US686069A - Door-closing device. - Google Patents

Description

M. F, Hlm-:9. DOOR CLUSING DEVICE.

(Application led Hay 6, 1991.)

2 sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES A VORNE-YS TH: mams persas oo.. pHoro-umn.. wnsmncron. o, e.

MARTIN F. HINES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

DOOR-CLOSING DEVICE.

SPECJEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,069, dated ovember 5, 19 O1.

Application tiled May 6, 1901.

To @ZZ wwm t may concern/.1

Be it known that I, MARTIN F. HINES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the count-y of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Door- Olosing Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a mechanism for automatically closing a door or doors at a certain period after they have been opened.

The invention is useful in many connections, a notable example of which is in fireengine houses, in which the doors are opened for the exit of the team and engine and in which it is desired to automatically close the doors at a certain time after the passage of the team and engine and the firemen.

This specification is a specificdescription of one form of the invention, while the claims are definitions of the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is an interior elevation of the mechanism constituting my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of tlie ball-run and the parts adjacent thereto. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, showing one of the sections of the door in elevation; and Fig. 5 is a detail section of the contact-points.

@represents a part of a building, and b the doors, which are here shown as of the double class.

b represents cords which are attached, respectively, to the doors and pass over sheaves a carried in the door-framimr and thence` over sheaves a?, carried at the sides'of the door. The ends of the cords b have weights b2 attached thereto, and these weights tend normally to close the doors.

c and d represent, respectively, catches for holding the doors open. These catches are pivotally mounted in the walls of the building and have hooks c' and d', respectively, at their outer ends, these hooks engaging keepers b3 on the doors b. (See Fig. 4.) The catch c projects into the building and has a rod e connected therewith. The catch is so mounted that it will Anormally swing downward at Serial No. 53,918. (No model.)

its outer end, thus lifting the rod c. This rod extends downward and is formed with a cranked lower portion e', mounted to turn in a keeper e2. Sliding on the rod e at points above the crank e is a weight e3. When the crank e is thrown inward toward the wall of the building, .the weight `e3 should be manually placed on a forked projection e4, which straddles the rod e, so as to be sustained by said projection, and when the crank e is thrown outward the weight e3 will be disengaged from the projection e4 and will thereupon fall to a collar eon the rod c, located just above the crank e. This will cause the heft of the Weight c3 to be transmitted to the rod e, and then the catch c will be thrown upward at its outer end, releasing the hook c from its engagement with the corresponding door. The door which engages with the hook c' (the right-hand door in Fig. 1) carries a block f. (See Fig. l.) As this door returns the block f, carried thereby, strikes against the downwardly-disposed crank f on a horizontal shaft f2, mounted to rock over the doors and extending to the catch d, where the shaft f2 is .provided with a crank f3, engaging an upwardly-disposed projection d2 on the catch d. As the block fstrikes the crank f it rocks the shaft f2 and the crank f3 outward, and when the crank f3 engages the end cl2 of the catch d it throws up the Outer end of the hook CZ' of the catch and releases the other door b, which immediately returns by the action of its weight b2.

g indicates a tube or socket-piece which is adapted normally to contain a ball h, capable of forming an electrical conductor, as will be hereinafter explained. This tube g is normally closed to hold the ball 7L therein by a pin g', which slides transversely in the tube and is pressed outward to open the tube by an expansive spring g2. v

g3 indicates a stud on the right-hand door b, and when the door is closed this stud strikes the pin g and presses it into the socket-piece g against the action of the spring g2. Vhen the right-hand door his opened, the spring g2 withdraws the pin g and allows the ball h to roll from the socket-piece g. From the socket-piece g the ball h passes Valong an inclined plane iinto a zigzag guideway'i, which finally discharges the ball into a cn p k. This ICO ff) La cup carries two electrical cont-acts 71;', which are connected with the terminals of an electric circuit. As the ball h rolls into the cup 7c it connects the contacts 7c and closes the circuit. This circuit includes an electromagnet k2, operating an armature 7c3, and this armature isconnected with a swinging arm 7a4, attached to the collar e5 of the rod e. As the armature k3 is attracted it transmits a movement to the shaft e, turning outward the crank e and dropping the weight es.

In using the apparatus the shaft e is adjusted to its inward position-that is to say, adjacent to the wall-and the Weight eS is poised on the projection e4, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. Assuming now that the doors are open, they will engage their keepers b3 with the hooks c and dl, respectively, and the doors will then be held in open position. Simultaneously the ball 7?. is released and it begins to travel down the zigzag way t2. When it reaches the bottom of this way, it falls into the cup 7c and closes the circuit of the magnet k2. This causes the shaft e to be rocked outward, and the weight e3 is then disengaged from the projection e4 and falls upon the collar e5. This causes the rod e to be thrown downward, thus raising the outer end of the catch c and releasing the righthand door. (See Fig. '1.) As this door swings closed the blockfoperates the shaft f2 and causes the catch d to release the left-hand door, which then closes under the action of its weight. It is obvious that by lengthening the sizeof the inclined way i2 the period which it takes the ball h to roll downward into the cup k may be regulated, and thus the doors may be closed at any time desired after they have been opened. By shortening the way i2 the doors will be closed almost immediately, and by lengthening this way a greater period will elapse before the doors are closed. I desire it understood that any sort of electromagnetic mechanism may be employed for operating the rod e. That here shown is merely an example of the several mechanisms which may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as lnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catch for holding the door open, a time-controlled operating device for releasing the catch, and means whereby said device may be set in operation by the opening of the door.

2. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catch for holding the door open, a time-controlled operating device for the catch to release the same, a second door, means tending to close the same, a catch for the second door, and a connection between the last-named catch andthe rst-named door.

3. The' combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catch acting to hold the door open, a weightactuating the catch to release the same, a time-controlled mechanism for throwing the weight, and means whereby said mechanism may be set in operation by the opening of the door.

4. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catch acting to hold the door open, means for actuating the catch to release it, and a time-controlled device for setting said actuating means in operation, and means whereby the time-controlled device will be set in operation when the door is opened.

5. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catch acting to hold the door open, means for actuating the catch, a ball, a restraining device for the ball, said restraining device being released by the movement of the door, and a Way along which the ball runs for operating the means for actuating the catch.

6. The combination of a door, means for closing the door, means for holding the door open, a releasing device for the door-holding means, and a ball and a way over which the ball travels for controlling the releasing device.

7. The combination with a door, means for closing the same, and means for holding the door open, of an inclined way, a ball adapted to run on the way, means controlled by the door for restraining and releasing the ball, and means operated by the ball for operating the door-holding means to release the door.

S. The combination with a door, means for closing the door, and means for holding the door open, of an inclined way, a ball adapted to run on the inclined way, a restraining device for the ball, said restraining device being operated by the door when it is opened to release the ball, a releasing device for the door-holding means, and means operated by the ball for operating the releasing device.

9. The combination with a door, and means for closing the same, of a latch for holding the door open, a releasing device for the latch, an inclined way, a ball adapted to roll down the said way and put into operation the releasing device, and means controlled by the door for holding and releasing the ball.

10. The combination with a door and means for closing the same, of a latch for holding the door open, a rod connected with the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight, and means for releasing the weight to allow it to operate the said rod.

11. The combination with a door,and means for closing the same, of a latch for holding the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connected with the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight, and means for rocking said rod to canse the weight to be disengaged from its support so as to operate said ro 12. The combination with a door,and means for closing the same, of a latch for holding the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connected with the latch, a sliding weight on said rod, a support for said weight, and a time-con- IOO IIO

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trolled means for rocking the rod to cause the weight to be disengaged from its support so as to operate the said rod.

13. The combination with a door,and means for closing the same, of a latch for locking the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connected with the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight, a time-controlled means for rocking the rod to cause the Weight to be disengaged from its support so as to operate the said rod, and means whereby the time-control1ed means will be set in operation by the opening of the door.

14. The combination with a doo1,and means for closing the saine, of a latch for holding the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connected with the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight, an inclined Way, a ball adapted to travel on said way, means for zo supporting and releasing the ball, an electromagnet having its armature operatively connected with said rod to turn the same, and contacts adapted to be connected by the said ball.

15. The combination with two doors, and means for closing them, of a latch for holding each door open, a time-controlled operating device for releasing the latch of one door, and a connection between the latch ofthe other door and the first-named door, wherebyr the latch of the second door will be opened when the first door is opened.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN F. IIINES.

Witnesses:

I. B. OWENS, JNO. M. RITTER.

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