Improvements in Door Checks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
Improvements in Door Checks.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Charles Frederick Hanington, of No. 73, West
105 Street, New York City, in the County and State of New York, Inventor), and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement;-
The invention relates to improvements in door checks. Great difficulty has
been found in the construction of an effective door check because of the exceptional
conditions which it must fulfil. A spring must be connected with the door which
will be of sufficient strength to close it under any conditions of draft and from
any position. This means that the spring must have considerably more than
sumcient power to close the door from a wide open position.
The office of a door check is to permit such a spring to act upon a door without
allowing the door to slam, and to do this effectually some force working against
the actuating spring of the door must be interposed before the door is fully closed
to stop it. When this is done, the interposed force must be removed, so that the
actuating spring may close and latch the door quietly.
Many devices have been invented to act as door checks, but so far as the inventor
is aware none have combined what the inventor considers the two requisites of
a successful door check. These requisites are, first, a device which will never
fail under any circumstances to check the door and then allow it to close. This
the inventor believes can only be accomplished by making the check operate by
the positive movement of solid interconnected parts upon each other. Second,
such a check should operate on the door from a concealed position, for a door
check while efficiently performing its function, must not be seen and so detract
from the appearance of the door.
All mechanical door checks are more or less unsightly, being usually attached
to the framework of the door, and all concealed checks are not mechanical, but
employ some fluid, either air, oil, glycerine or like substance in a dash-pot arrange-
ment to lessen the momentum of the closing door. Even with expensive work-
manship to fit the parts of checks of the latter class, experience has proved that
where liquids are used, it is impossible to make an absolutely tight door check,
so that if the liquid does not cause annoyance by its leakage, at best it must be
cccasionally replenished and thus cause variable operation on the part of the door
check. This variability is increased by the fact that differences in temperature
are apt to affect the state of the liquid, making it either too viscous or too thin.
In the accompanying description and illustration in which like letters indicate
similar parts, the construction and operation is set forth of a door check which
while being made up entirely of interacting solid parts is concealable within the
ordinary door hinge. Continued experiments and trials have proved that by means
of the device described hereafter, it is possible to get rid of the unsightly
mechanical constructions used heretofore and still construct a device which will
invariably check the door.

page_text: Fig. 1 shows a side view of the hinge containing the checking device for the
door with the band covering the check pawl and related parts removed.
Fig. 2 shows a section drawn through the hinge on the line 1-1, Fig. 1.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show detail drawings of the connections and means for
operating and releasing the counter-spring.
Fig. 6 shows a detail of the checking device.<
Fig. 7 is a section (indicated by arrow) cut through Fig. 1 on the line 7-7.
The door check when in position appears and acts as one of the hinges of the
door. The other hinge preferably conceals a spring which serves to close the door,
though such spring may be any one of the well known forms of door springs.
This door check operates to bring the door to a full stop during its closing move-
ment and after this is done to allow it to be finally closed by the closing spring.
To do this, two substantially rigid parts are brought into contact as the door
closes, thus bringing it to a standstill. The door rebounds slightly when one of
the rigid parts moved out of the line of contact with the other. The door may
then be closed without further opposition. One of the leaves of the hinge, pre-
ferably the moving leaf E', carries counter-sunk in its face the spring check
pawl H held to the leaf E¹ by the screw h so that the extremity of the pawl extends
beyond the inner edge of the leaf and into the shell carried by the leaf E and
covering the body of the hinge between the knuckles E³ of the leaf E¹.
The ordinary pintle A which holds the leaves together has sleeved upon it the
tubular pintle P (see Figures 26 and 7) which has integral therewith or sleeved
upon it the block P¹ and the block M, the latter being preferably
loosely sleeved upon the tubular pintle. When in position as shown
in Fig. 6, a channel I, i, K, is formed between the two blocks. This channel I
has the offset or angle which connects the channel I with the channel or
chamber situated above the shoulder J formed by the block M. In these
channels the spring check-pawl moves, the spring giving it a tendency to avoid
the shoulder Jand move up through the angle i of the channel into the chamber K.
To prevent this before the proper time, the catch lever L is pivoted to the check
pawl (see Figures 1 and 7). One end of the catch lever is adapted to catch in a
notch in the leaf E, while the outer end projects slightly beyond the forward
face of the check pawl as it travels toward the shoulder J. The catch lever holds
the check pawl against its spring until the shoulder J has forced the end of the
lever projecting into the channel I flush with the face of the check-pawl and
released its other end from its notch. On the movement of the check pawl away
from the shoulder J, the projecting end of the catch lever is caught by a lugl
which in passing under the end of the catch lever throws it into the notch again.
The lug (Figs. 1, 6 and 7) which is preferably of tool steel, passes under the
catch lever without moving it during the movement of the pawl toward the
shoulder J.
The block M, loosely sleeved upon the tubular pintle P', rests upon the block Q,
which is formed integral with said pintle P or rigidly attached thereto. Set into
the block Q are springs N, one or more in number, which are shown as extending
above the upper face of the block Q and registering in slots made in the lower
part of the block M. These springs are of spring steel and given a small play of
movement, so that the block M may turn slightly upon the tubular pintle and thus
have a slight yielding movement under the blow of the check pawl, as described
later. It is necessary to limit the movement of block M in order to save the
springs, one or more set screws or pins m (Fig. 7) may be passed through M to
move in short slots in the tubular pintle P. When the screws or pins m are
forced to the end of the slots the block M cannot be moved further.
To conceal the check pawl and related parts, a thin metal sleeve with a flap
secured on the leaf E¹ over the check pawl should be provided. This sleeve is not
illustrated as it merely serves as a shell to cover the parts. It passes through
the slot (Fig. 1) made in the leaf. E of the hinge and turns with the leaf E¹.

page_text: Thus the checking device is entirely concealed, while still being easily accessible
for the purposes of examination and repair, without taking the whole hinge apart.
The door check may be more readily understood by explaining its operation.
If, when the door be closed, the parts are in position so that the end of the check
pawl will lie in the part K of the channel and the door be opened, it will be seen
that the end of the check pawl will travel back from the cavity K, follow down
the angle i into the channel I. The lug will pass under the catch lever L,
throwing it into the notch and holding the spring pawl H in position to impinge
upon the shoulder J on its return.
In closing the door, instead of returning along the angle i of the channel, the
check pawl caught by catch lever L remains in the same position as when in the
channel I and strikes against the shoulder J. The parts are so arranged that
this shall occur just before the door is closed, there preferably being enough give
to the block M, in the case of a very hard impact between the pawl and the
shoulder, to allow the door to close without injuring the parts. As the pawl
strikes the shoulder J, the free end of the catch lever L extending beyond the
contact face of the check pawl, is pressed down until the catch lever is thrown
out of engagement with its notch 7. Before the check pawl can move up along
the angle of the channel, it strikes the shoulder J of the block M, and the
springs N giving way under the blow allow the block M to be carried
back a certain distance, rapidly slowing down the door and finally
bringing it to a full stop. When the door rebounds, and the rebound
need be only just sufficient to release the pressure of the pawl upon the
shoulder J, the check-pawl flies up into the cavity K, when the door is closed
without further opposition, by the actuating spring.
The parts herein before described constitute the elements which are essential to
the door check and which are intended to be used in ordinary cases. For the sake
of completeness, however, there is shown in the drawings a retarding device for
use in connection with very heavy doors where such retarding device weakens the
strength of the action of the closing spring as the door is swung to, and prevents
the door from getting sufficient momentum to endanger the safety of the parts of
the check. This device does not operate to stop the door, but when the door is
open and the closing spring is in its most powerful position, merely opposes the
lieavy spring which is necessary to close and latch the door after it is positively
checked by the check-pawl described above. This opposition to the closing spring
is thrown out before the door is positively checked by the pawl.
Preferably in the upper part of the hinge, a coiled counter spring A is arranged
(Figures 2 and 5) having its upper end attached to a plate B, shown as sleeved
upon the pintle A¹ of the hinge and resting upon the tubular pintle P. The lower
end of the spring is shown attached to the plate C, which is loosely sleeved upon
said pintle P. The plate B fits inside the shell of the hinge and has a lug b, pre-
ferably of tool steel, which projects into and through a slot e in the shell. The
plate C is flush with the shell, which is cut away at that point, C being provided
on its outside face with several holes c, which, by means of a removable lug c
fitting in one of said holes and bearing upon the face of the hinge leaf E' (Fig. 1)
allows the adjustment of the tension of the spring to any desired degree.
It will be noted that on the closing of the door the hinge leaf E' moving toward
the leaf E serves to further wind up the counter spring A. When the leaves are
close together, the lug 6 is in such a position that on the opening of the door a
small spring catch e carried by the leaf E¹ will catch the lug so as to carry it back
along its slot and wind up the spring A. The sloped projection e², as the door
opens, comes up under the spring catch e¹ and finally raises it over the head of
the lug b. The spring A is prevented from throwing back by the spring pressed
pawl F (Figures 3, 4 and 5) whose lower edge slides along the upper surfaces of the
plate B while the spring is being wound up by means of the catch e¹ and drops
into a notch f in the upper face of the plate just as the catch passes over the top

page_text: of the lug b. The pawl F is attached to the block G sleeved upon the pintle A'
and resting between the plate B and the upper knuckle E2 of hinge leaf E¹.
The pawi F has an arin which extends up through G into a circular channel g
cut in the upper part of the block. A screw pin g carried by the upper knuckle E
of the leaf E of the hinge travels in this channel and serves, just before the check
pawl impinges on the shoulder J, to trip the pawl r from the notch f in the
top of the plate B and to release the spring. This throws the lug back to its
original position, the catch e passing over it on its return in closing the door.
By means of this device, as the door is closed, its movement is opposed by a force
working counter to the closing spring. The opening of the door serves to partially
wind the retarding spring by means of the catch e, and the lug b. Closing the
door serves further to wind the spring by means of the lug c¹. This slows down
the door, so that the force of the blow from the check-pawl upon the block M
may not be too great. When the spring A is released, the door does not move a
sutncient distance before the check pawl strikes the block to attain any great
speed before it is brought to a stop.
Though I have described the counter spring above with the addition of the
leaves and check pawl, all the necessary parts of a complete door check are shown
in Fig. 6. Thus it will be seen that the parts of the mechanical check may be
easily attached to and put out of sight in the construction of the door hinge. The
block Qor pintle P is integrally connected with the leaf E, which connection may
consist of a screw passing through the cylindrical part of the leaf E into the
block Q.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In combination with the leaves of a door hinge, a door check entirely com-
posed of solid metallic elements attached to said leaves, and substantially con-
cealed in the structure of the door hinge, substantially as set forth.
2. In combination with the leaves of a door hinge, a door check substantially
concealed in the structure of the hinge and having means to bring the door to
a full stop before it is in closed position, and means through which the door may
be closed on its rebound from its checked position, substantially as set forth.
3. In combination with the leaves of a door hinge, a door check entirely com-
posed of solid metallic elements attached to said leaves, and substantially con-
cealed in the structure of the door hinge, said door check having means to bring
the door to a full stop before it is in closed position, and means independent of the
door check through which the door may be closed on its rebound from its checked
position, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of leaves of a door hinge with a door check substantially
concealed in the structure of the hinge, and by which the door is brought to a full
stop by the contact of the interfering parts of the check, before the door is fully
closed; means for placing said parts in position to interfere, and means for throw-
ing said parts out of interfering position on the rebound of the door after being
checked, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of the leaves of a door hinge and a device substantially.con-
cealed in the structure of the hinge for retarding the closing movement of the
door, having means for withdrawing the opposition of said device to the closing
of the door before the door is closed, with a door check substantially concealed
within the structure of the said hinge, having means for placing parts of said
check in position to interfere and bring the door to a full stop, and means for
throwing said parts out of interfering position, substantially as set forth.
6. In a door check whose elements are attached to a door hinge, the combina-
tion of a check pawl, a channel in which the said check pawl travels, a shoulder
in the path of travel of said pawl, a channel or chamber into which the said pawl
may pass after striking against the said shoulder, and means for causing said

page_text: pawl to strike said shoulder and for causing said pawl to pass into said chamber,
as the door is closed, substantially as set forth.
7. In a door check whose elements are attached to a door hinge, the combination
of a check pawl, a channel in which the said check pawl travels, a shoulder in the
path of travel of said pawl, a channel or chamber into which the said pawl may
pass after striking against the said shoulder, and means for causing said pawl to
strike said shoulder and for causing said pawl to pass into said chamber, and
means for decreasing the sharpness of the blow of the said pawl upon the said.
shoulder, substantially as set forth.
8. In a door check whose elements are attached to a door hinge, the combination
of.a check pawl, a channel in which the said check pawl travels, a shoulder in
the path of travel of said pawl, a channel or chamber into which the said pawl
may pass after striking against the said shoulder, and means for causing said
pawl to strike said shoulder and for causing said pawl to pass into said chamber,
means for allowing a yielding movement to said shoulder under the blow of said
pawl, and a device for retarding the movement of the door while swinging to,
having means for suddenly decreasing the opposition of said device to the closing
movement of the door at a position in said movement, substantially as set forth.
9. The combination of the leaves of a door hinge with a check pawl, a channel
in which said check pawl moves, having an offset i, and a chamber K, a shoulder
formed in said channel means for holding the said pawl so as to strike said shoulder,
springs connected with said shoulder, permitting it to give under the blow of said
pawl, and means for causing said pawl to pass into said chamber K, after its con-
tact with said shoulder, substantially as set forth.
10. In a door check, a combination with the leaves of a door hinge, of a spring
actuated check pawl attached to one leaf of the hinge, a catch lever adapted to
hold said check pawl against its spring, a channel in the body of the hinge in
which the end of said check pawl travels, a lug in said channel for operating the
catch lever, a shoulder held by a spring in said channel and capable of a yield-
ing movement when struck by said check pawl, and a chamber connected with the
channel into which said check pawl may pass when not held by the catch lever
against its spring.
11. The combination of the leaves of a door hinge and a door checking device
operating to bring the door to a full stop before it is shut with a spring connected
to said leaves and means for adjusting the tension of the said spring, and means
for increasing its tension on the opening of the door and partially releasing said
tension when the door has reached a predetermined position, substantially as set
forth.
12. The combination of the leaves of a door hinge and a door checking device
operating to bring the door to a full stop with a spring A, connected to said leaves
and operated by the movement thereof, a pawl F for holding said spring, the lug b
adapted to be caught by spring catch for holding said spring, and the pin g', for
tripping said pawl, and releasing said spring, substantially as set forth.
13. In a door check the combination with a door checking device having a check
pawl of a movable block, having a shoulder against which the check pawl of the
checking device strikes, and spring or springs connected with said block so as
to allow the same yielding movement under the contact of said check pawl, sub-
stantially as set forth.
14. In a door check the combination with a door checking device having a check
pawl of a movable block, and a shoulder against which the pawl of the checking
device strikes, spring or springs connected with said block so as to allow the same
a vielding movement under the contact of said pawl, and means for limiting the
movement of said block against said springs, substantially as set forth.
15. The combination of the leaves of a hinge with a door check substantially
concealed in the structure of the hinge, and having a check pawl working in a
channel and adapted to impinge upon a shoulder in said channel, and springs
connected with said shoulder and allowing the same yielding movement, and a

page_text: spring for retarding the closing movement of the door, having means operated
by the opening movement of the door for increasing the strength of said spring,
and means operated by the closing of the door for partially releasing said spring
when the door is at a predetermined position, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 5th day of Annil 1000
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.