Improvements in Gate or Door Hangings or Hinge Devices and Catches.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gate or Door Hangings or Hinge Devices and
Catches.
I, ROBERT JAMES IRVING, of Port Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has for its object an arrangement of latching and hinging gates
so that a person driving through them can open and shut the gate without
alighting and yet the arrangement shall not be unsightly or incommodious.
The gate instead of being hung on two ordinary hinges is hung on one ordinary
hinge, and my improved hinge. My improved hinge can be the upper hinge, or
by reversing it, as hereafter described, it can be the lower hinge. Fixed to the
gate I place a projecting bracket, at the end of which is the pin. This pin
passes through two slots in a fixed bracket at right angles with each other and
at an angle of preferably about 45 degrees with the gate when in closed position.
The apex but not the other end of these slots is considerably further from the
gate post than the lower hinge is. These slots in my experimental gate are
about five inches long from the apex where they join. Immediately below these
two slots is a curved plate having two similar slots. This curved plate is fixed
to the end of a rod pivoted from six inches to a foot below the plate, so that
the whole rod with the lower plate is free to rotate on this axis in a plane at
right angles to the normal position of the shut gate. To the bottom of this rod
a rope or chain is attached leading out on each side of the gate to a post at
a distance from the gate, as hereafter described. The latch of the gate is a tongue
fixed to the gate post. Two pins on a bracket on the gate, placed in the same
horizontal plane, pass through two curved slots in the latch plate, each having
an embayment at the top. This latch plate has two sloping wings, and an embay-
ment between, for the catch to rest in. When the gate shuts the catch pushes up
the sloping wings and falls into the central embayment no matter from which
side the latch comes. The two cords pass, as before mentioned, to two posts
by the side of the drive on opposite sides of the gate, and pass round guide
pulleys to, in each instance, a pivoted lever on a universal joint on the top of
the post. This lever is counterweighted.
The mode of action is as follows:-The driver coming to the post finds the
rope hanging over the roadway, he pulls the cord which causes the lower slotted
plate to move relatively to the other forcing the hinge pin backwards and side-
ways and thus raising the latch end of the gate. The gate opens to a position
at right angles to the normal closed position. The carriage then passes. As
the driver passes the next post, he pulls the other cord. and this causes the gate
to swing in the reverse direction until it is closed. At this point he leaves
loose of the rope, leaving the gate closed. Just before closing, the latch plate
rides over the latch until the latch arrives at the central embayment. It now
falls into normal position, closing the gate from opening from either side until
the operation before described is again carried out from either side, or the latch

page_text: plate moved by hand. The two pins on the gate preferably form part of a
shackle passing round the head of the gate and bolted in the rear of said post..
When the lower hinge is on my improved plan instead of the upper the slots
are in the reverse position namely at right angles to the position used for an
upper hinge.
1
Improvements in Gate or Door Hangings or Hinge Devices and
Catches.
I, ROBERT JAMES IRVING, of Port Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland,
Gentleman, 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:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement of latching and hinging gates
so that a person driving through them can open and shut the gate without
alighting, and yet the arrangement shall not be unsightly or incommodious.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a general view showing my invention applied to a gate;
Figure 2 an enlarged detail view of the hinges (gate closed) ;.
Figure 3 a detail plan view of one of the slotted plates;
Figure 4 an edge view thereof;
Figures 5 and 6 two views of the other slotted plate with its pivoted rod;
Figures 7 and 8 two views of the hinge pin and its bracket;
Figure 9 a front view of the gate latch;
Figure 10 an edge view thereof;
Figure 11 an enlarged detail view of the hinges (gate open);
Figure 12 an enlarged view of post with hold-out attachment for cord;
Figure 13 an enlarged section of the pivot J on rod I;
Figure 14 an enlarged front view of stop Z.
The gate instead of being hung on two ordinary hinges is hung on one ordinary
hinge and my improved hinge. My improved hinge can be the upper hinge or
by reversing it as hereafter described it can be the lower hinge. Fixed to the
gate, I place a projecting bracket A, at the end of which is the hinge pin B.
This pin passes through two converging slots F in a fixed bracket or plate C
at about 95° with each other, and at an angle of preferably about 45° with the
gate when in a closed position. The apex c but not the other ends of these
slots F is considerably further from the gate post D than the lower hinge E is
These slots F in my experimental gate are about 5 inches long from the apex c
where they join. Immediately below these two slots is a curved plate G having
two similar slots H. This curved plate is fixed to the end of rod I pivoted at J
from six inches to a foot below the plate G so that the whole rod I with the
lower plate G is free to rotate on its axis in a plane at right angles to the normal
position of the shut gate. To the bottom of this rod a rope or chain K is attached
leading out on each side of the gate to a post L at a distance from the gate as
hereinafter described. The latch of the gate comprises a tongue or pin M shown.

page_text: in dotted lines in Figure 9, which tongue or pin is fixed to the gate posts. Two
pins N projecting from a bracket on the gate placed in the same horizontal plane
pass through two curved slots o in the latch plate O, each having an enbay-
ment O at the top. This latch plate has two sloping wings P and an embay-.
ment between, for the tongue or pin to rest in. When the gate sluts, the
catch of the tongue or pin M pushes up the sliding wings P of the latch and
falls into the central embayment Q no matter from which side the latch comes.
The embayment O' prevents the latch lifting at both ends at once. Either end
can be lifted but only one end at a time. The two cords K pass as before men-
tioned to the two posts L by the side of the drive on opposite sides of the gate
and pass round guide pulleys R S T to in each instance, a pivoted lever U
on a universal joint V on top of the post L. This lever is counter weighted by
the counter-weight W. The posts L are not essential to the working of the gate,
they are simply a convenient method of holding the cord so as to be always
handy. They have the additional advantage that they can be placed in any
position at the entrance gate.
The mode of action is as follows:-
A driver coming to the post finds the end X of the rope K hanging over the
roadway. He pulls the cord which pulls the lever I, causing the lower slotted
plate G to move relatively to the other, thus forcing the hinge pin B backwards
and sideways and raising the latch end of the gate. The gate opens to a position
at right angles to the normal closed position and rests on a footstep Y, the weight
of the gate resting on the footstep preventing it accidentally closing by the wind
or otherwise. The carriage then passes. As the driver passes the next post
he pulls the end of the other cord and thus causes the gate to rise off the footstep
and to swing in the reverse direction until it is closed. At this point he leaves
loose of the rope, leaving the gate closed. Just before closing, the latch plate
rides over the pin M until the latter arrives at the central embayment. The
latch plate falls to its normal position fastening the gate from opening from either
side until the operation herein before described is again carried out from either
side, or the latch plate moved by hand. The two pins N on the gate preferably
form part of a shackle passing round the head Z of the gate and bolted thereto.
It will be seen that the pulling of the cord opens the gate away from the rider
or driver. He after passing pulls the cord on the opposite side and the gate
closes. The gate in fact opens in either direction but always away from the
person approaching it.
When the lower hinge is on my improved plan instead of the upper, the slots
are in the reverse position, that is to say the apex of the slots is reversed, the
apex being in proximity to the gate post instead of away from it, and the handle
of the lever I is then near the top of the hinge instead of near the bottom. The
lever U being provided with a universal joint moves freely in any direction and
so cannot interfere with any traffic which might possibly touch it. If touched
or pulled in any direction it returns on being set free to its original position,
holding the cord conveniently at right angles over the roadway. It is not
supposed to take the weight of the pull on the cord which is transferred through
pulleys to the post. A stop Z is arranged at the back of the gate to prevent the
lever being pulled too far when closing.
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 arrangement for hinging gates, which consists in forming one of the
hinges of a pair of brackets, each having two converging slots with a hinge pin
on the gate engaging therewith, one of said slotted brackets being fixed to the
gate post, and the other fixed to the end of a pivoted rod, so arranged that the
whole rod with its plate is free to rotate on its pivot in a plane at right angles
to the shut gate, whereby if the end of the lever be pulled by a line in a con-

page_text: venient position, the slotted bracket at opposite end thereof is operated, causing
the hinge pin therein to move backwards and sideways, thus raising the latch end
of the gate and causing it to swing open, while by pulling the line in the reverse
way the gate will close, substantially as described.
2. In hinging devices for gates, a hinge consisting of a hinge pin on the gate
and a pair of brackets with converging slots in which said pin engages, one of
said slotted brackets being fixed stationary to the gate post and the other fixed
to the end of a lever capable of a swinging movement on a pivot, whereby if this
lever is swung in one direction or the other the pin will be forced
to move both backwards and sideways in an opposite direction to that in which
the lever is pulled and thus tilt the gate and cause it to swing open while the
reverse movement will close the gate, substantially as described.
3. In hinging devices for gates of the kind set forth, having a swinging lever
to which a line can be attached, the combination therewith of two posts by the
side of the drive on opposite sides of the gate, a counterweighted lever pivoted
on a universal joint on top of each post, to which lines from the hinged lever are
led by means of pulleys, whereby the end of cord will hang over the roadway
and be in a convenient position for the driver to pull when he requires to open
the gate, while the universal joint of said lever enables it to move freely in any
direction, and so cannot interfere with any traffic which might possibly touch
it, or if touched or pulled in any direction it returns on being set free, to its
original position by the counterweights, substantially as described.
4. The gate or door hangings or hinge devices and catches, constructed, arranged
and operating, substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown
in the drawings annexed.
DL1
0 T
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham & London.