IMPROVEMENTS IN OPENING DOORS BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1883

page_text: "
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LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick Redfern of the General Patent Office,
N° 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN OPENING DOORS BY MEANS OF
ELECTRICITY, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR a communication from André
Gautier a person resident at Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) in the republic of
France
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick Redfern
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd May 1883.
GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN of the General Patent Office_N° 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPENING
DOORS BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY AND APPARATUS THEREFOR [a communication
from André Gautier a person resident at Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) in the republic
of France]
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,
The invention communicated to me relates to the construction of an automatic
apparatus for opening all kinds of doors whether exterior or interior by means of
electricity. The current of electricity once being established operates the interior
mechanism of the apparatus and opens the door however hard it may be; and
when the door after having been opened is released it is closed by the action of a
suitable strong spring.
The apparatus consists of a box closed on the door side and on the outside. In
this box which contains the whole of the mechanism slide two rods which serve
to draw or shoot the bolt; the box is of semi-circular form and has a hollow
rectangular projection at its lower part for receiving two bobbins the action of
which is hereafter explained.
The plate which closes the box at the door side is suitably fixed to a partition
rivetted to the outer plate. The first named plate is preferably made of a
rectangular form for convenience of fixing the apparatus to any door.
The partition is provided with a screw which in combination with a steel plate
serves to hold the bobbins in position. To the said plate (at the side opposite the
door) is fixed a small spiral spring of suitable metal. The bobbins are insulated
•
19

page_text: from the two sides by a piece of wood. The partition is also furnished at the side
opposite to the door with two small supports in which freely turn the journals of a
steel piece or armature which can move freely and may be easily placed in contact
with the spiral spring; it carries a small stop-catch or notch which maintains in
position the drawbolt hereinafter described.
To the exterior plate is fixed by means of two screws on the upper side in the
semi-circular part of the apparatus a small support which retains the axis of a
spiral spring placed in the interior of a piece which I call the drawbolt.
This drawbolt which passes through a slot made in the partition between the
exterior plate and the armature can be held by the stop catch; it carries (on
the cover side and against the spiral spring) a pin which serves to push back the
bolt. On the periphery of the box are made two rectangular openings in which
freely slide the two rods and nearly in the middle of the upper side of the semi-
circular part of the said periphery is rivetted a small support in which freely turns
a lever consisting of an axis on one side of which is rivetted a counter arm bent
into the form of a crank which serves to push back the bolt and on the other side
at an angle of forty five degrees with the said cranked counter arm is applied to
the axis of the lever a second arm which is not cranked the end of which is
connected with a small axis provided with a washer which facilitates the sliding
against the rod.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The apparatus being applied and fixed to any door the drawrod being behind
the knob of the bolt it is only necessary to push the electric button or knob
(which may be placed in any suitable position and even at a distance from the
apparatus) in order to cause the electric current to circulate through the bobbins.
At the same moment the armature is attracted towards the bobbins the small
stop catch releases the drawbolt which being drawn backwards by the spiral spring
operates the pin and consequently the rod which being fixed behind the knob of
the bolt carries with it this bolt as well as the lever-by means of the cranked
counter-arm.
The bolt then remains in its open position. The rod can oscillate on the opposite
side of the lock on an axis consisting of the curved end of a second door spring
fixed on the frame of the door. The said rod is hollowed at the part which
corresponds to the position of the washer when the door is closed. The stop catch
having released the bolt and the same being withdrawn from the staple the person
who enters pushes the door and causes the washer to slide against the rod. The
washer which is carried by an axis fixed in one of the two ends of the balance
puts this in movement and thus turns the cranked counter arm which meeting the
pin in its way causes it to act on the drawbolt which being thereby forced to
retake its position for closing the door is again held in that position by the stop
catch.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Frederick Redfern in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd November 1883.
"
GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPENING
DOORS BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR A communication.
from André Gautier, a person resident at Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes), in the republic
of France
The invention communicated to me relates to the construction of an automatic
apparatus for opening all kinds of doors whether exterior or interior by means of
electricity. The current of electricity once being established operates the interior
mechanism of the apparatus and opens the door however hard it may be. And
when the door after having been opened, is released it is closed by the action of a
suitable strong spring.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a plan
shewing the improved apparatus for opening doors by means of electricity and the
lock applied to a door the parts being in the position they occupy when the door is
closed: figure 2, is a front elevation of the same; figure 3, is a plan of the apparatus
with the top part of the box removed; figure 4, is a back elevation and figure 5,
is a plan of the underside of the apparatus; figures 6, to 24 are details of the
different parts of the apparatus. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar
parts.
The apparatus consists of a box A closed on the door side and on the outside.
In this box which contains the whole of the mechanism slide two rods B and C
which serve to draw or shoot the bolt D; the box A, as shewn in figure 4, is of
semicircular form and has a hollow rectangular projection at its lower part for
receiving two bobbins J, the action of which is hereafter explained.
The plate E, which closes the box at the door side is fixed by two screw bolts or
otherwise to a partition F, figures 4, and 18, rivetted to the outer plate G. The
plate E, is preferably made of a rectangular form for convenience of fixing the
apparatus to any door.
The partition F, is provided with a screw H, which in combination with a steel
plate I, serves to hold the bobbins J, in position. To the said plate I, (at the side
opposite the door) is fixed a small spiral spring I, of suitable metal. The bobbins J,
are insulated from the two sides by a piece of wood. The partition F, is also
furnished at the side opposite to the door with two small supports K, in which
freely turn the journals of a steel piece or armature L, figures 8, 9, 10 and 11,
which can move freely and may be easily placed in contact with the spiral spring I',
figures 15 to 17, it carries a small stop catch or notch L', which maintains in
position the drawbolt O, figures 6, and 7, hereinafter described.
To the plate G is fixed by means of two screws on the upper side in the semi-
circular part of the apparatus a small support M, figure 6, which retains the axis
of a spiral spring N, placed in the interior of a piece O, figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7,
which I call the draw-bolt.
This draw bolt O, which passes through a slot F¹, figure 18, made in the
partition F, between the plate G, and the armature L, can be held by the stop
catch L'; it carries (on the cover side E, of the apparatus and near the spiral
spring N,) a pin O¹, figures 6, and 7, which serves to push back the bolt. On the

page_text: periphery of the box A, against the cover E, are made two rectangular openings in
which freely slide the two rods B, and C, and nearly in the middle of the upper
side of the semi-circular part of the said periphery is rivetted a small support in
which freely turns a lever Q, figure 19, consisting of an axis on which is rivetted
(at the plate side G, of the apparatus) an arm R, bent into the form of a crank
which serves to push back the bolt D, and on the plate side E, of the apparatus
and door side at an angle of 45° with the cranked arm R, is applied to the axis of
the lever Q, a second arm which is not cranked the end of which is connected
with a small axis S, figure 4, provided with a washer T, which facilitates the
sliding against the rod Č.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The apparatus being applied to any door and the draw rod B, being fixed behind
the knob of the bolt it is only necessary to push the electric button or knob (which
may be placed in any suitable position and even at a distance from the apparatus)
in order to cause the electric current to circulate through the bobbins J.
At the same moment the armature L, is attracted towards the bobbins the
small stop catch L' releases the-drawbolt O, which being drawn backwards by the
spiral spring N, operates the pin O¹, and consequently the rod B, which being
fixed behind the knob of the bolt D, carries with it this bolt as well as the lever Q,
by means of the cranked arm R..
The bolt D, then remains in its open position so long as the door shall not have
been pushed twenty five to thirty centimètres. The rod C, figures 1, and 2, can
oscillate on the side of the door opposite to the lock on an axis consisting of the
curved end of a second door spring fixed on the frame of the door. The said rod C,
is hollowed at the part which corresponds to the position of the washer T, when
the door is closed. The stop catch L¹, being released and the bolt withdrawn from
the staple the person who enters pushes the door and causes the washer T, to slide
against the rod C,. The washer T, which is carried by the axis fixed in one of
the two ends of the balance puts this in movement and thus turns the cranked
arm R, which meeting the pin O¹, in its way causes it to act on the drawbolt O,
which being thereby forced to retake its position for closing the door is again held
in that position by the stop catch S¹,.
Having thus described the invention communicated to me and the manner of
performing the same what is claimed and intended to be protected by the herein
in part recited Letters Patent:-
The manufacture and use of automatic apparatus for opening doors by means of
electricity the said apparatus acting on the bolt of the lock and not on the staple
the whole being arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawing.
In witness whereof I the said George Frederick Redfern have hereto set my
hand and seal this twenty first day of November in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
GF REDFERN
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