
6th In a door operating device the combination of a suitable weight for opening
the door, the buffer D and its releasing latch and a suitable weight for closing the
door automatically as set forth.
Dated this 11th day of February 1884.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.