Means for Holding Ajar Doors, Window Casements, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Means for Holding Ajar Doors, Window Casements, and the like.
I WILLIAM GRIFFITHS of Weston-under-Lizard near Shifnal, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means for holding ajar at any desired angle, doors,
window casements and the like.
According to my invention I provide a sliding rod or arm extending from the
latch or handle of the door to the bottom thereof, said rod being either concealed
within the door frame or working in suitable guides on the face of the door. To
the lower extremity of this rod I secure a cushion or foot of rubber or other suitable
material which is normally caused to bear upon the floor or sub surface by means.
of a suitable spring acting upon the rod. Upon the latch spindle I provide a cam,
tappet, crank, rack pinion or other equivalent device arranged so that the act of
turning the handle in the direction to release the latch will lift the cushioned end.
of the rod clear of the floor. Directly the handle is released the before mentioned
spring will act upon the rod and the door will be held in whatever position it may
happen to be by the pressure of the cushion or foot of the rod upon the floor.
I may also arrange the device so that the shooting of the lock bolt will lock the rod
in position. The shooting of the lock bolt may also be caused to impart an
additional downward pressure to the rod, and thus, to a certain extent, to lock the
door in position.
In some cases, as where the floor is uncarpeted for example, I may dispense with
the cushion on the end of the rod and provide the latter with a pointed end.
Provision may also be made for throwing the device out of action when desired.
Datad this 10th day of June 1806
I, WILLIAM GRIFFITHS, of Weston-under-Lizard, near Shifnal, Engineer, 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 means for holding ajar at any desired angle, doors, window
casements and the like.
According to my invention, I provide a sliding rod or bolt extending from the
latch or handle of the door or casement to the bottom thereof, said rod being either
concealed within the door frame or working in suitable guides upon the face of
[Price 8d.1

page_text: the door. To the lower extremity of this rod I secure a cushion or foot of rubber
or other suitable material which is normally caused to bear upon the floor or
sub surface by means of a suitable spring acting upon the rod. Upon the latch spindle
I provide a toothed pinion, cam, tappet, crank, or equivalent device, arranged so
that the act of turning the handle in the direction to release the latch will lift the
cushioned end of the rod clear of the floor. Directly the handle is released the
before mentioned spring will act upon the rod and the door will be held in whatever
position it may happen to be by the pressure of the cushion or foot of the rod upon
the floor. I may also arrange the device so that the shooting of the lock bolt will
lock the rod in position. The shooting of the lock bolt may also be caused to
impart an additional downward pressure to the rod, and thus, to a certain extent to
lock the door in position.
In some cases, as for uncarpeted floors, I may dispense with the cushion on the end
of the rod and in lieu thereof provide the latter with a pointed end.
Provision may
also be made for throwing the device out of action when desired.
In the accompanying drawings in which similar letters refer to like parts in all
the figures:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the lower portion of a door having my invention
applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a part sectional edge view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows on an enlarged scale the connection between the sliding rod and
the latch.
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detail.
a is the sliding rod or bolt here represented as concealed within the door frame A,
the upper end of said rod being provided or formed with rack teeth b engaged by
a toothed sector e mounted on the latch spindle d of the spring latch e of the door,
so that when the handle f of the latch spindle is turned to release the latch e the
rod a will be raised clear of the floor. 9 is a spring which normally presses the
end of the rod a against the floor. The lower end of the rod a may be provided
with a rubber or like fout a 1 for use on carpets or with a spike or point for bare
boards. In the detail Fig. 5 an eccentric or cam c1 is shewn as mounted on the
latch spindle d in substitution for the toothed sector c said cam working within a
frame on the end of the rod a.
The shooting of the lock bolt may be caused to lock the sliding rod a in position by
the following arrangement:
On the rear end of the lock bolt i there is provided or formed a projection k
having teeth 1 adapted to engage with similar teeth k 2 cut in the sliding rod a
when the lock bolt is shot. It will be noted that the teeth or projections k 1 k²
are wedge shaped. The imoving into engagement of these teeth may thus be caused
to give an additional downward pressure to the bolt a.
Provision may be made for lifting the slicing rod or bolt by the foot if desired,
as for example in the case of a servant with both hands engaged requiring to open
the door wider. This may be effected by the pedal levers fulcrumed at m and
having slotted ends engaging with pins n on either side of the sliding rod a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of iny said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. For the purpose set forth a sliding rod or bolt extending downwards from the
latch of a door or casement and terminating in a suitable foot or spike normally
pressed against the floor or sub-surface by a spring, said rod or bolt being connected
with the latch spindle so as to be lifted clear of the floor or sub-surface by the act of
releasing the latch, substantially as described.
2. In combination with the device claimed above, teeth or projections on the lock
bolt of the door or casement adapted to engage with similar teeth or projections on the
sliding rod or bolt when the lock bolt is shot, substantially as described and illustrated
and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 3. Means for holding ajar doors, window casements and the like as described and.
illustrated in the annexed drawings.
D
CA 1907
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON,
Chartered Patent Agents,
19, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.