Indicators for Doors.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 26th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Indicators for Doors.
1, HOWARD HINCKLEY of Trenton, County of Mercer, State of New Jersey,
United States of America, 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 :-
My invention relates generally to Indicators for Doors, and in particular to that
class of Indicators for the doors of closets or other apartments comprising a word-
sign or visual signal adapted to be exposed to view on the outside of the door by the
act of bolting or locking the door from the inside, and to be withdrawn or concealed
upon unbolting the same.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a
face view of my invention, the sign being exposed to view.
Fig. 2 is a rear view, showing the working parts, different positions thereof
appearing in dotted lines;
Fig. 3 is a detail; Fig. 4 a section on the line X-X Fig. 2; and
Fig. 5 a plan of the usual bolt, showing the connection therewith of the means for
exposing and concealing the sign.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts in the several views.
A is the casing formed preferably of a single plate of metal struck up into the
rectangular, shallow, box-like form shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and adapted to be
fastened by screws passing through the perforated ears shown into a door, the door
forming, when the casing is in place, the back thereof and constituting a closed box
for the sign plate and its operating mechanism. In the upper part of this plate is
cut an opening, preferably rectangular as shown, and into this opening is fitted a
small pane of glass or other transparent material B, the upper part of the plate
up so as to form the longitudinal shoulder or ledge a, on which the
being struck Glass B rests so that the rear side of the glass is flush with the
lower edge of
lower part of the casing, so as to present no obstructing projections or shoulders on
the interior thereof. Formed in the ends of the casing are guides Chere shown as
small round rods, though they may be formed by flanges on the end pieces of the
casing plate, or in any other convenient manner. Dis the sign plate adapted to
carry any preferred sign or visual signal on its front face to show through the
glass when raised into its exposing position. The ends of this sign plate are shaped
to conform to whatever kind of guides are formed in the ends of the casing. Rods
being the form here shown, the ends of the sign plate are turned over as at 6 so as to
loosely encircle them. If flanges are formed on the end pieces of the casing plate,
the edges of the sign plate may be perfectly plain, but I prefer the rods and
turned-out edges shown, having found this form to work smoothly and well.
The raising and lowering of the sign plate so as to expose to the view of any
person on the outside of the closet or other room through the glass pane B, the
word-sign or other visual signal is intended to be done automatically in bolting or
locking the door from the inside, and it is accomplished by connecting the means for
raising and lowering the sign-plate with the sliding bolt used to fasten the door,
whether that be the bolt of a lock or a simple thumb-bolt as shown in Fig. 5.
Pivoted upon a stud c screwed into a tapped hole preferably a little to one side
of the center of the casing plate is the eccentric or cam lever E curved sub-
stantially as shown, its end for a short distance from the point, as from 1 to 2,
Fig. 2, being curved on an are concentric with the lever's axis, for a purpose to
appear further on. At or near its upper edge the sign plate is provided about
centrally of its length with a ledge or flange d overhanging the cam lever E. and
supporting the sign plate from the back thereof. When the lever is in the position

page_text: shown in full lines, its end abuts on the bottom flange of the casing plate and the
sign is down, concealed behind the lower part of the casing plate. But when the
lever is brought into the position shown in dotted lines with its greatest eccentricity
nearly or quite over its pivot, the back of the lever pushes against the flange d
and the sign plate is raised into position to expose the sign through the glass covered
opening in the casing. As the position of the lever is reversed, gravity causes the
sign plate to descend with it. But to insure its prompt action, a stud e is placed on
the plate a little to one side of the vertical plane of the lever's pivot, and some
distance below the flange f. This stud stands in the path of the lever's descent and
between it and the flange, the lever plays freely. Thus the plate is raised positively
by the engagement of the back of the lever under the flange, and lowered positively
by the under side of the lever striking the stud e, thereby dispensing with all
springs and insuring ease and promptness in the working of the sign plate. The
object of curving the end of the lever on an are concentric with its axis, as above
described, is to allow for a further movement of the door bolt (and of course the
lever too, it being connected thereto) after the sign is exposed so as to insure the full
display of the sign when the door is not fully bolted. When the lever has reached
the position denoted by dotted lines 4, the plate has been raised to its limit; but, as
the lever travels to the position denoted by dotted lines 5, all parts thereof between
the points 1 and 2 being equidistant from the center, the plate is not raised further.
This effectually provides for the complete exposure of the sign before the door is
entirely bolied.
Connected to the lever E at any convenient distanco from its pivot is the link F
here shown as formed of two straps. At its free end, this lever is provided with the
opening or eye g to receive the bolt G projecting transversely from the usual door
bolt on the inside of the door through a slot cut in the door coincident with the
movement of the bolt. The sliding of the bolt to and fro to bolt and unbolt the
loor from the inside, will through the connection just described, cause the cam
lever E to move up and down, raising and lowering the sign plate, as above described.
In Fig. 5, the door bolt is shown by dotted lines and a pin projecting therefrom into
the eye of the link is shown in full and dotted lines corresponding to the full and
dotted line positions of the lever in Fig. 2.
I make my indicator so that it may be applied to right or left hand bolts as is
desired. It is shown in the drawings as adapted for a left hand bolt that is to have
the sign plate exposed when the bolt moved to the left to bolt the door. To provide
for its adaptation to a right hand bolt, I form in the casing plate on a line with the
tapped holo into which the stud c is screwed, and on the opposite side of the vertical
plane of the stud e, another tapped hole. To change the indicator from a left
hand to a right hand bolt, it is only necessary to unscrew the stud c in Fig. 2, turn
the lever over and screw the stud into the tapped hole when the movements of
the lever will be exactly reversed, but the effect upon the sign plate will be the
same.
While I have shown the eccentric as formed in the shape of a cam lever E, it
is obvious that any other shape of lever, constituting in effect an eccentric or cranked
arm would perform the same result, and I do not wish to be limited to a lever formed
exactly as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The combination with the casing, having a display opening in its face and
provided in its ends with guides, of the sign plate moving up and down, in or upon
these guides, an eccentric or cam lever located entirely within and pivoted to the
casing, and means connecting it with the usual door bolt, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the casing, having a display opening in its face, and
provided in its ends with guides, of the sign plate moving up and down in or upon

page_text: the guides, an eccentric or cam lever pivoted at one end within and to the casing,
and a connection between it and the door bolt at a point intermediate between its
ends.
3. The combination with the casing having a display opening in its face, and
guides in its ends, of the sign plate moving up and down, in or upon said guides an
eccentric pivoted upon the casing, a flange upon the sign plate overhanging and
bearing upon the eccentric, and a link pivoted to the eccentric and having an eye in
its free end adapted to receive a più projecting transversely from the door bolt,
substantially as described.
4. The combination with the casing having a display opening in its face, and guides
in its ends, of the sign plate moving up and down in the casing, in or upon the
guides, an eccentric or cam lever pivoted to the casing, a flange upon the sign plate
overhanging and supporting the plate from the eccentric or lever, a stud upon the
plate under the flange, between which and the flange, the eccentric or lever plays
freely, and a link pivoted to the latter, and having an eye in its free end adapted to
receive a transverse pin from the door bolt, substantially as described.
5. The combination with the casing, having a display opening in its face, and
provided in its ends with guides, of the sign plate, moving up and down in or upon
the guides, an eccentric or cain lever, pivoted within and to the casing, and having
a portion of its periphery concentric with its pivot, and a connection between it and
the door bolt, substantially as described.
6. The combination to form an indicator for the doors of closets or other apartments,
of a casing adapted to be screwed upon the outside of the door, said casing having a
glass covered display opening in its face, and interior guides in its ends, a sign plate
moving up and down in the casing, in or upon the guides, an eccentric or cam lever
pivoted in the casing and connected with the sign plate to move the latter up and
down positively, a link connected with the lever at one end, and a pin projecting
transversely from the usual door bolt into an opening in the opposite end of the link,
whereby upon bolting the door from the inside, the sign is exposed to view upon the
outside through the glass covered opening in the casing, and, upon unbolting the
door, is concealed within the lower part thereof, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of January 1890
HOWARD HINCKLEY.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.