IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Frederick Brabson, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Brassfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DOOR SPRINGS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Frederick Brabson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd December 1859.
I, THOMAS FREDERICK BRABSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, firstly, of improvements in such door springs as
are ordinarily let into the floor, and act directly upon the axis on which the
door turns. In making door springs according to this part of my Invention, I
make a roller working on an arm on the axis of the door act upon the forked
arms of one end of a lever turning upon a horizontal axis. The other end of
the lever is pressed upon by a flat spring situated in a horizontal plane, and
consisting of a series of steel plates. By means of a regulating screw the

page_text: spring can be made stronger or weaker. Instead of a spring I sometimes
employ a weight to press upon the lever.
My improvements consist, secondly, of improvements in such door springs
as are attached to the door and door frame. In a cylindrical case fixed to the
door a helical spring is placed, the said spring urging forward a piston carrying
a roller. On the door frame is fixed a plate carrying a camb or excentric
against which the roller on the piston bears. The said camb is jointed to the
spring case. On opening the door the camb presses upon the roller and
piston, and compresses the spring, which, by its reaction, tends to close the
door; a regulating screw is placed at the end of the case, in order to adjust
the strength of the spring. Instead of a helical spring in a cylindrical case, I
sometimes employ bow springs placed in a rectangular case. A slide working
in the said case is urged forward by the said springs, and a knuckle carried by
a plate bears against a roller on the said slide. The opening of the door
causes the slide to be pressed into its case by the knuckle, and thus effects the
compression of the spring, when the door is at liberty to move, the springs
return to their uncompressed form, and in doing so close the door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Frederick Brabson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FREDERICK BRABSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brassfounder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson, Her special licence that I, the said
Thomas Frederick Brabson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the several improvements in door springs herein-
after particularly described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
My Invention consists, firstly, of improvements in such door springs as are
ordinarily let into the floor, and act directly upon the axis on which the door
turns, the said door opening in either direction.
turns in a bearing c, in the case a.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, represent a door spring and portion of a door
spring constructed according to this part of my Invention, Figure 1 being a
plan, Figure 2 also a plan, with portions of the door spring removed, as
herein after explained, and Figure 3 a longitudinal vertical section of the door
spring. Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent a portion of the door spring. The
same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. a is the
case containing the mechanism of the spring, the said case being let into
the room flush with the floor, as is well understood; is the axis upon which
the door turns, an arm upon the door fitting upon the square end 62 of the
said axis b. The bottom of the axis
d is an arm or rod upon the axis b, upon the end of which a roller e is
situated, the said roller turning freely upon the said arm; ƒ is a lever,
carrying at one end forked arms f, f, and at the other end a plate g. The
said lever f turns upon a horizontal axis h, working in bearings in the
uprights i, i, the said uprights sliding in dovetail grooves in the case a. The
lever and axis h are shown separately detached from the spring in
Figures 4, 5, and 6, Figure 4 being a vertical section, Figure 5 a side
elevation, and Figure 6 a front elevation. The plate g of the lever fis
pressed upon by the free end of a flat spring k, situated in a nearly horizontal
plane, and consisting of a series of steel plates. The steel plates of the spring
are bound together by two plates 1, 1, the ends of which plates have V-shaped
grooves, in which the V-shaped projections m, m, on the case a engage, and
hold the said spring & securely in its place. By means of the regulating

page_text: screw n, the spring k can be made stronger or weaker at pleasure. In
Figure 2 the spring k, as well as the axis band parts carried thereby, are
removed. The action of the spring is as follows:-On the opening of the door
in either direction the roller e acts upon one or other of the forked arms f of
the lever f, and depresses that end of the said lever; the opposite end of the
lever is thereby raised, and with it the spring k. By the pressure of the
spring on the plate g of the lever f, the said plate is depressed, when
the door is at liberty to move, and the axis b and roller e brought into the
positions represented in Figures 1 and 3, and the door closed.
My Invention consists, secondly, of improvements in such door springs as
are attached to the door and door frame. Figure 7 represents in longitudinal
vertical section a door spring, constructed according to this part of my Inven-
tion; Figure 8 represents a transverse section of the same, taken through the
line 1, Figure 7; and Figure 9 represents in elevation a portion of the same.
The same letters are employed to indicate the same parts in Figures 7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. In a cylindrical case a fixed to the door a helical
spring is placed, the said spring urging forward the piston c carrying the
roller d. On the door frame is fixed a plate e carrying a cam or excentric f
against which the roller & bears, as represented. The said plate e carrying the
cam or excentric f turns on a joint at g, on the spring case. On opening the
door the cam f presses upon the roller d and piston c, and compresses the
spring 6, which, by its reaction, tends to close the door. At the bottom or end
of the cylindrical case a, I place a regulating screw h for the purpose of
adjusting the strength of the helical spring b. On the said screw ha disc or
washer is situated, against which the end of the helical spring 6 bears. A
projection or feather i² on the washer i works in the slot in the case a, the
said washer being thereby made incapable of rotating. By turning the head
of the screw h the washer i is made to advance in the case a, and to compress
the spring b. The said spring can thus be adjusted to the required strength
at pleasure. The screw hand washer i are shown separately in elevation in
Figure 9. Although I prefer to apply the adjusting mechanism to springs
having the construction described with reference to Figures 7 and 8, yet the
said adjusting mechanism may be applied to other door springs, the strength
of the helical springs of which requires adjusting. Figures 10, 11, and 12 re-
present another door spring constructed according to my Invention; Figure 10
representing a front elevation (partly in section); Figure 11, a side elevation;
and Figure 12, an end elevation with a portion removed, as herein-after ex-
plained. m is a rectangular case fixed to the door frame, in which case a-

page_text: series of bow springs n, n, are placed. The said springs n, n, urge forward a
slide o (see Figure 12), working in dovetails p in the case m. The said slide o
carries a roller g, which bears against a knuckle r on the arms fixed on the
door. The said arm is jointed to the case m at t. In Figure 12 the arm t,
knuckle r, and roller q, are removed in order to exhibit the shape of the slide o.
The opening of the door causes the knuckler to bear upon the roller q and to
press the slide o into the case, and effect the compression of the bow springs
n, n. When the door is at liberty to move, the springs n, n, return to their
uncompressed state, and in doing so close the door.
I sometimes modify the last described spring in the manner represented in
Figures 13, 14, and 15 of the Drawings; Figure 13 representing a front
elevation of the door spring, Figure 14 a back elevation of the same, and
Figure 15 a transverse vertical section of the same. In the rectangular
case u fixed to the door frame I place a series of flat springs v secured at one
end by the screw w to the case u, the free ends of the said springs bearing
against and raising a roller a working through the case. The said roller & is
carried by the arm or lever y turning on a centre at *. 2 is the arm of the
spring fixed to the door, the roller a bearing against a knuckle 3 on the end
of the said arm 2. The arm 2 turns on a joint 4 on the case u, as best seen
in Figure 15. On opening the door the knuckle 3 depresses the roller x and
springs v, which said springs by their elasticity tend, when the door is at liberty
to move, to raise the roller a, and bring the knuckle 3 and arm 4 into the
positions represented in the Drawing, and thereby to close the door.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my
Invention,--
Firstly, the improvement in door springs for closing doors opening in either
direction herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, a door spring in which the parts
are actuated by the free end of a flat spring situated in a horizontal plane.
Secondly, the method herein-before described, with reference to Figures 7,
8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings, of adjusting the strength of the
helical springs of such door springs as are attached to the door and door
frame and require adjusting.
Thirdly, the methods of constructing such door springs as are attached to the
door and door frame herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 10, 11, 12,

page_text: 13, 14, and 15 of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, door springs in
which bow or flat springs situated in a rectangular case are made to act upon
a roller and knuckle in the manner described and represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
THOMAS FREDERICK BRABSON. (L.S.)