Improvements in Means for Closing and Facilitating the Ventilation of Coal Bunkers, Sewers, and other Confined Places of a like nature.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 19th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Closing and Facilitating the Ventilation
of Coal Bunkers, Sewers, and other Confined Places of a like
nature.
I, JOSEPH WILLOUGHBY, of Erme House, Mutley, Compton Gifford, in the
County of Devon, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to Improvements in Means for Closing and Facilitating
the Ventilation of Coal Bunkers, Sewers, and other Confined Places of a like
nature.
In coal bunkers, sewers, and some other places where gas is liable to accumulate,
it is important to provide some means of occasionally ventilating the same in order
to permit of the escape of or prevent the accumulation of dangerous gases.
Many devices have been suggested for accomplishing this end, but they have
generally been of a costly and elaborate character.
Now the object of the present invention is to provide a simple inexpensive and
efficient means of ventilating at will coal bunkers sewers or other confined places,
and which at the same time provides an efficient means of closing the doorways or
openings communicating therewith.
For this purpose, the doorway or communicating opening is surrounded by a
suitable frame of any desired shape which is formed of a suitable hollow or inverted
trough shaped section communicating with the interior of the coal bunker or the
like and the inner wall of which is provided with ventilating openings or slots
arranged in suitable positions.
In connection with this frame a removeable cover or door is employed which fits
into the frame and the rim of which is formed with openings corresponding with the
ventilating openings of the frame whilst the body of the cover is provided with
suitable openings communicating with the outer air, and this cover is mounted in
the frame with capability of movement so that in one position it may be caused to
close the ventilating openings whilst in the other position the openings will be free
to allow of the escape of gases or vapours from the interior of the coal bunker or
the like, whilst, when free access is desired to the interior thereof, the door may be
entirely removed.
Beneath the door, is arranged a box which is formed with a rim to rest upon a
flange of the frame and the office of this box is to close the main opening or doorway
and to act as a receiver for any matter which may fall through the openings in the
body of the door whilst it is furnished with lugs by the aid of which it may be
bodily removed, when free access is desired to the coal bunker or the like.
Or, in some cases, the box may be dispensed with and the openings in the body
of the cover or door may be formed at or near the edge thereof, and, in this case,
uch openings would be cut off from communication with the doorway and placed
n communication with the slots of the rim by the structural formation of the
loor.
The cover and frame may be constructed of any kind of material suitable to the
onditions of wear to which it is to be submitted, and the shape thereof may be
ound, oval, rectangular or otherwise according to the position in which it is to be
laced.

page_text: By the means hereinbefore described, I am enabled to combine with the cover or
door of a coal bunker, sewer or the like, at little or no additional cost, an efficient
means of ventilating the interior at the times required.
Dated this 30th day of December 1893.
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
נגענרענן
Improvements in Means for Closing and Facilitating the Ventilation
of Coal Bunkers, Sewers, and other Confined Places of a like
nature.
I, JOSEPH WILLOUGHBY, of Erme House, Mutley, Compton Gifford, in the
County of Devon, Engineer, 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:-
My said invention relates to Improvements in Means for Closing and Facilitating
the Ventilation of Coal Bunkers, Sewers and other Confined Places of a like
nature.
In coal bunkers, sewers, and some other places where gas is liable to accumulate,
it is important to provide some means of occasionally ventilating the same in order
to permit of the escape of or prevent the accumulation of dangerous gases.
Many devices have been suggested for accomplishing this end, but they have
generally been of a costly and elaborate character.
Now, the object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and
efficient means of ventilating at will coal bunkers, sewers or other confined places,
and which, at the same time, provides an efficient means of closing the doorways or
openings communicating therewith.
For this purpose, the doorway or communicating opening is surrounded by a
suitable frame of any desired shape which is formed of a suitable hollow or inverted
trough shaped section communicating with the interior of the coal bunker or the
like and the inner wall of which is provided with ventilating openings or slots
arranged in suitable positions; or, the frame may be otherwise formed provided
that it is furnished with slots or openings communicating with the coal bunker,
sewer or the like.
In connection with this frame a removeable cover or door is employed which fits
into the frame and the rim of which is formed with openings corresponding with
the ventilation openings of the frame, whilst the body of the cover is provided
with suitable openings communicating with the outer air and this cover is mounted
in the frame with capability of movement, so that in one position it may be caused
to close the ventilating openings whilst in the other position the openings will be
free to allow of the escape of gases or vapours from the interior of the coal bunker
or the like, whilst, when free access is desired to the interior thereof, the door may
be entirely removed.
Beneath the door is arranged a box which is formed with a rim to rest upon a
flange of the frame and the office of this box is to close the main opening or
doorway and to act as a receiver for any matter which may fall through the
openings in the body of the door, whilst it is furnished with lngs by the aid of
which it may be bodily removed wheu free access is desired to the coal bunker or
the like.
Or, in some cases, the box may be dispensed with and the openings in the body
of the cover or door may be formed at or near the edge thereof and in this case
such openings would be cut off from communication with the doorway and placed
in communication with the slots of the rim by the structural formation of the door.

page_text: The cover aud frame may be constructed of any kind of material suitable to the
conditions of wear to which they are to be submitted, and the shape thereof may
be round, oval, rectangular or otherwise according to the position in which they
are to be placed.
And, in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, 1 will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1. represents a plan of a manhole cover or the like constructed according
to the present invention and showing the ventilating openings closed.
Figure 2. is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.
Figure 3. is a horizontal section taken on the line 2.-2. of Figure 2.
Figure 4. is a similar view to Figure 2., but representing the ventilating ways or
openings open.
Figures 5. to 9. are vertical sections representing slight modifications and showing
in one half the slots closed and in the other half the slots open.
Figure 10. is a horizontal section taken on the line 3.-3. of Figure 11. repre-
senting a further modification, and,
Figure 11. is a transverse section thereof taken on the line 4.-4. of Figure 10.
In the several figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
Referring to Figures 1. to 4. a. represents the frame which surrounds the
doorway or communicating opening a*, and this frame a, which may be of any
desired shape, is formed of a hollow or inverted trough shaped section constituting
the hollow a, which communicates with the interior of the coal bunker or the
like, and the inner wall of the frame a. is provided with a number of ventilating
openings or slots al arranged in suitable positions.
In connection with this frame a. is employed a removeable cover or door b. which
is tapered to fit into the correspondingly shaped interior of the frame a.
The door . is formed with openings therein corresponding with the ventilating
openings a of the frame a., whilst the body of the cover b. is furnished with
suitable openings & communicating with the outer air.
The door or cover b. is mounted in the frame a. upon an inner flange a³ thereof
with capability of rotary movement so that in one position namely that represented
at Figures 1. to 3. it may be caused to close the ventilating openings a¹ of the
frame clog whilst in the other position and as represented at Figure 4., the openings
or slots a' of the frame and 6 of the door will come into alignment and will be
free to allow of the escape of gases or vapours from the interior of the coal bunker
or the like, whilst, when free access to the interior thereof is desired, the door b.
may be entirely removed.
Beneath the door . is arranged a box c. which is formed with a rim to rest
upon the flange a³ of the frame a. and the office of this box c. is to close the main
opening or doorway a* and to act as a receiver for any matter that may fall
through the openings 62 in the body of the door b. whilst it is furnished with
lugs by the aid of which it may be bodily removed when free access is desired
to the coal bunker or the like, as hereinbefore described.
The body of the door b. is formed with recesses in which are placed blocks 63
of wood or the like in order to give a suitable foothold when the device is placed
iu a pathway or roadway and the door b. and frame a. are also roughened by means
of studs a 4 with the same object.
The cover frame a. and cover b. would generally be constructed of cast iron, but
it will be evident that they might be formed of other material suited to the
particular purpose to which they are to be applied.
In the example given at Figure 5., the shape of the frame a. is slightly varied,
that is to say, instead of forming it of an inverted trough shape with a hollow a²
therein, as hereinbefore described, it is formed to a greater taper and with angular
slots or openings a¹ therein passing upward through the wall thereof, whilst the

page_text: door b. which is also correspondingly tapered is provided with corresponding slots
or openings b' therein.
In the example given at Figure 6., the door b. is formed with an annular
horizontal flange adapted to take a bearing upon the flange a³ of the frame a.
and the annular flange of the door b. has formed therein the slots or openings b¹
whilst the corresponding slots or openings a' of the frame a. are formed in the
flange a³.
In the example given at Figure 7., slots or openings a' in the frame a. are
formed in the flange a thereof, whilst the slots or openings in the door b. are
dispensed with and the flanges c¹ of the box c. are extended to cover the slots or
openings a' of the frame u., and such flanges e' are provided with slots or openings el*
therein corresponding with the slots a' of the frame a.
In this case, the cover . is not required to be rotated in order to open or close
the ventilating openings, but the box e is provided with a central spindle c³
terminating at its upper end in a square to receive a key by the aid of which
the box may be turned bodily or other means may be provided for this purpose 80
as to bring the slots or openings c* into alignment with those a' of the frame a. or
to move them out of alignment therewith, according to whether it is desired to
open or close the slots or openings a¹.
In the example given at Figure 8., the door b. takes the form of a plate, and is
seated upon a shoulder upon the frame a., whilst the frame a. is formed with
angular slots or openings a similar to those represented at Figure 5., and the
Hange of the box e. is turned up into a nearly vertical position, but at an angle
corresponding with the internal taper of the frame a., and such vertical part is
furnished with slots or openings e corresponding with those a' of the frame a.,
whilst the same arrangement as that described with respect to Figure 7. is employed
to rotate the box c.
In the example given at Figure 9., a somewhat similar arrangement to that
lastly hereinbefore described is employed, but in this case the frame a. is formed
of an inverted trough like section similar to that represented at Figures 1. to 4.,
and the vertical part of the box c. is formed to a corresponding taper but in other
respects the device is similar to that shown at Figure 8.
In the example given at Figures 10. and 11., the frame a. is similar to that
represented at Figures 1. to 4., but, in this case, the box c. is dispensed with and
the doorway a is closed by means of the door b. which for the diameter of the
doorway is formed solid, and with a downwardly extending Hange or rim which
seats upon the flange a³ of the frane a., and the ventilation openings 62 are formed
in the annular chamber thus created around the cover b.
According to this arrangement, the box c. is rendered unnecessary, but it
possesses the disadvantage that dirt falling through the ventilating openings b¹is
likely to lodge upon the flange as and require removing from time to time.
By the means hereinbefore described I am enabled to combine with the cover
or door of a coal bunker, sewer or the like at little or no additional cost an
efficient means of ventilating the interior at the times required and in which it is
unnecessary to lift the door or cover b. in order to effect the opening or closing of
the ventilation openings the mere movement of the cover or door b. with relation
to the frame. being all that is needed.
When the device is formed of rectangular, oval or other shape precluding the
rotation of the door within the frame, space may be provided to allow of the door
sliding within the frame so as to open or close the slots or openings or instead of
causing the door to slide for this purpose it might be arranged to be lifted out of
the frame turned and replaced with the same object.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In means for closing and ventilating coal bunkers, sewers or the like, the

page_text: combination of a fixed frame, a removeable door or cover fitting into such frame,
a series of slots in the frame communicating with the coal bunker, sewer or the
like and with ventilating openings in the cover and means for closing such slots at
the times desired, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In means for ventilating coal bunkers, sewers or the like, the combination of
a fixed frame of inverted trough shaped section, a series of slots in the wall of
the frame and a door or cover adapted to place such slots in communication with
the outer air or close the same at the times desired, substantially as herein
described.
3. In means for closing and ventilating coal bunkers, sewers or the like, the
combination of a fixed frame of inverted trough shaped section, a removeable
door or cover fitting into such frame and adapted to be rotated or traversed
therein, a series of slots in the inner wall of the frame, corresponding slots in
the rim of the cover or door, ventilating openings in the body of the door and a
box for closing the doorway, substantially as herein shown and described.
4. In means for closing and ventilating coal bunkers, sewers or the like, the
combination of a fixed frame of inverted trough shaped section, a removeable
door or cover fitting such frame and adapted to be rotated or traversed therein
and formed solid or imperforate to close the doorway, a series of slots in the wall
of the frame, corresponding slots in the rim of the door or cover, ventilating
openings in the door or cover and a wall or other structural formation for cutting
off the doorway from communication with the ventilating openings and the slots of
the rin, substantially as herein shown and described.
A 1901
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.