Improvements in Ships' Side Lights and Port Lights or Scuttles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1898-Accepted, 23rd July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ships' Side Lights and Port Lights or Scuttles.
We, EDWIN JAMES PRESTON, of the Firm of J. Stone & Co., of Deptford,
in the County of Kent, Engineers, JAMES GILLIES, of 14, Walmer Terrace,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Naval Architect, and WILLIAM RODGER HAYES,
of 10, Copeland Road, Govan, in the said County, Shipwright, 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:-
These improvements refer to ships side lights and port lights or scuttles of
the kind described with reference to Figures 8-10 of Preston & De Rusetts
Patent Specification No. 9543 of 1888 and with reference to Seatons Patent
Specification No. 4248 of 1894, in both of which cases a rotatable compression or
gripping ring for making tight joint between the glass-holder or door and the
stationary frame is employed provided with toothed rack, and a pinion is applied
for partly rotating said ring. Now according to our invention we fit such a
rotatable compression ring on the glass holder of the scuttle and fit also to the
said glass holder the pinion for partly rotating the compression ring on the
glass holder. The stationary frame which is fixed to the ships side or deck house
is provided with lugs having wedged shaped underside faces and gaps are formed
in the edge of the glass holder and in that of the rotatable compression ring
so that the upper portion of the lugs with inclined faces may project over the
compression ring so as to engage or lock with corresponding inclined faces on
said ring when partially rotated whereby the glass holder is pressed against and
makes watertight joint with the stationary frame. By this arrangement we
ensure that the pinion is always in gear with the teeth on the ring and never can
foul them or ever need adjustment. We also obtain the advantage of a bearing
for the pinion spindle on each side of the pinion so that the tendency to spring.
out of gear with the rack is prevented. Furthermore in order to avoid the risk
of the pinion being moved when the glass holder is moved and the compression
ring consequently shifted so as to foul the lugs on the stationary frame when it
is required to close the scuttle we form on the hinge lug that is cast on the
stationary frame a projecting stop opposite to a corresponding notch in the glass
holder and in the compression ring so that immediately the glass holder com-
mences to open, the stop enters said notch and thereby both the pinion and the
compression ring are locked in position and remain so until the glass holder is
closed ready for being wedged in the frame.
In the accompanying drawing we have shown a form of scuttle of the character
described Fig. 1 being a front elevation from the inside of the ship, Fig. 2 a
vertical section, Fig. 3 a section on the line A, B, and Fig. 4 a section on the
line C D.-Figure 4 is a plan of underside of hinge part of the scuttle-Fig. 5
is a vertical section through the hinge part of a scuttle made according to Patent
Specification No. 9543 with part of our improvement applied thereto.
The stationary frame A is of usual form with four lugs B provided with wedge-
shaped faces B on their under sides; the frame A is formed with hinge lug E.

page_text: The door or glass holder D with glass pane D¹ has corresponding hinge lugs CC
and also the usual annular projection F for making joint with the rubber ring G
in an annular recess of the stationary frame A. Upon the inner face of the
glass holder D we provide a compression ring H which is held on to the glass
holder and central therewith by cleats H¹ hooking under the door as shown in
Figs. 1 and 4. The ring H is formed with wedge-shaped faces H* for working
against the wedge-shaped faces 131 on the lugs B of the stationary frame A. A
tooth segment or row of teeth H² is formed on the compression ring Hand mounted
on the glass holder D is a pinion I gearing therewith; the spindle I' has a step
bearing in the projecting flange of the glass holder and another bearing in the
plate D2 bolted to the glass holder D; this plate together with the aforesaid
cleats H also serves to hold the compression ring H on to the door D. The
pinion spindle I¹ is rotated by a crutch handle 12 or this end of the spindle
may terminate in a square or be otherwise suitably shaped to fit a loose
key or spanner. The glass holder D has notches for the lugs B on the stationary
frame to pass through as shewn in Figs. 1 and 3 so that the inclined faces 1
of the lugs B may engage with the faces B' on the compression ring. The
hinge piece E which is cast on the stationary frame A has a stop or projection E'
which engages with the notch D³ as soon as the glass holder 1) begins to open
so that the compression ring and pinion are locked and held in position ready
for gearing with the lugs B whenever the glass holder is closed and ready for
being wedged in place. In order to prevent the pinion from shaking loose in
the closed position of the glass holder D we may provide a pawl wheel on the
pinion spindle and a pawl engaging therewith. In Figs. 5 and 6 we show the
hinge part E of the stationary frame A of a scuttle like Fig. 9 of Patent Specifi-
cation No. 9543 of 1888 but provided with a lug E' which takes into a notch D³
in the glass holder D and compression ring H. The improvements hereinbefore
described may also be applied to the locking of dead doors of scuttles and side
lights.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a ship's side light, port light or scuttle the application and use with
the glass holder or door of a compression ring rotatable thereon provided with
teeth, a pinion gearing therewith also mounted on the said door, and inclined
faces on the said ring adapted to engage with wedge pieces or lugs on the
stationary frame, for the purpose of making joint between the door and the
stationary frame, substantially as set forth.
2. A ring as firstly claimed and having notches for the lugs on the stationary
frame to pass through substantially as set forth.
3. A ring as firstly claimed and having cleats for holding it centrally with
and on to the glass holder substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of the glass holder the rotatable compression ring and the
means for rotating it as shewn on the drawing.
5. The application to the hinge part of the stationary frame of a scuttle or side
light of a lug which engages with a notch in the glass holder and the compression
ring substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. The construction of ships' side light port light or scuttle as shewn on the
drawing.
Dated this Fourteenth day of June 1898.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.