Improvements in Means and Appliances for Opening, Closing, Regu. lating, and Fastening at any Required Angle Swing Windows, Doors, Ventilators, Fanlights, and Analogous Articles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1899-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means and Appliances for Opening, Closing, Regu.
lating, and Fastening at any Required Angle Swing Windows,
Doors, Ventilators, Fanlights, and Analogous Articles.
I, ROBERT ADAMS, of 67, Newington Causeway, London, S.E., Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in means and appliances for opening,
closing, regulating, and fastening, at any required angle, swing windows, doors,
ventilators, fanlights, and analogous articles, and also to fittings for the manipula-
tion of panic and other doors.
In this specification the word "ventilator" is intended to cover and include
swing windows, doors, ventilators, fanlights and analogous articles, whenever and
wherever the same is applicable.
According to my invention I fit ventilators which are hinged horizontally, with
a spring latch, having a ring or equivalent means for attaching thereto a cord,
chain, rod, or other article for releasing the latch. Above the ventilator (when
hinged at its lower end) I fit to the lintel or frame a hinged metallic bar, having
perforations therein for receiving the bolt of the latch. In combination with the
latch I fit a guide which retains the bar in position for engaging the latch. In
some cases I use a plain unperforated bar or rod, either curved or straight, and
substitute a spring friction grip (eccentrically mounted) for the lock, with a
rubber or other facing, the ventilator being held in position by friction. An-
other modification consists in substituting an eccentric for the lock, the eccentric
being integral with a rod or equivalent device fitted to the ventilator and actuated
by a crank or other suitable means, whereby the bar is gripped and the ventilator
is held in an open or closed position.
Each of the aforesaid arrangements may be fitted with fixed gussets on one or
both sides of the ventilator, and, in some cases, I utilise these gussets by pro-
viding bearings integral therewith, to which power arms or angular levers are
provided, one end of the lever or levers being fitted with a pin or pins working
in a slotted guide or guides attached to the ventilator, or by an equivalent link
motion, the motions of the lever being governed by a screw or other regulator.
My improvements in or relating to the panic door locks and bolts illustrated by
Figs. 23 to 27 of my Specification No. 66145, consists in the application to the
lever which releases the bolts, (in substitution of the mechanism therein shown
and described) of drop down catches for retaining the bolts and door in an un-
bolted position, when required. These catches are constructed in several forms,
with or without a spring. In cases wherein panic doors are fitted without the
ordinary rod or press bar 94, I prefer to enlarge the lever 93 at its upper end for
receiving the pressure of the hand, the word "push," or any other suitable word
may be engraved thereon. By pressing this lever or turning a handle and in
some cases releasing the same by a key the bolts are released and the door opens.
A further improvement in panic door locks consists in additional mechanism in

page_text: connection with the toothed wheel 85 shown in the said figures in 66149. Behind
and partly surrounding the toothed wheel 85 I fit a disc loose upon the spindle,
a portion of the disc covering a part of the wheel 85. Suitable openings are
made in the wheel and in the disc for receiving the end of the lever, so that,
when the lever commences to operate for opening the door it moves the disc
previously to moving the wheel, whereby the overlapping plate of the disc is
caused to lift the tumblers or their equivalents, and thus leave the toothed wheel
free to operate the bolts and open the door. An additional plate, forming a cam
surface, is also applied to the wheel.
It sometimes becomes necessary for one of the bolts to travel a greater distance
than the other. In order to meet this requirement I form the toothed wheel,
which works the racks, of greater radius on one side than the other. Or the
same object may be attained by forming the elongated bolt in two parts and
fitting a short lever to the joint in such a manner that the lever imparts a greater
amount of travel to the end of the bolt than is imparted to the inner portion of
the bolt.
My improvements in fittings for doors also relate to the construction of floor
sockets for the reception of bolt ends. These consist of a fixed cylinder sunk
into the floor, having an internal sliding cylinder sustained by a spring in such
a manner that it recedes when the bolt is inserted, and returns to the floor level
when the bolt is withdrawn; the internal cylinder being secured in the socket by
a fixed pin working in a slot, or by other equivalent means.
Dated 28th September 1898.
GEORGE DOWNING & SONS,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Means and Appliances for Opening, Closing, Regu-
lating, and Fastening at any Required Angle Swing Windows,
Doors, Ventilators, Fanlights, and Analogous Articles.
I, ROBERT ADAMS, of 67, Newington Causeway, London, S.E., Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said 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 means and appliances for opening,
closing, regulating and fastening at any required angle, swing windows, doors,
ventilators, fanlights and analogous articles.
In this specification and claims the word "ventilator" is intended to cover
and include swing windows, doors, ventilators, fanlights and analogous articles
whenever and wherever the same is applicable.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascer
tained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar
figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation illustrating the application of my invention to ventilators
hinged horizontally at or near their lower ends an opening from above.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the spring latch Fig. 3 is a side view, and
Fig. 4 a sectional view of the same.
The ventilator 20 is hinged at 21. Above the ventilator I fit to the lintel or
frame a metallic bar 22 pivoted at 23. 26 is a spring latch attached to the

page_text: ventilator the construction of the latch with its frame being shown in Figs. 2, 3
and 4. 25 is a metallic frame to which the spring latch 20 is pivoted at 27.
24 is a guide to the bar 22. 28 is a wire integral with the latch 26. 29 is a
spring, one end of which presses against a fixed portion of the casting, and the
other end against the wire 28; the expansive action of the spring operating so
as to lift the latch 26 and press the cushion 30 against the bar 22. The cushion
or pad 30 is attached to the latch 26, and the pad may be formed of rubber or
other material or compound of materials. By means of a cord, chain, rod or other
appliance, temporarily or permanently attached to the latch, the ventilator can be
opened by pulling the latch downward, or closed by simply pushing it backwards.
The ventilator is more securely fastened by the engagement of the lip 31 behind
the ratchet tooth 32 formed in or upon the bar 22.
The bar 22 may be formed with a roughened surface and the spring latch may
be modified by forming it with a corresponding surface to engage with the bar.
Another modification consists in substituting an eccentric for the lock or
latch, the eccentric being operated by a crank or other suitable means for causing
it to grip the bar. This will be readily understood on reference to Figs. 5 and 6
in which its application is shown in connection with fixed gussets, (such gussets
heing sometimes applied to the arrangements shown in Fig. 1) and in which
Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section, and Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the
line a,
b, of Fig. 5. In this arrangement advantage is taken of the angle iron
frames of the gussets which are utilised in substitution for the bar 22 shown in
Fig. 1. 33 are the angle iron frames of the gussets. 34 are two eccentrics
attached to the ends of a crank shaft 36 supported in bearings 35. The eccentrics
are so arranged that their eccentricity acts so as to prevent the ventilator falling
open to a greater angle than required. 37 is a lock or latch for securing the
ventilator when closed. 38 is a ring or eve attached to the bolt of the lock for
unlocking and otherwise manipulating the ventilator by means of a long arm,
cord and pulley or other device. When opening the ventilator the ring 38 is
drawn downwards, thereby disengaging the latch. This movement depresses the
crank 39 by the contact of the ring therewith, whereby the eccentrics 34 are
removed from contact with the angle iron frames.
Referring to Figs. 23 to 27 of 6614%, my improvement relating thereto con-
sists in the application to the lever, which releases the bolts (in substitution of
the mechanism therein shown and described) of the drop-down catches illustrated
in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10. Fig. 7 being a front view of the lock. Fig. 8 a side
view of the same, and Fig. 9 a section of one form of drop down catch. 48 is the
lever to which the panic bar is fitted, and which is pivotted at 49. The lever is
slotted and otherwise formed as shown in the figures. 50 is the releasing lever,
equivalent to that numbered 92 in Fig. 27 of No. 661495. 51 is the drop down
catch pivoted to the lever 48 at 52. A spring 53 presses outwards the lower arm
of the catch 51. 54 is the front plate of the lock, a slot being formed therein to
receive the locking end of the catch. In the position shown in Fig. 9 the catch
retains the lever and the door is in an unbolted position. The catch is released
by pressing the finger against the lower arm; or it may be released by a tumbler
raised by contact with a cam plate 42 (Figs. 12 and 13) on the wheel 56, said
tumbler acting on the underside of the catch 51 which projects through the
plate 54, thus enabling the bolts to be shot by means of the exterior handle.
Similarly the tumbler may be operated to release the catch 51 by a key, the move-
ment of which is transferred through the lock plate to the said tumbler by a pin
fixed in one of the levers of the lock acting upon said tumbler. Fig. 10 is a
sectional elevation illustrating another form of drop-down catch in which a pro-
jection 47 is formed on the catch as shown and passes through the plate 54, the
part 47 being depressed by a key inserted in the lock, when the key is turned,
and so raise the catch free from the hand lever 48.
Fig. 11 illustrates another form of lever for panic doors, in cases wherein a
rod is not required to be fitted. The lever is enlarged at the upper end for

page_text: receiving the pressure of the hand and the word "push" or other suitable word
is engraved thereon. By pressing this plate the bolts are released and the door
opened. Similarly instead of the lever I sometimes use a suitable handle mounted
loosely on the spindle, the back of the handle being provided with a releasing
lever to engage with the toothed wheel and operate the bolt analogous to that
on the panic lever.
Figs. 12 to 15 illustrate an improvement in the mechanism of panic door locks.
The toothed wheel 56 is fast on the spindle 57. Behind and partly surrounding
the toothed wheel is a disc 58 loose upon the spindle 57. Fig. 13 shows the two
together. Fig. 14 is an elevation of the disc, and Fig. 15 is a top view. The
plate 59 projects from the disc, as shown, and covers a portion of the periphery
of the wheel 56. When the door is bolted and in its normal position, the wheel 56
and disc 58 maintain the relative positions shown in Fig. 13. But when the
lever 50 (Fig. 9) commences to operate for opening the door, it moves the disc 58
to the position shown in Fig. 12, previously to operating the wheel 56.
By these means the plate 59 is caused to lift the tumblers 55, leaving the
wheel 56 free to operate the bolts and open the door.
In some cases, where the door is to be bolted to the side frame, I arrange the
lever 50 to operate a pivoted bolt formed with a tail piece equivalent to the
toothed wheel, the lever 50 acting upon such tail piece.
It sometimes becomes necessary for one of the bolts to travel a greater distance
than the other. In order to meet this requirement I form the toothed wheel,
which works the racks, of greater radius on one side than the other. Or the
same object may be attained by forming the elongated bolt in two parts and
fitting a short lever to the joint in such a manner that the lever imparts a
greater amount of travel to the end of the bolt than is imparted to the inner
portion of the bolt.
Figs. 16 to 23 illustrate my improved methods of constructing floor sockets for
the reception of bolt ends. 60 is the floor plate, the cylinder 61 being integral
therewith. 62 is a cylinder fitted inside the cylinder 61, and capable of sliding
therein. 63 is a spring which presses the cylinder 62 upwards when the bolt
has been withdrawn therefrom, the pin 64, limiting the travel of the cylinder by
contact with the flanges. An opening 65 is made in the lower flange of the
cylinder 62 to allow of its passing the pin 64 when required for insertion or
removal as shown in Fig. 19. In Figs. 20 and 21 modified forms of bayonet
joint slots 67 are shown for the purpose of locking and limiting the motions of
the internal cylinders, which form plugs to the sockets. Figs. 22 and 23 illus-
trate another modification in which the plug consists of two cylinders 62 and 68,
the outer cylinder being formed with a slot 66 and the inner cylinder_has a
wider slot 67 and a narrower slot 69 through the flange or lower end. It will
thus be seen that on the inner cylinder being rotated the slots become coincident
so as to permit of withdrawal.
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 ie:--
1. A fastening for ventilators adapted to engage with a bar hinged to the frame
of the ventilator, consisting of a latch 26, cushion, pad, roughened or other sur-
face 30, lip 31, spring 29, and wire 28 mounted in a frame 25 formed with a
guide 24, constructed arranged and operating substantially as described and
shown by Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings.
2. A fastening for ventilators for use with a pair of bars or frames, consisting
of a pair of eccentrics 34, cranked shaft 36, lock or latch 37, ring 38 adapted to
operate the crank of the shaft 36, constructed. arranged and operating sub-
stantially as described and shown by Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.
3. The combination with fittings for panic doors and the like, of a catch 51
pivoted to the operating lever 48, or to the lock plate 54 and arranged to be

page_text: operated by a key or otherwise, substantially as described and illustrated by
Figs. 7 to 11 of the drawings.
4. In panic door locks, the combination, with a toothed wheel gearing with
and arranged to operate bolts, of a disc 58 formed with a plate 59 and hole or recess
for the lever, operating substantially as and for the purposes described and
shown by Figs. 12 to 15 of the drawings.
5. The particular constructions and arrangements of floor sockets for bolts,
substantially as described and shown by Figs. 16 to 23 of the drawings.
Dated 2841 T 1800
ROBERT ADAMS.
By George Downing & Sons,
Chartered Patent Agents, 8, Quality Court, London, W.C.