Improvements in Shutters for Fire Grates.
Year: 1891

page_text: Improvements in Shutters for Fire Grates.
I, WILLIAM HENRY VANCE, of 1117 Market Street, in the City and County of
San Francisco, State of California, United States of America, 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 invention relates to a shutter or door for fire-grates, and which is especially
adapted to open so as to expose the fire in the grate, or to be closed so as to entirely
shut it off from the room.
Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my
invention,
Figure 1 is a front view showing one of the shutters partially open so as to
expose the grate.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section.
Figure 3 is a vertical section taken in a plane from front to rear of the grate and
device.
A is a fire-place, having a basket or grate B which may be constructed in the
usual or any convenient form.
In connection with this I employ a mantel or any other desired form of front.
CC are the sliding doors or shutters which are made of any shape to suit the
form of the grate front, either straight or curved. In the present case I have
shown these doors as being made straight, but it will be manifest that the same
construction can be applied to curved doors to suit the convexity of grates which
may be made in that form.
These doors are made of any suitable material, as iron, brass, phosphor bronze,
or other ornamental metal, and they are made double, that is, having front and
back plates with an interior open space between the front and back, and flanges or
edges which close them all round the periphery.
Through the front of each of the doors I make any suitable ornamental openings
or spaces D, through which air may find ingress into the space between the walls of
the door, and this air serves the purpose of keeping the door cool, and preventing
its being injured by the heat from the grate, and also for the purpose of supplying
a sufficient amount of air to keep up the combustion within the grate when the
doors are closed.
In the present case I have shown two of these doors, the lower edges of which
are grooved or channeled, as shown at E, and these channels are fitted to travel
upon a rail El, which is suitably fixed at the bottom and in line with the lower
edges of the doors so that the latter may be moved backward or forward upon this
rail.
Upon each side of the fire-place, and in line with the doors, I form an open
space or channel F which is in line with the travel of the doors and above
the rails E. This channel extends far enough back to allow the doors to
slide into it when open, and thus expose the whole front of the grate.
When closed the doors are drawn forward, sliding upon the guide-way E until
they meet in the centre and thus cut off the whole interior of the grate from view
of the room.
The channels F, in which the doors slide, may be formed in any suitable manner,
at each side of the grate, and may be either built into the stone, brick, or other
work of the fire-place, or may consist simply of light iron work, sufficient to receive
and conceal the doors when they are open.
The openings or gratings D are made only through the front of the door C, while

page_text: the back plate has openings as shown at G, made in the lower part and beneath the
grate or basket A, so that when there is no obstruction, air will enter through the
openings or gratings D, and pass downward through the space between the front
and back plates of the door, and will thence pass into the space beneath the grate
so as to serve as a draft for the fire when the doors are entirely closed. It will be
manifest at the same time that this current of air will, as before described, assist in
keeping the door plates cool and prevent their being injured by the heat from the
fire which is behind them.
In order to regulate the draft which passes to the fire I have shown a damper H,
one edge of which is hinged, as shown at I, and the other edge is adapted to close
against a ledge or stop J. A rod or chain K connects this swinging damper H
with a crank arm L which is fixed upon the inner end of a shaft M. This shaft is
journaled in the front plate of the door, preferably at one side, and at the outer end
it is provided with a handle N by which the shaft may be turned.
One of these dampers is fitted into each of the doors C, and it will be manifest
that either or both of them may be opened by turning the handle M so as to allow
a full supply of air to pass through the openings D and G to the grate.
Either or both of them may be partially or wholly closed so as to cut off the air
supply.
By this means the rate of combustion of fuel within the grate may be easily
regulated and at the same time the heat of the room can be increased or decreased
at will by opening or closing these doors. When they are closed they present an
ornamental appearance by reason of the material of which they are made, and the
ornamentation of the gratings D, and in summer or whenever the fire-place is not
in use, the doors may be closed, thus entirely cutting the fire-place off, and leaving
an ornamental front.
These doors make it possible to leave the room when the fire is burning without
danger of its falling out, and causing an accident.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The combination with a fire-place or grate of shutters adapted to slide in
front of the grate so as to close or open the space, said shutters being composed of
front and back plates with an air space between them, gratings or openings formed
in the upper portion of the front-plate, and openings in the lower portion of the
rear plate so as to deliver air beneath the grate, in combination with a damper so
disposed as to cut off the supply of air between the two sets of openings,
and a means whereby said damper is operated, substantially as herein described.
2. Doors or shutters adapted to slide in guides or chambers in front of a fire-
place or grate, said doors having front and back plates, and an air space between
said plates, openings or gratings formed through the front plate above the bottom
of the grate and openings formed through the rear plate beneath the bottom of the
grate, a damper journaled or suspended between the front and back plates so as to
cut off the supply of air between the two sets of openings, and a device connected
with said damper, and having an exterior handle or means whereby the dampers
may be opened or closed, substantially as herein described.
Dated this Ninth day of June 1891.