AN IMPROVED FASTENING, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR GATES OR DOORS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Charles Mac Leod, of Yockleton Hall, in the
County of Salop, Doctor of Medicine, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
FASTENING, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR GATES OR DOORS."
Sealed the 27th April 1880, and dated the 5th November 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Charles Mac Leod
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th November 1879.
ALEXANDER CHARLES MAC LEOD, of Yockleton Hall, in the County of Salop,
Doctor of Medicine. AN IMPROVED FASTENING, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR GATES
OR DOORS."
"
My Invention consists of an improved fastening which is chiefly adapted for gates
or doors. The said fastening is composed of a pair of catches, between which a rigid
bar or latch on the gate or door is received and held. The catches are free to rise
and fall within certain limits. When it is desired to open the gate in either
direction, the catch on that side of the bar or latch is lifted clear of the bar by
pressing on the tail of the catch or otherwise, and the gate may then be pushed
open. Upon the gate swinging home again the bar first comes against an
inclined part of the catch, lifts it and passes it, and then comes against and is
stopped by the second catch, the first catch at the same time again falling behind
the bar. It will be understood that the catches are the reverse one of the other,
one acting as a stop when the gate swings home in the one direction and the other
as a stop when the gate swings home in the other direction.
In the case of heavy gates, or where it is desired to avoid the shock caused by
the sudden stoppage of the gate by one of the catches, the catches may be connected
together so that the rising of either lifts the other; thus, the gate when left free
after having been opened will swing to and fro, the bar raising both the catches each
time it passes them until the gate finally stops. This connection of the two catches
may conveniently be made by having a pin on the one to take into a slot or groove
in the other.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Charles Mac Leod in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th May 1880.
ALEXANDER CHARLES MAC LEOD, of Yockleton Hall, in the County of Salop,
Doctor of Medicine. "AN IMPROVED FASTENING, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR GATES
OR DOORS."
My Invention consists of an improved fastening which is chiefly adapted for
gates or doors. The said fastening is composed of a pair of catches on the gate post,
between which a rigid bar or latch on the gate or door is received and held. The
catches are free to rise and fall within certain limits. When it is desired to open
the gate in either direction, the catch on that side of the bar or latch is lifted clear
of the bar by pressing on the tail of the catch, or otherwise, and the gate may then
be pushed open. Upon the gate swinging home again the bar first comes against
an inclined part of the catch, lifts it and passes it, and then comes against and is
stopped by the second catch, the first catch at the same time again falling behind
the bar. It will be understood that the catches are the reverse one of the other,
one acting as a stop when the gate swings home in the one direction, and the other
as a stop when the gate swings home in the other direction.
In the case of heavy gates, such as swinging gates, or where it is desired to avoid
the shock caused by the sudden stoppage of the gate by one of the catches, the
catches may be connected together, so that the rising of either lifts the other; thus,
the gate when left free after having been opened will swing to and fro, the bar
raising both the catches each time it passes them until the gate finally stops. This
connection of the two catches may conveniently be made by having a pin on the
one to take into a slot or groove in the other.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end
elevation, and Figure 3 a plan of a fastening constructed according to my Invention.
a represents a portion of a gate, and b the gate post. To this post is screwed, or
otherwise fixed, a plate c having fixed thereto two pins or studs d, d, respectively,
forming the pivots or centres of two catches e, e; f is a rigid bar fixed to the gate a,
and taking when the gate is shut between the two catches. In one of the catches e
is a slot g, into which a pin h on the other catch takes, so that whenever either
of the catches rises or falls the other catch rises or falls with it. It will readily
be seen that when the catches are raised into the position shown in dotted lines, by
pressing on the tail of either of them the bar f is free, and the gate may be pushed
open. Then, when the gate is allowed to swing back (the catches having mean-
while fallen to their normal position), the bar f by coming against the incline of
the catch on that side from which the gate swings will lift the catches, and this
movement will be repeated each time the gate swings past the post until it finally
stops; the bar will then be again held between the two catches. i is a staple or
loop to limit the rise and fall of the catches.
If desired, the slot g and pin h may be dispensed with, the two catches then not
being connected together, but in this case (which is that first herein before described)
the gate in swinging back will after raising the first catch be stopped suddenly by
the other; the shock thus produced will, however, have a tendency to injure or
displace the fastening, and I therefore much prefer to connect the two catches so
that they will rise and fall simultaneously.
Figure 4 represents a modified form of my fastening, which will be understood
without further explanation. Similar letters to those in Figures 1, 2, and 3
indicate corresponding parts.
It will be understood that one feature of my fastening is, that whereas in
ordinary gate fastenings the working or movable part is on the gate itself, in mine
it is on the gate post. The chief advantage of this is, that if the gate droops or

page_text: otherwise changes its position relatively to the gate post it is only necessary to
shift the bar fup or down, as the case may be, on the gate, the working part on the
post remaining as it was.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the improved fastening,
constructed and acting substantially in the manner and for the purpose bereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Charles Mac Leod, have hereunto
Bet my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
A. C. MAC LEOD. (L.S.)