CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR HANGING AND CLOSING DOORS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SILVESTER, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Whitesmith, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-first day of February, in the second year of Her reign, did
give and grant unto me Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Silvester, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and such others, as I, the said John Silvester, my exors, admors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION
OF APPARATUS FOR HANGING AND CLOSING DOORS;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Silvester, shall-cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, to be inrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as upon reference there-
unto will fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Silvester, do hereby declare that my Invention consists in the application
of helical springs and antifriction rollers (either separately or in combina-
tion) to the joints of hinges, for the purpose of causing them to rise more
rapidly on first opening a door (over a carpet, as it were), and likewise of

page_text: descending with equal rapidity, and thereby effectually closing the door. These
binges are of several kinds, to adapt them to different circumstances, and of
which I will now proceed to give some illustrations in detail.
In the annexed Drawings, Figure 1 represents a hinge of my improved
construction, intended for a door which has to rise suddenly over a carpet.
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same, through the line a, b,
in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is another section at right angles to the latter, but comprizing
only the lower Jimb of the hinge.
Figure 4 is a transverse section through the line c, d, in Figure 1.
Figure 5 shews the lower end of the joint pin and the form of the inclined
facets, which take their bearings upon the antifriction rollers, causing the
latter to turn round when the door to which the hinge is applied is being
opened or shut.
Figure 6 is an end view or plan of the lower end of the pin, showing that
the inclined facets are double.
In these six Figures, and all those that follow, the same letters of reference
wherever they occur indicate the same parts. At e is the flap, which is screwed
to the door jamb, and f is the flap that is screwed to the door.
The upper
part of the knuckle g is a cylinder, in which is inserted and made fast thereto
the axis (which may however be cast solid); the lower end of this axis is
cut into inclined facets on its edges, as shewn at i, i, in Figure 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
and the central part of the said axis is cut transversely into a semi-cylindrical
groovej, which fits over and is supported upon two antifriction rollers k, k,
that turn upon an axis 1, 1, fixed transversely across the lower limb of the
knuckle g.
On opening the door the axis h will ascend suddenly from the
rollers on to the inclined facets, and when upon the latter the ascending motion
is gradual until it arrives at the highest point (see Figure 7), which is when
the door is at right angles to the wall, at which time the door and hinges are
lodged stationarily upon the horizontal facets m, m. Upon turning the door
further back it descends at first gradually, and if allowed to continue, will turn
flat against the wall, the groovej suddenly sinking upon the parallel cylindrical
surfaces of the rollers. Upon shutting the door from these positions, the same
actions take place as upon opening it, but it is important to notice that the
powerful action upon closing the door ensures it being effectually done, and
that the sudden ascent upon opening, and sudden descent upon closing,
prevents the door from being obstructed in its motions by a thick carpet lying
near to it.
Figure 7 exhibits in section another hinge of the same denomination as the

page_text: last described, but a helical spring is employed in conjunction with the novel
parts of the latter hinge to ensure the perfect closing of the door when the
same is subject to the counteracting force of draughts of wind. To accom-
modate the helical spring, I make the axis h hollow or tubular, to contain the
spring n within it; this spring takes its abutment against a nut o, screwed upon
an iron stem p, the lower end of which is secured by the axis of the anti-
friction rollers & passing through it; by this arrangement therefore the action
of the spring is to press the facets against the surfaces of the rollers. In the
Figure (7), the hinge or door is supposed to be at right angles to the wall (as
best shewn in Figure 8, which is an external elevation), consequently the
horizontal facets m, m, at the extremities of the hollow axis, are mounted on
the top of the antifriction rollers k.
Figure 9 represents an external elevation of another hinge, having a large
knuckle g, 9, 9.
Figure 10 is a transverse section of Figure 9, in the direction of the dotted
line P, p, showing the position of the axis of the antifriction rollers k.
Figure 11 is a similar view to the last, but with the joint closed.
Figure 12 is a vertical section of Figure 9, through the dotted line q, q. No
further verbal description of this binge is necessary, the letters of reference, taken
in connection with the previous descriptions, being sufficiently explanatory.
Figure 13 represents a vertical section of one of my improved hinges for a
swing or double action door.
Figure 14 is an external elevation of a portion of the same.
Figure 15 is a plan of the lower portion of the latter.
Figure 16 is a perspective external front view of the entire hinge. This
hinge must be put on by sinking it level with the floor. On opening the door
the pivot u, to which the door is fixed by means of the strap s, or other con-
venient appendage) moves round, carrying with it the antifriction rollers k, k,
and running upon the inclined facets v, v, they, together with the cylindrical
slide 4, on which they are cut, are forced suddenly downward, compressing the
spring n, and at the same time causing the cams w, w, to slide down another
set of inclined facets x, x, which are connected to the flange or plate y above,
and by this double action the hinge makes half a revolution before the camis
,, become mounted upon the horizontal facets m, m, as represented in
Figure 14. But as doors, owing to the usual surrounding projections, cannot
be thrown back so much as a complete. half circle, this binge provides them
with a means of always shutting of themselves, however wide they may be
opened and thrown back. In addition to the rollers k, k, on the axis 1, 7, there
is another pair of antifriction rollers 1, 1, having conical peripheries which run

page_text: upon a conically faced collar 2, the object of which is of course to avoid the
hard rubbing there would otherwise be on these parts.
Figure 17 represents a vertical section of another of my improved hinges
for a double action door, the mechanism of which is contained within a
cylindrical case 5, and having on one side a flat plate 6, which is to be screwed
to the bottom of the jamb, and so much of the bottom corner of the door is to
be cut away as will let in the cylindrical case. The chief working parts of the
hinge are the same as that previously described in Figure 15, as indicated by
the letters of reference, the essential difference consisting in not having a
double set of inclined facets, one acting above the rollers and the other under:
neath. It has but one set of inclined facets, and in this respect it is similar in
its action to the hinges delineated in Figures 1 to 12, but it differs from them
in having the rollers above the facets instead of underneath them, and of the
friction rollers turning round against the facets instead of the facets turning
round the rollers; likewise that these hinges 13 and 19 do not rise. At 7, 7,
is a thick collar, secured by screws 8, 8, forming the top of the joint, the under
side of which has a projecting collar 2 for the anti-friction rollers 1, 1, to be
operated upon by the reaction of the spring when the door is being opened or
shut. This Figure (17) being a section of the plan Figure 18, in the direction
of the dotted line 9, 9, the inclined facets are invisible, but they are brought
into view in Figure 18, which is a transverse section of Figure 17, in the
direction of the dotted line 10, 10, excepting that the thick collar 7, 7, is
removed.
Figure 19 is an elevation of the cylindrical slide 11, 11, that contains the
spring, the other parts are sufficiently indicated by the letters of reference. It is
proper to notice that the peculiar characteristic of these hinges consists in the
employment and position of the antifriction rollers in their semi-cylindrical
cavity, which holds the door firmly when closed, and requires greater force to
open it than usual, but which diminishes gradually as the opening extends.
Having explained by several examples the construction of my improved
hinges, I desire it to be clearly understood that I do not limit myself to the
precise form or proportions of the parts described, as they may be considerably
varied without departing from my Invention, but I do distinctly claim the
following, namely,-
Firstly, I claim the employment of antifriction rollers (or rubbing substitutes
for them, such as cams), working in semi-cylindrical grooves or recesses formed
at the end of the axes or pins of rising hinges for causing, the door to be held
forcibly when closed.
Secondly, I claim the combination of parts as described under Figures 13 to

page_text: 19, especially as respects the position of the rollers in the recesses upon the
cylindrical slides, and the vertical action of the slides, rollers, and springs.
And, thirdly, I claim the employment of hollow axes to binges for the
admission of springs.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Silvester, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our Lord one
year One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.