IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS, LATCHES, AND STAPLEB
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry M°Evoy, of Hull Street Works, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS,
LATCHES, AND STAPLEB."
Sealed the 11th July 1856, and dated the 16th January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry McEvoy at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1856.
I, HENRY M°Evor, of Hall Street Works, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCKS, LATCHES, & STAPLES, to be as follows:
The first part of my Invention consists in introducing underneath the latch
part of the lock a roller made of suitable material, & placing it as nearly as
can be to the square hole in the frame of the lock, & through which square
hole the latch passes into the staple belonging thereto. By this arrangement
the liability of the latch becoming out of order is greatly prevented.
The second part of my Invention consists in introducing between that part
of the lock through which the spindle belonging to the handles passes, & the
end of the latch nearest thereto, a link or links, made of suitable material, by
which a connection is formed between these two parts, in consequence of which
the latch is withdrawn from the staple with great facility by the action of
the hand upon the knobs or handles of the lock.

page_text: The third part of my Invention consists in bending over the parts forming
the sides of the lock frame, in such way as to allow of the side parts being
rivitted to the face plate of the lock by ordinary rivits, & by which arrange-
ment great strength is secured, the screws by which the lock is fastened to the
door being made to pass through the parts of the sides thus bent over, as well-
as through the face plate of the lock.
Lastly, my Invention consists, further, in forming staples belonging to locks
& latches out of one piece of material, of the same thickness throughout, by
which much security & neatness is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry McEvoy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
McEvoy, of Hall Street Works, Biriningham, in the County of Warwick,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry McEvoy, Her special licence that I, the said Henry M°Evoy, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
McEvoy, 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, LATCHES,
AND STAPLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
McEvoy, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry M.Evoy, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, (that is to say):-
My Invention consists, first, in so constructing the bolt forming the latch
part of the lock as to obtain great facility of action, and render it less liable
to get out of order, in which case great force is required to shut the door, the
frame of which becomes disturbed thereby, and the staple belonging to the
lock frequently injured.
Secondly, in an improved method of combining the bolt forming the latch.
with that part of the lock or latch called the "follower," so that in turning
the handle to the right hand or towards the left, the same amount of
force is required, a smooth action obtained, and less liability to get out of
order secured.
Thirdly, in strengthening the lock frame, by forming parts of the material
of which the sides of the frame are made in such way as to cause the parts
thus formed to lie flatly upon the face of the lock frame, thereby giving an.
opportunity of using screws with countersunk heads, instead of the round-
headed screws generally used, and the screws thus passing through a double
thickness of iron, much greater strength is thereby obtained in the lock.
Lastly, my Invention further consists in an improvement in the construction
of what are called box staples belonging to locks and latches. I form cach
staple out of one piece of wrought iron, by which greater strength is secured
than when two pieces are combined together for the same purpose.
Having thus set forth generally the various improvements secured by my
Invention, I now proceed to a more particular description of the same, and in
so doing shall have occasion to refer to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon.
'
The bolt, with its appendages, forming the latch part of the lock, is repre-
sented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4; Figure 4 represents a roller, made of
suitable material, and may be either cast in maleable iron, or turned in a lathe,
to the required shape out of iron or steel rods; these rollers, when formed, may
be used either hardened or soft; I prefer to use them in a hardened state, as
they will sustain a greater amount of friction without damage; the roller thus
formed is introduced into the hollow part of the latch bolt represented in
Figure 1, at A. That part of the roller marked B, Figure 4, forming a neck,
is made to turn easily in the hollow A, Figure 1; the two parts, in their.
relative position, are represented in Figure 2; the prominent parts of the
roller marked C, C, Figure 4, being made to project slightly past the face of.
the bolt marked D; the bolt when fixed in its proper position in. the lock,
frame is thus made to move upon the ruller, and the roller from the friction

page_text: of the parts C, upon the inner surface of the lock frame, is made to turn round
every
time the bolt is moved; by this arrangement the advantages are secured
which I have set down as belonging to the first part of my Invention.
my
The second part of Invention is represented in Figure 3. I form a
projecting part, marked E, which is attached to the follower F of the lock;
the follower thus formed may be either cast in this form out of suitable metal,
as brass or iron, or they may be. made out of wrought iron; I prefer to use
them cast in maleable iron; between this projecting part E and the end of
the latch bolt I place one or two links, made of strong iron or brass wire. In
Figure 3 two links are represented at G, and are attached by means of the
hole in the part E of the follower F, and the screw H, fixed in the end of
the latch bolt; by this arrangement the improved action is obtained.
The third part of my Invention is shewn in Figure 5; I, I, represent the
improvement thus introduced in the construction of lock frames. Instead of
the iron generally used to form the sides of the frame, I use iron known in the
trade as angle iron, a section of which is shewn in Figure 8; with one side,
part of this iron I form the side of the frame, and the other side part forming
a flanch or flange I attach firmly, by means of rivits, seen at J, to the frame
of the lock, so as to bring the part forming the side of the frame into its
proper position. Through these side pieces thus described the screws for
fastening the lock to the door are intended to pass, and as the substance of
iron is sufficient to allow of the screw holes being countersunk, flat-headed
screws, instead of round-headed ones, may be used, and by which, in con-
nection with the additional strength of the side pieces, much greater strength
and consequent security is given to the lock than by the ordinary mode of
construction. I do not confine myself to the use of angle iron in constructing
the sides of the lock frame, but adopt sides of a similar form, cast in any
suitable metal, as brass or iron, or formed out of these two metals combined.
Nor do I confine myself to the precise form shewn in Figure 5, but introduce
ornamental work on that part of the side pieces through which the screws for
fastening the lock to the door are intended to' pass.
The last part of my Invention consists in an improved box staple, which
may be applied either to a lock. or latch. These staples I form out of the
angle iron before described and shewn in Figure 8; I take a suitable length
of this iron, and, first of all, cut out by means of tools in a common fly press,
a piece forming a square, at each end of one of the two sides of such piece of
iron, as represented at K, K, Figure 6; I then pass the piece of iron thus
prepared through another pair of tools in a fly press, by which means the two
parts marked L, L, are bent up in the direction of the dotted lines shewn in

page_text: Figure 6, and thus the two ends of the box staple are formed, as may be seen
by referring to Figure 7. The whole of this formation of the box staple out
of angle iron may be accomplished by an ordinary workman in iron, at a vice,
with the aid of a few simple tools, such as hammer, chisels, &c. The screws
are arranged to pass through that side of the staple the ends of which have
been bent so as to form the ends of the box; staples thus formed and fitted
up with the common brass striking plate, being superior in strength to the
ordinary box staple, are consequently less liable to get out of order.
The whole of these improvements may be applied either to latches or locks
in which a latch forms a component part; and what I claim as belonging
to my Invention is, such parts as are herein described, and represented in
the Drawings hereunto annexed, which have not been hitherto used in the
structure of locks, latches and staples; but I do not confine myself to the
precise form represented in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry McEvoy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
HENRY MCEVOY. (L.S.)