Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
I, GEORGE JOSEPH BOWCOCK, of 127 Duke Street, Southport, in the County
of Lancaster, England, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention is designed to provide a suitable combination door latch that can
also be used as a reliable lock and bolt.
It consists essentially in the formation and arrangement within a suitable casing
or box of a lifting latch bar or bolt in the inner end portion of which is made a
rectangular shaped aperture so that the bar or bolt can slide upon a square follower.
A square hole is formed in this follower to receive a spindle on one or both ends of
which is placed a handle for actuating the latch bar.
In lieu of or addition to this handle or handles I may attach to the bar another
handle or knob situated nearer the outer portion of said bar, the spindle of which
works in an angular slot formed in the outside of the casing so that the bar may
be raised when used as a latch or allowed to travel forward when used as a bolt or
lock.
When the latch is required to be locked a key is inserted from either side through
a hole in the casing and when the key is turned it enters in and engages with a
suitable notch or recess formed in the bar at the same time raises a perpendicular
lever which has a lug projecting from its face. This movement causes the lug to
be raised out of a groove made in the upper portion of the bar which is now free
to travel forward until a second groove or recess is reached and into which the lug
falls by its own gravity, or a flat spring may be used for the purpose of forcing the
lug into the groove or keeping the latch bar in position. To unlock the latch the
key is turned in the opposite direction and the bar or bolt is taken back to its
original position.
It may be here stated that when the latch har is used from the inside of the door
as a bolt the perpendicular lever is raised so that the lug is clear of the grooves or
recesses formed in the bar. This is effected by means of a small lever arm which
works in a groove at the bottom of the perpendicular lever and is attached to the
spindle situated at the outer end of the latch bar.
Dated this 5th day of November 1894.
W. D. ROWLINGSON,
172, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.
J GEORGE JOSEPH BOWCOCK of 127 Duke Street, Southport in the County
of Lancaster, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention is designed to provide in a convenient form a door latch that can
also be used as a lock and bolt. A lock & latch constructed according to my.

page_text: invention is specially suitable for fixing inside a hall door or the doors of water
closets, bedrooms or similar places where it is desired that free egress shall be at
all times possible but ingress capable of being prevented at will except to such
person or persons as possess a proper key.
Referring to the drawings
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a latch & lock constructed according to my
invention. The view is taken as from the outside face of the lock, the latch box L
being reversed to show its form.
Fig. 2 is a section on line a b Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section.
Within a suitable casing A. I provide a bar A' which serves as both a lifting
latch & sliding lock or bolt. The inner end of bar A¹ is provided with a rectangular
aperture B which fits over a square follower C in such manner that bar A¹ is
capable of longitudinal movement thereon. The other end of bar A' is supported
by the edge of casing A. The follower C is provided with circular cheeks which
are supported & free to turn in holes provided in the casing as shown ; & is pierced
by a spindle D which carries one or two handles of usual form. I prefer to provide
only one handle E as shown, for the purpose of canting bar A' when the device is
used as a latch and this is preferably placed on the outside face of the device.
The latch may be actuated from inside the room &c. by means of knob F as
hereafter described.
Near the other end of bar A¹ preferably inside the door, I provide a knob F
whose spindle F' may slide in an L shaped slot G formed in the casing A. When
it is desired to raise latch bar A' from the inside of the room it may be done by
means of knob F which for the purpose is lifted in the vertical portion of slot. G.
It will thus be seen that the latch bar A' may be lifted either by turning handle E
or lifting knob F, from the outside & inside respectively; or by a second handle E,
if provided.
When the bar A¹ is used as a bolt or lock it is moved into position shown in
dotted lines, Fig. 1, by means of a key inserted from either side (or if preferred
capable of insertion from outside only) or else by means of knob F which for that
purpose is slid along the horizontal part of slot G.
I provide a detent lever H sliding between lugs or guides . A projection H' on
detent lever H takes into notches A in the bar A' & holds the latter in its locked
or unlocked position. Before moving bar A¹ as a lock it is necessary to raise.
detent lever H so as to cause its projection H' to disengage notches A³. When a
key is used it presses on under side of detent lever & thus raises it in a similar
manner to an ordinary tumbler.
When kuob F is used to slide bar A' the detent lever is first raised by means of
an arm I which is slightly oscillated for the purpose by means of a slight turn of
said knob on whose spindle it is secured.
A spring K tends to keep detent lever H down & this in turn pressing on bar A¹
tends to return it to normal position when used as a latch.
The latch box L is preferably made deeper than usual as it serves to retain the
outer end of bar A' in two positions viz., as a latch, & as a lock.
When the latch is intended for use in such places that the employment of a key
is considered unnecessary I omit that portion of the mechanism which is shown as
provided for such action. The detent lever H and notches therefor will then be so
modified that no separate lifting action of the former is required but it will be
lifted by the sliding movement of bar A" & for this purpose lug H' will be bevilled
or rounded & the notches A shaped to correspond. The lower portion of lever H
may be omitted & said lever will then act as a spring check & not as a positive
detaining device. The lever I will then be unnecessary & spindle F¹ may be
rigidly attached to bar A' instead of being rotatable.
One great advantage of my invention is that one bar acting as both lifting latch
& sliding lock & bolt enables the device' to be made so as to take up very little
room.

page_text: Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a combined latch lock & bolt, the combination of a latch bar A' follower C
& means such as handle E for canting same with knob F or equivalent attached to
said bar & movable in a slot in the outer casing, in such manner as to slide said bar
as a bolt, together with means such as shown whereby said bar may be slid by a
key, substantially as described.
2. In a combined latch lock & bolt the employment of a single latch bar which
may be tilted as a latch or slid longitudinally as a lock or bolt, substantially as
described.
3. In a combined latch lock & bolt a single latch bar & a detent lever therefor
which may be lifted either by a knob or equivalent or by means of a key, to allow
said bar to slide as a lock, & which rises with said bar without disengaging the
same when used as a latch, substantially as described.
4. The improved combined latch lock & bolt, taken as a whole, substantially as
described & shown.
Dated this 8th day of December 1894.