Improvements in Safety Catches for Doors of Railway Carriages and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 13th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Catches for Doors of Railway Carriages
and the like.
We, ERNEST RAYMOND and NICOLAS COLLETTE, both of 103 Rue d'Amercoeur,
Liége, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to a safety catch which locks automatically as soon as the
door is closed, but which differs from other automatic locking devices in that it
remains in its open position when it has been placed therein as long as the door is
not closed.
This enables us to put to the same door a second lock which is completely
automatic without any need for acting simultaneously upon the two locking devices
for opening the door. Accordingly the opening operation remains as at present,
that is to say we first open the catch which remains fixed in the opening position
and then we open the automatic lock; the closing operation on the contrary is
completely automatic, it being sufficient to push back the door in order that the
lock and the safety catch may be automatically closed, therefore this system provides
for absolute safety against any untimely opening of the doors and the numerous
accidents resulting therefrom.
In the accompanying drawing A B represent a plate fixed to the door by wood
screws, the said plate being traversed by a bolt CD upon which an ordinary safety
catch KG is keyed. This plate A B has a lug or projection E F against which
butts the stud H I forming one piece with the bolt CD. This has for its object
to limit the movement of the catch K G to the position indicated in dotted lines.
This inclined position is such that when the catch is no longer retained by the
turning bolt LO M hereinafter referred to it falls by its own weight. A spring R
may be placed between the projection E F and the stud H I so as to accelerate the
fall, that is to say the closing of the catch.
The turning bolt L O M and the staple Q W ts having a double groove and
secured in the fixed upright of the door frame (Figures 1 and 2) constitute the
two important parts of the system.
A plate spring R' in the normal position causes the bolt to bear upon the tappet P
and its pivot O upon the bottom of slot O N.
The door being closed, to open the same we first raise the catch G K; iu this
movement of the catch takes part the stud H I which raises the turning bolt and
is placed against the projection E F; at this moment the bolt falls and the catch is
fixed in the position represented in dotted lines, Figure 2. The point of the bolt
is in the position represented at M' (Figure 3). We are then enabled to act at
will upon the second lock and open the door.
In the opening movement of the door the point M' of the bolt compelled to slide
upon the inclined plane of the rib V Z is raised; for enabling this upward movement
the pin O of the turning bolt moves in the slot O N. As soon as the point M¹ has
passed beyond the point Z it falls under the action of the spring R'.
When we wish to close the door the point of the turning bolt is presented in
front of the lower groove in the staple in the position M". If then the door is
completely shut the point of the bolt is forced downwards, sliding below the
inclined plane formed by the rib V Z; thus it arrives in the position M¹¹¹. Then
the bolt has taken up the position MOL', the stud H I is disengaged, and the
catch falls again into the closing position.

page_text: As soon as the point M of the bolt passes beyond the point V, the bolt under the
action of the spring R' returns to its normal position L O M.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. In safety catches the combination of the projection EF and stud HI
limiting the movement of the catch so that it will be closed at the desired time,
falling by its own weight.
Second. In safety catches the turning bolt LOM constructed so that its point M
can be raised above or lowered below its normal position.
Third. In safety catches the staple Q st W having a double groove and secured
in the fixed upright of the door frame so as to cause the proper movements of the
turning bolt.
Fourth. The combination of these various parts so as to constitute a safety catch
which remains open when it is operated for opening the door, but which closes
automatically as soon as the door is closed.
Dated this 13th day of March 1805
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.