IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW-NUTS, AND IN APPARATUS ACCESSORY THERETO
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Lewis, of Denmark Park, in the County
of Surrey, Builder, and William Richard Clark, of Danby Street, in the
County of Surrey, Mechanician, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SCREW-NUTS, AND IN APPARATUS ACCESSORY THERETO."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Lewis and
William Richard Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
25th October 1881.
WILLIAM HENRY LEWIS, of Denmark Park, in the County of Surrey, Builder,
and WILLIAM RICHARD CLARK, of Danby Street, in the County of Surrey,
Mechanician. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW NUTS, AND IN APPARATUS ACCESSORY
THERETO."
Our Invention is designed to facilitate the screwing or unscrewing of nuts which
secure taps or other fittings on boilers, cisterns, or other vessels in which access to
the interior is difficult.
The devices we use for this purpose may either be tapped and scrowed so as
actually to form the nut themselves, or may be fitted over the outside of nuts as at
present used. To secure the tap or fitting in place it would be turned from the
outside whilst the nut is securely held within.
This operation, as the nuts are at present fitted and when corroded, is both difficult
and inconvenient, as a wrench or spanner must be inserted inside, often with
extreme difficulty, to securely hold the nut.
Our improvements enable the screwing or unscrewing to be effected from the
outside without difficulty. To prevent the nut from turning inside the boiler,
cistern, or other vessel, the nut itself or a device surrounding and fitting over the
nut is provided with an arm or crank sufficiently long to come against the side or
bottom of the boiler, cistern, or other vessel, so as to prevent the nut from turning
when the tap or fitting is turned.

page_text: Instead of being made solid and fitting over the nut, this arm or stop may
embrace one corner ouly of the nut, and be fitted on a round or oval pivot which
is fixed on the frame embracing the nut.
Or again the arms or projections may be four or other convenient number around
the nut, or around the device embracing the nut, and of only sufficient length to
catch or engage into a ratchet rack resting on and projecting upwards from the
bottom of the boiler, tank, or other vessel.
Lastly, the nut or frame surrounding the nut may have a square or polygonal
projection upon it, which fitting into a square or polygonal hole or recess fitting it
in the side of the boiler, tank, or other vessel, will thus be prevented from turning.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Henry Lewis and William Richard Clark in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 25th April 1882.
WILLIAM HENRY LEWIS, of Denmark Park, in the County of Surrey, Builder,
and WILLIAM RICHARD CLARK, of Danby Street, in the County of Surrey,
Mechanician. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW-NUTS, AND IN APPARATUS ACCESSORY
THERETO."
Our Invention is designed to facilitate the screwing or unscrewing of nuts which
secure taps or other fittings on boilers, cisterns, or other vessels in which access to
the interior is difficult.
The device we use for this purpose may in its several forms be tapped and
screwed so as actually to form the nuts themselves, or may be fitted over the
outside of nuts as at present used.
To secure a tap or fitting in place it would be turned from the outside, the nut
being securely held within.
This operation, as nuts are at present fitted and when corroded, is both difficult
and inconvenient, inasmuch as a wrench or spanner must be insorted, often with
extreme difficulty, to securely hold the nut. Now our improvements enable the
screwing or unscrewing to be effected from the outside without difficulty.
For the better understanding of our Invention, we now proceed to describe the
same with reference to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and forming part hereof.
Like letters refer to like parts in the several Figures.
To prevent the nut from turning inside the boiler, cistern, or other vessel, the
nut itself, as shown in Fig. 1, in plan and elevation, or a device surrounding and
fitting over the nut, shown at B in plan and elevation, Fig. 2, is provided with an
arm or crank A sufficiently long to come against the side or bottom of the vessel,
so as to prevent the nut from turning when the tap or fitting is turned.
A modified form of our improvement is shown in Fig. 3 in plan and elevation.
The form shown, which is separately from the nut, offers the advantage of the
detaining arm or crank in whichever orifice the nut is fitted, whilst at the same
time the different sizes of the orifices C enable the device to be fitted on varying
diameters of nut.
In Figure 4 we show a modified form of our Invention to suit worn nuts.
Instead of being made solid with or fitting over the nut, the arm or crank A is
made to embrace one corner only of the nut, and is fitted on a round or oval
pivot B which is fixed on the frame B embracing the nut. When the fitting is
turned the arm or crank A bites into the surface of the nut.
In Figure 5 we show another modification. In this case the arms or cranks A
may be of four or other convenient number around the nut, or around the device
embracing the nut (as shown in the Figure), and are only of sufficient length to
catch or engage into a ratchet rack E.
This ratchet rack E is supplied with a foot F to rest on, and project upwards
from the bottom of the vessel, and serves to resist the rotation of the nut.
And having now fully described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the method of carrying the same into effect, be it known that what we desire
to protect by Letters Patent is,―
1st. The construction of a nut with a projecting arm which shall prevent the
said nut from turning when situated inside and within a moderate distance of the
sides or bottom of a tank or cistern, substantially as and for the purposes
described.

page_text: 2nd. The construction of a device or frame embracing a nut in combination
with a projecting arm working on a pivot, as and for the purposes specified, and
particularly in reference to Fig. 4.
3rd. The construction of a device pierced with two, three, or more holes, so as
firmly to embrace a nut of various sizes, having always a part projecting to
prevent the rotation of the device, as and for the purposes specified, and parti-
cularly in reference to Fig. 3.
4th. The construction of a device embracing a nut provided with projecting
teeth or lugs, in combination with a rack, as aud for the purposes specified, and
particularly in reference to Fig. 5.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Lewis and William Richard
Clark, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fourth day of
April, in the year of our Lord 1882.
Witness,
JOHN C. FELL,
of Fell & Wilding,
23, Rood Lane, E.C.
WILLIAM HENRY LEWIS.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM RICHARD CLARK. (L.S.)