Improvements in Movable Partitions for Dividing Schoolrooms, Lecture Halls, and other Buildings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr.,
1899
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1900-Accepted, 31st Mar., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Movable Partitions for Dividing Schoolrooms,
Lecture Halls, and other Buildings.
I, SAMUEL BRIDGE, of Lye, near Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, School-
master, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The movable portion of the improved partition is composed of separate shutters,
tongued and grooved together, and provided with rollers at the bottom, upon
which they can be slid from one side of the room to the other upon a suitable
iron track laid in the floor. A somewhat similar arrangement of rollers and
iron track is provided at the top of the shutters to keep them in their upright
position, a strong beam of wood or an iron girder being fitted across the room
for the purpose.
In the centre of each iron track above mentioned, a groove
is cut about " or " deep throughout its whole length, and each shutter is fitted
with a strong pivot at the top and bottom which rests in and slides along the
groove in the track when the shutter is moved to and fro upon its rollers. Both
pivots, top and bottom, are fixed near to one of the vertical edges of the shutter,
and not only do they serve the important purpose to be hereinafter described,
but they also prevent the shutter from accidentally getting out of its upper
or lower track when being moved along.
In opening the partition, each shutter is dealt with separately, beginning
with the one nearest the wall. They are first pulled slightly apart, and then
the one nearest the wall is swung round upon its pivots, like a door upon its
hinges, till it rests alongside the wall. To facilitate this lateral movement,
the inner side of each roller track is levelled off at the required point, and a
strong roller is fitted under the centre of each shutter to carry it whilst being
turned. During this movement of the shutter, the two pivots, resting in the
grooves in the roller tracks, serve as hinges upon which the shutter can revolve;
and to prevent the latter from falling over or getting out of its vertical position
when turned round against the wall, iron pegs are fixed in the floor and in the
beam at the top, against which the shutter rests whilst in its last mentioned
position.
The remaining shutters are dealt with successively in the same manner.
Each is moved forward upon its rollers as far as it will go, swung round upon
its pivots against the previous shutter, and held there by the means herein-
before described. In this way the whole of the shutters (or as many as may
require to be opened) are placed in the most compact form at the side of the
room. If desired, one half of them may be arranged on each side of the room.
This is readily effected by making the shutters in pairs as regards the position
of the pivots.
To close the partition, the operation is the reverse of that hereinbefore
described. The first (or outer) shutter is turned a quarter of a revolution until
it occupies its former position upon the roller track, and it is then drawn along
the track to its appointed place. The remaining shutters are similarly dealt
with and the whole of them pushed up close together, the last one being bolted
at the ton and bottom.

page_text: Any one of the shutters may be made to serve as a door leading from one
room to the other. The shutter selected would be hinged in the usual manner
to the one next to it, and in this case it would not be provided with rollers or
pivots. On opening the partition in the manner hereinbefore described, the
shutter forming the door would be folded close behind the one to which it was
hinged, and would be carried along the roller track with it. Both would be
turned round against the wall in the same manner as the other shutters.
The upper or fixed portion of the improved partition may be filled in with
wood panelling or glass as desired.
T
SAMUEL BRIDGE,
Applicant.
Improvements in Movable Partitions for Dividing Schoolrooms,
Lecture Halls, and other Buildings.
I, SAMUEL BRIDGE, of Lye, near Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, School-
master, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
-
The object of my invention is the construction of an improved movable parti-
tion, composed of separate shutters which are capable of being opened or closed
readily when required.
In order to describe my invention I shall make reference to the accompanying
urawings; without, however, binding myself to the precise details, relative pro-
portions or dimensions represented therein, as the same may be varied in many
particulars without departing from the invention. The same letters of reference
are put to denote the same parts throughout the drawings.
The movable portion of the improved partition is, as already stated, composed
of separate shutters, usually of wood and glass, the elevation of which is shown
in Fig. 1 and the plan in Fig. 2. These shutters may vary in number according
to the width of the room, and they are rabbeted or tongued and grooved together
at their vertical edges. They are provided with rollers at the bottom, fitted
in strong iron sockets A, upon which they can easily be moved from one side
of the room to the other upon a suitable iron track B Fig. 3, laid in the
Hoor (see sectional view in Fig. 5). A somewhat similar form of track is
provided at the top of the shutters (see sectional view in Fig. 4) to keep them
in their upright position. This upper track is securely fixed either to the
ceiling or to a strong beam or iron girder extended across the room for the
purpose.
In the centre of each track, and extending throughout its whole length a
groove is cut (see C, Figs. 3, 4 and 5); and each shutter is fitted with a strong
pivot at the top and bottom, which rests in and slides along the aforesaid
groove when the shutter is moved to and fro upon its rollers. The pivots are
placed near to one of the vertical edges of the shutter, and not only do they
serve the important purpose to be hereinafter described, but they also prevent
the shutter from getting out of its upper or lower track whilst being moved
along. In the case of the shutters nearest the wall, however, the pivots may
be made to revolve in fixed bearings, as there is no necessity for these two
shutters to be moved along the track; and for the same reason these shutters
need not be provided with rollers (except those marked F), as they are merely
required to turn like a door upon its hinges.

page_text: In opening the partition, one of the outer shutters nearest the wall is first
dealt with. Having rabbeted edges it can be opened and turned upon its pivots
like a door, until it rests alongside and parallel with the wall (see Fig. 2). To
permit of this lateral movement, the projecting inner edge of each track (see E,
Figs. 3, 4 and 5) is levelled off on the side on which the shutter opens and
this also facilitates the opening of the succeeding shutters, as will hereinafter
be explained. The next shutter is then pushed forward along the track until it
reaches the one already opened, and this in turn can similarly be swung round
upon its pivots until it rests alongside its predecessor, as shown by
the dotted portions of Fig. 2. To facilitate this lateral movement of the shutters,
a central roller F (working at right angles to the other rollers) is fitted to each
shutter in order to carry it round, and a curved plate G is fixed on the floor for
these rollers to run on.
In order to prevent the second and succeeding shutters from falling over
when occupying the last mentioned position, the iron socket D is provided
(at the top and bottom) with a projecting cog H (see Fig. 3), and this, as the
shutter turns round, comes in contact with a similar cog or iron peg J which
forms part of a strong iron plate K, fixed to the floor at the bottom and to the
ceiling or beam at the top. By providing the plate K with the requisite
number of cogs, any desired number of shutters may be folded against each other
at either wall, in the most compact form possible and quite secure from the danger
of falling over.
In closing the partition the operation is merely the reverse of that herein-
before described. The first or outer shutter is turned a quarter of a revolution,
until it occupies it former position upon the track, and it is then moved along
upon its rollers to its appointed place. The remaining shutters are similarly
dealt with, and the whole of them finally pushed up close together and bolted
if necessary.
Any one of the shutters may be made to serve as a door leading from one
room to the other. The shutter selected would be hinged in the ordinary manner
to the one next to it, and in this case it would not be provided with rollers or
pivots. On opening the partition in the manner hereinbefore described, the
shutter forming the door would be folded close behind the one to which it was
hinged, and would be carried along the roller track with it. Both would then
be turned round against the wall in the same manner as the other shutters.
The upper portion of the partition above the shutters may, in the case of
open roofs, be filled in with wood or glass, as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is―
(1) The improved roller and pivot arrangement of the shutters, whereby they
are maintained in their proper position on the track, and also enabled to be
turned out against the wall, substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
(2) The improved cog arrangement for holding the shutters in their proper
position when folded together alongside the wall, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of January 1900.
SAML. BRIDGE,
Applicant.