Improvements in Locks and Striking-plates for Landaus, Landaulettes, and other similar Carriages.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 13th May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Striking-plates for Landaus, Landaulettes,
and other similar Carriages.
We ALFRED Wood, of Fairlight House, Bouverie Road, Folkestone, Carriage
Builder, and JAMES HENRY BLAMEY, of 163, Dover Road, Folkestone, Coach
Trimmer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in locks and striking plates for landaus,
landaulettes and other similar carriages, and has for its object to combine in one
lock, the bolts or catches hitherto used to prevent the carriage-door from being
opened before the window was let down, with the carriage-lock proper, operated in
the usual manner by a handle.
Our improvements, which are applicable to the class of landau-locks known as
spring box-locks, and as slam-locks, have been devised with a view to avoid the
more or less extensive damage constantly inflicted to the windows and window-
frames of such vehicles and due to the inefficiency of the locking means heretofore
employed, also to increase the durability of the door-handles, by affording longer
bearing to that part of the square stems which turn the tumbler or locking-latch,
while our improved lock adds strength to the door-pillars, by reason of their
substance being reduced to a lesser extent, than is the case with the present
method.
Moreover with our improved conibination lock, only one piece has to be fitted to
each side of the carriage-body instead of three as heretofore requisite, thus
obviously dispensing with a considerable amount of labour and hence effecting
greater economy in the building of these vehicles.
In the construction of our improved carriage lock we also include an improved
striking-plate for the purpose of preventing rattling and increasing the durability
of the lock-tongue or latch.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side view of our improvements applied to a spring-box lock, the
covering-plate of which has been removed. Fig. 2 being a rear or back view of
the same.
Fig. 3 is an inside view of a slam-lock to
applied.
which our improvements are likewise
Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of our improvements applied to a spring-box
lock, Figs. 5 and 5* showing our improved striking-plate, and Fig. 6 the cover-
plate of Fig. 1.
Fig. 7 is a detail of Fig. 3.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 5 and 6, c is the box or casting of an ordinary
spring-box lock, t the tongue or latch, s the spring of coiled form or otherwise
bearing against the mutilated disc in Figs. 1 and 4. n are the notches wherein
fit the projections p of the cover-plate, and P the striking-plate, which is let
into the door-jamb and receives the tongue t by which the closed door is
secured.
In order now to prevent the tongue or latch from being removed from the slot
of the striking-plate by turning the door-handle, the stem of which, is inserted in
the square-hole o of the tongue or latch t, which latch according to our invention,.
is made much thicker than usual by the addition thereto of the mutilated
disc thereby giving more surface for the wear of the handle and increasing its
1319
.

page_text: We form integrally with the tongue or connect therewith in any suitable
inanner, a mutilated disc b' furnished with two notches wherewith engages the end
of a pawl controlled by a spiral-spring a Fig. 1 and by a flat spring Fig. 4 and
forming one arin of a lever fulcrumed at d, the other arm of which projects
within the frame of the door of the landau in order to be struck and depressed by
the edge of the window-frame when the latter is let down, thus disengaging the
pawl from the lowermost notch in Fig. 1 and the uppermost notch in Fig. 4 with
which it was engaged, for the purpose of preventing the tongue being withdrawa
from the opening in the striking-plate so long as such window was not let down
within the door-frame as above set forth.
The uppermost notch Fig. 1 and the lowermost notch Fig. 4 is provided for a
similar purpose, but only in case the tongue or latch t had not been moved home
through the opening in the striking-plate as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 when closing
the door of the landau, but was left about half-way up as shown in dotted lines in
Fig. 4, thus affording still greater security in the working of the mechanism.
Fig. 5 shows our improved striking-plate, the opening g of which is controlled
by the curved spring fixed at z and bearing against the stop e when depressed by
the tongue or latch as the latter is shot home into the said opening.
2
Instead of a spring I may also provide a flange (Fig. 5A) flush with the edge
of the opening g so as to prevent this edge cutting into the tongue or latch when
the door is slammed to and thus render the latter useless.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 7, the former of which represents the mechanism of an
ordinary slam-lock such as used for landaus, and provided with our improvements,
is one arm of the lever which is not depressed this time by the edge of the window-
frame, but by its inner face, and is pivoted upon the axis d on which is also coiled
a spiral-spring a, while the other arm of the said lever or pawl b fits into a notch in
the latch-bar m as shown.
So long as the lever is not depressed by window-frame, the pawl b fills its notch
and the latch-bar cannot be withdrawn by acting on the knob of the inside
operating handle or lever n, or by the outside handle fitted in the square hole O,
but immediately the arm is depressed by the window, the pawl is raised out of
its notch and thus releases the latch-bar and allows the door to be opened.
The above described improvements such as applied to Fig. 1,
may be formed
integrally with the lock, or separately, being in the latter case attached thereto by
means of screws or rivets.
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. The application to the box, slam and other locks used for the doors of landaus
and other similar carriages, of mechanism whereby such doors cannot be opened so
long as the window has not been let down, substantially as herein described and
Bhown.
2. In landau door-locks, the combination of means or mechanism for preventing
the opening of the door-locks of landaus so long as the window has not been let
down, with ordinary door-lock, substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated this 14th day of March 1893.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.