Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Flush Handles and Drop Handles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1887
Complete Left, 17th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Flush
Handles and Drop Handles.
I WILLIAM WEST of No. 42 Caroline Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Manufacturing Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :—
My invention consists principally in so constructing the jointed bow shaped
handles of flush handles and drop handles that the said bow shaped handles are made
self closing that is when released they are pressed into their flush or depressed
position with respect to the plates to which they are jointed as hereinafter described.
My invention consists further in making the bow shaped handles in the manner
hereinafter described. I will describe my invention in connection with a flush handle.
Instead of constructing the joint ends of the bow shaped handle in the ordinary way I
so construct them that when the handle is raised into a horizontal position it acts upon
and compresses coiled springs combined with the flush or handle plate the expanding
of the coiled springs when the handle is released ensuring the closing or falling of
the handle into the depression or sunken part of the handle plate. To effect this I
form a small box at the joint ends of the bow shaped handle and at the top of each
box a stud or projection is made. The handle is so jointed to the handle plate that
those portions of the said boxes above the joint pin constitute short arms of a lever.
In the ends of the sunken part or depression in the handle plate are vertical slots for
receiving coiled springs. The lower ends of these springs take an abutment against
the bottoms of the slots and the upper ends of the springs lie in the boxes at the joint
ends of the handle the extreme upper ends of the springs taking an abutment against
the pins or projections described on the said boxes. When the bow shaped handle is
raised from the sunken part of the handle plate the short arms at the joint ends of the

page_text: said handle descend and acting upon the coiled springs compress them. On releasing
the handle the expansion of the said springs causes the handle to be forcibly pressed
into the depression or sunken part of the handle plate.
Instead of employing coiled springs for closing the bow shaped handle a nearly
straight steel wire spring may be employed. In this case the straight steel wire is
fixed at its middle to the back of the handle plate the ends of the said wire engaging
under the short arms at the joint ends of the handle. The wire being thereby bent
into a bow shape is in a state of tension and acting on the said short arms brings the
handle into the sunken part of the handle plate when it is at liberty to move.
The improvements described are applied to drop handles substantially in the manner
described with respect to flush handles.
I make the bow shaped handles of flush and drop handles by shaping them in dies.
To effect this I take blanks of strong sheet brass or other ductile metal or alloy and
by means of a series of shaping operations effected by means of a press and press
tools or dies I give the required shape to the handle and at the same time fashion the
joint ends the joint ends being constructed in either of the ways before described.
Dated this Second day of May 1887.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Flush
Handles and Drop Handles.
I WILLIAM WEST of No. 42 Caroline Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Manufacturing Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in so constructing the jointed bow shaped handles of flush
handles and drop bandles that the said bow shaped handles are made self closing, that
is, when released they are pressed into their flush or depressed position with respect
to the plates to which they are jointed as hereinafter described.
I will describe my invention in connection with a flush handle. Instead of
constructing the joint ends of the bow shaped handle in the ordinary way I so
construct them that when the handle is raised into a horizontal position it acts upon
and compresses coiled springs combined with the flush or handle plate the expanding
of the coiled springs when the handle is released ensuring the closing or falling of the
handle into the depression or sunken part of the handle plate.
To effect this I form a small box at the joint ends of the bow shaped handle and at
the top of each box a stud or projection is made. The handle is so jointed to the
handle plate that those portions of the said boxes above the joint pin constitute short
arms of a lever. In the ends of the sunken part or depression in the handle plate are
vertical slots for receiving coiled springs. The lower ends of these springs take an
abutment against the bottoms of the slots and the upper ends of the springs lie in the
boxes at the joint ends of the handle the extreme upper ends of the springs taking an
abutinent against the pins or projections described on the said boxes.
When the bow
shaped handle is raised from the sunken part of the handle plate the short arms at the
joint ends of the said handle descend and acting upon the coiled springs compress
them. On releasing the handle the expansion of the said springs causes the handle to
be forcibly pressed into the depressed or sunken part of the handle plate.
Instead of employing coiled springs for closing the how shaped handle a nearly
straight steel wire spring may be employed. In this case the straight steel wire is
fixed at its middle to the back of the handle plate the ends of the said wire engaging
under the short arms at the joint ends of the handle. The wire being thereby bent
into a bow shape is in a state of tension and acting on the said short arms brings the
handle into the sunken part of the handle plate when it is at liberty to move. Or one
end of the nearly straight wire spring may be fixed to the handle plate and the other
end be acted upon by the short arm of the handle to cause the handle to be depressed
into the sunken part of the handle plate.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in front elevation; Figures 2
and in back elevation (the springs being removed in Figure 2); Figure 4 in edge
view and Figure 5 in cross section, with the bow handle partly lifted, a flush handle
constructed according to my invention; Figure 6 represents in back elevation and
Figure 7 in cross section a portion of the handle in its raised position drawn to a
larger scale. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
a is the handle plate; the bow shaped handle turning on the joint pin c fixed to
the handle plate and d is the sunken part in the handle plate a into which sunken part
the handle b falls or is pressed when at liberty to move. The joint ends of the bow
shaped handle b are prolonged beyond the joint pin c on which they turn the prolonged
The said
parts constituting the short arms of a lever (see Figures 5 and 7).
prolonged parts or short arms are marked 63, 62 and are formed into small boxes for
receiving the upper ends of the coiled springs e, e. The lower parts of the coiled
springs e, e are placed in slots f, fmade in the ends of the sunken part d of the handle
plate a. When the handle b is raised from the sunken part of the handle plate, the
box shaped short arms 63, 62 of the said handle descend and bearing upon the coiled
springs e, e compress them as represented in Figures 5, 6 and 7. On releasing the
handle tho expansion of the said springs e, e causes the said handle to be forcibly
pressed into the sunken part d of the handle plate a as represented in Figure 1.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 represent another flush handle constructed according to my
invention in which a nearly straight wire spring is used for pressing the handle when
released into the sunken part of the handle plate.
Figure 8 represents a back elevation and plan of the flush handle in its depressed
position and Figure 9 represents a back elevation and cross section with the handle
in its raised position.
g is the wire spring one end of which is engaged under a snug on the short arm b²
of the handle 6 the other end of the said spring g being secured to the fixed plato / by
h
the turned down part at g'. When the handle b is raised the short arm 6 descends
carrying with it the end of the spring g engaged with it. The said spring is thereby
brought into a state of tension and when the handle is released the spring in returning
to its normal position presses the handle into the sunken part of the handle plate.
Instead of a wire spring a flat spring may be used. In this case one end of the
flat spring is fixed in the back plate h and the other end is engaged in a slot in the
short arm 62 of the handle the said spring being slightly twisted before its end is
engaged in the slot described. On raising the handle the flat spring is further
twisted and in uncoiling itself effects the closing of the handle when the latter is
released. Instead of engaging one end only of the wire or flat spring with one of the
short arms of the handle the middle of the spring may be fixed to the handle plate and
both ends of the spring may be engaged with the short arms of the handle. In this
modification the wire or flat spring is bent into a bow shape and brought into a state
of tension by the action of the short arms of the handle when the latter is raised. Or
the short arms for acting upon the end or ends of the spring may be omitted and a
spring be coiled upon the joint pin or axis of the handle as represented in back
elevation of a flush handle with a portion removed in Figure 11. In this case the
joint pin or axis c turns freely in the fixed bearings ii and its ends are fixed in the
joint ends of the handle b. Around the joint pin c is a coiled spring
one end of
which is fixed to the said joint pin and the opposite end bears on the fixed plate
carrying the bearings i, i. On lifting the handle b the coiled spring k is brought into
a state of tension and when the handle is loosed the said spring in returning to its
normal state depresses the handle into the sunken part d of the handle plate a.
The improvements described and represented are applied to drop handles
substantially in the manner described with respect to flush handles.
I prefer to make the bow shaped handles of flush and drop handles by shaping them
in dies. To effect this I take blanks of strong sheet brass or other ductile metal or
alloy and by means of a series of shaping operations effected by means of a press and

page_text: press tools or dies I give the required shape to the handle and at the same time
fashion the joint ends, the joint ends being constructed in the several ways before
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that
claim as my
invention of "Improvements in the construction and manufacture of flush handles
and drop handles.'
First Making the said handles self closing or causing them to take their depressed
position when at liberty to move by the construction and combination of parts
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the
accompanying Drawing.
Secondly Making the said handles self closing or causing them to take their
depressed position when at liberty to move by the construction and combination of
parts herein before described and illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10 of the
accompanying Drawing; also the modifications described of the said arrangement.
Thirdly Making the said handles self closing or causing them to take their
depressed position when at liberty to move by the construction and combination of
parts herein before described and illustrated in Figure 11 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Dated this Sixteenth day of Jan 1998