US1994888A - Fire screen - Google Patents

Description

A. GROMES FIRE SCREEN Filed May 16, 1954 March 19, 1935.

ADOLDH GROMES INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED, i STATES;

PATENT oFFIcE 4 Claims.

My invention deals with fire screens, and more particularly with fire screen hingeing means which will keep the space betweenthe panels at a minimum.

One of the objects of fire screens is to present a solid front against the fire so as to prevent any escape of burning embers. A screen of one big panel is inconvenient being clumsy and unsightly, and also unable to stand firmly by itself. For these reasons the screen is usually made by hingeing a number of smaller panels together. The panels comprising a screen of this type are hinged together and stand semi-circularly around the fire place. They are'convenient in sizeand look well but do not function perfectly. as the hinges cause an appreciable open space between the panels permitting sparks and-embers to pass through. In addition, the panels or their hinges become loose or wear with the result ..that the panels do not fall true and the panels will not stand vertically and adjoining panels will not remain parallel. This causes the screen to stand unsteadily and also creates an unsightly and slovenly appearance as well as permitting a wide and uneven space between the panels.

The object of my invention is to produce a paneled screen which has a minimum of space between the panels. A further object is to produce apaneled fire screen in which the hingeing means will always keep the panels parallel and cause them to stand vertically and fall true.

To accomplish these objects I construct a vertical rod in each of the panels near an adjacent panel and place part way around the rods near their ends a hinge plate, both ends of which are forked to fit in corresponding horizontal grooves in the vertical rods. To hold the hinge plate and rods in proper position together, I place over them a cap which is held by a screw passing through the cap and threaded into the hinge plate and I construct a similar hinge plate and cap means over both ends of the rods.

Further and more specific objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanyingsheet of drawing which forms a part of this specification.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a two paneled fire screen; Fig. 2 is a perspective assembly of the hingeing means; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail showing part of the hingeing means; Fig. 4 is a section along the line 44 of Fig. l, (diminished).

In the drawing, 1 represents a fire screen panel having the frame 2 and screening 3 fitting in-' (01. 126-202), I a 7 side the frame. In addition therpanel is-provided with the legs 4 and also the ornamental screw figuration 5 on the upper part of, the frame.

In-order to form the two panels together into a single screen and to provide a hingeing means for joining the two panels -1 so that they can stand firmly and easily and at an angle to one another I provide the hingeing means 6.

The hingeing means 6 is comprised of two vertical rods 7, the plates 8 which fit part way around the rod ends, the cap 9 covering over the plate 8 and the rod ends, and the screw 10 which passes through and holds therods cap and plate together. The screw 10 is somewhat similar 'to the ornamental part 5 and presents a similar design to the parts 5'so as not to mar the symmetry of the'tops of the screens. A similar hingeing means to 6 is constructed at the bottom offithe panel except that in place of the screw 101a screw 11 is used which'is' similar to the part4 in design;

and of the proper size so that the lower parts of the screen will look alike and stand evenly.

The rods '7 extend inside throughout the length of the side part of the frame and project through and slightly above the upper part and below the lower part of the frame near an adjacent panel. The parts above and below the frame are provided with parallel horizontal grooves 12 one on each side of the rod above the upper frame part and below the lower frame part. Thus each rod has four parallel horizontal grooves two at each end, one on each side. The ends of the plates 8 are provided with extendingarms 13 which fit into the grooves in the rods while the rod fits into the space 14. between the arms 13. The arms 13 extend a distance equal to the diameter of therod so that when the rod is in place between the arms, the end of the arms and the part of the rod furthest from the center of the plate are in line. Thus the cap which fits over the plate and around its edges can press against the outer side of the rod and hold the rod firmly in position and prevent it from rattling and from slipping outfrom between the arms. Two plates 8 and two caps are provided one for the upper ends of the rods and the other for the lower ends.

The distance between the rods is slightly greater than the sum of the distances from the rods to their respective panel ends. The difierence of these distances determines the opening between the panels and by constructing these two distances nearly equal the opening between the panels can be'reduced to a minimum. (A

minimum clearance must be allowed to rotate the panel ends).

The screws 10 and 11 extend through holes 16 in the cap and screw into the threaded holes 15 in the plate. In this way the linkage of the rods 7 and the hinge plates are held together by the plates fitting into the grooves in the rods and by the cap covering and holding the rods and plate together and by the screw fastening the cap against the plate. 7

By placing the plate arms into the grooves, the rods are prevented from rotating individually and a complete unit is formed, the parts of which cannot move relatively, once they have been placed in position. This linkage acts as a hinge as each panel can rotate about its own rod to form any angle with the adjoining panel and in addition the linkage can rotate about either panel, either with or without the rotation of one of the panels. As the two rods must always remain parallel being held so by the plates, the two panels must always remain parallel. and always falltr'ue. I r

the linkage can rotate about the panels a position of the panels can be obtained by which the end of one'panel is in back of the adjoining panel, thus presenting anoverlappingsolidfrcnt to thefir place. A V 7 Asanymovement or rotation of anypanel is always about a rod. there is no tendency either toiloosen orto cause'wear to the plate cap or screw or h-ingeing means as a whole and for this reasonthe hinge always remainstight and the linkage function's properly. 7 V

Itis evident that this hingeing means maybe used in connection with other than fire screens and: for; other hingeing purposes and so while l haye described my improvements in great detail-and with respect to fire screen panels only, I donot wish ;to be limited thereto. As the details described and the drawing shows only one form of my invention and since many changes and modifications may be made in the same invention without changing or departing from the Spirit and scope of the idea, I desire to cover all modifications, forms and embodiments coming within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A paneled fire screen having panels, a rod held in each of said panels extending above and below' said panel, said rod having horizontal grooves therein near the rod ends, plate means at the end of said rods having arms, said arms extending in said grooves in the rods, and capping means holding said plate means and rod ends.

2; A paneled fire screen having panels, a rod held in each of said panels extending above and below said panel, said rod having horizontal grooves therein near the rod ends, plate means at the end of said rods having arms, said arms extending in saidgrooves in the rods, cap holding said plate and rod ends and a gripping means holding said capagainst said plate means.

,3. A paneled fire screen having panels,- a rod held vertically, loosely in each of said panels, said rodshaving parallel grooves, plate means hav ing arms extending in said grooves, and capping means holding said plate means androds together;

4. A pair of elements to; be hinged including a rod passing through each element, each rod having atits-ends a grooved portion, a pair of links adapted to retain the ends of the rods together, each link including a forked element engaging said grooved portions and a clampingmeans adapted to hold saidforkedelement securely to said rods.

1 ADOLPH GROMES.

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