Year: 1886

page_text: EBENEZER BANFIELD Ironmonger Western Iron Works Little Western St.
Brighton & 10 Western Rd. Hove Sussex do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and reliable means of shewing
on the outside of a Water Closet or an apartment when such Water Closet or
apartment is engaged or disengaged,
Another object is to provide an arrangement for the said purpose which can be
produced at a small cost, and which is not liable to fail or get out of order.
My arrangement also possesses the further advantage over all others at present
in use (to my knowledge) of being applicable to existing locks, and moreover to
locks of various descriptions.
The apparatus consists of a disc, one cover plate, one guide plate with stops, and
a crank handle with knob.
"
The disc is attached to the key on outside of door, and has the word "engaged"
or some other suitable term upon it. The cover plate is fixed over this, having an
opening through which the word on disc is brought to view when in position.
The crank handle is attached to the key on inside of door, and when the handle
is turned to fasten the door, the disc on outside exhibits the word thereon, and when
turned to unfasten the door the word is hidden by the cover plate.
The guide plate with stops is fixed under the crank handle to keep it in
position.

page_text: Apartments, Applicable to Locks.
EBENEZER BANFIELD Ironmonger Western Iron Works, Little Western St.
Brighton and 10 Western Road Hove Sussex 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and reliable means of shewing 5
on the outside of a Water Closet or an Apartment when such Water Closet or
Apartment is engaged or disengaged.
Another object is to provide an arrangement for the said purpose which can be
produced at a small cost and which is not liable to fail or get out of order.
My arrangement also possesses a farther advantage over all others at present 1
in use (to the best of my knowledge) of being applicable to existing locks and
moreover to locks of various descriptions.
The apparatus is made of Brass or other suitable material and consists of a
Disc having the word "Engaged" or other suitable term upon it, this is partially
covered by another plate having a circular opening cut through sufficient to shew 1
the writing the Disc bearing the word is arranged to move or turn when the door
is fastened or unfastened and the outer plate is fixed to the door.
I use a lock of ordinary construction, in fact the device can be attached and used
with existing locks without any extra cutting into the door, the same applying to
either those known as mortice or rim locks, and either right or left hand doors.
The arrangement and construction is as follows-The spindle of the key is first
made to such a length on the outside as to allow of the Disc bearing the word to
be attached to it so as to be seen on the outside of the door-In the centre of the
Disc is a boss with a square hole on one side to fit the key spindle which is also
made square, and on the other side a round pin which has a bearing in a hole in
the centre of the cover plate-The cover plate is recessed on the inside and fastened
to the door so that the Disc can revolve freely between it and the door and has
an opening through which the word on the Disc is seen when brought into posi-
tion This plate is thickened round the hole in the centre to form a more durable
bearing for the pin or spindle of Disc.
Instead of using the ordinary bow of key the bow is cut off, and a crank handle
attached in its place by which the bolt of the lock is thrown on the inside.
I provide two stops, one on each side upon which the crank handle rests in a
horizontal position so that when the bolt is thrown to fasten the door the handle
rests in a proper place to keep the Disc on outside of door in position to exhibit
the word thereon, and when thrown back to unfasten the door the handle rests on
the other stop, the word on the Disc then being excluded by the solid part of the
cover plate.
I prefer to use a circular plate on the inside of door with a hole in the centre to
form a bearing for the key and also to receive the stops above described, but this
may be dispensed with by screwing or otherwise securing the two stops to the
door or the casing of the lock as the case may be.

page_text: When the apparatus is supplied complete with lock the lock may be a very
simple one as no wards or other complications are required and in this case the key
can be made plain the spindle of same being of sufficient length only to suit the
maximum thickness of doors.
I may add that an important feature in my invention is, that should the person
inside the apartment through illness or any other cause be unable to unfasten the
door it can be speedily opened from the outside by simply removing the cover plate.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a view of the Indicating Apparatus as seen on the outside of door when
fastened.
Fig. 2 shews the parts on inside of door consisting of the plate E screwed to the
door-crank handle a and the two stops d. d.
Figs. 3 & 6 are face and side views of the Disc shewing the boss h and spindle f
which has a bearing in the cover plate at g Fig. 4.
Figs. 4 & 7 are similar views of the cover plate.
Fig. 5 is a section shewing all the parts fixed to the framing of the door as in the
case of mortice lock, the dotted lines b represent the lock-c spindle of key made
square on the outside to fit the boss on Disc, and having the crank handle a attached
on the other end. D shows the position of the cover plate.
Having thus given a full description of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is―
The combination of Indicating Apparatus with lock substantially as, and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Dated this 18th day of October 1886.
EBENEZER BANFIELD.