Year: 1885

page_text: Necessary.
We DEBORAH GLAISTER of 18 St Mary's Terrace, Ryton, Durham Widow and
EDWIN GLAISTER of the same place Commercial Traveller (the legal personal
representatives of Jacob Glaister deceased late of 6 South Avenue Ryton afore-
said Clerk of Works) do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object to provide means for effecting a safe and rapid
exit from Theatres Schools or other public or private buildings or rooms whereby
accidents from the rushing and crowding together of persons in a panic upon the
inside of an exit from any such buildings or rooms are prevented the doors being
automatically unfastened on a person reaching the same and remaining unfastened
until designedly closed.
According to this Invention the bolts or latches or other fastenings by which
the doors are fastened are acted upon by connections from a moveable or hinged
platform or part of the flooring forming the approach to or piece next to the
inside of the door so that when a person's weight is put upon this platform or
part of the flooring the bolts latches or other fastenings are automatically operated
to release the door.
The following is a way in which this Invention may be carried into effect
although we wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to this precise
way as it may be considerably varied without departing from the Invention. The
head or transome of the door frame is formed with a recess or space on the inside
to allow a horizontal bar to work vertically therein. From the underside of the
bar project downwards two bolts which pass through the bottom of the transome
or door head into sockets provided for them in the top edge of the doors one bolt
entering each door by preference near the centre of the doorway.
The weight of the bar B should be sufficient to raise the hinged platform herein-
before mentioned but not so heavy as to prevent its being raised by the weight of
the said platform with the additional weight of a child thereon.
To each end of the bar is attached a rope passing over pulleys or sheaves
arranged above the door head over the upright side pieces or jams of the door

page_text: frame the said ropes passing down from the pulleys in grooves or recesses in the
back of the jambs to beneath the floor where they are secured to metal plates.or
brackets securely fixed on two battens forming lifting pieces for the platform.
These lifting pieces extend inwards at or about right angles to the cill of the door
and are loosely connected by screws or pins N at their ends farthest from the door
to joists or boards O beneath the platform L.
This platform forms part of the floor immediately on the inside of the doors
extending a few feet from the cill and is in width about equal that of the
doorway. It is pivoted or hinged at the end furthest from the doors to a board
flush with a general surface of the floor and secured by screws or otherwise so that
it can be taken up together with the platform when required without disturbing
or disarranging the other parts. The end of the platform nearest the door rests
on and is mainly supported by the battens or lifting pieces which when the
platform is removed remain undisturbed the ropes or cords and the aforesaid bar
remaining attached thereto. The lifting pieces should be so arranged that when
the platform is depressed to its full extent it will be flush with the general surface
of the floor and the cill. Securely fixed to the platform are two projections or
bolts which extend sufficiently far beyond the platform and are sufficiently long to
pass through the holes in the cill into two sockets in the bottom of the doors when
the said doors are closed and the platform is raised.
Equal armed levers with rigid rods may if desired be substituted for the sheaves
and ropes to effect the connection between the bar and the lifting pieces.
Each door is formed with a round hanging stile fitting concave recesses in the
jambs of the door frame so as to exclude draughts and at the same time it allows
the doors to turn freely on their pivots.
To the underside of the platform are securely attached so as to project from its
end towards the cill two spring bolts which when the platform is depressed and
the doors opened outwards are by springs caused to extend under the cill and
engage plates fixed to the cill the platform being thus prevented from rising until
the bolts are disengaged from the plates which is effected by the closing of the
doors in the following manner- -Upon each of the lower sockets in which the
pivots turn is an arm which arms in the act of closing the doors press against
the heads of the spring bolts forcing them back against the pressure of their,
springs until they are disengaged from the plates and thus admit of the plat
form rising to lock the doors. Each spring bolt is provided on the side opposite
the corresponding arm with a concave recess which when the doors are opened
inwards and the spring bolts are fully extended admit of the doors freely turning
to and fro or swinging on their pivots the arms..
•passing freely along the concave
recesses in the spring bolt.
The length of the ropes which connect the bar to the platform lifters should be
such that when the platform is depressed flush with the floor and the cill the bar
will be raised sufficiently high to withdraw the bolts from the sockets in the head
of the doors to admit of the doors being freely opened either inwards or outwards
and the weight of the bar should be sufficient to overcome the friction and the
weight of the platform so that when the doors are closed it will descend and cause
the bolts to enter the sockets in the top of the doors and at the same time raise the
platform above the level of the floor and cill and insert the bolts into the sockets
on the bottom of the doors thus automatically and securely bolting each door at
top and bottom.
The doors are unbolted by the weight of a person on the platform overcoming
the weight of the bar and depressing the platform thereby withdrawing the bolts
from their sockets in the doors and at the same time releasing the spring bolts
from the cill causing them under the action of their springs to press against the
arms on the sockets so that the doors may then be opened by the slightest
pressure. When the doors are opened outwards the spring bolts having been
released by the depression of the platform engage beneath the plates thus auto-
matically and securely locking the platform and preventing it rising until released
L
J

page_text: by the closing of the doors as hereinbefore described. The doors may be opened
either inwards or outwards the platform in either case being locked in its
depressed position by the spring bolts being released as described. When however
the doors are opened inwards the concave recesses in the spring bolts admit of the
doors swinging on their pivots as the arms on the sockets do not act upon
the bolts.
The doors cannot be opened from the outside as there are no means for removing
the bolts from their sockets except by depressing the platform as hereinbefore
described. Upon the doors being closed after being opened outwards the arms on
the sockets press back the spring bolts so as to admit of the rising of the platform
and the descent of the bar thereby causing the bolts to enter their sockets in the
top and bottom of the doors which bolts can only be again removed by the
depression of the platform by a person approaching the door as hereinbefore
described.
Although we have described this special arrangement yet it will be understood
that the nature of the Invention is not limited necessarily to this as latches or
fastenings other than the arrangement of bolts hereinbefore described can be
similarly operated by means of a moveable platform or part of the flooring
substantially as hereinbefore indicated.

page_text: automatically unfastened on a person reaching the same and remaining unfastened
until designedly closed.
According to this Invention the bolts or latches or other fastenings by which the
doors are fastened are acted upon by connections from a moveable or hinged
platform or part of the flooring forming the approach to or piece next to the inside
of the door so that when a person's weight is put upon this platform a part of the
flooring the bolts latches or other fastenings are automatically operated to release
the door.
We will describe with reference to the accompanying drawing a way in which
this Invention may be carried into effect as applied to a double swing door although
we wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to this precise way as
it may be applied to single doors and the fastening and releasing mechanism be
considerably varied without departing from the Invention as will be evident from
the following description.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a pair of doors provided with means according
to this Invention. Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same. Figure 8 a
vertical section representing the doors closed and the platform elevated and
figure 4 is a similar section shewing the platform depressed and the bolts
withdrawn from the doors. Figures 5 and 6 are enlarged details of the spring
bolts which lock the platform in its depressed position.
The head or transom A of the door frame is formed with a recess or space A¹ on
the inside to allow a horizontal bar B to work vertically therein. From the
underside of the bar B project downwards two bolts C C which pass through the
bottom of the transom or door head into sockets D provided for them in the top
edge of the doors one bolt entering each door by preference near the centre of the
doorway.
The weight of the bar B should be sufficient to raise the hinged platform
herein before referred to but not so heavy as to prevent its being raised by the
weight of the said platform with the additional weight of a child thereon.
To each end of the bar B is attached a rope or chain E passing over pulleys or
sheaves F arranged above the door head over the upright side pieces or jambs G
of the door frame the said ropes passing down from the pulleys F in grooves or
recesses H in the back of the jambs to beneath the floor where they are secured to
metal plates or brackets I securely fixed on two battens K forming lifting pieces
for the platform L.
These lifting pieces extend inwards at or about right angles to the cill M of the
door and are loosely connected by screws or pins N at their ends farthest from the
door to joists or boards O beneath the platform L. This platform forms part of
the floor immediately on the inside of the doors extending a few feet from the
cill M and is in width about equal that of the doorway. The said platform is
pivoted or hinged at the end furthest from the doors to a board P flush with the
general surface of the floor and which may be secured by screws or otherwise so
that it can be taken up together with the platform when required without
disturbing or disarranging the other parts. The end of the platform nearest the
door rests on and is mainly supported by the battens or lifting pieces K which
when the platform is removed remain undisturbed the ropes or cords E and the
aforesaid bar B remaining attached thereto. The lifting pieces K should be
so arranged that when the platform is depressed to its full extent it will be flush
with the general surface of the floor and the cill. If it be desired that the doors
shall be fastened below as well as above there may be fixed to the platform L two
projections or bolts Q which extend sufficiently far beyond the platform and are
sufficiently long to pass through holes in the cill M into two sockets R in the
bottom of the doors when the said doors are closed and the platform is raised.
Equal armed levers with rigid rods may if desired be substituted for the sheaves
and ropes to effect the connection between the bar B and the lifting pieces K.
Each door is preferably formed with a round banging stile S fitting concave
recesses in the jambs G of the door frame so as to exclude draughts and at the same
f

page_text: time it allows the doors to turn freely on their pivots T and U-When it is:
desired that the doors shall remain unlocked after being released by the movement
of the platform the following arrangement may be used.
To the underside of the platform L are securely attached so as to project from
its end towards the cill M two spring bolts V (shewn on an enlarged scale in
Figs. 5 & 6) which when the platform is depressed and the doors opened outwards
are by the springs a caused to extend into the cill M and engage under or in
plates b fixed to the cill, the platform being thus prevented from rising until the
bolts Vare disengaged from the plates b which is effected by the closing of the
doors in the following manner. Upon each of the lower sockets W in which
the pivots U turn is an arm X which arms in the act of closing the doors press
against the heads of the spring bolts V forcing them back against the pressure of
their springs until they are disengaged from the plates 6 and thus admit of the
platform rising and locking the doors. Each spring bolt V may be provided on
the side opposite the corresponding arm with a recess which when the doors are
opened inwards and the spring bolts are fully extended admit of the doors freely
turning to and fro or swinging on their pivots the arms X passing freely along the
said recesses in the spring bolt.
The length of the ropes or chains which connect the bar B to the platform lifters
should be such that when the platform is depressed flush with the floor and the
cill M the bar B will be raised sufficiently high to withdraw the bolts C from the
sockets in the head of the doors to admit of the doors being freely opened either
inwards or outwards and the weight of the bar B should be sufficient to overconie
the friction and the weight of the platform so that when the doors are closed it
will descend and cause the bolts C to enter the sockets in the top of the doors and
at the same time raise the platform L above the level of the floor and cill and
insert the bolts into the sockets R on the bottom of the doors thus automatically.
and securely bolting each door at top and bottom..
The doors are unbolted by the weight of a person on the platform overcoming
the weight of the bar B and depressing the platform thereby withdrawing the
bolts from their sockets in the doors and at the same time releasing the spring.
bolts V from the cill causing them under the action of their springs to press
against the arms X so that the doors may then be opened by the slightest pressure.
When the doors are opened outwards the spring bolts having been released by the
depression of the platform engage beneath the plates 6 thus automatically and
securely locking down the platform and preventing it rising until released by the
closing of the doors as hereinbefore described-The doors may be opened either
inwards or outwards the platform in either case being locked in its depressed
position by the spring bolts being released as described-When however the doors
are opened inwards the recesses in the spring bolts admit of the doors swinging on
their pivots as the arms X do not act upon the bolts.
In order to bring the bolt V back into the position to release the platform and
fasten the door, the door is pushed outwards so as to cause the projection X by
acting on the inclined projection.y on the end of the bolt to depress the said bolt
against the pressure of the spring w and allow the projection X to pass over the
end of the bolt-The bolt will then be again elevated by the spring w so that when
the door is pushed inwards the projection X will act against the end of the bolt
pushing it forward against the pressure of the spring a until the end v is clear of the
plate b whereupon under the action of the bat B and cords E the platform will be
raised into the position shewn in Figure 5 and the doors be fastened as herein before
described.
The doors cannot be opened from the outside as there are no means for removing
the bolts from their sockets except by depressing the platform Las herein before
described-Upon the doors being closed after being opened outwards the arms ✗
on the sockets press back the spring bolts V so as to admit of the rising of the
platform L and the descent of the bar B thereby causing the bolts C and Q to
enter their sockets in the top and bottom of the doors which bolts can only be

page_text: again removed by the depression of the platform by a person approaching the door
as hereinbefore described.
Although we have described this special arrangement yet it will be understood
that the nature of the Invention is not limited necessarily to the details described
as latches or fastenings other than the arrangement of bolts hereinbefore described
can be similarly operated by means of a moveable platform or part of the flooring
substantially as hereinbefore indicated.
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
First In combination with doors and their fastenings a moveable piece or
platform or part of the flooring so connected with the fastenings that on the weight
of a person coming upon the piece platform or part of the flooring the fastenings
are operated to release the door substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second-In combination with doors and their fastenings a moveable piece or
platform or part of the flooring arranged and operating as herein before described
and claimed and bolts or fastenings or the like which automatically retain the door
in its unfastened condition substantially as hereinbefore described.
Third In combination with doors and their fastenings a moveable piece.or
platform or part of the flooring arranged and operating substantially as herein-.
before described and claimed and bolts or fastenings or the like which auto-
matically retain the door in its unfastened condition and means for releasing
the said bolts fastenings or the like to again secure the door substantially as
herein before described.
Fourth-The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.