IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walker, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Hardware Merchant and Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES.”
Sealed the 14th August 1876, and dated the 23rd February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd February 1870.
JOHN WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hardware Mer-
chant and Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES."
The
My Invention has reference to combined door locks and latches, in which the
Iatches have a rising and falling motion, such latches being commonly called lifting
latches. The said lifting latches are ordinarily worked by a rotating follower
situated in front of and near to the joint or centre on which the latch turns.
position described of the follower necessitates the knobs by which the said follower
is worked being stationed near the middle of the lock case, and at a short distance
from the keyhole. This proximity of the knobs to the keyhole causes much incon-
venience in the use of the lock and latch, as the hand is frequently injured by
coming in contact with the key or with the knob.
The object of my Invention is to obviate the inconvenience referred to, and con-
sists in constructing and working the parts of the lifting latches of combined locks
and latches in the following manner:-I make the latch bolt of a cranked lever, the
arms of the said lever being situated at right angles to one another, the said latch
bolt turning vertically on a joint or centre at the junction of the two arms of the
said bolt. A spring above the horizontal arm of the latch bolt presses upon the
said arm, and maintains the latch in its normal position. Near the vertical arm of
the latch bolt is the follower, the two arms of which follower bear in their normal
position against the said vertical arm of the latch bolt.
When the follower is partly rotated by turning the knob in one or other direc-
tion one or other of the arms of the follower acts upon the vertical arm of the
latch bolt, and causes the said latch bolt to turn on its centre. The horizontal arm
carrying the head of the latch is thereby lifted. On removing the hand from the
knob the parts of the latch resume their normal positions by the action of the
spring pressing on the horizontal arm of the cranked latch bolt. Or instead of using
a rotating follower with the cranked latch bolt, a lever follower of the kind de-
scribed and represented in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the

page_text: 12th day of April, 1865, No. 1043, but modified to adapt it to this improved latch,
may be employed. In this case I arrange the lever follower with respect to the-
vertical arm of the cranked latch bolt in the position already described, but the part
in which the square spindle of the knobs is fixed is capable of rising and falling in
slots in the lock case, the said part being connected to the follower by a short
horizontal arm.
When either of the knobs on the spindle is lifted or pressed down one or other of
the arms of the follower acts upon the vertical arm of the cranked latch bolt, and
lifts the said latch bolt.
By arranging the parts of lifting latches in the ways described the knobs are at
such a distance from the keyhole that the hand in grasping the knob is not
injured by coming into contact with the key, or in grasping the key is not injured
by coming in contact with the knob.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th August
1876.
JOHN WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hardware Merchant
and Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES."
My Invention has reference to combined door locks and latches in which the
latches have a rising and falling motion, such latches being commonly called lifting
latches. The said lifting latches are ordinarily worked by a rotating follower,
situated in front of and near to the joint or centre on which the latch turns. The
position described of the follower necessitates the knobs by which the said follower
is worked being stationed near the middle of the lock case, and at a short distance
from the keyhole. This proximity of the knobs to the keyhole causes much incon-
venience in the use of the lock and latch, as the hand is frequently injured by
coming in contact with the key or with the knob.
The object of my Invention is to obviate the inconvenience referred to, and con-
sists in constructing and working the parts of the lifting latches of combined locks
and latches in the following manner: I make the latch bolt of a cranked lever
the arms of the said lever being situated at right angles to one another, the said
latch bolt turning vertically on a joint or centre at the junction of the two arms of
the said bolt. A spring above the horizontal arm of the latch bolt presses
upon the said arm, and maintains the latch in its normal position. Near the
vertical arm of the latch bolt is the follower, the two arms of which follower bear
in their normal position against the said vertical arm of the latch bolt.
When the follower is partly rotated by turning the knob in one or other direction
one or other of the arms of the follower acts upon the vertical arm of the latch bolt,
and causes the said latch bolt to turn on its centre. The horizontal arm, carrying
the head of the latch is thereby lifted. On removing the hand from the knob, the
parts of the latch resume their normal positions by the action of the spring pressing
on the horizontal arm of the cranked latch bolt. Or instead of using a rotating
follower with the cranked latch bolt a lever follower of the kind described and repre-
sented in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the 12th day of April
1865, No. 1043, but modified to adapt it to this improved latch, may be employed.
In this case I arrange the lever follower with respect to the vertical arm of the
cranked latch bolt in the position already described, but the part in which the
square spindle of the knobs is fixed is capable of rising and falling in slots in
the block case, the said part being connected to the follower by a short horizontal
arm.
When either of the knobs on the spindle is lifted or pressed down one or other of
the arms of the follower acts upon the vertical arm of the cranked latch bolt, and
lifts the said latch bolt. Or the latch bolt will be lifted if either knob be turned to
the right or left hand.

page_text: I will now described, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in
which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan (the lock plate being removed) a combined door lock
and latch, the lifting latch of which is constructed and worked according to one of
the arrangements of my Invention. The said latch, Figure 1, is represented in
combination with a rotating follower. a, b, is the lifting latch bolt, consisting of a
crank lever, the arms a, b, of which are situated at right angles to one another. The
said lifting latch belt a, b, turns on the joint or centre c, at the junction of the two
arms; d is the spring above, and pressing upon the horizontal arm a of the latch
bolt. By means of the spring & the latch bolt a, b, is pressed down when at liberty
to move, and maintained in its normal position; e is the axis of the follower,
rotating in the lock case. Through this axis the square spindle of the knobs passes;
fg, are the arms of the follower bearing against the vertical arm b of the latch bolt.
To lift the horizontal arm a of the latch bolt, and disengage its bevilled head a¹
from the staple, the follower e is turned in one or other direction by the knob fixed
on the spindle passing through the said follower, as is well understood. By the
partial rotation of the follower e the arm g or f is made to act upon the vertical arm
b of the cranked latch bolt, and turn the said bolt on its centre c, and lift the
horizontal arm a, carrying the head a² of the latch, as indicated in dotted lines.
The head a of the latch bolt is thereby disengaged from its staple.
On removing
the hand from the knob the cranked latch bolt a, b, and follower e, f, g, resume
their normal positions, or the positions represented in the Drawing by the action of
the spring d pressing on the horizontal arm a of the cranked latch bolt. The
position of the follower e, f, g, of the knob with respect to the keyhole h of the lock
is shown in the Drawing. As the follower and its arms are situated at the back of
the vertical arm of the latch bolt the keyhole and knobs are widely separated from
each other.
Figure 2 represents a combined lock and latch in which a lever follower is
used with the cranked latch bolt, and Figure 3 represents the same with the latch
bolt withdrawn; i is the joint on which the lever follower turns, and k, l, are the
arms of the follower bearing on the vertical arm b of the cranked latch bolt a, b, as
before described; m is the part of the lever follower through which the square
spindle of the knobs passes, the said part m being connected to the follower by the
short horizontal arm n. The part m of the follower works in slots at p in the lock
case.
By pressing down either of the knobs of the spindle the part m moves to the
bottom of its slots p in the lock case, and causes the lower arm of the follower to
act upon the vertical arm b of the latch bolt, and withdraw the head a² of the latch
from the staple, as illustrated in Figure 3. When either of the knobs of the spindle
is lifted a similar action takes place, the upper arm k of the follower now operating
upon the vertical arm b of the latch bolt. This latch may also be withdrawn by
turning either knob to the right or left hand, as an ordinary knob is turned, that is,
the latch bolt is as easily withdrawn by turning the knob as by pressing down or
lifting up the knob.
By arranging the parts of lifting latches in the ways described and illustrated tho
knobs are at such a distance from the keyhole that the hand in grasping the knob
is not injured by coming in contact with the key or in grasping the key is not
injured by coming in contact with the knob.
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, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention. But I claim as my Invention
the improvements in combined door locks and latches in which the latches have a
rising and falling motion commonly called lifting latches, herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, making the latch bolts of
the said lifting latches of a cranked lever, having arms at right angles to one
another, a rotating follower or a lever follower acting upon the vertical arm of the
"

page_text: latch bolt to lift the said latch bolt, substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walker, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord Oue thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN WALKER. (L.S.)