US399563A - John roach - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. ROAGH.

H'ATGHWAY.

Patented 12, 1889.

M M w W 6 a m n m J ATTORNEYS WITNESSES.

N. PETERS. P mmuuw m hcr, Washington. n, cy

- lUETiTEn hTaTEs PATENT @EEicE,

JOIIN ROAOII, F NE\V YORK, N. Y.

HATCHWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,563, dated March 12, 1889.

Application filed $eptember 20, 1888.

T0 (6 whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Joan ROACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in IIatchway-Door Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hatchways, and has for its object to provide novel means whereby pairs of doors or covers at the floors or landings are automatically closed and can be simultaneously raised or opened, or those doors or covers at one side be raised independent of the doors at the opposite side.

The object of my invention I accomplish by the features of construction and combination of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section, 011 the line a so of Fig. 3, of a hatchway-shaft showing my invention, the shaft being shown open. Fig. 2 is a similar section, the shaft being shown closed. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. on the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail of one of the hinges K, showing one of the leaves of the hinge K extending through the wall of the shaft.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

The letter A designates a hatchway-shaft which may constitute an air-shaft for dwellings and other buildings. The air-shaft-A is inclosed on its four sides by tight or close walls 1. 2 3 4: and it extends from the lower or landing floor, I3, upward through the several floors C D, to the top of the house or ceiling E. The shaft is provided at the bottom floor with a doorway, F, and door G at its front side, 1, to enable one to have access to it; and it is also provided with windows H on one or more of the other sides. In this example I have shown my invention applied in a building having only two floors above the landing-floor I3; but it is obvious that itcan be applied to houses with any number of floors. The shaft is divided into sections .I J J correspondiilg to the number and locations of the floors, by means of spring covers or platforms I I,wl1ich COl'lOSPOIld, respectively, to the level of the floors of the building, and which close down automati cally when it is de Serial No. 285,904. (No model.)

sired to close the air-shaft. The covers I I of each section of the shaft, when closed, extend completely across the shaft in every direction, and are hinged to the flooring of the building by spring hinges K, (seen most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4,) which are so constructed and arranged as to tend constantly to close the covers. The sides of the covers I I, when closed, are supported by brackets L, arranged along the inside of the air-shaft, as indicated in Figs. 1,2, and i, and in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The outer edges, M,of the covers I I are intended to meet when the covers are closed, so as to prevent flame or sparks of fire from passing up between them.

The covcrsI are opened bymeans of a rope or cord, N, which extends upward from the cover I of section J, to which it is fastened at its outer edge, M, to the outer edge of the cover I of the section J above, to which it is in like manner fastened, and thence over a pulley, O, placed on the adjacent wall of the shaft, thence upward through a pulley, I, at the upper part of the upper section, J thence across the same and through the opposite wall of that section and over the pulley Q, thence downward outside of the shaft and through the several floors of the building at R R, to the fastening-cleat S, to which the cord is fastened.

The covers I of the sections .I J are opened in like manner by means of the cord T, one end of which is fastened to the lower cover, I, and said cord is taken thence upward through the upper cover, I, and thence through the adjacent wall of the shaft at U, and over pulley V, and thence downward through the floors R R to the cleat S, to which it is fastened.

In Fig. 1 the several covers I I are shown open, having been drawn up to that position by means of the cords N T, and they are kept in that position by fastening the cords, as explained. It will be observed that both cords N T are on the same side of the shaft, so that both can be readily operated at once. \Vhen the cords are released from the cleat S, or cut, the covers I I immediately close auto1nati cally, through the operation of their springhinges K, the springs Y of which are flat and are placed under the hinges, one end being secured down to the covers with the hinges, While the other end is free, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.

The cords N T are preferably made of material that can be easily out in case the build ing is on fire, and that will readily burn, so that the cords being thereby severed and re leased the covers I I will thereupon shut down of themselves and the airshaft be closed, so that the peculiar danger which arises from the presence of an open air-shaft or hatchway in a building on fire will be averted, and the flames and combustion be prevented from ascending through the same to the upper stories, and the fire be confined to the place where it originated.

If desired, there may be windows on all the sides of the air-shaft, as well as on the back part, if much light is required. Any suitable spring other than the one shown can be employed in connection with the hinges of the covers. The hinges are protected from injury by fire by being arranged on the upper side of the covers and of the floors, one of the leaves, IV, extending through the Walls of the shaft and above the floor, as shown in Fig. at, the other leaf, X, extending on the upper side of the cover, so that the hinges are out of the way and not liable to injury from fire from below. The spring-plates under the hinges serve to automatically close the pairs of covers down toward each other, and by the arrangement of the cords described and shown, so that both descend at one and the same side of the closed walls of the air-shaft. The covers are all simultaneously opened by pulling both cords down together, While the covers at either side of the shaft may be opened by pulling down one cord alone.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

The combination of the closed Walls provided at each floor-landing with a pair of covers, each pair secured, respectively, to opposite sides of the walls by hinges, the springplates respectively connected at one end with the hinges to the covers and loose and sliding at the other end for automatically closing the covers down toward each other, and two independent cords passing over pulleys respectively connected with all the covers at one side of the shaft and both descending together at one side thereof and adapted to be simultaneously drawn down together, or to be independently drawn down, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ROACH. [L. s]

Witnesses:

J. VAN SANTvooRD, E. F. KASTENHUBER.

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