Improvements in Door Latches and Latches for Door Locks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1895-Accepted. 30th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Door Latches and Latches for Door Locks.
1, HENRY BAXTER WORSEY, trading as John Walker and Worsey, of Edmund
Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchant and Manufacturer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to effect the withdrawal of the latch bolts of
door locks and latches either by the turning of one or other of the knobs in the
ordinary way, or by the depression of either of the knobs; and my said invention
consists of the construction and arrangements or combinations of the parts
hereinafter described of the latch mechanism for effecting that object.
I will describe my invention in connection with a combined door lock and
latch.
I construct the follower of the latch and the parts immediately connected
therewith in the following manner. 1 form the follower from a circular or nearly
circular disc of metal having at its middle an oblong hole for the knob spindle to
pass through. The said follower has at top a cross head which when in position in
the lock is situated under the turned out or flanged upper edge of a rectangular
metal plate situated in a vertical race or guide in the lock case. The said
rectangular metal plate I will hereinafter refer to as the lifting plate of the
follower mechanism. Between the lifting plate and the follower is a sheet metal
washer in a circular hole in which the bush of the follower takes and rotates when
the knob is turned in the ordinary way.
The stem of the latch bolt is pivoted to the vertical arm of a cranked lever the
free end of the horizontal arm of which is pressed down by a spring or weight
and bears through an intermediate lever on the lifting plate hereinbefore
referred to.
Each of the knobs carries a short spindle the inner ends of which are flattened
and overlap one another. The overlapping parts are of a size and shape suitable
to fit in the hole in the follower. Or the ends of each of the short spindles may
be square, in which case the two inner ends occupying the hole in the follower,
abut against each other instead of overlapping. The inner end of the neck of
each of the knobs is concave and bears against a bulbous or nearly hemispherical
head of a collar attached to the knob spindle by a horizontal pin or
pivot, the said
pin or pivot also serving to secure the knob and spindle to the door rose or plate,
the cylindrical stem or neck of the said collar passing through the said rose or
plate. The hole in the said collar through which the knob spindle passes is wedge
shaped the said hole being larger at its outer end than at its inner end at or near
which the horizontal pin or pivot passes through the said collar and spindle.
this means the knob and short spindle are capable, in addition to a rotary or
turning motion, of an angular motion in a vertical plane.
By
The action of the parts is as follows. When one or other of the knobs is
depressed, the free end of its spindle is raised and the follower and lifting plate
are lifted in the vertical guide of the lock case, and the said lifting plate acting
through the intermediate and cranked levers effects the withdrawal of the latch
bolt. On the release of the knob the spring or weight effects the return of the
parts to their normal positions.

page_text: Instead of depressing the knob it may be turned in the ordinary way, when one
or other of the arms of the cross head of the follower acting under the lifting
plate operates the levers and effects the withdrawal of the latch bolt.
Or the parts may be modified in the following manner. The follower may be
open on its upper side, the spring pressed or weighted horizontal arm of the cranked
lever bearing directly upon the upper side of the short spindles so that when one or
other of the spindles is raised the lever resting on, it will be, operated and the
withdrawal of the latch effected. In this case the lifting plate referred to in the
arrangement first described as well, as the washer constituting the bearing for
the follower are dispensed with the said follower having the ordinary bushes for
taking in bearings in the sides of the latch, oase.
'
Instead of permitting the vertical angular motion of the knobs in the way
hereinbefore described, the part of each of the spindles adjoining the knobi may
be formed into a ball and a spherical socket may be formed in the rose or plate
of the door handle for the ball of the spindle to work in; or other equivalent
arrangements.of., parts may be employed.
The arrangements described enable a person whose hands are not at liberty to
operate, the knob by a turning or rotary motion, as, for example, a servant carrying
atray into or cut of a room, to effect the, withdrawal of, the latchbolt and the
unfastening of the door by simply applying a downward pressure to, the knob.
Dated this Twelfth day of February 1895.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for, the Applicant.
Improvements,in Door Latches and Latenes.Ior Door, LOCKA
1, HENRY BAXTER WORSEY, trading as John Walker and Worsey, of
Edmund Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick; Merchant and Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 has for its object, to effect the withdrawal of the latch bolts: of
door locks, and latches either by the turning of one or other of the, knobs in the
ordinary way,, or by the depression of, either of the knobs and. my, said, invention
consists of the construction and arrangements or combinations of the parts herein-
after described of the latch mechanism for effecting that object.
I, will, describe my invention in connection, with a combined door lock and
latch.
I construct, the follower of the latch, and the parts immediately connected
therewith in the following manner. I: form, the follower from a circular,or, nearly
.circular disc of metal, having, at its middle, an oblong, hole for the knob spindle to
pass through. The said follower has at top a cross, head which when in position
in the lock is situated under the turned out or flanged upper edge of a rectangular
metal plate situated in a vertical race or guide in the lock case. The said
rectangular metal plate I will hereinafter refer to as the lifting plate of the
follower mechanism. Between the lifting plate, and the follower is a sheet metal
washer, in a circular hole in which the bush of the follower takes and rotates when
the knob is turned in, the ordinary way.
The stem of the Intch bolt is, pivoted to the vertical, arm of a cranked lever the
free end of the horizontal, arm of, which is pressed down by a spring on weight
and bears through an intermediate lever on the lifting plate herein before
referred to.

page_text: Each of the knobs carries a short spindle the inner ends of which are flattened
and overlap one another. The overlapping parts are of a size and shape suitable
to fit in the hole in the follower. Or the ends of each of the short spindles may
be square in which case the two inner ends occupying the hole in the follower, abut"
against each other instead of overlapping. The inner end of the neck of each of
the knobs is concave and bears against a bulbous or nearly hemispherical head of
a collar attached to the knob spindle by a horizontal pin or pivot, the said pin or
pivot also serving to secure the knob and spindle to the door rose or plate, the
cylindrical stem or neck of the said collar passing through the said rose or plate."
The hole in the said collar.through which the knob spindle passes is wedge shaped
the said hole being larger at its outer end than at its inner end at or near which
the horizontal pin or pivot passes through the said collar and spindle. By 'this'
means the knob and short spindle are capable in addition to a rotary or turning
motion of an angular motion in a vertical plane..
The action of the parts is as follows. When one or other of the 'knobs is
depressed, the free end of its spindle is raised and the follower and lifting plate
are lifted in the vertical guide of the lock case, and the said lifting plate acting
through the intermediate and cranked levers effects the withdrawal of the latch
bolt. On the release of the knob the spring or weight effects the return of the
parts to their normal positions. Instead of depressing the knob it may be 'turned
in the ordinary way, when one or other of the arms of the cross head of the
follower acting under the lifting plate operates the levers aud effects the withdrawal
of the latch bolt.
Or the parts may be modified in the following manner. The follower may be
open on its upper side, the spring pressed or weighted horizontal arm of the
cranked lever hearing directly upon the upper side of the short spindles so that
when one or other of the spindles is raised the lever resting on it will be operated
and the withdrawal of the latch effected. In this case the lifting plate referred to
in the arrangement first described as well as the washer constituting the bearing
for the follower are dispensed with, the said follower having the ordinary bushes for
taking in bearings in the sides of the latch case.
Instead of permitting the vertical angular motion of the knobs in the 'way'
hereinbefore described, the part of each of the spindles adjoining the knob may be
formed into a ball and a spherical socket may be formed in the rose or plate of
the door handle for the ball of the spindle to work in or other equivalent.
arrangements of parts may be employed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation a portion
of a door provided with a spring pressed latch bolt containing one of the arrange
ments constituting my invention; Figure 2 represents a cross section of the 'same
taken on the line, Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 represents the said door in section and a portion of the lock case
removed, the latch being represented in its withdrawn position having been operated
by the turning of the knob;
Figure 4 represents a similar view to that represented in Figure 3 the latch bolt
having been withdrawn by downward pressure on one or other of the knobs.
Figure 5 is a cross section through the latch case with the parts in the positions
represented in Figure 4;
Figure 6 represents in front elevation and Figure 7 in vertical section a portion
of the latch case and latch mechanism detached;
Figures 8, 9 and 10 represent parts of the mechanism detached as hereinafter
described
Figure 11 represents in side elevation and Figure 12 in back elevation one of
the knobs and its spindle together with the knob fixing plate detached from the
door.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
à, a, a is the follower of the latch mechanism (shown separately in front and
>

page_text: end elevation in Figure 8) in which follower is the oblong hole for the square
knob spindle c, c to pass through. The said follower consists essentially of a nearly
circular disc a having on either side circular bushes a', a' and at top a cross head a
On each side of the follower a is placed the nearly rectangular pierced sheet metal
washer (one of which is shown detached in Figure 9) the circular holes in which
washers take on and constitute the bearings for the circular bushes a', a¹ of the
follower. The crosshead a² of the follower a and the upper edges of its washers d, d,
when in position, take under the flanged edge e² of the rectangular pierced plate e
hereinafter called the lifting plate. The said lifting plate e is shown separately in
front elevation and edge view in Figure 10. The said lifting plate is situated
between the two vertical guiding strips f, f on the lock case, and in the normal
position of the parts the said lifting plate e and washers d, d rest upon and are
supported by the horizontal strip or stop 2, also on the lock case. The edges of
the washers d, d fit within and work against the vertical guiding strips, in the
manner hereinafter described.
The stem of the latch bolt g is pivoted to the vertical arm 4, of the cranked
lever h, the horizontal arm 2 being pressed by the spring i on the upper side of
the small intermediate lever turning on the centre 2 the lower acting part of
which lever & bears on the horizontal flange e of the lifting plate e.
The knob spindle c, c is divided at its middle, that is to say, each knob has a
short horizontal spindle c the inner ends of the two short spindles nearly abutting
in the oblong hole of the follower a. The inner face of each of the necks of the
knobs is of a hollow spherical figure and hears against the bulbous or spherical
outer part m of the rose m, m2 attached to the knob fixing plate n, the inner
flange m² of the said rose bearing against the inner face of the said knob fixing
plate n. Each of the short spindles c is adjusted in the tube of its knob and at
the same time pivotted to the rose, so as to be capable of a vertical angular motion,
by a horizontal pin p the said pin passing through one or other of the row of holes
in each short spindle. The inner flange m² of the rose m, m² has a quadrant
shaped cut away part m³ (see Figure 12) in which the stop pin 2 on the inner side
of the knob carrying plate n is situated for limiting the turning motion of the
knob in one or other direction.
C
The action of the parts is as follows:- When the latch bolt g is withdrawn by
the tuning of one or other of the knobs the follower a is turned by the knob
spindle e and one or other of the arms of the crosshead a² of the follower acting
under the flange 2 of the lifting plate e effect the raising of the said lifting plate e
and through the levers k and h, 2 the withdrawal of the latch bolt as seen in
Figure 3. On the release of the knob the parts resume their normal positions by
the action of the spring. It will be understood that on the motion of one of the
knobs and its spindle a corresponding motion is given to the opposite knob and its
spindle.
When the latch bolt is withdrawn by the depression or vertical angular motion
of one or other of the knobs 7, the inner end of the spindle c attached to the
depressed knob acting on the follower a lifts the said follower together with its
washers d, d and lifting plate e as represented in Figures 4 and 5, the lifting motion
being transmitted through the leversk and h, 2 to the latch bolt as described when
the knob is turned. On the release of the knob the parts resume their normal
positions by the action of the spring. On the last described method of operating
the latch bolt the inner end of the knob works on the bulbous part m of the rose m
the short spindle of the knob turning on the horizontal pin p as seen in Figure 5.
I wish it to be understood that the return of the parts of the latch mechanism to
their normal positions may be effected by the action of a weighted lever instead of
by a spring pressed lever as represented.
Figure 13 represents in front elevation a portion of a door provided with latch
meclianism constructed according to another arrangement of my invention;
Figure 14 represents a vertical section of the same taken on the line y, y
Figure 13;

page_text: Figure 15 represents partly in front elevation and partly in longitudinal section
the door and door latch with the latch bolt withdrawn by the turning of the knob ;
Figure 16 is a similar view to that represented in Figure 15 excepting that the
mechanism is represented as having been operated by the depression of one or other
of the knobs.
Figure 17 is a similar section to that represented in Figure 14 with the parts in
the positions which they occupy in Figure 16.
Figures 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 represent views of some of the parts of the latch
mechanism detached.
In this arrangement the follower a (shown separately in Figure 18) has a cross
slot or depression 62 for the knob spindle e to engage in that is to say, the
follower is open on its upper side. Resting on the said follower a is a lever k
turning on the centre on which lever the weighted arm of the latch bolt
operating lever h, 2 is supported.
When ene or other of the knobs and its spindle care turned, the follower
partakes of an angular motion as represented in Figure 15, its bushes a', a turning
in holes in the lock case as usual, and one or other of the arms of the follower
pressing against the underside of the lever k effects the turning of the said
lever and the lifting of the weighted arm 2 of the cranked latch bolt lever h, 2
and the consequent withdrawal of the latch bolt; the parts returning to their
normal positions on the release of the knob by the action of the weighted arm h' of
the weighted lever h, .
When one or other of the knobs is depressed the spindle c turning on the pivot
pin pits inner end rises through the open slot 2 of the follower a, which follower
remains stationary, and acts directly on the lever turning the said lever and
lifting the weighted arm 2 of the lever h, and thereby effecting the withdrawal
of the latch bolt gas represented in Figure 16. On the release of the knob the
arts resume their normal positions.
I wish it to be understood that the latch mechanism last described is applicable
to spring pressed latch bolts as well as to weighted latch bolts of the kind
represented.
In connection with the door latch Figures 13 to 22 I have represented a knob
and spindle differing in construction from that represented in Figures 1 to 12 both
inclusive.
In the arrangement represented in Figures 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21 and 22.the
spindle c is fixed non-adjustably to its knob by the screw and is pivoted to the
rose m, m2 by the pin pas in the first described arrangement. The rose m, m² is
made in two parts, the bulbous part in having a cylindrical stem m¹ on its inner
end on which stem the short tubular and flanged part m² fits the two parts being
connected together by the pivot pin p. The turning motion of the knob and its
rose is limited by the quadrant shaped cut away part 2 of the knob fixing plate n
in which cut away part the pin m³ on the rose works (see Figure 22). The inner
ends of the knob spindles c, c are reduced in thickness the reduced ends over-
lapping and working vertically side by side. One of the knobs together with its
rose, fixing plate and spindle is represented in side elevation and plan in Figure 21
and back elevation in Figure 22.
Instead of arranging the overlapping parts of the divided spindle side by side
they may be arranged to overlap one on the other as represented in Figure 23;
Figure 24 is a plan of one of the knobs and spindles represented in Figure 23.
Or the spindle e of one knob may be of a length sufficient to pass through the
follower and engage in a slot c² in the short spindle c¹ of the other knob as
represented in side elevation in Figure 25 and plan in Figure 26: Figure 27
represents in back elevation the fixing plate and knob to which the short slotted
spindle is connected. The oblong hole or open slot in the follower of the latch
mechanism when a knob spindle of the last described kind is used is of a width
suitable for the longer part e of the spindle to engage in and fit.

page_text: Instead of pivotting the short or divided spindles to the roses of the door knobs
in the ways hereinbefore described and illustrated the said spindles may have.
formed on them spherical enlargements ³ for engaging hollow spherical sockets m
in the knob fixing plate nas represented in Figures 28 and 29 the inner part of
the spherical socket having a ent away part m' to permit the spindle taking the
required angular motion in a vertical plane when the latch is withdrawn by
the depression of the knob.
I wish it to be understood that either of the several arrangements of the
divided spindles may be used with either of the latch mechanisms described and
represented.
The arrangements hereinbefore described and represented enable a person whose
hands are not at liberty to operate the knob by a turning or rotary motion, as for
example, a servant carrying a tray into or out of a room, to effect the withdrawal
of the latch bolt and the unfastening of the door by simply applying a downward
pressure to the knob.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in door latches and latches for door locks"
First. In a door latch or latch of a door lock operated either by the turning
or rotary motion of the door knob or handle in the ordinary way or by the depression
of either of the knobs, the construction and arrangement or combination of the
parts
of the follower mechanism hereinbefore described and represented in
Figures 1 to 12 both inclusive of the accompanying drawings the said follower
mechanism consisting essentially of a follower having an oblong hole in which the
knob spindles work, the bushes of the follower bearing in washer plates, the arms
or crosshead of the follower and its washer plates being in contact with the under-
side of the flange of a lifting plate supporting the arms of the lever mechanism of
the spring or weighted latch the said lifting plate and washers of the follower
occupying a vertical race or guide in the latch or lock case substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated.
Secondly. The combination with the follower mechanism claimed in the prior
claim of knobs having a divided spindle, that is, each knob having a short or half
spindle, each of the said short spindles being pivoted in the rose of the knob fixing
plate so as to be capable of turning with the rose when the knob is turned or to
take an angular motion in the rose when the knob is depressed the inner end of
the short spindle in the latter case prising or lifting up the follower and follower
mechanisin substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Thirdly. In a door latch or latch of a door lock to be operated either by the
turning or rotary motion of the door knob or handle in the ordinary way or by
the depression of either of the knobs, the combination with an open follower of a
divided spindle or short spindles pivoted in the rose of the knob fixing plate so as
to be capable of turning with the rose when the knob or handle is turned or of a
lever action in the rose when the knob or handle is depressed, the free ends of the
spindles in the latter case rising in the open slot of the follower and acting directly
on the lever, of the spring or weighted lever mechanism of the latch, resting on the
top of the open follower substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 13 to 20 both inclusive of the accompanying drawings.
Fourthly. In combination with door latch mechanism to be operated by the
turning of the door knob or handle in the ordinary way or by the lever action of
the knob spindle, of a rose the outer part of which is of a spherical or convex figure
for the hollow spherical or concave neck of the knob to bear against substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Fifthly. In combination with door latches or the latches of door locks having
follower mechanism of either of the kinds herein before described and claimed of

page_text: a divided spindle or short spindles each short spindle having formed on it a spherical
enlargement for fitting and working within a hollow spherical part of the door knob
fixing plate substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 28
and 29 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Sixteenth day of October 1895.