Improvements in Combined Locks and Latches for Wardrobe Doors and other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1893-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1893
Improvements in Combined Locks and Latches for Wardrobe Doors
and other purposes.
We, JAMES EDMUND ALLDRITT SQUIRE and HENRY ALEXANDER SQUIRE,
trading together in copartnership as Henry Squire, of New Invention, near
Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what inanner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
A combined lock and latch for a wardrobe, that is to say, a fastening in which
a single shooting bolt is used both as the lock bolt and latch bolt, as usually
constructed, gives no outside indication as to whether it is locked or merely
latched, and such can only be ascertained by trying the key therein. It conse-
quently not unfrequently happens that a wardrobe door fitted with such a fastening
is pushed to with some force to cause the self-latching of the bolt at a time when
the bolt is locked, and thus injury is liable to result.
Now, an important object of this invention is to construct a combined lock and
latch for a wardrobe door (or it may be for other purpose, if desired, such as for
a cupboard door or even a drawer) in which it will be readily apparent, when the
door (or other part) to which it is attached is open, whether the bolt is locked or
simply latched; but the invention comprises the further object of simplifying the
construction of the mechanism and increasing the security of the fastening.
A combined lock and latch constructed according to this invention has the head
of its single shooting bolt bevelled, as is usual with such bolts, to make it self-
latching, and the bolt is, of course, pressed outwards by a spring. The head,
however, has the lower portion formed as a downward projection from the main
portion, and when the bolt is latched only this projection is within the fore-end of
the case, but when the bolt is locked such projection is shot forwards clear of the
fore-end and is moved down in front thereof thus securely preventing the bolt
being unlocked by being pushed inwards. When the door or other part to which
the combined lock and latch is fixed is open, the portion of the bolt hole left
exposed by the downward movement of the bolt head clearly indicates that the
bolt is locked. A locking-plate which is operated by the key to lock and unlock
the bolt and which has a lever, or set of levers, or a tumbler, geared therewith, is
formed in one piece of metal with the bolt, the two being conveniently cast
together as a single casting, and thus the bolt moves with the locking-plate as the latter
is moved by the key. The locking-plate is shaped along the portions thereof with
which the key engages so that as the key is turned in the direction to unlock the
bolt into its latched position the locking-plate, and consequently the bolt also, is
first raised to bring the downward projection of the bolt head opposite the lower
end of the bolt hole, and is then moved inwards to bring the projection into the
fore-end of the case, the bolt being then prevented from moving outwards beyond
its latched position by means of the lever or levers or tumbler; and so that as the
key is turned in the direction to lock the bolt the bolt is first moved outwards to
clear the downward projection thereof from the fore-end of the case and is then
pressed down, through the medium of the locking-plate, by the pressure of the
spring or springs of the lever or levers or tumbler.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood, we will now proceed to
describe a practical application thereof in which the bolt is unlocked by the key,
and is unlatched independently thereof by means of a handle operating through
the medium of a follower; and in doing so will refer to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the
drawings herewith, of which Figure 1 illustrates an elevation of the combined lock

page_text: and latch with the front plate of the cap cut away to expose the interior mechanism,
the parts being shewn in position due to the bolt being simply latched. Figure 2
is a corresponding view to Figure 1, but shews the bolt as locked; and Figure 3
is a detached view of the lever hereinafter described. .
The bolt A is formed in one piece with (or it may, of course, be rigidly fixed
to) a locking-plate B, being joined therewith by a short neck 6; and the head a of
the bolt is formed with a downward projection a', which when the bolt is in its
locked position projects below the bolt hole through the fore-end D of the case at
the forward face of the fore-end, as shewn by Figure 2, but which when the bolt
is simply latched fits within the bolt hole, as shewn by Figure 1. A lever C,
shewn by broken lines only in Figures 1 and 2 so as not to hide any portion of the
locking-plate B, and by full lines as detached in Figure 3 (or there may be a set
of levers, or a tumbler), is pivoted at c and is gated to engage with a stump d
projecting from the locking-plate. is the drill-pin for the key. The lower edge
of the locking-plate is shaped at the portions marked, respectively, pef so that
when the plate is in the position shewn by Figure 2, and the bolt consequently
locked, the bit of the key in being turned in a direction to unlock the bolt comes
against the portion of the plate marked p and raises the bolt sufficiently to bring
the projection a¹ of the bolt head immediately facing the lower end of the bolt
hole through the fore-end D of the case, and as the bit passes off the end of the
part marked p and rubs against the part of the plate marked e it simply keeps the
bolt held up, and as it rubs against the part fit moves the plate, and consequently
the bolt, inwards, and thus brings the bolt head a into its latched position shewn
by Figure 1. The part marked f of the plate is shaped so that when the plate
has been moved back by the key for the distance required the key bit passes on
without giving further movement to the plate. The bolt is securely held forwards
and downwards in its locked position by a lug g in the gating of the lever C coming
immediately behind the stump d of the locking plate while the lug is somewhat
lower than the pivot axis of the lever and the front end of the plate is against the
inside of the fore-end so that it cannot yield forwards, and the key in being turned
to unlock the bolt has consequently to raise the lever to bring the lug g clear of
the stump d and hold it up while the stump passes under the lug as the bolt is
being moved inwards. The stud c on which the lever is pivoted forms a guide for
the hinder end of the locking-plate. A notched out angle of the locking-plate
passes over the top and against the inside of the stud c, as shewn, when the bolt is a
locked; but when the bolt is raised the open end of a horizontal slot in the
locking-plate comes opposite the stud, and as the plate is moved backwards the edges
of the slot pass, respectively, over and under the stud and are guided thereby.
When the bolt has been unlocked and thereby brought into its latched position,
and the lever C lowered again, the lug g of the lever comes immediately in front 4
of the stump d (which is then in the bigher position due to the bolt having been
raised, being, preferably, about the same height as the pivot axis of the lever) and
securely prevents the bolt being moved forwards from its latched position. The
opening through the lever is formed to extend backwards from the lug g a distance
which will allow the stump d to move backwards sufficiently to allow of the bolt 4
being unlatched. The bolt is normally set forwards, as is usual, by a spring E,
against the pressure of which it is drawn back to unlatch it by a handle operating
through the medium of a follower F in the usual manner; or the bolt may be
unlatched by other convenient means. The opening through the bolt A for the
boss m of the follower is made of increased depth at its inner end, as shewn, to 5
allow for the vertical movement of the bolt as it is being locked and unlocked.
In locking the bolt A from its latched position, the reverse movement takes
place to that of unlocking such bolt, that is to say, the bit of the key having raised
the lever C so that the stump d can pass beneath the lug g, presses against the
parte of the locking-plate and moves the plate and bolt forwards and thereby 5
brings the projection a' of the bolt head a out from the bolt hole through the
fore-end D; and as the key is continued to be turned the bit passes out of contact

page_text: with the part e of the locking-plate and allows the plate and bolt to be pressed
down by the force of the lever spring n acting through the medium of the lever and
of the stump d. The bolt is thus brought to its locked position shewn by Figure 2
with the projection a¹ of the bolt head a projecting below the bottom of the bolt
hole through the fore-end D at the outer face of the fore-end, and, preferably,
immediately in front of such face; and the lever is brought by the force of its
spring back into the position shewn by Figure 2 with the lug g immediately behind
the stump & and at a level somewhat below the pivot axis of the lever.
A modification of the invention, in which the bolt is unlatched as well as
unlocked by the key, is illustrated by Figure 4, which corresponds to Figure 1.
In this view the lever is omitted, for simplicity and clearness of illustration. The
only difference between this modification and that previously described consists in
the inner edge of the locking-plate B being formed with an upward portion
against which the bit of the key may be pressed to unlatch the bolt when it is in
its latched position as shewn, and in the tail of the bolt A being formed quite plain
instead of being formed to be unlatched by a follower. The combined lock and
latch may, however, be constructed, as will be readily understood, so that it may
be unlatched by the key and the follower or other means independent of the key,
alternatively.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A combined lock and latch for a wardrobe door or other purpose such as
above indicated, of which the single bolt is formed with a portion of the head which
when the bolt is locked projects beyond the end of the bolt hole through the fore-
end of the case in front (preferably immediately in front) of such fore-end and
which as the bolt is unlocked by the key into its latched position is first moved
into position opposite the end of the bolt hole and then drawn thereinto, sub-
stantially as described.
2. A combined lock and latch for a wardrobe door or other purpose such as
above indicated, fitted with a single bolt formed in one piece with or rigidly fixed
to a locking-plate, and formed with a portion of the head which when the bolt is
locked projects beyond the end of the bolt hole through the fore-end of the case in
front (preferably immediately in front) of such fore-end, and which as the bolt is
unlocked by the key into its latched position is first moved into position opposite
the end of the bolt hole and then drawn thereinto, the portion of the locking-plate
with which the key engages being shaped to cause the movements of the bolt,
which correspond with and occasion the said movements of the projecting portion
thereof, as the key is turned in unlocking, substantially as described.
3. A combined lock and latch for a wardrobe door or other purpose such as
above indicated, of which the single bolt is formed with a portion of the head which
when the bolt is locked projects beyond the end of the bolt hole through the fore-
end of the case in front (preferably immediately in front) of such fore-end, and
which as the bolt is unlocked into its latched position is first moved opposite the
end of the bolt hole and then drawn thereinto, the said bolt being locked by being
first moved outwards by the key so as to move the said portion of the head clear of
the bolt hole through the fore-end of the case and then pressed by the force of a
spring or springs, in a direction lengthways of the fore-end, to move such portion
of the head beyond the end of the bolt hole, substantially as described.
4. A combined lock and latch for a wardrobe door or other purpose such as
above indicated, of which the single bolt is formed with a portion of the head
which when the bolt is locked projects beyond the end of the bolt hole through the
fore-end of the case in front (preferably immediately in front) of such fore-end,
and which as the bolt is unlocked by the key into its latched position is first moved
opposite the end of the bolt hole and then drawn thereinto, the said bolt being
capable of being unlatched also by the key, substantially as described

page_text: 5. A combined lock and latch for a wardrobe door or other purpose such as
above indicated, constructed and operating substantially according to either
modification described and illustrated by the drawings herewith.
Dated this 21st day of October 1893.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicants.