IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harrington, of Ryde, Isle of Wight,
Gentleman, for the Invention of
FASTENINGS."
" IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR
Sealed the 9th January 1874, and dated the 19th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harrington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th September 1873.
ง
I, JOHN HARRINGTON, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR
FASTENINGS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in locks or fastenings,
and relates to a novel form of lock or fastening to be used as a substitute
for the ordinary padlock. For this purpose I construct the lock or
fastening in the form of or approaching to that of a ring, no part of
which is of such a size or shape as to prevent it from freely entering and
moving through the eye or staple to which it is applied. This lock or
fastening is formed in two parts or segments of rings, hinged or pin-

page_text: jointed together on one side, and locked or fastened on the other by
means of a screw, or by other suitable locking or fastening means.
The form of joint I prefer to use is a screw cut or formed on one part
or segment, and screwed into a female screw formed on the other part or
segment.
The two parts or segments where they meet may have the faces
inclined or stepped so as to butt against each other, and thereby prevent
the strain coming entirely on the fastening means.
By the use of locks or fastenings of the character herein described
they are not so liable to injury as ordinary padlocks, as when struck in
any way when in use they will simply be caused to run round in the eye
or staple, and will not be broken, as is frequently the case with pad-
locks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Harrington in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HARRINGTON, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Harrington, Her special
license that I, the said John Harrington, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Harrington, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Harrington, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Harrington, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
-
The Invention has for its object improvements in locks or fastenings,
and relates to a novel form of lock or fastening to be used as a substitute
for the ordinary padlock, or for other purposes.. For this purpose I
construct the lock or fastening in the form of or approaching to that of
a ring, no part of which is of such a size or shape as to prevent it from
freely entering and moving through the eye or staple to which it is
applied. This lock or fastening is formed in two parts or segments of
rings, hinged or pin-jointed together on one side, and locked or fastened
on the other by means of a screw, or by other suitable locking or
Figures 1 and 2 are two sectional views, and Figures 3 and 4 are two
edge views of locks or fastenings constructed according to my Invention,

page_text: and Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are various views of another lock or
fastening formed according to my Invention, but provided with different
locking means to that shown at Figures 1 and 2.
At Figures 1 and 5 the locks or fastenings are shown to be in the
form of a true ring or circle, and at Figure 2 I have shown a lock or
fastening somewhat diverging from the form of a true ring or circle at
the parts where the two halves thereof meet, in order to give extra
strength thereto at those parts, but of such a form as to enable it to pass
freely through the eye or staple to which it is applied.
My improved lock or fastening is formed in two parts or segments of 1
a ring or circle a, b, hinged or pin-jointed together on one side, as
shown at c, whilst on the other side they are locked or fastened together
in the arrangements shown at Figures 1 and 2, by means of a screw d, or
by other suitable locking or fastening means.
The hinge or pin joint c I prefer to form as shown of a screw formed 1
on or fixed to one part or segment, and screwed into a female screw
formed in the other part or segment, by which means I obtain greater
strength than when employing a plain pin.
The two parts or segments a, b, where they meet together may have
their faces inclined, as shown at Figure 3, or stepped, as shown at 2
Figure 4, so as to butt against each other, and thereby prevent the
strain coming entirely on the fastening means, or the parts a, b, where
they meet together may be formed with a dovetail joint e, f, as in
the arrangement shown at Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, in which case
spring clips or catches 9 carried by the part 6 act in combination with 2
recesses e¹ in the dovetail e to lock the two parts a, b, together.
The spring clips or catches are preferably formed of one piece of
metal, bent as shown at Figure 10, and held in an opening cut in a
screw h, which is screwed into the end of the part b.
A key, such as that shown at Figure 11, passed into the keyhole i 3
serves to separate the spring clips 9 from each other, and release the two
parts a and b.
The arrangements of locks or fastenings shown at Figures 1 and 2 are
locked and unlocked by means of a key acting upon the shank of the
screw d, which may be so shaped that a special form of key is required 3
to fit it.

page_text: Instead of employing the arrangements herein-before described for
locking the two parts ȧ and b together, such parts may be provided
with bolt and levers or tumblers operated by a key, or they may be
formed in a somewhat similar manner to puzzle letter locks, in which
case rings having letters thereon may be moved round, so that when a
certain combination of letters is obtained the lock can be opened, as is
well understood.
Other suitable means may however be employed to secure the two
parts a and b together.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode
in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the manufacture of locks or fastenings in the form of or
approaching to that of a ring, in manner and for the purpose substantially
as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harrington, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
CAT
TAYA MAST