IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINCE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Frederick Brabson, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Brassfounder, and George Hughes, of Yardley,
in the County of Worcester, Merchant's Clerk, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINCE"
Sealed the 16th April 1858, and dated the 19th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Frederick Brabson
and George Hughes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 19th November 1857.
We, THOMAS FREDERICK BRABSON, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Brassfounder, and GEORGE HUGHES, of Yardley, in the County
of Worcester, Merchant's Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS," to be as follows:-
In constructing a door spring according to our Invention for closing a door
in one direction, we insert in the door frame a cylinder containing a rod, urged"
forward by a helical or coiled spring; the said rod is terminated by a roller.
An arm or lever turns upon a joint on the door frame, the long arm of the
lever pressing against the door, and the short arm bearing against the roller
projecting from the before-mentioned cylinder. The end of the lever which
bears against the roller has such a curvature, that there is little resistance to
the motion of the door after it has commenced opening, but the door is held

page_text: in its closed position with great force. In constructing a spring according to
our Invention for a door opening in both directions, we cause the axis on which
the door turns to be acted upon by the spring by means of a double excentric
on the said axis. The said excentric bears against a roller on one end of a
rod, the other end of which bears against the spring.
The said spring consists of a series of flat or nearly flat plates of steel lying
parallel upon one another. The said spring is supported at its ends, and the
rod through which it acts upon the door bears against the middle of the
spring. When the door is opened, considerable flexure is produced in the
spring, and the said spring by its pressure tends to close the door, and holds it
when closed with considerable force.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Frederick Brabson and George Hughes in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
FREDERICK BRADSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brass-
founder, and GEORGE HUGHES, of Yardley, in the County of Worcester,
Merchant's Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Frederick Brabson and George Hughes, Her special licence
that we, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson and George Hughes, our executors,
administrators, and. assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Frederick
Brabson and George Hughes, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
nake, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR SPRINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Thomas Frederick Brabson and George Hughes, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the sume, to be filed in the Great Seal

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson and
George Hughes, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements in door springs herein-after
particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 represents in section, and Figure 2 in elevation, a door spring
constructed according to our Invention, the said door spring being suited
to close a door opening in one direction. Figure 3 represents in elevation a
portion of the door spring represented in Figures 1 and 2. The same letters
indicate the same parts in the several Figures. a is a hollow cylinder of metal,
closed at bottom and open at top; b is a helical or coiled spring or springs
situated in the cylinder a. The said spring 6 bears at one end against the
bottom of the cylinder a, and at its other end against the rod or cup d, carrying
the roller e. The cylinder a is inserted in the door frame in the position which
will be understood by an examination of Figure 1, which said Figure is
a section in a horizontal plane of a door and door frame, with a spring
constructed according to our Invention; f is tho door frame, and g tho door.
An arm or lever h turns upon a joint i on the top of the cylinder a, the
short arm of the lever bearing against the roller e, and the long arm of the
said lever h bearing against the door g through the roller . The short end
of the lever h bearing against the roller c, has the form represented in Figures
1 and 3; the curvature of the said short arm of the lever h being such, that
there is little resistance to the motion of the door after the said door has
commenced opening, but the said door is held in its closed position with
great force. The force of the helical spring 6 upon the short end of the lever
h is much greater when the parts are in the positions represented in Figures 1
and 3, than when by the opening of the door the convex part of the short arm
of the lever is made to bear upon the roller c.
b
Figure 4 represents in plan, and Figure 5 in vertical section, another door
spring constructed according to our Invention, the said door spring, Figures 4
and 5, being adapted to a door opening in either direction; is the axis on
which the door turns. Upon the said axis is a double excentric m, the form
of which will be understood by an examination of Figure 4. Against the said
excentric ma roller n, carried by the rod o, is pressed by the spring p. The
rod o carries guides q. q', which slide between the sides 1, 2, of the case
containing the door spring. The said spring p consists of a series of flat or

page_text: nearly flat plates of steel lying upon one another. The said spring p is
supported at its ends, and the rod o through which it acts upon the door bears
against the middle of the said spring.
When the door is opened in either direction, one of the excentrics m
bearing upon the roller n, forces the said roller n and rod o to a greater
distance from the axis 1; considerable flexure is thereby produced in the spring
12, and the said springs p by its reaction tends to close the door. When the
door is closed, and the roller n is situated between the two excentrics
m, m, as represented in Figure 4, the door is held closed with considerable
force.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention.
But we claim as our Invention, firstly, the improvement in door springs for
doors opening in one direction herein-before described and represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the use of
a helical or coiled spring or springs inserted in the door frame, and made to
act on an arm or lever in the manner described and represented.
. Secondly, the improvement in door springs for doors opening in either
direction heroin-before described and represented in Figures 4 and 5 of the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the use of a flat or nearly flat spring,
supported at both ends, and made to press at or near its middle upon the
mechanism by which the door is closed, whether the said spring be used in
conjunction with the mechanism herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, or with any other mechanism.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Frederick Brabson and George
Hughes, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth day of
May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight
THOMAS FREDERICK BRABSON. (L.s.)
GEORGE HUGHES.
(L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.