US1208088A - Fire-shutter. - Google Patents

Description

D. B. BRYAN & H. F. BLANCHARD. M. BRYAN, AnMlNlsTn/nmx or D. a. BRYAN, nEc'D.

URE sHuTTER. APPLICATION FlLED AUG.25, 19H.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

D. B. BRYAN 6L H. F. BLANCHARDA N. BRYAN. NDNHNISTRATNIX oF D. s. BRYAN, DEc'o. FIRE SHUTTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG.26,19H.

Patented 1190.12, 1916. v ai 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 1U. l l 4f D. B. BRYAN & H. F. BLANCHARD.,

M. B. BRYAN. ADMINISTRATRIX 0F D B. BRYAN, DECD.

FIRE SHUTTER.

APPLICATION man AUGJG. 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

nutren s'rAfrn-s narnnr arriba.

DANIEL B. BRYAN, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, AND HAROLD F. BLANCHARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; MARY B. BRYAN ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID DANIEL B. BRYAN, DECEASED; SAID BLANCHARD AND SAID ADMINISTRATRIX A-SSIGNORS TO THE KINNEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

FIRE-SHUTTER.

Appli-cation filed August 26, 1911.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL B. BRYAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lexington, in the county of Fayette, State of Kentucky, and HAROLD F. BLAN- cHAnD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Shutters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that type of fire shutters which close automatically upon a dangerous rise of temperature, such as is caused by fire, in the immediate neighborhood of the shutter.

Our invention relates more particularly to such fire resisting shutters or curtains as are composed of metallic slats, preferably steel., hinged together and adapted to be coiled upon a drum or roller. Shutters of this class may be raised and lowered in ordinary use, under the control of a suitable counter-balance or spring. Upon the occurrence of an abnormal rise in temperature, fusible connections are melted releasing the shutter from the control of the spring or counter-weight and permitting the same, if in raised position, to descend automatically.

The objects of our invention are to provide simple, reliable and generally improved devices of this character.

A particular' object of our invention is the provision of means whereby the descending curtain, upon the melting of the fusible links referred to, shall maintain itself throughout its fall., always in a vertical plane and closely adjacent to the opening to be protected thereby.

Another object of our invention is the provision of improved means for braking or retarding the fall of the shutter or cur-- tain during its automatic descent.

`Other objects of our invention relate to the form of the guideway or channel by which the curtain or shutter is guided in its descent.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Dec. i2, 191MB.

Serial No. 646,083.

Other objects of our invention reside in combinations of parts and details of construction, all as will more fully appear in the following specification and appended claims.

In order that our invention may be more clearly understood, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying' drawings, forming part of this specification, and illustratingpreferred modifications of our invention.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 3 looking toward the right, and illustrating in this instance the right hand housing. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the other housing; in this instance the left hand housing. Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the two brackets or housings, together with the shutter mounted upon the drum or roller, supported thereby, a guide-way for guiding the shutter in its descent also being shown. Fig. L represents a view similar to Fig. 1, in which the shutter has entirely unwound. from its drum, during the automatic operation thereof, and the parts are shown in operated position; Fig. 5 represents a partial end elevation of a bracket or housing in a modiiied form vof construction; Fig. 6 represents a section taken upon line 6--6 of Fig. 3, illustrating' the preferred form of guideway or channel; and Fig. 7 represents an end view of the bottom of the shutter or curtain.

Referring' to the drawings, the shutter l when in elevated position, is wound or coiled on a drum or roller 2 carried by shaft 3 supported in brackets 4 and 5, secured to the wall of the building, adjacent the upper right and left hand ends respectively, of the opening to be protected, which may be a door or a window. Shutter l is illustrated merely diagrannnatically in Fig. l, the oenter lines of a portion only of the shutter coiled upon the drum, being sho-wn. The side edges of the shutter in its ascending and descending movements, are guided by cured to the end of the shaft 3 the channels or guideways secured to the walls, one of which is shown in Figs 1, 3 and 6, by the character 6. The side edges of the descending shutter pass through openings 7 in the bottom of the brackets or housings 4 and 5. Grdinarily the shutter is raised and lowered by any suitable means, such as the sprocket wheel 8, around which may pass a hand chain, this sprocket being Secured to one end of a shaft 9, or connect-` ed to the shaft through such gearing as is necessary. Upon shaft 9 is keyed a bevel gear 10 meshing with a bevel gear 11 seadjacent to shaft 9. Upon thel other end of shaft 3 is secured bevel geary 11 which meshes with a bevel gear 10 keyed to the 'shaft 9, the bevels 10 and y11 being similar to bevels 10 and 11. The sprocket wheel 12 is mounted upon the end of shaft 3 and is free to revolve thereon adjacent to shaft 9, and inside o-f the housing, a sprocket chain 13 passing around the same and around another sprocket wheel 14 mounted upon a shaft 15.V Shaft 15 is ordinarily locked against rotation by means later to be described. Drum 2 upon which the curtain or shutter is coiled, is however, Vfree to revolve with shaft 3 by means of a block 16 keyed to the shaft 3 and secured to the drum 2 by machine screws 162. A. coiled spiral spring 16 is mounted within drum 2. One endof spring16 is secured to the hub of sprocket 12 as shown at 17, and ,consequently isV fixed under normal conditions. The other end of spring 16 is secured to the block 1G as shown in Fig. 3, at 18, the result being that thek spring is Yput under tension by the descent of the cur- .tain and thus serves to counterbalance the same', its tension being calculated to counterbala-nee the shutter so that only slight force vvill be needed to either raise or lower the same. In other words, the curtain will coun- .terbalance so that it will stay down when lowered and stay up when raised. In case of fire, when the shutter is to fall automatically, the shutter must be removed from the influence of spring 16, or the latterrendered powerless in order that the shutter may automaticallyV and rapidly descend. This is accomplished by unlocking sprocket 12 and accordingly permitting spring 16 to unwind, by unlocking a locking disk 19 which is fixed to shaft 15 which is connected to sprocket 12 by chain 13, as described. This operation will now be described.

Locking disk 19, referred to, having radial slots 20 is secured toene end of shaft 15. x A lever 21 pivoted at 22, as shown in Fig. 3, has a nose 23 extending into one of the slots 20 of wheel 19, thus locking the same. Lever 21 is lheld in locking position normallyV by a lever 24 pivoted at25 to a lug secured to the housing 4, lever 24 having Vpreferably a recess or notch on its upper `one of the slotsin disk surface in which the lower edge of the free end of lever 21 rests when lever 21 is in locking position. The free end of lever 2l; preferably carries a weighted extension 2.3 to which is secured one end of the cord or flexible connection 26. Connection 26 is fastened to a fusible link 27 as shown in Fig. 1 and extends thence through an eye or hole in one end of a short lever 28 pivoted at 29, as is shown in Fig. lug secured to housing 4. The flexible connection extends downwardly after passing through the hole in lever 28, as is shown at 26 in Fig. 1, preferably having another fusible link 27 connected therewith. Freni link 27 the flexible connection extends around a` roller or bearing surface 3U and extends thence across the bottom of the space between the two housings -l and 5, as is indicated at 262 in Fig. 3, the cord passing around a second roller 30 and thence ascending beside the opposite bracket or housing, finally being secured to the free end of another short lever 28 pivoted at 29 to the housing 5. The ends of levers 28 and 28 to which the flexible cord is not connected, are depressed by levers 31 and 31, the tails of levers 28 and 28 extending through opei'lings in levers 31, 31. such as is shown at 32 in Fig. 4. The result of this construction is that levers 31 and 31 are held in the elevated positions shown in F 1 and 2, and lever 24 is held in position to hold lever 21 in locking engagement with 19. lhen a door is required to be operated only in case of fire, levers 31, 32 can be left down and fusible cord attached anywhere.

In case of fire, one or more of the fusible links 27, 27 melts, releasing the flexible connection 26, whereupon weighted lever 24 drops, allowing levers 28, 28 to swing about their pivots under the weight of levers 31, 31', which rest upon the opposite ends of levers 28, 28, whereupon levers 31, 31 slide off the tails of levers 28, 28 and oscillate about their pivots 33, 33 until they strike the upper surface of shaft 3, and at the same time weighted lever 24 being` released, oscillates about its pivot, releasing locking lever 21. Locking lever.21 is preferably formed with a T shaped lower flange or extension 34, as shown in Fig. 3, which is struck by lever 24 in its descent, thus positively forcing lever 21 out of locking engagement with disk 19. Disk 19 being thus released, shaft 15 is unlocked, and the sprocket 12, the hub of which is connected to the counterbalaneing spiral spring, and sprocket 14, which sprockets are connected by sprocket chain 13 revolve together under the influence of counterbalance 16 until same has entirely unwound, leaving the curtain or shutter free to fall, spring 16 being no longer able to offer counterbalancing resistance. The shut- 3, to a bracket or f' ter accordingly does fall under the influence of gravity, its descent being retarded, to prevent damage to the shutter or the jamming of the same in the guides, by means which we will now describe.

The shaft 3 is provided at both ends as stated, with bevel gears 11, 11 secured thereto, which mesh with bevel gears 10,10 which are keyed to shafts 9, 9. Shafts 9, 9 have formed thereon, screws 35, 35 with a keyway cut through the threads of each screw, the pitch of these screws being eXactly the same as the thickness of the shutter or curtain 1. The ends of shaft 3, carrying roller 2, upon which the shutter is coiled, have bearings in the brackets 36, 36, which are substantially U shaped in end elevation, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said shaft 3 being supported at each end by housings 4 and 5. rThe upper ends of one arm of each casting 36, 36', have threaded openings extended therethrough, which constitute nuts through which extend the screws 35, 35. The upper ends of the other arms of the castings have openings therethrough which may be either threaded or unthreaded, whereby they are mounted upon shafts 9, 9', to the rear of bevel gears 10, 10, which have feather keys fitted to slide in the key-ways provided in the screw shafts 9, 9. When the curtain begins unwinding, rotating gears 11, 10, and 11 and 10, and thereby rotating screws 35, 35, the rotation of screws 35, 35 through the nuts formed in castings 36, 36 causes the movement of the castings and of the roller 2 upon which the curtain is mounted, toward the wall, that is to the left, referring to Figs. 1 and 2. For each revolution of the drum and the curtain carried thereby, the screws 35, 35 are rotated, one revolution, bevel gears 10 and 11, 10 and 11, being of the same diameter, and accordingly the axis of the curtain is moved toward the wall a distance exactly equal to the thickness of the curtain. Accordingly, during the entire descent of the curtain, the latter is maintained in the same parallel plane, closely adjacent to the opening in the wall to be protected thereby.

Levers 31, 31 have noses 37, 37 which, when the fusible links are melted, fall in front of, that is to the left, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, of shaft 3. rlhe curtain is permitted several revolutions unretarded to allow the same to get sufficient momentum before the shaft 3 encounters the noses 37, 37. The opposite ends of levers 31, 31, are pivoted, as stated at 33, 33, the pins upon which these levers are pivoted being mounted in strong semi-elliptical springs 38, 38, at the middle point of each. The ends of these springs are pivoted respectively at 39, 40 and 39 and 40, to links 41, 42, and 41 and 42', the opposite ends of which are pivoted at 43, 44, and 43 44, to brackets or lugs secured to the housings 4 and 5. After the shutter has unwound several revolutions, shaft 3 will be moved toward the wall sufliciently to cause it to encounter the noses of levers 31, 31, and accordingly the further movement of shaft 3 toward the wall will cause the bodily movement of levers 31, 31 therewith against the resistance of springs 38, 38. lThis resistance increases as the curtain descends, the springs 38 and 38 becoming more and more fiat until the final position of the parts is as indicated in Fig. 4, when the curtain or shutter has entirely unwound and the drum 2 is moved over close to the wall. During its movement friction has been exerted upon the surface of shaft 3 by noses 37, 37 of levers 31, 31, and the rotation of screws 35, 35 has been retarded by the resistance of springs 38, 38 whichresist the movement of the castings 3G, 3G along the screws, which resistance being transmitted through the bevel gears 10, 10, 11, 11, retards the descent of the curtain. The descent of the curtain is thus effectively braked or retarded while at the same time the curtain has been continually maintained parallel to the opening and closely adjacent thereto, so that neither during its descent nor after it has fallen are any openings left around the curtain through which fiame or smoke might enter, and the use of shields to cover the upper portion of the curtain is rendered unnecessary.

A rigid link connection, not shown, connects the bearings of shafts 3 and 15, the bearings of shaft 15 being mounted in slots 45 in the bracket in which the same is mounted. rFhis permits the shaft 3 to move in a straight horizontal line, while the curtain is unwound, shaft 15 descending in slots 45 until after shaft 3 has passed across the vertical center line of shaft 15.

In Fig. 5 we have illustrated a modified construction for retarding the movement of shaft 3 toward the wall when the curtain is descending. In place of the bevel gear and screw construction previously described, a stationary rack 46 is used with which coacts a gear 47 mounted on shaft 3 and provided with a single tooth 48. When the fusible links melt, lever 31 falls into position to place its nose 37 between shaft and the wall as before, lever 31 being pivoted at 33 to spring 38 as before. Another lever 49 is pivoted at 5G and is provided on its lower surface with locking recesses 51 of the same diameter' as shaft 3. A cam 52 is secured to shaft 3 and is provided with a single rise or cam surface 53 diametrically opposite to the tooth 4S of gear 47. Lever 49 is provided with a lateral extension or flange 54. During therotaticn of shaft 3 while the curtain is descending one of the recesses 51 engages the shaft 3 to prevent the movement of the same toward the wall. Once every revolution the -cam 53 encounters flange 54 to lift lever 49 out of locking engagement With 'shaft 3 and tooth 48 engages one of the teeth of the rack, the shaft then moving one space to the left when the lever 49 again falls to Yhold the shaft in that position for the remainder of the revolution, when tooth 48 encounters the next tooth of the rack and the shaft is moved one further space toward the Wall, the pitch of the rack being the same as thethickness of the curtain. This movement of the shaftV toward the Wall is retarded as before, by the spring 38 which is flattened more and more as the shaft and the lever 31 move toward the Wall.

The construction which We prefer to use for guiding the edge of the curtain is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6. As there shown, the guide or channel is formed by a Z shaped member 55, the inner liange of which is secured to the Wall 56 by bolts 57 passing through'slots 58 in vertical alinement in the flange of the Z bar. A Wedge member 59 is mounted as shown, against the inner flange and the angle of the Z bar, a lead or other fusible Washer G0 being interposed between the outer surface of the Wedge member and the head or nut Gl of the bolt 57. ledge member 59 is preferably formed, as shown, in the shape of the upper portion of a letter A. A plate GQis mounted on the outside of the outer flange of the Z bar 55, the plate 62 having its outer edge bent around the Wedge 59 as shown at 63, and having its inner edge bent around the inner edge of the flange of the Z bar 55, as shoivn at 64, for the purpose Vof strengthening the same. The plate G2 has openings formed therein in line With the bolts 57. The edges of the curtain are guided between the Wall 56 and the outer fiange of the Z bar on each side of the door or Window, as shown.

Preferably the curtain 1 is provided on its bottom with a resilient member for taking up the shock when the curtain hits the sill or floor. Preferably We employ the construction shoivn in YFig. 7, in which blocks 65 and 66 are secured in line With each other on opposite sides of the bottom of the curtain at intervals along the bottom and triangular steel bar 67 is mounted in position With its upper sides sprung into contact with the opposte sides of the curtain and resting upon the tops of blocks 65, 6G, and its lower flattened edge extending at right angles to the curtain beneath the same and beneath blocks 65 and 66. lhen the curtain drops, this device Will take up and distribute the shock of the fall. 1t is also free to expand and contract under the action of any change in temperature.

' In case o'f fire, any unequal expansion of the members yconstituting the guide-Ways or channels, will be taken care of by the melting of fusible'vvashers 60 and by the slots 58 in the Z bars through which the bolts 57 extend.

Having now described our invention, what We desire to claim and protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In a fire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter, of a rotatable drum upon Which the said shutter is adapted to he Wound, counter-balance means for the sluitter, means for rendering the counterbalance means ineffective, and thus permitting the shutter to fall, means for retarding the fall of. the shutter, operable only when said countcrbalanee means has been rendered ineffective, and means for maintaining the shutter constantly parallel to the opening to be protected in the. wall during its fall, suhstantiall.v as described.

In a lire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter, of rotatable slmtter-carrying means, means for normally preventing the automatic descent of the shutter under the influence of gravity, friction braking means, normally in a position out of cooperative relation to said shuttencarrying means, and means for .releasing said preventing means yunder conditions of abnormal heat, and placing said friction breaking means in position to act upon said shutter-carrying means frictionally, substantially as described.

3. In a hre shutter, the combination with a roller-shuttor-carrying drum and the shutter carried thereby, of means for causing the movement of the shutter toward the open ing to be protected by the shutter during the univinding of the latter from its drum, yielding means normally resisting the univinding of the shutter, other means for rel sisting descent of the shutter, normally .in inoperative position, and means for simultaneously rendering said yielding .means ineffective and placing said other means in operative position, substantially as described.

4. In a fire shutter, the combination with a roller shutter and a rotatable drum therefor, of a bodily movable bearing for said drinn, means normally resiliently opposing movements of translation of said bearing, other resilient opposing means normally ineffective and means for releasing said bearing from the restraint of said first opposing means and causing said other opposing means to oppose movements of said bearing, substantially as described.

5. In a lire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter and a rotatable drum therefor, of a counter-balance spring for said shutter mounted Within said drum, a retarding spring outside said drum, and means operable upon the occurrence of abnormal heat for rendering said first spring ineifeetive tomaintain said shutter in raised position and for causing said second spring to resist the descent of said shutter, substantially as described.

6. ln a fire shutter, the combination With a roller-shutter and a rotatable drum therefor, of a braking lever, means normally maintaining the same in inoperative position, and means actuated under conditions of abnormal heat for releasing said first means, and permitting said lever to fall into braking position, substantially as described.

7. ln a iire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter and rotatable shutter-supporting means, of a pivoted braking lever, means normally maintaining the same in inoperative position above said supporting means, means normally preventing the automatic descent of said shutter under the influence of gravity, and means for releasing said lever and said shutter from s'aid maintaining means and said preventing means respectively, substantially as described.

S. ln a lire shutter, the combination With a roller-shutter and rotatable shutter-supporting means, of a screw mounted at right angles to the opening to be protected by said shutter, and means operated by the descent of said shutter for advancing said supporting means along the said screw, substantially as described.

9. 1n a fire shutter, the combination With a drum, a shaft therefor, yielding means tending to retard rotation of said shaft, frictional retarding means, normally inoperative, and means actuated by abnormal heat for releasing said shaft from said first retarding means, and for causing said 'frictional retarding means to bear frictionally upon the periphery of said shaft, substantially as described.

10. 1n a fire shutter, the combination With a roller-shutter, and rotatable shutter-supporting means, of means for advancing said supporting means at right angles to the aXis thereof, means for actuating said advancing means connected for operation by the descent of the shutter, means for opposing yielding resistance to the said advance of said supporting means, and heatactuated means for placing said resisting means in operative position, substantially as described.

11. In combination With a fire shutter, -a shutter carrying member, supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idle resistance element, means for rendering said counter-balance inoperative and rendering said idle element operative to retard said shutter in its descent.

12. In combination With a fire shutter, a shutter carrying member, supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idle resistance element, automatic means for rendering said counter-balance inoperative and rendering said idle element operative to retard said shutter in its de- ,scent- 13. ln combination With a. fire shutter, a shutter carrying member, supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idle resistance element, means for siimiltaneously rendering said counter-balance 'inoperative and moving said idle element into Working relation to said member.

14E. ln combination With a lire shutter, a shutter carrying member, supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idle resista-nce element, automatic means for simultaneously rendering said. counter-balance inoperative and moving said idle element into Working relation to said member.

15. ln combination With a fire shutter and shutter carrying member, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idle resistance element under thermal control, and means for automatically rendering said counterbalance inoperative and rendering said idle element operative to reta-rd said shutter in its descent upon a dangerous rise in temperature, said means permitting manual operation against said counterbalance and leaving said idle element inoperative. f

16. In combination, a curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing the curtain, a normally-inoperative check-device for the curtain, and automatic means for simultaneously rendering the spring inoperative as a. counterbalance and rendering the checkdevice operative.

17. In combination, a curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing the curtain, a normally inoperative check-device for the curtain and automatic means for rendering the spring inoperative as a counter-balance and rendering the check device operative.

18. In combination, a curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing the curtain, a device for checking the descent of the curtain, and automatic means for rendering the spring inoperative as a counterbalance and connecting the device to the curtain.

19. ln combination, a fire curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing the curtain, an automatic normally-inoperative check-device adapted to ease the descent of the curtain, and means for simultaneously rendering the service spring inoperative as a counterbalance and rendering the check-device operative.

20. ln combination, a curtain barrel, a curtain on said barrel, a service spring for normally counter-balancing the curtain, a normally inoperative check device for retarding the descent of the curtain and means operable upon a predetermined rise in temperature for rendering said spring inoperative as a counter-balance and at the same time connecting said check device to the barrel to retard the descent of the curtain.

21. In combinatien, a fire curtain, a service spring for normally counter-balancing This speciication signed and witnessed 10 the curtain, a check device normally disconthis 16th day of August 1911.

nected from the curtain and adapted to ease DANIEL B. BRYAN.

the descent of the curtain When connected HAROLD F. BLANCHARD. thereto, and means operable upon a predellltnesses:

terniined rise in temperature for rendering- FRANK OBRIEN,

the service spring inoperative as a countel- 7. J. MCELROY,

balance and connecting the check device to DYER SMITH,

the curtain. S. W. BAEDER.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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