US3082847A - Locking and operating device for doors - Google Patents

Description

March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,082,847

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 8 Sheets$heet 1 INVENTOR. CHARLES F. YOUNG $24 JMM, (Mum. 744% a 5M HIS ATTORNEYS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,082,847 LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16. 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 DEADLOCK-"K NEUTRAL-\ I 7 I I I "Malaria @Lmu E INVENTOR. In 89 CHARLES F. YOUNG mm. mam, rm a 5M HIS ATTORNEYS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3, 47

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jgjj .14 J5. J5

INVENTOR- CHARLES F. YOUNG BY 084 am, 560mm,

rmmm.

HIS ATTORNEYS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,082,847

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 wow 3 cum n 2 igo 9 I l I U] I i l l@ l 2 l J I i@ 2. E@

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INVENTOR. CHARLES F. YOUNG BY O fiaJg/wumimna. 7" a 5M HIS AT ORNEYS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 l I90 l9l I92 I84 TI INVENTOR.

* CHARLES F. YOUNG 4 4I $2 I/MQ, 2mm,

& HIS ATTORNEYS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,082,347

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet a 58 I 35 ml A 58 W KM 5] 1 7 7.31 0 I E |0- l 262 1250. m Hill 5 lll l llll fl Illiih 2| '10 L25 2 1 INVENTOR.

CHARLES F. YOUNG I HIS ATTORhPE YS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,082,347

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 we m W9 |?5 |94 we ISI \77 STOP REVERSE OVER TRAVEL I INVENTOR. CHARLES F. YOUNG HIS AT RNEYS March 26, 1963 c. F. YOUNG 3,082,847

LOCKING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Filed July 16, 1959 a Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR. CHARLES F. YOUNG BY 9&4 Jaw/m4, $614140,

a HIS ATTORNEYS 3332,34 7 Patented Mar. 26, 1953 3,082,847 LOCKING AND OIERATING DEVICE FOR DOORS Charles F. Young, Covington, Ky., assignorto The Stewart Iron Works Company, Inc, Covington, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Filed .Iuly 16, 1959, Ser. No. 827,523 9 Claims. ((31. 1897) This invention relates generally to locking and operating mechanism for sliding doors and more particularly to manually and power operated gangs of sliding doors in penal institutions which may be individually, selectively or simultaneously operated from a central control station preferably located at one end of the cell row.

In pen-a1 institutions, such as jails and prisons, where individual cells or compartments are provided for confining the inmates, said cells or compartments are preferably disposed in long rows with a sliding door for each ell or compartment opening into a common corridor. In some instances, the rows of cells or compartments are disposed in vertical tiers with the adjacent cells or compartments of the tiers vertically lined or offset. Heretofore, the doors of the cells have been either operated by power means or manually but not by both, and employing diiferent operating mechanism for each.

Where power operating mechanism has heretofore been employed, a separate motor unit and operating mechanism has been provided for the door of each cell or com.- partment. These have been electrically operated, and accordingly are out of commission upon power failure. Provision is usually made in such constructions for the doors to be manually operated upon power failure but even in such, the doors are not only individually operated but the manual operation for such individual operation is entirely separate from and independent of the power operated mechanisrnf In the present invention, each of the doors are automatically locked in opened or closed positions and at both their top and bottom ends, and a hollow lock post or jamb is provided at the rear of each door opening to eifect locking Without any projecting lugs at the front of the door. The locking means is con ined entirely within the door posts or jambs.

The main object of the invention is a gang of doors mechanically or power operated through common connecting mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision of mechanically power operated gangs of doors with common connecting mechanism and adapted to be controlled collectively, in selected groups or individually.

Another object of the invention is a gang of doors provided with a top and bottom locking means for automatically locking each door open or closed.

Another object of the present invention is locking and operating means for a gang of doors which is simple in construction and efficient in operation.

Another object of the invention is locking means for a gang of doors which is mounted within a hollow post or jamb at the rear of each door opening and free of projecting exposed parts.

Another object of the invention is a locking and control mechanism for a gang of doors in which any individ ual door or group of doors may be operated to either open or closed position and locked independently of any of the other doors that may be in opened or closed position and locked.

Further objects of the present invention and certain practical advantages will be referred to in or will be evident from the following description of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a cell with neotion between the forked end of the control lever and the control shaft.

FIG. 5 is a top view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an emergency hand crank.

FIG..8 is a top view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a hand wheel mechanism.

FIG. 10 is -a sectional view taken on line Iii-It) of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a side View of the hand wheel mechanism similar to FIG. 9 with the parts engaged.

FIG. 12 is a front elevation of the door operating device in locked position.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view on line 13-13 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view on line 1414 of FIG. 12.

FIG. '15 is a front elevational view of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a front view of a door step.

FIG. 17 is a side view of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a front elevation of the door locking mechanism in neutral position.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken on line 19I9 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 2% is a side view of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken on line 2I21 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a top view of selector lug and slide bar.

FIG. 23 is a series of sectional views taken along the control shaft showing selector lugs for consecutive doors.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the safety pawls.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken on line 25-25 of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a top view of FIG. 24.

FIG. 27 is a front elevation of the key lock and electro magnet selective controls.

FIG. 28 is a side view of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a view of the roller and cam plate assembly at the top of the lock post.

FIG. 30 is a side view of the locking mechanism and the bottom of the lock post.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged view of an adjustable door stop.

FIG. 32 is a front elevation of any door of the gang in open position.

FIG. 33 is a plan view of the bottom of FIG. 32.

FIG. 3'4 is an enlarged view of the operating bar guide and stop;

FIG. 35 is an end view of FIG. 34.

FIG.'36 is a view of bell crank lever.

FIG. 37 is a view showing extreme positions of the bell crank.

FIG. 38 is an elevation of the power driven unit.

FIG. 39 is a side view of a speed reducer in relation to crank lever and hinged reversible motor.

FIG. 40 is a side elevation of a compound lever arrangement.

FIG. 41 is a front view of FIG. 40.

Before describing in detail the herein disclosed embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the presentinvention is not limited to the structural details or the particular arrangement of parts herein shown, as devices embodying the present invention may take other forms. It also is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology herein used are for purposes of description and not of limitation, as the scope of the present invention is denoted by the appended claims.

In the larger penal institutions, the cells or compartments, are disposed in long rows, with each cell of a row opening to a common corridor or passageway. Each individual cell is usually provided with a sliding door which forms a closure for the opening. The sliding doors are preferably operated from a remote station, usually located at the end of a row of cells. It is often necessary to move a great number of doors at one time and such operation requires considerable force, therefore the operating mechanism of the present invention is preferably connected to an electrical reversible motor or other suitable driving means. Through the use of power driving means the operator may stand at arms length from the control cabinet for a better view of the cell rows and inmates during opening and closing of the doors. However, in case of power failure, manually operated controls are provided for the purpose of opening and closing the doors. Such manually operated controls may be used indefinitely while the faulty power equipment is under repair.

The operating and locking mechanism for each of the doors of a series is substantially of a duplicate construction and connected with a common operating bar and control shaft extending along the row of doors.

Referring now to the drawings, a door 10, shown most clearly in FIGURES 1, 2, l2, and 18-20 and 30 is provided at its upper end with a hanger plate 11 which in turn is rigidly secured to the door hanger 12 carrying a pair of rollers 13, which are adapted to roll upon a track 14. The track 14 is constructed of an angle iron bar as clearly seen in FIGURES l8 and and is secured by any suitable means to the front wall of the cell. It will be understood that the fixtures used for hanging the door may be of any suitable type which will permit horizontal movement of the door in a direction parallel to the length of the cell row while prohibiting vertical displacement thereof.

The lower edge of the door is held in alignment by a suitable U-shaped guide channel 15 which is attached to the front of the cell and is adapted to receive a similar but oppositely disposed U-shaped guide channel 16 which is rigidly secured to the bottom of the cell door.

A completely enclosed lock post or jamb 18 is located at the rear of the door opening; the jamb is of hollow post construction to enclose a sliding lock bolt 17 which is adapted to pass through holes 18a in the guide channel 15 and engage either of two openings 19 or 26 pro vide at the leading and trailing edge of the door so that the door may be locked in either its open or closed position. The lock bolt 17 is supported at its rear by a collar 21 which is rigidly secured to the jamb wall as seen in FIG. 30. The forward end of collar 21 provides a partial support for a pair of oppositely disposed cam plates 22 and 23 as seen in FIGS. 18 and 30, which are rigidly secured to the lower end of the vertically extending lock bar 24. Each of the cam plates 22 and 23 is provided with an identical inclined cam slot 25. The slots 25 are adapted to be engaged by identical spaced rollers 26 mounted for rotation on lock bolt 17. When the cam plates 22 and 23 are raised the lock bolt 17 is moved horizontally inward and withdraw from a locking position due to the camming action between the rollers 26 and the inclined cam slots 25'. When the cam plates are lowered the lock bolt is moved horizontally forward into engagement with the openings in the guide channels 15 and 16, thereby locking the door either in an open or closed position. Each of the inclined cam slots 25 is provided with a vertically extending portion 2.5a which functions to securely hold the lock bolt in its forward locking position, as shown in FIGURES 20 and 30. As seen in FIGURES 18, 20 and 29 the upper end of the lock bar 24 is provided with a vertical extension member 27. A roller 28 is pivoted to the upper end of member 27. The roller 28 is adapted to engage a cam slot 29 provided in a cam plate 30 which forms an integral extension on the rear portion of a slide bar 31. Cam slot 29 is provided with an inclined camming surface 29a which upon reciprocal movement of the slide bar 31 to the right from the position shown in FIGURES l8 and 29 raises the roller 28 to its highest level, as seen in FIGURE 32. This has the effect of raising the lock bar 24 which with the aid of inclined cam slots 25 withdraw the lock bolt 17 from engagement with the door, to unlock the door.

A bracket plate 32 is rigidly attached to the door hanger 12 and projects vertically above said door hanger to provide a support for a coupling link 33 which is pivoted to the bracket plate 32 at 34. The coupling link 33 extends forwardly of the bracket plate 32 and has its free end provided with a laterally extending lug 35 which in its lowermost position engages the upper surface of slide bar 31 and in its alternate or uppermost position engages in sliding contact a stationary slide rail 36. The stationary slide rail 36 is constructed of an angle iron fixed to the framework of the cell, as seen in FIGS. 18 and 20. The slide bar 31 is mounted for horizontal reciprocal movement on brackets 37, as seen in FIGURE 21. The extent of movement of slide bar 31 is limited by means of stud 38 which engages in elongated slots 39 in the slide bar to define the limits within which the slide bar may be reciprocated. A front cam tooth 46 is provided on the upper edge of the slide bar and projects vertically upwardly for engagement with the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 to swing the free end of coupling link 33 upwardly into a position wherein the laterally extending lug 35 is elevated to the level of the stationary slide rail 36.

In its elevated position the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 is in a position for coupling to an operating bar 41 which extends parallel to the slide bar 31 and forms a common power transmission means for opening and closing one or more, or all of the doors of a series or row of cells. The operating bar 41 is mounted for horizontal reciprocation on the cell front by means of supporting brackets 42, such as shown in I-GURE 13. The operating bar is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed latch pawls for each door of the cell row. Each pair of pawls consists of a forward pawl 43 and a rear pawl 44. Each of said pawls is pivotally mounted to the operating bar 41 at 45 and 46 respectively with the free ends of the pawls spaced apart sufficiently to engage between them the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 when the link has been elevated to a position, wherein, the lug lies in the plane of the slide rail 36. Each of the latch pawls 43 and 44 is provided with a laterally extending portion 47 and 48 respectively which is adapted to overlie the upper edge of the operating bar 41 to form a stop for limiting the downward pivotal movement of the pawls. The free or forward end of pawl 43 is provided with a vertically extending edge 49 which is adapted to engage the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 and move it .along the stationary slide rail 35, toward the rear or to the right, as seen in FIG. 13. Each of the pawls 43 and 44 is provided with a lower cam surface 50 and 51 respectively which automatically lifts the pawls when engaged with the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 thereby allowing the link to be engaged between the pawls.

Means is provided for returning the slide bar 31 to a neutral position during opening or closing movement of the door. Said means comprise a tripper dog 52 which is pivotally mounted at 53 on the cell front. The tripper dog includes a lower arm 54 on one side of the pivot 53 which is adapted to rest upon the rail 14 in the path of a roller 55 mounted upon the door hanger 12. The lower arm 54 is provided with a cam surface 54a which is adapted to engage the roller 55 during a door opening movement and a cam surface 54b which is adapted to be engaged by the roller 55 during a door closing movement. The tripper dog 52 is also provided with an upwardly or vertically extending arm 56 which is adapted to engage a roller 57 mounted on the slide bar 31 and shifts or slides the slide bar 31 forwardly or to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 18, each time the tripper dog is actuated thereby returning the slide bar to a neutral position. Return of the slide bar to a neutral position also advances the front cam tooth 40 and rear cam tooth 59 which are located at spaced distances adjacent the front and rear respectively of the slide bar 31, a suitable distance from the ends of the slide rail 36 to allow the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 to drop off of the end of the slide rail 36 when the door has reached either an extreme open or extreme closed position, thereby locking the door in either extreme of travel. As the door moves in either an opening or closing direction the tripper dog 52 returns the slide bar 31 and its associated cam plate to a neutral position, which action causes the roller 28 of the lock bar 24 to move to its lower position, as shown in FIGURE 18, whereby the lock bolt 17 lockingly engages the door.

To positively lock the roller 28 in its lower position in the cam slot 29 of the cam plate a travel rail 69 is rigidly secured, by any suitable means, to the door hanger 12. When the roller 23 is in its lower door locking position, the slide bar in neutral position, and the door closed, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 29, the travel rail 60 is then seen to lie directly in frontof the roller 28 to prohibit it from moving upwardly along the inclined cam surface 2% until the slide bar is moved to the right into an unlocked position, as hereinafter explained. When the roller 28 is raised due to the slide bar moving to the right, and the door is opened, the roller rides on the travel rail 60 and is maintained in its uppermost position throughout the entire travel of the door. When the door has reached its extreme open position the roller 28 then drops off of the travel rail 60 at the same time that the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 drops off of the slide rail 36. Thus, the door is locked, in an open position, atthe bottom by lock bolt 17, and at the top by the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 when it has dropped off of the right or rear end of the slide rail 36. In the closed position of the door the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 has dropped off of the left or front end of the slide rail 36, the lock bolt 17 is in locking engagement with the lower end of the door, and the travel rail 6% lies closely adjacent the roller 28, as shown in FIGURE 18, thus locking the door at three points. In additionthe door may be further locked by moving the slide bar 31 to its extreme forward position, or to the left as seen in FIGURE 18, to a deadlock position as hereinafter explained, wherein, the horizontal cam groove 2% together with the end of the travel rail 66 substantially surround and lock the roller 23 in its lower door locking position.

When a door is closed, as shown in FIGURE 18, the slide bar 31 for that door, is either in a neutral or in a deadlock position with the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 resting on the upper edge of the slide bar 31 and adjacent the forward edge of the slide rail 36 thereby locking the door against opening. Upon moving the slide bar to the right by means hereinafter described, the roller 28 is raised by inclined cam surface 2% to withdraw bolt 17 and unlock the door and the front cam tooth dd raises the laterally extending lug 35 of coupling link 33 to the elevation of slide rail 36. Simultaneously with the lug raising operation the lug is engaged between the coupling pawls 43 and 44 of the operating bar 41, thereby connecting the coupling link 33 with the operating bar 41 to permit moving the door into an open position upon reciprocating the operating bar 41 to the right. As the door is opened by the operating bar 41 the roller 55 on the door hanger 12 en- Cil gages the lower arm 54 of tripper dog 52 thereby shifting the slide bar 31' to the left, into a neutral position which brings the'rear cam tooth 59 forward of the rear end of the slide rail 36 so that the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33- may drop off of the rear or right end of the slide rail onto the upper surface of the slide ban-as shown in FIGURE 18. As the laterally extending lug 35 drops off of the rear end of slide rail 36 it is released from engagement between the pawls 43 and 44. Thereafter the slide bar 31 must be shifted to the right for rear cam tooth 59 to elevate the coupling link before the coupling link can be recoupled, by means of pawls 43 and 44,- to the operating bar for a door closing operation. It will be further understood that as the slide bar 31 is moved to a neutral position, the roller 28 drops into its lower position when clear of travel rail 60 wherein the bolt 17 lockingly engages the bottom of the door, as heretofore described.

Thus, it is seen that the roller 28 will be caused to automatically position itself in its lower-most door locking position, as seen in FIGURE 18, at the extreme open or extreme closed position of thedoor, in response to the tripper dog 52 returning the slide bar to a neutral position.

To close the door after it has been opened the slide bar 31 is shifted to the right so that rear cam tooth 59 raises the laterally extending lug 35 of coupling link 33 to the elevation of the slide rail 36 While simultaneously moving inclined portion Ze a of the cam slot 29 into engagement with the roller 28 and causing the roller to be moved into its highest position thereby withdrawing the lock bolt 17 to unlock the door at the bottom, as heretofore described. The operating bar 41 is then advanced so that the laterally extending lug 35 on the link 33 becomes engaged between the pawls 4-3 and 44 which permit the door to be moved to a closed position upon reciprocating the operating bar 41 to the left. As the door is closed by the operating bar 41, the roller55 on the door hanger 12 actuates the tripper dog 52 which shifts the slide bar 31 to a neutral position, this also moves the front cam tooth 40 into a position, as seen in FIGURE 18, whereby the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 can drop oil of the front end of the rail onto the slide bar 31. Simultaneously, the roller 28 is caused to move into its lowermost position wherein the lock bolt '17 engages the rear opening 20 of the door, automatically locking the door in a closed position. In a closed position the door is locked at two upper points and one lower point as heretofore described. A suitable stop 62 limits the movement of the slide bar to the right as viewed in FIG. 18.

The operating bar 41 is reciprocated by suitable means housed within a cabinet located at one end of the row of cells. A suitable reversible motor 64 is connected to a vertically disposed shaft 65 by means of a multi-jaw tooth clutch. The clutch consists of a stationary lower portion 66a connected to the motor '64- and a separable upper portion 66b. The upper end of the shaft 65 is provided with a bevel pinion 67 which meshes with a bevel gear 68 to which is attached a spur gear 69 adapted to mesh with the rack teeth 79 provided on the lower edge of operating bar 41, as seen in FIG. 12, to move said bar to the right or left depending upon the direction in which the motor is driven. It will be understood that as the operating bar 41 is reciprocated to the right, as seen in FIGURE 18, it will cause the doors to be opened if proper engagement has been made with the coupling link 33, or conversely if the bar is moved to .the left, as seen in FIGURE 18, it will cause the doors to be closed upon properengagement with the coupling link 33. The power means provide an easy and convenient mechanismfor opening and closing a large number of doors simultaneously and thereby relieve the operator from manually moving a heavy load.

Manual means are provided for reciprocating the operating bar 41 in case of power failure or should it be-desired to operate the bar by means other than the motor 64. Such manual means include a shift lever 71 having an enlarged hub portion 72 which is connected to a circular disk member 73 by means of a shaft 72a supported for rotation in hub 81. The disk 73 is provided with a small projecting eccentrioally mounted pin 73a which is adapted to engage the under surface of an upper projecting ring 74 an raise the upper clutch half 66b to disengage the clutch while simultaneously engaging the horizontally disposed bevel gear 75 on shaft 65 with the pinion gear 76, as seen in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6. The outer surface of the hub 72 is provided with a pair of spaced notches 77 and 78 which are adapted to be engaged by a spring urged detent 79 mounted on a bracket 80 which is rigidly secured to the cabinet wall. The bracket 80 also supports the lever 71 by means of bored hub 81. The detent 79 frictionally retains the lever 71 in a first position wherein the drive motor 64 is connected to the vertical shaft '64 or in a second position, wherein, the shaft 64 is disconnected from the motor and connected for manual operation. The spring detent thus engages the crank in a number of positions and maintains it in the selected position.

The pinion gear '76 is supported by a suitable bracket 82 which in turn supports a crank lever 83 which is drivingly connected to the bevel gear 76 by shaft 84 through bracket 85. The crank lever 83 is pivoted at 86 to the bracket 85 and when not in use is maintained as shown in FIG. 1 and in the dotted line position of FIG. 7. When it is desired to reciprocate the operating bar 41 by means of the manual mechanism the crank 83 is pivoted from the dotted line position of FIGURE 7, to the full line position of FIGURE 7. In FIGURES 7 and 8, I have shown the details of the hand crank which may be used in emergency operation or in connection with a fully.

manually operated device. Detent 87 is designed to lock positively in a hole 88 provided in the crank 8-3 when the crank is in a natural operating position, shown in full lines in FIGURE 7, or in a semi-positive locking position with notch 89 when the crank is in a folded position, as shown in FIGURE 1, and in the dotted line position of FIGURE 7. The latter position being necessary in order to close the door provided on the cabinet 91. The detent 87 is urged into positive engagement with the hole 88 by means of a spring 89. A push button 90 is associated with the spring for disengaging the detent 87 from the hole 88 of the crank. To return the shaft 65 into engagement with the motor 64 the shift lever 71 is rotated so that the eccentrically mounted pin 73a engages the upper surface of the lower ring 92 thereby moving the clutch into engagement while disengaging the gears 75 and 76.

A worm gear 93 is mounted on shaft 65 and is in driving engagement with a worm wheel 94 of a rotary limit switch 95 which is adapted to control the forward and reverse movement of motor 64 by automatically shutting off the motor in response to a preselected number of revolutions of said motor. This in turn controls the movement of operating bar 41.

It will be understood that the horizontally disposed bevel gear '75, hub 74a, supporting rings 74 and 92 and upper clutch portion 6612 form a unit which is suitably splined on shaft 65 for limited axial movement along the shaft 65 while still maintaining driving engagement with said shaft so as to permit movement into and out of engagement with the pinion gear 76, or the lower clutch portion 66a without axially moving the vertical shaft 65 and the pinion 67 at the upper end thereof.

The slide bar 31 for individually controlling the opera tion of the several doors of the row of cells is manually reciprocated by control shaft 96 extending longitudinally parallel with the operating bar 41 with its forward end extending into the control cabinet 91. The control shaft 96 is coupled to the upper end of a hand control lever 97. The hand lever 97 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 98 which is fixed to a wall of the cabinet 91 and has its motion controlled by a double swing stop member 99 which is pivotally secured at 100 to the wall of the cabinet. The stop 99 is provided with a shoulder 101 to permit free movement of the control lever 97 to an outward or unlocked position and back to a neutral position, without the chance of being inadvertently locked in a deadlock position. The stop is provided with a notch 102 on its underside to receive a pin 103 which also engages the shoulder 101 to prevent the control lever 97 from being inadvertently pushed into its deadlock position. The stop 99 is manually releasable and must be lifted upwardly from the full line position, as shown in FIGURE 4, so that the pin may clear the shoulder 101 and the hand lever shifted into a deadlock position wherein the pin 103 engages the notch 102, as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4. The notch 102 is relatively deep and allows the stop 99 to drop to a lower level, as shown by the dotted line position of FIGURE 4, and is maintained in the dotted line position of FIGURE 4, by a block 104, attached to the cabinet door 105 passing over the stop when the cabinet door is closed thereby locking the control lever 97 in a deadlock position as seen in FIG. 1. Thus, it becomes necessary to first place the hand lever 97 in a deadlock position before the door of the cabinet can be closed. This insures that an operator will not fail to positively deadlock the cell doors before closing the cabinet door.

The upper end of control lever 97 is bifurcated to form a fork 106. The fork 106 pivotally supports a pair of spaced shoes 106a and 10612 which are engaged in a groove formed between two connected but spaced collars 107a and 10717 rigidly connected to the control shaft 96, see FIGS. 4, 4a and 4b. The control lever 97 can thus reciprocate the shaft 96 and its associated slide bars 31 while permitting the shaft 96 to be revolved.

The control shaft 96 is revolved by means of a handwheel 108 as best seen in FIGURES 3, 9, l0 and 11, which is drivingly connected to a pinion gear 109 by a shaft 110, pinion gear 109 is rotatably supported by bracket 111 which is connected to a wall cabinet 91. The handwheel 103 is prevented from turning on the shaft by pin 112 which engages suitable slots provided in the conical hub 113 of the hand-wheel. The pinion gear 109 is locked in any selected position by means of a spring urged pawl 114 which is provided with a downwardly projecting lug 115- which engages the teeth of the pinion gear in any selected position. When the hand-wheel 108 is pushed forwardly, or to the right, from the position as seen in FIGURE 11 to the position, as seen in FIGURE 9, the conical hub 113 of the hand-wheel engages a downwardly projecting portion of an L-shaped arm 116 to raise the pawl 114 so that it frees the pinion 109 whereupon rotation of the hand-wheel causes the pinion 109 to be rotated. The pawl 114 is pivotally mounted at 117 to the rear wall of the cabinet. The pinion gear 109 is connected to a vertically disposed rack bar 118 which is provided with tooth segments adjacent its upper and lower ends. The pinion 109 is in mesh with the lower tooth segment and is adapted to raise or lower the bar in response to rotation of the hand-wheel 108. The rack bar is slidably supported on the rear wall of the cabinet by means of suitable brackets 119 and 120 as seen in FIG. 3. The upper end of the rack bar is in mesh with a pinion gear 121 which is splined upon the control shaft 96 for revolving the shaft in response to the raising or lowering of the rack bar 118. A pointer 122 is attached to the lower end of the rack bar 118 and projects through a slot 123 provided in an indicator 124 to show the proper rotational setting of the control shaft 96 for selectively opening the desired door, or doors.

Above the rack bar 118 is a plunger which is urged to the left, as seen in FIG. 4, by a spring 140a. The plunger is supported by suitable brackets 141 and 141a. The rack bar 118 must be in its lowest or all position before the cabinet door can be closed. When the door is closed it locks the rack in its all position by extending over the upper end of the rack bar.

As seen in FIGURE 22, the control shaft 96 is provided with a plurality of keys 125, one key is provided for each door of the series of cells. Each key is located on the shaft so as to be disposed between a pair of spaced lugs 126 and 127, projecting from the slide bar 31 of each door. Each key 125 for each door is constructed of a main collar 128 which is rigidly mounted to the control shaft 96 and a pair of wings or bits 129 and 131i projecting radially outwardly from the outer surface of the collar 128. One wing 130, of each key 125 is arranged to be in simultaneous alignment so that all of the doors of a series may be simultaneously control-led. Second wings 129a or 12% for example of each key have relatively different angular dispositions from the aligned wings 130 of their respective keys, for the other doors of a series, to provide an individual or selective door control, when adjusted or set to an intermediate registry with the lugs 126 and 127 of the slide bar of a selected door. In other words, all of the doors may be selected and opened by using the wings 139, which are adapted to simultaneously align with each other whereas any one door may be selected through the use of its respective wing 129, 129a or 12%. Thus, when wing 129 is in registry with its particular door the wings 129a and 12912 for example of all other keys are not in registry with their doors whereas when wing 1311 of a particular key is in position then all the other wings 130 for the remaining doors will simultaneously be in position for engagement with their respective projecting lugs 126 and 127. Additional wings may be added to each key for operating the doors in two or more groups or combinations.

When the control lever 97 is in a deadlock position the wings of the keys 125 are in actual contact with their respective forwardmost lug 126 of their respective slide bar 31, thereby having a locking effect upon all of the slide bars in the sense that they cannot be reciprocated. When the control lever 97 is moved to a neutral position the wings of keys 125 move into acentral position between the proiecting lugs 126 and 127. When the control lever 97 is in a neutral position the control shaft 96 and its associated keys can then be revolved by means of handwheel 108 so as to select any or all doors. For example, if the hand-wheel is rotated so as to position the pointer 122 at the all position then all of the wings 13% will be simultaneously aligned between their respective projecting lugs 126 and 127 of all doors. Now assuming that a door is in a closed andlocked position, in order to unlock the door the control lever 97 is moved to the unlocked position which has the effect of reciprocating the control shaft 96 and its associated keys 125 to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 22, so as to abut against the rear lug 127 and move the. slide bar 31 to the right and bring about the unlocking of the door, as heretofore described, by elevating the laterally extending lug 35 of coupling link 33 to connect the same with the operating bar 41 and to release the locking bolt 17 from engagement with the door, thereby permitting the door to be opened upon actuation of the operating bar 41.

It should be noted that when the control lever 97 is in unlocked position, additional locking means as seen in FIGURES 12, 14 and come into play. -A pair of spaced, enlarged conical members 131 and .132 are rigidly secured to the shaft 96. The opposed enlarged'conical members 131 and 13 2 are provided to move. a locking shoe 133 into a rack or toothed segment 134 set flush into operating bar 41. The enlarged conical members are adapted to engage a lever 135 pivoted at 136 between support brackets 136a, when the control lever 97 is in a deadlock or unlocked position, and raise the lever 135, as seen in FIGURES 14 and 15 which moves the locking shoe 133 into locking engagement with the rack 134 of operating bar .1. As seen in FIG. 14 the locking shoe 133 is provided with an elongated hollow body portion 133a which is slidingly received within a hollow collar member 137; The lever has a finger portion 135a which projects through suitable slots in the collar member 137 and body portion 136 to contact a stud 138 contained in body portion 133a which has a coil spring 139 secured to the reduced forward end 138a thereof. Thus, the lever 135 exerts pressure on the locking shoe via the yielding medium of spring 139.

Lever 135 is in a lowered inoperative position when it is positioned within the space provided between the two enlarged conical members 131 and 132 and this occurs only when the control lever 97 is in a neutral position. For this reason it is necessary to return the control lever 97 from the unlocked position back to a neutral position to cause the locking shoe 133 to be disengaged from the rack 13 4 inthe operating bar 41 when it is desired to open the door.

As seen in FIG. 32 two safety switches 142 and 143 common to each row of cells are also provided and each is operated by an enlarged pair of opposed conical members 144-and 145 respectively on shaft 96 when the control lever 97 is in deadlock or unlock position. The safety switches are so positionedas to be actuated by any position of the control lever 97 other than neutral. One of the switches 142 or 143 is connected by a suitable circuit to the power supply of drive motor 64 which is cut off when the switch is actuated. The other switch is connected with solenoids 146 (the purpose of which is hereinafter described) by a suitable circuit and prevents energizing said solenoids when the control lever 97 is in any position other than neutral.

By placing the control lever 97 in a deadlock position, after the door is in a locked full open or full closed position, the control shaft 96 is moved to the left, which in turn moves the slide bar 31 all the way to the left via the keys 125, as seen in FIGURE 18, so that the horizontal cam groove 2%, see FIGS. 18 and 29, of the cam plate surrounds the roller 28, and locks it in this position. Furthermore, movement of the control lever 97 into a deadlock position also causes the locking shoe 133 to engage the rack 134 provided in the operating bar 41 and simultaneously causes switches 142 and 14-3 to-kill the electric motor 64, and prevents energizing the solenoids 146. In deadlock position the control lever 97 is latched into notch 102 of stops 99 so that access by an inmate to the operating bar 41 would not permit movement of the bar since it is locked in the control cabinet. Therefore, in deadlock position the doors cannot be moved manually or by the mechanical power means.

As seen in FIGS. 12 and 18 switches 150 and 151 are provided to indicate Whether the door is closed and locked respectively. Both switches are ina common circuit so that both must be actuated in order for a light on the control panel to be operated. For example, the door must be in a closed position, as shown in FIGURE 18, for the switch 150 to be actuated by an extended finger 152 connected to the coupling link 33 engaging the switch 150 when the coupling link 33 drops off of the front end of slide rail 36. Now, unless the lock bar 24 and its associated lock bolt 17 are in locking position, the switch 151 will not be actuated by a lever arm 152 which is pivoted at 34 into engagement with said switch only when the roller 28 is in its lowest position as shown in PEG. 18. In other words there are two switches 15%) and 151 in a common circuit, both must be closed in order for the circuit to be completed, and when the circuit is completed-a light in the cabinet 91 Will'either go on or off Whichever is desirable to indicate that the door is closed and locked both at the front and at the rear endsthereof. It will be noted that both the coupling link 33 and the roller 28 must be in a downward locking position before the signal lights for any door can be operated. A switch 150a is provided, see FIG. 12, to indicate when the door is in an open position. The extended finger 1521s adapted to actuate switch 159a when the coupling link drops off of -the rear end of slide rail 36 and may be in a second common circuit with switch 151 whereas both must be actuated before the circuit is closed.

The rows of lights entitled open and closed as seen in FIG. 3 provided in the control cabinet 91 would be responsive to the open and closed position of the doors. For example, a closed light for a particular door could go on when the door is closed and locked in response to switches 150 and 151 being actuated. An open light could go on when the door is open and locked in response to switches 151 and 150a being actuated.

Means is provided whereby the door may be manually unlocked when in either an open locked position or in a closed locked position, by means of a key, see FIGS. 1, 27. The key operated mechanism is located in the door jamb 154 located at the forward end of the door to prevent tampering and includes a vertically extending rod 155, an upstanding finger 156 pivotally connected at 157 with a bracket 158 secured to the front wall of the cell row, and also pivotally connected for sliding pivotal movement within a groove 159 provided in a link 169 at the upper end of the rod 155. The upstanding finger 156 is adapted to move in a clockwise direction about the pivot 157 when the rod 155 is moved in an upward direction in response to a key actuating said rod. It will be understood that a key inserted into the lock 161 containing suitable locking mechanism the details of which form no part of this invention, and therefore are not shown herein, is adapted to move the rod 155 in an upward direction. The finger 156 engages the front cam tooth 58 on the slide bar 31 and moves the slide bar to the right in response to turning the key in lock 161. When the slide bar 31 shifts to the right we have the same action as heretofore described wherein the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 is raised to the elevation of slide rail 36 and the lock bolt is disengaged from the door in response to the lock bar and its associated roller 28 being raised. The door may then be opened by operating bar 41. While the door is being opened the tripper dog 52 returns the slide bar 31 to a neutral position and this in turn moves the finger 156 in a counter-clockwise direction about pivot 157 and lowers the rod 155 to its initial position before the key unlocking operation. In order for the door to be unlocked by the key the control lever 97 must be in a neutral position for if it were in a deadlock position the key would be ineffective since the slide bar would be locked against movement by the key member 125 engaging the projecting lug' 126 and retaining the slide bar 31 in its most forward position.

Means is provided for electrically unlocking the cell doors when in an open locked positioned or in a closed locked position. Said means include a solenoid or electromagnet 146, as best seen in FIGURES 27 and 28. A solenoid 146 is associated with each door of the cell row and is preferably rigidly mounted on bracket 158 adjacent the forward end of each door. The solenoid is of the pull type and has its operating arm 147 pivotally attached at 148 to a lever 149. The lever 149 is pivoted at its lower end on pin 165 and when the solenoid 146 is energized the arm 147 is moved to the right from the position shown in FIGURE 27 thereby pivoting lever 149 about pin 165 in a clockwise direction so that it engages a roller 166 on slide bar 31 and moves the slide bar to the right into a door unlocking position. It will be understood that the only function of the solenoid is to move the slide bar into a door unlocking position. Electrical push buttons 170 are provided in the cabinet 91 for each of the solenoids 146. An all button 171 is also provided, whereby, all of the solenoids can be energized simultaneously thereby unlocking all of the doors at one time. An ordinary simple circuit, the details of which are not shown herein, is provided between the buttons 170 and 171, the solenoids 146 and a suitable source of electrical energy. It will be further noted that the control lever 97 must be in a neutral position in order for the solenoid 146 to be effective upon energization. As heretofore explained any position other than the neutral position causes the safety switches 142 and 143 to disengage the solenoids 146 as well as the drive motor 64.

It should now be apparent that the slide bar 31 may be moved only within a limited range and its movement to an unlocking position may be caused by moving the control lever 97 from a neutral to an unlocked position, by the solenoids 146, or by a key. Each of these means imparts the same movement to the slide bar and in substantially the same range. As the door is opened or closed the slide bar 31 is always returned to a central neutral position by means of the tripper dog as heretofore described.

No special arrangement is needed for opening all the doors by hand. With the operating bar 41 located in its normal rearmost or deadlocked position, and the indicator 122 set on all (which is the necessary setting to close cabinet door) in case of fire or other emergency, the operator need only open the cabinet door, pull the control lever 97 out to the unlock position and return the same to neutral. Each inmate can then open his own door immediately. The doors will automatically lock in either an open or closed position as heretofore described.

Shock absorbing stop and guide means are provided for the operating bar 41, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 34. A guide rod 175 is secured to the cell wall by spaced brackets 176 and 177. A guide member 178 is rigidly fixed on the free end of bar 41 and slidingly engages the rod 175. A shock absorber is provided adjacent each end of the rod 175 and consists of coil spring 179 inside of which is mounted a solid sleeve 180 of relatively shorter length than the spring to prevent the spring from being compressed beyond its limit. Double nuts 181 provide an adjustment for the spring and sleeve. The guide member 178 is adapted to strike the spring 179 in either extreme of travel of the operating bar '41. Only one set of stop and guide means is needed for the bar 41.

Another form of safety pawl is provided, as shown in FIGURES 24, 25, 26 and 32. Said safety pawls or latches include a front pawl 183 and a rear pawl 184 which are supported for limited vertical movement in suitable grooves provided in a housing 185 which is slidably mounted on the operating bar 41. Pins 186 and 187 on the pawls 183 and 184 respectively engage slots 188 and 189 respectively of the housing 185 and limit the vertical movement of the pawls. The housing 185 is held in place on the operating bar 41 by means of a spring urged plunger or detent 190 which has a pointed lower end engaging in a notch 191 provided on the top surface of the operating bar 41, as seen in FIGURE 25. The plunger 190 is adjustable by means of screw 192 so as to break away from the bar 41 at any predetermined pressure for protection of both inmates and mechanism. Two fixed stops 193 and 194 are provided for each door and connected to the cell front to limit the movement of the safety pawls so that they can be easily recovered after breaking away from the bar 41. Thus, in the event that movement of the door is obstructed by an inmate, for example, if he placed his hand, head or any other obstruction within the opening between the door and the jamb the plunger 190 would break away from the notch 191 after a predetermined pressure has been reached thereby stopping the closing action of this particular door and permitting the operating bar to continue its movement, This safety pawl construction protects both the inmates and the locking mechanism. It will be noted that the notch in the upper surface of the operating bar 41 need not extend along the entire length of the bar but may merely be a conical notch located at a specific point to receive the pointed end of the plunger of detent member 198.

As previously explained during a door opening opera- 13 tion the front'pawl 43 or 183 engages the laterally extending lug 35 of the coupling link 33 and as the operating bar 41 is reciprocated to the right or to the rear the front pawl through its engagement with the lug 35 pushes the door into an open position. However, it sometimes happens that when the operating bar 41 is moved too slowly, or any undue restrictionprevents the door from being freely opened, the frictional contact between the front pawl and the laterally extending lug 35 of coupling link 33 occasionally prevents the link 33 from dropping off of the right or rear end of slide rail 36 as seen in FIG. 18. Failure of the links to drop prevents the desired locking action which occurs when the coupling link 33 drops off of the slide rail '36. Furthermore, since it is often required to close a door by hand without the use of the operating bar it is desirable to have the front pawl partially pass over or overtravel the lug 35 when in its rearmost position so that when the link is raised by action of the rear cam tooth 59, as heretofore explained, the front pawl will also be raised and allow the laterally extending lug to slide under the pawl onto the slide rail 36 to a position wherein the door may be closed by hand. However, when the coupling link 33 fails to drop away from the front pawl due to frictional engagement this overtravel is impossible. To avoid this possibility a spur 195 is attached to pawl 43 as seen in FIGURES 12 and 18 and is designed tostrike a roller 1% which is attached to the wall of the cell and raise the pawl 43 with an abrupt motion at approximately the instant link 33 is due to drop, upon reaching the right or rear end of slide rail 36. By means of the spur 195 the pawl is held in an upward position, as seen in FIG- URE 12, above the level of the slide rail 36 thereby permitting the coupling link and its associate lug 35 to be raised and slid under the pawl so that the door can be closed by hand without the necessity. of first moving the operating bar and the pawls to their forward position. In the modified embodiment of the safety pawl, shown in FIGURES 24, 25, and 26, the front pawl is raised by means of a lever 193 which is pivotally attached at 199 to the. forward pawl 183 and designedto pivot about a pivotal support member 290 secured to the housing 135 when the lever 198 strikes roller 201.

In FIGURES 36, 37, 38 and 39 I have shown modified means for reciprocating the operating bar 41 which can be used for any desired number of doors but is particularly suited for a smaller number than the structure heretofore described. A bell crank lever is providedhaving a relatively short base leg 294. and an elongated vertical arm 205 connected to the operating bar 41 by means of a connecting link 206 which is pivoted at 207 to the arm 205 and at 208 to the bar 41. The base leg 204 extends at substantially right angles to the arm 205. The bell crank is actuated by -a power driven crank 299 which is adapted to revolve in a forward and reverse direction somewhat less than a full turn. The crank 209 is provided with a crank pin 210 which is received within a cam slot 211 provided in the base of the leg 204. The bell crank is pivotally mounted at 212 on a suitable bracket not herein shown. Crank 2419 is keyed to a shaft 213 which is suitably supported and adapted to be driven by power means and preferably driven through means which include a clutch and speed reducer, hereinafter described. The purpose of the present structure is to move the door as follows. Starting from the forward or door closed position as indicated by the solid line position shown in FIGURE 36 the arm 205 is moved to the right or to the dotted line position 205' where the door is in a full open position and the coupling link 33 ready to drop. At this point the clockwise movement of the arm 205 stops for an instant as indicated by the dot-dash stop line of FIG. 36 then reverses to move in a counter-clockwise direction for aslight amount as indicated by thev dot-dash reverse line to break any frictional contact between the laterally extending lug 35 of the link 33 and the front pawl, =as heretofore described, and thus leave the coupling link '33 free to drop at the rear end of the slide rail 36. Following the counterclockwise or reverse movement of the arm 205, the arm again reverses its direction and travels in a clockwise direction to an over-travel position indicated by the dot-dash over travel line of FIGURE 37. This entire door opening motion of the arm 295 is provided by a single continuous motion of the crank 269 as it moves from the full line position to the dotted line position 2113 of FIGURE 37.

Starting with the door in a closed position and the arm 205 in the full line position of FIGURE 36, upon rotating the crank 209 in a clockwise direction from the full line position toward the dotted line position 209' of FIGURE 37 the crank pin 210 travels as follows within the cam groove 211 of the base leg 264, to move the arm from a door-closed position to a door open position. Starting with the crank pin in the full line position of FIGURE 36 it will move along the cam groove during initial rotation of the crank 2 39' until it engages the projection 214 which provides the reverse movement in the arm 235, then as the pin moves into the dotted position 215 in groove 211 the crank 2G9 drops into the lower portion of its turn and pin 21% engages the projection 216 which again reverses the direction of travel ofarm 205 and moves it in a clockwise direction about the pivot 212 into the over-travel position shown in dot-dash lines in FIGURE 36. Depression 217 provides for a lirnited amount of dwell in the door closing movement but due to the upward trend of the major portion of the curved path of the crank 299 and crank pin 21b during a door closing operation wherein the crank 269 is revolved in a counter-clockwise direction from the dotted line position 203' of FIGURE 37 to the full line position of FIGURE 37 the depression is bypassed. Likewise in a door closing position the projection 214 is bypassed as the curved path of the pin 21% and crank 29? is downward during its initial counterclockwise movement from the dotted line position 2G9 of FIG. 37.

In moving the door from a closed position as shown in full lines in FIGURE 36, to the open position, shown by the dotted lines of FIGURE 36, the cam pin 21% moves from the full line position along the bottom surface of the cam groove 211, as the crank 209' travels in a clockwise direction about shaft 213, and moves the arm 205 from the full line position to the dot-dash Stop line position of FIGURE 36. As the crank pin 210 begins its upswing in the lower portion of the clockwise revolution about shaft 213 it contacts the upper surface of the cam groove 211 and upon contacting the projection 214 provides the arm 235 with the reverse movement thereby reversing the direction of the movement of the arm 235 and moving it into the position indicated by the dot-dash reverse line position of FIG- URE 36. Continued clockwise movement of the crank 205 causes the crank pin 21% to engage the projection 216 on the lower surface of the cam groove 211 which again reverses the direction of the arm 295 and moves the arm into the dot-dash over-travel position indicated in FIGURE 36. Depression 217 provides the dwell in the door opening position which permits the crank to continue to revolve and allow the power drive to come to a stop without undue shock. When moving from a door opened position to a door closed position the depression 217 is bypassed and projection 214 is also bypassed when closing the door. In this operation the crank pin begins its travel along the upper edge of the cam groove 211 bypassing the depression 217 as well as bypassing projection 214 since the curved path of the crank pin is downward. Limit stops 21S and 219' are provided for the crank 239 to insure that the momentum of the motor will not move the crank beyond the desired stopping point after the current has been cut off. The power is cut off by suitable limit switches not herein shown.

As heretofore mentioned the crank 209 is keyed to one end of a shaft 213 which has its other end journaled in casing 220a which is keyed to a shaft 221a which is connected to a speed reducing mechanism 221 of any suitable form which is in turn driven by a reversible motor 222 mounted on a hinged shelf or bracket 223 as seen in FIGS. 38 and 39. A clutch collar 220 is splined for reciprocal movement on the shaft 213 and in the position, shown in FIG. 38, drivingly connects the casing 220a and drive motor 222 to the crank 2&9. In its alternate position the collar 220 is disengaged from the casing 22% and engaged with the hub 234 by means of teeth 234a whereby the crank 269 may be actuated by means of a hand crank 231 which has a worm 232 which engages worm wheel 233 on hub 234 which transmits its motion to the crank 269, through teeth 234a, clutch collar 220 and shaft 213. The shifting mechanism at 223 for reciprocating the clutch collar 220, which has an eccentric 229 adapted to be received in a groove 230 on clutch collar 22%, is substantially the same as that described in connection with the shift 71 of FIGS. 3, and 6. The reversible motor 222 is adapted to drive the crank 209 through the speed reducer 221 by means of a belt 224. The hinged bracket 223 is held in a downward position by gravity and limited in its downward movement by a fixed bracket 225 having a plurality of spaced notches 225a and 22512 adapted to be engaged by an adjustable spring plunger 226 attached to the bracket 223. Under normal operation the hinged bracket 223 and motor remain fixed in the position shown in FIG- URE 39, with plunger 226 in engagement with notch 225a, but, during the door opening or closing operation should the door become blocked or the operating mechanism become jammed, the sudden strain on the belt 224 would lift the motor by pivoting bracket 223 about the hinge 223a and said members would be caused to remain in their lifted position by means of plunger 226 engaging notch 2251; of the bracket 225. This movement accomplishes two purposes, namely, it releases the tension on the belt 224 and reduces its driving power and is also eifective in tripping a safety switch not herein shown which will automatically disconnect the power to the motor 222. Following correction of the trouble, pressure on a handle 227 which is rigidly secured to the bracket 223 will return the bracket and the motor to a running position wherein plunger 225 engages notch 225a. It will be understood that the described crank and lever mechanism may be directly driven by a power unit similar to that heretofore described in connection with FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 but the present embodiment is a somewhat more flexible arrangement and is especially adapted for a cell row having a relatively small number of doors.

In FIGURES 40 and 41 there is shown another embodiment of the present invention wherein a compound lever arrangement is provided for reciprocating the control shaft 96 and designed to replace the control lever 97 when a cell row is provided which has a large number of doors. A main lever 235 is pivotally mounted at 236 on a bracket 237 which is rigidly secured to the .end of the cell row within the cabinet 91. The upper end of the lever 235 is provided with a yoke 238 adapted to engage the control shaft 96. The lever 235 is connected to a double bell crank having a main arm 239 and a short arm 240. The short arm 240 is provided with a roller 241 which is adapted to engage a slot 242 provided in the lower end of the lever 235. The bell crank is pivoted at 243 on a bracket member 244 which is rigidly secured to the end of the cell row. The bracket 244 is provided with a quadrant 245 having a stop 246 which locates the arm 239 in an unlock position. The deadlock position of arm 239 is located by means of stop member 247, rigidly secured to the arm 239, engaging projecting bracket 237. A stop shoulder 248 is provided on the quadrant 245 and is adapted to be engaged by a latch pin 249 which is normally urged into contact with the outer surface of the quadrant 245 by means of a spring 250 to locate the arm 239 in a neutral position. A finger engageable loop 251 is provided at the upper end of the latch pin 249 in order to release the pin 249 from engagement with the shoulder 248 when it is desired to move the arm 239 from a neutral position to a deadlock position. The arm may be moved freely between the unlocked and neutral position without disengaging the pin 249. Since thearm 239 is not positively locked in a deadlock position and a limited amount of space is provided between the arm and the control cabinet in a closed position, a certain amount of yield is provided to compensate for the contraction and expansion of control shaft 96 due to temperature changes, thereby avoiding damage to slide bars 31 and the selector keys 125. The compound leverage of this device provides the additional power which is required for the operation of a large number of doors, and further eliminates rebound of the slide bars 31 when thrown too abruptly into an unlocked position. The bracket 244 is provided with a plurality of mounting slots as seen in FIGURE 41 for adjusting the stroke of the lever 235 which may be accomplished by raising or lowering the bracket. The arm 239 is provided with a handle 252 for engagement by an operator for manual operation thereof.

In FIGS. 16 and 17 I have shown a removable and adjustable door stop. A threaded sleeve 255 encloses a suitable resilient material 256 which engages the rear end of the door hanger 12. The sleeve 255 is provided with a threaded stud 257, which in turn is threadedly engaged in a bracket 258 and retained in selective adjustment thereon by means of a nut 259. The bracket 258 is rigidly secured to the track 14, as seen in FIGS. 16 and 17.

In FIG. 31 a modified form of front door stop is shown and comprises a hollow threaded sleeve 269 which is rigidly supported in a front channel member 261. The sleeve 260 encloses a suitable resilient material 262 against which the door may strike, as shown in FIG. 19. A screw 2631b provides for adjustment of the resilient material 262 within the sleeve 260.

In view of the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and useful and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A gang of doors for a row of cells and operating and connecting mechanism therefor comprising a single motor and a manually operated means disposed at one end of said cell row, common power transmission means selectively operatively connected to said motor or said manually operated means for opening and closing said doors, connecting means for each of said doors for selectively connecting one or more of said doors to said power transmission means, key actuated means operatively connected to said connecting means and adapted to actuate said connecting means into coupling engagement with said power transmission means.

2. A gang of doors for a row of cells and operating and connecting mechanism therefor comprising a single motor and a manually operated means disposed at one end of said cell row, a common power transmission means selectively operatively connected to said motor or said manually operated means for opening and closing said doors, connecting means for each of said doors for selectively connecting one or more of said doors to said power transmission means, electromagnetic means operatively connected to said connecting means and adapted to actuate said connecting means into coupling engagement with said power transmission means.

3. A gang of doors for a row of cells and operating and locking mechanism therefor comprising, an operating bar for moving one or more of said doors, power means for actuating said operating bar connecting means associated with each door adapted to be coupled to said operating bar, a slide bar for each door, locking means associated with each door for locking said doors in their open or closed position, means operatively connected between said locking means and said slide bar for each respective door whereby reciprocation of said slide bar in one direction moves said locking means into a door unlocking position and reciprocation of said slide bar in the opposite direction moves said locking means into a door locking position and electromagnetic means for selectively reciprocating said slide bar.

4. A sliding door operating mechanism, comprising, a sliding door, an operating bar for moving said door, a coupling link connected to said door, a pair of spaced opposed pawls comprising a front and rear pawl pivotally mounted on said operating bar, said pawls adapted to operatively engage said link, a stationary guide rail having a length whereby said coupling link drops off of the front or rear end of said stationary guide rail when said door reaches a completely closed or completely open position respectively, means for moving said coupling link onto said stationary guide railfor engagement between said spaced pawls, said front pawl frictionally engaging said link and pushing it along said guide rail during a door opening operation in response to movement of said operating bar, a lever projecting from said front pawl, means adapted to engage said lever when said coupling link reaches the rear end of said stationary guide rail and causing said front pawl to be pivoted upwardly and thereby positively break frictional contact with said link and permitting said link to drop off of the rear end of said guide rail and said front pawl to overtravel said coupling link.

5. A sliding door operating mechanism, comprising, a sliding door, an operating bar mounted longitudinally with said door for opening and closing said door, a coupling link connected to said door, a pair of spaced opposed pawls comprising a front and rear pawl slidably mounted for vertical reciprocation within a housing, said housing mounted on said operating bar and means associated with said housing frictionally engaging said operating bar at a predetermined pressure and adapted to break away from said operating bar in the event said door engages an obstruction which prevents it from continued opening or closing movement in response to movement of the operating bar, said pawls adapted to operatively engage said link, a stationary guide rail having a length whereby said coupling link drops off of the front or rear end of said stationary guide rail when said door reaches a completely closed or completely open position respectively, means for moving said coupling link onto said stationary guide rail for engagement between said spaced pawls,

said front pawl frictionally engaging said link and push-' ing it along said guide rail during a door opening operation in response to movement of said operating bar, a lever projecting from said front pawl, means adapted to engage said lever when said coupling link reaches the rear end of said stationary guide rail and causing said front pawl to be pivoted upwardly and thereby positively break frictional contact with said link and permitting said link drop off of the rear end of said guide rail and said front pawl to overtravel said coupling link.

6. A sliding door operating and locking mechanism, comprising, a sliding door, an operating bar mounted 1ongitudinally with the door for moving said door, drive means for moving said operating bar, connecting means associated with said door adapted to be coupled with said operating bar, a slide bare for said door for moving said connecting means into engagement with said operating bar, a control bar, means selectively connecting said control 'bar to said slide bar, a control lever for reciprocating said control bar and slide bar, said control lever having dead lock, neutral and unlocked positions, said slide bar moving said connecting means into'coupling engagement with said operating bar in response to movement of said control lever toits unlocked position, locking means associated with said door and operatively connected with said slide bar whereby reciprocation of said slide bar in response to movement of said control lever to a'dead lock position moves said locking means into a door locking position and movement of said slide bar in response to movement of said control lever to an unlocked position move said locking means to a door unlocking position, means operatively connected to said control bar and responsive to movement of said control lever and control bar to lockingly engage said operating bar against movement in all positions of said control lever except neutral, and safety means operatively connected with said drive means and responsive to movement of said control lever and control bar to render said drive means inoperative in all positions of said control lever except neutral.

7. A sliding door operating mechanism, comprising a sliding door, an operating bar for moving said door, a coupling link connected to said door, a pair of spaced front and rear opposed pawls mounted on said operating bar, said pawls adapted to operatively engage said coupling link, a stationary guide rail having alength whereby said coupling link drops off of the front or rear end of said stationary guide rail when said door reaches a completely closed or completely open position, means for moving said coupling link to the level of said stationary guide rail for engagement between said spaced pawls, said front pawl frictionally engaging said coupling link and pushing it along said stationary guide rail during a door opening operation, power driven means for actuating said operating bar including means for moving said door via actuation of said operating bar to a position wherein said door is in full open position and said coupling link ready to drop off of the rear end of said stationary guide rail, and at such point swing said operating bar to move slightly in a reverse direction to break all frictional contact between said coupling link and said front pawl and permitting said coupling link to freely drop off the rear end of said guide rail.

8. A sliding door locking mechanism, comprising, a sliding door, a hollow lock post, means supporting said sliding door for movement wherein portions adjacent the rear and front edges of said door come into alignment with said hollow lock post in door closed and door open positions respectively, a lock bolt adapted to project through said hollow post by means of openings provided in said post, said door being provided with suitable spaced openings to permit said lock bolt to pass therethrough for the purpose of locking said door in either a closed or open position, means for guiding the lower edge of said door, said guide means including a first U-shaped channel member rigidly secured to said hollow lock post and extending longitudinally along the bottom of said door, a second U-shaped channel member integrally secured to the bottom edge of said door and extending longitudinally along said door, said second U-shaped memher being disposed opposite to said first U-shaped member and adapted to interlock with said first U-shaped member, said first U-shaped member having an opening provided therein to permit said lock bolt to extend therethrough, said openings in said door being provided in said second U-shaped member and adapted to align with said opening in said first 'U-shaped member when said door is in its extreme open or its extreme closed position whereby said lock bolt may pass through said aligned opening and secure said door in either an open or closed position.

9. A sliding door locking mechanism, comprising, a sliding door, a hollow lock post, means supporting said sliding door for movement wherein portions adjacent the rear and front edges of said door come into alignment with said hollow lock post in door closed and door open positions respectively, a lock bolt adapted to project through said hollow post by means of openings provided in said post, said door being provided with suitable spaced openings to permit said lock bolt to pass therethrough for the purpose of locking said door in either a closed or open position, means to actuate said lock bolt into a locking or unlocking position simultaneously with said door reaching a completely open or completely closed position, and means for locking said door at the top thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Young July 10, 1934 Field June 23, 1942 Young Mar. 9, 1943 Hoppenjans Aug. 17, 1954 Smith et al. May 21, 1957 Adam July 1, 1958 Adam Aug. 11, 1959 White et a1 Nov. 22, 1960

Claims (1)

1. A GANG OF DOORS FOR A ROW OF CELLS AND OPERATING AND CONNECTING MECHANISM THEREFOR COMPRISING A SINGLE MOTOR AND A MANUALLY OPERATED MEANS DISPOSED AT ONE END OF SAID CELL ROW, COMMON POWER TRANSMISSION MEANS SELECTIVELY OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR OR SAID MANUALLY OPERATED MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID DOORS, CONNECTING MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID DOORS FOR SELEC-

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