IMPROVEMENTS IN Box HINGES FOR SWING DOORS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rimington and William Rimington the
younger, both of Skipton in Craven, Yorkshire, Whitesmiths and Bell-
LETTERS PATENT to William Rimington and William Rimington the
younger, both of Skipton in Craven, Yorkshire, Whitesmiths and Bell-
hangers, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN Box HINGES FOR SWING
DOORS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rimington and
William Rimington, the younger, at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd April 1860.
We, WILLIAM RIMINGTON and WILLIAM RIMINGTON, the younger, both of
Skipton in Craven, Yorkshire, Whitesmiths and Bellbangers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOX HINGES
FOR SWING DOORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in an arrangement of mechanism constituting a
spring hinge to be applied to swing doors for the purpose of rendering them
self-closing, said Invention being designed for the purpose of obviating the
objections attending spring hinges as hitherto constructed and applied to doors,
namely, the tendency such doors have to be blown open by the wind in con-
sequence of the spring or springs employed being at their weakest point when
the doors are closed, and the difficulty of opening such doors, and keeping them.
wide open, when required, in consequence of such aforesaid spring or springs
being at their strongest point when the doors are opened to their fullest extent
The means by which these objects are effected are as follows:-We emplo

page_text: two levers on each side of the interior of the box, one of which is bent and
hooked on at one end to a wrought-iron arm formed upon the pivot, upon
which the hinge turns or moves in a step; the other lever is attached to the
end of that before mentioned by a pin, and works on a centre at its other
end, where also is a friction roller which acts against a powerful spring.
These springs are adjusted to any required strength by set screws. The doors
are also adjusted to their required position by set screws acting against the
second levers, and the whole enclosed in the box. by a lid or cover.
The
pressure of the springs is thus at its maximum when the doors are closed, and
at its minimum when wide open, thereby giving the desired effect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Rimington and William Rimington the younger, in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
RIMINGTON and WILLIAM RIMINGTON, the younger, both of Skipton in Craven,
Yorkshire, Whitesmiths and Bellhangers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Wil-
liam Rimington and William Rimington the younger, Her special licence
that we, the said William Rimington and William Rimington the younger,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Rimington and William Rimington the younger, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOX HINGES FOR SWING DOORS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Rimington
and William Rimington the younger, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Rimington the younger, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in an arrangement of mechanism constituting a
spring hinge to be applied to swing doors for the purpose of rendering them
self-closing, said Invention being designed for the purpose of obviating the
objections attending spring hinges as hitherto constructed and applied to doors,
namely, the tendency such doors have to be blown open by the wind in con-
sequence of the springs employed being at their weakest point when the doors
are closed, and the difficulty of opening such doors, and keeping them wide
open when required, in consequence of such aforesaid springs being at their
strongest point when the doors are opened to their fullest extent.
In order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible, we now
proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings hereto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon respectively, as follows.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the spring box hinge, with the cover detached,
shewing the internal and working parts; and Fig. 2, the box uncovered,
shewing only the hooks where the first action takes place, similar letters of
reference denoting corresponding parts where such parts appear at each of the
Figures respectively.
At Fig. 1 will be seen in dotted lines the shoe into which the bottom of
the door is fitted; this shoe drops on to a square pin a, which passes through
the top and bottom of the box; upon this pin and within the box is an upper
and lower plate, or arm of metal 6, with a pin c passing through the ends
thereof, which pin c takes into the hook on the end of the bent levers d, d, the
hooks being more distinctly shewn at Fig. 2. To the other ends of the
levers d, d, are attached levers e, e, by means of bolts, the opposite ends of
which levers are supplied with friction rollers f,f, and are kept in position
by the pressure of the springs g, g, upon the blocks h, h, the lower ends of the
springs 9, 9, work in the corners of the box at i, i, and abut against projections
formed on the adjusting levers j, j, the ends of which work in the centre of
the box at ; screws 1, l, are passed through the levers j, j, by which means
the springs g, g, can be set to any.required degree of tenacity or flexibility.
It will thus appear evident that as the shoe (dotted lines) is moved on one

page_text: side, the pin c takes one of the hooked levers with it, thus pressing the friction
roller against the spring g, which is now at its strongest point, the lever é
working on a fulcrum at h, when by the time the shoe has arrived at the
star, or at right angles with the box, the power of the spring upon the
lever d is considerably lessened. The pressure of the springs is thus at its
maximum when the doors are closed, and at its minimum when wide open,
thereby having the desired effect.
Having now described the nature and objects of our said Invention of
"Improvements in Box Hinges for Swing Doors," and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, we would remark in conclusion that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise details herein described and shewn in the
accompanying Drawings, as many slight modifications and variations may be
adopted without departing from the principle of our Invention; but what we
claim as our Invention intended to be secured to us by the herein in part
recited Letters Patent is, the peculiar arrangement of compound levers and
springs in the manufacture of box hinges for swing doors in the manner
shewn and herein described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rimington the younger, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eigth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
WILLIAM THOMAS FREER,
Clerk in Holy Orders,
Houghton-on-the-Hill,
Leicestershire.
Wч. RIMINGTON, JUN³. (L.S.)