An Improved Self-closing Shutter.
Year: 1890

page_text: αντιμικ
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Self-closing Shutter.
I, JOHN VAN VORST BOORAEM, of Brooklyn in the County of Kings and State of
New York, United States of America, Inventor, 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 my invention relates to a new and useful improvement in self-closing shutters,
of which the following is a specification.
My improvement is designed for effecting the automatic closing of metallic shutters
employed upon the windows and doors of buildings upon the occurrence of a fire
within or adjacent to the building.
The improvement also relates to means for securing the shutter-in-an-opened
position and automatically releasing it from said securing device upon the happening
of such fire.
I will describe my improvement in detail, and then point out the novel features in
claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a shutter and out-
line of a window embodying my improvement, the shutter being shown closed.
Figure 2 is a similar view of the shutter, the same being shown open or in the
position which it will occupy when swung back against the wall. Figure 3 is a
detail of a hinge member of one of the hinges of the shutter. Figure 4 is a detail
of the other member of the hinge. Figure 5 is a modification of the hinge member
illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a plan or top view of the member illustrated in
Figure 5. Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of a catch for securing the shutter in an
opened position. Figure 8 is a plan or top view of the same.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
My improvement is adapted to be applied to either shutters which are already
in use or to new shutters. I will first describe the same when applied to new shutters,
referring more particularly to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
A designates a shutter, in this instance shown as inclosing a window A¹, having
extending across it near its bottom a guard a, against which the shutter will be brought
when closed, as shown in Figure 1.
B B' designate hinges for the shutter. The hinge B comprises two members b b¹.
The hinge member b comprises a flap which is secured by rivets or otherwise to the
shutter and a head t at the outer extremity of the flap and beyond the shutter. This
head, as shown, is cylindrical. Upon the under side of said head there is formed a
A hinge-
spirally-extending surface ³, extending for a distance about the head.
pin is either formed integral with or secured upon the head 63. The member 6¹
of the hinge is secured in any suitable manner to the wall of the building-as, for
instance, it may be provided with a projection b', (shown in dotted lines in Figure 4,)
which may be built in with the masonry of the building. Upon the upper side of
the member the same is provided with a spirally-extending surface 6°. The spiral
surface 6 has in this example of my improvement a portion near its upper extremity,
which is elevated somewhat above the plane of the other portion of said surface. The

page_text: spiral surfaces extend in the same direction spirally. The member is provided
with a suitable aperture 68, extending through the same, through which aperture the
pin will pass when the members are secured together. The pin is of sufficient
length to permit the member to be elevated wholly above the member without
becoming detached from the member'. The hinge B' comprises two members c c
the former comprising a flap secured to the shutter by rivets or otherwise, and
provided near its other end with a head 2, bearing a hinge-pin c³, which latter extends
through the member c, and is of sufficient length to admit of the raising of head b
in the manner described without becoming detached from the member c¹.
member c is secured in the wall of the building in any suitable manner.
The
Referring more particularly to Figure 2, D designates a collar or sleeve, composed
of any suitable metal fusible at a low temperature. Many of such metals are now
sold upon the market. This sleeve or collar surrounds the hinge-pin c, and is
arranged between the head c of the -member c and the member c. The weight of
the shutter is borne by this sleeve. When the sleeve is in position, the head 62 of
the hinge B will be elevated wholly above the member of said hinge. The shutter
may be opened and closed by hand in the ordinary way without any contact between
the members and 61. If, however, a fire should occur in the building or in an
adjacent building the heat of which would be sufficient to fuse the metal sleeve or
collar D, the member of the hinge B' will drop downwardly, thus bringing the
spiral surface 3 of the member of the hinge B into contact with the portion 67 of
the spiral surface & on the member b'. A screw action then ensues, by which the
shutter will be automatically swung and closed, as shown in Figure 1. The spiral
surface contacts with the upper portion of the spiral surface 6 only, for the
purpose of reducing friction. It night, however, contact with the whole of the spiral
surface . The shutter will be closed when the members bc have reached their
respective seats upon the members and the shutter will be held closed against
accidental opening, for the reason that considerable force would have to be applied
to force the shutter open against the resistance offered by the spiral surfaces ³°.
I have shown upon the shutter a bolt E, by which the shutter may be locked in a
closed position. I have also shown a ring e, by which the shutter is opened and
closed.
J designates a catch for securing the shutter in an opened position. This catch is
pivotally hung near its rear end in the recess j, formed in a metallic piece J. The
.catch may rock freely in said recess in an upward direction and downwardly into a
horizontal position, but cannot swing below the horizontal position, for the reason
that its rear portion, or that which is pivoted within a recess j, is provided with a
projection, which, when the catch has reached a horizontal position, will contact
with the rear wall of the recess j, thus acting as a stop to prevent further downward
movement of the catch.
I have shown the rear portion of the metallic piece J' as provided with an internally-
screw-threaded socket j³, into which there is secured a screw *. Upon this screw,
outside the metallic piece J', is a jam-nut j³. The rear portion of the screw is shown
as jagged and extending within a lead pipe 2, which latter is suitably packed and
secured in a socket within the wall of the building. By this construction the
catch J may be brought nearer to or farther from the wall of the building by merely
rotating it upon the screw j. This adjustment is for the purpose of arranging the
catch in proper position to engage the shutter. When thus adjusted, the jam-nut j
is jammed against the metallic piece J₁ and will prevent the displacement of the
catch.
When the shutter in ordinary use is opened and swung back against the wall, the
catch Jwill pass through the notch y, with which the edge of the shutter is provided,
and will drop down over the metal forming the lower edge of the notch, thus holding
the shutter in an opened position. To close the shutter, the catch J is raised by hand
to release the shutter. If, on the contrary, the metal collar or sleeve D should
become fused; the drop of the shutter occasioned thereby will automatically release
it froin the catch. I prefer that a slight drop of the shutter should occur before the

page_text: spiral surface ³ comes in contact with the spiral surface 6. This drop will give an
impetus to the shutter, which facilitates its rapid closing.
It will be seen that by my improvement a very simple and effective means is
provided for automatically closing the shutters of a building upon the occurrence of
fire, which it is often impossible and unsafe to do by hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination, with a shutter, of hinges upon which said shutter may be
swung, and a collar or sleeve of metal fusible at a low temperature surrounding the
hinge-pin of one of the hinges and extending between the hinge members thereof, the
other hinge being provided with spirally-extending surfaces upon its members
maintained normally out of contact with each other, but adapted to come in contact
and close the shutter automatically upon the fusion of said sleeve or collar,
substantially as specified.
2. The combination, with a shutter, of hinges upon which said shutter may be
swung, a collar or sleeve of metal fusible at a low temperature surrounding the hinge-
pin of one of the hinges and extending between the hinge members thereof, the other
hinge being provided with spirally extending surfaces upon its members maintained
normally out of contact with each other, but adapted to come in contact and close
the shutter automatically upon the fusion of said sleeve or collar, and a catch auto-
matically released from the shutter upon the fusion of said sleeve or collar, substantially
as specified.
JOHN VAN VORST BOORAEM.
By his Agents,
Horn & Son.