IMPROVEMENTS IN STAYS OR APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE OPENING OF CASEMENTS, WARDROBE DOORS AND OTHER CLOSING MEANS
Year: 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM BREW of N° 78 Long Lane, Smithfield in the City of London
Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
STAYS OR APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE OPENING OF CASEMENTS,
WARDROBE DOORS AND OTHER CLOSING MEANS to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to enable the opening of casements, wardrobe
and other doors and other closing means such as screen flaps or leaves desk lids
and other flaps leaves or covers capable of being swung or turned on hinges or
centres, (hereafter called generally doors) to be regulated and controlled with facility
and security, whilst preserving simplicity and efficiency in construction and
operation.
For wardrobe and such like doors or closing means I construct the improved
stay or regulating device as two principal attachments the one portion consisting
of a stem with enlarged head is formed on or carried by a plate attached to the
door or part whose movement is to be controlled. The other or controlling and
adjusting part is connected similarly to the stationary portion of the wardrobe or
other article by a plate or piece which carries a stem on which is wound or applied
a suitable spring engaging therewith and with its enclosing barrel or case or part
attached to a lever plate hinged to swing therewith, suitable stop or stops controlling
the movement within limits. This lever-plate is formed with a series of inclined
grooves or slots proceeding from a longitudinal slot extending along the greater
portion of the lever in most cases.
Attached to one face of this lever plate is another plate, by countersunk rivets or
other suitable connections on the one plate engaging in slots or openings in the
other, or in a similar manner permitting of a limited travel of the one plate on the
other plate so that the openings in an inclined direction on each plate may be
brouglit coincident with or to obstruct those of the other at will and this movement
is effected by the long groove of the sliding plate being shorter than the long groove
of the lever plate by a difference of length equal to its desired traverse, so that
when the door or controlled article is drawn fully open, the stem thereto applied,
sliding in the superposed grooves is drawn along them to their ends bringing both

page_text: outer ends coincident but the inclined grooves of each plate intermediate of each
other so that the door or controlled article may be closed, forcing the stem to the
opposite ends of the grooves of the plates and coming first in contact with the end
of the shorter groove of the sliding plate it brings it coincident with the end of the
lever plate and turns it on its centre out of the way. To adjust the door or article
open to an intermediate extent the stem is allowed to engage in the grooves
corresponding by being drawn over those preceding it and then by the pressure of
the hinged spring to the lever plate giving the plate a tendency towards the stem ;
to adjust the stem in a groove adapted to hold the door more closed the stem must
be drawn fully out and back and returned to the selected groove and engagement
therewith effected.
In cases where the opening of doors is not only required to be controlled by
preventing closing without a certain amount of force or movement of the doors, but
where such control and adjusted holding in position is desired to amount to a
positive locking I apply a knob or handle to the sliding piece and the inclined
grooves are extended laterally, so that when the stem is in the lower part of the
selected inclined groove the sliding plate may be moved locking the stem at its
neck. In this modification the spring may be dispensed with.
°
This will be found a very useful stay for casement exposed to being blown to
and fro by the wind.
For desk lids and other uses where such positive locking is not needed a
slight modification will be found advantageous in that I dispense with the lateral
extensions of the inclined slots and in most cases also with the spring hinge.
Tn 1
1007

page_text: Improvements in Stays or Apparatus for Regulating and Adjusting
•
the Opening of Casements, Wardrobe Doors, and other Closing
Means.
I WILLIAM BREW of N° 78 Long Lane, Smithfield in the City of London
Ironmonger do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
STAYS OR APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE OPENING OF CASEMENTS,
WARDROBE DOORS AND OTHER CLOSING MEANS, 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 the invention is to enable the opening of Casements, wardrobe and
other doors and other closing means such as screen flaps, dressing glasses mirrors
on stands looking glasses, or leaves desk lids and other flaps leaves or covers
capable of being swung or turned on hinges or centres, (hereafter called generally
doors) to be regulated and controlled with facility and security, whilst preserving
simplicity and efficiency in construction and operation.
The present invention is based on the invention of the improved stay for
fanlights disclosed in the specification of Charles William Osmaston for which
application for patent was lodged on the 5th day of May 1884 N° 7216 and my
intention is to further develop the principle of construction described in the said
specification and to enable the same to be adapted for use for various other purposes
than fanlights and to generally develop the utility of the said invention.
For wardrobe and such like doors or other like use I construct the improved
stay or regulating device as two principal attachments the one portion consisting of
a stem with enlarged head is formed on or carried by a plate attached to the door
or part whose movement is to be controlled. The other or controlling and adjusting
part is connected similarly to the stationary portion of the wardrobe or other
article by a plate or piece which carries a stem on which is wound or applied a
suitable spring engaging therewith and with its enclosing barrel or case or part
attached to a lever plate hinged to swing therewith, suitable stop or stops controlling
the movement within limits. This lever plate is formed with a series of inclined
grooves or slots proceeding from a longitudinal slot extending along the greater
portion of the lever in most cases.
Attached to one face of this lever plate is another plate, by countersunk rivets
or other suitable connections on the one plate engaging in slots or openings in the
other, or in a similar manner permitting of a limited travel of the one plate on the
other plate so that the openings in an inclined direction on each plate may be
brought coincident with or to obstruct those of the other at will and this movement
is effected by the long groove of the sliding plate being shorter than the long groove
of the lever plate by a difference of length equal to its desired traverse, so that
when the door or controlled article is drawn fully open, the stem thereto applied,
sliding in the superposed grooves is drawn along them to their ends bringing both
outer ends coincident but the inclined grooves of each plate intermediate of each
other so that the door or controlled article may be closed, forcing the stem to the

page_text: opposite ends of the grooves of the plates and coming first in contact with the end
of the shorter groove of the sliding plate it brings it coincident with the end of the
lever plate and turns it on its centre out of the way.
To adjust the door or article open to an intermediate extent the stem is allowed
to engage in the grooves corresponding by being drawn over those preceding it and
then by the pressure of the hinged spring to the lever plate giving the plate a
tendency towards the stem; to adjust the stem in a groove adapted to hold the
door more closed the stem must be drawn fully out and back and returned to the
selected groove and engagement therewith effected.
In cases where the opening of doors is not only required to be controlled by
preventing closing without a certain amount of force or movement of the doors, but
where such control and adjusted holding in position is desired to amount to a
positive locking I apply a knob or handle to the sliding piece and the inclined
grooves are extended laterally, so that when the stem is in the lower part of the
selected inclined groove the sliding plate may be moved locking the stem at its
neck. In this modification the spring may be dispensed with.
This will be found a very useful stay for casement exposed to being blown to and
fro by the wind.
For desk lids and other uses where such positive locking is not needed a slight
modification will be found advantageous in that I dispense with the lateral
extensions of the inclined slots and in most cases also with the spring hinge.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews an underside view of such a stay for regulating the opening of a
wardrobe door A the wardrobe being indicated by B. The dotted lines indicate
intermediate positions of the door between extremes of open and closed position.
The part a consists of a button or head with neck or stem and plate a¹ to secure it
by to the frame and this neck slides in the slots b¹, c¹, b, c, of the plates b and c.
These plates b c are connected together with a determined amount of sliding play
on each other by the studs with bevelled heads sliding in corresponding
grooves 63 each plate b c is formed with a longitudinal slot b₁ and a series of
diagonal or inclined slots b' at intervals leading from the slot 61. The end of
plate bis secured so as to swing on a centro d¹ formed by a projection from a
bracket d attached to the door lid or swinging piece but whereas this arrangement
is applied to act horizontally and the weight of the connection cannot be utilized to
give the stay a tendency to engage the stud a in the grooves I employ a spring c
to effect this and in the drawing a box coiled spring is indicated which is attached
to the pin d¹ and the plate end c so that it presses the stay always against the
stud a with a tendency for it to enter the angular slots 1 c¹ when they are
coincident it will enter one pair brought into proper position whilst when they
are interspaced it cannot do so but slides along the longitudinal groove as if each
plate had plane walls.
To set the stay at any fresh one of the slots it is only necessary to open the door
to its full extent withdrawing in the act the stud a as shewn in full lines closing the
slots, shut the door close thereby opening the slots-by the relative movements of
the plates, then close the door partly to its desired position and so on.
Figure 2 shews the plate b and Figure 3 the plate c of Figure 1 separately.
Figure 4 shews the invention applied to a window which swings on a bottom
hinge within a frame such as are common in ecclesiastical and other buildings and
the opening and closing of which is effected by cords or chains. The operation of
the stay is the same as in the preceding arrangement except that the weight of the
appliance serves instead of the spring and the cord F serves to open the window
whilst the cord G passing over the pulley H on a short arm from the window A
serves to press the same into a closed position. The dotted lines shew the position
of the stay pendent from its centre d on the bracket & when the window is closed.
In this instance the stay is fastened to the fixed part and the stud a to the moved
'

page_text: part whilst in Figure 1 the reverse is the case and consequent upon change of
position the direction of the angle of the grooves is altered.
In the case of its being desired to apply the invention to the parts of a chair or
other piece of furniture having closing parts that is to say adjustable in their
closeness or separation to one another or their angle of separation apart, the
adaptation shewn in Figure 5 may be employed but the operation of the stay is
substantially the same as in the preceding. Figure 6 shews the opposite side of
the stay to Figure 5 with the reverse plate b towards one and the whole apparatus
in its closed position.
Figure 7 shews a modification in which an absolute locking of the moving part
relatively to the fixed part, or relatively of two moving parts, is obtained by the
employment of a stay similarly constructed and operating like the preceding except
that the inclined grooves b² of the plate bare extended at their inner ends laterally
at b* so that the two plates b and c serve to shut access to each other's inclined slots
during one movement as already described in effecting selection of slot for the
stud a but when the stud a is home in its selected slot a sliding movement longi-
tudinally given by hand to the part I will slide the parts 65 over the entrances to
the inclined slots c² and lock the stud a in its position until the plate b is again
shifted opening the passage c² for exit of the stud a.
This arrangement will be found particularly applicable for casement windows
but it is also applicable to desk lids, swing mirrors, looking glasses, as well as the
preceding arrangements according to angle of opening or position or whether locking
is desired.
Figure 8 shews the above arrangement in its closed position the two parts whose
position is to be controlled lying together and the parts of the stay ready for
adjustment to any determined angle of opening of the moving part.
Figure 9 is an underside view of the stay shewing the plate c.
Figure 10 is an edge view of the stay and parts and the form of the stud with
its head a, neck a³ and base plate a¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
I make no claim separately to any invention disclosed in the specification of Charles
William Osmaston for with Letters Patent N° 7216 dated 5th day of May 1884
have been granted, but I claim
1. The various forms of stays or apparatus for regulating and adjusting the
opening of casements, wardrobe doors and other parts capable of closing towards
one another other than fanlights as set forth.
2. The improved form of stay or apparatus for controlling and adjusting the
opening of wardrobe doors and the relative positions of other parts capable of
closing towards one another shewn, and described in respect of, Figures 1, 2 and 3.
3. The arrangement or combination of parts of stays as set forth in respect of
Figure 4.
4. The construction or arrangement of stay or apparatus for regulating and
adjusting the relative positions of parts of casements and for use for other parts
requiring to be relatively as to their closing towards one another as described and
shewn in respect of Figures 7 8 9 and 10.