US1530652A

US1530652A - Automatic fire shutter

Info

Publication number: US1530652A
Application number: US549707A
Authority: US
Inventors: Milton L Cornell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1922-04-05
Filing date: 1922-04-05
Publication date: 1925-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1942-03-24

Description

March 24, 1925. 1,530,652

M. L. CORNELL AUTOMATIC FIRE SHUTTER Filed April 5, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z6 MIKE/W08 HIS/4 TTOR/VEY March 24, 1925.

M. CORNELL AUTOMATIC FIRE SHUTTER 2 R. Y h E 0 m x w. s H 3 M .QN @N w w R m B H W" MN v M. ml t 7 r r2 R d m n March 24, 1925.

1,530,652 M. L. CORNELL AUTOMATIC FIRE. smm'n Filed April 5, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HIS 7A TTORNEV Mitten a. CORNELL, or new "roan, n. v.

AUTOMATIC? FIRE SHUTTER.

Application filed April 5, 1922. Serial No. 5 .9,707.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON I1. CORNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 60 1 West 26th Street, New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire Shutters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of fire resisting shutters or curtains which are normally held in raised or open position but which are designed to be automatically released and closed upon a predetermined rise in temperature, as in case of fire.

Owing to the infrequent use of shutters of this class, dirt and other foreign matter collecting in and about the parts sometimes actto prevent starting movement of the shutter when released. Because of this, and other possible conditions tending to interfere with the free closing movement of the shutter, it has been the object of my invention to provide animproved means for positively starting the shutter when automatically released.

()ther objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wall having an opening to which my improved shutter has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken'on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the shutter and its operating mechanism.

Fig. 4: is a section taken on the line 4 -4: of Fig. 3, showing the automatic starter for the shutter. L

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the automatic release for the starter as viewed fromthe right hand end of Fig. 3 with the housing removed.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation'of'the release shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a front view, partly sectioned vertically, of a modification 'of the-operatin mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the modification shown in Fig. 7, looking from the left-hand end thereof.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7, and

to slacken.

Fig- 10 is a section taken on the line 10 -10 of 'Fig. 7. Referring to the drawings, and more par ticularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, there is shown a shutter or curtain 10 which is adapted to close an opening 12 in a wall 13,

said shutter operating in side guides or channel bars 14: and, when in raised position, being substantially enclosed in a hood 15. In its raised position, the shutter is in the form of a roll wound upon a barrel 17, to which it is connected by spacing'collars or bushings 18 fixed to the barrel by screws 19, one end of the shutter being attached to said bushings. The barrel 17 is in turn mounted upon a shaft 20 which extends therethrough and is journaled adjacent its opposite ends inthe usual end brackets 26 fastened to the building wall or other support. The connections between said barrel and shaft comprise

bushings

21 and 22 surrounding the shaft and secured by fastening devices 26 to the interior ofthe barrel and to the shaft, respectively, and a helical spring 23 fixed at one end to the bushing 21 and at its other end to, the bushing 22. The spring 23 may be wound up or placed under tension by a turning of the shaft 20 till) so as to normally counterbalance any tendency of the raised shutter to descend, and its tension is preserved by locking the shaft against rotation by means of an automatic release mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown one form of automatic release mechanism comprising a toothed wheel 30 fixed to the end of the shaft 20 outside of one of the end brackets 26, and cooperating with said teeth is a detent 32 on a pivoted lever 33, said detent being here shown in the form of an anti-friction roll. The lever 33 is normally held so that the detent 32 engages with the teeth of the wheel 30 to hold the shaft 20 against rotation, by means of a bell-crank detent 32 efiective, while'the other arm 37 is normally held in raised position by a connecting chain ,38 extending through. the

housing of the bracket 26 and held taut. In the chain 38 are located one or more fusible links; 39 which, upon a given rise in temperature, will fuse'and allow the chain 38 The arm 37 of the bell-crank 35 is heavily weighted, so that upon the slackening of the chain it will descend,

latter downwardly to swing its detent roll 32 out of engagement with the toothed. wheel 30, both. of said

rolls

32 and 34 preferably being formed of brass or similar noncorrosive material to assure a free rolling contact of the same with their engaging parts. The full tensional force of the spring 23 is now effective to rotate the shaft 20 and the latter is given a rapid and heavy rotary impulse, which is in the direction of the unwinding of the shutter and is utilized to operate an automatic starter for positively starting the shutter downwardly.

As soon as the shaft begins to rotate, the tension of the spring 23 is" relaxed and is no longer suflicient to counterbalance the shutter, which is now ready to descend. In accordance with this invention an automatic starter is provided which utilizes the heavy rotatory impulse of the shaft, when the latter has been released, for effecting a positive initial start of the shutter. automatic starter, as here shown, comprises a pair of dogs 40 and 41 (see Fig. 4) pivoted upon a plate 42 fixed to the shaft, said dogs being normally held by springs 45 and 46 in contact with stops 43 and 44, respectively, located on the plate 42. Upon the release of the shaft by the automatic release mechanism, it will start to rotate rapidly in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 4) and the connected pivoted dogs, by a combination of centrifugal force and the inertia of their outer ends, will be caused to swing outwardly a distance suflicient to cause them to contact with the particular lugs 47 and 48 on a collar 49 fixed to one end of the barrel which are in advance of said dogs. It will thus be apparent that the rapld movement of the shaft 20 and the dogs 40 and 41, when the latter are brought into engagement with the lugs 47 and48, respectively, will be transmitted to the barrel to cause a positive starting movement of the shutter on its descending movement. While I have shown and described an automatic starter comprising the use of two dogs 40 and 41, it will be understood that one do only or more may be employed if so desire After the dogs have engaged the lugs 47 and 48 and imported the desired starting movement to the shutter on its downward or closing movement, there is no longer any necessity for further driving the shutter by unwinding of the spring because the momentum of the shutter is suflicient to carry it rapidly downward. The unwinding of the spring is'therefore stopped by means of a stop member, such as 90 (Fig. 5), carried by the toothed wheel 30 and engaging a lug 92 fixed to thebraeket 26.

This

madam The toothed wheel is provided with a plurality of openings 91 in which the stop member may be positioned to vary the amount of rotation of the shaft necessary for imparting the initial starting of the shutter, which will depend upon the strength of the spring, the size and weight of the shutter, etc. Further unwinding of the spring now being prevented, the shutter in descending will rewind the spring, the tension of the latter increasing as the shutter unrolls to counterbalance the increased momentum. The shutter, being nearly counterbalanced, can be easily raised.

To restore the fractional loss of tension in the spring, produced by the initial unwinding thereof to start the shutter, the shaft may be given a partial rotation to rewind the spring by means of a socket wrench engaged with the squared collar on the shaft adjacent the wheel '30. This operation is desirable to effect an accurate counterbalance of the shutter by the spring.

A modified form of the invention is illus-' shaft to which is fixed one end of the shutter at 73 (see Fig. 9). A modified form of automatic starter is also here employed and comprises a collar'74 fixed to the shaft and carrying pivoted dogs 7 5 similar to the dogs 40 and 41 and similarly mounted, so that upon rapid rotation of the shaft 71 under the action of the springs 70 they are caused to swing radiall outward due to the combination of centri ugal force and the inertia of their outer ends, against a bracket 76 carried by the inner end of the shutter and impart a positive initial downward movement to the shutter.

My invention as herein set forth is particularly desirable, especially from an economical standpoint, in that the counterbalancing spring forming part of the regular shutter operating mechanism is additionally utilized as a means for'imparting a positive starting of the shutter on its closing movement.

Var1ations may be resorted to within the scope of the annexed claims.

' What I claim is: I

1. The combination with shutter rolling means and a shutter thereon, of a shaft,-a

spring connected at one end to said shutter.

lot

Ill

shaft may rotate, and means for imparting to said shutter a positive initial movement, said last-named means comprising a lug movable with said shutter, and a pivoted dog carried by said shaft and being normally ineffective but rendered effective by the rotation of said shaft to engage said lug, the engagement of said dog with said lug causing said shutter to be positively set in motion.

2. The combination with shutter rollin means and a shutter thereon, of a shaft, a spring connected at one end to said shutter and at the other end to said shaft and normally under tension for counterbalancing the shutter, means for normally preventing rotation of said shaft, means for relieving the tension of said spring by rendering said last-named means ineffective so that said shaft may rotate, and means for imparting to said shutter a positive initial movement, said last-named means comprising lugs movable with said shutter, and pivoted dogs carried by said shaft and being normally ineffective but rendered effective by the rotation of said shaft to engage said lugs, the engagement of said dogs with said lugs causing said shutter to be positively set in motion.

3. The combination with shutter rolling means and a shutter thereon, of a shaft, a

spring connected at one end to said shutter and at the other end to said shaft and normally under tension for counterbalancing said shutter, means for normally preventing rotation of said shaft, means for relieving the tension of said spring by rendering said last-named means inefiective so that said shaft may rotate, and means for ima parting to said shutter a positive initial movement, said last-named means comprising a collar fixed to said shutter rolling means, lugs fixed in said collar adjacent the periphery thereof. and dogs carried by said shaft and normally out of the path of said lugs, said dogs being swung outwardly into the path of the lugs when the shaft is rotated to engage said lugs and set the shutter in motion. 1

4. The combination with shutter rolling means and a shutter thereon, of a shaft, a spring connected at one end to said shutter .nd at the other end to said shaft and normally under tension for counterbalancing the shutter, means for normally preventing rotation of said shaft, means for relieving the tension of said sprin by rendering said last-named means ine eetive so that said spring may rotate said shaft, means for imparting to said shutter an initial movement, and means for limiting the amount of rotation of said shaft to limit the unwinding of the spring, said lastnamed means comprising an adjustable stop rotatable with said shaft and a lug fixed in position in'the path of said stop.

5. The combination with shutter rolling means and'a shutter thereon, of a shaft, a spring connected at one end to said shutter and at the other end to said shaft and normally under tension for counterbalancing said shutter, means for normally preventing rotation of said shaft, means for relieving the tension of said spring by rendering said last-named means ineffective so that said shaft may rotate, and means for simultaneously imparting to said shutter a positive inltial movement, said last-named means comprising a lug connected to said shutter, and a plurality of pivoted dogs carried by said shaft, said dogs being normally ineffective but rendered effective by the rotation of said shaft to engage said lug, the

engagement of any one of said dogs with said lug causing said shutter to be positively set in motion.

6. The combination with shutter rolling means and a shutter thereon, of a shaft, counterbalancing means for said shutter connecting said shutter and shaft, thermallycontrolled automatic release means for normally preventing rotation of said shaft but which upon a predetermined rise in temperature releases said shaft to render said counterbalancing means ineffective, said automatic release comprising a toothed wheel fixed to said sha carrying a roll of non-corrosive material cooperating with said wheel to prevent movement thereof and having an operating arm,-a bell-crank having a roll of non-corrosive material mounted on one arm thereof, thermally-controlled means normally holding said bell-crank so that the said roll on one arm thereof is in engagement with said detent to render the latter effective, and means whereby the weight of the other arm of said bell-crank serves to rotate the bellcrank upon a predetermined rise in temperature and bring'the roll on its said first arm into engagement with the said arm of the pivoted detent to positively rotate the latter to ineffective posltion.

Intestimony whereof I afiix my signature.

MILTON L. CORNELL.

a pivoted detent