Improved Means for Fastening Door-knobs to their Spindles, applicable to other purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Fastening Door-knobs to their Spindles,
applicable to other purposes.
I EDWARD LAWRENCE TODD, of 37 Hendon Road, Sunderland, Draper, 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:-
This invention relates to improved means for fastening door-knobs to their
spindles, and which is applicable to other purposes of an analogous nature, and is
designed for the purpose of doing away with the use of screws and other tedious
and faulty fastening means and to enable the handle or the like to be moved along
the spindle, or taken right off same at will.
In the fastening of door-knobs and the like to their spindles heretofore, by means
of screws passing through the neck of the handle into slots or grooves in the spindle,
it is well known that the said screws were always liable to work loose and loose
their grip upon the spindle besides being under the disadvantage of taking up a
considerable amount of time in fixing same. Now by my invention, the handle or
the like can, by means of pressure exerted upon a spring, provided for the purpose,
be moved along or removed entirely from the spindle on which it is fixed.
The manner in which this is effected, I have clearly shewn upon the accompanying
sheet of drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a door-knob fixed to the spindle according to my
invention, and
Fig. 2 is a side section of same.
A is the handle which may be formed of metal or other suitable material, having
a slot cut or otherwise formed therein, in which fits a piece of metal or other
material B, pivotted at a so that it can work up and down with a see-saw
motion.
This piece B is provided at the end with a spring C which keeps the opposite
end firmly pressed down.
$
This said spring C may be formed as shewn, of a piece of springy' steel
inserted into the slot c, or it may if desirable, be made in spiral or any other
convenient form.
The underneath side of the end b' is provided with a tooth 63, which is kept
pressed firmly down onto the spindle D by means of the spring C as before
described.
The spindle D is provided with a ratchet d into one of the grooves of which, the
tooth presses. The ratchet d is formed with the teeth of same sloping away
from the end or point of the spindle as shewn, so that when the spindle is inserted
into the socket in the door-knob or the like, the tooth allows same to be pushed
into the said socket, but immediately engages with the ratchet-teeth when an
attempt is made to withdraw the spindle, and holds same firmly in its place.
When it is desired that the door-knob or the like should be removed from the
spindle, or moved along same, the part 6 is pressed downwards, thereby raising the
opposite end and the tooth 2 above the ratchet d, whereupon the said door-knobs or
the like A, can be freely moved in either direction, or entirely removed from the
spindle if so desired.
The piece Band its corresponding slot, can be made narrower than shewn in the
drawing and the said piece B may be level with the rest of the door knob if
desirable, so that a chance pressure upon the handle, will not depress the said
end and raise the tooth b* from the ratchet, thereby loosening the door-knob or
the like.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In door-knobs or the like, the arrangement of the pivotted piece B provided
with spring C and tooth 62 in combination with the ratchet-teeth d on the spindle,
substantially as described and shown and for the purpose set forth.
2. The ratchet-teeth d formed as shown, on door or other spindles, for the
purpose of engaging with the tooth 2, in combination with the various other parts,
substantially as described and shown, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 14th day of May 1891.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.