US705553A - Flexible door. - Google Patents

Description

No. 705,553, Patented luly 29, |902.

J. S. BLAKE.

FLEXIBLE DUUR.

(Application lled. May 6, 1901,)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES iPhyrEN'r OFFICE.

JOSEPH S. BLAKE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FLEXI- BLE DOOR AND SHUTTER COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,

A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,553, dated July 29, 1902. Application iiled May 6,1901. Serial No. 59,051. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom/it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOSEPH S. BLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester'and Common- Wealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flexible Doors, of`

which the following is a specification', accompanied by drawings formingapart ofthe same, in whichso Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a portion of a iiexible door with the inclosing casing shown in sectional view.` Fig. 2 shows a portion of thedoor with a part of the operating mechanism shown in sectional View;

and Fig. 3 is a top view of a portion of a flexible door, showing the operating mechanism.

Similar reference-letters refer to similar parts in the different views.

My invention relates to that class of eXizo ble doors which consist of a series of leaves hinged together at their edges and wound in a coil upon a rod orspindle from which the leaves are unwound in the operation of closing the door, and my invention relates parz 5 ticularly to the apparatus by which the winding and the unwinding of the coil around the spindle or shaft is controlled in the operation of closingand opening the door; and it consists in the employmentof a yielding con- 3o nection between the rod or shaft upon which the door is coiled and a wheel or drum operatively connected with the leaves of the door, sofas to be rotatedas the door is opened or closed.

3 5 Referring to the drawings, A denotes a portion of a iiexible door consisting of a series of parallel leaves a ct a, suitably connected at their edges in any well-known method of constructing doors of this class. The edge A of 4o the door is fastened at suitable intervals to collars, one of which is shown at Aattached to a vertical shaft AS and supported in suitable bearings at one side of the door-opening. The upper` ends of each of the leaves a are provided with a projecting pin b, said pins being arranged equal distances apart and adapted to engage the teeth of a wheel B, which is attached to a stud B', turning in a bearing B2 and having attached to its upper 5o end a pinion C, which is operatively connccted with a gear D through an intermediate pinion E, turning upon a stud E'.' The gear D is capable of turning loosely upon the vertical shaft A3 and carries a drum or case F, containing a flat coiled spring G, one end of which is attached to the drum or case F and the opposite end is fastened to a collar I-I, which is attached to the vertical shaft A3. When the door` is opened, the several leaves c ct a are wound in a coil I about the Vertical shaft A3. When the door is to be closed, it is drawn in the direction of the arrow J, Fig. l, and unwound from Vthe vertical shaft A3, the movement of the`door"in the direction of the arrow J causing 'the toothed wheel B to be 65 rotated by means of the pins Zi, and the rotation of the toothed wheel B is imparted to the gear D through the intermediate pinion E. The gear D in the operation of closing the door and unwinding it from the coil I causes 7o the blade-spring G to be Wound up, so that its tension will be exertedto rotate the vertical shaft A3 in the proper direction to wind up the coil when the door is closed or is moved in the reverse direction to the arrow J or in the direction of the arrow K.

In the operation of opening or closing the door it is moved in a straight line past the toothed wheel B, causing the gear-wheel D to be rotated through the intermediate pinion E. The vertical shaft A3, however, is caused `to rotate at a varying speed relatively to the speed of the door owing to the varying size of the coil I. In order to compensate for the variation in speed between the movement of the door and the rotation of the vertical shaft A3, I form a yielding connection between the shaft A3 and the gear D by means of the coiled blade-spring G, which is attached at its opposite ends to the drum F and to the 9o collar H so that the spring will be wound up in the operation of closing the door, causing the tension of the springto be utilized in rotating the vertical shaft A3 for `the .purpose of Winding up the springinto a coil when the door is opened or movedin the direction of the arrow K, Fig. l.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a flexible door, the combination ofa` roo shaft or spindle, a series of leaves hinged together and forming the body of the door having one edge of said door-body connected with said shaft, whereby said leaves are Wound into a coil by the rotation of said shaft, of a toothed Wheel, means carried by said hinged leaves for engaging said toothed wheel and rotating the same as the door is opened or closed, and an intermediate connecting mechanism between said toothed wheel and said shaft comprising a yielding member, Whereby the rotation of said shaft in Winding said door-body may be varied relatively to the rotation of said toothed wheel, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a shaft and a flexible door attached to said shaft, of a coiled spring having one end connected with said shaft and having its opposite end operatively connected with said door, whereby the operation of unwinding the door from said shaft will cause said springr to be wound with a uniform movement, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a shaft and a flexible door attached to said shaft, of a coiled spring carried by a wheel or drum and having one end attached thereto and having its operated by the door in the operation of opening and closing the same for rotating said wheel or drum, substantially as described.

4:. The combination of a shaft, a iiexible door attached to said shaft, a coiled spring attached at one end to said shaft, a Wheel or drum rotating concentrically with said shaft and attached to the opposite end of said coiled spring, and means for rotating said Wheel or drum operated by the movement of the door in opening or closing the same, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a door-body composed of a series of leaves hinged together, a shaft upon which said door-body is Wound, pins projecting from said leaves, a toothed Wheel engaged by said pins, a pinion attached to said toothed Wheel, a gear-Wheel driven by said pinion and concentric with the shaft upon which the door is Wound, and a yielding connection between said gear and shaft, substantially as described.

Dated this 29th day of April, 1901.

JOSEPH S. BLAKE.

Vitnesses:

RUFUS B. FOWLER, FLORENCE C. CooK.

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