IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH DOOR LOCKS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Righter Comings, of Upper Thames Street, in
the City of London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED
WITH DOOR LOCKS."
"
vord by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Righter Comings
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th March 1881.
WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH DOOR LOCKS."
This Invention relates to locks of the ordinary character, known in the trade
under the names of mortice and rim locks, night latches, and other descriptive
names.
Heretofore these locks have been made with one or moro springs which have to
be bent into irregular shapes, difficult to make and apply, they have also been made
with a stop or catch constructed from one or moro rivetted pieces, and separate
patterns have been required for what are known as right and left hand locks for
both inwardly and outwardly opening doors. In locks having double throw lock
bolts, there has always been the difficulty that a single quick turn of the key would
often cause the bolt to be overshot.
The object of this Invention is to obviate the above defects, as also to produce
locks bearing certain other desirable features as hereinafter described.
According to this Invention the bent spring or springs are dispensed with, the
wire or strip from which the spring I employ is formed being made in long lengths
which is simply cut off to the length required, while the parts of the locks are so
shaped and placed that a single straight spring is enabled to operate both the
lever or tumbler and the latch, and this principle of construction can be so adapted
as to be applicable to the various forms of rim, mortice, front door, and other locks.
In mortice locks provided with the ordinary latch and bolt, this spring bears at
one end upon the tumbler of the bolt, and after passing between suitable supporting
stamps the other end is placed beneath an arm on the latch lever, which instead of
being fitted to a circular stump on the base plate, is provided with a knuckle joint
ever formed with a projection adapted to be received in a recessed projecting piece
•

page_text: which acts as the fulcrum upon which the joint moves, the other end of the said
latch lever is provided with a projecting pin which connects it with the latch bolt
in the usual manner, said latch being operated by a hub or follower acting upon
the knuckle joint lever. The lock bolt can, if desired, be held locked against the
key by means of a very simple stop sliding between. ordinary stumps into a notch
or recess formed in the bolt. This stop is mabe in a single piece, and is held in
position by means of a coil spring resting on a pin and held down by the cap
plate.
In rim locks and the cheapest class of mortice locks, the knuckle jointed lever
may be dispensed with, one end of the straight spring being made to operate
directly upon a projection upon the latch bolt, while the other end acts upon the
tumbler of the lock bolt, which may be supplied with the recess for the stop as
before described. In locks of this class the hub or follower acts directly in
projecting spurs at the horseshoe end of the latch bolt.
In double throw locks a coil spring is placed upon a stump rising from the lock
bolt; this spring being held down by the cap plate and the friction which it causes
by bearing against the surface of said plate restrains the too free motion of the
bolt, and effectually prevents it being overshot.
In night latches provided with an ordinary bolt I also adapt the straight spring
to operate on both lock bolt and latch, as in the before described locks, but in order
to adapt the lock for right and left hand inwardly and outwardly opening doors,
the latch bolt is formed in the shape of a yoke or frame, alike on both sides, so that
after being taken out and reversed it will still connect and operate with all the
other mechanism of the lock. The yoke or frame is provided with two stumps,
upon either of which the hub actuated by the key can operate.
The key moves the hub (and through it the bolt) by bearing against a single
nib on it.
The latch frame or yoke is connected by a screw to the slide knob so that the
latch may be readily disconnected and reversed. The strap for this class of locks
slides upon an enclosed spring and is made in one solid piece which is held in
position without rivets by passing the spring through an eye in its head. The
arrangement being such that the strap locks the latch bolt in or, out by passing
behind or in front of one of two projecting pins on the latch bolt yoke or frame.
The cap plate is provided with a downwardly projecting plate or bridge cast
thereon, which renders the latch bolt directly inaccessible for the purpose of
"picking." The keyhole is a two way one, so that the key may always be inserted
with its bit down, irrespective of the lock having been used as a right or left hand
one. In applying night latches or other locks to thick doors, a thin slit tube or
guide pipe has sometimes been employed to guide the barrel of the key to the
keyhole in the lock. These pipes are troublesome to fix, as various lengths are
required, and they also render the locks bulky for packing purposes, and make
them also more liable to breakage.
To attain the desired result and obviate the disadvantages resulting from the
employment of pipes, I cast the cap plate with a bell shaped or truncated conical
countersunk guiding surface which secures the desired end.
Instead of casting the front of the base plate with holes, to and through which
the bolts and latches have to be fitted and slid, I cast said end with open spaces
into which the bolts and latches may be dropped, the cap plate being cast with
projecting flanges to fill said spaces.
No rivetting or bending of spring being required, and all the pieces and pins
being accurately cast, the locks made according to my Invention can be rapidly put
together and can be also readily repaired if necessary.