US821416A - Automatic ventilating apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

J. H. HUMMEL. AUTOMATIC VENTILATING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATI'ON FILED APR. 6, 1905.

, constituting a feature of the apparatus. Fig.

' "with an electrically-operated latch 11. There automatically-operated ventilating appara IhUTUWtATlC WE Specification of Letters Iatent.

hvuariwe asi alsarue.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed April 6, 1905. Serial No. 254,116..

To all! whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. l-IUMMEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Ventilating A paratus, of which the'following is a full, car, and exact description.

This invention relates to ventilation, and concerns itself especially with apparatus in tended to be used in theaters and similar places.

The object of the invention is to provide tus which is simple and reliable in operation.

A special purpose has been to provide means for preventin the body of the theater from filling with smo e in case ofa fire oh the stage-101 in the wings. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. In the drawings, Figure 1, which is largely diagrammatic, represents a stage in plan provided with my apparatus, a certain part of the ap aratus being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a ont elevation of a fanhouse or box 3 is a substantially vertical section throu h a thermostat which constitutes a feature 0 the invention. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a portion of the thermostat and illustrating its mode'of operation, and Fi 5 is a section taken substantially upon the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents n plan a stage of a theater which would be out 01f from the body of the theater; by means of a movable curtain 2 of the usual form, In a plying my invention I provide near one we of the theater a fan box or case 3 within which there is mounted an exhaust fan 4, the same being driven by an electricmotor 5, as indicated, through the medium of a belt 6. The inner wall of the box-3 would be formed of two'swinging doors 7, hinged at 8, as indicated, and meeting on a central vertical line 9, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. Preferably on their inner side these doors are normally held closed by suitable springs 10, as shown, and the doors are further provided is also provided at a suitable point, preferably on the usual switchboard, an electricallyoperated switch 12. This switch 12 comprises four cohtacts 13, 14, 15, and 16, ar-

ranged as shown, Between the contacts 15 and 16 a switch -member 17 is pivotally mounted at 16, so that the said switch Inember may constitute a bridge connecting these two contacts in a well-known manner. Between the contacts 13 and 14 a solenoid-core 18 is arranged, and to the lower extremity of this core is attached a transverse member or bar 19, which may operate to bridge the contacts 13 and 14in a manner which will appear more fully hereinafter. At a suitable point, preferablynn the same switchboard, I arrange an electrically-controlled variable resistanceZO. There is also provided a main switch 21 and a battery 22. V

-At suitable pointsabove the stage or in the wings of the same I provide a plurality of thermostats .23. These are preferably four or more in number, as shown, and may be located as indicated.

From the contacts 24 and 25, which may be bridged by the double switch 21, so as to connect the contacts electrically with the battery 22, wires 26 and 27 pass. The Wire 26 passes through the electrically-controlled resistance 20,.beyond which it passes to the motor 5, as shown. A second wire or conductor 28 leads from the motor 5 to the contact 1 1 aforesaid. The conductor 27 leads to the contact 1 3 ,which contact is connected with the contact 15 through a conductor 29. Be yond the contact 15 a conductor 30 leads to the electrically-operated latch 11, passing through the coil of'a solenoid 1 1 at this point.

--Beyond the latch 11 a conductor 31 leads to the contact-point 16, and this contactoint is connected with the coil of a solenoi 12", of which solenoid the aforesaid member 18 constitutes the core. Beyond the coil of the solenoid 12' a conductor 32 leads ed to a leg 33 of the circuit, which is disposed in a suitable manner above the stage, preferably near the ceiling, as Will be readily understood.

From the conductor 26 a branch 26 leads,

which branch terminates in a leg 34 ofthe circuit, which leg is arranged in substantial parallelism with the leg 33, referred to above. The legs 33 and 34. are connected by thermostat-conductors 35, arranged in parallel, as shown.

The construction of the thermostats 23 is very clearly shown in Figs. 3 to 5. ofsimple construction, comprising a plate 36, of slate or similar material, constituting a base for the body 37, formed, preferably, of a plate of copper depending therebelow, as

They are shown. The said copper plate presents a horizontal extension 38 at its lower edge, which affords means for supporting a brass tube 39, which projects vertically downward from the wall 38, as indicated, the upper extremity of the said tube being secured in posi .tion in any suitable manner. as by the nuts 10. The lower extremity of the tube is closed by a head 11, preferably of brass or copper, and this head, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with an opening 42. In tlns opening there is seated a plug 43, having a body. 44 of reduced. diameter with respect to the opening 42, and this plug is secured in position by a quantity of soft solder or similar material 45,'which is placed around the body of the same inthe opening 42. The plug 43 is secured upon a stem 46 in any suitable manner, as shown. The said stem projects upwardly, as indicated, and is attached at its upper extremity to a switch member 47. This switch member 47- is pivoted at 48 .to a metallic member, such as a binding-post49, and a similar metallic member 50 is placed opposite the head 51 of the switch member, as shown.

A section 35 of the thermostat-wire is attached to the'binding-post 49 and the section 35* opposite attached to the opposite binding-post 50. The extremity of the switch member 47 is normally impelled to move upwardly by a spring 52, attached as shown. From this arrangement it should be readily understood that if the plug 43 should become discomiected the spring 52 will operate to draw the switch member 17 upwardly and bring its head 51 in contact with the extension of the binding-post 50 in such a manner asto close the circuit through the thermostatwires 35.

In order to prevent the stem 46 or the tub 39 from being struck, I provide a guardframe which is formed of vertically-disposed rods 54, disposed as shown in Fig. 5, and these support at their lower extremities a circular guard-plate The mode of operation. of the apparatus Will now be d escri bed.

hen the switch 21 is closed, no effects are produced in the circuit, as it will be observed that the circuit remains open at the thermostats In case of a fire a rise of temperature above the stage to a predeter-- through the'branch conductor 26 the leg 341, the fused thermostat 23, and the leg 33. From the leg 33 the circuit would pass through the conductor 32, energizing the coil of the solenoid 12 of the electric switch 12. From the coil the circuit would pass through the bridge member 17, connection 29, and conductor 27 back to the battery. hen the coil of the solenoid 12 is energized, it will be drawn upwardly, and an extension from the upper extremity of the core 18 thereof will strike against the bridge member 17, so as to force the same upwardly into substantially the positioninwhich it is shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1. Displacing the bridge member 17 in this manner operates to throw the electrically-operatedlatch 11 into. the circuit, the circuit now being established as follows: through the conductor 31, through the latch 11, through the conductor 30, the

contact 15, connection 2.), conductor 27 As the movement of'the core 18 continues the bridge-bar 19 short-circuits the contacts 13 and 1 1. In doing so a circuit is established through theconductor 26-, the electricallycontrolled rheostat 20, and the motor 5, the circuit passing from the motor through the conductor 28 to the contact 14, bridge'bar 19, and conductor 27. In this way a circuit is firs tv established through the latch 1 1, which releases the swinging door 7, and a circuit is also established through the motor. Closing the circuit through the latch operates, of course, to release it so as to permit the doors to swing open. The motor 5 and the fan 4 being new set in motion, the fan operates to produce a partial vacuum in the interior of the box 3, and the air-pressure on the faces of the doors 7 operates to swing the same inwardly into some such position as that in which they are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The smoke which accumulates abov the stage from the fire would be drawn out by the fan and discharged into the outer air directly or else through a suitable flue, if found desirable.

The apparatus described constitutes a simple automatic means for removing the smoke from a burning building and is thought to be especially beneficial when used in the connection suggested. As is well'knmvu, much ofthe confusion and panic that often results in theater fires is occasioned by the passing of the smoke into the bod y of the theater, which, even in small quai'itities, tends to alarm the audience and in great quantities may produce sutl'ocation. With this apparatus in operation if the curtain is run down, the body tor therefor, automati cally operateld circuittion, an electrically-controlled latch norclosers for the motor-circuit, and a box for mally locking said doors in said closed posisaid fan having outwardly-swinging doors tion, a plurality of thermostats and a circuit r5 normally closed and arranged to be opened including said thermostats, said motor and 5 automatically by the air movement created said latch.

by said fan. a In testimony whereof I have signed my 2. In apparatus of the class described in name to thisspecification in the presence of l combination, an exhaust-fan having an electwo subscribing Witnesses.

",tric motor, a box for the same having doors a I JAMES H. HUMMEL. 16% adapted to swing in the direction of the air- Witnesses:

current created by said fan, means normally F. D. AMMEN,

tending to hold said doors in a closed posi- J NO. M. BITTER.

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