IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTS AND IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING PORTS OF SHIPS OR VESSELS, ALSO APPLICABLE IN OPENING AND CLOSING WINDOWS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS HAVING LIKE MOVEMENTS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WOOD GRAY, of Warkworth Terrace, Commercial Road, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of October, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Wood Gray, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Wood Gray, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Wood
Gray, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTS AND IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING PORTS OF
SHIPS OR VESSELS, ALSO APPLICABLE IN OPENING AND CLOSING WINDOWS AND
OTHER INSTRUMENTS HAVING LIKE MOVEMENTS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Wood Gray, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Wood Gray, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following Statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists,-
First, of an improvement in the construction of the ports. And,
Secondly, of improvements in apparatus for opening and closing ports, and
also windows, or other instruments similarly hung. And in order that my
Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed, in the various Figures of
which the same letters are used to indicate similar parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a section of part of a ship's side, with a port constructed
according to the first part of my Invention applied thereto; and also having
apparatus according to the second part of my Invention for opening and
closing the port. The ship or vessel is in these Figures supposed to be of iron.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same parts. The port is shewn to consist of metal,
and the peculiarity of its form consists in having a groove or recess all round
the inner surface, which is filled with cork, a, or other suitable flexible material,
which is retained in position by black varnish or other suitable adhesive mate-
rial, and by transverse pins, b. The other parts of the frame, and mode of
constructing the hinges and fixing them by screw bolts and nuts, being clearly
shewn by the Drawings. And as no claim is made to any of those parts, no
description thereof will be necessary. The only novelty claimed in respect to
the metal port being the circumstance of making a groove to receive cork a
on the inner surface of the port, as shewn.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, one
arrangement of which is shown at Figures 1 and 2, and another arrangement
is shewn at Figures 3 and 4. The principle of construction is, however, the
same in both, such principle consisting in having a female screw or nut moving
on a male screw, such female screw being, by means of connecting rods or
arms, in connection with the port, so that the movement of the female screw
or nut along the male screw puts the connecting rods and arms into motion,
and thus lifts or closes the port.

page_text: I will first describe the apparatus shewn at Figures 1 and 2.
c is the port,
which I prefer to be made according to the first part of my Invention, as
shewn; or they may be of other constructions, or the same apparatus may be
applied to a window or other instrument, which is similarly hung to the
glazed port shewn. d is the male screw, having three threads, but that may
be varied. e is the female screw or nut which moves on the male screw.
to and fro to close or open the port, according as it is required, depending on
the direction in which the screw d is turned by means of the handle d'. On
the axis of the screw d are formed two plain single-threaded screws, one at
each end, as is shewn at d²; and the bearings in which the axis of the screw d
turns are formed with female screws to correspond with the screws d', the
object being that the screws d³, in their bearings, should act as fastenings in
consequence of the flatness of their pitch to the movement of the screw d, by
any pressure on the port. By this means a quicker screw d for moving the
But or female screw may be employed; or the screws d, d, may be dispensed
with by having the thread or threads of the screw d of a more flat pitch, or
other means of fastening the screw d may be resorted to, and yet have the
advantage of a quick movement to the nut or female screw e. The female.
screw or nut has two projecting necks e', which pass through slots in the
arms f. f, which arms are fixed to the axis g, hence when the nut e is moved
to and fro the axis g will be moved partly round. On the axis g are affixed
two arms h, h, to which are attached by pin joints two connecting rods i, i,
the other ends of the connecting rods i, i, being attached by pin joints to the
port c, all which is clearly shown by the Drawing; and the effect of this
combination is, that if motion be now given to the screw d, it will cause the
port to be closed, and by means of the screw d³ the screw d will be fastened
against any pressure on the port, and the whole will remain fast unless motion
be given to the screw d by its handle.
Figures 5 and 6 shew two other modes of fastening the screw d. The first,
Figure 5, consists of having part of the interior of the female screw moveable
in a recess, and capable of being set up by means of a screw j, so as to bind on
the screw d; and Figure 6 cousists of having a fixed collar on the screw d,
the collar having several sides, so that by passing a wedge j' under the lower
side the screw is prevented turning, or in place thereof other means may be
used for fixing the screw d; and I have shewn an apparatus at Figure 7 for.
that purpose, consisting of a ratchet wheel fixed on the screw d, there being
a click or catch k, which will retain the screw in either direction, according to
the click is in the position shown at k, or in the position shewn by the red
lines. The apparatus shewn at Figures 3 and 4 differs from that shewn in

page_text: Figures 1 and 2, inasmuch as the connecting rods i, i, are made fast direct to
the female screw or nut, in place of the intervention of the arms h and axis 9,
all which will readily be understood on examining the apparatus shewn by
those Figures of the Drawings.
Drawings. And the same observations which I have
made in respect to fixing the screw d are applicable to this arrangement of my
apparatus.
Figures 3 and 4 show the port to be made according to the first part of my
Invention, as in Figures 1 and 2, but the same is applied to a ship or vessel
built of wood.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
I make no claim to the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to
the precise details, so long as the peculiar character of either part of my
Invention be retained. But what I claim is,
First, the mode of lining the inner surfaces of metal parts with cork or
other flexible material, as herein described, and,
Secondly, I claim the modes of combining apparatus for opening and shutting
ports, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wood Gray, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
Enrolled the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-six.