A PISTON BOLT, OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING TRAVELLING BAGS, PORTE MONNAIES, CIGAR CASES, WRITING DESKS, DRAWERS, DOORS,
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Schloss, of Wellington Chambers, Cannon
St. West, London, County of Middlesex, Merchant, for the Invention
of "A PISTON BOLT, OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING TRAVELLING
BAGS, PORTE MONNAIES, CIGAR CASES, WRITING DESKS, DRAWERS, DOORS,
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Schloss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
January 1856.
I, JOSEPH SCHLOSs, of Wellington Chambers, Cannon St. West, London,
County of Middlesex, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A PISTON BOLT, OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING TRAVEL-
LING BAGS, PORTE MONNAIES, CIGAR CASES, WRITING DESKS, DRAWERS, DOORS, AND
SIMILAR OBJECTS WHERE LOCKS, BOLTS, OR CLASPS ARE EMPLOYED," to be as
follows:-
The said Invention may be used either for mere fastening and bolting pur-
poses, or in combination with a double-action lock. In both cases it consists
of a small tube or cylinder of any suitable metal or substance, with a piston
acted upon by a spring, and effecting the bolting and opening. When com-
bined with a double-action lock, the said piston is worked upon by a lever or

page_text: spiral spring in the lock itself; the latter may be fixed in different ways to the
object about to be fastened, locked, or bolted. In the latter case one end of
the said cylinder or tube may be used to constitute what is commonly called a
"puzzle lock."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Schloss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
SCHLOSS, of Wellington Chambers, Cannon Street West, London, County of
Middlesex, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succesors, give and grant unto
ime, the said Joseph Schloss, Her special licence, that I, the said Joseph
Schloss, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said
Joseph Schloss, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no otliers, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A PISTON BOLT, OR
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING TRAVELLING BAGS, PORTE MONNAIES, CIGAR
CASES, WRITING DESKS, DRAWERS, DOORS, AND SIMILAR OBJECTS WHERE LOCKS,
BOLTS, OR CLASPS 'ARE EMPLOYED," upon the condition' (amongst others) that I,
the said Joseph Schloss, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what-manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after tho
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Schloss, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had 'to the accompanying Drawing; and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention may be used either for mere fastening or bolting pur-

page_text: poses, or combined with a lock. In the first instance, the bolting or fastening
apparatus is formed by a small cylinder or tube of: steel, brass, or any other
suitable metal or substance, whose length may vary between one. and. three
inches, and whose diameter is from one-eighth to one inch or more, if required.
This cylinder or tube contains on one end a piston, which works in it at about
half way of the length of the cylinder, against a spiral spring fixed on the
other end to a knob similar to that of the piston.. The piston has a small
pin secured to its lower part, which pin runs in a small opening in the female
'part of the clasp. Opposite to this pin there is fixed on the male part a book
of the ordinary shape, which by a slight pressure is forced to catch that pin,
whereby the closing is effected. The opening is effected by a slight pressure
on the knob of the piston..
N
The accompanying Drawing will illustrate this simple mechanism.
.
3
Fig. 1 is the elevation, and Fig. 2 the plan, of the female part of the clasp
or fastening. A, cylinder or tube; B, piston; c, spiral spring;,d, pin; e, groove
or opening. Fig. 8 is the plan, and Fig. 4 the elevation, of the male part of
the clasp or fastening. A, hook on the clasp.
吐
This mode of fastening or bolting is chiefly intended for small objects of
daily use, such as porte-monnaies, ladies' bags, cigar cases, etc..;
.
When applied to a lock for .larger objects, such as: travelling bags, chests,
drawers, writing desks, doors, etc., the mechanism, although based on the
same principle, is somewhat more complicated. Its nature will be best
understood by the description of the accompanying Drawing.
.
Fig. 5, section of the female clasp or fastening; Fig. 6, exterior elovation
of the malo clasp or fastening. A, plate, with two hooks a, a, which moves
inside the box B of the lock, and..is worked upon by the piston C, in which
the pin D is secured; E, pin, secured on the plate A, and caught. by the, hook
of the tumbler F when unlocked, or the hook-c.of the same piece when locked.
The tumbler F is kept firmly down by the spring G.
499
The mere bolting is effected. by the hasps H, H, (Fig. 6) being introduced
into the corresponding openings of the box B, and catching the hooks, a, u
The unbolting or disengaging of. the hooks a, a, is, effected by pressing the
piston C from right to left, which imparts a similar. motion to the plate A,
through the pin D. The clasp. or fastening I.(Fig. 6) is loosened,, and the
piston being freed from pressure, returns to its former position through the
action of the spring G and the inclined plane e, which carries the pin E back
under the hook b. The hooks a, a, and the hasps H, H, being.rounded off',
a mere pressure against the clasps or, fastenings effects the bolting....
---
The locking is effected by turning the key in the direction of the arrow;

page_text: the koy acting upon the ledge f of the plate A, drives the latter towards the
right, and, acting upon the ledge g of the tumbler F, raises it to allow the
pin E to advance, and to place itself under the hook C. The ledge at the left
side of this book prevents the plate A from advancing from right to left through
the movement of the piston. The opening process is begun with the key,
which raises the lever and drives hack the hooks a, a, and the unbolting is
achieved by the piston C.
A modification of this system consists the lock above the bolt, as shown
in Fig. 8; in which A is the piston; B, the fixed knob; and c, the spring
acting against the piston, as in the arrangement first described; d is the
hook, which attaches the two clasps of the bag or other object when closed.
The upper part of the piston A is formed with a projecting pin a, to serve as
a stop, to prevent the bolt when locked being forced back without the key;
the piston A is cut smaller in this part for a certain distance to admit a small
piece of metal b, mado with two projections e, f, on which the key acts, as in
common locks, and also a projection g, which forces up the spring h in passing
it. In order to lock the bag the key is put in and turned in the direction of
the arrow, catching the projection f, and causing the projection 9 to force
up the spring h. The spring c drives the piston A, which had been held
back by the pin a touching the spring h, as far as the lock will allow, taking
with it the hook d. When the projection 9 has passed the spring h, which
former position, the stop a being too long to pass it,
prevents the lock from being forced; i prevents the bolt from being drawn out
drops again into its
too far.
g
Another modification consists in adding to the bolt first described a puzzle,
as shown in Fig. 7. C¹ is the cylinder or tube in which the piston Cu moves.
The knob of the cylinder is moveable, and has an internal projection a¹ that
corresponds to the projection of the piston C". By turning the knob of
the cylinder C¹, the projection a³ is brought downwards and meets the pro-
jection of the piston C", by which the opening is prevented. By turning
the said knob and bringing the space a downwards, the piston Cu is allowed
to advance and the opening may be effected. The piston in this case must be
cylindrical; in all other cases it may be of any convenient form.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of the said Invention for
a piston bolt, I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein described, as such may be varied or
modified without departing from the principle of action thereof. Likewise I
do not confine myself to the strict figure or form of any mechanism herein
described; but I claim as new and of my Invention,-

page_text: 1°, the arrangement of a cylinder or tube containing a piston worked by a
spring on the clasps or fastenings of a bag or other object, for the purpose of
securing them together, substantially as described in Figs. 1 and 2.
2°, the adaptation of the same principle to a lock, substantially as described
in Figs. 5 and 8.
3°, a modification of the same system, by making the mechanism work as
a puzzle lock, substantially as described in Fig. 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Schloss, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JOSEPH SCHLOSS. (LS.)