Improvements in Door Latches, applicable to Door Locks or Doors without Locks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1892-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Door Latches, applicable to Door Locks or Doors
without Locks.
WILLIAM MAW TROUSDALE Mechanical Engineer Kingslyn Harrogate in the
County of York. I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My improvements consists in making a right angled triangular shaped latch
having the face and nose rounded and being vertically pivotted to swivel parallel
with the door the latch being so weighted or acted on by a spring, and resting on a
follower which is fixed on a tang going through the door so that the point of the
latch, or latch part justs projects sufficiently far beyond the face of the door as to
form a secure hold of the box-staple which is fixed on the inside architrave of the
door-jamb when the door is shut. In withdrawing the latch I apply a follower
fixed on the tang going through the door working in a ball-joint and so arranged as
to the latch that when the tang is raised or swivelled to the right or left it swivels
the latch and withdraws it from the box-staple. The tang has handles at each end
hanging down at an angle on each side of the door, or arranged that on opening
the door to enter the hanging handle is pressed forward or swivelled to the right
or left, swivels the latch and withdraws it from the box-staple and by the same
forward pressure opens the door, the reverse action occurs, on withdrawing or
swivelling the hanging handle and the latch is withdrawn from the box-staple and
the same pulling action contained pulls open the door.
The latch swivelling on a pivot moves easily and causes little friction in entering
or withdrawing from the box-staple on the door-jamb. It can be applied in a great
many different ways and in applying it to locks forming part of the lock the bolt
of the lock may be so formed that when the bolt is thrown the latch cannot be
withdrawn.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1801
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Door Latches, applicable to Door Locks or Doors
without Locks.
I, WILLIAM MAW TROUSDALE, of Kingslyn, Harrogate, in the County of
York, Engineer, 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:-
My improvements consist in making latches, the latch-part, or shoot of the latch,
being of a right angled triangular form, and having the nose rounded, and the
working face or cheek of the latch-part or shoot rounded the opposite side being
flat, having a cavity in it, to reduce friction when in use, or in other words the
latch part is practically in the form of a quarter of a cone, having the check
slightly ball faced, but the nose and lower extremity rounded and having a cavity
in the opposite side of the latch; being vertically pivotted so that it swivels
parallel with the face of the door.
The latch is weighted or acted upon by a spring. There is on the boss of the
latch-shoot a radiating-arm resting upon a stop-piece, the extremity of it being
rounded and formed so that a radiating-arm being vertically pivoted works directly
upon it by means of a fork-joint.
The latch when used as a rim-latch, consists of a frame screwed on the inside of

page_text: the door; the frame-plate is fixed flush with the door-edge and formed to suit the
latch-shoot to work in, projecting sufficiently far beyond the edge of the door
to form a secure hold of the box-staple, fixed on the door-jamb when the door is
shut.
In operating the latch I apply a follower fixed or so arranged on a tang-piece
going through the door being curved downwards at the ends which works in a
bracket or rose-piece fixed on the outside of the door and resting on a stop-piece,
the tang-piece being ball jointed and having handles or knobs fixed on it.
When the latch is worked by means of a weight action, the weight being
vertically pivoted parallel with the floor-line at the extremity from the latch-pivot
the weight so arranged serves as the radiating-arm being fork-jointed with the
radiating-arm of the latch-shoot which is rounded and formed on the working-face
to suit the fork formed on the weight which acts directly upon it.
There is a slot-hole in the weight sufficiently large to allow it to work inde-
pendently of the follower and tang-piece. The tang-piece being ball-jointed in the
bracket fixed on the outside of the door and going through it carrying the follower
which works in the slot-hole of the weight and acts directly upon the top edge of it,
the tang-piece having handles fixed at the ends hanging down at an angle on each
side of the door or arranged that on opening the door to enter the hanging handle
is pressed forward swivelling in the downward direction and simultaneously
withdraws the latch from the box-staple fixed on the door-jamb, or, the latch may
be withdrawn by swivelling the handle to the right or left but if pressed forward
the same forward pressure continued opens the door.
The reverse action occurs on withdrawing the hanging handle is pulled swivels
and withdraws the latch and the same pulling action continued pulls open the door,
or, the handle may be swivelled to the right or left simultaneously withdrawing the
latch, and when released by the hand the tang-piece will in conjunction with the
handles and follower by there own weight regain there formed position.
The latch swivelling on a pivot moves easily, and causes little friction on entering
the box or latch-staple fixed on the door-jamb, the nosing being formed to suit the
check of the latch-shoot, exerting a continueous and combined action upon it,
namely a downward and sideward pressure, until it engages in the box-staple being
actuated by the pivoted weight as herein before set forth and described and
automatically secures the door.
There is a peg, or some such simple device, connected by a small chain to the
frame, and when inserted in a hole in it, prevents the latch being operated upon,
should the person desire to leave the apartment.
When the latch is worked by a feather-spring the spring operates directly upon
the top edge of an arm-piece fixed on the boss of the radiating-arm which is
vertically pivoted and acting directly upon the radiating-arm fixed on the boss of
the pivoted latch-shoot by means of a fork-joint. The tang-piece going through
the door carrying the follower acting directly upon the bottom edge of the arm-
piece fixed on the boss of the radiating-arm, as herein before set forth and
described.
The latch when used in conjunction with a mortise or rim-lock is acted upon by
weight or spring as herein before set forth and described, being used in conjunction
with a mortise lock, is vertically pivoted in the shell. The radiating-arm fixed on
the boss of the latch-shoot being acted directly upon by, and in conjunction with,
the fork formed on the pivoted radiating-arm thus being fork-jointed and carrying
an arm-piece on the boss the top edge of which is directly acted upon by a feather-
spring, and actuates the latch-shoot.
There is, screwed on the outside of the door, a rose-piece which serves as a socket
forming part of the ball joint of the tang-piece going through the door and resting
upon the bottom edge of an elongated slot-hole made in the rose-piece fixed on the
inside of the door which serves as a stop-piece.
The tang-piece going through the door passes through the hole in the boss of the
follower which acts directly upon the bottom edge of the arm-piece fixed on the

page_text: boss of the pivoted radiating-arm, the shell having the holes in the sides of it
elongated to allow the boss of the follower to work in it.
The tang-piece being arranged with knobs and operates the latch as herein hefore
set and described.
The lock-bolt of the lock is placed lineable with the latch-shoot, and is formed
with an arm-piece, the lower portion forming a shoulder. There is, on the boss of
the pivoted latch-shoot, a shoulder, formed to suit the shoulder on the lock-bolt, and
when the lever is lifted from the locking-piece and the bolt is thrown, the shoulder
formed on the arm-piece will move flush up to the shoulder on the boss of the
pivoted latch-shoot, and lock both latch and lock-bolt simultaneously thus making
the door more secure, and prevents the knobs being rattled about when not required
to be in use. The lock-bolt being withdrawn the latch is released.
The latch-shoot being formed triangularly as herein before set forth, and described;
thus in entering or withdrawing from the box-staple moves through a less distance
on the arc of a circle, thus being more quickly withdrawn and engaged in it, than
that of a square nosed latch-shoot and causes less compression of the spring.
The nosing of the striking-plate which is fixed on the door-jamb being formed to
suit the check of the latch-shoot as herein before set forth and described.
The latch may be applied in many different ways and when used in conjunction
with a mortise or rim lock, the pivoted latch-shoot in conjunction with the
radiating-arm being vertically pivoted and fork-jointed as herein before set forth
and described may be operated by the ordinary spindle and knobs by means of a
twisting action.
The following is a description of the latch and lock reference being had to the
accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the latch, from the inside of the apartment showing the
latch engaged in the box-staple fixed on the door-jamb. A the latch-shoot.
B the boss of the latch-shoot. C the radiating-arm of latch shoot. D the cavity
in latch-shoot. E the pivot of latch-shoot. F the frame. G the box-staple fixed
on door-jamb. I the pivoted weight serving as radiating-arm with fork formed on
it for joint. J the follower. L' the handle. N the pivot of weight.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the latch, from the outside of the door, when not
K the ball formed on the tang-
engaged in the box-staple. A the latch-shoot.
piece. L the handle. M the bracket with socket formed on it to carry tang piece.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the latch, through centre of tang-piece and handles.
F the frame. H the tang-piece. I the pivoted weight. J the follower. K the
M the bracket with socket
ball formed on the tang-piece. L and L the handles.
formed on it.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a combined mortise lock and latch, fixed on the door as
seen from the inside. A the latch-shoot. D the cavity. L³ the knob. M the
rose-piece forming stop-piece for tang-piece.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the latch, showing edge of door, the latch-shoot, and
interior of rose-piece, the direction of tang-piece through the door, and the position
of the knobs. A the latch-shoot. H the tang-piece. K the ball formed on the
tang-piece. L' and L³ the knobs. M the rose-piece with socket formed on it.
M the rose-piece forming stop-piece for tang-piece. P the lock-bolt.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the lock and latch, showing the lock-bolt not
A the latch-shoot. B the
engaging the latch, when acted upon by weight action.
boss of the latch. C the radiating-arm fixed on boss of latch-shoot. D the cavity.
E the pivot of latch. F' the shell. I the pivoted weight serving as radiating-
arm with fork formed on it for joint. J the follower. N the pivot of weight.
O the shoulder on the boss of the pivoted latch. P the lock-bolt. Q the arm-
piece formed on lock-bolt.
Fig. 7 is an elevation of the latch, from the outside of the door showing the
latch-shoot and knob. A the latch-shoot. L the knob. M the rose-piece with
socket formed on it.
Fig. 8 is the same as Fig. 5. A the latch-shoot. H the tang-piece. K the ball

page_text: formed on tang-piece L and L³ the knobs. A the rose-piece with socket formed
on it. M² the rose-piece forming stop-piece for tang-piece. Pthe lock-bolt.
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the lock and. latch, showing the lock-bolt not
engaging the latch, when acted upon by spring action. A the latch-shoot. B the
boss of the latch. C the radiating-arm fixed on boss of latch-shoot. D the
cavity. E the pivot of latch. F the shiell the pivoted radiating-arm with
fork formed on it for joint. J the follower. O the shoulder on the boss of the
pivoted latch. P the lock-bolt. Q the arm-piece formed on the lock-bolt.
R the feather-spring. S the arm-piece fixed on the boss of the radiating-arm.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In latches, the combination of the pivotted latch shoot A, radiating arm C,
engaging with pivotted weight 1, upon tang piece H, having ball joint K, and being
connected to handles Land L' whereby the latch shoot A can be withdrawn from
the staple G substantially as shown and described with reference to Figs. 1, 2,
and 3, of the drawings annexed.
2. In a combined mortise lock and latch the combination of the pivotted latch
shoot A, boss B and shoulder O upon such boss with projection Q upon bolt P
radiating arm C engaging with weight upon the tang piece H, having ball
joint K, and being connected to handles L and L3 whereby the shoot A can
be withdrawn from the striking plate which is formed to suit the latch shoot A.
upon door frame substantially as shown and described with reference to Figs. 4, 5,
and 6 of the drawings annexed.
3. In a combined mortise lock and latch the combination of the pivotted latch
shoot A, boss B, shoulder O upon such boss, with projection Q upon bolt P,
radiating arm C, engaging with fork formed upon pivotted radiating arm I having
arm piece S, and tang piece H, having ball joint K together with handles L2 and L3
whereby the shoot A can be withdrawn from the striking plate which is formed to
suit the latch shoot A, upon the door frame substantially as shown and described
with reference to Figs. 7, 8, and 9, of the drawings annexed.
4. A combined latch and mortise or rim lock having a pivotted latch shoot A, in
conjunction with a radiating arm I vertically pivotted and fork jointed, arranged as
described and operated as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1892.
WILLIAM MAW TROUSDALE.