Improved Apparatus for Opening and Closing Doors and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1898-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Opening and Closing Doors and the like.
I, FRANZ CORNELIUS, of Schillerstrasse, 7, Charlottenburg, in the German
Empire, 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 consists in an improved apparatus for opening and closing doors
by means of a spring operated by a hand lever, which apparatus is more particularly
intended for heavy doors, gates and the like, but may be applied to wardrobe doors,
French windows, lids or other lighter doors or the like.
On the drawings appended hereunto Figures I and II show the apparatus in
front view and plan;
Figure III a vertical section of the turning mechanism at a right angle to
Figure I.
Figure IV represents a side view of the lever arrangement.
On the drawings, A represents the door, which is to be opened and closed by
means of the hand lever B from the inside. C represents a wall behind which the
lever B is arranged, in order to show that the door can be opened by the improved
apparatus from another side room, for instance the hall porter's lodge.
The apparatus is arranged as follows:-The motion of the hand lever B is trans-
mitted through the link B', lever Bª and link B³ to a lever E turning on the
pivot D, which is fixed in a plate El supported by brackets from the wall C. The
lever E is formed at its other end with a toothed segment F which engages into a
spur wheel G fixed upon the vertical shaft H. The latter turns in the bracket H'
and a toothed sector I is fixed on it or to the spur wheel G.
Below the sector F another segment K formed with an arm K¹ is mounted loose
upon the shaft H, this segment being without teeth and carrying a pedestal L in
which a horizontal shaft M can revolve, the shaft having fixed on it a spur wheel N
gearing with the toothed sector I. A fork is fixed or formed on the other end
of the shaft M and a vertical pin P passes loose through the sides of the fork. This
pin is above the shaft H in the same centre line when in a vertical position as
shown on the drawing. To the pin P a spiral spring Q is fixed at its inner end.
its outer end pressing against the side of the fork O. The pin P is fixed in an
arm S connected to a door check U, of ordinary construction, the piston rod §¹
of which can turn in the bracket T attached to the door and is placed with its centre
line in the same horizontal plane as the shaft M, so that when the shaft M is
brought into the same centre line with the shaft S the fork O and rod S can be
turned round. The spring Q is placed and tightened in such a manner that when
the parts are in the position shown on the drawings, it presses the fork with
segment K and the bar S towards each other, and tends to turn the pin P and
bar S fixed to it towards the door while the segment K is locked to the sector I by
the wheel N, thus keeping the door A closed.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the hand lever B is pressed downwards, the lever E is turned by the

page_text: link and lever connections in the direction indicated by the arrow on Fig. II. the
segment F moving to the right and turning the wheel G, shaft H, and sector I
to the left. The wheel N with shaft MI, pedestal L and segment K are carried along
with the sector I, as the fork O fixed to the shaft M is prevented from turning by
the bar S in which the pin P is fixed. When the segment K with arm K¹ has been
turned so far that the shaft M comes into the prolongation of the centre line of the
piston rod S¹, the segment K butts against a stop V and its further motion is
arrested, while the sector I continues to be turned and revolves the wheel N.
Thereby the fork O and rod S are turned round by 180 degrees. The spring Q
which during the movement of the segment K and fork O to the left has become
further tightened, after being turned round by 180 degrees acts in the opposite
direction, so that the bar S previously pressed towards the door is now pressed away
from it, and the door is opened thereby.
When the hand lever B is lifted again, the opposite movements take place.
The whole of the parts mounted on the shaft H are turned to the right together,
till the segment K butts against a stop R, when the sector I alone continues to
move, turning the wheel N and returning the pin P and fork O into their original
positions, while the door A is fully open and the bar S in a position parallel to the
wall C. As soon as the fork has been turned round by 180 degrees into the
position shown on the drawing, the spring Q will turn the pin P and bar S also
back into their original position, and close the door A.
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 apparatus for opening and closing doors and the like the arrangement of
a spiral spring acting at one end against a fork and at the other on a pin passing
through the fork and fixed to an arm connected to the door, which spring is
tightened by turning the fork round said pin, and then turned by 180 degrees with
the fork, pin and arm round an axis placed at a right angle to said pin, for the
purpose of reversing the direction of the action of the spring and thereby opening
or closing the door, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
drawing.
2. In apparatus for opening and closing doors and the like containing a spring
arranged as specified in the preceding claim, the arrangement of a spur wheel on
the shaft of the fork, a toothed sector gearing with the wheel, a segment carrying
a pedestal for the fork shaft and stops for arresting the motion of the segment, for
the purpose of effecting the tightening of the spring and then turning it by 180
degrees by the motion of said toothed sector, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The general arrangement of apparatus for opening and closing doors and the
like substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Daten this may 100.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Harrington Chambers, 24, North John Street, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.