Im- PROVEMENTS IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walker, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Hardware Merchant and Factor, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES."
Sealed the 19th September 1865, and dated the 12th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th April
1865.
I, JOHN WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hardware
Merchant and Factor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates principally to such latches as work by a sliding motion,
and are usually moved by the rotary motion of a knob, and consists of the
mechanical arrangements herein-after described for giving a sliding motion to
the latch by pressing down or lifting up the knob instead of turning it. The
latches to which my Invention refers are ordinarily connected with a lock,
and form with the lock one article. My said Invention may, however, be
applied to latches unconnected with locks. Although my Invention is princi-
pally applicable to latches having a sliding motion it is also applicable to
latches which have a rising and falling motion.

page_text: I will describe my Invention as applied to the latch of a door lock. On
the inside of the case of the lock, and underneath the sliding latch, is an axis
on which a lever turns. The two arms of the lever are at right angles to one
another, one being vertical and the other horizontal. The end of the vertical
arm engages with the sliding bolt by means of a pin or other connection, and
the horizontal arm has at its end a hole through which an ordinary lock or
latch spindle passes at right angles to it, that is, parallel to the axis on which
the lever turns. In the two sides of the lock case and near the end of the
horizontal arm of the lever are two vertical slots, through which the ends of
the spindle pass. The knobs are fixed on the ends of the spindle. Under-
neath the horizontal arm of the lever is a spring, which presses up the lever
and maintains the latch in its shot or projected position. By pressing down
either of the knobs the latch is withdrawn, and by removing the pressure
from the knob it rises and the latch is shot forward. The position of the
parts described may be inverted, and the withdrawal of the latch be effected
by pressing the knob upwards, instead of by pressing it downwards.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hardware Merchant
and Factor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Walker, Her special licence that I, the said John
Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Walker, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu.

page_text: larly 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 the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Walker, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates principally to such latches as work by a sliding motion
and are usually moved by the rotary motion of a knob, and consists of the
mechanical arrangements herein-after described for giving a sliding motion
to the latch by pressing down or lifting up the knob instead of turning it.
The latches to which my Invention refers are ordinarily connected with a
lock and form with the lock one article. My said Invention may, however,
be applied to latches unconnected with locks. Although my Invention is
principally applicable to latches having a sliding motion, it is also applicable
to latches which have a rising and falling motion.
I will describe my Invention as applied to the sliding latch of a door lock.
On the inside of the case of the lock, and underneath the sliding latch, is an
axis on which a lever turns. The two arms of the lever are at right angles to
one another, one being vertical and the other horizontal. The end of the
vertical arm engages with the sliding bolt by means of a pin or other cou-
nection, and the horizontal arm has at its end a hole through which a lock or
latch spindle passes at right angles to it, that is, parallel to the axis on which
the lever turns. In the two sides of the lock case, and near the end of the
horizontal arm of the lever, are two vertical slots in which the spindle works.
The knobs are fixed on the ends of the spindle. Underneath the horizontal
arm of the lever is a spring, which presses up the lever and maintains the
latch in its shot or projected position. By pressing down either of the knobs
the latch is withdrawn, and by removing the pressure from the knob it rises
and the latch is shot forward. The position of the parts described may be
inverted, and the withdrawal of the latch be effected by pressing the knob
upwards instead of by pressing it downwards.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation with the inner plate removed, a rim lock,
the latch of which has a sliding motion, the mechanism for working the said
sliding latch being constructed according to my Invention. Figure 2 repre-

page_text: sents a transverse vertical section of the same applied to a door. Figure 3 is
an elevation of the same, the parts being in the positions which they respec-
tively assume when the latch is withdrawn. Figure 4 represents a portion of
the lock case; and Figure 5 represents separately, in front and edge view,
the latch mechanism. The same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 1,
2, 3, 4, and 5.
a is the latch bolt, and a the bevilled head of the same; b is the lock bolt,
the said parts a, a, and b, being of the ordinary construction. Underneath
the said latch bolt a is a lever c, c, turning on the axis 'd, situated on the
inside of the case e of the lock. The two arms c, c, of the lever are at right
angles to one another, the arm c being vertical, and the arm chorizontal.
The said lever c, c, is shewn separately in Figure 5. The end of the vertical
arm c has a pin a³, which enters a hole in the sliding bolt a, and thus connects
the said arm to the said bolt; and on the end of the horizontal arm is a
block c', having a square hole in it, through which hole the lock or latch
spindle passes at right angles, as best seen in the section, Figure 2. The
block c of the horizontal arm of the lever c, c, fits closely between the case
of the lock as represented. In the sides e, g, of the lock case, and opposite
the block c' of the horizontal arm of the lever are two vertical slots *, g, (the
shape of which is best seen in Figure 4, and is indicated in dotted lines in
Figures 1 and 2), through which slots the ends of the spindle f pass and work.
The spindle f, carrying the knobs i and k, is provided at about its middle with
a shoulder h, which bears against one side of the block e' of the lever, and
between which shoulder and the neck of the knob i, the said block is firmly
held. In fastening the spindlef to the latch mechanism the end of the said
spindle from which the knob i has been removed is passed through the door,
and the shoulder h introduced into the vertical slot 9 in the plate g, and made
to bear against the side of the block c'. The knob i is then screwed on the
protruding end of the spindle f, and its neck passed into the slot in the
lock case, and made to bear against the other side of the block c'. The
spindle is thus firmly fixed in the block c', and the knobs i, k, spindle f, and
block c', are made to move together in the same relative positions, that is, on
pressing down the knob i or the other knob and the block descend, the
spindle maintaining a horizontal position during the descent of the said
knobs. Underneath the block c' of the horizontal arm of the lever c, c, is a
spring, which spring raises the lever c, c, and maintains the latch a in its
shot or projected position. By pressing down either the knob i ork the
shoulder of the spindle f and neck of the knob i descend in their
respective slots, g, and carry down the block c. The lever c, c, is thereby

page_text: made to turn upon its centre d, and to withdraw the head a of the latch a,
the said lever taking the position represented in Figure 3. Ou removing the
pressure from the knob the block c' is raised by the spring 1, and the latch
a, a, is shot forward, the parts assuming the positions represented in Figures
1 and 2. The advance motion of the vertical arm of the lever is limited by
the stop m. Instead of withdrawing the latch by pressing the knob downwards
as described and represented it may be effected by pressing the knob upwards.
In this case the lever c, c, c', is inverted, that is, the arm and block c
are situated on the side of the arm c opposite to that represented, and the
spring is made to press the block c' downwards instead of upwards.
Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, represent rising and falling latches constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 6 represents in elevation one arrangement
of tho parts of the latch. a is the latch bolt, and b the bevilled head of the said
bolt. The said latch bolt turns on a centre at c. Below the said latch bolt a
is a lever d, d, turning on the centre c. One arm d' of the said lever car.ies
tho block d³, having a square bole in it, in which hole the spindle g fitted,
and the other arm & bears against the latch bolt a. The latch bolt is pressed
down by the spring f. The spindle g has a shoulder upon it and is firmly
fixed to the block d in the manner described and represented with respect to
the latch Figure 2. The ends of the spindle work in vertical slots in the
latch case. By depressing one or other of the knobs of the spindlo g, tho
arm d of the lever is depressed, and the latch bolt a lifted by the opposito
arm d from its staple, the said latch bolt turning on the centre c. On loosing
the knob of the spindle g the latch bolt is pressed down by the spring f, and
the lever d, d, resumes the position represented.
Figure 7 represents another arrangement of the parts of a lifting latch.
In this arrangement the lever under the latch is dispensed with, and the latch
bolt itself mado to turn upon the centre h, at or about the middle of the said
latch bolt. The bevilled head b is made on one end of the latch bolt a, and
the other end carries the block i, to which the spindle k is fixed in the manner
before explained. By depressing the block i by one or other of the knobs
the latch-bolt a turns on the centre h, and lifts the bevilled head 6 from the
staple. On loosing the knob the parts resume the positions represented by
the pressure of the spring 1.
Figure 8 represents the arrangement of the rising and falling latch,
Figure 6, applied to a broad flat latch without a bevilled head; and Figure 9
represents the arrangement of the rising and falling lateb, Figure 7, applied
to a broad flat latch without a bevilled head. The parts of the said latches

page_text: Figures 8 and 9 are marked with the same letters as corresponding parts in
Figures 6 and 7.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the
Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention.
But I claim as my Invention the improvements in door locks and latches
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say, the arrangement or combination substantially as described and repre-
sented of the parts of the latches of door locks and other latches, whereby on
pressing down or lifting up the knob or handle of the lock or latch the latch
is disengaged from its staple, whether the said latches have a sliding motion
or a rising and falling motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walker, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
. Birmingham.
JOHN WALKER. (L.S.)