Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov.. 1899-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1900
THOMAS BURTON, 62, Sandringham Road, West Hartlepool, Corporation Build-
ing Inspector, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows; -
An improved lock with catch, so constructed as to automatically lock a door
when closed.
The lock is reversible and, consists of a plate attached to the door; a straight
fall with weight on end is secured to a spindle connected to fall and passing
through plate and actuated by a key or knob which may be attached or detached.
The catch is of metal and, is so arranged, that it is reversible; it also forms a
striking plate so that in closing the door the fall will strike against the under
edge of catch which is curved; the fall will then be depressed until it passes the
declined edge of catch; then, the weight on one end of fall causes the other end.
to quickly rise into the recessed part of catch thereby locking the door.
There is a projection on the face of catch which prevents the door being opened
without a key and, it also forms a stop for the door.
It is chiefly applicable for the doors of sanitary conveniences, coal houses and
the like; but, may be used for any other purpose.
I, THOMAS BURTON, of 62, Sandringham Road, West Hartlepool, in the County
of Durham, Corporation Building Inspector, 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 an improved locking device which has been devised
especially for use in locking doors, and shutters such as those of sanitary con-
veniences, coal houses or for the like purposes in which the door or shutter should
remain securely closed except when occasionally opened for a definite purpose.
The object and result of my invention is that the same device which serves as
an ordinary tumbler latch also acts as an automatic lock by which the door is
permanently secured when closed, and further advantages incident to its con-
struction are that the device is reversible in the sense that it is equally adapted
to a right hand or left hand door, cannot be tampered with from the outside, the
insertion of a knife blade or the like instrument to depress the latch being effectu-
ally obstructed by projections on the catch, which projections also serve as stop
pieces to the door which is protected in the impact by the lock plate.

page_text: Having thus described the nature and utility of my invention I will now pro-
cced to further describe the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts
by which it is carried into effect as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in
which Fig. 1 is a back or inside elevation and Fig. 2 a corresponding sectional
plan view of a lock and catch constructed according to my invention and fitted to a
door and frame of a sanitary convenience. Fig. 3 is a trout or outside elevation
of the lock and catch with the door and frame removed. Figs. 4 and 5 are similar
views to Figs. 1 and 2 illustrating a slight modification of my invention; and
Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the catch in plan and elevation respectively.
in the drawings, a represents the door, and the stile of the frame. The lock
is reversible, that is to say that it can be used on either edge of the door, and
consists of a lock plate c attached to the door by means of screws or the like to
carry the fall or latch d which is pivotally mounted on a spindle e passing through
the lock plate and actuated by a key, which may be detached or attached. This
fall or latch is overweighted at one end by a weight which tilts up the other end-
to engage with the catch f, the movement of the fall or latch being limited by
the guide c projecting from and secured to the lock plate. The catch is of metal
and is so arranged that it is also reversible and is recessed into and screwed to
the stile of the frame to form a striking plate, the door being recessed or cut away
to correspond to the head of the catch. In closing the door the end of the
fall & strikes against the lower edge of the catch which is set to an incline,
thereby causing the fall to be depressed until it shoots the edge of the catch,
when the weight on the other end of the fall causes the arm to fly up behind
the catch thereby locking the door. It will be observed in Figs. 2 and 5 that
the end of the latch dis bent or set back which allows the catch f to be also
set back into the door frame so that the panel of the door is not cut through in
forming a recess to fit the catch. By lifting the weight, the tilting of the fall or
latch cushions or arrests the momentum of the door thus saving both door and
frame from damage by slamming. It should be here observed that if the angular
movement imparted to the arm of the fall or latch d is too great the fall or
latch will not shoot the catch properly, but will be impeded by undue friction.
To prevent this, the arm should be of sufficient length, the proportion shown in
the drawing being taken as indicating what is suitable in that respect and further-
more the fall or latch d is preferably straight with its horizontal position lying
evenly between its extreme position as tilted by the weight or depressed by the
catch. The catch is furnished with projections f¹ f which acts as detents or stop
pieces to the lock plate e, and these projections prevent the fall from being de-
pressed for the purpose of opening the door from the outside as by a knife blade
or the like instrument inserted in between the door edge and the frame.
Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modification of my invention in respect of the means
by which the fall d is pivotally mounted in position. A circular dise g is secured
to the door plate c by the studs or projections gggg which limit the movement
of the fall or latch d, otherwise the parts are precisely similar to those already
described.
The various purposes to which my improved tumbler lock and catch may be
advantageously applied do not always require that the latch cannot be unfastened
without a key and when the facility with which the door or shutter is automatically
and securely fastened is sufficient for the purpose a knob or handle may be
attached to the spindle of the latch or fall as the equivalent of the usual de-
tachable key.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination in a door locking device of a fall or latch d pivotally
mounted in a lock plate secured to the door or shutter and a catch f secured to
the door frame, the said fall or latch being overbalanced by a weight in one

page_text: direction, and operated by a key or its equivalent against the weight in the other
direction, the several parts being so designed that as the door is closed the fall d
engages with the catch f in a manner which automatically locks the door until
again unlocked by the operation of a key all constructed and operating for the
purpose substantially as hereinbefore specified with reference to the accompany-
ing drawings.
2. In combination with a lock and catch as covered by the preceding claim,
the use of projections on the catch such as f¹ f to act as detents or stop pieces
to the lock plate and to prevent the lock from being tampered with for the purpose
of opening the door from the outside without a key, substantially as described
and illustrated.
..
1000
andre
THIS TH
day
1000
10001
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees and Hull, Agent for the Applicant.