US495965A

US495965A - Frank ennis

Info

Publication number: US495965A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1893-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 1910-04-25

Description

F. ENNIS.

SPRING HINGE.

l'Ji'.aAzell'e Apr. 25,1893.

(No Model.)

Wvzesses:

Y s Pneus ce?. Pwormlrum WASHINGTON. D. c.

l lowing is a specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ENNIS, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORKLASSIGNOR TO E. C. STEARNS & CO., OF SAME PLACE.

HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,965, dated April 25, 1893.

Application filed October 28, 1891.

To all whom t may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK ENNIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spring-Hinges, of which the fol- This invention relates to that class of spring hinges in which a coil spring is employed for holding the door both in an open and a closed position and which are commonly known as hold-back hinges. I-Ieretofore the coil springs in these hinges were mounted upon a floating core for the purpose of holding the coils of the springs in alignment and parallel with the pintle line of the hinge.

The object of my invention is to utilize both the coil and the torsional action of the spring, thereby permitting the spring to move freely and decreasing the resistance of the spring as the movable leaf approaches the dead center.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved spring hinge applied to a door. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof in line -x Fig. 1 showing the door closed. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the door open. Fig. 4. is a detached view of the spring hinge showing the position of the parts when the hinge is partly open. Fig. 5 is a detached View of the coil spring showing its shape before it is attached to the leaves of the hinge.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A B represent the leaves of the hinge, one of which is secured to the door cand the other to the jamb or door frame D. The leaves are provided at their inner edges with the usual outwardly projecting lugs e c which are pivoted together by the pintles f.

g g represent two coil springs arranged between the lugs of the leaves and having their axes arranged parallel or nearly so with the pintle line of the hinge. The ends of each of these springs are formed into arms f f2 by which the coils of the springs are wound up in opening or closing the door. The innerarmsf of both springs are connected by a' wrist h which is arranged parallel with the pintle line and seated in a socket i formed Serial No. 410,049. (No model.)

centrally on the inner edge of the leaf A, lthereby pivoting the innerarms of the springs to this leaf. The outer arms f2 of the springs are provided with inwardly extending wrists ,7' which are arranged parallel with the pintle line and seated in sockets or eyes kk formed on the inner edge of the leaf B. The pivots or wrists of the spring arms are so arranged with reference to the pintle linethat upon opening 6o the door the spring arms are caused to recede from each other until the dead center is reached, thereby straining the springs. Upon opening the door the initial movement causes the spring arms to wind up the coils of the springs. As the spring arms continue to recede from each other, the coils are bent out of alignment with the pintle line, as represented in Fig. 4, the outer ends of the coils being carried farther from the pintle line than 7o the inner ends. This causes each coil to act upon its inner spring arm like a lever and to subject this arm to a twisting or torsional strain whereby the coiling action is greatly reduced. After passing the dead 'center the 75 spring arms and the leaves are drawn together by the reaction of the springs until the latter are again straightened out. In closing the door, the springs are again strained in the same manner until the dead center is passed 8c when the springs again expand and complete the closing movelnent of the door. It requires more power to coil the springs than to strain them torsionally. For this reason the springs olfer the greatest resistance during the Iinitial 8 5 portions of the opening or closing movements of the door and this resistance decreases as the spring arms approach the dead center. The pressure of the springs is therefore greater when the door is entirely closed or opened 9o than it is when the door is near the dead cen-x ter and this causes the door to be held firmly when opened or closed but permits the same to move easily after it has begun its opening or closing movement.

In order to compel the initial portion of the opening and closing movements of the door to coil the springs, rather than to twist the same, the spring arms are strained in a direc tion opposite to that in which the torsional roo strain is applied. This is accomplished by bending the spring arms out of their normal positions in an outward direction, as repremal positions.

sented in Fig. 5, and then attaching the springs to the leaves which is accomplished by springing the spring arms inwardly into their nor- The outward strain which is so applied to the spring arms opposes the inward strain caused by the torsional action and this opposition of forces prevents the torsional strain from becoming active during the first portion of the movement of the hinge and causes the coiling action to preponderate until this outward strain is Overcome by the increasing torsional strain, when the coiling. action becomes less pronounced'and the torsional action preponderates. The sockets or eyes which receive the wrists of the outer spring arms are made very long so as to provide large bearing surfaces inwhich the spring arms are firmly held. It is obvious that one of the coils maybe omitted but it is more desirable toV employ both, as shown.

I claim vas my inventionl. In a hold-back hinge, the combination withthe pivotally connected leaves,` cfa coil spring having its arms attached to the leaves by fastenings in which the ends of said arms are confined and which compel said ends to move concentrically with reference to the pintle line, and'havingits coilarranged parallel with the pintle line or nearly so and free t0' be dcfiected out of this position, whereby the coil is bodily detiected out of its normal position in moving the leaves on their pivots and a torsional strain is applied to said arms, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hold-back hinge, the combination with thevpivotally connected leaves, of two 'coil springs arranged parallel with the pintle 3. The combination with the pivotally conf nected leaves ofa hinge, of a free coil spring arranged parallel with the pintle line or nearly so and provided at its ends with inwardly strained arms which are seated in said sockets, whereby the spring is principally coiled FRANK ENNIS. Witnesses:

E. C. STEARNS, F. A. BRODHEAD, Jr.