NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED VENTILATORS AND FINGER PLATES, NAME PLATES, LETTER PLATES, COAT HOOKS, DOOR BOLTS, AND DOOR KNOCKERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Currall, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,"
Manager of Works, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED
VENTILATORS AND FINGER PLATES, NAME PLATES, LETTER PLATES, COAT
HOOKS, DOOR BOLTS, AND DOOR KNOCKERS."
Dealed the 26th March 1878, and dated the 29th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Currall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1877.
66
JOHN CURRALL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manager of Works.
NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED VENTILATORS AND FINGER PLATES, NAME PLATES,
LETTER PLATES, COAT HOOKS, DOOR BOLTS, AND DOOR KNOCKERS."
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said finger
plates, name plates, letter plates, coat hooks, door bolts, and door knockers, in the
manner herein-after described, whereby the said articles, besides serving their
ordinary purposes, also serve as ventilators for the rooms or apartments to the doors
and walls of which they are applied.
I construct a combined ventilator and window plate for doors in the following
manner:-I make the finger plate hollow or of a trough form, and open or per-
forated at top, so that when the said finger plate, with its open or perforated end
upwards, is fixed to the inside of the door by its flanges, a narrow space is left
between it and the door. A current of air from the outside of the room enters the
bottom of the hollow finger plate by means of an opening made in the door, and
passes into the room by the open or perforated top of the finger plate. A perforated
circular or other shaped disc or plate or an ordinary sliding ventilator is fixed on
the outside of the door and over the opening in the door, through which air passes
to the hollow finger plate. When an ordinary sliding ventilator is used on the
outside of the door the amount of air entering the room may be regulated. Or
instead of a disc or plate outside the door, both sides of the door may be furnished

page_text: with finger plates of the construction described, the finger plate on the outside of
the door being inverted, so that its open or perforated end is at bottom, and
situated over the opening in the door. Or one or both of the finger plates may be
perforated instead of being made hollow or of a trough form. By means of a cover
or slide the open or perforated end or perforated part of the finger plate may be
closed or covered when the ventilator is not required to be used.
I construct combined ventilators and name plates or letter plates essentially in
the same way as finger plates, that is, I make the frames of the name or letter plates
hollow and open at bottom, and I fix on the inside of the door, and over the opening
in the said door a hollow or trough plate, open at top. The air entering the open
bottom of the name or letter plate, passes through the opening in the door and
enters the trough plate at the inside of the door, and passes into the room or apart-
ment by the open top of the said inside trough plate. When a letter box is applied
to the inside of the door to which the letter plate is fixed, the inside trough plate
is fixed to the summit of the box instead of to the door.
1.
I.
In constructing combined ventilators and coat hooks, according to my Invention,
I fix the hook to a hollow or trough plate, which is fixed to the inside of the door,
a second trough plate being situated on the outside of the door, and over the
opening in the said door. Or instead of fixing the hook to a trough plate the body
of the hook may be made hollow or tubular, the upper end being open. The hollow
body is also open at its back, and around'the said open back is a flange, which is
fixed over the opening in the door. A metal or other tubing may be connected
to the hollow coat hook or to the trough plate of the hook to conduct air to any
part of the room or apartment.
In constructing combined ventilators and door bolts, I use a trough plate,
open at top, in the lower part of which plate, the bolt slides, the air passing
through the perforated door from the outside thereof; entering the said trough
plate at bottom, which air passes into the room, by the open top of the plate.
In constructing combined ventilators and door knockers, according to my
Invention, I joint the door knocker to a trough plate, open at bottom, through
which open bottom air passes, and traversing an air opening in the door, enters a
trough plate inside the door, and passes by the open top of the said inner trough
plate into the room.
The combined ventilators, and name plates, and letter plates, and coat hooks,
herein-before described, may be applied to walls as well as to doors.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Currall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th March
1878.
"
JOHN CURRALL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manager of Works.
NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED VENTILATORS AND FINGER PLATES, NAME PLATES,
LETTER PLATES, COAT HOOKS, DOOR BOLTS, AND DOOR KNOCKERS."
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said finger
plates, name plates, letter plates, coat hooks, door bolts, and door knockers, in the
manner herein-after described, whereby the said articles, besides serving their
ordinary purposes, also serve as ventilators for the rooms or apartments to the doors
and walls of which they are applied.
I construct a combined ventilator and finger plate for doors in the following
manner-I make the finger plate hollow or of a trough form, and open or per-
forated at top, so that when the said finger plate, with its open or perforated end
upwards, is fixed to the inside of the door by its flanges, a narrow space is left
between it and the door. A current of air from the outside of the room enters
the bottom of the hollow finger plate by means of an opening made in the door,
and passes into the room by the open or perforated top of the finger plate. A
perforated circular or other shaped disc or plate, or an ordinary sliding ventilator,
is fixed on the outside of the door and over the opening in the door, through which
air passes to the hollow finger plate. When an ordinary sliding ventilator is
used on the outside of the door, the amount of air entering the room may be
regulated. Or instead of a disc or plate outside the door, both sides of the
door may be furnished with finger plates of the construction described, the
finger plate on the outside of the door being inverted, so that its open or per-
forated end is at bottom, and situated over the opening in the door.
Or one
or both of the finger plates may be perforated instead of being made hollow or
of a trough form. By means of a cover or slide the open or perforated end or
perforated part of the finger plate may be closed or covered when the ventilator
is not required to be used."
I construct combined ventilators and name plates or letter plates essentially in
the same way as finger plates, that is, I make the frames of the name or letter
plates hollow and open at bottom, and I fix on the inside of the door and over
the opening in the said door a hollow or trough plate; open at top. The air
entering the open bottom of the name or letter plate, passes through the opening
in the door, and enters the trough plate at the inside of the door and passes
into the room or apartment by the open top of the said inside trough plate.
When a letter box is applied to the inside of the door to which the letter plate
is fixed, the inside trough plate is fixed to the summit of the box instead of to
the door.
In constructing combined ventilators and coat hooks, according to my Invention,
I fix the hook to a hollow or trough plate, which is fixed to the inside of the door,
a second trough plate being situated on the outside of the door and over the opening
in the said door. Or instead of fixing the hook to a trough plate, the body of the
hook may be made hollow or tubular, the upper end being open. The hollow body
is also open at its back, and around the said open back is a flange, which is fixed
over the opening in the door. A metal or other tubing may be connected to the
hollow coat hook or to the trough plate of the hook to conduct air to any part of
the room or apartment.
In constructing.combined ventilators and door bolts, I use a trough plate, open at
top, in the lower part of which plate the bolt slides, the air passing through the
perforated door from the outside thereof, entering the said trough plate at bottom,"
which air passes into the room by the open top of the plate.
In constructing combined ventilators and door knockers, according to my

page_text: Invention, I joint the door knocker to a trough plate, open at bottom, through which
open bottom air passes, and traversing an air opening in the door enters a trough
plate inside the door, and passes by the open top of the said inner trough plate into
the room.
The combined ventilators and name plates, and letter plates, and coat hooks, herein-
before described, may be applied to walls as well as to doors.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in vertical section, a com-
bined ventilator and finger plate, constructed according to my Invention; Figure 3
is a portion of the same, in front elevation.
a is the finger plate, made by preference of metal, the said plate being fixed at
the inside of the door b. The said finger plate a is hollow or of a trough shape, as
seen in the section, Figure 2, so that when the said plate is fixed in its place by
screws passed through the flanges c, c, a narrow space or channel d is left between
it and the door. The top end of the finger plate is open or perforated at e, the
bottom end being closed. In the door ban opening f is made, over which opening
the hollow finger plate a is fixed. On the outside of the door b, and over the
opening in the said door, a perforated disc or plate g (shown separately in
Figure 3) is fixed. Air from the outside of the room passes through the perforated.
disc g into the opening f in the door, and from thence: enters the hollow finger
plate a up the channel d, in which it rises and passes into the room by the
open or perforated top e. The direction of the current of air from the outside
of the room passing through the hollow finger plate is indicated by arrows in
Figure 2.
Instead of the perforated disc g, Figures 2 and 3,. a rectangular perforated plate
of the kind represented in Figure 10 may be used, or both sides of the door may be
furnished with hollow finger plates of the kind shown at a, a, Figures 1 and 2, the
finger plate which is fixed on the outside of the door in place of the perforated disc
being inverted, so that its open or perforated end is at bottom. In this modification
the air enters the open or perforated end of the finger plate on the outside of the
door, passes through-the opening f in the door, and enters and rises up the hollow
finger plate on the inside of the door, and passes into the room by the perforated or
open top of the last-named finger plate.
Although I prefer to make the finger plates hollow or of a trough form, as
represented in the Drawing, yet the said finger plates may be flat. In this case
they are perforated for the ingress and egress of the air. The open or perforated
end of the outside finger plate, or the outside perforated disc or perforated finger
plate may be provided with a cover or slide for closing the said end or perforated
part of the finger plate or disc, when the ventilator is not required to be used, or
for regulating the passage of air through the combined ventilator and finger
plate.
Figure 4 represents in front elevation, and Figure 5 in vertical section, a combined
ventilator and name plate, constructed according to my Invention.
a is the metallic or other name plate, fixed on the outside of the door b. The
said name plate is hollow, and is perforated at its bottom edge at c for the ingress
of air. The bottom part of the name plate is situated over the opening d in the
door. On the inside of the door and fixed over the opening d is a hollow or trough
plate e, open at the top f, and closed at bottom. The hollow name plate may be
furnished with a supporting block g, as represented in the section, Figure 5, the
lower part of the said block being cut away. The air enters from the outside of
the room by the perforations at c, passes through the opening d in the door, and
entering the trough plate e, passes into the room or apartment by the open top ƒ of
the said inside trough plate e.
Figure 6 represents in front elevation, and Figure 7 in vertical section, a com-
bined ventilator and letter plate, constructed according to my Invention.
h is the hollow or trough-shaped frame of the letter plate fixed to the outside of

page_text: the door. The slit in the said frame h is opened and closed by the jointed covering
plate . The bottom of the frame h is open or perforated at 2, and near the said
open or perforated bottom h² a hole k is made through the door. When a letter
box is used, a trough plate l is fixed to the summit of the box for conveying the air
into the room. The air entering the perforated or open bottom h² of the frame h
passes through the opening and enters the letter box, from whence it escapes into
the room by the trough plate l, as indicated by the arrows. When a letter box is
not combined with the door, a trough plate of the kind represented at e,
Figure 5, is fixed over the opening k in the door, the said trough plate being
so arranged as not to interfere with the opening m, through which the letters
are passed.
Figure 8 represents in front elevation, and Figure 9 in vertical section, a combined
ventilator and coat hook, constructed according to my Invention.
I is the hook which is fixed to the hollow or trough plate m, which is open or
perforated at its top m². The hollow plate m carrying the hook is fixed over
the opening n in the door or wall p, as illustrated in Figure 9. On the outside
of the door or wall, and over the opening n, a perforated plate q is fixed, by which
the ingress of air is permitted, the said air passing through the opening n, and
rising in the trough plate m enters the room by the open or perforated top m².
The hollow plate m may be made to carry two or more hooks instead of the
single hook represented. In this case the plate m is lengthened to the required
extent.
Instead of using a perforated covering plate at the outside of the door or wall,
as represented at q, a trough plate similar to the plate m may be fixed on the outside
of the door or wall, and over the opening in the said door or wall. A plate of this
kind is represented in Figure 10, which plate is open or perforated at its bottom m³
for the ingress of the air.
Figure 11 represents the arrangement of my Invention in which the hook
is made hollow or tubular, and the trough plate carrying the hook is dispensed
with.
is the hook proper, and s is the hollow or tubular body. The body s is open
at its top and also at its back u. Around the said open back is a flange, which
is fixed over the opening n (Figure 9) in the door or wall. Air entering the
hollow or tubular body at the back u from the opening in the door or wall, the
said air rises up the said tubular body and passes into the room by its open top t, as
indicated by the arrows. Two or more hollow or tubular hooks of the kind repre-
sented may be combined in the same body.
The arrangements of parts described with respect to solid and tubular hooks,
represented in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11, may also be applied to hat pegs.
Figure 12 represents in front elevation, and Figure 13 in vertical section, a com-
bined ventilator and door bolt, constructed according to my Invention.
a is a trough plate, open or perforated at its top longer side b, fixed to the inside
of the door c, and over the opening d in the said door. In the lower part of the
trough plate a the door bolt e slides. At the front or outside of the door and over
the opening d a second trough plate f, open at its bottom edge f³, is fixed for the
ingress of air. Or a flat perforated plate, of the kind represented in Figure 14, may
be used in place of the trough plate f, f³. The air entering at the bottom edge of
the trough plate f, or through the perforated plate, Figure 14, passes through the
opening & in the door, and rising up the trough plate a enters the room by the open
or perforated top side b of the said plate a. When the door bolt is to be used in a
vertical position instead of in a horizontal position, the top shorter end of the trough
plate a is perforated, as represented in Figure 15, instead of the top longer side, as
in Figure 12.
Figure 16 represents in front elevation, and Figure 17 in vertical section, a com-
5 bined ventilator and door knocker, constructed according to my Invention.
g is the door knocker, jointed to the trough or hollow plate h, which is fixed on
the outside of the door. This plate h is open or perforated at the bottom h². On

page_text: the inside of the door is a trough plate k, open or perforated at its top ². Air
entering the trough plate hat h² traverses the air opening in the door i,
and enters the trough plate k on the inside of the door, and passes by
the open or perforated top 2 into the room, as indicated by the arrows in
Figure 17.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
new or improved combined ventilators and finger plates, name plates, letter
plates, coat hooks, door bolts, and door knockers, the parts of the several
combined articles being constructed and arranged and used, substantially as
herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Currall, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN CURRALL. (L.S.)