IMPROVEMENTS IN HATCHWAY DOORS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HATCHWAY DOORS."
A communication from abroad by George M. Eames, Jeremiah Stever, and
Horace L. Eaines, of Washington, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th June 1881.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HATCHWAY DOORS." A communication from abroad by George M. Eamos,
Jeremiah Stever, and Horace L. Eames, of Washington, United States of
America.
The Invention relates to an improvement in the construction of and devices for
automatically operating hatch doors to close the hatchways of an elevator shaft,
the objects being to prevent draught through the shaft in case of fire, and to avoid
all possible accidents liable to occur owing to unguarded hatchway openings.
With these objects in view the Invention consists in the construction of the hatch-
doors and in devices for operating two series of them, each of said series being
located respectively above and below the elevator car, and adapted to be successively
shut upon or by the top of, and open from or by the bottom of the car in its
ascent, and to be engaged with the bottom of the car in its descent. The novel.
construction is as follows:-Steps are formed in the sides of the shaft by metal
bars of lengths graduated from the lower to the upper story, and located in vertical
recesses formed in the side of the elevator shaft. The elevator car is of ordinary.
construction, and actuated up and down by any suitable device; the bottom of the
car is provided with four depending hooks which are rigidly secured, and have
their barbed ends towards the sides of the shaft; the inner faces of the hooks are
provided with wedged faces inclining upwardly. The hatch doors are provided
with elongated slots to receive the hooks which operate to withdraw spring-bolts
from engagement with the steps, so that the hatchways of the shaft will always be
closed whether the car is at the upper or lower terminus of the shaft, or in transitu
between them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th November 1881.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HATCHWAY DOORS." A communication from abroad by George M. Enmes,
Jeremiah Stever, and Horace L. Eames, of Washington, United States of
America.
be
This Invention relates to an improvement in the construction of and devices for
automatically operating hatch doors to close the hatchways of an elevator shaft,
the objects being to prevent draught through the shaft in case of fire, and to avoid
all possible accidents liable to occur owing to unguarded hatchway openings. With
these objects in view the Invention consists in the novel construction of the hatch
doors and in devices for operating two series of them, each of said series being
located respectively above and below the elevation car, and adapted to
successively collected upon the top of and distributed from the bottom of the car
in its ascent, and to be engaged with the bottom of and distributed from the top
of the car in its descent, so that the hatchways of the shaft will always be closed
whether the car is at the upper or lower terminus of the shaft, or in transitu
between them. The Invention further consists in certain details of construction
and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a view of an elevator car, series of
hatch doors, and devices for operating them; Figure 2 is a view of one side of the
shaft showing the graduated series of strips which support the hatch doors; Figure 3
is a plan view of a single hatch door; and Figure 4 is a view thereof with the
metallic covering removed; Figure 5, section.
Let A, A, represent the sides of an elevator shaft having four similarly disposed
series of graduated steps A, B, and C, secured to the inner faces thereof, and offering
adjustments to the spring bolts B of the hatch doors C which close the hatchways
of the first, second, and third stories respectively. These steps which consist in
this instance of bars of metal of different lengths graduated from the lower to the
upper story are located in vertical recesses D formed in the sides A, A, of the
elevator shaft. E is the elevator car of ordinary construction, and actuated in
reciprocating vertical movement through hoist rope F by any suitable and approved
devices, those here shown consisting merely of two mounted sheaves G and
weight H. The lower face of the car is provided with four depending hooks I
which are rigidly secured thereto, and have their barbed faces turned toward the
sides of the elevator. The inner faces of said hooks are provided with planes or
wedges J inclining inwardly from their points.
In length the hook should bo sufficiently long to penetrate the entire number of
doors of the lower sories at once.
The hatch doors C belonging to the series located below and adapted to bo
engaged with the bottom of the elevator car are as here shown three in number.
They are preferably constructed of metal or covered therewith, and are pierced at
suitable points with four elongated slots K to receive the hooks I which operate
to withdraw the bolts B from engagement with the steps, as before described.
The frame of said doors consist of two side bars L, L, and front and rear bars M, M,
joined at right angles to each other. Two bars N, N, having their ends joined to
the front and rear bars M, M, and located in lines parallel with the bars L, L, have
the rear ends of the bolts B journalled in theu, and also support springs 0, 0,

page_text: which constantly impinge upon and 'tend to force the outer ends of the said bolts
outwardly. The bolts B, of which there are four to each hatch door, are joined in
pairs by two rods P, P, between each pair of which two of the hooks K are
received. The inwardly inclined faces of the said hooks impinge against the inner
of the said bars P, overcome the springs O, and withdraws bolts from the engagement
with the steps corresponding with the hatch door acted upon. This will be effected
only in the descent of the car; in its ascent the moment any one door reaches its
proper station the bolts will be released from engagement with the side faces of
the steps and be forced outward to rest on the top faces thereof. This forward
motion of the bolts will carry the rods P towards the bars L, L, and release the
barbs of the hooks from engagement with the outer of said rods P, and allow
the hooks to be entirely withdrawn from the door and so deposit it at its proper
station. It is yet to be observed that no two of the doors of the lower or of the
upper series are alike in so far as the bolts are concerned, for the reason that the
bolts of each door must be placed in position to engage with the respective steps
thereof, and it has before been mentioned that no two sets of the steps are in line.
Every hatch door of the lower series has however a counterpart in regard to the
bolts in the upper series, as in raising and lowering the car a door of each series
occupies the same position. The hatch doors of the upper series are similar to
those of the lower in general construction, but are different therefrom in having
fixed instead of spring pressed bolts. In the ascent of the car these doors of the
upper series are successively collected, and in its descent they descend with it until
their projecting bolts engage with the steps appropriate to them, and their
downward progress is checked.
Assuming now that the car is at the lower terminus of the shaft, the doors of the
upper series will close tho hatchways of the first, second, and third floors, and the
doors of the lower series will be engaged with the hooks attached to the under fuce
of the car, while when the car is at the upper terminus of the shaft the reverse is
true, as then the upper series of doors will be collected on the tops of the car, and
the doors of the lower series will occupy the hatchways of the first, second, and third
floors respectively. When the car is in transitu tho doors of the different sories
will be disposed in the hatchways and on the top and bottom of the car according
to its location on the shaft.
I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction
shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such slight changes and

page_text: Fourth. In an elevator the combination with a series of hatch doors located
below the elevator car, each of said doors being provided with spring pressed bolts
arranged to engage with appropriate steps located at the side of the elevator shaft,
of hooks depending from the bottom of the car and adapted to pass through
perforation in the doors and engage with rods connecting said bolts, and through
them to withdraw the bolts from the steps with which they are engaged,
substantially as set forth.
Fifth. In an elevator a series of hatch doors located below the elevator car, said
doors being provided with spring pressed bolts adapted to be laterally reciprocated
by hooks attached to the bottom of the car which pass through apertures in the
said doors, and withdraw the bolts from engagement with the steps located in the
elevator shaft by forcing back rods connecting two of said bolts, substantially as
set forth.
Sixth. In an elevator the combination with hooks attached to the bottom of an
elevator car, of a series of perforate hatch doors provided with spring pressed
bolts adapted to be actuated by the hooks through the said perforations, substantially
as set forth.
Seventh. In an elevator a series of hatch doors adapted to be engaged with
hooks attached to the bottom of the elevator car when the same is at the bottom
of the shaft, and to be distributed during the ascent of the car as the spring pressed
bolts of the several doors engage with their appropriate steps, and thus reloaso the
barbs of the said hooks from engagement with the rods connecting two adjacent
bolts, substantially as set forth.
Eighth. In an elevator a series of hatch doors located below the elevator car
and adapted to close the hatchways of the different floors when the car is at the
upper terminus of the shaft, and to have their spring pressed bolts withdrawn
from engagement with their appropriate steps by and to be collected upon hooks
attached to the bottom of the car in the descent, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty ninth day of November, A.D. 1881.
LT T HADDAM