Improved Mechanism for Opening, Closing and Securing Sliding Doors and Windows.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
Improved Mechanism for Opening, Closing and Securing Sliding
Doors and Windows.
I, EMILE LE MAIRE, of 15, Rue du Terrage, Paris, France, Advocate, Court of
Appeal, Paris, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following"
statement:
This invention has reference to an improved construction of mechanism for
opening and closing doors, whereby such opening and closing is effected auto-
matically by the simple pressure of the finger upon one or more studs situated
at any convenient part of the door.
For this purpose the doors are suspended from wheels or rollers running on rails
at the top of the door, such wheels being either arranged outside the wall or in a
space formed within the wall. At the lower ends the doors are guided in a channel
sunk in the floor, which channel is automatically closed when the doors are open.
The actuating motor by means of which the doors are opened and closed may
be worked either by electricity, magnetism, hydraulic pressure, compressed air
or other means.
As the doors are made to slide close against and parallel with the wall, I avoid
the occupation of considerable space such as is necessary for doors that open on
hinges in the ordinary way.
This improved arrangement is in particular applicable with advantage in the
following cases: -
Firstly, to doors which separate two rooms from each other that may on occasion
be required to be in open communication.
:
Secondly, to doors that open on one and the same passage as the doors of a
hotel, doors of ships' cabins, etc.
Thirdly, to the large doors of coach houses or entrances to buildings which are
readily opened and closed without exertion of force by the simple pressure
exercised on a stud and which may be situated in the porter's lodge, so that the
doors can be opened and closed without the porter leaving his position.
Fourthly, to the doors of a theatre, where they have the special advantage in
the case of fire of enabling the doors to be effectually opened, although a crowd
may be standing in front thereof.
The mechanism is also applicable to sliding windows.
When applied to ships' doors, the invention offers the following advantages:
Firstly, as the doors slide close against the partitions they take up practically
no room and they are stronger to withstand the pressure of wind in the case of
exposed doors, such as those of deck cabins.
Secondly, in the case of shipwreck the ordinary doors cannot be opened when
the water has risen so as to exercise a pressure against them, and thus persons in

page_text: the cabins are prevented from being saved, while with the improved construction
of doors these are readily opened, no matter what pressure the water may exercise
upon them.
I will describe my said invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which I have shown at Figs. 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4 and 5 a single door arranged
to be opened and closed by a motor worked either by hydraulic pressure, com-
pressed air or steam, while at Figs. 6 to 10 I have shown a wide doorway closed by
a number of separate flaps also actuated by a motor worked either by electricity,
magnetism or fluid pressure etc.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which show respectively a front elevation, a cross
section on line a band a sectional plan on line cd, and to Figs. 1* 2 and 3* which
show respectively an enlarged front elevation of one of the pullies, a vertical section
thereof, and a front elevation of same with parts removed. A is the door suspended
by two flat bars B from an angle iron rail C in which is formed a guiding groove, the
bottom of which rests and rolls upon projections d d d of the three pullies D D¹ D".
To the end 1 of the angle iron rail C is attached a strap E, the other end of
which is fixed at 3 on the flat part e of the pulley D. To the end 2 of the angle
iron rail is fixed a second strap which, after passing right round the pulley D
on the flat part e¹, is attached at the point 4. The diameter of the pullies D D D
is such that the development of their periphery is greater than the distance
which the door travels through in being completely opened. If therefore the
pulley D be made to turn in the direction of the arrow the strap E will be wound
up on the pulley D and will effect a traction, the result of which will be to cause
the angle iron rail C to move longitudinally and consequently to carry the door
suspended therefrom into the open position. On the other hand, on turning the
pulley in the contrary direction, the strap E¹ will be wound upon it, thereby
effecting a traction in the contrary direction, which will cause the door to be
closed. The angle iron rail C will rest upon the third pulley D when the door
is open.
In the arrangement shown, the movement of the motor is communicated to
the pulley 1 by an arrangement similar to that above described, namely, a pulley F
(of a smaller diameter, in order to avoid too great a travel of the piston of the
motor,) is attached to the pulley D. A strap G is fixed to the end 5 of the rod H
and, after passing round the pulley F, it is fixed at 6. A second strap G¹ is fixed
at 7 on the rod H and at 8 on the pulley F (see Figs. 2ª and 3*). The upward and
downward motion of the rod H actuated by the motor will cause the pulley F,
and consequently the pulley D, to rotate either in one direction or the other, and
will thus effect either the opening or the closing of the door as above described.
The system of pullies is supported by a horizontal metal frame I, which at the
same time constitutes the lintel of the doorway and is fixed to the wall by the
two brackets J J. This frame rests on two vertical frames K K', which rest on
the floor and constitute the two jambs of the doorway. The openings L of these
frames can be closed in by wood or other panels, which consequently hide the
mechanism. In the floor is formed a groove M, at the bottom of which is fixed a
trough shaped iron in which run two guide rollers m m the vertical axes of which
are fixed to the bottom of the door. When the door is open, the groove in the
floor is closed by a metal plate N of a length equal to that of the groove, which
plate is fixed to the one side of the door so that when this moves away from the
opening and groove the plate in moving with it covers the latter.
For locking the door I employ the locking device shown at Figs. 3, 4 and 5.
Fig. 4 is an elevation with the front plate removed and Fig. 5 is a section at e f.
A rod O passing through a hole formed in the thickness of the door has its one
end formed with a head P which, when in the position shown in Fig. 3, bears
against an abutment formed on the frame K¹ and also against a notch in the
wall. When the rod is turned one quarter round its head is free of the said abut-
ment and notch and the door can then be opened. The turning of the rod into
the locked or unlocked position is effected by means of a key actuating a device

page_text: shown at Figs. 4 and 5, which is contained in the thickness of the door and
which is somewhat similar to the mechanism of an ordinary lock. The difference
consists in that the bolt of the lock, instead of being made to enter a hasp as in
ordinary locks, is formed at its upper part with a threaded hole Q, through which
screws the threaded end of the rod 0, the screw thread of O being formed with a
large pitch, so that on the bolt being shot in one direction or the other by the
action of the key the threaded boss thereof will cause the rod O to perform a
quarter of a revolution.
The motor which I have shown on the drawing respectively in vertical section
at Fig. 6 and in cross section at g h, by way of example, for actuating the door,
consists of a cylinder R in which works a piston S, fluid under pressure being
admitted into the cylinder through the pipe T, whence it passes through the
openings 9, 10 and 11 of the distributing valve U and acts on the piston S and
piston rod H, which effects the opening of the door as above described and main-
tains it open as long as the fluid pressure acts on the piston. If the distributing
valve U be turned so as to bring the openings 12, 13 and 14, Fig. 7, to face the
escape openings while the admission openings are closed, the counterweight V
fixed on the rod H will cause this and the piston to descend and will effect the
closing of the door. The distributing valve U is actuated by means of a lever X,
which is worked by a rod Y, Fig. 3, passing through the wall and terminated by
handles Z Z situated on either side of the wall.
In the arrangement of doors shown respectively in elevation, section at i j,
and section at klat Figs. 8, 9 and 10, n n¹ are two pullies over which pass a
strap which, starting from the point 15, passes round the pulley n. then round the
pulley n¹ and has its end attached at 16 to the pulley n. The four doors pq p¹q¹
are carried by rollers r running on a rail o.
The pulley n is rotated in one direction or the other by a motor R and counter-
weight V as previously described. The doors 2 and 71 are connected at 17 and 18
to the strap so as to travel in opposite directions when the pulley n is rotated.
The doors q q¹ engage with projections on p p so as to be carried along thereby
when these are moved in the direction for closing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1, Apparatus for opening and closing sliding doors and windows, consisting of
a motor which is put in motion by the pressure or pull of a button and which
imparts rotary motion to pullies round which are wound straps so arranged in
connection with the doors that on rotating the pullies in one direction the doors
are opened while on rotating them in the contrary direction the doors are closed,
substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for opening and closing doors and windows such as is referred
to in the First Claim, the arrangement whereby a series of pullies or wheels serve
both to support the door and to operate in conjunction with a motor and con-
mecting straps for effecting the opening and closing of the doors, substantially
as described.
3, Apparatus for opening and closing sliding doors and windows such as is
referred to in the First Claim, arranged and operating by means of motors worked
by fluid pressure, electricity or other force, substantially as herein described with
reference to the drawings.
4, The use for locking sliding doors of locking mechanism consisting of a bar
carried by the door and having projections which, in being. partially rotated by
the action of a key, are made to engage with notches or abutments on the fixed
framing, so as to prevent the movement of the door, substantially as described.
5, In locking mechanism such as is referred to in the Fourth Claim, constructing
he locking rod with a screw thread of a quick pitch engaging with a female screw
thread on a bolt that is actuated by the key, so that by the motion of the bolt in

page_text: one direction or the other the rod is made to perform a partial revolution for lock-
ing or unlocking the door, substantially as described.
Did this 30th day of December 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.