Improvements in Fireproof Doors, Shutters, or like Structures.
Year: 1898

page_text: PERORAL DREIFICATION.
Improvements in Fireproof Doors, Shutters, or like Structures.
We, JOHN HUNTER MCGROUTHER, Master Blacksmith, JAMES CLERK, Master
Blacksmith, both of 92, Wellington Street, Glasgow, and WILLIAM ROBERTSON,
of 73, Westmoreland Street, Govan Hill, Glasgow, Blacksmith, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to doors, shutters or like structures employed to pre-
vent the progress of flame or heat from one portion of a building to another,
such as the iron doors usually employed to isolate the different floors of a build-
ing from the well of a hoist communicating with the said floors.
The invention consists generally in providing a door or shutter of a sufficient
lateral rigidity embedding within a frame work attached to the aperture to be
closed and so constructing both the door and this frame work that when closed
the effect of locking the door to the frame work in a continuous manner to pre-
vent buckling during a fire is produced in several different ways. These
several ways may be broadly stated as follows: Arranging the door plates and
their containing bands in such a manner that the edges of the plates can be dis-
placed into a channeled door frame; or again, making the door one rigid struc-
ture and causing it when closing to embed upon a composite door frame consist-
ing of a series of pivotted channels which rotate upon fixed channels and close
over the door so as to form a continuous exterior ledge thereon; or again,
arranging the door itself with a continuous channel around its outer edges and
shooting or displacing from the fixed door frame plates which interlock with the
said channeled door edges.
In carrying the invention into effect according to one modification the con-
struction and operation is as follows:-A skeleton door is constructed with
double bars and distance pieces so that four panel spaces are left of slightly
greater thickness than the sliding panels to be employed and the door skeleton
is preferably arranged with its bar frame work in such a manner as to do what
is technically known as "break joint." A clear opening in the direction of
the plane of the door (with the exception of the distance pieces) is thus provided
and four loose panels are placed therein of such a width that they completely
close the panel spaces and lap within the skeleton frame work a sufficient dis-
tance to allow of their being displaced a predetermined distance to right and
left by a cam or equivalent device without uncovering the said panel spaces.
A channeled frame work is attached to the structure within which the door fits
and the channels receive the. edges of the sliding panels when they are dis-
placed to right and left by a cam or the like.
In carrying the invention into effect acording to another modification a door
of one rigid structure is provided which beds into a door frame work of special
construction. The door frame work is arranged of material having a channeled

page_text: cross section the outer web of each channel being arranged of a less depth than
the inner web. Arranged immediately adjacent to this outer web are pivots
which carry upon them a pivotted set of smaller channels of such cross section
that they lie within the outer and fixed channels and have a second web formed
as a continuation on one side or web of the channel, this second web being
arranged immediately on the other side of the pivot. The door itself is hung
upon suitable hinges and is formed of such dimensions that it overlaps the fixed
channeled frame work while the smaller pivotted channels with the additional
web are so fixed relatively to the door that the act of opening pulls the interior
hollows of the channels outwards thus disengaging the door and the act of
shutting catches against the inner end of the channels rotates them and causes
the outer web to form a continuous lapping edge upon the door while the inner
and extra web forms a lapping edge within the shorter web of the fixed channel.
Any suitable catches or pivots may be employed to secure the door in position
and it is evident that the cross sections or profile of the rotating sections within
the fixed sections and also the fixed sections may be varied in many ways with-
out departing from the subject of the present invention.
In carrying the invention into effect according to another modification the
door frame is constructed around the aperture or opening in such a manner
that clearance spaces are left continuously around the frame in one plane between
two sets of bars forming the frame with the exception of the necessary distance
washers or pieces. Into the spaces thus provided bars of slightly less thickness
are placed with slot holes or the like to clear the distance pieces and the door
is hung to the frame in any convenient manner and is formed with an external
channel around its outer edge of the same size as the space between the bars
forming the frame. When the door is closed a check bar or the like stops it in
such a position that the edges of the external bars between the members of the
frame can be displaced into the channel of the door and interlock with it. It
is evident that this simultaneous movement of the four bars which would close
an ordinary door opening could be effected in many ways from one locking handle
or lever either by cams or other gearing.
It is to be clearly understood that in the construction where the panel plates
forming the door are loose and displaced that they may be displaced in a vertical
direction top and bottom as well as in a right and left hand direction by such an
arrangement say as oblique slots and guide pins, or again that they may be
displaced so as to shoot radially from a common centre and all without departing
from the subject of the present invention.
The general effect of constructing doors and their frame work as herein before
described is that interlocking edges or lapping over the door edges from the
channels prevent the buckling or warping of the door in such a manner as to
present openings away from the door frame and thus allow passage for the flame
or hot gases. The buckling or warping which would take place only binds the
door securely within the lapping framework. Further it is to be clearly under-
stood that the invention is not limited to any particular structure of door or
method of displacing the interlocking or overlapping edges but that what the
applicants claim as their invention is providing iron doors with overlapping or
interlocking edges so that buckling or warping only provides additional
security.

page_text: Improvements in Fireproof Doors, Shutters, or like Structures.
We, JOHN HUNTER MCGROUTHER, Master Blacksmith, JAMES CLERK, Master.
Blacksmith, both of 92, Wellington Street, Glasgow, and WILLIAM ROBERTSON,
of 73, Westmoreland Street, Govan Hill, Glasgow, Blacksmith, 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:—
.
This invention relates to doors, shutters or like structures employed to pre-
vent the progress of flame or heat from one portion of a building to another,
such as the iron doors usually employed to isolate the different floors of a build-
ing from the well of a hoist communicating with the said floors. The invention
further relates to improvements in Patent No. 102 of 1898 granted to one of
the present applicants.
The invention consists generally in providing a door or shutter of sufficient
lateral rigidity embedded within a framework attached to the aperture to be
closed and, so constructing the door and this framework that when closed the
effect of locking the door to the framework in a continuous manner is produced
and buckling of the door during a fire rendered harmless as no openings are
presented. Several methods of producing this continuous locking may be
broadily stated as follows. Arranging the door plates and their containing
bands in such a manner that the edges of the plates can be displaced into a
channelled door frame. Arranging loose displaceable bars within the door frame
and providing suitable channels within the door itself into which the bar edges
can be displaced or shot. Making the door with a fixed continuous ledge pro-
jecting beyond the frame work and as the door is closed causing it to embed
upon a series of pivoted channels which rotate upon fixed channels and close
over the door so as to form a continuous exterior ledge thereon.
The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrate several methods of carrying
the invention into effect as follows:-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a door and frame in which the loose panels
or plates form the interlocking medium, and this figure shows the door with the
panels in the open position.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line a b Figure 1, with the plate thick-
nesses increased to show clearly the construction, and this figure shows the
panels in a shut position.
Figure 3 is a front elevation illustrating a modification in which loose bars
within the door frame form the interlocking medium with the door in an un-
locked position.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line c d Figure 3, with the door
unlocked.
Figure 5 is a detail section on an enlarged scale of the modification in which
pivoted channels are employed.
In carrying the invention into effect as illustrated in Figures 1 and of the
drawings the construction and operation are as follow:-The frame or skeleton
of the door A, is constructed with double bars and distance pieces so that four
panel spaces are left of slightly greater thickness than the sliding panels B, B,
employed and this door skeleton is preferably arranged with its bar frame work
in a manner technically known as "breaking joint.' The arrangement of loose
panels and framework is similar to Patent No. 102 of 1898 herein before referred
to. The distance pieces C C which separate the bars of the door framework A
pass through diagonal slots D, D, in the four door panels B, B.
The

page_text: panels B, B, are of such a width that they completely close the panel spaces and
lap within the framework A a sufficient distance to allow of their being dis-
placed diagonally from the centre of the door and lap or interlock into the
grooved or channelled door framework E, and all without uncovering the said
panel spaces. It is evident that any device to cause this displacement could be
provided without departing from the subject of the invention and one which it
is preferred to employ is illustrated in Figure 1. This device. is duplicated,
one on the left hand shoots or withdraws its two adjacent panel plates B, B,
and one
on the right hand shoots or withdraws its two adjacent panel
plates B, B. Referring to one device where the framework A is broken away
to illustrate it a handle F' has mounted upon it a segmental gear piece G and
this piece has a cam extension H which plays in a socket cut out of the left hand
bottom plate B to receive it. The gear piece G gears with a second segmental
gear piece I which also is provided with a cam extension J and similarly plays
in a socket cut out of the left hand upper plate B. It is evident that if the
handle is rotated in the direction of the arrow the panel plates B will have
their edges shot into the channels in the frame work È and similarly the right
hand device can be operated to throw the right hand panel plates into the
channel in the frame. The handles are operated in a reverse direction to with-
draw the plates and permit the opening of the door.
In carrying the invention into effect as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the
drawings the construction and operation are as follow:-The door frame K
into which the door closes is constructed in such a manner that clearance spaces
are left round the sides and top as shown with the exception of the distance
washers L. In these spaces two flat bars M, M are placed, the bar M passing
up the left hand side of the door frame and half across the top and the bar M¹
passing up the right hand side of the door frame and across the remaining half
of the top. The door is constructed of "break joint" framework N and four
loose panels 0, 0, and these panels in this modification are not displaceable
but are mounted loosely upon suitable distance pieces and are of such width
and depth that a channel is left round the side and top edges of the door into
which the bars M, M¹ in the door opening frame work K can be shot so as to
interlock when desired. To shoot the bars M, M¹, into or withdraw them from
the channels in the door two handles P, P₁ are provided and these handles carry
upon them eccentric cams Q Q' which play in openings in the bars cut out to
receive them. It is evident that rotating the handles P, P¹ in one or other
direction will cause the cams Q, Q' to force the bars M, M diagonally down-
wards into the channels in the door and lock it or withdraw the said bars from
the channels and leave the door open. The bars M, M', travel in a diagonal
direction as the distance washers L are passed through diagonal slots R in the
said bars.
In carrying the invention into effect as illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings
the construction and operation are as follows:-The door framework opening
into which the door closes is constructed of a channel section S with the outer
web e of the channel of a less depth than the inner web f. A smaller channel T
is pivoted at U and lies within the channel S as shown and this channel has.
webs hand j. The closing edge of the door V which is shown diagram-
matically and in a shut position is carried by the web g and when opened would
cause the channel T to rotate by striking this web g thus leaving the door free
to pass.
When the door is closed the edge will impinge upon the web j and
cause the channel T to rotate in the opposite direction bringing the web g
again into the position shown in the drawing. It is evident that channels of
this kind could be mounted all round the door with the exception of the sides
upon which the hinges are carried. It is also evident that the cross section of
the channels could be varied in many ways without departing from the subject
of the present invention.
It is to be clearly understood that in the construction where the panel plates

page_text: forming the door are loose and displaced that they may be displaced in a vertical
direction top and bottom as well as in a right and left hand direction by such
an arrangement say as oblique slots and guide pins, or again that they may be
displaced so as to shoot radially from a common centre and all without depart-
ing from the subject of the present invention.
The general effect of constructing doors and their framework as herein before
described is that interlocking edges or lapping over the door edges from the
channels prevent the buckling or warping of the door in such a manner as to
present openings away from the door frame and thus allow passage for the
flame or hot gases. The buckling or warping which would take place only
binds the door securely within the lapping framework. Further it is to be
clearly understood that the invention is not limited to any particular struc-
ture of door or method of displacing the interlocking or overlapping edges but
that what the applicants claim as their invention is providing iron doors or
doors of other suitable material with overlapping or interlocking edges so that
buckling or warping only provides additional security.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In fire proof doors, shutters, or like structures providing loose panels in
the frame work of the door, shutter or the like and so constructing the frame-
work of the door opening that the panels can be displaced a sufficient distance
to continuously lock the door to the said frame-work substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. In fire proof doors, shutters or like structures providing the door with
chaneled edges and constructing the frame-work of the door opening with loose
displaceable bars so constructed that the said bars can be displaced a sufficient
distance into the door to lock the door to the frame-work as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described.
3. In fire-proof doors, shutters or like structures constructing the door opening
of stationary channels having pivoted channels therein which are rotated by
the door on closing and provide an exterior ledge substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described.
Dated this 14th day of July 1899.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and 25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents.