Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1887
Complete Left, 20th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 29th Mar., 1888
An Automatic Sliding Bar, for "barring out the weather" by making a perfectly
water, draught and dust proof joint, at the bottom, top or sides of doors or
casements.
Its principal use will be to fix at the bottom of doors, and to supersede the unsightly
weather board and dangerous sill which are so often fixed at the bottom of doors to
keep out the rain and draught.
The Bar is fixed-so as to be invisible-in a longitudinal groove cut in the bottom
of the door, or in a rebate, or it may be fixed in a rebate at the back of a piece of
moulded board, and the same screwed on the face of the door-at the bottom-in the
same way as an ordinary weather board.
The Bar is held up against the top of the groove or rebate by one or two springs,
and is brought down until it touches the sill or floor underneath the door, by means
of two small cranks, fixed near either end of the Bar.
One end of the Bar when up projects about or of an inch beyond the edge
of the door when open, and on the door being closed this projecting end comes in
contact with the door frame, and as it is pushed forward the cranks begin to act and
bring the Bar down-in a horizontal and vertical direction-until the space between
the bottom of the door and the floor or sill is entirely closed up.
When the door is reopened the pressure on the end of the Bar is relieved, and the
spring or springs bring up the Bar again, and thereby prevent any friction between
the Bar sill or floor.
The cranks can be so fixed as to bring down the Bar parallel with the bottom of door,
or more at one end than the other. The bottom of the Bar may be made convex so as
to fit a slightly concave sill, or it may be hinge jointed in or near the centre, and a
crank fixed, so that the Bar may be brought down more at this point than at either
end.

page_text: Instead of cranks, the Bar may be worked by means of two slots cut obliquely
through it, and two pins screwed through the door and slots.
The Bar may be worked from either edge of the door.
A perfectly water, draught and dust proof joint is made by attaching to the bottom
of the Bar, or bottom of door over rebate or groove, a piece of india rubber, rubber
tubing, or other pliable material. If the rubber is fastened over the bottom of groove
or rebate it will prevent any dirt from getting into same, and impeding the free
working of the Bar.
The Bar may be fixed without the end projecting beyond edge of door, and may be
brought down in several different ways quite vertically, (without cranks or slots)
namely by a rod or rods and crank or cranks, a rod with a lug on end, or with cranks
or with levers, working from one edge, or both edges of the door simultaneously.
The Bar may be made of wood, brass, iron or other metal, and may be either flat or
circular in shape, (a piece of brass or iron tubing or round wood rod inserted in a
rubber tube may be used).
A Bar may also be fixed in the edge of the door and worked by the Bar at the
bottom or top.
The projecting end of the Bar rod, cranks or levers may be formed with a screwed
cap, so that the distance the Bar is required to fall may be readily and accurately
regulated by a few turns of this screwed cap, and by taking off the cap or screwing it
flush with the edge of the door the Bar will remain stationary at the top of the
groove and of course will not work until the cap is readjusted.
Any abnormal pressure on the Bar may be relieved and strain prevented by fixing
a spring, of suitable strength, at the back of a plate in the door frame, against which
the projecting end of Bar, rod, crank or lever strikes, and so enable the door to be
closed easily.
The cost of the Bar and fixing will only amount to a small sum.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
An Automatic Weather Bar which will Make a Water, Draught,
and Dust Proof Joint.
I, JOHN BIRD, of 81 Mill Street, Crewe, in the County of Chester, Estate Agent,
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 "weather-bars" for doors, casements, or the like. Its
object is the construction of a weather-bar, which shall produce a better effect than
those hitherto known, and will make a perfectly water, draught, and dust-proof joint
at the bottom, top, or sides of the said doors, casements or the like.
Its principal application will be to the bottoms of doors, where it will supersede the
unsightly weather-board and dangerous sill which are so often fixed at the bottom of
doors to keep out the rain and draught.
The bar is fixed so as to be invisible, either in a longitudinal groove cut in the
bottom of the door, or in a rebate, or it may be fixed in a rebate at the back of a
piece of moulded board, and the latter may be attached to the face of the door, at the
bottom, in the same way as an ordinary weather board.
The invention may be best described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which,
Figure 1 is an elevation showing one form of my improved weather bar in its
raised position, that is, as it would be when the door to which it is attached is open,
parts being removed for the sake of clearness.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on line x-x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1, showing the bar down, as it would be when
the door was shut.
Figure 4 is a transverse section on line
y-y, Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an elevation of a modified form of weather bar.
Figures 6 to 9 show other modifications,
Figure 10 shows details of an antifriction striking cap.
Referring more especially to Figures 1 to 4:
A is a portion of the bottom of a door. B is a piece of moulded wood forming
with the backing B¹, a frame within which the weather har C and its actuating
mechanism is placed, the two pieces being united by screws or their equivalent, and
their ends protected by the plates b. Or the backing B' may be disposed with, and
the piece B made thicker and placed against the door. The bar C is, preferably, made
of two strips c¹ and ceither of metal or wood, and between them is secured a strip of
india rubber c or similar material, which projects beyond the lower edge of the bar,
and is there formed of any desired shape. The bar is pivoted to the lower ends of
two or more parallel or approximately parallel levers or links D, D', whose upper ends
are pivoted, one to the plate 6¹ secured to the piece B, and the other to an adjustable

page_text: bearing E, hereinafter to be described. The bar is held normally in an elevated
position by a spring or springs F. An arm G, pivoted to the bar, project slightly
upwards, its upper or outer end being provided with an adjustable antifrictional cap H,
which passes through the end plate 6 for a short distance.
On the door being closed, the projecting cap H comes in contact with a striking
plate on the door frame (not shown on the drawings). As the arm G is pressed
inwards, the bar is pushed backwards, and being guided by the links D, D', it is moved
downwards in an oblique direction, until the india rubber c³ is pressed against the
door sill or floor, and the space between the latter and the bottom of the door is
entirely closed up.
When the door is reopened the pressure on the bar is relieved, and the springs F
bring it up again and thereby prevent any friction between the bar and the sill
or floor.
The levers or links D, D¹, can be so adjusted as to bring down the bar parallel with
the bottom of the door, or more at one end than the other.
This may be done as follows: One of the links D¹ is pivoted in an adjustable
bearing E, which works upon a screw E, and is adjustable thereon from the exterior
of the bar frame by the screw head e or its equivalent. By raising or lowering the
bearing E the corresponding end of the bar C is elevated or depressed. Where more
than two links are used, one or more of them may each be pivoted to an adjustable
bearing E. Also the bottom of the bar may be made convex, so as to fit a slightly
concave sill, or it may be hinged or flexibly jointed at or near the centre, as at c², so
that the bar may be brought down more at this point than at either end as shown in
dotted lines in Figure 3.
Buffer stops 62 or their equivalent are also provided to prevent any overstraining of
the parts, should the bar project too far when it is raised, and the door opened.
Instead of the levers or links D, D¹, cranks or bell crank levers may be used, but
these are not so simple. Or, as in Figure 5, the cap H may be attached or pivoted
directly to the bar itself, and the latter guided by the fixed pins I, which pass through
oblique slots 1' in the bar, and are provided with small runners i, to lessen friction.
Or, as shown in Figure 6, the slots I may be formed in plates 12 on either side of
the bar, and the pins I attached to the bar may pass through the slots. Or the cap
arm G may be pivoted to the extension d of the links D¹, as shown in Figure 7, the
bar being brought to its original position by the spring F¹, or by a spring or springs
such as in Figures 1 and 3.
The bar may be worked from either edge of the door. When worked from the inner
or hinged edge it may be more convenient to crank the cap arm as shown in
Figure 8.
If the rubber is especially shaped with elastic flanges as in Figure 9, and is
fastened over the bottom of groove or rebate, it will prevent any dirt from getting into
same, and impeding the free working of the bar.
The extremity of the antifriction cap H is formed by a small sphere H¹ of steel or
other hard metal, which is free to revolve in any direction and is held in position by
the inturned lip h, and the screw plug h¹.
The distance the bar is required to fall may be readily and accurately regulated by
a few turns of the adjustable cap H, and by taking off the latter or screwing it
flush with the edge of the door, the bar will remain stationary at the top of the
groov, and of course will not work until the cap is readjusted.
The bar may be made of wood, brass, iron, or other metal, aud may be either
flat or circular in shape, a piece of brass or iron tubing or round wooden rod, inserted
in a rubber tube may be used.
A bar may be fixed in the edge of the door, and worked by the bar at the bottom
or top.
Any abnormal pressure on the bar may be relieved, and strain prevented by fixing
an india rubber or other spring, of suitable strength, at the back of the striking plate
in the door frame, against which the projecting end of bar, rod, crank or lever strikes,
and so enables the door to be closed easily.

page_text: 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 what
I claim is
1. An automatic flexible weather bar, provided on its projecting edgo with a yielding
material, flexibly jointed at or near its transverse axis, and having its travel and the
position of its ends relative to the edge of the door or casement adjustable from
the exterior of the bar frame, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. In combination with two or more pivoted guiding levers or links, such a D, D¹,
cf a weather bar, (either rigid or flexible), an adjustable bearing or bearings such as E,
adjustable from the exterior of the bar frame, whereby one end or portion of the bar
may be made to project more or less than the other end or portion, substantially as
described.
3. A flexible weather bar, controlled by a spring or springs, guided by pivoted
levers or links such as D, D', and actuated by an adjustable striking cap such as H
attached or pivotally connected to one of the said levers or links, or to the said bar,
substantially as desrcibed.
4. A weather bar guided by oblique slots such as 1¹ or their equivalent, and actuated
by an adjustable striking cap attached or pivotally connected to the said bar,
substantially as described with reference to Figures 5 and 6.
5. In combination with an automatic weather bar, the flexible flanged jointing
strip attached to the bar frame or door on each side of the bar, substantially as and
for the purposes described with reference to Figure 9.
6. The antifriction striking cap, substantially as and for the purposes described.
7. The combination with an automatic weather bar such as described, of a metal
guide plate having an india rubber or other spring backing against which plate the
cap acts, whereby any differences caused by expansion, contraction, or shrinkage are
accommodated, substantially as described.