US3123867A

US3123867A - combs

Info

Publication number: US3123867A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 1981-03-10

Description

March 10, 1964 E. COMBS VESTIBULE PRESSURE EQUALIZER Filed A ril 4, 1962 INVENTQR.

EDGAR L. COMES t-Z fl v ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,123,867 VESTIBULE PRESSURE EQUALIZER Edgar L. Combs, Pekin, Ill. Fiied Apr. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 185,024 1 Claim. (Cl. 20-16) This invention relates to an improvement in two-way pneumatic valves for equalizing the differential air pressures experienced in the operation of storm doors associated with building vestibules.

It is well known in the prior art to provide pneumatic relief valves in storm doors to neutralize the compression or rarefaction of the air in a vestibule occasioned by the piston action of such a door as it is opened or closed.

The present invention teaches an improved housing and geometry of such equalizing valves which permits the inexpensive manufacture and unobtrusive installation of such an article.

A feature of this concept is to utilize a design of casing which protects the poppet type valve areas used by this invention from direct loading by exterior wind velocities which could interfere with the proper equalizing operation of the device.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a design of an equalizing vestibule valve and housing therefor which can be fabricated largely from sheet metal stampings, and which permits a recessed installation flush with the surface of the door in such a way that the valve areas cannot be subjected to the stagnation pressures of direct wind velocities.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a design of equalizing vestibule valve structure which is inherently weather-proof.

It is still another object of the present invention to prevent direct wind velocities from impinging on the valves of a vestibule door pressure equalizer by providing a casing therefor which cooperates with its intsallation recess in said door to form a deflection duct for the equalizing air flow.

For other objects, and a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompany'ing drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a vestibule door with the present valve installed therein,

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the door taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and looking in elevation upon one end of the valve,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the valve looking upwardly upon line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing the vent holes in the valve casing,

FIG. 4 is a frontal view of the chassis plate of valve as seen on line 4-4 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the chassis plate taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modification of the design of FIG. 1 which utilizes the same casing thereof, but which has a modified valve and support, and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 7- 7 of FIG. 6.

Referring now to the FIGURES 1 through 5, it may be seen that a door 11 which is to receive the subject device is provided with two opposing

rectangular recesses

12 and 13 the sum of whose depths is less than the thickness of the door by the thickness of a residual perforated web 14. The web 14 thus forms a rectangular frame for an aperture piercing the door and to which the subject device may be secured, preferably by bolts.

'I wo identical sheet metal cover

cup casing stampings

16 and 17 are each provided with a flange 18- and a plurality of vent holes 19 whose axes are substantially parallel to the flanges 13', so that the outer surfaces of

cup casings

16 and 17 are impervious, and are positioned in substantially coplanar relation with the inside and outside surfaces of the door 11. Bolts 21 are provided to secure flanges 18 to the door web 14.

The equalizer device assembly includes a valve chassis plate 22 which is sandwiched between the flanges 18 of casings 1'6 and 17. The plate 2 2 is pierced by two

valve apertures

23 and 24 which are normally closed by the resilient

poppet valve disks

26 and 27 respectively.

Valve disks

26 and 27 are secured to one end of

cantilever leaf springs

28 and 29 respectively by the bolts 31, washers 32, and nuts 33.

Leaf springs

28 and 29 are secured on opposite sides of plate 22 by bolt 34 and nut 35 and serve to spring bias and position the valve disks 26 and '27 to close apertures '23 and 24 respectively.

In operation, presuming door 11 to be an outside storm door leading into a building vestibule, and presuming this door to be initially shut so that casing 16 is facing the vestibule, the opening of door 11 outwardly from the foregoing vestibule will tend to rarefy the air of the vestibule thereby tending to offer a substantial resistance to the opening of the door. However, this resultant differential pressure between the outdoors and the vestibule will appear via holes 19 and the shielded ducts formed between

recesses

12 and 13 and

cases

16 and 17, respectively, between the faces of plate 22. With suction on casing side 16, and pressure on casing side 17, this pressure differential will overcome the bias of leaf spring 28 and cause valve disk 26 to move to the dotted position shown in FIG. 5 thereby allowing air to flow through aperture 23 so as to equalize the pressures and to negate the major portion of the pneumatic door resistance.

Conversely, the subsequent closure of door 11 will set up a reverse pressure differential whichwill be equalized by the displacement of valve disk 27 to the dotted position shown in FIG. 5.

It is to be noted that outside wind or rain is prevented from direct impingement on

valve disks

26 and 27 by the circuitous pneumatic path offered by duct 13-47 and the vent holes 19.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, there is shown a modification that has the valve disk 27 freely and slidably supported on a fixed pin 37 secured to bridge 38, while the valve disk 26 freely and slidably supported on a fixed pin 39 is secured to bridge 41. Bridges 38 and 41 are secured by welding to plate 22. Coil springs 42 and 43, and

washers

44 and 46 form the bias equivalent to springs 28 and Q9 of FIG. 5, to resiliently

seat valve disks

27 and 26 respectively against plate 22.

It should now be apparent that there has been provided an effective valve means for easing the opening and closing of storm doors.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall he understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a door having two opposing recesses extending respectively from the opposite sides of the door, the sum of the depths of said recesses being less than the thickness of the door, a Web disposed between said recesses and forming a rectangular frame for an aperture piercing the door, a valve venting device having a flat valve chassis plate of substantially the size and shape of one of the recesses, said plate having a pair of valve apertures, a pair of resilient disks each associated with one of said apertures, and spring means to press each of said disks into closure of the corresponding aperture, cup casings positioned in substantially coplanar relation with the inside and outside surfaces of the door, and having flanges extending about the periphery of the chassis plate and engaging respectively the opposite surfaces thereon, said cup casings respectively having vent holes therein, bolt References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,326,358 MacGregor Dec. 30, 1919 2,351,874 Parker June 20, 1944 2,624,414 Harrell et a1. Jan. 6, 1953 2,774,116 Wolverton Dec. 18, 1956 2,820,475 Hobbs Jan. 21, 1958