Door Hangers and Supporting Tracks therefor.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1897-Accepted, 17th July, 1897
Door Hangers and Supporting Tracks therefor.
1, GEORGE CADOGAN GARDNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
104 Dearborn Street, Chicago, Cook County Illinois, U.S.A., Gentleman, 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 to certain improvements in door hangers and supporting
tracks therefor, the object being to provide a hanger which shall have the least
possible friction and be of 'simple and substantial construction. The object is
also to produce a supporting track therefor which shall be adjustable in order to
overcome the inconvenience caused to sliding doors by the settling of the house.
This invention is equally applicable to barn doors as well as sliding doors in
general, the only change necessary being in the yoke by which the hanger is
secured to the door.
I am well aware that various attempts have been made to produce an anti-
friction hunger and an adjustable track therefor, but the peculiar construction
and arrangement of this device I believe to be new and the essential features
thereof will be definitely pointed out in the claims appended heretɔ.
The invention is fully described in this specification and shown in the accompany-
ing drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved hanger applied
in the form of a barn door hanger; Figure 2 is an inner face view of one of the
shells which form the roller casing, the roller being shown in side elevation;
Figure 3 is a central vertical section through the line 3-3, Figure 1; Figure 4
is an end view; Figure 5 is a detail perspective view partly broken away of the
roller and showing the additional feature of a wooden rim applied thereto;
Figure 6 is a detail cross section of the pulley and showing one way of securing
the rim thereto; Figure 7 is a view inside elevation partly broken away and
showing the hanger applied to a sliding parlor door, the track being alco
shown in side elevation Figure 8 is an enlarged detail side elevation
the track and supporting portions, the track being broken away
as to shorten the view as much as possible; Figure 9 is an end view of one of
the support for the track looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, x,
Figure 8, the track itself being in cross section; Figure 10 is an end view of the
opposite support for the track, the view being in the direction indicated by the
urrow, Figure 11 is a detail section in line 11-11, Figure 8; and Figure 12
is a detail cross section through the line 12-12, Figure 8.1
Referring to the drawings, A, A, represent two similarly shaped elastic shelly
forming the roller casing of the hauger which are preferably stamped up out of
sheet metal. The shells are each formed into a truncated annulus, a, which in
cross section, is almost a semicircle, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3, and the
outer boundary or periphery of the annulus is in a plane passing longitudinally.
through the center of the pulley. Two wings, a¹, a', extend longitudinally from
the periphery and are provided with holes, a³, through which screws or rivets, s,
are passed, whereby the two parts of the casing may be firmly clamped together.

page_text: As shown in Figure 3 the inner periphery of the annulus is not in the same plane
as the other periphery, but is set out slightly in order that the web of the pulley
may lie between the two ring-like portions, a', a³, which extend from the inner
boundaries or peripheries of the annuli, and a small space be left between the case
and the pulley. These ring-like portions, a³, a, are formed into annular
recesses, a, a, at the centre which form the bearing cups for the balls, as is clearly
shown in Figure 3.
The roller, B, is formed of two annular web portions, b, b, having annular
flanges, b, which, when the roller is assembled, form a groove adapted to roll upon
the track and thereby guide.the hanger in its course upon the same. The two web
portions of the roller are countersunk slightly (see Figure 3), to form overhanging
portions, 3, and in the space formed between these overhanging portions are held
the flanges, b, of two bearing cones. As shown, these bearing cones are each pro-
vided with a bearing face, 6, adapted to roll upon the anti-friction balls, C, in the
cups, at, of the casing. Screws or rivets, s', are provided to clamp the two portions, b,
of the web together and when these are sufficiently tightened the flanges, 63, will
be firmly held therein. The anti-friction balls, C, are confined in the annular
recesses, at, of the casing and are adapted to roll therein and upon the cone
bearings, thereby forming an anti-friction bearing between the roller B and the
casing. To take up any wear caused by the operation of the roller, I have
provided an adjusting device which is extremely simple yet practical for the
purpose to which it is applied. A screw, S, is passed through the easing and
through the center of the pulley, openings being provided in the bearing cones
through which said screw may pass and said openings are large enough to allow
the screw to be readily passed therethrough without coming in contact with the
same. This screw in connection with the elastic plates affords a perfect adjust-
ment. If the bearings become loose the screw may be tightened slightly, thereby
taking up any play and adjusting the bearings to the proper point. If the
bearings become tight the screw may be merely loosened when the elastic case
will be spread and relieve the balls.
By forming the bearing cones separate from the other portions of the roller 1
am able to make the cones of one grade of steel and harden the same, while the
remainder of the roller may be of the ordinary sheet steel which requires no
hardening.
The track is shown at D, in Figures 7 to 10 inclusive, and is supported at one
end by a hanger, F. This hanger is preferably composed of a standard, e, secured
as usual to a beam, y. A pair of links, e, are pivoted to the lower extremity of
the standard, e, and a pin, 2, connects their lower ends. The track is hooked
upon the pin, 2, a notel, d, being provided near its end which embraces the pin
and connects the track to the links. The opposite end of the track is supported
in a bracket, F, also secured to the beam, , in any suitable manner. A slot, f,
is formed in one side of the bracket and in this slot rests the free end of the track,
as clearly seen in Figure 9. A set screw, f¹, is seated in the bottom of the
standard and when turned in the proper direction forces the free end of the
track, D, upward, which may be done when the building has settled in such a
manner that the free end of the track is somewhat below its hinged end. Upon
one side of the standard, F, is formed an inclined guideway. F¹, in which slides a
block, The guideway is formed with overhanging edges, f, which retain the
block, F, the overhanging edges being cut away at the top to form an enlarged
opening through which the block may be inserted or removed. A screw, extends
through the guide-block and loosely passes through the end of the standard, F',
a collar, f, being rigidly secured thereto, as clearly seen in Figure 12. It is
evident that when this screw is rotated it must force the block upward in the
guiding channel, thereby increasing the distance between the block and the hinged
end of the track. A lug, b, is formed upon the block, a similar lug. 3, being also
formed upon the link, e', and a rod, R, connects the lugs, e³, b³, so that when the
screw, f, is rotated and the slide block moved upward in the inclined guideway,

page_text: the link is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon and evidently
raises the hinged end of the track. This is done in order to properly level the
track when the building settles in such a manner as to lower this end. As shown
in Figure 7, the rod, R, is headed at one end and screw-threaded at the other end,
nuts being provided upon either side of the lugs, b, to secure the rod to the same.
The yoke, G, shown in Figure 1 is secured to the casing by the screws, S, which
are also used to fasten the casing together; thus no extra screws are required to
fasten the yoke thereto. This yoke is preferably adapted for use in connection
with barn doors, but when the hanger is intended for sliding doors, the yoke is
made slightly different and shown in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 4 at G', where
it is adapted to be secured upon the upper edge of the door instead of at the side
thereof.
I have found that by using a rim of wood or other like material a very smooth
action may be obtained and the noise attendant upon doors of this class greatly
reduced. Figure 5 shows a simple wood ring, m, fitted to the thread of the roller.
Figure 6 shows an improvement thereon, being a complete lining for the circum-
ferential groove of the roller. This lining is composed of two parts, n, n', cach
having an inwardly extending flange, n³, n³, and the two flanges placed face to
face are embraced by the sides of the roller, which are preferably slightly offset
for this purpose. Wood, leather, fibre or other material may be used for this
lining, the only requisite being that it shall run noiselessly upon the track.
In place of the sliding block, 13, a bell-crank lever, as shown in dotted lines in
Figure at L, may be connected to the rod, R, and the set screw, f³, used to.
swing the bell-crank lever in such a manner as to draw the link, c, toward it
thereby raising the pivoted end of the track.
I am aware that other alterations and modifications of this device are possible,
and I do not therefore limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.
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: In a device of the class described, the combination with a roller having
suitable bearing faces, of an elastic casing formed with the cup portions, at, anti-
friction balls, C, interposed between said cups and bearing faces, and a serew
connecting said cups and adapted to draw them toward each other; substantially
as described.
2: In a device of the class described, the combination with a roller composed
of a web portion having a suitable periphery and separate bearing cones secured
to said web portion, of an elastic casing having the recessed cup portions, a', anti-
friction balls, C, interposed between said bearing cones and cups, and a screw
connecting said cups and adapted to draw them toward each other; substantially
as described.
3: In a device of the class described, the combination with a grooved roller
having suitable bearing faces, of an elastic casing comprising two shells formed
with the annular recessed portions, at, adapted to serve as bearing cups, anti-friction
balls interposed between the bearing faces on the roller and said cups, and a screw
connecting the cups whereby they may be drawn toward each other to take up the
wear; substantially as described.
4: In a device of the class described, the combination with a roller formed of
two web portions, b, flanged at their peripheries and having the overhanging
flanges, , and the bearing cones, 64, having the flanges, &, held between the over-
hanging flanges, 63, of a casing formed with suitable bearing cups, and anti-
friction balls, C, interposed between the bearing cones and cups; substantially as
described.
5: The combination with suitably supported ball cups, of a roller or pulley
composed of two annular sheet metal pieces secured together having their outer
and inner edges offset in opposite directions to form grooves around the outer and

page_text: inner margins and two inner circular pieces, the combined outer edges of which
Just fill said inner groove and are firmly held therein and whose inner portious are
offset in opposite directions to form suitable bearing surfaces for the balls opposel
to the said cups whereby the main portion of the roller and the portions upon
which the balls are to run may be made of such material as is best adapted thereto,
substantially as described.
6: The combination with a track loosely supported at one end and connected
with links, e', at the opposite end, said link being pivoted to a suitable support,
of the rod, R, connected to said link and extending toward the free end of the track,
and a suitably guided block, F2, connected with the rod, R, and means for moving
the block toward or away from the pivoted end of the track whereby said end of
the track may be lowered or raised; substantially as described.
7: The combination with the track connected at one end with a link, e',
pivoted to a suitable support, of the standard, F, adapted to receive the free end
of the track and having the inclined guideway, F1, the slide block, F, sliding in
said guideway, a rod connecting said block with the links, e', and the set screw, f³,
adapted to move said slide block in said guideway and thereby raise the pivoted
end of the track; substantially as described.
Dated
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agents, 62 Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Agents for the Applicant.