Assignment 4 : Theophilus Van Kannel

In 1841 Theophilus Van Kannel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a Swiss-American who is known for inventing the revolving door. The revolving door usually is constructed of a center shaft that a set of 3 or 4 doors rotates around with in a circular enclosure. A main benefit of a revolving door is that it is energy efficient. It eliminates drafts that would normally come through a regular door. By eliminating these drafts cooling and heating requirements are reduced for the building that the revolving door is present in. Another benefit to the revolving door is that it allows more people to pass through it at the same time. These doors also can be required in skyscrapers for safety. In skyscrapers it has been said that a great volume of rushing air from a normal door is capable of blowing out windows with in the building. The door is also noiseless, so it causes less disturbance in whatever environment it is placed. Theophilus gained a US patent for the revolving door in 1888. Theophilus founded the Van Kannel Revolving Door Company. In 1907 this company was purchased by the International Steel Company. Von Kannel was awarded recognition for his invention from the Franklin Institute. He was given the "John Scott Legacy Medal" for the contribution of the revolving door.

Theophilus Van Kannel:
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Revolving door
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http://www.usgates.com/images/mirrorfinishmaroon.jpg

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