IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED AS AN ALARM AND DETECTOR IN CASES OF BURGLARY
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Turner, of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
TO BE EMPLOYED AS AN ALARM AND DETECTOR IN CASES OF BURGLARY."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Turner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration, on
the 12th June 1857, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law:
Amendment Act 1852.
I, THOMAS TURNER, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Iron-
monger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED AS AN ALARM AND DETECTOR. IN CASES OF BURGLARY,"
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be particularly.
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:
My present Invention consists of certain improvements upon an Invention
bearing the same title, for which Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, dated
the Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six, were granted to John Robinson Scartliff, of Wolver-

page_text: hampton, in the County of Stafford, and which said Letters Patent have been
duly assigned to me; and the object of these my said improvements is the
simplification of the mechanism and the ensuring greater certainty in the
operation of the instrument.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of one of my improved instruments; Figure 2, a
back view of the same, the case being open to shew the interior; Figure 3
shews the form of catch I apply to the top of a door frame; Figure 4 another
view of the same, shewing its action; Figure 5 shews the form of catch to be
used on a window sash and frame; Figure 6, the form of catch I employ for a
casement or French window.
I shall first proceed to describe the instrument seen in Figures 1 and 2..
A is a case, the front of which is partly formed by the plate B screwed thereto.
This plate is perforated with any desired number of apertures (C), the
Drawing representing twelve, and round each of these apertures is con-
spicuously labelled the title of some door, or window, or other point of ingress
to a house or other building or enclosure. This forms the dial. . Each of the
apertures is closed at the back by a sliding plate (D), supported by the.
bars E in a sliding frame (E¹), held by grooved supports F screwed to
the back of the plate (B).
The sliding plates (D) are painted on the face two colors, red and white, or
the signal may be given in any other similar and suitable manner, and these
plates are kept in contact with the back of the dial plate by the grooved
bars E in which they slide, and the pressure of the springs (H) secured to the
bars E, and bearing at each end upon one of the plates (D). These plates
are also furnished with projecting pins or studs (I), to which the lines (K)
are connected; these lines K then pass under pulleys (L), supported in the
frame (M), each line having its own independent pulley, and thence they pass,
through the plate (N), on the under side of which they are knotted through
the case of the instrument to any particular point of the house or other
building or inclosure to which they are intended to be connected. The
sliding frame (E¹) is governed by the spring O, and the handle P is provided
for the purpose of drawing back any one of the plates D that may have been
displaced by the action of the instrument, for on drawing that handle from the
case, one of the bars of the sliding frame E' will meet the stud (I) upon
the displaced plate, and will draw back the plate upon which that stud is
fixed to its original position. The plate (N) is caused by the pressure of a
spring to bear down upon the pin (Q), and on the upper side of this plate the

page_text: line (R), which actuates the alarum R' and match igniter R", is knotted.
This alarum may, if preferred, be attached underneath the case: The line R
passes round the pulleys S, S¹, S", and is secured to the arm T, which is
governed by a spring T', and has upon the back of it a projecting catch or
stud, which engages with a similar stud or catch upon the rod U. This rod
is governed by the spring U¹, and is connected at the opposite extremity to
one end of a cross bar V, pinned in the centre to the bottom of the case; and
to the other end of this cross bar is pinned the rod V₁, which operates as a
hammer upon the alarum R'. An independent hammer W is also fixed in
the case above the alarum, to summon assistance in case of need. Parallel to
the rod U, and connected to it, is the bar X, which passes through the side of
the case and terminates in a handle similar to that described and shewn at P,
and this second handle is for the purpose of setting the alarm and match
lighter by pushing in the handle as far as it will go. The catch upon the
back of the arm (T) engages with the similar catch upon the rod U, and
holds all that portion of the instrument in suspended action until released by
the pulling of any one of the lines K. To the rod U is also attached at right
angles a bar Y, which passes through the front of the case and holds the
match rubber R", which is formed of a doubled strip of spring steel, serrated
or roughed on its inner sides; and the match bolder Z is furnished with a
wedge formed plug, to open the jaws of the rubber as it advances towards the
match, which is held, as at Z, by a pin passing through the holder. The
action of the instrument drawing back the rubber (Y) allows it to close down
upon the match, and by the friction of the roughed surfaces to ignite it. The
small picker seen at A, attached to the case by a chain, is for the purpose of
cleaning the roughed surface of the rubber when clogged by repeated use.
I will now describe the detached parts used in fixing the apparatus, and
shewn in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6.
A, Figure 3 and 4, is a common lock plate, furnished with a sliding catch
bolt b, working on slots and pius (c), and governed by the spring (d). E is a
cross piece pinned to the lock plate (a), and having slots at each end, working
one upon the stud f on the bolt (b), and the other upon the stud g, secured
to the rod (h), which has a vertical motion parallel to and in conjunction with
the bolt (6), the one working up as the other works down. This action is
represented by the varied position of the parts in the two Figures. The lock
plate is secured to any suitable part of the door frame, I prefer the top; and a
catch plate, similar to that employed for an ordinary mortice lock, is screwed
to the top of the door. To the upper end of the rod (h) is connected a wire,
which, by means of ordinary bell cranks for passing angles, may be carried

page_text: any distance to the instrument shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and there affixed
to that particular line of the series marked k, which belongs to that one of
the sliding plates D which is labelled on the dial with the name of that door.
The action of opening the door raises the bolt (b), drawing down the rod (h),
and with it the connecting wire, bringing into operation the instrument seen
in Figures 1 and 2, as will hereafter be more particularly described.
Figure 5 shews the form of catch I employ on a window sash and frame.
(i) is the lock plate screwed to the side of the sash frame, and upon which
plate the bolt (k) works by a pin and slot; the action of this bolt is regulated
by the springs (7). The bent lever (m) is pinned centrally to the plate (i),
and one end is secured loosely to a link (n), to which is connected the wire
which communicates with the instrument. A 'slotted catch plate A is screwed
to the side of the sash, and the bolt being set, any attempt to raise the sash
raises the bolt and draws down the wire.
Figure 6 shews. the form of catch I use for casements or French windows.
(o) is a plate screwed to the casement frame; (p) is the bolt in the form of a
bent lever; the fulcrum of which is a pin; passing through it. and the bracket
(9). To one arm of this lever is attached a line (r), passing over the
pullys and under the pully (s¹), and thence to the wire connecting it to
the instrument. A catch plate is also used in this instance upon the casement,
into which the tongue of the bolt (p) catches; on opening the window the
same tension of the wire occurs as already described.
I shall now describe the action of the instrument seen in Figures 1 and 2.
On reference to Figure 1, it will be seen that the aperture in the dial, which
is labelled china closet, shews a red sigual; this would indicate the point at
which a forcible entry was being made. The red signal is painted on that
one of the sliding plates lettered D¹, Figure 2, the stud of which I', it will be
observed, is in a different position to the others; the plate D¹ has been drawn.
'forward by the action of the line K', which communicates with the china
closet, and may be worked, according to requirements, by attachment to any
one or more of the catches seen in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, which would be
secured to the doors or windows. By the upward action of the plate N, the
line R has also been brought into play, actuating by means of the mechanism
already described, and seen at the bottom of the case, the striker of the alarum
and the match igniter.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the saine is to be performed, I claim the several improvements in the
detector apparatus herein described and shewn in Drawings, together with
the various descriptions of catches or bolts, or any mere modification of the

page_text: said catches or bolts used in the fixing or connecting of the apparatus with
the several points of ingress to a house or other building or enclosure, as
herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS TURNER. (L.s.)