Improved Means for Releasing Animals in and Opening the Doors of Stables and the like in Case of Fire or Emergency.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1897
Improved Means for Releasing Animals in and Opening the Doors of
Stables and the like in Case of Fire or Emergency.
We, WILHELM STRAUBE, of Landsberg-on-the-Lech, in the German Empire,
temporarily residing at 84º, East India Dock Road, London, E., in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and the ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT MASCHINENFABRIK
LANDSBERG-ON-THE-LECH, LIMITED, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The invention has for its subject a contrivance, by means of which in case of
danger by fire or other causes by a single movement of a lever placed on a central
point outside the building all heads of cattle are uncoupled and all doors are
contemporaneously unbolted respectively opened by the same movement.
The construction of the contrivance for the uncoupling of cattle is the
following:
The rings on the manger, by which cattle are coupled in the usual manner are
here suspended on strong studs or pegs which are cut out of a moveable bar
running all along the manger. The same bar, which rests on strong angular
supports provided with notches, contains the indents or cuttings.
The supports are placed one to every stall and partly cover the pegs and the
indents of bar.
The mangers with any given number of stalls being in many cases separated from
each other, the bars attached to the mangers are connected to each other and to
the main lever in a convenient way, as for instance by lever transmission, by
cranked shafts provided with stretcher joints or by draw bars located within
conduits under the floor or on the ceiling.
In this manner the arrangement for unbolting and opening the doors is likewise
brought in connection with the main lever and moved by the same.
The contrivance for opening bolted and locked doors is constructed in the
following way:
Upon a plate the inferior part of the closing tackle is placed so that it moves in
a slit, and is connected with a spring; underneath the spring is placed the
decoupling contrivance, which is also connected with the main lever in the manner
already described.
As soon as the disengaging contrivance is pulled by one of the various pulling
arrangements the closing tackle, which is provided with a rectangularly bent peg
and moveable like a joint, is pulled away in the direction of the arrow by the arm
fixed on the plate, that is to say it is pushed out of the tongue, placed on the arm,
by which movement the bolt is free and completely disengaged.
In order to close again the closing tackle, which moved downwards on opening
the door, the same is pushed upwards and the disengager, which is in connection
with a knob carried in a curved slit, is pressed sidewards down, whereby the closing
tackle is closed once more, since it engages itself into the tongue of the arm.
The handling of the hole apparatus is as follows:
As soon as the main lever placed on the outside of the building is pulled down
into the punctuated position, by means of the draw bars etc. the bars connected
with it are moved sideways, by which movement the manger rings filed on the pegs

page_text: and in the notches of the supports are disengaged. The same is the case con-
temporaneously with the bolts, so that in cases of imminent danger, especially be
fire the very restless and separately very difficultly to be disengaged animals not
only are completely uncoupled, but also at the same time all the doors of the
stables are opened.
This is one of the chief advantages of the present invention. Burning of cattle
is thus completely prevented and, as the animals keep their halter chains they can
easily be recaptured and coupled again in a safe place. As soon as the danger has
disappeared, by a movement half-way back of the main lever all the manger rings
can be once more suspended on the pegs, whereupon by a complete backpushing
the cattle is once more coupled to the manger and the apparatus is once more
ready for use.
The doors however must be closed by hand.
Improved Means for Releasing Animals in and Opening the Doors of
Stables and the like in Case of Fire or Emergency.
We, WILHELM STRAUBE of Landsberg-on-the-Lech, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, at present residing at 848 East India Dock Road, Poplar, in
the County of London and the ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT MASCHINENFABRIK
LANDSBERG-ON-THE-LECH, Gerinany 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 :-
The present invention has for its subject a contrivance, by means of which in
case of danger by fire or other causes by a single movement of a lever placed on
a central point outside the building all heads of cattle are uncoupled and all
doors are contemporaneously unbolted respectively opened by the same movement.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Fig. I is a front view of the whole contrivance;
Fig. II is a horizontal plan of the stable,
Fig. III & IV are parts of the uncoupling mechanism, opened and closed, and
Fig. V to VIII are parts of the door unbolting arrangement.
The construction of the contrivance for the uncoupling of cattle is the
following:
The rings in the manger a, by which cattle are coupled in the usual manner are
bere suspended on strong studs or pegs 6 which are cut out of a moveable bar c
running all along the manger. (Fig. III & IV.) The same bar c, which rests on
strong angular supports e provided with notches d, contains the indents or
cuttings f.
These supports e are placed on to every stall and partly cover the pegs b and the
indents of bar c.
The mangers with any given numbers of stalls being in many cases separated
from each other, the bars e attached to the mangers are connected to each other

page_text: and to the main lever A. in a convenient way, as for instance by lever trans-
mission B, by cranked shafts provided with stretcher joints or by draw bars E
located within conduits under the floor or on the ceiling (Fig. II).
In this manner the arrangement for unbolting and opening the doors is like-wise
brought in connection with the main lever A and moved by the same.
The contrivance for opening bolted and locked doors is constructed in the
following way:
Upon a plate g fixed to the door post the staple of a lock consisting of three
parts is fastened. Its lower part is inovable in a longitudinal slit i practiced in
plate g, whilst the upper part m is fixed to the plate g, whereas the middle part his
fastened to part by the turning hinge y.
On the extremity al of part a, which protrudes through plate g, is fastened an
upright peg v, which at its upper end can move loosely in a piece n fixed to plate g.
Upon this peg v is arranged the spring k, which has the tendency to keep asunder
parts w and .
Underneath part is located a lever D., which is fastened to plate g, but turn-
able in points (Fig. 8.). The one free end of the lever is provided with a knob g
which protrudes across the plate g and moves in a bent slit o of the plate g while
the other free part of the lever is connected in a convenient manner at point u with
the main lever A.
As can be seen in Fig. 6 and 8, the small peculiarly shaped lever D is in a
vertical position, whereby the part of the staple which moves loosely in the slit i
is raised, respectively the staple is closed.
If on the contrary I pull by the pole or an equivalent arrangement fastened in u
the lever D. which turns round 8, downward, so that it occupies a horizontal
position, part will have no longer any hold and will be pressed downward by the
spring k, whereby the staple is opened, that is to say the middle part provided
with a rectangular hook has come out of the hook or nose n fixed to part m,
whereby the bolt p is free.
In order to reclose the part h movable in the hinge y (Fig. 5.), which has gone
down in opening the door it is pushed upward and at the same time by means of
the knob the lever D is once more pulled round, that is to say brought into a
perpendicular position (Fig. 8) when part a is raised and the staple is once more
closed.
The handling of the whole apparatus is as follows:
As soon as the main lever A placed on the outside of a building (Fig. 1) is
pressed downward into the dotted position, the bars e connected with it by means
of the draw bars etc. are moved sideways, by which movement the manger rings a
filed on the pegs b and in the notches of the supports d are disengaged.
The same is the case contemporaneously with the bolts p, so that in cases of
imminent danger, especially by fire the very restless and separately very difficultly
to be disengaged animals not only are completely uncoupled, but also at the same
time all the doors of the stable are opened.
This is one of the chief advantages of the present invention. Burning of cattle
is thus completely prevented and, as the animals keep their halter-chains they can
easily be recaptured and coupled again in a safe place. As soon as the danger bas
disappeared, by a moment halfway back of the main lever A all the manger rings a
can be once more suspended on the pegs b, whereupon by a complete back pushing
the cattle is once more coupled to the manger and the apparatus is once more ready
for use. The doors however must be closed by hand.
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 I
claim is:
1. A contrivance for uncoupling cattle and simultaneously opening doors
characterized by the circumstance that by a single pull ou a central lever placed
outside of the building bars c fixed to the maugers and provided with pegs and

page_text: notches as set forth in the description, the mauger rings a with the halter-chains
and with them the animals coupled to the mangers aro set free..
2. A contrivance for uncoupling cattle and simultaneously unbolting doors,
distinguished by the fact, that, as above described, by the action of a main lever A
the staples of the lock fastened to the door posts are opened, by which movement
the bolts of the locks are free & the doors themselves are opened.
Dated this 20th day of January 1897.
WILHELM STRAUBE.
For THE ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT MASCHINENFABRIK
LANDSBERG-ON-THE-LECH,
By ALBAN DREISEL,
Manager.