IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC LOCKING DEVICES FOR NUTS BOLTS AND SIMILAR OBJECTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Macaulay-Cruikshank of 185 Buchanan Street
Glasgow in the County of Lanark North Britain Consulting Engineer and
Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC LOCKING
DEVICES FOR NUTS BOLTS AND SIMILAR OBJECTS" communicated to him
from abroad by Silas Horatio Raymond and Charles Nelson Shepard both
of Grand Rapids in the County of Kent and State of Michigan one of the
United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George
Macaulay-Cruikshank
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th January 1883.
George MACAULAY-CRUIKSHANK of 135 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britian Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC LOCKING DEVICES FOR NUTS, BOLTS AND SIMILAR
OBJECTS," A communication to me from abroad by Silas Horatio Raymond and
Charles Nelson Shepard, both of Grand Rapids, in the County of Kent, and State
of Michigan, one of the United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in automatic locking devices for Nuts,
Bolts and similar objects and it consists in the employment of a spring catch,
adapted to automatically engage the nut or bolt at one point or any number of
points in its rotation, so that, to press the nut or bolt beyond such point or points,
it shall be necessary to overcome the resistance of the spring-which resistance
is in every instance made sufficient to prevent the movement of the nut or
bolt by the mere jarring or shaking of the mechanism or object to which it is
applied.
The above end may be attained in several ways by the emyloyment of either
a metal or a gum or other elastic or compressible spring. In the former case, the
spring is preferably a curved plate attached to or formed integrally with a circular
washer, which washer is adapted to be slipped over the bolt or stud and held from
turning thereon by any suitable means. The plate spring bears at its free end
''

page_text: against the flat faces of the nut as they are successively passed beneath it in
screwing on the nut, so that a slight force, sufficient to overcome the resistance
of the spring will have to be exerted as each projecting corner of the nut strikes
and lifts the spring, the result being that when the nut is left at rest, it will
automatically assume a position with one of its flat faces on which the spring is,
for the time being, bearing at right angles to the line of pressure of the spring.
With this kind of spring, the circular washer forming the abutment thereof
will also be bent slightly, so as to press the parts together elastically, preventing
rattling and also serving to increase the pressure of the spring with the forcing
home of the nut.
With a gum or other elastic or compressible spring, the arrangement will be
somewhat different, the spring in this case being of annular form and serving to
hold together with elastic pressure the meeting faces of the nut and of a washer
capable of longitudinal but incapable of rotary motion on the bolt or stud. The
meeting faces of the nut and washer are corrugated or tongued and grooved or
otherwise roughened to provide a greater frictional resistance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
T
by the said George Macaulay-Cruikshank in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th May 1883. 27
GEORGE MACAULAY-CRUIKSHANK of 135 Buchanan Street, Glasgow in the
County of Lanark, North Britain Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC LOCKING DEVICES FOR NUTS, BOLTS AND
SIMILAR OBJECTS; A communication to me from abroad by Silas Horatio
Raymond, and. Charles Nelson Shepard, both of Grand Rapids in the County
of Kent, and State of Michigan, one of the United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in automatic locking devices for nuts.
bolts and similar objects and it, consists in the employment of a spring adapted
to-automatically engage the nut or bolt at one point or any number of points
in its rotation, so that to press the nut or bolt beyond such point or points it
shall be necessary to overcome the resistance of the spring which resistance
is in every instance, made..sufficient to prevent the movement of the nut or
bolt by the mere jarring or shaking of the mechanism or object to which it is
applied.
→
The above end may be attained in several ways by the employment of a gum or
other clastic or compressible spring. -.
The spring is of annular form and serves to hold together with elastic pressure,
the meeting faces of the nut and of a washer capable of longitudinal but incapable
of rotary motion on the bolt or stud. The meeting faces of the nut and washer are
corrugated or tongued and grooved or otherwise roughened to provide a greater
frictional resistance.

page_text: And in order that the invention as communicated to me may be more fully.
understood I now proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode or
nanner in, or under which it is or may be used or carried out in practice reference'
being bad to the accompanying sheet of drawings on which the Invention is
represented as applied to carriage-top joints but it will be evident that it is equally
applicable to any form of fastening device in which a bolt or stud and nut are
employed.
Fig 1 is a perspective viow of a portion of the top frame of a vehicle to which
the screw-stud is attached, and the fastening and locking devices, the latter being
separated.
Fig 2 is a similar view of a portion of the shifting-rail or "goose-neck " to
which the screw-stud is attached, and the fastening and locking devices, the latter
being separated.
Fig 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the parts shown at fig 1, the several
parts being united as in use.
Fig 4 is a longitudinal vortical section of the parts shown in fig 2, the several
parts being united as in use.
Referring to fig. 1. A, represents the screw-stud, the inner end of which is
formed with a flat plate having a suitable number of holes made through it, by
which a series of screws or nails or other similar devices aro passed through the
said plate and into the horizontal bar F, of the top frame. Outside of the cover
(a fragment of which is shown at Z.) is placed an elastic ring or washer C, of rubber
or any suitable elastic material, the said washer surrounding the screw stud A.
A thimble-washer B, is placed next to the elastic washer C, the said thimble-washer
also surrounding the screw-stud A, and serving to hold the prop iron D, at the
required distance from the top frame. This top iron D, is formed with an eye in
its upper end through which the screw-stud A, passes. At the side of the prop D,
opposite the thimble washer B is a washer c", formed with a flat portion that is
to say a portion bounded by a straight line c, in its eye or aperture, to fit a
corresponding depression a, in the outer end of the screw stud A, in order to
prevent the rotation of the said washer c" on the stud. This washer is further
provided on its outer face with a series of radial or ratchet teeth c", engaging
with corresponding depressions e, in the face of the cap-nut E. This nut is or
may be formed with the customary square or polyangular poriphery, and with any
desired ornamental cap or exterior face. Figure 3 shews the arrangement herein-
before described screwed home.
In the illustration of the invention shown in figs 2, and 4, the screw-stud A, is
rigidly formed upon or secured to the end of the shifting rail or "goose-neck" F¹
which latter is attached in customary manner to the seat or other part of the
vehicle. The elastic washer C, is placed upon the screw-stud next to the shifting
rail and a plain metal washer B' is placed upon the screw-stud next to the elastic
washer to prevent wear. The perforated end of the prop D, is placed upon the
screw stud A, next to the metal washer. The ratchet faced washer c", is placed
on the screw-stud next to the prop, the straight edge c, of its eye and the
depression a, of the screw-stud preventing said washer from turning; and the
cap-nut E, is lastly screwed on to the end of the screw-stud the depressions e, on
its face receiving the ribs or projections of the ratchet-washer so that when said
cap nut is screwed home, as at figure 4, the several parts above described are
securely locked.
In using this invention in either of the two embodiments shown in figs 1 to 4
the parts are crowded closely together and the cap-nut E, securely locked-through
the action of the elastic washer C, ratchet-washer c, c", c and cap nut. As the
cap-nut E, is screwed farther and farther on to the screw-spindle A, the ratchet-
washer c. c c, and the parts D, and B (or B¹) are permitted to fall back as the
ribs cof the ratchet-washer pass over the raised portions of the face of the nut E.
between the depressions e, thereof, and said parts are thrown forward as the
projections c, enter the depressions e. Both of these movements are due to the

page_text: elasticity of the washer C, and it is the means by which the locking of the nut E,
is accomplished, its pressure keeping the projections firmly within the
depressions e, when the nut E, is fully forced home. It will further be seen.
that the prop D, and, the nut E, are the only parts which turn or play upon the
screw-stud, the other parts, with the exception perhaps, of the washer B, or the
thimble washor B, remaining at rest during the turning of the nut E.
It will be observed that in both forms of the invention a metal washer is
interposed between the end of the top iron D, and the face of the elastic washer.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the friction due to the turning of the
top iron D, as the cover is raised and lowered, is borne by a metallic surface,
which is adapted to receive it, whereas if such friction were brought upon the
elastic-washer it would be speedily destroyed owing to its delicacy of material
or structure.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention as communicated to me by my Correspondents and two systems or
modes under which it is or may be carried out in practice I would observe in
conclusion that what is considered to be novel and original and is therefore
claimed as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is
The automatic locking devices for nuts, bolts and similar objects substantially
as described with reference to figs 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings and
in which an annular compressible packing C, is employed to offer resistance to the
turning of the bolt or nut at one or more points in its revolution.
In Witness Whereof I the said George Macaulay-Cruikshank have hereunto
set my hand and seal this first day of May in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
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