AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND SHUTTING GATES
Year: 1884

page_text: HARRY VAUGHAN RUDSTON READ, of Broadway Chambers, Westminster, S.W.
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND SHUTTING GATES to be as follows:-
By means of these improvements, a road gate can be made to automatically open
& close on the approach & passage of a wheeled vehicle, and when applied to gates
of railway crossings, they can be opened & closed from a signal box, or other
convenient position, near or distant.
In the accompanying drawings, (a) represents the hinge pin formed with two
cranks in it, one at the top & the other near the bottom; these cranks are placed
opposite one another, the best angle being 180°. (b) & (c) represent the hinges
attached to the gate, the bottom hinge (c) being preferably made in the form of a
fork to facilitate the removal of the gate when required. To the hinge pin (a) is
attached a lever (d) which may either be single ended, or double ended, to the end
or ends of which are coupled up bars (e) conveying motion from the double
treadles (ff) placed one on each side of the gate. In the case of railway crossings
a single line of bars (c) only is necessary, & may be coupled up to a signal lever, or
worked by any ordinary appliance. Factory, or Office, or other doors, may be
worked in the same manner.
In the case of double gates the two hinge pins are coupled together by the
levers (g) & rod (h).
I will now describe the mode of working a road gate: The double treadles (f)
are placed on each side of the gate at such a distance from it that after a vehicle
has passed them thero is yet room for the gate to open. The vehicle is driven so
that one wheel shall push down & pass over the upstanding part of the treadle (f)
By means of the bar (e) and lever (d) motion is conveyed to the hinge pins (a) and
its cranks are caused to move through an angle of about 90°. The effect of this is
to lift the gate out of its catch, & being now no longer in a vertical plane and true
on its hinges, it will swing open of itself until passing through 90° it will hang
true again & then remain open. The vehicle then passes the gate, & is driven
over the second treadle (f) which will be pushed down, & the action on the hinge
pin & on the gate being the same as before the gate will close of itself.
The treadles (f& f) are each made double so that the gate may be opened by a
vehicle approaching from either side.

page_text: It will be readily understood that in the case of a railway crossing or a door
where the motion is given to the hinge pin from a signal lever or by other means
the action of the gate or door will be the same as above described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention I claim―
1. The construction of Hinges of Gates or Doors, with a moveable & cranked
hinged pin for the purpose & substantially as described.
HARRY VAUGHAN RUDSTON READ of Broadway Chambers Westminster SW.
in the County of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND SHUTTING GATES and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
By means of these improvements a road gate can be made to automatically open
and close on the approach and passing of a wheeled vehicle and when applied to
gates of railway crossings they can be opened and closed from a signal box or other
convenient position near or distant.
In the drawings accompanying my provisional Specification (a) represents the
hinge pin formed with two cranks in it one at the top and the other near the
bottom; these cranks are placed opposite one another the best angle being 180°
(b) and (c) represent the hinges attached to the gate the bottom hinge (c) being
preferably made in the form of a fork to facilitate the removal of the gate when
required To the hinge pin (a) is attached a lever (d) which may be either single
ended or double ended to the end or ends of which are coupled up bars (e) conveying
motion from the double treadles (ƒ ƒ) placed one on each side of the gate. In the
case of railway crossings a single line of bars (e) only is necessary and may be
coupled up to a signal lever or worked by any ordinary appliance Factory or office
or other doors may be worked in the same manuer.
In the case of double gates the two binge pins are coupled together by the
levers (g) and rod (h).
I will now describe the mode of working a road gate The double treadles (f)
are placed on each side of the gate at such a distance from it that after a vehicle
has passed them there is yet room for the gate to open The vehicle is driven so
that ono wheel shall push down and pass over the upstanding part of the treadle (ƒ)
By means of the bar (c) and lever (d) motion is conveyed to the hinge pins (a) and
its cranks are caused to move through an angle of about 90° The effect of this is
to lift the gate out of its catch and being now no longer in a vertical plane and
true on its hinges it will swing open of itself until passing through 90° it will hang
true again and then remain open.

page_text: The vehicle then passes the gate and is driven over the second treadle (f) which
will be pushed down and the action on the hinge pin and on the gate being the
same as before the gate will close of itself.
The treadles (f) are each made double so that the gate may be opened by a
vehicle approaching from either side.
It will be readily understood that in the case of a railway crossing or a door
where the motion is given to the hinge pin from a signal lever or by other means
the action of the gate or door will be the same as above described.
Having thus described the nature of my invention I claim :-
:-
The Construction of Hinges of Gates or doors with a moveable and cranked
hinged pin for the purpose and substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of October 1884.