US1888999A - Dome damper - Google Patents

Description

J. B. MEYER DOME -DAMPER Nov. 29, 1932.

Filed Nov. l, 1929 1L@ 15)/ ff/ Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STTES JOHN B. MEYER, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS COMPANY, OF DUB'UQUE, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA DOME DAMPER Application led November 1, 1929. Serial No. 404,107.

My invention relates to fireplace dampers and has special reference to the type adapted to be positioned directly above the fireplace opening and having a movable damper member arranged to be actuated from a point 1n front of' and above the fireplace opening.

r `hese dampers have in the past been rather expensive, one reason for which has been the amount of machining required in their construction. It is necessary that the lid lit the frame rather closely to prevent cold air from entering the room in which the fireplace is located when the latter is not in use. For this reason the lid has been made to fit within the iiue or throat openings. I have, however7 de vised a new arrangement when the damper may be constructed with a negligible amount of machining, thereby substantially reducing the cost of manufacture.

One of the principal objects of my invention is, therefore, the reduction of the cost of manufacturing dampers of this character.

Another obj ect of the invention is the provision of a damper wherein dirt, soot, and

' 25 the like, falling down th-e chimney will be prevented from entering the fireplace.

l have also aimed to provide a damper employing an improved hinge which may be made entirely by casting operations.

A still further and important object of the invention is the provision of improved means for rotating the lid, which is positive in action and low in cost.

Other objects and advantages of my construction will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section through the center of my improved fireplace damper 4o showing the manner in which it is positioned in the lireplace;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the damper near one end showing the hinge construction, and

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rear side of my damper showing the top of the lid.

lvlere the damper is arranged to be' positioned at the top of the fireplace between the fireplace proper and the chimney. The damper includes a frame having side flanges 41 and 5 arranged to be positioned within the masonry of the fireplace and an angularly positioned dome 6 adapted to direct the products of combustion up into the chimney. rlfhe dome 6 is provided with side members 7 and 8 and end members 10, the side 8 having a greater portion thereof cut away to provide a throat opening 9. The throat is provided with coplanar edges 11 adapted to cooperate with a lid 12 in providing means for completely closing the throat opening. A plurality of stops 13 are positioned along the junction of they side 8 and the rear flangeA 5 and are arranged to support the lid 12 preventing it from sliding downward. The lid 12 is of such shape as to completely cover the throat opening 9 on the rear side of the dome, and is arranged to be rotated about its lower edge against the stop 13. A plurality of projections 14 having their lower ends 15 bent through a right angle are positioned along the lower edge of the lid 12. Openings 16 are provided therein to receive Cotter pins 17 or the like. These projections are arranged to be inserted in rec- T5 tanguiar openings 18 positioned within the rear side of the'dome. These openings are of such width as to loosely receive the projections 15 and of considerably greater length than is required for this purpose, thereby permitting the projections 15 to move angue larly therein as the lid 12 is rotated thereabout. rlhe cotter pins 17 are employed for the purpose of preventing the projections 15 from accidentally slipping from the openings 18.

It will here be apparent that the edges 19 of the lid are arranged merely to overlap the coplanar edges 11 of the throat. In this manner no machining of the contacting sur- 'faces is necessary to provide a comparatively tight joint. The same lwill be true at the lower edge 2O of the lid which overlaps the edge 21 of the throat opening. This provides a structure which permits the lid to be made entirely by casting processes, the hinge formed by the projections 15 and the openings 18 being capable of formation by such processes.

Referring now to the means for opening and closing the lid between the positions shown in Fig. l, I have herein provided a novel arrangement which is singularly serviceable and free from operating troubles. I have provided an opening 22 in the front side 7 of the dome and an opening 23 in the rear side 8 of the dome for the purpose of receiving an actuating rod 24 which lies transversely with respect to the damper and projects outwardly in front to a point sufficient to permit the operating handle 25 to be posi-l tioned without the front masonry 26 of the fireplace. A. thimble 2'? may be positioned within the masonry of the front brick work to conveniently support the handle 25 ltherein. A worm 28 is suitably positioned on the rod 24 between the openings 22 and 23, and is provided with a screw 29 to permit the former to be lixedly held upon the rod in the desired position. In order to prevent the rod 24 from sliding endwise, sleeve portions 30 and 3l are positioned about the rod 24 on either side of the worm to bear between the worm 28 and the abutments 32 and 33 at the openings 22 and 23. A gear segment 34 is attached to the side member 7 by means of a pair of ears 35 and a bolt 36. rlhis gear segment is arranged to engage the worm 28, rotation of the rod 24 and the wo-rm 23 causing the segment to move through an are. A link 37 is positioned on the forward end of the segment 34 by means of a pin 38 which permits pivotal movement of the link. The opposite end of the link is attached to the lower side of the lid 12 through ears 39 and pivot pin 40. A stop 41 positioned between the ears 35 is arranged to prevent the segment 34 from being rotated upward to a point where the lower tooth 42 thereof is out of engagement with the worm 28 and is arranged to prevent movement beyond the dotted line position shown in F ig. l. In this position it will be apparent that the segment cannot be rotated out of cooperation with the worm whereby positive action of the operating means is insured.

Y Here again the construction is such that all of the parts may be prepared by casting operations with substantially no machining. 'I he worm and segment are so arranged as to be positive in action, it being impossible for the operator to rotate the knob 25 to a point where the segment 34 will no longer be returned when the direction of rotation is reversed. It will also be plain that a minimum effort is required in turning the handle 25 to open or close the lid 12 due to the worm and segment and to the link construction. The lid 27 may be held in any desired position, whereby any degree of draft through the opening may be obtained, or the lid may be completely closed shutting out cold air from the chimney. `While in most dampers of this character the lid turns about its center, I have arranged that the lid should turn about its edge, and it will be seen that because of this construction soot, dirt, and the like which may have fallen down through the chimney during the warm summer months when the lireplace is inactive, will be thrown backward into the chimney opening when the lid is raised, and not caused to drop into the tireplace opening as is the case with the former typ-e.

While I have thus described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, I am aware that numerous alterations and changes may be made therein without departing materially from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited except as required by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims in which- I claim:

l. In iir-eplace damper having a triangular dome provided with a throat opening on one side thereof, a lid positioned over said opening, means near the lower edge of said opening for rotatably supporting said lid to move between a closed and an open position, a gear segment rotatably supported within said dome near the apex and intermediate the ends thereof, an arm pivotally connecting said segment at a point intermediate the point of support and the gear surface thereof with said lid whereby said lid is caused to move with said segment, a worm for rotating said segment to open and close said lid, and means for rotating said worm from a remote point to open and close said damper.

2. In a fireplace damper having a trianguieelar dome provided with a throat opening on l one side thereof, a lid positioned over said opening, means near the lower edge of said opening for rotatably supporting said iid to move between a closed and an open position, a gear segment rotatably supported upon and within said dome near the apex thereof, an arm having one end pivotally connected to said segment at a point intermediate the point o-f support and the gear surface thereof and the other end pivotally connected to said lid, a .rod passing laterally through said dome having support therein and projecting to a point beyond the front of said dome, a worm on said rod cooperable with said segment to rotate the same, and a handle on the remote end of said rod for rotating said rod to move said segment and rotate said lid between its positions.

In witness of the foregoing I aliix my sig* nature.

JCHN B. MEYER.

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