Improvements in Automatically-locking Sash-holders.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1397
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatically-locking Sash-holders.
1, ROBERT K. BROWN, Accountant, of Whitinsville, County of Worcester, State
of Massachusetts, United States of America, 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 relates to automatically-locking sash-holders, and more particularly
to that class of sash-holders in which a locking rack-bar on the edge of the window
sash is used in connection with a catch bolt or tooth mounted in the window frame,
and my objects are to provide a device of this character which shall automatically
operate to lock the lower or upper sash of windows in any desired position; to make
such a holder as would be adapted for use upon all kinds of windows which can be
raised and lowered, and more particularly to car windows and light windows in
houses; and further to so construct the locking mechanism that it will be readily
adapted to window sashes of different sizes, without necessitating the employment, or
the manufacture, of holders of widely different dimensions in order to meet the
requirements of sashes of different thicknesses; and my object is further to provide
a simple, durable and effective sash holder, of the character referred to, in which the
parts shall be of the fewest number, compactly arranged, and, when in use, entirely
hidden from view, with the exception of the device for working the catch bolt
or tooth.
With these objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction and
combination of parts and details thereof as hereinafter described and claimed, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is an elevation of the upper and lower sashes of a window, partly in
section, with my sash holders applied thereto.
Figure 2 is an enlarged front view of the sash-holder.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3, Figure 2, in connection with a
detached portion of sash and frame.
Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4-4, Figure 2 in connection
with a detached portion of the window-sash and frame, looking from the outside.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line 5-5, Figure 3, omitting the window-
sash and frame.
Figures 6 and 7 are side and front views of the end portion of the locking
rack-bar.
In the drawings, the same characters refer to the same parts in all the views;
A indicates one side of a window frame, a portion of the inside box strip of which is
removed; B is the lower sash, C the upper sash, each of which has the usual vertical
stiles b, c, and the meeting rails d d, and E represents a portion of the inner
box strip.
The preferred form of my sash-holder consists essentially of an open bottom casting
or casing F, for carrying the several parts, provided with projecting lips or flanges f
at each end which are countersunk in the window-frame A and secured thereto by the
usual fastening devices, within which casing is pivotally mounted a spring operated
plate G, carrying the locking tooth or bolt for engaging the teeth of the locking
rack-bar on the vertical stile of the window-sash.
The plate G is mounted upon a pivot pin g, passing through the side walls of the
casing F, and this plate is preferably made so as to neatly fit between the two side

page_text: walls of the casing without binding, as the said plate is moved back and forth between
the said walls, during the operation of locking and unlocking the sash.
Near the free end of the plate G is a transverse slot or opening H formed in an
enlargement at that end of the plate, and mounted in the said slot is a locking bolt or
tooth I, carried by a screw J passing transversely through the side walls of the said
slot H, the said tooth being laterally adjustable on the said screw. By so mounting
the locking bolt or tooth, it can be adjusted laterally on the plate, before the latter is
placed in the casing, by means of the screw J, so as to bring the tooth or bolt in the
proper position to engage the locking rack-bar K, set in a groove in the centre of the
vertical stile of the window-sash, the said adjustment of the tooth being made to
accommodate different thicknesses in various window-sashes.
The locking tooth I is normally pressed outward in engagement with the locking
rack-bar K by means of a suitable spring engaging the back of the plate G and a
fixed part of the device. I have shown a preferable construction for effecting this
result which consists of a screw bolt L, the head of which is seated in a countersunk
hole in one flange f of the casing F, the shank passing through a hole
or slot in the free end of the plate & and provided on its inner end with a nut 1.
between which nut and the plate G is confined a helical springs, whose tension can
be adjusted as desired by means of the nut . It will thus be seen that the locking
tooth I, will be normally pressed outward in engagement with the tooth on locking
rack-bar, and in order to release or unlock the said tooth from the said locking
bar, I provide preferably a push-lever in the form of a bell-crank-lever, m, pivoted
to a guide flange or lip N, extending outwardly from one side of the casing F,
the said lever working in a recess n, formed in the guide flange. The inner or short
end of the lever m, loosely contacts with the end of the plate G, and the long or outer
end m', projects outwardly between the inner box strip of the frame, and one of the
vertical stiles of the sash and is preferably provided with a lateral lip or extension m",
forming a broad bearing surface for grasping the lever with the thumb or finger; and
secured to the guide lip, just below the recess therein, is a horizontal plate 8, which
forms a grasp for the finger and acts as a fulcrum for pulling the unlocking lever
downward when it is desired to disengage the locking tooth from the rack-bar.
The side wall of the recess n may act as a stop for limiting the outward movement
of the plate G and tooth carried thereby, the inner end of the lever m being confined,
in its outermost position, between the said plate and side wall.
The guide lip or plate N, is constructed to fit snugly against, and align with, the
box strip, the only part of the device that is visible being the inner end of the
unlocking lever m and the fulcrum plate O.
The locking rack-bar is preferably constructed, as shown in the drawings, with a
series of teeth between two plain end portions k, in which end portions are mounted
friction rolls P, loosely fitting in circular bearings, consisting of segmental cylindrical
recesses formed in the bar, the said rolls being confined thereto by sheet metal
strips Q, bent so as to enclose the ends and sides of the bar, leaving an aperture
through which a portion of the anti-friction roll P projects into contact with the
window-frame.
This locking rack-bar is secured to the sash by means of staples Y, embracing the
bar preferably at the last tooth thereof, and passing into the sash; and the opposite
sides of the sash may be provided with anti-friction rolls by simply cutting small
sections of the bars at the ends carrying the rolls and securing the same at each of
the corners in the same manner, as shown by dotted lines, Figure 1. This mode
of fastening the bar to the sash is a simple and effective means for the purpose,
since it does not weaken the bar as screw bolts would, while it is cheaper as well as
stronger than the ordinary fastening means, and the provision for mounting the
anti-friction rolls in recesses in the bar thus necessitating only one piece of material
for the purpose, possesses similar advantages over the old way of forming these
anti-friction rolls.
The device described may be applied readily to any size or kind of window,
whether the windows have weights and cords, or not, but it is especially adapted

page_text: for use in railway car windows and windows that are raised and lowered by hand,
and, as shown in the drawings, it is applied to the window-frame near the uppe:
rail of the lower sash and the lower rail of the upper sash, and near enough to the
said rails to permit the opening of the windows to the full extent and still lock the
same. The locks for the two sashes are entirely independent of each other so that
both sashes may be partially opened, if desired, and locked in their partly ope
position as effectually, as with the usual method of locking two sashes together at
the meeting rails, which latter is possible only when both sashes are closed entirely.
For this reason my device embodies a distinct advantage over the customary form
of sash fasteners, and it will be observed that my device embodies a further advantage
that it cannot be easily tampered with or forced from the outside, even though a hole
be broken in the glass of the window large enough for a man's hand to reach through
and unlock from the outside, since the sash, as it is moved with one hand, would
carry the hand grasping the unlocking arm, away from the latter, thus releasing it,
thereby causing the sash to be again automatically locked. It is plain, therefore,
that in order to unlock from the outside, it would be necessary to break out a
whole light of glass.
When my device is fixed to the upper sash the outer end of the long lever arm of
the bell-crank-lever is made straight, as shown at M', Figure 1, to the end of which
is attached a chain or cord R extending downward, within easy reach of the band ;.
and, if desired, the unlocking and upward movement of the upper sash may be
effected by a single operation of the cord or chain, simply by passing the cord R
under a pulley S on the meeting rail of the upper sash, then upward and over a
pulley Si on the frame at the top, and thence downward to within easy reach of the
hand, the lower end of which cord may be provided with a pull or tassel, if desired.
While it is preferable to employ the lever for pressing the spring actuated plate G
inward to unlock the sash, it is obvious that a push-bar may be used for this
purpose, and other changes may be made in the details of construction without
departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an automatically locking sash-holder, the combination with the sash with
tooth engaging devices thereon, of a spring actuated plate pivotally supported on the
window-frame, a tooth carried by and adjustable laterally on the plate and normally in
engagement with the side of the sash, with means for pushing the plate inward, to
release the tooth from the sash, substantially as herein before described.
2. In an automatically locking sash-holder, the combination with the window-sash
having engaging teeth on its side, of a casing seated in the recess in the window-
frame, a plate pivotally supported in the said casing, at one end and provided with
a transverse slot at its free end, a screw-threaded bolt mounted in the said slot, a
tooth carried by the said screw-threaded bolt, a spring normally pressing the free end
of the plate outward and the tooth in engagement with the side of the sash, a lever
pivoted on the casing having one arm in engagement with the face of the plate and
the other arm projecting outwardly from the window-frame, substantially as herein-
before described.
3. In an automatically locking sash-holder, the combination with the sash having a
locking rack-bar on its side, of a casing seated in a recess in the window-frame, a
plate pivotally supported in the said casing and carrying at its free end a tooth
adjustably mounted thereon, a screw-threaded bolt passing through the face of the
casing and the free end of the plate and having a nut on its inner end, with a spring
confined between the nut and the end of the plate, and means for pushing the plate
inward to disengage the tooth from the side of the window sash, substantially as
bereinbefore described.
4. In an automatically locking sash-holder, the combination with the window-sash,
having a locking rack-bar mounted in the side thereof, of a casing having a guide

page_text: flange or lip extending from one side in alignment with the box-strip on the window-
frame and seated in a recess in the window-frame, a spring actuated plate pivotally
supported at one end in the said casing, a tooth on the free end of the plate and
normally in engagement with the rack-bar of the window-sash, a lever fulcrumed on the
guide lip of the casing having one arm engaging the plate and the other arm extending
outwardly from the window frame, substantially as herein before described.
5. In a sash-holder, the combination with the window-sash, of a rack-bar having
plain end portions provided with segmental cylindrical recesses, and anti-friction rolls
journalled in the said recesses, with a sheet metal strip enclosing the sides of the end
portions of the bar, substantially as herein before described.
6. In a sash-holder, the combination with the window-sash, of the locking rack-bar
having plain end portions provided with segmental cylindrical recesses, anti-friction
rolls mounted in the said recesses, with a sheet metal casing enclosing the sides of the
end portions of the bar, and a staple embracing the rack-bar and fastening the same
to the window-sash, substantially as hereinbefore described.
7. In an automatically locking sash-holder, the combination with the sash, of a plate
pivotally supported in a recess in the window-frame, a tooth carried by the said plate
and normally held in engagement with the side of the sash and locking the same, a
lever having one end in contact with the said plate and the other end projecting
outwardly from the window-frame, pulley or cord-guide mounted on the meeting rail,
of the sash, and a second pulley or guide mounted on the window-frame, with a cord
attached to the end of the lever and passing through or round the pulley or guide on
the meeting rail of the sash and over the pulley on the frame, down to the hand,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
8. As a new article of manufacture, an automatically locking sash-holder consisting
of a casing having a flange projecting from one side thereof, and provided with a
recess n and adapted to be seated within a recess in the window-frame, a spring actuated
plate pivotally supported between the side walls of said casing, a tooth carried by the
free end of said plate and adapted to engage the side of a window-sash when in place,
and a lever pivoted in the recess of the flange of the casing and having one arm
engaging the plate and the other arm projecting outwardly beyond the flange,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 16th day of February 1897.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.