IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE RESISTING DOORS AND IN MEANS FOR ENSURING THE PROPER LOCKING AND ALSO THE CLOSE FITTING OF DOORS OR COVERS OF SAFES AND OTHER DEPOSITORIES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Matthias Hart of the firm of Hobbs Hart and
Company of 76 Cheapside in the City of London for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE RESISTING DOORS AND IN MEANS FOR ENSURING THE
PROPER LOCKING AND ALSO THE CLOSE FITTING OF DOORS OR COVERS OF
SAFES AND OTHER DEPOSITORIES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Matthias Hart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1883.
JOHN MATTHIAS HART of the firm of Hobbs Hart and Company of 76 Cheapside
in the City of London "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE RESISTING DOORS AND IN MEANS
FOR ENSURING THE PROPER LOCKING AND ALSO THE CLOSE FITTING OF DOORS OR
COVERS OF SAFES AND OTHER DEPOSITORIES."
The invention relates to means to provide increased protection from the ravages
of fire penetrating to within the doors of safes and other depositories and also to
insure the proper locking of doors.
1. By forming the doors of Safes or depositories with air spaces between the
locking or bolting chamber and the fire resisting portion of such doors or between
the outer plate or plates of the door and the fire resisting portion
2. By the application of an additional locking bolt or stop or additional bolts or
stops acted on by the operation of the key or other operating power to prevent an
inefficient locking of the door or cover except when such extra bolt or bolts have
been duly acted upon before the key or operating power is removed from the door
or cover.
3. I effect these objects by clamping both the internal and external surface
plates near their edges or to the extent desired as well as the edges of the doors by
enclosing these parts with channel iron.

page_text: 4 In protecting the edges of such doors by overlapping flanges covering the
openings between the door and frame.
5. In the case of doors suspended to ride on rails aided by pulleys or rollers
above or below I protect the edge of such doors by covering channels or guard
plates adapted to prevent the admission of hot air or flame at such parts and
thereby retaining the door in position.
6. In the case of doors hung to rise somewhat in their opening, with a tendency
to close by gravity in shutting, I apply V shaped or inclined planes for the hollow
edge or edges to ride in aided by roller or rollers. Also by the "hinge" pivot or
pin being male and female pitch formed with an acute pitch screw, causing the
door to fall by its weight acting on the incline plane of the thread of the screw

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Matthias Hart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th July
1883.
JOHN MATTHIAS HART of the firm of Hobbs Hart & Company of 76 Cheapside
in the City of London "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE RESISTING DOORS AND IN MEANS
FOR ENSURING THE PROPER LOCKING AND ALSO THE CLOSE FITTING OF DOORS OR
COVERS OF SAFES AND OTHER DEPOSITORIES
33
The invention relates to means to provide increased protection from the ravages
of fire penetrating to within the doors of safes and other depositories and also to
insure the proper locking of doors.
According to the first part of the invention I form the doors of safes or
depositories with air spaces between the locking or bolting chamber and the fire
resisting portion of such doors or between the outer plate or plates of the door
and the tire resisting portion.
The second portion of the invention relates to the application of an additional
locking bolt or stop or additional bolts or stops acted on by the operation of the
key or other operating power to prevent au inefficient locking of the door or cover
except when such extra bolt or bolts have been acted upon before the key or
operating power is removed from the door or cover.
The third part of the invention relates to the application of clamping plates
both to the internal and external surface plates of the door or cover near their
edges or to the extent desired as well as to the edges of the doors and in protecting
the edges of such doors by overlapping flanges covering the openings between the
door and frame.
The fourth part of the invention relates to doors suspended to ride on rails
aided by pulleys or rollers above or below. I protect the edges of such doors by
covering channels or guard plates adapted to prevent the admission of hot air or
flame at such parts and thereby retaining the door in position.
Fifthly The invention relates to doors hung to rise somewhat in their opening
with a tendency to close by gravity in shutting. I apply V shaped or inclined
planes for the hollow edge or edges to ride in aided by roller or rollers. I also
form or apply the "Hinge" pivot or pin with threads inale and female with an
acute pitch of screw so as to cause the door to fall by its weight acting on the
incline plane of the thread of the screw.
But that the invention may be the better understood I will by the aid of the
accompanying drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me in carrying the
same into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 represents by sectional plan view a portion of the door of a safe or
depository and parts connected thereto arranged according to the first part of my
invention.
a. a. indicates the door suspended to turn on hinge joints or pivots a¹.
b indicates the chamber formed between the door a and a plate a² to receive the
|locking or bọlting arrangements and c indicates the chamber formed between the
Figure 1 represents by sectional plan view a portion of the door of a safe or
depository and parts connected thereto arranged according to the first part of my
invention.
a. a. indicates the door suspended to turn on hinge joints or pivots a¹.
b indicates the chamber formed between the door a and a plate a² to receive the
locking or bolting arrangements and c indicates the chamber formed between the
plate a and a plate a* to receive the fire resisting material. Between the plate a³
of this chamber c and the plate a² is formed an air space d. d. for the free passage
of nir thereto by means of passages d' provided for the purpose. e indicates the
frame or other part surrounding the door or cover.
Figure 2 shows a modification of this portion of the invention by the air
space d. d. being formed between the outer plates a of the door and the plate as of
the chamber c provided for the receipt of the fire resisting material.

page_text: Figure 3 shows by vertical section and Figure 4 by horizontal section an
arrangement of parts according to the second part of the invention. In this case a
as in the previous figures indicates the door arranged to turn on pivots a¹.
e indicates the jamb or case surrounding the door, b the locking chamber, c the
chamber to receive the fire resisting material and d the air chamber. f indicates
an additional bolt according to this part of the improvements and which bolt by
the strap or connecting rod f' is capable of being operated upon by a suitable
key or other operating power acting with the working of the other parts of
the lock.
In withdrawing the bolts for the opening of the door the extra bolt is also
withdrawn with the other bolts and its end is prevented coming down by the
plate whilst the door is open. And during that time the key of the lock is
prevented from being removed from the door.
On shutting the door or cover the outer end of the extra bolt is brought over
the hole f for its reception and in the use of the key to shoot the other bolts and
thus lock the door, this extra bolt is also shot and then only the key may be
withdrawn from the lock.
By these means inefficient locking of the door or cover except when such extra
bolt or bolts (when there are more than one to each door) have been duly acted
upon.
The position of the extra bolt and parts connected therewith may be varied.
Figures 4 and 4** shew two views of a box with the extra locking bolt applied
to it. Figure 4* shows the box closed and Figure 4** the same open. A in each
case represents the lid of the box turning on hinges B. C. C. are the extra bolts
for taking on to the projections C¹. C¹ of the lid which may be operated as desired
by the locking arrangements applied in the compartment D by a key applied at E
or otherwise. F is the body of the box. The lock compartment D is shown in
section. The general arrangement described by these Figures 4*. 4**. is also
applicable to doors of safes and other depositories.
An arrangement according to the third part of the invention is shown by
Figure 5 in which a. a. represent respectively the internal and external surface
plates of the door a and g. g. the clamping plate to the edges thereof.
I also further protect the edges of such doors by the application of over-lapping
flanges h. h. for the purpose of covering any openings between the edges of the
door a and the jamb or surrounding frame e. To facilitate this arrangement the
hinges or pivots a' are carried back over the jamb e.
Figure 6 shows a vertical section and Figure 7 a horizontal section of a door
and parts thereto arranged according to the fourth part of my invention. In this
case the door a is intended to slide edgewise for its opening and closing and as
shown it is suspended for the purpose by pulleys placed at suitable distances
apart to ride on a stationary rail or fin j and this rail jis supported so as to be
firmly held to the wall or other part surrounding the door by plates or stems or
caulking irons j₁ firmly imbedded therein.
The lower edge of this door a is received into a groove or recess e¹ laid in the
floor plate; suitable pulleys as may be employed if desired to avoid or reduce
friction in the motion of the door in its groove or recess e¹.
One side edge a³ of the door a is received into the channel k. k. whilst the other
side edge of the door is formed with a channel to pass over or to embrace the
projecting flange m.
All these parts k and m are secured into the wall or parts surrounding the door
by suitable brackets k'. m³. or by other suitable means.
The upper portion or edge of the door a is provided with an enclosing frame n
which frame n not only carries and encloses and thereby protects the wheels i but
it also by its form when the door is closed acts with the flange piece and the
supporting rail j more entirely to prevent the admission of flame or heated vapor
by any openings between that part of the door and the interior of the safe or
depository. The
upper edge a¹ of the door a is also received between the plate

page_text: and the jamb e. The arrangement of parts will be readily adapted to cases of
the doors being supported on, in place of being suspended by rollers such as
referred to.
I will now describe the fifth part of the invention an arrangement according
to which is shown by vertical section and sectional plan views at Figures 8.
9 and 10.
In this case the door a is provided with a roller o to turn freely on the spindle o
carried by the door a applied so that when the door a is opened the door will be
caused to rise somewhat by the roller o running up the inclined plane p and by
these means the tendency of the door a when released will be by the rolling of the
roller o down the incline p to close the door.
The edge of the roller o may be V shaped or of other suitable shape and have
its incline to correspond to insure more certain action. The character of the incline
to the incline plane may be varied and if desired the same may be adjustable by
set screw or otherwise.
I effect a corresponding result by forming the pivot a¹ of the door with a thread
on it to pass into a corresponding female thread in the socket g as shown by
Figure 11. When using a threaded pivot I prefer to form the corresponding pivot
at the opposite edge of the door somewhat inclined at its surface or conical as
shown by Figure 12.
Having thus described my invention and means which I adopt in carrying the
same into effect I would have it understood that what I claim is :-
First The arranging or combining parts of doors of safes or depositories with
space for the circulation of air between the locking or bolting chamber and the
chamber for the fire resisting material or between the outer plate or plates of
the door and the fire resisting portion substantially as described in respect of
Figures 1 and 2.
Secondly I claim the arranging or combining parts of doors or covers to safes
and such like depositories by which additional locking bolt or stop or additional
bolts or stops are capable of being acted on by the key or other operating power
to prevent inefficient locking of such door or cover substantially as described in
respect of Figures 3 and 4, 4*. 4**,
Thirdly I claim the arranging or combining parts of doors or covers to safes
or depositories whereby overlapping flanges are employed as described in respect
of g Figure 5.
Also I claim the arranging or combining parts of doors or covers to safes
whereby overlapping flanges are employed to cover the openings between the edges
of such doors and their frames or surrounding parts as described in respect of h
Figure 5.
Fourthly I claim the arranging or combining parts of doors or covers to safes
and such like depositories to prevent the admission of hot air or flame by the
edges of such doors or covers and their frames or surrounding parts substantially
as described in respect of Figures 6 and 7.
Fifthly I claim the arranging or combining parts of doors hung to rise some-
what in their opening so as to give them a tendency to close in their shutting
substantially as described in respect of Figures 8. 9. 10 and 11.
In witness whereof I the said John Matthias Hart have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twentieth day of July One thousand eight hundred and eighty
three.