US2526616A - Door check and silencer for springactuated doors - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 24, 1950- Y M. c. Blusas '2,526,515

DOOR CHECK ND SILENCER FOR SPRING-ACTUATED DOORS l FlOd-y 16, 1949 r-:NroR nel? MARTIN c. anlass ATTOREYS Patented Oct. 24, 1950 DOOR 4CHECK AND SILENCER FOR SPRING- ACTUATED DOORS Martin Calkins Briggs, Minneapolis, Minn. Application May 16, 1949, Serial No. 93,494

This invention relates to mechanism for checking and substantially silencing the closing of a door wherein a contractile coil spring or the equivalent is used as the closing medium.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple, inexpensive but highly efficient mechanism cooperatively associated with a contractile spring or the mechanical equivalent thereof, such as a guided weight for momentarily interposing a cushioning or buffer element between a free edge of a swinging door and the door stop just prior to its inal movement to fully closed position.

More specically, it is an object to provide a combinative door closing and checking mechanism adapted to supply power for closing an open door and further adapted through the expansion or movement of the spring or door closing element to tension a exible member for positioning a buffer element momentarily between the stop strip of the doorway and a portion of the free edge of the door and adapted to thereafter inthe last part of the closing movement of the door, slacken the exible element to permit disrplacement of the buffer element from checking position. y

Another object is the provision of mechanism of the class described wherein the buier or cushioning element is temporarily positioned in an annular seat or eye for breaking the impact of the closing door, but is readily knocked by said impact into non-obstructing position, thereby offering an improved silencing action as contrasted with buffers which bear the full impact and force of the slamming door between door frame and door edge.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary elevation of a door and door frame showing an embodiment of my invention applied thereto with the door in closed position with the doorway stop strips removed;

I Fig. 2 is a similar side elevation on an enlarged scale showing the door in partially closed position with the buier element disposed in striking position;

Fig. 3 is a plan View thereof on a similarly Venlarged'scale with the upper portion of the.

vdoorway broken away showing the buffer element in striking position;

Fig. 4 is la side elevation on a still greater 6 Claims. (Cl. 16-49) 2 enlarged scale of a door-closing spring and another embodiment of my invention applied thereto, the working mechanism being as shown, disconnected from a door;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing another embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail elevation on an enlarged scale showing the hookmember Ha in its connected relation with the coil spring.

Referring now to the form of the invention shown in Figs. l to 3 inclusive, my structure is applied to a swinging door D hinged at its right vertical edge as shown in the drawing, by hinges H to a conventional door frame F. 'Ihe usual door stop strips S are provided in the doorway at the top and sides thereof for engagement with the marginal edges of the door when closed. My door check and silencer mechanism is cooperatively associated with a door closing element such as an elongated contractile coil spring 'l having one end thereof formed to provide an eye which is secured by a fastener 8 to the doorway at a point offset and spaced in eccentric manner from the axis of the hinges H. The opposite end of spring .1 is shaped to form an eye or hook la which as shown in Figs. l to 3, is secured by the shank of an eye screw 9 threadedly attached as shown, adjacent the upper edge of door D at a point removed a few inches from the free vertical edge of the door. The screw eye 9 Vserves the dual function of acting as a retainer for the outer end of spring l and constitutes a horizontal annular seat or socket for a compressible and resilient buffer member I0. Buffer member I9 as shown, is in the form of a soft rubber ball having an axially disposed reinforcing pin Illa therethrough to one end of which is attached a strong, preferably metallic ilexible member such as the ball type chain Il, The inner end of chain il as shown in Figs. l to 3, is attached by a hookV or clamping member l la to an intermediate convolution of the contractile coil spring 'l and the outer end of the chain H as shown, is threaded upwardly through the bottom of the annulus or seat or eye 9. y Y

It is important that the length of chain Il and its attachment by element Ila to the coil spring 1 be in such relation that during the opening movement of the door` (rearwardly away from the observer as viewed in the drawing) the eX- pansion of spring 'upon opening of the door past, say 30 degrees opening movement, causes tensioning of chain Il to draw the buffer ball I0 into the operative position as vshown in Fig. 2 where the buier ball remains until in the closing movement of the door, it momentarily is interposed between the upper edge of the doorway and the upper edge of the door to cushion the slamming impact. In normal position with the door closed, the chain is slackened due to contraction of spring 'I and the ball is suspended from the ring 9.

In Fig. 2 a portion of the top of the doorway is broken away to show in full lines the relation of the buffer ball in operative position therewith.

In Fig. 3 the dotted lines indicate the moved positions of the operating parts during the iinal closing movement of the door.

With my improved structure, the automatic `closing of the door is substantially noiseless. When the door is moved from the closed position shown in Fig. l, chain Ii is tightened after `swinging of the door to partially open position, thereby drawing the ball to the operative position shown in Fig. 2, where it is well seated in the annulus of eye 9. When the door is released by the user the tensioned contractile spring swings the door with force towards closed position. Just before the door fully closes, the seated buffer ball I at its upper portion strikes against the lower edge of the doorway or the upper stop strip, cushioning the impact and because of its resiliency, producing a slight bounce or outward movement of the door and the impact causes the buffer ball EG to be knocked or roll on" of the annular seat with the chain i l then slack-shed so that the ball is removed from work position and the door is quietly swung for the very small angulation left, to fully closed position. Due to the loose seating of the buiTer member and slack of chain l I when the impact is cushioned, only a very slight amount of noise is occasioned. The buffer receives the shock to the extent of completely cushioning the violence oi the doorswinging movement but almost instantly thereafter, is knocked or rolledl from its seated operative position without the complete interposition of its structure between two solid members. A

much more efficient cushioning operation is therefore effected than with the use of pendulous buffer members attached to door or door frame.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated another embodiment of my invention wherein the outer end ci the spring l is connected with the separate and independent screw eye i5 and wherein the chain Il is connected with the outer end of a rod iii which is disposed within the Comines of the spring and has its inner end turned to form a hook ld which is interconnected with a medial convolution of spring l'. The operation oi this form of the invention is substantially identical with the form first described, the ball being similarly connected to chain ii in order to be seated in operative position in an annular element or screw eye il during opening of the door and similarly unseated during closing of the door.

In Fig. 5, another form of the invention is illustrated where the annular element or screw eye 9, as in the form first described, has the dual function of anchoring the outer end of spring 'i and serving as the buiier seat. The chain li ci this last mentioned form is secured to the iiiwardly bent extremity ia of a rod l which is slidably disposed within the outer portion of spring 'I and has its inner end formed into a hook l8b which is engaged with one of the medial convolutions of spring l.

y In Fig. 5, the spring 'i is shown tensioned as it is when the door is open beyond a predetermined angulation while in Fig. 4, the spring is shown contracted in the normal closed position of the door with the buier ball suspended below the eye I1.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided simple but highly eiiicient mechanism for substantially silencing the closing of a door and for supplying the closing medium.

It will further be seen that my invention may be applied as an attachment to door-closing means such as contractile springs now in use or already attached or may be in combinative relation with the spring or other door-closing member manufactured and sold as a complete unit.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of Iny invention.

What I claim is: Y

l. A door silencing mechanism for swinging doors which have attached thereto a door-closing element such as an elongated coil spring; comprising a butler-retaining socket adapted to be secured adjacent a free edge of a door and disposed in substantially horizontal position, a buffer element shaped to be temporarily retained in said socket with a portion of the periphery thereof protruding beyond said edge of the door and a connection element including at least a flexible section secured to'said buffer element and slidably extending through said socket, one end o said connection member having means for attachment to an intermediate portion of said door closing element whereby the expansion of said element during opening of the door will taut said exible section to draw said buffer element from a suspended position to an operative position in said socket interposed between said free edge oi the door and a portion of the doorway.

2. A door check and silencer mechanism comprising lan annular seat adapted to be secured adjacent a free edgeof a swinging door and disposed in horizontal position, a buier element of a size and shape to be retained in said seat with a portion of the periphery thereof protruding beyond said edge of the door and a exible element secured to said buier element and threaded downwardly through said seat and having an end for attachment to a movable door-closing element such as an elongated coil spring whereby the expansion of said element during opening of the door will make taut said flexible element to draw said buier element from a suspended position to an operative position between the said free edge of the door and a portion of the doorway to initially check and to substantially silence the last part of the closing movement of the door.

3. A door check and silencer mechanism comprising a door attachment member adapted to be secured adjacent a free edge of a swinging door and having an element for connection with one end of a contractile door-closing spring and having a socket for reception-and temporary mounting of a buier member, a buffer member of size and shape to be retained in said socket with a portion of the periphery thereof protruding beyond said edge of the door and a connection element including at least a flexible section secured to said `buffer member and slidably extending through said socket, one end of said connection member having means for attachment to an intermediate portion of said contractile coil spring,

the length of said connection member being such Y that said flexible section is normally loose when the door is closed and is made taut by the eXpansion of said spring during opening movement of the door.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 wherein said door attachment member comprises a screw shank for receiving a hook orloop at the outer end of a coil spring and has aixed thereto an annular element constituting said socket for receiving said buffer member.

5. Door closing and silencing mechanism having inv combination an elongated contractile coil spring having one end for attachment in eccentric relation to the hinge of a door upon the door frame and having its outer end provided with an attachmentelement, a door attachment member adapted to be secured to a door adjacent a free edge thereof and having an element for connection with the outer end of said coil spring and having a seat for reception or"v a buffer member,

'a` buffer member shaped to be temporarily retained in said seat with afportion of the periphery thereof protruding beyond said edge of the door and a connection element including at least a flexible section secured to said buffer element and slidably extending through said socket, one end of said connection member having means for attachment to an intermediate portion of said door closing element whereby the expansion of said element during opening of the door will make taut said flexible section tov draw said buffer element from a suspended position to an operative position in said socket interposed between said free edge of the door and a portion of the doorway.

6. The structure set forth in claim 5 wherein said connection element comprises a rod slidably and longitudinally disposed within said coil spring and said flexible element connecting the outer end of said rod with said lbuffer member and slidably extending through said seat.

MARTIN CALKINS BRIGGS.

REFERENCES oiTEn The following references are of record in the file of thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

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