Improvements in and connected with Self-acting Door-closing Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Self-acting Door-closing
Apparatus.
We JOHN ROBBINS, of 6 Belgrave Villas, Whitehorse Road, Croydon, in the county
of Surrey, Engineer, and FREDERICK THOMAS RUSHTON, of 14 New Inn, London, in
the county of Middlesex, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in and connected with self acting
door closing apparatus and has for its objects firstly to provide a simple device for
automatically re-closing a door or doors; secondly in combination with same a device
for latching or holding a door closed (or but slightly ajar) until some degree of power
is applied to open same; and thirdly a device for automatically holding doors closed
until such time as it is desired or required to open same, said device being particularly
designed for application to railway carriage doors.
We use a spring pulley on the barrel of which is fixed and wound a band of any
suitable material. The spring pulley may be mounted either upon the door or its
frame or the wall and the outer or free end of its band is attached to the other part or
a fixture thereon. In case of a pair or more than one door the band is carried across
same between suitable guide rollers and its free end is secured to any fixed point so
that the movement of any door will change the normal position of the spring pulley
whose retractile force will reclose the door or doors.
To hold a door closed till some force is applied to open it we fix the spring pulley
on the doorframe or wall and use in combination with it a latch device fixed on the
door which when the door is closed takes a position behind and engages with said
pulley but when force is applied to open the door the latch device automatically
retires and frees the door.
In the third case above aluded to we cut a notch or notches in the periphery of the
flange or both flanges of the spring pulley which may with advantage be extended for
the purpose, and we provide a lock pawl or equivalent device which normally engages
with said notch or notches and holds the pulley fast until such time as it is withdrawn
as more particularly hereinafter set forth."
In order that our said invention may be fully understood we will fully describe same
in reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan. Figure 2
an elevation partly in section of the spring pulley combined with the latch device.
Figures 3 and 3 are respectively an elevation and a plan of the invention as applied
to a pair of ordinary doors opening in one direction, and Figures 4 and 4 are the
same views respectively of a pair of swinging doors. Figure 5 is a sectional elevation
of a railway carriage showing the application of the invention to the doors thereof,
and Figure 6 is a detail plan of the device we employ. In all these figures similar
letters refer to similar parts.
is
D is an ordinary door F is its frame or equivalent Upon one part say the frame F
or equivalent we fix the pulley P mounted on a bracket and spindle on plate B.
a coiled spring of suitable length and strength contained in the centre part and acting
on the pulley P after the well known manner of a spring barrel. c is the band fixed
to and wound on pulley P of any suitable textile fabric, metallic or not or it may be of
leather gut or any other suitable material. Its free end is simply fixed to the door or
a standard thereon; or in the case of two or more doors or one or more pairs of doors
as illustrated by figures 3 and 3 and 4 4 the band c is carried across said doors supported
and guided by fixed rollers R R and its end secured at c¹.
By this arrangement when one or any door or doors are moved from closed position
(as shown dotted) the spring pulley at once revolved, and on the release of said door
or doors the retractile energy of the spring p will reclose the door or doors,

page_text: In order to hold a door closed till some power is applied to open same we use in
combination with the spring pulley a latch device consisting of a lever L adapted to
slide in a sleeve on a fixture G for a distance limited by a pin and slot g as in
figures 1 and 2. The lever L has its end forked or otherwise adapted to hold a
roller S of rubber or other yielding material preferably roughened or corrugated in
the direction of its axis. In the case of a single door the end of band c is fixed to
lever at c and its action is as follows:-
When the door is in normal shut position the roller S takes the position illustrated,
riz. at the inner or back part of the pulley P and so holds the door closed, when
however opening power is applied to the door the first motion thereof causes the
lever Land roller S to automatically retire in its slot g and be disengaged from the
pulley P and move away with the door D. when the door is re-closed by the
spring pulley the returning roller S of the latch device strikes and again passes behind
the pulley P and so holds or latches the door.
Figures 5 and 6 show the application of the invention to the doors of a railway
carriage. About one end of each side of each carriage internally is fixed the
pulley device P whose band c passing through suitable guide rollers R R is fixed at
its opposite end and acts upon any door as hereinabove described. In order that all
the doors may be under control of say the Guard we use the device detailed in
figure 6. Herein a lock or catch pl projects through the end of the carriage adjacent
to the pulley P and is pressed forward by a spring p²; its locking end is of suitable
shape and engages with a slot or it may be a pair of slots cut in the periphery of the
flange or flanges of the pulley P which may with advantage be extended for the
purpose. The said slot or slots is or are preferably rather larger than the end of the
locking piece and the springs of both it and the pulley are made strong enough to
ensure the accurate returns of both the difference between the sizes of the lock
piece end and the pulley slot or slots leaving a little play in case of wear and tear.
The locking piece holds the pulley stationary and all the doors consequently locked
until such time as it is withdrawn: this may conveniently be done by attaching to its
outer end a cord leading say to the guards van. When required by pulling this cord the
lock pl is withdrawn and it may be so fixed and all doors can be opened but will be
automatically re-closed by the spring pulley, though not locked. When all the doors
are shut the cord may be released and the lock engaging with the pulley all doors are
locked until the cord and lock are again withdrawn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A self acting door closing apparatus consisting of a spring pulley and band
thereon fixed arranged and operating substantially as setforth.
2. The combination with a spring pulley and band thereon of the latch device
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated
in figures 1 and 2.
3. The combination with a spring pulley having a band thereon, fixed at its outer
end and applied to a door or doors and suitably guided as described, of a spring
locking piece such as p' all adapted to operate and arranged and, disposed substantially
as and for the purpose set forth in reference to figures 5 and 6.
Dated this 30th day of November 1889
J. C. CHAPMAN, Fel. Inst. Patent Agents,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.