Improvements in Apparatus for Opening Doors by Pneumatic or Electrical Agency.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Opening Doors by Pneumatic or
Electrical Agency.
I, CARL WILHELM FRIEDERICH THODE, of Bartholomäusstrasse, 55, Hamburg,
Germany, Locksmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to bo as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for opening doors by pneumatic
or electrical agency; and the object of my improvements is to afford facilities for
the proper opening of said doors; and to effect such proper opening, in case of need,
from a central station.
One leaf of, say, a pair of folding doors is fitted with a pair of bolts actuated
in opposite directions by means of a pivotted and weighted lever. This is provided
with an extension, or latch, to engage into a staple on the door frame or the second
door. The weight serves to release the said bolts at a given moment.
One of the said bolts, preferably the upper one, is provided at its termination with
a spring-click adapted to engage with a locking bolt, or roller, in the door frame.
This locking bolt is actuated by a spring adapted to turn it into the locked position,
and also to be held in the saine by any device of known construction capable of
admitting the release of the said spring-click by pneumatic or electrical agency exerted
from a central station.
As soon as the said locking-bolt, or roller, is released as aforesaid, it is forced to
turn by the action of the said weighted lever, and to disengage the said spring click.
The lever thereupon swings downwards and retracts the said bolts. The doors are
then automatically opened by means of armis pivoted to the door frame and actuated
by suitable springs.
To rebolt the door or doors, it or they are closed, and the lever lifted into its initial
position. The bolts are thereby pushed into their respective sockets in the door
frame, the latch or extension of the lever re-engaged with its staple, and the said
spring-click with the locking roller.
+000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Opening Doors by Pneumatic or
Electrical Agency.
I, CARL WILHELM FRIEDRICH THODE of Bartholomäusstrasse, 55, Hamburg,
Germany, Locksmith, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for opening doors by pneumatic
or electrical agency; and the object of my improvements is to afford facilities for
the proper opening of said doors; and to effect such proper opening, in case of need,
from a central station.
In order that the said invention, and the means by which the same is to be carried
into practical effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will proceed to describe them in
detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as
part of this specification and read therewith.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a pair of locked folding doors provided with my
improvements.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of that part of the leaf of the folding doors which is fitted
with the locking device.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are detail drawings to an enlarged scale.
Similar letters refer to.similar parts throughout the several views.
a and b are the two leaves. The latter, b, carries the two door-bars or bolts c and d,
mortised into the door, and covered with metal strips c¹ and d', provided with slits h
and, through which project the pins and of the door bars, engaged with the
weighted bell lever e, serving to protrude or retract the said bolts c and d. The
lever e, turning upon the pivot g, is provided with an extension a', which is
received into a staple b, to hold the second leaf, b, and a weight, f, which
serves to release the said leaf and to withdraw the bolts c and d at a given
moment.
The bar or bolt is provided at its upper end with a spring-click, u, Figs. 3, 5,
and 6, engaging with a tooth or recess of a roller or locking-bolt, t, arranged in the
door frame. This locking bolt t is journalled between stationary brackets, and is
turned by a spring into the position shown in Fig. 5. A disengaging catch, v, is
provided for holding the roller t in position, and the said disengaging catch may be
operated from a central station in any desired manner-as, for instance, by means of
compressed,air blown through the tube n into the air-bag wl, against which the tail of
the said catch rests.
As soon as the locking bolt or roller of the device illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is
disengaged by the influence of pneumatic or electrical action, it is forced to turn by
the action of the weighted lever e and to release the click u. The lever e, when
swinging downward, will then withdraw the bolts c and d and release also the leaf b
C

page_text: from the latch a', whereupon the folding doors are opened automatically by means
of the two pivoted arms.y, under the action of the springs, as illustrated by the
dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2.
In order to lock the folding doors, they may be drawn back by means of the two
rings, when the lever e has to be lifted into the initial position, as illustrated. The
two bolts c and d are thereby pushed into their corresponding staples in the door-case,
the latch a re-engages into the staple & and the spring-click u into the recess of the
locking roller.
The locking roller t is chamfered so as to allow the click u to slip off in case of
accident by a heavy stroke or pull on the lever e, the two leaves of the door thus
opening again, as set forth.
Instead of the roller or locking bolt t a pair of tongs m m³, Figs. 7 and 8, operating
under the influence of the springs p p may be employed. In this case the bolt c of
the door is provided with a solid rigid click or bolt u having a conical or globular
head, which engages automatically into a corresponding recess of the tong-
arms m m under the action of the weighted lever e. The disengaging catch or
lever º, which may be operated from a central station as heretofore mentioned with
reference to Figs. 5, and 6, is provided with a wedge-shaped head v₁ acting upon the
tongs m m² in such a manner, that the latter will yield and release the bolt e, as
soon as the tail of the said catch vis correspondingly lifted under pneumatical or
electrical action.
I am aware that prior to my invention single-door-leaves have been employed
operating in conjunction with disengaging apparatus acted upon by pneumatic or
electric force supplied from a central station. I therefore do not claim such a
combination broadly; but
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. The combination, with the two leaves of a folding door, of the withdrawable
bolts for holding the leaves closed; the weighted lever e, for drawing back said bolts,
springs for automatically opening the door-leaves, a spring-click u or a solid rigid
click or bolt secured to one of the said bolts, and the locking-roller for
tongs m m operated from a central station, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
.
2. The combination, with the two leaves of a folding door, of the withdrawable
bolts for holding the leaves closed, the weighted lever e, for drawing back said bolts,
pivotted to one of the door leaves and provided with an extension engaging with a
catch on the other leaf, springs for opening the door-leaves, a spring-click secured to
the upper fastening-bolt, the locking-roller engaging with said spring-click, and a
disengaging catch for releasing the said roller and spring click, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination, with the two leaves of a folding door of the withdrawable
bolts for holding the leaves closed, the weighted lever e, for drawing back said bolts,
pivotted to one of the door leaves and provided with an extension engaging with a
catch on the other door-leaf, springs for opening the door leaves, a click or holt u³,
having a conical or globular head u², secured to the upper fastening bolt, the locking
tongs engaging with said click or bolt u', and a disengaging-lever for opening the
tongs m m² to release the said click or bolt u¹, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 10th day of December 1888.
CARL WILHELM FRIEDRICH THODE.