US1955019A - Door mechanism - Google Patents

Description

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H. N. REN-rowY DOOR MECHANISM Filed Nov. 1a, 1952 April 17, 1934.

April 17, 1934. I H, N, RENTON DOOR MECHANI SM i Filed Nov. 19, 1932 7 Shee'cs--Sheecl 2 ATTORNE H. N. RENTON DOOR MECHANISM Api 17, 1934.

Filed NOV.` 19, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY 5 w. -Lszliz-----lI---:-:-:: :44-4. l

fLrf ---uitge my mm H. N. @www DOOR MECHANISM Filed Nov. 19, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 M lNN-ron v, 1, f LATTORNEYS H. N. RENTON DOOR MECHANISM Filed Nov. 19, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR April 17, 1934.

rlllllllllllH HHHVI." HHH Unllllllllllllilnvnvlllllxlldn H HIIH H H|||||.I| .n.illlwnl 1 1 I 1| llll l llllll Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE t Application November 19,193.2,.seria1N0. 643,473 .1&7 claims, (ol. 31e-19.1,)

This invention relatesto door mechanism for wardrobe fronts and like cupboard spaces and is particularly useful in situations where a plurality of doorsfare arranged in a common planeacross the face of the opening whichv isto be enclosed. The invention has been developed with especial reference to its use in schoolroom wardrobes so that the present disclosure will relate primarily to this field of service, but I wish it to be `understood that theseveral features of the invention can be used wherever ,it is desired to close off a space with a plurality of. doors. .The termward robe, therefore, as used in the following description, as well as in the appended claims, is to be given a broad interpretation .as defining any space which can be closed by the door mechanism of my invention.

As will appear morefully hereinafter, my improvements lend themselves particularly well to installations where the doors are arranged in y a common plane to forrn a practically continuous surface when the doors are in closed position so that the outer faces of the several doors can be used as mountings for blackboards, bulletin boards,` display walls or the like.

Among the primary objects of the invention the following may be specifically enumerated: (1) the provision of a door mechanism in which the doors will provide'exceptionally large entrance areasor openings for greater convenience of access to the interior of the space which the doors enclose; (2) the`provision of doors which recede into the enclosed space so that when in open position they project orinterfere as little as possible with the space in front of the enclosure; (3) the provision of a mounting for the doors and of operating mechanism therefor which in no Way encroaches upon ,the usable space, as well as the provision of a door mechanism which reduces to a minimum the percentage of space which must be devoted to the doorsand their operating mechanism, especially when they are in their open position; (4) i the provision of a `mechanism of the character describedin which the doors are arranged to open in pairs so that the outer surfaces of contiguous doors'in adjacent pairs face each other when invopen position so that anyone or anything passing into or out of the enclosed space will not come in contact with whatever impedimenta may be mounted on the outer surfaces of the doors, such, for example, as blackboards, chalk rails, bulletins, pictures, charts or the like, and (5) the provision of a plurality of doors and operating mechanism thereunobstructed ven'- tilation space below each' door. In addition to the foregoing, another group of the more importantvobjects of my invention are las follows, i. e., the provision ofa 'plurality of 60 doorswhich maybeoperated in unison, ypreferably from one ofthe doorsknownas the master door; the provision, in such an arrangement, of means whereby any one of the ld'oors including the master door, may be opened individually; and the provisionofv means whereby all of. the doors may be locked in closed position by manipulation of a suitable locking mechanism controllable from one of the doors, preferably the master door. Another'object associated withthese ob- 70 jects is the provision of means, also preferably at the master door, for latching the doors'either in fully closed or in fully open position, as appear more fully hereinafter.

I Valso aim by my invention to provide a door mechanism of the character described in which the power necessary to operatethe doors in unison is materially reduced, which object is attained bymeansv of a novel operating mechanism for havinga convenient and `in -which the motion of the parts takes p lacein a direction generally across or transverse the plane of the closed doors, as distinguished vfrom a motion of suchv parts in a generally longitudinal direction such asis customary in the prior 1 art. In my improved type ofoperating mechanism, as will appear more fully hereinafter,- I

4also aim to. apply the necessary power at a point in such relation to the. pivots upon which 4the doors swing as to greatly increase the leverage exerted, especially whenthe doors are in closedv position, at which time the pivots of the several" doors are morenearly on what may be termed their dead centers. y

In general I valso aim to greatly simplify the construction of door mechanismsof the characj ter under consideration, as well as to lessen their costofmanufacture and `to reduce the expense incident to installation, maintenance or repair.

In addition, I aim to make operation of the doors,`

as well as the security which they afford when in locked position, more dependable thanl possible with devices heretofore known to the art.

How the foregoing, together with such other objects as may appearl hereinafter, or are incident to my invention, are obtained will be more clearly understood from the following description .of the accompanying drawings which illustrate the inventionl in a preferred form as applied to a schoolroom wardrobe.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a group of four 110 doors embodying my improvements, with the ceiling and floor shown in section and with certain portions of the lintel construction broken away in order to more clearly illustrate various parts of the door operating mechanism. In connection with this figure, I Wish it to be understood that many more doors might be included f in a similar arrangement, but inasmuch as the associated mechanism would simply be repeated in each door or pair of doors, it is not believed to be necessary to illustrate more than the four doors which are shown.

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken above the doors and showing the doors and the operating mechanism therefor in the positions they occupy when the doorsare closed. t

'Flgq3" is'a view similarto Fig. 2, but showing .the parts in the positions which they occupy when the doors are open.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with one of the doors in open position.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale showing the upper portion oi'v a pair of doors and the operating mechanism associated therewith.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of 5.

Fig. 7 is a still further enlarged elevation of a detail of the locking mechanism for the doors.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section of the latching mechanism associated with the master door taken approximately centrally of the guiding track for the master door inl'a plane which is substantially transverse the plane of the closed doors.

Fig. 9 is an inside elevation on an enlarged scale with certain parts broken away showing the :individual latching or controlling mechanism for all of the doors except the master door.

Fig. 10 isy a vertical longitudinal section through the mechanism of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an inside elevation of the lower portion of the mechanism on the master door which corresponds to the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 9. t

Fig. 12 is a vertical section through the structure shown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of 11.

Fig. 14 is a transverse section through a door illustrating the door knob and the manner in which it is connected to the latching mechanism for each door.

Fig. 15 is a vertical section through the upper end of the operating bolt on each door.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary plan view of the hinge memberused at the top of each door.

Fig. 17 is an enlarged elevation with certain parts in section illustrating the hinge mechanism used at the bottom` of each door.

Fig. 18 is a section on the line 18-18 of Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is an elevation of a toggle mechanism extending between the interior edge of each door and the back of the wardrobe, which toggle mechanism is adapted-to ensure uniform inward motion of the top and bottom portions of the door, and

Fig. 20 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 19 in which is included a dotted line indication of the position the parts will occupy when the door is fully opened. s Y j Referring tothe drawings, it will be seen that one end of the space which could be enclosed by the doors is defined-by the wall 21, There may be a similar -wall at the other end, but this is not shown inasmuch as only aportion of the group of doors is illustrated. The vceiling is shown in section at 22 and the oor at 23. The door lintel includes the bar or beam 24 and the outer facing or apron 25.y Portions only of the members 24 and 25 are illustrated, but it will be understood, of course, that they extend entirely across the opening to be closed and are broken away for the sake of clearness in illustrating the working parts of the door mechanism.

Four doors are illustrated, namely, 26, 27, 28 and 29, and of these four doors the one at the left hand end in the present installation is to be designated the master door. However, I wish-it to be'understood that any one of the doors might be so designated, but it is, of course, more convenient to use an end door for this purpose.

The doors are of the receding type and are arranged in pairs, 26-27 and 28-29, with the doors of each pair openingaway from each other and with the outer surface of contiguous doors in adjacent pairs facing each other when in open position as clearly shown in Fig. 3. y

- Each door is mounted at the bottom. upon a swinging arm 30, the' arms 30 for each pair of doors, of course, being oppositely disposed as shown in Figure l. AThe details of the construction of the arms 30 and the manner .in which the doors are pivoted thereto are illustrated on an enlarged scale in Figs. 17 and 18 to which reference should now be made. A base or supporting member 31 is suitably attachedk to the floor 23 and from this base a pivot bolt 32 projects upwardly toward the bottom edge of the door. 'I'he arm 30 is mounted on the upper end of this pivot bolt 32 and'adjustment of the vertical position of the arm BU/may be accomplished by means of the nut 33 threaded on the bolt 32 just above the base 31. Any suitable bearing means 34 may be inserted between the arm 30 and the top of the nut 33. The outer or free vend of the arm 30 carries the vertical pin 35, the lower end of which is covered by the cap 36. A plate 3 7 is screwed to the under edge of the door, and asleeve 38 extends upwardly from the'plate 37 into a hole formed in the door, as clearly shown in Fig.-17. A suitable bearing member 39 similar to the bearing 34 may be interposed between the plate 37 and the upper face of the arm 30. y

` The upper edge of each dooris correspondingl mounted, except, of course, that the specific structure necessary to provide the required motion takes a slightly different form in order that it may be adapted to its particular location, especially in its relation to other parts of the operating mechanism. By referring to Figs. 1, 5 and 16, the details of the upper mounting'will be seen to include a plate member 40 fastened as by screws 41 to the upper edge of each door above the corresponding lower arm 30. A hinge member or swinging arm 42 corresponding to the arm 30 is pivoted upon the pin 43 at the inner end of the plate member 40, the outer end of the hinge or arm 42 being adapted to swing upon the pin 44 which, in turn, is mounted in the lower flange of an angle-shaped bracket 45, the upper flangek of winch is secured to the under face of the lintel strip 24. The pin 43 is located directly over the pin 35A and the pin 44 is located directly over the pin 32 so that each 'door is pivoted upon a vertical axis intermediate its side edges,` which axis is mounted between the free ends of a pair of opposed swinging arms having co-axial `pivot points. n

It will, therefore, be seen that the doors are mounted so that they can recede into the .space which they enclose, the outeredges of each pair of doors being adapted to vmove toward the rear of the Wardrobe, while, at tliesame time, pivoting on the vertical anis provided by the pins 35 and 43 and simultaneously swinging on the arms 30 and 42.' vWhen in full `open position the free or inner edge of each pair of doors takes a position very close tothe position formerly occupied by the outeredge of each pair when the doors are` in" closed position. Furthermore, the several parts of the mechanism for mounting the`doors which have just been described are so arranged as not to encroach upon any usable wardrobeV In addition, when `in their fully open each door. This trackway is composed of a pair of spaced ll-spaced members 47, the ends 48 of which are upturned andsuitably secured to the inside of the door lintel at the front and to the rear Wall of' the wardrobe at the back;v The trackways are set at a slight angle as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, althoughtheir general direction istransverse the plane of the doors when in closed position. Furthermore, the door mounting mechanism and the tracks 46 are arranged so that the chalk rails 49 on contiguous doorsiof adjacent pairs will not interfere lwith one another during opening or closing movement. It should also be noticed that the doors, during their opening movement, require but a minimum of space in which toA changef from oneposition to the other, so that a maximum of space is irade avail able on the inside of thewardrobe. In other Words, if used for schoolroom purposes, a row of hooks can be placed substantially along the entire length of the rear wall of the wardrobe without the danger of conict between anything which i may be hung upon the hooks and the doors themselves.

Each door is provided with a guiding bolt or pin 50, the upper end of which projects into the space between the L-shaped members 47 in order to be properly guided by the trackways 46.

For the sake `of ease in operation, the upper end of each bolt 50y is providedwithv a rotatable cap member 51 mounted upon roller bearings 52 and secured in position by means of a screw 53, as shown in detail in Fig. 15. Each cap member 51 is also provided with a shoulder 54 which is adapted to t against the under faces of the hori zontal flanges 55 ofthe L-shaped members 47 as best shown in Figs. 9 and 10. e

The guide bolts 50 project-upwardly above the trackways 46 in position to be engaged by the actuating rod or bar 56, the bar 56 being of channel-shape, as shown to best advantage in Fig. 10, and having on its under face a pair of opposed beveled shoulders 57 for each bolt 50. The head of each bolt 50, therefore, rides in a groove or slot 58 formed between the` vertical edges of the members 57. `The outer beveled faces 59 of the cranlrspivoted tothe ceiling upon pins 61. The shorter arms 62 of the bell cranks are pivoted to a control rod 63w hich is also parallelv to the plane of the closed doors and, thereforejparallel to the actuating rod 56." f

When the doors yare closed `the blell cranks 60, 62 are in the position shown in Fig. 2, and when all of the doors are opened in unison these bell cranks and the parts attached thereto takejt-he positions indicated in Fig. 3. Motion of the actuating rod 56, therefore, is a' bodily movement rof translation fromthe front of the wardrobeV to-` Wardsthe back,and by means of its operating connections to the bell cranks 60, 62, and the control rod 63, the actuating rod 56 isr always maintained ina plane'which is substantially parallel to the plane of the closed doors. It will, there-y fore, be understood that the motion of the actuating rod 56 is one which maybe described as transverse the plane of theclosed doors instead of in a direction longitudinally thereof. This gives rise to a much more eflicient use of the l power developed so that the doorscan be opened or closedwith a minimum of effort. swing either to their open position or to their closed position, the heads of the pins 50 are" `a pair of beveled lugs 64 ateach end of the .limit oi` travel o1' the shoulder 54 on .the pin 50 as seen to best advantage Vin Fig; 8; When the master door is in its fully closed positionor in its fully open position the shoulder'54 will abut against the outer or vertical edges of the lugs 64 as shown in dotted lines inFig. 8. l As willfbe l.described hereinafter, the pin 50 may be retractednor lowered so that the shoulder 54 will clear the lugs 64 and permit the master door to be moved from closed to open position and vice versa. The inclined surfaces 65 on the inner edges' of the lugs 64 (see Fig.` 8) serve toforce the shoulder and the pin 50 downwardly so that as the door moves from an intermediate positionv to either of its extreme positions an automatic latching effect will take' place, the pins, 50 vbeing. spring held in their upper position as will be described below. l

From the foregoing it will be seen that when As the doors i thedoors are being operated in unison from thev master door 26, they can be held latched either in` fully closed position or in fully opened position and that in either of these positions no one' of the other doors can be used tomoveV all of the doors in unison.l

Under normal operating conditions the pins 50 on the several doors are in position to be engaged in the slots 58 between the beveled members 57 on the under side ofthe lactuating rod 56 as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. VIndividual doors, however, may be openedfor closed in the 'following manner, reference being had, in the tirst instance, primarily lto Figs. 9 and 10 which illustrate the means employed for permittlngindividual operation oi each of the doors except thelmaster door.

vIn considering Figs.' 9 and I0 it will be assumed.'

by way of example, that the door illustrated is the second door from the left hand'end, namely,

door 27, it being recalled that Fig..9 is an -inside elevation ofthe mechanism under consideration. The lower end of the bolt 50 is mounted in the housing 66 which is securedto the inner face of the door 27 near its upper edge. An adjusting screw 67 is threaded into the lower endof the bolt 5,0 and a spring 68 is interposed between the head 69 of this screw and the bottom .wall of the housing 66, so that the bolt 50 is always urged .to its extreme upper position. An operating rod or bar 70. extends downward within the housing 71 and the lower end of the rod 701s turned inwardly toformthe hooked portion 721. A plate or operat-V ing disk 73 is pivoted upon the pin 74 to the inner wall of the housing 75. At a point above the pivot pin 74 the' operating disk 73 is provided with apair of actuating studsv or pins 76 arranged in posi'- tion to be brought into engagement with the hook portions 72 on `the lower end of the rod 70.

`The .upper end of the rod 70 is also bent inwardly to form the hook 77 which projects over the underk face of the head 69 on the adjusting the pin 70 by virtue of the fact that one or thev bolt 67. The central portion of the hook 77 'is depressed as at 78 to t into va corresponding depression 79 in the under face of the head 69. This arrangement prevents the bolt 67 from turning after it has been suitably adjusted. The bolt 50 carries a set screw 80 which slides up and Vdown in the slot 81 in the housing 66. This serves to prevent rotation of the bolt 50. y

The necessary individual adjustment of each bolt 50 can be accomplishedgby depressing the bolt 50 sufficientlycfar to disengage the head, 69 from the hook 77 after which a screw driver can be. inserted from the bottom through the hole 82 and the interior of the spring 68 to engage .the slot 83 in the screw head 69.

suitable slots s4 are provided in the 'rod '70,

through which the holding screws 85 can be inserted, the screws 85'serving`as a guide for the rod 70 in its up Aand down motion.

.By rotating the operating vdisk 73 in either direction it is possible to pull downwardlygupon other of the pins 76 will be brought into engage#- ment with its corresponding hook portions 72. Downwardfmotion of the rod 70, of course, will movethe pin 50 downward a corresponding dis-V tance suiiicient to bring the .upper end of the pin clear ofthe beveled guiding shoulders 57. The

individual door may then be moved as desired ing edge of the door so as to be connected to the arm 87 attached to the inner end Aof the pin 88, upon the outer end of which is fastened the customary door knob- 89. The hooked end of the rod 86 is adapted to move backwardly and forwardly in the slot 90 formed in the lower portion of the wall of the housing'75.

The mechanism for latching the master door to the actuating rod 56 is essentially the same as that just described, with the followingv exceptions, the details of which are .illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12. In the master door the Alower end of the rod 70 is provided with the hooked portions 91 and 92, the former of whichv is on the longer arm 93 of the forked end of the rod 70 so that this hook 91 is at a lower level than the hook 92 on theshorter arm 94. The operating disk 73 on the master door is provided with lugs 95 and 96, the former of which cooperates with the hook 91 and the latter with'thechook 92, the` lug 95,v of course, being ,lower in position than the lug 96. Therefore, if the disk 73 on the master door is rotated in the direction of thek arrow 97 the'.rod 70 with its bolt 50, will be moved downwardly a suilicient distance lto bring the bolt 50 out from the slot' 58 between the beveled members 57 in a manner similar to what takes place inthe other doors ofthe wardrobe. But

if the disk 73 is rotated in the `direction of the' arrow 98, the motion impartedto the rod 70 and the bolt 50` will not be so great so that the upper end of the bolt 50 will vnot be removed from the slot k58. The motion, however, issufiicient to bring the shoulder 54 downwardly far enough to clear the vertical Vedges of the lugs 64 in the trackways 47 so that `the master door can be actuated to open or' closeall of the doors in unison.. y l

v The door knob on the master door is connected to the operating disk 73 in exactly the same manfner as are the knobs on the otherdoors lalready described. It should be noted, however, that on the master door a turn of the knob in one direction will only serve to release the shoulder 54 from the lugs 64 while a turninV the opposite di-` rection will serve to release the pin 50 from the slot58.` A

In order to lock all of the doors in closed position I providel the following mechanism, the details of which rare shown to best advantage in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. A locking rod 99 extends along the length of the row of doors and is carried upon the horizontal` rollers 100 which aresecured to one of the members 47 of the trackways 46 by means of the bracket devices 101. The rod 99 carries a roller 102 which is adapted to be engaged by the lever A103 pivoted to the door lintel on the pin 104. The roller 102 is held in place by. means of the strap 105 passing over the pin 106`which forms the axis of the roller 102.

The roller 102 is located over the upper edge of the master door 26 and the master door is-provided on its inner face with the vertical locking bar -107 which can bekey actuated .asA desired from the point 108, so thattherod .107 can be moved upwardly or downwardly. When moved upwardly the shoulder 108 on-the rod 107 will engage the under side of the pivoted arm 103 to force the latter against the roller 102. This, of course, will move the horizontal locking rod 99 to the right which will serve to bring the hooks 109 to a position in back of the upperv ends of the pins 50. This will be clear upon inspection' of Fig. 6 which, however, does notshow the locking rod 99 in its locking position, but it will, of course, be readily understood that a simple movement of the rod. 99 to the right will bring the hooks 109 in position to embrace the pins 50 as just described. Such action will serve to prevent motion ofthe pins 50 along the trackways 46 so that the doors will be held locked in their closed position. v i

When unlocked the spring 110 reacting between the eye 111 on the locking rod 99 andthe eye 112 on the track 46 will serve to aid in re turning the rod 99 to its normal or unlocked position.

In order to ensure uniform motion of the top and bottom edges of the doors, as well as to prevent' possible canting thereof due to uneven application of external pressure (as when using the face of the doors for blackboards) I prefer to provide them with the toggle mechanismy illustrated in Figs. 19 and 20. `It will be understood that the doors might bind if they were not kept in a substantially vertical position during actuation thereof 'and also that a pressure against the door might force one end inwardly beyond the other. For the sake of illustration it will be assumed that in Figs. 19 and 20 the door illustrated is the master door 26. At the receding edge of the door 26 is mounted the vertical rod 113 which is carried at its ends in the arms 114, the door ends of which are' mounted upon the vertically extending pins 115 "in brackets 116. The rod 113, therefore, can turn on the pins 115 as the door 26 is moved. A similar rod 113 is correspondinglymounted to the rear wall 117 of the wardrobe. lhe'two rods 113 are interconnected by the togglel rod 118 pivoted yintermediate their ends upon the pin 119. The lower ends of the toggle rods 118 are pivoted on pins 120y to the' lower ends of the rods`113, and the upper ends of the toggle rods 118 are pivoted on pins 121. which are adapted to ride upwardly and downwardly in the slots 122 in the upper portions or the rods 113.

By referring to Fig. 20 it will be seen that the door 26 in moving from its closed position shown y v v .of the receding type arranged in a row in a comin full lines to its open position shown in dot and dash lines, will 'compress the toggle mechanism so that Vit will occupy the position indicated byA the dot and dash line 123.

Other means, of course, might be employed to 1 maintain uniform inward or outward movement of the upper and lower edges of the doors, but the mechanism just described and illustrated in Figs. 19 and 20 serves the purpose very well and I prefer to employ it asI shown.`

` A summary of the operation is as follows: Assume that the doors are all in closed position as shown in Figure 1. In this position all of'them -may be locked by inserting a key at 108 in theA master door and raising' the rod 107, which' lat-- ter will move the locking rod 99 to the right in order to bring the hooks 109 in back of the pins 50. No door can now be opened.

When unlocked any door can be individually t `iopened. Each of the doors, except the master door, can be opened by turning its knob 8,9in either direction in order to lower the operating pin 50. When the top oi the pin clears the bevel guides 57 V(see Fig. 10), the door may be movedv toopen position without disturbing any of the other parts.

The master door may also be openedby turning its knob 89 in a direction which will similarly lower the pin 50 below the guides 57.

All of the doors may be operated in unison from the master door ,by turning the knob ofthe master door in the opposite direction, whichk will serve merely to lower the collar 54 below the stops 64 y (see Fig. 8) but not ftol remove the pin 50 fromI the guides 57. Movement of the master doorv will then actuate the operating rod `56 which, in

` turn, will move all of the doors either to open or closed position as desired. In either open or closed position the doors are latched by virtue of the fact that the collar 54 comes torest at the outer sides of the stops 64.

It will .be seen that my improved door mechanism is simple, compact and rugged. Ease of operation is greatly facilitated by virtue of the character of the motions employed and the doors are mounted in such a way as to avoid placing any supporting member or trackway or other mechanism in the usable space. This is particularly important at the floor where other types of Vmoving said rod bodily toward the back of the wardrobe to open the doors. l

2. In a wardrobe, the combination of a Iplurality of doors each of which ispivoted intermediateV its side edges between the free ends of an upper and a lower swinging carrier arm, a common operating rod lying in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the doors when in closedl position,"a pin and slot operatingconnection between the rod and the side of each door whichjsnearer the pivots of its swinging arms, land means `for moving said rod bodily 'toward the back 'of the wardrobe to open the doors.

3. In a wardrobe having a plurality of doors mon plane, the combination oi' an actuating rod extending along the row, means operatively connecting each door to said rod, and a mounting for the rod permitting bodily movementthereof in a direction transversethe plane oi.' the doors to open or close the doors in unison. y

4. In a wardrobehaving a plurality of doors of the receding `type arranged in a rowk in a common plane, the 'combination of an actuating rod extending along the row, means operatively connecting each door to said rod, and a mounting for the rod permitting bodily movement thereof` in a direction transverse the plane of the doors to open or close the doors in unison, together with means for effecting, said openingor closing movement of` the rod from one oi' said doors.

5. Awardrobe having a row of doors characterized by. the factthata door actuatingrod is provided which is substantially coextensive in length with the length of the row andwhichrod is i Imounted to effect an opening or closing movement of all of the doors in unison upon bodily movement ofl the :rod in a, direction transverse the plane of the doors. i

6. The combination of a row o1 doors mounted so as to enable `them to recede into the space which they close, an actuating rod extending along the row, anv loperating `connection between each door and said rod, trackways extending in a direction transverse the plane Yof the closed doors and .means for moving the rod back and forth in the 'general .direction of said trackways to open vand close the doors in unison.

7. The combination of a row of doors mounted so as to enable them to recede into the space which they close, an actuating rod extending along the row, an operating connection between each door and said rod, trackways extending in a direction transverse the plane of the closed doors, means' for moving the rod back and forth in the general direction of said trackways to open and close the doors in unison, and means for disconnecting a Y door from the rod to permit opening and closing thereof independently of the other doors.

8. The combination of a row of doors mounted so as to enable them to recede into the space which they close, an actuating rod extending along the row, an operating connection between each door and said rod, trackways extending in a. direction transverse the plane of the closed doors, means for movingT the rod back and forth in the general direction of said Vtrackways to open and close the.-

doors in unison, and means for disconnecting 'a' door from the rod to permit opening and closing thereof independently of the other doors, together with a common means for locking all of the doors in closed position.

9. The combination of a row of doors mounted so as to enable them to recede into the space which they close, an actuating rod extending along the row, a pin and slot operating connection between each door and said rod, trackways extending in a direction transverse the plane of the closed doors along which said pins are adapted to move to guide the doors during actuation thereof, said rod being mounted for movement back and forth in the general direction of said trackways to open and close thedoors in unison upon actuation of one' of the doors, and means for disconnecting a door from therod to permit actuation thereof independently of the other doors.

10. A wardrobe door including a pair of opposed swinging arms between which' the door is pivoted at its top and bottom edges upon an intermediate its side edges, the axis of the swinging arms being located approximately in the plane of a side A edge so asl not to encroach upon usable wardrobe space, a trackway extending in a direction transverse the plane of the door when closed, an actuating member movable in the general direction of the trackway, a slot in said actuating member, and a pin on the door extending into said slot whereby the door may be opened or closed upon movement of the actuating member as aforesaid.

11. A wardrobe door including a pair of opposed swinging arms between which the door is pivoted Yat its top and bottom edges upon an vaxis intermediate its side edges, the axis of the swinging arms being located approximately in the plane of a side edge so as not to encroach upon usable wardrobe space, a tiackway extending in a direction transverse the plane of the door when closed, an actuating member movable in the general direction of the trackway, a slot in said actuating member, and a pin on the door extending into ,said slot whereby the door may be opened or closedv upon movement of the actuating member as aforesaid, together with means for releasing the pin from said slot but not from the trackway whereby to permit operation of the door independently of said actuating` member.

12. A plurality of doors each of which is pivoted on a vertical axis on a swinging arm, the pivot of said arm lying' approximately in line with an edge of the door, a transverse track at a side of each door, a pin on each door guided by said track, a common actuating rod having a slot for embracing each pin, and means for moving the rod in the an edge of the door, a transverse track ata side of each door, a pin on each door guided by said track, a common actuating rod having va slot for embracing each pin, and means for moving the rod in the general direction of the tracks to open the doors in unison, together with means for withdrawing individual y pins from their respective slots to permit independent actuation of each v door.

14. The combination of a row of doors mounted so as to enable them to recede into the space doorswhereby the doors may be opened or closed in unison, a locking rod, means on the rod adapted to embrace each of the door pins to prevent movement thereof, and means for moving the locking rod to bring said embracing meansinto operative relation with said pins to lock the doors in closed position. I

15. The combination of a row of doors mounted so as to enable them to recede into the space which they close, an actuating rod extending along the row, a pin on each door adapted to be .engaged by the actuating rod, said rod being mounted to move back and forth in a general direction transverse to the plane of the closed doors whereby the doors may be opened or closed in unison, means for releasing a pin to permit individual operation of each door, alocking rod mounted for longitudinal movementin a plane substantially parallel tothe plane of the closed doors, means on the rod adapted to embrace each of the door pins to prevent movementA thereof, and means for moving said locking rod to bring said embracing means into operative relation with said pins to lock the doors in closed position and prevent both unisonal and individual operation thereof.

16; In a wardrobe, a plurality of receding doors arranged in a common plane when in closed position, a common actuating rod, an individually releasible operating connection between each door and said rod, means for moving the rod toward the back of the wardrobe to open the doors in unison, a.r locking rod, means on the locking rod adapted to cooperate with each of said operating connections to prevent such opening movement,

and means for moving said locking rod lengthwise of the row to eiect such cooperative action and lock the doors in closed position.

17. In a wardrobe having a' plurality of doors of the receding type arranged in a row in a common plane, the combination of an actuating rod extending along the row, means operatively connecting each door to said rod, and a mounting for the rod permitting bodily movement thereof in a direction transverse the plane of the doors to open or close the doors in unison, together with means for maintaining vertical alig'ment of the doors.

HENRY N. RENTON.

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