CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF HINGES FOR HANGING AND CLOSING DOORS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
RATCLIFF, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of August, in the fifth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Ratcliff, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Joseph Ratcliff, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Ratcliff, my exors, adñiors, 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, the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND
MANUFACTURE OF HINGES FOR HANGING AND CLOSING DOORS,". communicated to
me from a certain Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Ratcliff, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of the 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 of

page_text: the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto bad, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Ratcliff, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, the same. letters being used to indicite the same parts.
Figure 1 is an elevation; Figure 2 a vertical section, and Figures 3 and 4
plans of the improved hinge, Figure 3 representing it when the door to
which it is attached is closed, and Figure 4 representing it when the door to
which it is attached is partially open. Figures 5 to 9 represent the separate
parts of the improved hinge. a, a, is a cast-iron box in which the mechanism
is contained. b, b, is a lever to be attached by screwing or otherwise to the
bottom of the door. This lever fits on to the squared end of the axis c
(shewn separately in Figure 5), the upper end of which is supported in the
brass bearing d, while the lower end works in a cylindrical cavity & made in
the bottom of the cast-iron box a. On the lower end of the axis c (see
Figure 5) a segmental plane d' is situated, the upper surface of which is
inclined to the axis so as to make therewith an angle of about seventy degrees.
e, Figures 8 and 9, represents a broad lever, having at one end two small
rollers f,, placed at such a distance from each other that one of them.rests
on one side of the inclined segment d (as seen in Figures 2, 3, and 4), while
the other roller rests on the other side. The lever e' turns upon an axis g
working in the supports h, h. From this lever, and immediately above the
axis 9. rise two arms i, i, carrying the swivel nut j. This mechanism (Figures
8 and 9) is screwed in the cast-iron box a in such a position that the rollers.
ff, rest upon the sides' of the inclined segment d', as seen in Figures 2, 3,
and 4. k, Figure 7, represents a metal plate, having a screwed pin / fixed
thereon, and m a brass nut tapped so as to screw upon the pin l. This nut
has a number of holes made in its periphery for the reception of a lever, in
order to turn it. This screwed pin and nut are fixed in the box a in the
position shewn in Figures 2, 3, and 4, by the plate k being screwed or other-
wise fastened against the end of the box. Between the brass nut m and the
swivel nut jis placed the spring n (see Figure 6). This spring consists of
two steel hellices o, p, the helix p being smaller than and situated within the
helix o.
The ends of the helix o bear against the shoulders q, q, of the brass
nut m and the swivel nut j, and the ends of the helix p bear against the
shoulders r, r, of the brass nut m and the swivel nut j.

page_text: I will now describe the action of the various parts of the improved hinge.
In the position represented in Figure 3, the door attached to the lever b is
closed. If the lever b be brought into the position shewn in Figure 4 by
the opening of the door, the spring becomes compressed, and by its elasticity
tends to bring back the door to its former or closed position. This com-
pression of the spring is thus effected: by the turning of the lever 6 into the
position shewn in Figure 4, the inclined segment d¹ is made to turn upon the
axis c, and as the rollers f, f, were resting upon the lowest part of that
inclined surface, it is evident that the partial rotation of the axis c in the
direction shewn by the arrow must bring a more elevated part of the inclined
segment under the rollers, and thereby raise the roller and the lever e to
which it is affixed. The elevation of this lever causes the supports i, i, and
swivel nut to approach nearer to the brass nut m, and thereby to compress
the spring n. If the door had been opened in a direction opposite to that
shewn in the Drawing, the inclined surface would have been brought under
the other roller, and the elevation of that would also have operated in the
manner just described. The improved door spring tends constantly to close
the door. to which it is attached, for the spring (which I have shewn must be
compressed by the opening of the door), seeking by its elasticity to elongate
itself, produces a pressure upon the swivel nut j, which pressure is transmitted
through the lever e to the roller which rest on the inclined segment d (which
will be the one marked f³ if the door be opened, as shewn in the Drawing,
but if opened in the contrary direction it will be the roller f¹). The pressure
of the roller upon the inclined segment d causes it (d) to perform a partial
rotation on its axis c, so as to bring its lowest part under the roller, and when
it has again assumed the position shewn in Figure 3, both the rollers f¹, ƒ³,
rest upon the lower edge of the inclined segment d, and the door is closed.
By turning the brass nut m so as to make it approach the swivel nut j, the
spring will be more compressed, and consequently will exert greater force in
closing the door to which it is attached; by turning the brass nut m in the
opposite direction the spring will be allowed to elongate itself, and consequently
will act with less force.
Ilaving now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
the exclusive use of all the parts of the improved hinge separately considered,
as many of them are or may be in common use; but I claim exclusive
right to,
First, the general arrangement of the parts of a door hinge, as berein
described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.