US113476A - Improvement in movable partitions - Google Patents

Description

D. J. WILLIAMS. MOVABLE PARTITION.

No. 113,476. PatentedApr; 4, 187] QR-P N a jfi L |L 7W Tm Q J WN a Wall ideal "Grit-[line DOUGLAS JOSEPH .WILLIAMS, OF BIRMINGHAM. ENGLAND.

Letters Patent No. 113,476, dated April 4, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT m MOVABLE PARTITION-S.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS Josnrn Wummns, of Birmingham, England, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Movable Partitions, Wide Doors, and Shutters for Buildings; and. I do hereby declare that the following is a full, true, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing-that is to say- My invention has for its object an improved method of carrying or suspending the parts or divisions composing a movable partition, wide door, orshutter; and

consists in suspending-each of the said parts or divi- 810118 from a cross-head, which is carried by two rollersrolling on horizontal bars fixed above the said movable partition, wide door, or shutter, by means of a swivel or any equivalent mechanism, so that each of said parts or divisions may be turned at right angles, or any suitable angles, to the said'bars. V

The swivel arrangement consists of an upright spindle, which protrudes above the cross-head before named, and also below the bottom of the parts or divisions. The saidupright spindle works freely in the cross-head at the top, and is carried from it by means of a collar on the spindle. The said spindle isprovided with a spur-pinion, top and bottom, which work in horizontal racks, and thus keeps the said part or division perpendicular in the direction of the said movable partition, wide door, or shutter. Thc pinion, at the bottom of the said part or division, is kept in gear with the rack by the side of a groove, which will be hereinafter referred to, and the pinion at the top is kept in gear with its rack by the rollers before named. The said part or division is carried by a'collar on the upright spindlc,'a11d is allowed to turn fi'ccly on the said collar and round the said upright spindle.

The said bars, rollers, and piuions may be concealed, when required, by a wood casing, molded cornice, or whatever may be in keeping with the peculiar architecture of the building to which the said novable partition, wide door, or shutter is applied. The lower ends of the upright spindle may work through a groove in the door, running parallel to the bars at the top, the pinions and rack working under the fioor one side of the said groove, thus keeping the pinions in gear with the rack; or above the floor, when required, by reason of there being a carpet or other floor covering imn1ediatel y under the partition, wide door, or shutter, (or from any other cause,) where they may be concealed in, and the rack fixed to a hollow wood-sill, which may be either removed altogether, or may be divided in the middle and hinged near each end, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. The sill is provided with a groove, which will answer the same purpose as it' it were formed in the floor.

The said parts or divisions being turned at right venient.

vVhen desirable, a recess may be formed in one or each wall or side of the opening, to receive the said parts or divisions; or a casing, having the appearance of a pilastcr, or otherwise, may be constructed against one or each wall or side of the opening; but in schoolrooms and certain other buildings, a recess or casing may be dispensed with, the front par-t or division being fastened so as to keep the remainder as placed. The sill, before referred to, is hinged, in order that it may be raised up against the parts or divisions when they are pushed fiat against the wall or into the recess or casing:

"hen closed the said parts or divisions may b fastened together by means of bolts, and they may;

be constructed with rabbets, dowels, or otherwise, so that one of the saiilparts or divisions forms a key, which, being fastened, fastens all the rest, or by any suit-able means so used for ordinary shopwindow shutters, or by any convenient method.

By the above arrangement the opening and closing of movable partitions, wide doors, and shutters for buildings is facilitated, and space isgainedl where the said arrangementis substituted for the wide hinged doors now in use.

-Where the word building occurs in this specification, unless otherwise explained in the particular occurrence, it is used as applying to ships and other structures, as well as to buildings more commonly so called.

Having thus stated the nature of the said invention, I now proceed more particularly to describe the manner of performing the. same with, reference to the accompanying drawing.

Description of the Drawing Figure l is a vertical sectionthrough one of the saidpartsor divisions, the end only being shown for convenience.

A A are two rollers rolling on the bars B B.

U is a cross-head carried by the rollers A A.

J) is the upright spindle, having a collar, E, by which it is carried from the cross-head O, and a collar, E, at itslower extremity, upon which the journal I, which is fixed in the said part or division bears.

A journal, G, is-alsoshown at thetop of thesaid part or division. Y

' A pinidn, H, working in a rack, K, is shown at the top and bottom of the upright spindle D. The bottom pinion and rack are shown, in this case, below the floor. Thesaid rack is fastened to the floor OI joist, and the pinion kept in gear with it by the side of the groove in the floor, which is lined with hoop- HOll.

\Vhen the bottom pinion and rack are required to be above the floor, (for reasons before stated,) the boardsL L would represent the top of a boxed sill, which would be on the floor. The top rack is shown fixed to the side timber.

Fignre'2 is a front elevation of the arrangment at the top of the said part or division shown in side el-' ovation in fig. 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, an elevation and plan of a general arrangement oi the parts or divisions composing a movable partition for a building as required for the application of my invention.

A-hinged sill is shown, which carries the rack for the bottom pinion.

The arrangement of the parts or divisions composing shutters for buildings is of a similar nature to those just. described for movable partitions; but

t ers Patent, is-- 1.- the upright spindle D, forming a swivel in the part or division,-and used in conjunction with the cross-head O, which is carried by the rollers AA, rolling on the bars B B, substantially as and for the purpose herein described and shown in the drawing.

2. In combination with the said upright spindle D, the pinions H H and the racks K 1\'., substantially as and for the purpose described and shown.

In witness whereof I, the said DoUGn'As Josni-u \VILLIAMS, have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of April, A. D. 1870.

DOUGLAS JOSEPH WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

STEPHEN WATKINS, WALTER H. PERKS.

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