Improvements in Door Latches applicable to Door Locks or Doors without Locks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1891.
Complete Specification Left, 20th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Door Latches applicable to Door Locks or Doors
without Locks.
WILLIAM MAW TROUSDALE of Kingslyn Harrogate in the County of York
Mechanical Engineer. I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements consists in making a right angled triangular shaped latch
having the face and nose rounded being vertically pivotted to swivel parallel with
the door the latch being so weighted or acted on by a spring and resting on a stop
so that the point of the latch or latch part just projects sufficiently far beyond the
face of the door as to form a secure hold of the box-staple fixed on the inside
architrave of the door-jamb when the door is shut. In withdrawing the latch !
apply a tang being so curved and going through the door working on a pivot and
50 arranged as to the latch that when the tang is raised it swivels the latch and
withdraws it from the box-staple fixed on the door jamb. This tang has handles
at each end hanging downwards at an angle on each side of the door or arranged
that on opening the door to enter the hanging handle is pressed forward swivels
and withdraws the latch and by the same pressure opens the door, the reverse
action occurs on withdrawing the hanging handle is pulled which swivels and
withdraws the latch and the same pulling action contained pulls open the door.
The latch swivelling on a pivot moves easily and causes little friction in entering
or withdrawing from the box staple on the door jamb.
It can be applied in a great many different ways and in applying it to locks
forming part of the lock the bolt of the lock inay be so formed that when the bolt
is thrown the latch cannot be withdrawn.
Dated this 18th day of June 1891.
WILLIAM MAW TROUSDALE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Door Latches applicable to Door Locks or Doors
without Locks.
I, WILLIAM MAW TROUSDALE, of Kingslyn, Harrogate, in the County of
York, Engineer, 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 improvements consist in making latches, the latch-part, or shoot of the latch,
being of a right angled triangular form, and having the nose rounded, and the
working-face or cheek of the latch part or shoot rounded; the opposite side being
flat, having a cavity in it, to reduce friction when in use, or in other words the
latch part is practically in the form of a quarter of a cone, having the cheek
slightly ball faced, but the nose and lower extremity rounded and having a cavity
in the opposite side of the latch; being vertically pivotted so that it swivels parallel
with the face of the door. The latch is weighted or acted upon by a spring.
There is on the boss of the latch-shoot a radiating-arm, carrying a weight which
is pivoted upon it, and hangs in the vertical position; or the latch-part and weight
being vertically pivoted may be made in one piece having an elongated slot-hole, to
allow a tang-piece to work freely through it, and when not in use resting upon a
stop-piece.
The latch when used as a rim-latch consists of a frame screwed on the inside of

page_text: the door; the face-plate is fixed flush with the door-edge, and formned to suit the
latch-shoot to work in, projecting sufficiently far beyond the edge of the door to
form a secure hold of the box-staple fixed on the door-jamb, when the door is shut.
In operating the latch I apply a tang-piece, resting on a stop-piece, passing
somewhat diagonally through the door, or the tang-piece may pass through the
door parallel with the floor-line if made L shaped from the centre of pivot, thus
being vertically pivoted and when in use swivels parallel with the edge of the door
and acting directly upon the bottom edge of the radiating-arm, fixed on the boss of
the latch-shoot, carrying the pivoted weight with elongated slot hole in it, so
arranged as to work independent of the tang-piece. This tang-piece is curved at
each side of the door, having handles or knobs fixed on it, being vertically pivoted
parallel with the floor-line, in a bracket or rose-piece fixed on the outside of the
door. The handle hanging down at an angle with the door, or arranged that on
opening the door to enter, the hanging handle is pressed forward, swivelling in the
downward direction, and simultaneously withdraws the latch, and by the same
pressure opens the door. The reverse action occurs upon withdrawing; the
hanging handle is pulled, swivels and withdraws the latch and the same pulling
action continued pulls open the door and when released by the hand, the tang-
piece carrying the handles will, by its own weight regain its former position. The
latch swivelling on a pivot, moves easily, and causes little friction on entering the
box or latch-staple fixed on the door-jamb, the nosing being formed to suit the latch-
shoot, exerting a continuous and combined action upon it, namely a downward and
sideward pressure, until it engages in the box-staple, being actuated by the weight
on the radiating-arm and automatically secures the door. There is a peg, or some
such simple device, connected by a small chain to the frame, and when inserted in
a hole in it, prevents the latch being operated upon, should the person desire to
leave the apartment.
i
When the latch is worked by a feather or jack-spring, the spring operates
directly upon the radiating-arm of the pivoted latch-shoot, and as near the pivot
as practicable. The latch-shoot being formed triangularly, as hereinbefore set
forth and described; thus in entering or withdrawing from the box-staple, moves a
less distance on the arc of a circle, thus being more quickly withdrawn and engaged
in the box-staple than that of a square nosed latch, and causes less compression of
the spring.
The latch when used in conjunction with a mortise or rim lock, the pivoted
latch-shoot is as hereinbefore set forth and described, being used in conjunction
with a mortise lock, is vertically pivoted in the shell; the radiating-arm carrying
the pivoted weight having an elongated slot-hole in it. The tang-piece being
vertically pivoted parallel with the floor-line in the rose-piece fixed on the outside
of the door, and being curved downwards having knobs fixed on it, and hanging
down at an angle on each side of the door. The tang-piece, acting directly upon
the radiating-arin carrying the weight, having an elongated slot-hole in it for the
tang-piece to work through, and resting on the bottom edge of an elongated slot-
hole made in the rose-piece fixed on the inside of the door which serves as a stop-
piece. The tang-piece being so arranged that, on opening the door to enter, the
hanging knob is pressed forward, swivels and withdraws the latch from the slot-hole
in the striking-plate fixed on the door-jamb, and by the same pressure opens the door:
and when released by the hand will regain its former position. The pivoted latch-
shoot being acted upon by the weight on the radiating-arm. The reverse action
occurs on withdrawing, the hanging knob being pulled, swivels the latch, and
withdraws it, and the same pulling action continued pulls open the door. The
nosing of the striking-plate being formed to suit the cheek of the latch-part as
hereinbefore set forth and described. The lock-bolt of the lock is placed lineable
with the latch, and is formed with an arm-piece, the lower portion forming a
shoulder.
There is on the boss of the pivoted latch-shoot a shoulder, formed to suit the
shoulder on the lock-bolt, and when the lever is lifted from the locking-piece and

page_text: the bolt is thrown, the shoulder formed on the arm-piece will move flush up to the
shoulder on the boss of the pivoted latch-shoot, and lock both latch and lock-bolt
simultaneously 'thus making the door more secure; and preventing the knobs being
rattled about when not required to be in use. The lock-bolt being withdrawn the
latch is released.".
The latch may be applied in a great many different ways, and may, becused
without the tang-piece, having a simple device, such as a knob screwed in it, to
swivel it sideways to operate it, or slot-holes may be made in the sides of the door,
and when used for a vestibule door, is rounded and formed on the cheeks of the
latch-part as herein before set forth and described.
The following is a description of the latch and lock reference being had to the
accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the latch, from the inside of the apartment, showing the
latch engaged in the box-staple fixed on the door-jamb. A is the latch-shoot.
B the boss of the latch. C the radiating-arm. E the pivot of the latch. F the
frame. G the box-staple. the pivoted weight. J the handle.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the latch, as seen from the outside of the door, when not
engaged in the box-staple. A the latch-shoot. J the handle. K the bracket.
Fig. 3 is a side view of the latch, when fixed showing the edge of the door, the
direction of the tang-piece, and the position of the handles. F the frame. H the
tang-piece. I the pivoted weight. J and J the handles. K the bracket.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the latch, through centre of tang-piece and handles.
H the tang-piece. I the pivoted weight. J and J the handles. K the bracket.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the spring latch, from the inside of the apartment,
showing the latch engaged in the box-staple. A the latch-shoot. C the radiating-
arm. E the pivot. F the frame. G the box-staple. J' the handle.
Fig. 6 is an elevation of the spring latch as seen from the outside of the door,
when not engaged in the box-staple. A the latch-shoot. J the handle. K the
bracket.
Fig. 7 is the same as Fig. 5 but shows interior of the spring-case. A the latch-
shoot. B the boss. C the radiating-arm. D the cavity in latch-shoot. L the
jack-spring.
Fig. 8 is a cross section of the spring-latch, through the centre of tang-piece and
handles. C the radiating-arm. F the frame. H the tang-piece. J and J¹ the
handles. K the bracket.
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of a combined mortise lock and latch showing the
position of the lock-bolt not engaging the latch. A the latch-shoot. B the boss.
C the radiating-arm. E the pivot.
arm-piece of lock-bolt.
I the pivoted weight. M the shell. N the
O the shoulder formed on the boss of latch.
Fig. 10 is a side view of the latch, showing edge of door the latch-shoot and lock-
bolt, and position of the knobs. A the latch-shoot. J and J³ the knobs.
rose-piece. P the lock-bolt.
Fig. 11 is a section of Fig. 10 through centre of tang-piece and knobs.
radiating-arm. H the tang-piece. J and J³ the knobs. K¹ the rose-piece.
lock-bolt.
K' the
C the
P the
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. In latches the combination of the latch-shoot A, the radiating-arm C,
pivot Estaple G weight 1, and handles J and J' constructed and operating
substantially as shown and described in Figs. 1. 2. 3 and 4 of the drawings
annexed.
2nd. In latches the combination of the latch-shoot A, the radiating-arm C,
pivot E staple G spring L and handles J and J' constructed and operating
substantially as shown and described in Figs. 5. 6. 7 and 8 of the drawings
annexed.

page_text: 3rd. In a combined mortise lock and latch the combination of the shoot A
radiating-arm C pivot E weight I armpiece N boss. O and handles J2 and J3
constructed and operating substantially as shown' and 'described in Figs. 9. 10
and 11.
4th. In locks and latches the use and employment of a tang-piece such as H
with handles J and J¹ or J2 and J³ arranged as and for the purposes such as shown
and described.
5th. In locks and latches, the combination of the weight and shoot, A,
operating as and for the purposes shown and described.
Dated this 19th day of February 1892.
W. MAW TROUSDALE.