Year: 1886

page_text: I, FRED STENT of New York, United States of America, and temporarily of
the First Avenue Hotel, in the County of Middlesex, Architect, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved door spring which is entirely concealed
from view and is capable of being readily brought into or thrown out of action
at will.
The spring is of the spiral form and is so applied and connected, as by its com-
pression to act on the door by tension applied between the door and the post or jamb
on which it is hung. The spring is received in a mortise bored in the hanging stile
of the door and is confined therein between a socket plate screwed to the edge of
the door, and a head on the inner end of a flexible rod or band which traverses the
spring and passes through an aperture in the socket plate. To the outer pro-
jecting end of this flexible connection is hinged a hooked head adapted to be
engaged by a latch on a plate secured to the door post or jamb on which the door
is hung. When thus connected, the act of opening the door causes the compression
of the spring by drawing out the flexible connection, the reaction of the spring
producing the opposite motion of the door. When the door is closed, the
spring may be readily thrown into, or out of action by engaging or disengaging
the latch.

page_text: I FRED STENT of New York, United States of America, and temporarily of the
First Avenue Hotel, in the County of Middlesex, Architect, 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:-
This invention relates to an improved door-spring, which is contained within a
socket in the thickness of the door so as to be entirely concealed from view and
which is so applied and connected, as by its compression to act on the door by
tension applied between the door and the post or jamb on which it is hung and
which is capable of being readily brought into or thrown out of action at will.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein figure 1 is an elevation of part of the door and the post or
jamb to which the door is hinged, the door and jamb being partly in section to
shew the spring and its connections fitted therein.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the door and jamb shewing in full lines the
door in the closed position and the spring extended and in dotted lines the door
partly opened and the spring compressed. Figure 3 is a vertical section on line
1-1 figure 1, through the jamb shewing in full lines the latch engaged with the
spring connection, and in dotted lines the same disengaged therefrom.
A, is the door, and B the door-post or jamb to which it is hinged in the usual
manner.
The spring a is of the spiral form, and is received in a mortise b bored in the
edge of the hanging stile of the door, about parallel to the face thereof, and as near
the outer face of the door as possible, the spring being confined in the said mortise
between au abutment c countersunk in and screwed to the edge of the door and a
head d on the inner end of a flexible rod or band e which passes longitudinally
through the spring, and through a flaring throat f in the abutment plate c.
To the outer projecting end of this flexible connection e is loosely pivoted a
head g having a notch h in its upper side adapted to be engaged by a latch h¹
pivoted at the back of a plate i countersunk in and screwed to the door post or
jamb B, the head g passing through a hole in the plate i.
When the end of the flexible connection e is made fast to the jamb B, by the
latch h¹ being engaged in the notched head g, the act of opening the door causes
the compression of the spring by drawing out the flexible connection e as shewn in
dotted lines in figure 2, thereby storing power for producing the closing motion
of the door.
When the door is closed, the spring is no longer compressed and it may be
readily thrown into, or out of action by engaging or disengaging the latch h¹ as
shewn in full and dotted lines in figure 3. For this purpose the end of the latch h
projects from the face of the jamb through a slot k in a flange of the plate i and
the said slot has a shoulder by which the latch is retained in the engaged position,
the latch being pressed into engagement with the notch by a spring m, about the
pin n on which the latch is loosely pivoted.
The head d at the inner end of the spring is a nut screwing on a short screw-
stem to which the connection e is attached whereby the compression of the spring
may be regulated according to the force required.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of ny said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A door-closing device consisting of a spiral spring acting by compression, in
combination with a fixed abutment and with a flexible connection passing through
the spring and its abutment, the said connection being provided with means of
attachment at its outer end, for operation as specified.
2. A door-closing device consisting of a spiral spring confined between a fixed
abutment and a head at the end of a flexible connection passing through the spring
and the abutment, the spring being received in a mortise made in the edge of the
door and retained therein as described, and the flexible connection being attached
to the door jamb.
3. The door closing device herein described consisting of the spiral spring, its
abutment and flexible connection, combined as described, and mortised into the
door, in combination with a pivoted latch mounted on the door jamb, and adapted
to engage with the notched head of the flexible connection as described.
Dated this 9th day of November 1886.
F. STENT.
By A. M. & W Clark, Patent Agents,
53, Chancery Lane, London.