Improvements in Screen Doors.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 20th Nov.,
1897
Improvements in Screen Doors.
I, JULIA FRITZ, Housekeeper, of Concord, in the County of Jackson, and State
of Michigan, one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained by the following statement:
My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in screen doors,
the object being to provide a folding guard designed to be used in connection with
the door to prevent the entrance of flies through the door when said door is opened.
To this end my invention consists in providing at the top of the door a guard
constructed of flexible material and provided with stays and adapted to fold or
collapse, bellows fashion, when the door is closed, and to extend when the door is
opened to readily permit freedom of movement of said door.
My invention also consists in certain details of construction, combinations and
arrangements of parts in a screen door, as will be hereinafter more fully described
and specifically set forth in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings.
Figure is a front view of a door embodying my invention, the door being
shown closed.
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 but showing the door opened and the fly-
guard extended.
Figure 3 is a detail view of the fly-guard removed from the door, parts being
boken away to show the construction.
Like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.
Referring to the drawings, the numeral | designates the door frame, and 2 a
The door is provided with
screen door connected therewith by a spring-hinge B.
wire-screens 4.
I have observed by practical observation that flies usually swarm about the top
of the door and that when the door is opened pass into the house or room through
the door-frame opening adjoining the upper portion thereof, and accordingly 1
have provided a guard adapted to be secured to the upper cross-bar of the door-
frame and to the upper edge of the door, in order to guard or screen the door
opening when the door is opened and to brush away the flies and prevent entrance
of the same into the house or room through the doorway. The guard 5 is con-
structed of cloth or other suitable material which is flexible so as to permit the
guard to fold. The guard is formed of two thicknesses or plies 6, 7 of the flexible
material and is provided at intervals with stays 8 or whalebones arranged between
the plies and secured by stitching 9. The upper portion or body proper of the
guard is approximately rectangular in shape when folded out as shown in Figure 3
and the stays which are arranged at suitable intervals apart, extend nearly along
the entire length of the guard and have their ends at one side folded or kaid upon
each other, and secured together by a rivet 8 passed through the same.
By this construction, the guard has approximately the shape of a fan and is
provided with folding sections 16 adapted to fold upon one another in order that
the guard may be collapsed when the door is closed, as shown in Figure 1. One

page_text: edge
of the guard is secured to the cross-bar 12 of the door-frame and the
ends of
the spring
projecting
other edge thereof is secured to the upper cross-bar 14 of
the stays have position adjoining
hinge is secured. The guard is
extension 17 provided
the
door, while the riveted
the
jamb
15
of
the
door-frame
provided
with
to which
a downwardly or laterally
with
stays
15,
and
is
adapted to
extend down
alongside the vertical bar 19 at the free edge of the door and overlag upon the
door jamb 20. In practice, this guard extension may extend down and cover the
upper half of the said vertical bar
tacks.
screws, or other fastening devices.
of
the
door,
being scoured thereto by
1t will be observed that when the door is closed, the guard folds together in
bellows or fan fashion, and readily extends when the door is opened to permit free
movement of said door. When the door is opened, the flies swarming around the
same will be brushed away by the guard and prevented from entering the door-
way over the ton of the open door, while the downward extension of the guard
covers the entrance opening half-way down the door, and this effectually prevents
entrance of the flies at that point.
The guard may be provided with a pinked scallop or other ornamental edge 22
to enhance the appearance of the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, f declare that what I
claim is :--
3. As a new article of manufacture, a fly-guard constructed of Rexible material
provided with folding sections adapted to fold one upon the other and allow the
guard to collapse, one edge of the said guard being adapted to be attached to the
door-frame and the other eilge to the door, substantially as described.
2. A fly-guard for doors, constructed of flexible material formed with folding
portions adapted to fold upon each other to allow the guard to be collapsed, une
edge of the guard being adapted to be attached to the door frame and the other
edge to the door, and said guard provided with an extension adapted to be secured
to one side of the door and prevent entrance of the flies at that point, substantially
as described.
3. A fly-guan for doors, constructed of flexible material having staya pivoted
together and forming folding sections adapted to fold one upon the other, one edge
of the guard being adapted in be spoured to the door-frame and the other edge to
the door, substantially as described.
4. A fly-guard for doors, constructed of two layers or plies of flexible material
provided with stays between said plies secured thereto by stitching, said stays
having their ends at one side of the guard conected by rivets and forming folding
sections adapted to fold together to permit the guard to collapse, substantially as
described.
5. Ta a fly-guard for doors, the combination with a door frame and a door, of a
fly-guard constructed of flexible material provided with stays riveted together at
one end and forming folding sections to permit the guard to collapse, one edge
of the guard being secured to the horizontal bar of the door-frame and the other
edge thereof to the horizontal top bar of the door, and said guard also providel
with an extension secured to the vertical side bar of the door aml projecting over
upon the door-jamb, substantially as described.