Improvements in Lifting Latches.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lifting Latches.
We, THOMAS EDMUND MORRIS, of 19 Church Street, Wolverhampton in the
County of Stafford, Publican, and BENJAMIN CARPENTER, of 94 Oak Street,
Wolverhampton, aforesaid, Latch Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to lifting latches of the type embodied in what are known
as "Norfolk," "Suffolk," and "Lancashire" latches, that is to say, latches in which
a lifting bar is raised from the outside of a door through the medium of a thumb-
bit; and has for its object to simplify their construction and cheapen their
manufacture, and also to ensure greater durability than when the latches are made
in the common or ordinary manner.
In a lifting latch constructed according to this invention, the keep usually
employed with the ordinary construction of lifting latch is dispensed with, and the
thumb-bit is utilised in lieu thereof in keeping the lifting bar in place. The thumb-bit
is, for such purpose, formed at its inner end for connection with the lifting bar and is
connected therewith. This connection is, preferably, effected by passing the inner
end of the thumb-bit through a hole formed therefor through the lifting bar, and
screwing a knob or handle on to a portion of such end which projects beyond the face
of the bar. The hole through the lifting bar is, of course, sufficiently easy to allow of
the necessary play of the inner end of the thumb-bit therein as the latch is moved up
and down; and the knob or handle must be screwed up against a shoulder or stop
of the thumb-bit in such position that when the thumb-bit is horizontal, or
approximately so, there will be sufficient play between the face of the lifting
bar and the inner end of the knob or handle to allow of the proper movement of
the lifting bar, notwithstanding that the knob or handle moves in a somewhat
curved direction.
The adoption of the above-described method of keeping the lifting-bar in place
enables the thumb-bit to be constructed and mounted in place in the handle plate
in a very simple manner, which itself forms an important feature of the invention.
In lieu of pivoting the thumb-bit between cheeks fixed to the handle-plate as in
the ordinary construction of latch, the cheeks are dispensed with and the thumb-
bit is formed simply with a shoulder which comes against the outer face of the
handle plate and prevents it from being drawn inwards through the hole in the
plate through which the inner portion of the thumb-bit passes, while the con-
nection of the inner end of the thumb-bit with the lifting-bar, as above described,
prevents the thumb-hit from being drawn outwards through such hole. The
handle plate may thus be quite plain (except, of course, for the connection of the
handle therewith) as no ears are required for mounting the thumb-bit, which is kept
in place vertically and laterally simply by the edges of the hole through the plate
through which it passes. Moreover, the wire usually employed as the pivot or
hinge pin of the thumb-bit of a lifting latch of ordinary construction, and which
is liable to wear away rapidly and cause early failure of the latch, being
dispensed with according to this invention, the greater durability of the latch is
ensured.
The lifting-bar may be raised from the inside of the door by means of the knob
or handle which is fixed to the inner end of the thumb-bit.
Dated this 26th day of July 1805
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Lifting Latches.
We, THOMAS EDMUND MORRIS, of 19 Church Street, Wolverhampton in the
County of Stafford, Publican. and BENJAMIN CARPENTER, of 94 Oak Street,
Wolverhampton, aforesaid, Latch Maker, 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 :-
as
This invention relates to lifting latches of the type embodied in what are known
66 Norfolk,"
"
"Suffolk and Lancashire" latches; that is to say, latches in
which a lifting bar is raised from the outside of a door through the medium of a
thumb-bit; and has for its object to simplify their construction and cheapen their
manufacture, and also to ensure greater durability than when the latches are made
in the common or ordinary manner.
According to this invention, the thumb-bit of a lifting latch is formed at its
inner end for connection with the lifting bar in a manner which allows of the
proper movement of the bar, and is connected therewith. The keep usually
employed with the ordinary construction of lifting latch may be dispensed with
in cases in which the latch is constructed for a special thickness of door, as the
means of connection between the inner end of the thumb-bit and the lifting
bar are such that when a latch is made to suit a special thickness of door the
connection between the thumb-bit and lifting bar acts in keeping the lifting bar
in place.
The connection of the inner end of the thumb-bit with the lifting bar enables
the thumb-bit to be constructed and mounted in place in the handle plate in a very
simple manner, which itself forms an important feature of the invention. In lieu
of pivoting the thumb-bit between cheeke fixed to the handle plate as in the
ordinary construction of latches, the cheeks may be dispensed with and the thumb-
bit be formed simply with a shoulder which comes against the outer face of the
handle plate and prevents it from being drawn inwards through the hole in the
plate through which the inner portion of the thumb-bit passes, while the connec-
tion of the inner end of the thumb-bit with the lifting bar prevents the thumb-bit
from being drawn outwards from such hole. The handle plate may thus be quite
plain (except, of course, for the connection of a handle therewith) as no ears are
required for mounting the thumb-bit, which is kept in place vertically and laterally
simply by the edges of the hole through the plate through which it passes.
Moreover, the wire usually employed as the pivot or hinge pin of the thumb-
bit of a lifting latch of ordinary construction, and which is liable to wear
away rapidly and
cause early failure of the latch, being dispensed with,
according to this portion of the invention, the greater durability of the latch
is ensured.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to
describe a practical application thereof with reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which
Figure 1 is an elevation of the inner face of a latch constructed according to
this invention, and
Figure 2 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line x x of
Figure 1.
The shank a of the thumb-bit A passes through a hole formed therefor in the
lifting bar B, and the end 6 of such shank which extends beyond the outer face of
the lifting bar is formed with a screw-thread, and a knob, cap, or handle C, having
preferably a hexagonal or correspondingly shaped part c for facility in screwing it
up, is screwed upon such projecting end, and against the shoulder formed between
itself and the portion of the shank a which passes through the lifting bar. The

page_text: shank a is, preferably, square or of other rectangular shape, and the hole through the
lifting bar is, of course, of similar shape to that of the section of the shank and is
sufficiently easy to allow of the necessary play of the thumb-bit therein as the
latch is moved up and down. The inner end of the knob or handle must be in
such position when screwed up against the shoulder of the thumb-bit that when the
thumb-bit is horizontal, or approximately so, there will be sufficient play between
the face of the lifting bar and the inner end of the knob or handle to allow of the
proper movement of the lifting bar, notwithstanding that the knob or handle moves
in a somewhat curved direction.
The lifting latch may be pivoted to cheeks fixed to the handle plate in the
ordinary manner, if desired, but it is preferred to mount it to the plate in the
manner above described, that is to say, the shank a of the thumb-bit, which, as
above stated, is conveniently formed square or otherwise rectangular in section, is
passed through a similarly-shaped hole formed through the handle plate D, and a
shoulder d is formed with the thumb-bit which comes against the outer face of the
handle plate D and prevents the thumb-bit being drawn inwards. 'The thumb-bit
is thus prevented by such shoulder from being drawn inwards, and is prevented by
its connection with the lifting-bar from being drawn outwards. In Figure 2 only
a portion of the length of the handle plate D is shewn, and only the upper portion
of the handle D¹.
When a latch having a thumb-bit formed for connection with the lifting bar as
above described is made for a special thickness of door, the usual keep for the
lifting bar may be dispensed with, as the knob or handle C will keep the lifting
bar in position; but if a latch constructed in such manner is used for a door of
such thickness that the knob C cannot be relied upon, owing to its distance
outwards from the face of the door, to keep the lifting bar properly in place, a
keep E of the ordinary character should be used with the lifting bar.
The lifting bar may be raised from the inside of the door by means of the knob
or handle C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. A lifting latch, of the type aforesaid, of which the inner end of the thumb-bit
and the lifting-bar are formed for connection with one another in such manner as to
allow of the proper movement of the lifting bar and ensure that the thumb-bit
cannot be pulled out of connection with the bar or the bar become disconnected
with the thumb-bit, substantially as described.
2. A lifting latch, of the type aforesaid, in which the lifting bar is formed with
a hole for the thumb-bit and the thumb-bit is formed to pass through the bar and
is provided with a cap, knob or handle, which is fixed on its inner end when the
thumb-bit has been passed through the bar and thus securely prevents the thumb-
bit from being pulled out of the bar or the bar becoming disconnected with the
thumb-bit, substantially as described.
3. A lifting latch, of the type aforesaid, having the thumb-bit connected with the
lifting bar in a manner which prevents it being drawn away therefrom and
formed with a shoulder which forms a stop against the outer face of the
handle plate and mounted to the handle plate by the shank thereof simply
passing through a hole formed therefor in such plate, substantially as described.
4. A lifting latch, of the type aforesaid, constructed substantially as described
and shewn by the drawings herewith.
D
.
11000