IMPROVEMENTS IN LATCHES FOR GATES, DOORS OR THE LIKE
Year: 1885

page_text: I EDWARD BELLOW, of 26 High Street Leominster in the county of Hereford,
Ironmonger do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN LATCHES FOR GATES, DOORS OR THE LIKE, to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a gate, latch, or lock, that shall be very cheap
of construction, and that shall have no tendency to open with the swinging motion
of the wind, and that shall in great measure neutralize the tendency common in
latches to bend the hasp back.
On the side of or preferably through the end upright of the gate, I place the
latch, this passes through the usual guard plate on one side of the upright, and is
pivoted to lugs on the inside of a plate, or otherwise firmly hinged to the plate,
screwed or otherwise fixed to the upright in the side nearest the gate post on
which the hasp is situated. The latch end projects through a hole in this plate
between the lugs or their equivalent and engages with the hasp or staple. The
latch therefore forms a lever with a long (handle) end and a short latch end on
opposite sides of the fulcrum. On the plate through which the latch end projects
and above the jaw latch end, at sufficient distance to enable the hasp or staple
to go between them, I cast or otherwise fix a strong projection. This projection
at the side nearest the latch is perpendicular to the plate, or even a little hooked
or hollow. The hasp can be an ordinary wrought iron staple with projecting
beak or catch, but I prefer a staple cast or riveted to a plate, which is itself
screwed or nailed to the post. This staple is of such width that when the latch
is in place the staple almost fills the entire breadth between the projection on the
gate plate and the latch.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The handle greatly overbalancing the latch end, the latter is always kept tight
up against the top of the slot in the gate plate, or against the staple. If the gate
be banged so that the latch be driven forcibly against the slope of the staple, no
force of this kind, or other applied to the handle less than that required to destroy
the shape of the staple can bend the latter out of place, as the projection on the
gate plate holds it; this latter resting on the staple also supports the gate end,
this supporting tends to press the staple down rather than up. The latch is
opened by lifting up the handle, it is now clear of the hasp. If the gate bang to,
the weight of the handle keeps the latch up till it strikes the staple. It slides
down the staple and falls into place. The bang of the gate does not materially
tend to knock the staple upward as the projection on the gate plate has the
opposite effect to that of the latch.

page_text: "
Improvements in Latches for Gates, Doors, or the like.
Ì, EDWARD BELLOW, of 26 High Street, Leominster, in the County of Hereford,
Ironmonger, 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 :-
This invention has for its object a gate, latch or lock that shall be very cheap
of construction, and that shall have no tendency to open with the swinging motion
of the wind, and that shall in great measure neutralize the tendency common in
latches to bend the hasp back.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, showing
two elevations taken at right angles to each other.
On the side of or preferably through the end upright A of the gate, I place the
latch B, this passes through the usual guard plate C on one side of the upright,
and is pivoted to lugs D on the inside of the guard plate C, or is otherwise firmly
hinged to said plate, which latter is screwed or otherwise fixed to the upright A
in the side of the gate post nearest to the hasp. The latch end projects through a
hole in this plate between the lugs C or their equivalent, and engages with the
hasp or staple E. The latch therefore forms a lever with a long (handle) end G
and a short latch end I on opposite sides of the fulcrum H. On the plate C,
through which the latch end I projects, and above the latch end, at sufficient
distance to enable the hasp, or staple to go between them, I cast or otherwise fix.
a strong projection J. This projection at the side nearest the latch is perpendicular
to the plate or even a little hooked or hollow. The hasp can be an ordinary
wrought iron staple with projecting beak or catch, but I prefer a staple E with its
two shanks cast or riveted to a plate K, which is itself screwed or nailed to the
post. This staple is of such width that when the latch is in place the staple
almost fills the entire breadth between the projection K on the gate plate, and the
latch I. L latch guard plate screwed to post.
T
The mode of action is as follows:-
The handle G greatly overbalancing the latch end I, the latter is always kept
tight up against the top of the slot in the gate plate C, or against the staple. If the
gate be banged, so that the latch be driven forcibly against the slope of the staple,
no force of this kind, or other applied to the handle less than that required to
destroy the shape of the staple can bend the latter out of place, as the projection
on the gate plate holds it, this latter resting on the staple also supports the gate
end, this supporting tends to press the staple down rather than up. The latch is
opened by lifting up the handle, it is now clear of the hasp. If the gate bang to,
the weight of the handle keeps the latch up till it strikes the staple. It slides
down the staple and falls into place. The bang of the gate does not materially
tend to knock the staple upward, as the projection on the gate plate has the
opposite effect to that of the latch,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1st. The manufacture of latches for gates, doors, or the like, with a projecting
abutment fixed to or formed in one with the latch plate, and in such position that
when the latch is closed in the staple the abutinent shall be on one side of the
staple, and the latch on the other, substantially as described.
2nd. The latching apparatus, as a whole, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described and illustrated, no individual part, being here claimed separately,
or when used for a different purpose to that described, but only when combined
with the others to form a complete latch, substantially as set forth.
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.