An Improvement connected with Tight Fitting Doors of Ships' " Bulkheads,, Strong Rooms, Buildings, Safes and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: An Improvement connected with Tight Fitting Doors of Ships'
"
Bulkheads,, Strong Rooms, Buildings, Safes and the like.
We, JOHN HOLSALL HIND, of Stanley Road, Barrow in Furness, in the County
of Lancaster, Foreman Engineer, and THOMAS EDWARD TOPPING, of 7*, Central
Beach, Blackpool, Lancashire, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
-
This invention relates to means or appliances connected with drop closing doors
of ships' bulkheads, strong rooms, safes, for separating parts of buildings against
the ravages of fire, flooding and other emergencies for which such water and
fireproof doors are capable of employment.
The invention of details is based upon a previous Patent granted to one of us
in the Year 1897 and numbered 29081 in which a depression weighted lever is
referred to as a means for fixing the door down when lowered and require to be
pressed into close contact with the edge of the opening or doorway of a bulkhead.
Reference is also made in the specification of that patent to a slot notch in
the gudgeon of each hinge for the hinge plate to drop into as one of the means
for fixing the door when dropped the gudgeon having a plain top surface so
that the door had to be bodily raised to its full height before it could be swung
open and then be swung to on a horizontal plane when closing it.
By the present improvements on that part of the invention we only raise the
door by the lower lever to a less height than formerly and by a simultaneous
swing forward action for opening purposes of the lift lever we throw the weight
of the door upon inclined top surfaces of the hinge gudgeons and thus by a
continued swing action the door rides up the inclines until it is fully open
at which position it can be held by a spring bolt or a lever bolt engaging an
eye on the door within its range. This bolt is on a pivot pin lever fashion which
pin passes through the bulkhead and has a handle on each side of same so that
the bolt can be released from either side of the bulkhead or structure to free the
door and enable it to close by sliding down the inclined top faces of the hinge
gudgeons and finally for the hinge plates to drop into the notches or slots of the
gudgeons and by such slots in conjunction with the wedge clips be forced
home watertight against the face of the bulkhead.
By this invention we dispense with the top weighted lever and its appliances
and render the door more effectual in its action both for the opening and the
closing operation, the latter of which can be made automatic by a buoyant
appliance fitting loosely in a tank capable of being filled or of filling with water
in cases of accident such as to a vessel to the bulkhead of which such a door may
be employed.
With a building in the event of a fire the heat could act upon a sensitive strip
or 'membrane of some substance such as gutta percha which would stretch by heat

page_text: and release the holding bolt for the door to close by gravity and then to fall
into contact with its supporting frame.
Such a door fitted to a safe or a strong room could have any secure kind of
lock fitted to fix the lift lever as well as the ordinary locks the door not being
available for opening as with the present make of safe or strong room doors
until raised. The doors may be backed or lined with fire resisting material or
substances and where electrical appliances are employed the holding bolt can be
released from any distance or through the intervention of pull wires or otherwise.
One of the essential features of the foregoing patented invention was the use
of springs to close the door, these are now obviated by inclining the top surfaces
of the hinge gudgeons which are more reliable for the purpose than springs.
01
י
1000
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said
J. H. Hind and T. E. Topping.
An Improvement connected with Tight Fitting Doors of Ships'
Bulkheads, Strong Rooms, Buildings, Safes and the like.
We, JOHN HOLSALL HIND, of Stanley Road, Barrow in Furness, in the County
of Lancaster, Foreman Engineer, and THOMAS EDWARD TOPPING, of 7ª, Central
Beach, Blackpool, Lancashire, Solicitor, 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 means or appliances connected with drop closing
doors of ships bulkheads, strong rooms, safes for separating parts of buildings
against the ravages of fire, flooding, and other emergencies for which such water
and fireproof doors are capable of employment.
The invention is in connection with a water tight and fireproof door in which
the door must be lifted in its frame before it can be opened on its hinges, and
for this purpose we employ a lifting lever attached to the door and acting upon
the frame as a fulcrum, the same lever serving by a swing forward action for
opening purposes to throw the weight of the door upon inclined top surfaces
of the hinge gudgeons and thus by a continued swing action the door rides up the
inclines until it is fully open at which position it can be held by a lever bolt
engaging an eye on the door within its range.
This lever bolt may be released from either side of the bulkhead or structure
by several methods hereinafter described, to free the door and enable it to close
by sliding down the inclined top faces of the hinge gudgeons, and finally for the
hinge plates to drop into the notches or slots of the gudgeons and by such slots
in conjunction with wedge clips be forced home water tight against the face
of the bulkhead or framing.
Our invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings in which Figure 1 is an
elevation of the door when closed and its framing, and Figure 1* an elevation
of the door and frame with the lever thrown over and showing the door in its
raised position before being opened. Figure 1" an elevation of the frame and
showing the door in its open position. Figure 2 is an end view partly in section.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of our special hinge. Figure 4 a plan of same

page_text: with the top plate removed. Figure 5 is a side elevation of the hinge and
Figure 6 a plan of a hinge gudgeon. Figure 7 is a plan of door releasing lever
catch, and Figure 8 an elevation of same; Figures 9 and 10 being sections on the
lines u, w, and a, y respectively.
Figure 11 is an elevation, and Figure 12 a plan of releasing gear for the lever
catch.
Referring to Figures 1, 1^, 1 and 2, A, is the door fitted with hinge eyes B for
pivotting on hinge pins C fixed in special hinge gudgeons D on the bulkhead or
other framing E of the door. These hinge gudgeons have each a slot notch F
(Figures 4 and 5) in which the arm or plate G of the hinge eye B rests when
the door is down and closed the tapered bearing portion, H of said arm G acts
as a wedge with others on the door to firmly fix the door to the bulkhead or
framing E, the arm G when the door is raised and swung forward riding upon
the incline I of the gudgeon, thus raising the door still further until it comes
into contact and is held by the lever catch (hereinafter referred to).
The door has two or more wedge pieces J, J, on each side which take into
tapered clips K, K, when the door drops and these in conjunction with the
tapered clips K¹ K' and the wedges JJ; the tapered bearings H of the hinge
arms G also the tapered edge L of the gudgeon cause the door when dropping to
be forced by its own weight into close water tight contact with the framing E.
N, is a counter weighted cam lever fitted at the lower part of the door, its
fulcrum pin P passing through the door for a corresponding lever N¹ to be operated
on the other side, the cam bearing upon the framework when separated for
raising the door out of the hinge slots F and the tapered clips K to enable the
door to be swung round and open.
Referring to Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 illustrating the door releasing lever
catch, R is a lever pivotted to the bulkhead or other fixed piece, and S is a
cranked tumbler catch pivotted on the arm T and weighted at U, its tendency
being to drop out of engagement with the angle lug on the door. W, is an
inclined arm upon which rides the lever R when the door is swung open until
it drops into the slot X, the short end of said lever then rises and by its wedge
face Y engaging with the corresponding face Z of the cranked catch S forces the
latter up into the slot of the angle lug V on the door, as seen in Figure 10 and
so holding it in an open position.
It will be seen that by lifting the long end of the lever out of the slot X the
short end will be depressed and allow the weighted catch to fall thus freeing the
door which then by reason of the sharp inclined top faces of the hinge gudgeons,
begins to travel back by gravity and of its own accord until the hinge arms G
reach the wedge termination L when they drop heavily into the slots, and the
door is forced home tightly by the wedges J and tapered clips K aforesaid.
The releasing lever R may be lifted by hand directly, or by the releasing gear
illustrated in Figures 11 and 12. In these views, a is a buoyant body fitting
loosely in a tank 6 capable of being filled or of filling with water automatically
in cases of accident such as to a vessel, to the bulkhead of which such a door
may be employed, the buoyant body a being connected with the releasing lever R
previously referred to.
c, is a pipe for flooding the float chamber from any given place. d, is a link
connection for operation by a wire pennant running to the upper deck of a
vessel, or to any given part in a building or other place.
e, is an electro magnet which is energised by a current being passed through
the conducting wire f, and so attracting the short end of the releasing lever R.
Such a door fitted to a safe or a strong room could have any secure kind of
lock fitted to fix the lift lever, as well as the ordinary locks, the door not being
available for opening, as with the present make of safe or strong room doors, until
raised in the manner described.
For ease of motion and to provide for wear and tear of the frictional surfaces
these may be fitted with suitable brasses which may be renewable if desired.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. In the construction of tight fitting doors of ships bulkheads, strong rooms,
buildings, safes, and the like, the combination of a tight fitting door fitted with
hinge arms or plates taking into locking slots of hinge gudgeons which are formed
with incline bearings for said hinge arms to travel upon; wedge pieces on the
door dropping into tapered clips, a lever for lifting the door out of the clips and
locking slots, and for swinging the door round onto the inclined bearings, and
means for retaining the door in an open position until released for automatically
closing in a watertight manner as described and substantially as shown in
Figures 1 to 6 of the annexed drawings.
2. In combination with a tight fitting door having hinge arms dropping into
slots of hinge gudgeons when closed a weighted tumbler catch on the door frame
engaging with an angle lug on the door, the weighted catch being operated on
by a hand lever for release of the door, substantially as shewn and described.
3. In combination with a tight fitting door having hinge arms dropping into
slots of hinge-gudgeons, a releasing lever in connection with a tumbler catch,
said lever being operated respectively by a buoyant body in a tank, a link and
wire pennant, and an electro magnet, as described and substantially as shown.
The 21st day of June 1900.
R. CORE GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said John Holsall Hind,
and
Thomas Edward Topping.