Improvements in Door-checks and Door-closing Apparatus.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 7th Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Door-checks and Door-closing Apparatus.
I, EUGENE IRVING BLOUNT of Creighton Street, City of Cambridge, County
of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR-
CHECKS AND DOOR-CLOSING APPARATUS" 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 door checks of the kind or class in which liquid is
employed as an element to resist the free action of the door closing spring.
The invention consists of an improved door check of the class mentioned, and of
parts and combinations of parts adapted to use in door checks, all as is hereinafter
more fully set forth and claimed.
My invention will first be described in connection with the accompanying
drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this
Specification, and then be pointed out in the appended claims.
Of the drawings,
Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved door check attached to a door and
door casing.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cylinder and a part of its equipments inverted,
the cup on the end of the liquid chamber being removed.
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the wing or piston connected with the oscillatory
shaft, at right angles thereto, and adapted to operate in the liquid chamber.
Fig. 4 is a vertical central sectional view of the cylinder and its equipments.
Fig. 5 is a view of one side and
Fig. 6 of the opposite side of the partition in the liquid chamber.
The same letters designates the same parts or features, as the case may be, in all
of the views.
In the drawings—
a designates the cylinder divided by the partition into a liquid chamber c and a
spring chamber d, into or through which cylinder there extends an oscillatory shaft e
adapted to be actuated by the spring to close the door through the medium of
adjustable arms or levers connecting the said shaft with the door, and jointed and
connected by means of ball and socket joints and connections which are important in
the operation of the device.
As is herein shown the cylinder a is vertically arranged with the spring chamber
upperniost, though a reversed or other arrangement may be made of the cylinder, as
circumstances may suggest or require.
Affixed in the liquid chamber c is a partition y extending from the side and top
and bottom of the chamber to the oscillatory shaft e, and connected with the said
shaft and extending at right angles thereto is a wing or piston adapted, as the
shaft is oscillated, to be moved in the chamber from one side of the partition to
the other.
Valves and ports are provided in the said partition and wing or piston, so that
the liquid in the chamber will flow with comparative freedom from one side of the
partition and wing to the other when the door is being opened, but offer quite
considerable resistance to the movement of the wing or piston by the spring
closing the door. This pressure of the wing upon the liquid renders it necessary to
make the chamber c quite liquid-proof.
in
To attain the last mentioned end at the point between the cap i screwed upon the

page_text: lower end of the cylinder and the cylinder body, I offset the upper inner face of
the cap i as at and provide an annular packing strip k adapted to fit in said offset,
and, it may be, to extend above the upper edge of the cap, and construct and
arrange a ring above the packing so that it may be screwed down thereon with
great force by means of a spanner operating in the notches m or it may be on ribs
or projections, or by other suitable incans.
The neck or bearing a for the oscillatory shaft e, connected with the partition,
enlarge or chamber in its upper part into which and around the said shaft is
tapped a nut o the lower face of which is inclined inwardly and upward, so as that
it may act upon a packing p in the lower part of the chamber around the shaft to
form a liquid tight connection at that point.
The upper end of the nut o is squared or otherwise constructed to enable it to be
engaged by a wrench or other means and be turned thereby.
The wing is provided with a valve adapted to operate over a port formed in
the said ring allowing the liquid in the chamber to flow freely through said port
as the wing moves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, and the door is being
opened, but closing said port as the wing moves in the opposite direction in the act
of closing the door.
Ports rs are formed in the partition g, the extent to which the former is opened
or closed being controlled by a valve t, adapted to be moved in one direction by a
spring and in the opposite direction by a screw e tapped into the cylinder and
operating against the valve or a pin or projection thereon, though it is obvious that
the screw might be made to engage the said valve and move it in both directions:
and the extent to which ports is opened being controlled by the valve operated
upon by a temperature spring, which is composed of two strips of metal 2, 3,
possessing expansion and contraction properties in different degrees or to different
extents under the same temperature, said spring being fastened at one end to the
valve wand at its other end to the stud c about which it is coiled, the construction
and arrangement being such as that as the liquid which may be used in the cup c
becomes warmed or is chilled in accordance with the condition as to temperature
of the atmosphere, the spring will have a tendency to coil more closely or to
uncoil, as the case may be, and so partially or wholly close the port s, or open
the same.
It will thus be seen that the partition is provided with a duplex valve, onc
being automatically operated by the temperature of the liquid, and the other con-
trolled mechanically through the medium of the thumb screw.
As the spring operates to close the door and to move the wing or piston / in a
direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, the port in the said
wing will be closed by the valve as stated, so that the escape of the liquid from
one side of the partition to the other will be through the comparatively small
ports vs and consequently the liquid will flow through said ports slowly and the
resistance of the liquid to the action of the spring will be comparatively great.
By this means a slow closing of the door without slam or jar is effected.
By means of the mechanically operated valve the port or ports in the partition
may be adjusted to suit circumstances, while the valve e is operated automatically
in accordance with the temperature, and consequent consistency of the liquid in the
liquid chamber.
In order to effect a partial closing of the door with a comparatively quick
motion, I cut away a portion of the hub of the wing gas at y for a part of the
distance around said hub, so that when the door is fully opened, an aperture or port
will be formed at the cut away pointy between the hub and adjacent edge of the
partition g through which port the liquid may freely flow from one side of the
partition to the other until the door approaches a closed position when the cut-
away point will have passed the partition and the hub will operate in quite close
proximity to the partition so that the only escape of liquid will be through the
ports, while the door is being brought to fully closed position.

page_text: The upper end of the wing hub on the side opposite to that at which the said
hub is cut away as at y is provided with a groove, so that any liquid that
might leak or be squeezed through between the upper face of the hub and the
part with which it moves in contact may not be forced up into the spring
chamber d but run out through the said groove z.
It is obvious that changes may be made in the form and arrangement of
parts comprising my invention without departing from the nature or spirit thereof.
For example, the liquid chamber e may be provided with two partitions g
and the oscillatory shaft with two wings and other means may be used
for preventing leakage of the liquid from the liquid chamber.
Having thus 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. A door check, embracing in its construction a cylinder adapted to hold
suitable liquid, an oscillatory shaft in the said cylinder, a partition in the said
cylinder extending parallel with the said shaft, a wing or piston attached at
right angles to the said shaft to operate on the liquid, and a suitable port to
permit the flow of liquid, as the shaft is oscillated, as set forth.
2. A door check, embracing in its construction a cylinder, an oscillatory shaft
in the said cylinder, a partition extending at right angles to the shaft dividing
the cylinder into two apartments one of which is adapted to hold suitable
liquid, a partition in the said liquid apartment extending parallel with the said
shaft, a wing or piston in the liquid apartment attached at right angles
to the said shaft to operate on the liquid, a suitable port to permit the flow of
liquid as the shaft is oscillated, and a spring in the other apartment connected
with the said shaft, as set forth.
3. In a door check a valve and its support provided with an aperture or port, the
valve being pivoted to the support, in combination with a spring composed of
the metals. 2, 3, one end of said spring being rigidly held and the other
connected with said valve, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a door check, the combination with the liquid cup, of the apertured
wing and its actuating mechanism, a valve pivoted to said wing and adapted
to operate over the aperture therein, a spring composed of the metals 2, 3, one
end of said spring being secured to said wing, and the other end connected
with said valve, as set forth..
5. In a door check, a spring actuated arm, a bracket adapted to be affixed
to the door, a link or rod connected with said arm and bracket by means of
ball and socket joints, a shaft to which said arm is secured, a liquid cup into
which said shaft extends, a wing connected with said shaft and arranged in said
cup and a valve provided partition in respect to which said wing is arranged
to operate, combined and related substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a door check, the combination with the liquid cup, of a valve, a spring
composed of the metals 2, 3, one end of said spring being rigidly held, and the
other or free end being connected with said valve, as set forth.
7. In a door check, a spring actuated arm and its connections with the door,
combined with a liquid cup, an axle or spindle connected with said arm and
extending into said cup, devices connected with said axle for acting upon the
liquid in said cup, said axle or spindle being provided with a longitudinal hole or
aperture, and lateral apertures communicating with said longitudinal aperture, and
a stopple rod or plunger, arranged in said longitudinal hole or aperture, as set
forth.
8. In door closing apparatus the combination with the cylinder a, of the screw
cap, a ring having a screw threaded connection with the cylinder, and an
interposed packing, as set forth.
9. In door closing apparatus the combination with the cylinder a, of the screw

page_text: cap
offset, as at a ring having a screw thread connection with the cylinder,
and a packing arranged in the offset of the cap and interposed between the same
and the ring, as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of Octobe 1800
EUGENE IRVING BLOUNT.
Hughes, Eli & Hughes,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.