IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES, AND IN ATTACHING KNOBS TO LOCK AND LATCH SPINDLES
Year: 1858

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Warner Duce at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st March 1858.
I, JOSEPH WARNER DUCE, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES, AND IN ATTACHING KNOBS TO LOCK AND LATCH
SPINDLES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in locks consist, firstly, in giving to one or more of the
tumblers of a lock a compound action, the said tumbler or tumblers having
the ordinary motion upon a centre, and in addition thereto a motion whereby
the plane in which the tumbler is situated is changed. By this method of
construction great additional security is acquired, as the key or other instru-
ment can only move the bolt by lifting the several tumblers to their proper
heights respectively, and also raising the tumbler or tumblers, which require
to be raised from the plane in which they are situated. The key is provided

page_text: with suitable inclines to give. the required new motion to the tumbler or
tumblers.
My improvements in locks consist, secondly, in the use of an additional or
supplementary tumbler, having an independent centre, in which supplementary
tumbler a second stump on the bolt works. The said supplementary tumbler
is acted upon by one or more of the ordinary tumblers, and also by a
spring.
My improvements in latches consist, firstly, in the following method of con-
structing the action of the latch:-The follower is made to act upon a lever
jointed at one end to the lock case; the free end of the said lever acts upon
the free end of a balance latch motion or second lever, jointed at or about its
middle to the lock case. The other end of the last-mentioned lever is connected
with the latch bolt.
My improvements, in latches consist, secondly, in making a tongue or pro-
jection on the upper or lower side of such latches as have a double bevil, for
the purpose of enabling them to open in either direction. The said double
bevilled latches are liable to disengagement from the staple by pressure upon
the door and without the turning of the door knob. By my improvement this
is prevented.
My improvement in attaching knobs to spindles consists in making a groove
on one side of the square spindle, the said groove being narrowest at the end
of the spindle, and gradually widening towards the middle of the spindle. Tho
knob slides upon the spindle, and a screw passing through the neck of the
knob, and having a taper end, engages in the said groove. In adjusting the
knob the said knob is pushed to the required distance on the spindle, when
the screw is driven home, the knob cannot then be withdrawn from the spindle.
The arrangement described may either be employed at one or both ends of the
spindle
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Martha Duce in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTHA
DUCE, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Widow and Executrix
of Joseph Warner Duce, of Wolverhampton, aforesaid, Manufacturer, deceased,
send greeting.

page_text: .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Martha Duce, Her special licence that I, the said Martha Duce, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Martha Duce,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND
LATCHES, AND IN ATTACHING KNOBS TO LOCK AND LATCH SPINDLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Martha Duce, as such executrix
as aforesaid, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on or before the Twentieth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Martha Duce, as such executrix as
aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The said improvements in locks consist, firstly, in giving to one or more of
the levers of a lock a compound action, the said lever or levers having the
ordinary motion upon a centre, and in addition thereto a motion whereby the
plane in which the lever is situated is changed. By this method of con-
struction great additional security is acquired, as the bolt can only be moved
by the key lifting the several levers to their proper heights respectively, and
also raising the lever or levers which require to be raised from the plane in
which they are situated. The key is made of a suitable form to effect that
motion of the lever by which its plane is changed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in elevation the works of
a lock constructed according to this part of the said Invention; and Figures 2
and 3 represent portions of the same. a are the levers, which require to be
raised by the key to different heights, in order that the stump b upon the bolt c
may traverse the said levers, as is well understood. Figure 2 represents in
edge view the upper lever a of Figure 1; and Figure 3 represents a transverse
section of Figure 1 taken through the line d. The upper lever is marked a in

page_text: the several Figures. By an examination of Figures 1 and 3, it will be seen
that the stump 6 cannot traverse the narrow part of the slot in the said lever a
until the said lever a has been lifted out of the plane in which it is situated
sufficiently high to raise the slot in the said lever opposite to the small part b
of the stump b. This raising of the lever a out of the plane of the other
levers is effected by the incline on its under side, which incline is best seen in
the edge view of the lever Figure 2, and is marked a¹. That portion of the
key Figure 4 marked e, engaging underneath the incline a¹ of the lever a and
the said key raises the said lever a to the proper height before it acts upon
and shoots the bolt. Although I have only described the raising of one lever
out of the plane in which it is situated when the bolt is shot or withdrawn,
yet the same action may be extended to any number of the levers.
The said improvements in locks consist, secondly, in the use of an additional
or supplementary lever, having an independent centre, in which supplementary
lever a second stump on the bolt works. The said supplementary lever is
acted upon by one or more of the ordinary levers, and also by a spring. This
part of the said Invention is illustrated in Figure 1. fis the supplementary
lever turning upon the centre g; his a stump on the bolt c, which said stump
traverses a slot in the lever f. The lever a, and all the levers turning upon
the same centre as the lever a, bear against the top of the supplementary
lever f, and as the tumblers a are raised to the proper heights, the tumbler f
rises at the same time, being pressed upwards by the spring i. By the use of
the supplementary tumbler f, the possibility of ascertaining the position of the
"gating" of the tumblers a, by applying pressure to the bolt c, is prevented,
for when pressure is applied to the bolt c, the supplementary tumbler f is
fixed against the stump h on the bolt, and cannot be brought into action until
the pressure on the bolt is taken off.
The improvements in latches consist, firstly, in the following method of
constructing the action of the latch :-The follower is made to act upon a
lever jointed at one end to the lock case, the free end of the said lever acting
upon the free end of a balance latch motion, or second lever, jointed at or
about its middle to the lock case. The other end of the last mentioned lever
is connected with the latch bolt. This part of the Invention is represented in
Figure 1. k is the follower, which acts upon the bolt 2, through the lever m
and the balance latch motion or lever n. The lever m is jointed to the lock
case at o, and the lever n is jointed to the lock case at p. By turning in
either direction the axis which passes through the follower k, one of the arms
of the follower is made to press upon the lever m, and the said lever m

page_text: pressing upon the loose end of the lever n, the latch is withdrawn. By this
improvement the action of the latch bolt is very easy, and the follower may be
placed near the bottom of the lock case.
The improvements in latches consist, secondly, in making a tongue or pro-
jection on the upper or lower side of such latch bolts as have double bevilled
ends, for the purpose of allowing them to open in either direction. The
double bevilled latches are liable to disengagement from the staple by pressure
upon the door, and without the turning of the latch knob. By this improve-
ment the disengagement in question is prevented. This part of the said
Invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 5. The latch bolt 1, Figure 1, is
furnished at its end with the tongue or projection 7 on its under side, the
forn and position of which will be understood by an examination of the
elevation of the bolt l, Figure 1, and its plan, Figure 5. When the door is
closed, the tongue or projection q takes into a slot in the "striking plate" fixed
to the door frame, and the door cannot be opened without turning the knob,
and thereby draws in the tongue or projection 2 out of the slot with which it
was engaged.
Although I have represented the improvements in locks and latches com-
bined together in one lock and latch, Figure 1, yet the several improvements
in locks and latches may be used separately, and applied to locks and latches
of various constructions in other respects.
1° is
The improvement in attaching knobs to spindles consists in making a groove
on one side of the square spindle, the said groove being narrowest at the end
of the spindle, and gradually widening towards the middle of the spindle. The
knob slides upon the spindle, and a screw passing through the neck of the
knob, and having a conical end, engages in the said groove. Figure 6
represents a spindle constructed according to this part of the Invention.
the groove, which, as represented, is of greatest width near the middle of the
spindle. In attaching the knob s to a spindle, the said knob is pushed to the
required distance on the spindle when the screw t is driven home, and the
conical end of the said screw being forced as deep into the groover as the
width of the groove where the knob is situated will permit, the knobs cannot
bo withdrawn, as the end of the screw t is incapable of sliding into a narrower
part of the groove r than that with which it is engaged. The taper groove 1
may be employed for attaching the knob at one or both ends of the spindle.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same

page_text: may be varied without departing from the nature of the said Invention; but
I claim as the said Invention,―
Firstly, giving to one or more of the levers of locks a motion, by which, in
addition to their ordinary motion, the plane in which they are situated is
changed, so as to lift the said lever or levers from a thick to a thin part of the
stump fixed to the main bolt, and thereby permitting the said stump to
traverse the lever or levers, as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the application of a second or supplementary lever to locks, as
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly, the method herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing of constructing the mechanism whereby the follower
of the latch is made to act upon the latch bolt.
Fourthly, applying a tongue or projection to the upper or lower side of such
latch bolts as have a double bevilled end, for the purpose of enabling them to
open in either direction, as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Lastly, attaching knobs to lock and latch spindles by the use of a groove on
the spindle, the said groove diminishing in width from the middle towards the
end of the spindle, as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing..
In witness whereof, I, the said Martha Duce, as such executrix as
aforesaid, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight
Witness,
SAMUEL HEWINS.
MARTHA DUCE. (L.S.)