who invented automatic elevator doors

The first automatic elevator door system was invented by John W. Meaker, who received U.S. Patent 147,853 in 1874 for an automatic elevator door mechanism.

Quick Scoop: Who invented automatic elevator doors?

• John W. Meaker (1874)
  • Credited with the first automatic elevator door system.
  • Awarded U.S. Patent 147,853 in 1874 for a mechanism that automatically operated elevator shaft doors, making early elevators safer by reducing the chance of open shafts.

• Alexander Miles (1887)
  • Often popularly cited as the inventor of automatic elevator doors, but more precisely he improved and popularized them.

* Awarded U.S. Patent 371,207 on October 11, 1887, for an improved design that used a system of belts, levers, and rollers to open and close both the elevator car and shaft doors automatically when the car reached a floor.

* His design greatly boosted safety and helped make automatic doors a standard feature in modern elevators worldwide.

Two key names to remember

• Invented the first automatic elevator door system: John W. Meaker (1874).

• Made automatic elevator doors safer and widely adopted: Alexander Miles, via his influential 1887 patent and improved mechanism.

So, if you’re answering “who invented automatic elevator doors,” the historically precise answer is John W. Meaker , with Alexander Miles recognized for a later, safer, and more widely adopted improvement.

TL;DR:
John W. Meaker patented the first automatic elevator door system in 1874, and Alexander Miles later improved and popularized automatic elevator doors with his 1887 patent.