An Improved Means for Automatically Closing the Doors of Elevators or Lifts.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Means for Automatically Closing the Doors of
Elevators or Lifts.
I, THOMAS RICHARD SHILLITO of 89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Engineer
and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication
to me from abroad by James Marion Elder of Indianopolis, Marian County,
Indiana, U.S.A., Salesman, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide a safety gate or door closer for
elevators or lifts which will automatically close the gate when it has been left open
by inadvertence and will be inoperative so long as the gate remains closed thus
requiring the attendant to open the gate from the inside and also requiring
the gate to be closed automatically whenever the cage moves either up or down
from the floor or landing, thereby securing absolute exemption from accidents
caused by open gates or elevator hatchways and at the same time not interfering
with the gate as the cage moves up or down, unless the cage has stopped at a floor
or landing and the gate has been left open until after the cage has started.
The invention consists generally in a lever connected to the gate or door and
framing and a cam secured to and movable with the cage to act upon said lever
and its connections when the former is in a position to hold the door open and
close the same when the cage is moved in either direction.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an elevator hatchway, door, and door operating
device according to this invention.
Fig. 2, enlarged details in side and front elevation of a short lever with cam
roller, connecting spring, and bracket thereof.
Fig. 3 a detail view of a sheave pulley and bracket.
Fig. 4 a detail view of a lever to be used in a modification of the device shewn
in Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 a side elevation of said lever with its bracket and other direct connections.
Fig. 6 an enlarged detail side elevation of a cam secured to the cage, for
operating the door operating lever.
1 is the hatchway frame, 2 guide rails, 3 screen, 4 door or gate all shewn in Fig. 1
with details in Fig. 2 illustrating one form of the invention used when the space
between the cage and the hatchway frame is so limited that a portion of the door
closing device comprising the lever 5 and its immediate connections is located at
the front and the cam 6 and its direct connections for operating said lever is
located upon the end of the hatchway frame and cage (not shewn) respectively
(Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6).
To the hatchway frame 1 is securely bolted a bracket 8 carrying at its upper end
a lever supporting pivot bolt 9 and at its middle part a stud 10 which passes
through a segmental slot 11 in the end of lever 5, said slot serving to limit the
movement of lever 5 in both directions. A double acting counterpoise spring 12
adjustably connected at its upper end by a sliding pin 13 and set screw 14 with
the handle end of lever 5, and secured at its lower end to the stud 10 upon the
opposite side and below the pivot bolt 9, serves to pull the upper end of said lever
to the left as shewn in Fig. 1, when the door 4 is to be closed and to the right of
a vertical plane - when the door is pushed full open, the spring 12 holding

page_text: lever 5 and its connections, until the door operating cam 6, in moving either up or
down the hatchway with the cage (not shewn) will operate the lever by means of
the following described connections. The extreme lower end of lever
is connected
by a chain 15, either through a bell crank lever 16 (Fig. 1) or through a sheave
pulley 17 (Fig. 3) with one end of a push bar 18; the outer end of which passes
through eye 19 at the upper end of a short cam actuated lever 20, this latter being
supported on one end of the hatchway frame near the guide rail 2 and carrying at
its lower end a roller 21 within reach of the full path of movement of the cam
plate 6 secured to and moving with the cage; when the lower end of said short
lever is drawn to the right by the full open movement or position of the door, and
the said lever being held normally or when not thus acted upon, in an upright
position (Fig. 1) by means of a plate spring 22, secured at its upper end to the
upper end of lever 20 and coiled round and connected at its lower end with a
bracket 23 all shewn in detail in Fig. 2, this bracket being bolted to the hatchway
frame. The end of push bar 18 passing through the eye at the upper end of
lever 20 is extended a short distance and connected there with by an encircling
spiral spring 24 held between the end of lever 20 and an adjustable nut on the
push bar, the spring being of sufficient strength to overcome the inertia of the
door when the door closer is used on a very fast moving elevator, but ordinarily it
need not be used... A connecting rod 25 is jointed at 26 to the upper end of
operating lever 5 and also jointed at 27 to the left hand side of the gate or door,
and a guard bar 28 upon the right hand side of the door holds said rod and the
upper end of the operating lever from swinging inwards against the front of the
moving cage.
When the space between the hatchway frame and the front of the cage will
allow it, the lower end of lever 5 is connected by a stud 29 with a roller 30 to bear
against the cam plate 6 attached to the front of the cage and is substituted for the
roller 21, short lever 20 and their connections herein before referred to, which are
used when the cam plate 6 is attached to the end of the cage. A simpler and
more direct connection is thus made between the moving cage and the operating
lever and in this case the spring 24 on push bar 18 is placed on the end of the
connecting rod 25 to overcome the inertia of the door. In either form of
connection the roller 21 or the roller 30 will rest in the depression 31 of cam
plate 6, when the cage is opposite a floor or landing and the door is open. The
spring 12 on lever 5 will in the latter position hold the lever slightly inclined to
the right of the dotted line - and when the cage moves either up or down to
leave the floor, the roller 21 or the roller 30 will be pushed to one side by the
raised part 32 of the cam plate and push the upper end of the operating lever 5 to
the left of said dotted line and the spring 19 on said lever will act to close the door
until it has been caught by a spring latch 33 which can only be opened from the
inside by the cage attendant. The piu 13 may be adjusted upon lever 5 and held
in any required position by the set screw 14 to give the required tension to the
counterpoise spring 12, and thus always ensure the complete closure of the door
without unnecessary jar, or unnecessary strain upon it when being opened by the
attendant.
With the device of this invention the doors simply require a start and will then
close themselves with reduced but sufficient celerity and security of action. It
will be observed that when the connection shewn in Fig. 1 is employed, the
chain 15 will slacken after the counterpoise spring 12 commences to act upon the
lever 5, and will remain so until said lever is pushed back to the right of
the line - when the door is opened and the roller 21 is again set in the
depression 31 of the cam plate upon the cage. Instead of the spring 12 a
counterpoise weight 34 may be adjustably secured to the upper end of lever 5
(Fig. 4) and instead of a spiral metallic spring 12 a rubber strap may be
employed.
Nothing in connection with the device of the invention will interfere with the
opening and closing of the door by hand.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with an elevator or lift framing and sliding hatchway door,
of an operating lever connecting the same, and a cage fitted with a double cam for
operating upon said lever to close the door both by the upward and downward
movement of the cage, substantially as described and shewn.
2. The combination with an elevator or lift of a pivotted counterpoise lever
connected with the door and the elevator framing and a cam upon the cage to
shift the line of force exerted upon said counterpoise lever from one to the other
side of said pivot, for the purpose specified, substantially as described and shewn.
3. In an elevator or lift, the combination with the hatchway framing of the
bracket, the counterpoise lever pivotted thereto, the connecting rod, the door, a
roller supported on said lever and a cam secured thereto for actuating the same,
substantially as described and shewn.
4. An elevator or lift door closer, comprising a bracket fixed to the frame, a
lever pivotted thereto, a lever connected with the door at one end and operated by
cam upon the moving cage at the opposite end, and a counterpoise connecting the
bracket below the pivot point of the lever with the lever above said point,
substantially as described and shewn.
5. A door or gate closing device for elevators or lifts, comprising the framing,
the sliding door or gate, the counterpoise lever, the rod and bracket connecting
the same, a roller, a cam for actuating the roller and lever, and an intermediate
spring for overcoming the inertia of the door or gate, substantially as described
and shewn.
6. A door or gate closing device for elevators or lifts comprising the framing, the
sliding gate, the cage fitted with a cam plate, and a counterpoise lever supported
upon the frame, connecting the gate and cam plate and having a segmental slot
and fixed pin working therein to limit the movement of said lever upon opposite
sides of a vertical pivot line, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 28th day of September 1895.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C.