IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Edward Hodges, of Southampton Row, in
the County of Middlesex, and Charles Murray, of Manor Place, Walworth,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR
SPRINGS."
Sealed the 29th May 1855, and dated the 19th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Edward Hodges
and Charles Murray at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 19th March 1855.
We, RICHARD EDWARD HODGES, of Southampton Row, in the County of
Middlesex, and CHARLES MURRAY, of Manor Place, Walworth, in the County
of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DOOR SPRINGS" to be as follows:-
This Invention is applicable to door springs which are intended for doors
which open in one direction, and also for doors which fold in two directions.
For this purpose, when a door is to open in one direction only, and it is
desired that the power of the apparatus should become more powerful in
action just at the moment of closing, so as to insure the overcoming of the
spring bolt of the lock, a lever is fixed on the door; a short chain, strap, or
cord is attached at one of its ends to the door frame, and at its other end to.
the outer part of the lever. To the same end of the lever is also attached a

page_text: spring, by preference of vulcanized india-rubber, and the other end of the
spring is attached to the door. When the door is arranged to open in two
directions, then two levers and two springs are used, one of which levers comes
into action when the door is opened in one direction, and the other lever
comes into action when the door is opened in the other direction. To the
outer end of each lever is attached a spring, by preference of vulcanized india-
rubber, and the other ends of these springs are attached to the frame of the
door. The door has affixed to it a plate with a sliding bolt, which is to form
the upper axis of the door; this bolt can be slided down or up with ease, and
be held when in position by a screw passed through a slot in the plate fixed to
the door. On the frame of the door is fixed a plate with an opening or bearing
to receive the end of the sliding bolt or axis of the upper end of the door.
On the axis are placed the two levers, which are formed with projections or
stops, which rest against the plate fixed on the door frame, and also against
the plate on the top of the door when the door is closed; but when the door is
opened, one lever by its stop rests against the plate at the top of the door, and
the other lever by its stop rests against the plate fixed to the frame of the
door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Edward Hodges and Charles Murray in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
EDWARD HODGES, of Southampton Row, in the County of Middlesex, and
CHARLES MURRAY, of Manor Place, Walworth, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Richard Edward Hodges and Charles Murray, Her special licence that
we, the said Richard Edward Hodges and Charles Murray, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others, as we, the said Richard Edward
Hodges and Charles Murray, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that.
we, the said Richard Edward Hodges and Charles Murray, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of
us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the 'same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I,' the said Richard Edward Hodges, on behalf of
myself and the said Charles Murray, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that'
is to say):
This Invention is applicable to door springs which are intended for doors.
which open'in one direction, 'and also for doors which fold in two directions.
For this purpose, when a door is to open in one direction only, and it is
desired that the power of the apparatus should become more powerful in
action just at the moment of closing, so as to insure the overcoming of the
spring bolt of the lock, a lever is fixed on the door; a short chain, strap,.
or cord is attached at one of its ends to the door frame, and at its other
:end' to the outer part of the lever. To the same end of the. lever is also
attached a spring, by' preference of vulcanized india-rubber, and the-other end
of the spring is attached to the door. When the door is arranged to open in:
two directions, then two levers and two springs are used; one of which levers.
comes into action when the door is opened in one direction, and the other
lever comes into action when the door is opened in the other direction. To
the outer end of each lever is attached a spring, by preference of vulcanized
india-rubber, and the other ends of these springs are attached to the frame of
the door. The door has affixed to it a plate with a sliding bolt, which is to
form the upper axis of the door. This bolt can be slided down or up with ease,
and be held when in position by a screw passed through a slot in the pláte
fixed to the door: On the frame of the door is fixed a plate with an opening
or bearing. to receive the end of the sliding bolt or axis of the upper end of
the door. On the axis are placed the two levers, which are formed with pro-
jections or stops, which rest against the plate fixed on the door frame, and also.
against. the plate on the top of the door when the door is closed; but when the
'door is opened, one lever by its stop rests against the plate at the top of the
door, and the other lever by its stop rests against the plate fixed to the frame.
of the door.

page_text: · Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed to
describo more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1, 2, 3, show three variations of apparatus, combined according to
our Invention, when for a door which opens in only one direction. These
apparatus differ only slightly from each other, and they act similarly to each
other when applied to a door. a is a lever, moving on an axis b, which by a
plate c is fixed near the top of a door; d is a link, which at one end is con-
nected to the lever a, and at the other to the pin e, which is fixed to the door
frame by the plate e'. To the end of the lever a is attached another link f
to which one end of a vulcanized india-rubber spring g (see Figures 13 and
15) is attached, and the other end of such spring is fixed to the door, as is
also shown on Figures 13 and 15. It may be stated that in place of using
links d, f, chains, straps, or cords may be employed. In Figures 13 and 15 are
used the arrangements of the apparatus shown respectively at Figures 2 and 3.
In Figure 14 the apparatus is modified, and arranged in such manner as to
have the lever applied to the door frame, in which case the connections of the
parts are reversed. Figures 4 and 5 show the apparatus when the door is
required to open in both directions, in which case two independent levers h, h,
are used; they move on the upper axis of the door, and they are stopped in
position by the stops h', h', in Figure 4; one stop h¹ (see Figure 5) is fixed on
the plate. Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 show details of the parts sepa-
rately; Figure 16 shows the application of the arrangement, Figure 4, applied
to a door; and Figure 17 shows the application to a door of the arrangement
of parts shown at Figure 5. In each case there are two levers h, which, by
reason of the stops, can respectively only move in one direction, so that accord-
ing at the door is opened in one or other direction, so will be one of the two
levers which is called into action, the other lever for the time being remaining
stationary. In each of these arrangements or combinations of parts, two
vulcanized india-rubber springs g, g, are used as shown. In order to facilitate
the removal of a door, the upper axis i is made to slide, as is shown at Figures
4 and 5, where i is the sliding axis, which, by reason of the slot 1 (in the plate
which carries it), may be slided up and then fixed by a screw, as shown.
We would state that the object of making the levers a of Figures 1, 2, 3
13, 14, and 15, with projections a' on one or both sides is, that when the doo
is opened to nearly its greatest extent, that the part a' should come and ac
on the link chain or cord in such manner as to deflect it off from the door to
a greater distance than it and the india-rubber spring would otherwise assume

page_text: if left without such projection, and thus are the parts caused to act more
advantageously; and by reason of using the levers a and parts as shown in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 13, 14, and 15, the action of the spring g will be more
forcible at the time when the door is nearly closed than at other parts of its
action..
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to any
of the parts separately, nor do we confine ourselves to the precise details, so
long as any part of our Invention be retained; but we claim the combinations
or arrangements of mechanical parts herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Edward Hodges, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
5 Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
R. E. HODGES. (L.S.)