Improvements in and connected with Closets, Private Apartments, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Closets, Private Apartments,
and the like.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, (a communication to me from abroad, by Samuel
Nutting and Edward Parsons, both of East Windsor, and Giles Bower, of
Enfield, Connecticut, all of U.S.A., Inventors,) do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in and connected
with closets private apartments and the like, and it has for its object to provide
means whereby the door or doors thereof may be automatically locked upon the
entrance of any person to the interior of the compartment.
By this invention, a closet or apartment of square or ordinary shape is formed
with an inner semi-cylindrical compartment, the centre of which would be the
centre of the doorway of the outer apartment. A. semi-cylindrical and rotary door
is p voted concentrically in the doorway of the compartment, and serves to exclude
all persons therefrom when swung around into said compartment. This door is
provided at its upper pivot with a ratchet and pawl, whereby the rotation thereof
is limited to one direction only. The floor of the compartment is supported by
weighing mechanism, which, when a person enters, and stands upon it actuates
locking mechanism which secures the door. This locking mechanism consists of a
balanced lever at the top of the compartment, and which lever has at one end
a downwardly projecting pin adapted to engage with any one of a series of
perforations in the top of the door. The other end of the balanced lever is
connected with the weighing levers beneath the floor, by a rod or the like. The
door may be reopened by the person within by a simple device, such as a cord
connected with the locking lever.
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Closets, Private Apartments,
and the like.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, (a communication to me from abroad by Samuel
Nutting and Edward Parsons both of East Windsor and Giles Bower, of
Enfield, Connecticut, all of U.S.A. Inventors,) do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of private apartments which are commonly
It has
used as emunctories, including earth closets, water closets, and dry closets.
been observed that operatives in mills and factories sometimes use these necessary
resorts during working hours as places for social conversation, crocheting, and other
forms of relaxation or amusement, which are unprofitable to their employers.
When this practice becomes popular in a shop where many operatives are
employed, the aggres ate resulting injury to the employer becomes too considerable
to be disregarded. It is the object of the present invention to obviate this
mischief by discouraging in an effectual and unobjectionable manner the injurious
practice to which allusion has been made. In view of the circumstance that this
го
01

page_text: practice chiefly occurs where two or more persons enter or occupy a single
apartment of the described character at one and the same time, the method by
which we seek to accomplish the specified object of our invention consists in
limiting to any desired or predetermined extent the number of persons who are
permitted to occupy such an apartment at any one time. In the employment of
this method we make use of a rotary door, a locking device which is adapted to
engage such door, mechanism for weighing the occupant of the department, and
connecting mechanism whereby such locking devices is caused to engage or to
disengage such door, according to the load which is for the time being imposed
upon such weighing mechanism.
The best manner in which we have contemplated applying the principle of our
invention is illustrated in said drawings, in which-
Figures 1 and 2 are a front view and a top view, respectively, of an apartment
of the described character with the door shut. Fig. 3 is a front view of the same
with the door half open and with parts removed to show construction. Fig. 4 is a
top view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a top view of the weighing mechanism, including the
sills and floor-supports of the apartment.
In the views the numerals 1 and 2 denote, respectively, the bottom sills and the
top sills of a rectangular closet, having vertical side walls 3 and a rear wall 4.
the back part of the closet, contiguous to the middle wall 4, seat 5 is placed in the
In
usual manner at a convenient height above the rectangular floor 6.
being unattached to walls 3 and 4, is supported in a horizontal position upon two
This floor,
parallel floor-joists 7. Each joist 7 in turn is supported upon two knife-edges 8,
which are carried by levers 9. The four levers 9, which are of uniform descrip-
tion, are loosely supported at one end by a socket-piece 11, from which they
rádiate, and at the other end by knife-edges 10.
located under the middle of floor 6, has four chambers, one for the accommodation
This socket-piece, which is
of each of said levers 9, and is sharpened at its lower extremity to a point, which
rests in a depression or aperture in the terminal portion of the lever 12, as shown
in Fig. 3. Lever 12, resting upon knife-edge 13, is provided with an adjustable
weight 14, having a set-screw 24, and is connected by a vertical rod 15 with a
slotted lever 16, which is mounted at the top of the closet. Rod 15 is provided
with a terminal screw-thread and a nut 28, for purposes of adjustment. Lever 16
is armed with a pin 17, reciprocable vertically in a hole through the top sill,2..
The corners in the closet are partitioned off from the front portion of the same,
so as to leave for occupancy forward of the seat a semi-cylindrical space only, as
seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.
The front opening of the closet is provided with a door 18, which is of uniform
semi-circular horizontal section. This door, which for the sake of lightness is
made.hollow, is. pivoted vertically in the middle of the otherwise open entrance
to the closet by means of a pin 19, which passes through the front top sill 2, and
by means of a hub 20, which passes through a hole in the floor 6 and rests in a
socket 25 in the middle of the front sill 1. The upper semi-circular head 21 of the
door 18 is provided with a number of holes 23, arranged in a semi-circular line,
whose distance from pin 19 is equal to the distance between pins 19 and 17.
Pin 19 is provided with a ratchet and pawl 22. The knob and tongue 26 on door 18
and the catches 27 on the opposite door-jambs 3 form a latch for holding the
door open-and shut.
The remaining features of construction will sufficiently appear from the drawings.
and from the mode of operation of our invention.
Such being the construction of our improved closet, its mode of operation is now
to be described. When the closet is unoccupied, door 18 is held by the latch in.
such a position as to stand within the closet, where it occupies the before mentioned.
semi-cylindrical space, which is seen-unoccupied in Fig. 2. The door when.in this
position is disengaged from pin 17 and is easily rotated in the. direction of the 5
arrows by the hand of any person seeking admission and raising the latch: When
in the course of such rotation the door reaches the position which is indicated.

page_text: in Figs. 3 and 4, free admission on to floor 6 is allowed to any number of persons
whose united weight does not exceed that predetermined weight which is sufficient
to balance weight 14 in its position of preadjustment upon lever 12.
If any load
in excess of such predetermined weight to be placed upon the floor 6, the latter,
being slightly depressed thereby, presses downward upon the levers 9, so that
socket-piece 11 is caused to act upon lever 12. The movement of the latter
being communicated by rod 15 and lever 16 to pin 17 causes that pin to press
downward into or upon the line of holes 23. Thus the door is locked and must
so remain until the excessive portion of the load is removed from floor 6. By a
proper preadjustment of weight 14 upon lever 12 it is easy to predetermine the
number, or, strictly speaking, the weight of persons to be admitted to the closet
together. The operatives who are so admitted, being usually thus limited to one
or two in number, may then for purposes of seclusion further rotate door 18 in
the same direction until it reaches the position which is represented in Figs. 1
and 2, where it is held automatically by latch 26 27. This position of the door
indicates to all external observers the occupancy of the closet. By unlatching and
further rotating the door to a position opposite that which is shown in Figs. 3
and 4 exit may be effected at the side of the doorway which is occupied by door 18
in Figs. 3 and 4. Such rotation produces an entire vacation of the closet, for
the latter cannot be advantageously occupied by any person so long as the door
stands open and the door cannot be closed by turning backward on account of
ratchet and pawl 22.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A semi-cylindrical compartment and a semi-cylindrical rotary door which is
pivoted concentrically in the doorway of said apartment, and is adapted, when
swung into said apartment, to exclude all persons therefrom, in combination with a
ratchet and pawl limiting the rotation of said door to a single direction, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a closet, a balanced floor, weighing mechanism supporting said floor, and a
centrally-pivoted rotary door, in combination with locking mechanism which is
actuated by said weighing mechanism and is adapted to engage said door,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a private compartment, a balanced floor, weighing mechanism supporting
said floor, a pivoted rotary door, and a ratchet and pawl limiting the rotation of
said door, in combination with locking mechanism which is actuated by said
weighing mechanism and is adapted to engage said door, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
4. A. doorway of an apartment and a balanced floor of said apartment, in
combination with an adjustable balance-weight and a system of balancing-levers
for the support of said floor, a rotary door of said apartment, and locking
mechanism for engagement with said door, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 11th day of March 1891.
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.