World’s First Automatic Door

It was 85 years ago this year, in 1931, that the world’s first automatic door was patented, sold and installed. The door was invented by Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby for the Stanley Works and was installed at Wilcox's Pier Restaurant in West Haven, Connecticut in 1931. The entire system (operator, beams and doors) plus installation was sold for $100. Due to the product's success, an automatic door division spun off of the Stanley Works and is now called Stanley Access Technologies. The door was originally designed for use between the kitchen and the dining room at Wilcox’s Pier Restaurant and consisted of a pneumatically powered swing door operator controlled by a light beam “magic eye” . The patent, filed by the inventors in November 1931, claimed: Our invention relates to apparatus for operating doors, and has special reference to apparatus of this character that is controllable by light sensitive means. One of the objects of our invention is to provide an apparatus for operating doors which is so constructed that as a person approaches the door, the door is opened automatically and remains open until the person has passed therethrough, whereupon the door automatically closes. Another of the objects of our invention is to provide an apparatus of the character indicated which is simple in construction, and reliable and efficient in operation. The opening of the doors is controlled by a photo-electric cell mounted in posts arranged in front of the doors so that a person approaching passes between them. Then the variation in the current from the photo-electric cell acts through an amplifier and relay system to close the circuit connection with an electro-magnet. When the doors have opened a predetermined distance to allow the person to pass through the door-way, the operating mechanism acts automatically to close the doors and to maintain them closed until another person crosses the lightbeam. The operating mechanism is mounted on the back or kitchen side of the door casing so that it is out of sight from the dining-room. It is apparent from day one of the history of automatic doors that key features were simplicity, reliability and efficiency as well as the overall aesthetics. These features have been guiding principles of the last 85 years and are as important in Stanley products today as in 1931. Axis Automatic Entrance Systems embrace the same values and are the sole UK distributors of Stanley automatic door equipment. For further information call 01604 212500, email sales@axisautomatic.com or visit www.axisautomatic.com