An Improved Door Check for Preventing Slamming.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Door Check for Preventing Slamming.
I, HENRY FRANCIS HORSNAILL, of No. 39, Royal Parade, Eastbourne, in the
County of Sussex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Doors swinging on hinges are liable to close too quickly with an unpleasant
slam, especially when acted on by currents of air or those to which a spring
or other automatic means of closing is attached, & my invention is intended to
prevent such slamming with its consequent noise & severe jar to adjacent walls
& windows, by simple & inexpensive apparatus.
I provide a smooth rod or bar of metal or other hard substance. Against this
I place a pad of softer material as leather, which being urged along & against
the rod (that is obliquely to it) will slide along it, but slowly owing to friction.
By placing two of these on opposite sides of the rod and connecting them
together accross it somewhat loosely, they form a clasp or ring, which being urged
along the rod by one side or pad tends to twist upon & grip it, & will slide but
slowly. A slight back pull or pressure against the rod of the other side very
much increases the dragging action.
But if the clasp be urged by both sides equally along the rod so that it does
not tend to twist it will slide freely.
By using a series of such clasps any desired amount of drag may be obtained
the connections being hinged or sufficiently pliable to allow play for the purpose.
I fix the rod on the wall or framework round & connect the rings to the door
(or vice versa) in such a way that as it closes they are dragged along the rod by
one side only of each and refusing to slide quickly check the door and prevent a
slam but as it opens they are pressed back by both sides or in a less twisted
position as regards the rod, so that they do not grip it & offer little or no hindrance
to the movement of the door.
But to save time in closing the door it is better that it be not checked until
near its close.
To effect this I combine the rod & clasps with an arrangement of two arms,
hinged together by one end and to the door and framework respectively by the
others. These and the rod which latter I also hinge by one end to the framework
near them (preferably over the door) move with the door and in such a manner
owing to their being of a different length & moving from different centres, that
the joined ends of the arms travel with increasing speed in comparison with the
door as it closes, & the clasps being attached to one of them refusing at last to
follow so fast check the door when near its close.
Furthermore, the pads constantly tend to draw the rod against the arm to
which they are attached as the door closes & I arrange all so that one or more
of the pads (but not that one next the door) shall be caught between them and
pressed against the rod. I connect all the clasps nearer the door than this one
to it by their sides or pads farthest from the door or arm in the direction of its

page_text: pull & the slight hindrance thus caused is communicated to all and very much
increases the check.
By means of a stop of a suitable length which length I may adjust by a screw
or other suitable means I prevent the rod & arm meeting & therefore this addi-
tional check taking effect until the door is near its close. Thus the time of the
check is regulated.
By means of a rack or screw or the like I can vary the point from which the
clasps are drawn so that the direction of the pull is more, or less, oblique to the
rod thus causing the pad or pads to be nipped with more or less pressure,
Thus the amount of the check is regulated. By means of a spring attached
between the arms or the door & the door-frame the door is made to close
automatically & more purchase is given to its pull as the door nears its close
by the before mentioned movement of the arms.
This arrangement of arms & spring is no part of my invention except as used in
combination with the rings & rod as herein explained.
I prefer to place the pads in a series on alternate sides of the rod, each being
joined to those next it across the rod by a hinged or sufficiently pliable con-
nection to allow only enough movement for their closing on or loosening from
the rod, the end one being attached to the door or arm as explained.
I use a suitable lubricant between the rod & the pads.
Or I may join the 2 pads in one clasp by a hinge & draw them both along &
against the rod from the opposite & they will close upon it with a like effect.
I further provide a spring which I fix to one arm & arrange to engage on the
other when the door is open at about a rightangle in order to hold it there if
desired.
D1
011
2
1 1000
Aproved DOCI
I, HENRY FRANCIS HORSNAILL, of 39, Royal Parade, Eastbourne, in the County
of Sussex, England, Engineer, 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:-
Doors swinging on hinges are liable to close too quickly with an unpleasant
slam especially when acted on by currents of air or those to which a spring
or other automatic means of closing is attached and my invention is intended to
prevent such slamming with its consequent noise and severe jar to adjacent walls
and windows, by simple and inexpensive apparatus.
I provide a smooth rod or har of metal or other hard substance. Against this
I place a pad of softer material as leather which being urged along and against
the rod that is obliquely to it will slide along it but slowly owing to friction.
By placing two of these on opposite sides of the rod and connecting them
together accross it somewhat loosely they form a clasp or ring, which being urged
along the rod by one side or pad tends to twist on and grip it & will slide but
slowly.
But if the clasp he urged by both sides equally along the rod so that it does
not tend to twist, it will slide freely.
I fix the rod in the wall or framework round, & connect the clasp to the door
(or vice versa) in such a way that as it closes the clasp is dragged along the
rod by one side & refusing to slide quickly checks the door and prevents a slam,

page_text: but as it opens the clasp is pressed back by both sides or in a less twisted position
as regards the rod, so that it does not grip it and offers little or no hindrance to
the movement of the door.
I prefer to fix the clasp to the door or its frame & cause the rod to be forced
through it obliquely or from one side by the action of the door as it closes &
thus in a twisted position as regards the clasp, which owing to this, grips it with
friction & prevents a slam.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation on line B, B,
of Fig. 2 & Fig. 2 a sectional plan on line A, A, of Fig. 1 of my invention
as fixed & operating on the outer or lintel side of a door.
The clasp R perforated & lined on its two inner sides with leather pads P, P,
embraces slidingly the rod F somewhat loosely & is preferably fixed to the
lintel L, indicated by the irregularly dotted lines Fig. 2 & shown in section in
Fig. 1, & holds the said rod in an oblique position to the door 1) when closed
or nearly so.
As the door closes, it strikes the rod F at the point & upon the pad P, 1,
obliquely & from one side, thus causing it to twist in & be gripped between the
pads P. P, in the clasp R. The friction thus caused prevents it sliding freely
through the clasp R & the door D) is checked. As the door opens the rod F
is returned to its original position by the small spring N.
By attaching also a spring or weight between the door & its frame in the
ordinary way it may be made to close automatically & quietly.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is performed I declare that what I claim
is: -
Claim I. For the purpose of checking doors, a smooth rod or bar on which
slides a clasp or ring made of or lined with some softer material as leather &
which being urged along the rod (or the rod through it) by the action of the
door as it closes tends to twist on & grip the rod & thus drag on & check the
door but as the door opens is returned along the rod by any suitable means in
a less twisted position & thus sliding freely.
Claim II. The combination of the said clasp & rod with a spring or weight
for automatically closing doors.
Dated this fith dor of Tovember 1899