Improvements in Locks and Latches for Doors and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 6th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 6th Mar., 1891-Accepted. 16th May, 189.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Latches for Doors and the like.
WILLIAM RANKIN CURRIE 27 Oswald Street Glasgow Commercial Traveller
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The construction of locking mechanism as at present in use is found by practical
experience to be in a measure unsafe. I attain greater safety by means of a novel
arrangement of cross & upright levers by which arrangement I obtain two distinct
motions which are wrought simultaneously either by a key, follow or tumbler or
other method used for the purpose of moving the bolts, levers and other movable
portions of locks latches and similar fastenings.
I describe my invention more minutely, thus, I employ a lever which lies
when in position across and on the top of the horizontal levers as in common use, this
cross lever has an upward sliding movement and is kept pressing on the horizontal
levers with a spiral or other spring, said cross lever having a notch or notches cut
in side or sides thereof to be acted upon by a lever which I call the upright lever,
said upright lever works upon a pivot attached to the inside of the lock case, this
upright lever is acted upon at its lower extremity by the key and has also an
attachment which is acted upon by the follow or tumbler.
At its upper extremity there is a hook or hooks, said hook or hooks fitting into
the notch or notches of the cross lever as already described and when the horizontal
levers are at rest this hook or hooks locks the cross lever firmly down on the
horizontal levers and thus prevents the same from being lifted until the key or
follow has been applied and the levers freed.
I also employ a crank which projects through the face plate and acts upon the
upper portion of the upright lever, thereby freeing the levers when the projecting
end of said crank strikes the staple or boshead.
These levers above described are kept in their positions by springs or other
suitable appliances.
My invention applies to railway & other carriage door locks and locks and
latches of every description.
This invention is also applicable to what is known as stock locks by an alteration
in the movement given to the upright lever whereby the same is made to act the
part of the usual player or lever.
Dated this Fourth day of June 1890.
WILLIAM RANKIN CURRIE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Latches for Doors and the like.
I, WILLIAM RANKIN CURRIE of 27 Oswald Street, Glasgow, Commercial
Traveller, 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 :-
The construction of locking mechanism as at present in use is found by practical
experience to be in a measure unsafe. I attain greater safety by means of a novel
arrangement of cross and upright levers, by which arrangement I obtain two
distinct motions which are wrought simultaneously either by key, follow or tumbler
or other method used for the purpose of moving the bolts, levers and other
movable portions of locks, latches and similar fastenings.

page_text: I describe more minutely my invention thus :-1 employ a lever which lies, when
in position, across and on the top of the horizontal levers, as commonly in use,
this cross lever has an upward sliding movement and is kept pressing on the
horizontal levers by a spiral or other spring, said cross lever having a notch or
notches cut in side or sides thereof to be acted on by a lever which I call the
upright lever, said upright lever works upon a pivot attached to the inside of the
lock case and beneath the horizontal levers; this upright lever is acted on at
its lower extremity by the key and has also an attachment whereby it is also
acted upon by the follow or tumbler at its upper extremity there is a hook or
hooks said hook or hooks fitting into the notch or notches of the cross lever as
already described and when the horizontal levers are at rest, this hook (or hooks)
locks the cross lever firmly down on the horizontal levers and thus prevents the
same from being lifted until the key or tumbler has been applied and the levers
freed. I also employ a crank which projects through the face plate and acts
upon the upper portion of the upright lever thereby freeing the levers when the
projecting end of said crank strikes the staple or bosshead in closing doors.
These levers above described are kept in their positions by springs or other
suitable appliances.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings whereon:-
Fig. 1. shows, in side elevation, my invention as applied to a lever lock. The
lock is shown with the cover plate taken off and the levers removed. The
mechanism is in the locked position.
Fig. 2. shows the same lock with the levers in place and the mechanism in the
unlocked position.
Figs. 3. and 4. show the invention as applied to a stock lock. Fig. 3. shows
the lock opened, & Fig. 4. shows it locked.
Fig. 5. shows the invention adapted to railway carriage locks.
Referring to the drawings whercon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate similar or like parts,
A is the cross lever, B the usual horizontal levers shown dotted Fig. 1. and
in full lines Fig. 2. C is the upright lever, pivotted at D, it has a projection s.
which enters into a recess a in the cross lever A so as to lock it down on the
horizontal levers B. E is the lever or follow of the handle, F the 'tumbler'
sliding on pins g. G is the crank, pivotted at H, and I the crank lever, which
projects out through the lock case. J are the usual horizontal lever springs,
dotted in Fig. 1 and shown full at Fig. 2. K is a guard plate. L is a spring
for pressing on the back end of lever C. M is a spiral spring fitted on top of
and pressing down lever A on top of the levers B, the spring works on the
guide spindle or pin N.
The lever lock Figs. 1. and 2. may be operated by either the key, the handle
or the crank lever . When the lock is to be opened by means of the key; the
key is inserted at O, and turned to the right. When the key is turned one of
the bits catches in the opening, P, in the tumbler F, causing it to slide to the
right on the pins 7 (the tumbler is, as will be seen, slotted at so as to slide
freely backwards and forwards on the pins). The movement of the tumbler F
causes the lever C to turn on the pivot or pin D, and in so turning the pro-
jections, which is normally within the recess a in the lever, A, so as to lock
it in position, is withdrawn from the recess, and, as a consequence, the cross
lever A is now free to be pressed up against the action of spring M by the
levers B. The turning of the lever C on the pin D moves forward, by means
of the point catching on it, the lower end of the crank G and so moves
backward the upper part d of said crank. As the crank is pivotted by the
projection e to the inner end of the lever I the backward movement of the part d
of the crank draws back the crank lever I and so allows the door to be
opened immediately the key is turned far enough round to lift the horizontal levers B.

page_text: The crank lever I has a slot, f. in it which travels on a guide pin g or it may
travel between guides if preferred. Immediately the pressure is taken off the key,
the springs L and M force back the levers to the locked position.
If the door has to be opened by the handle the follow E is turned upwards
and in so turning moves the lever C, crank G and crank lever I as before. The
levers B are then lifted by the lever E, as the cross lever A is free.
When the door is being closed or locked by being "drawn to " it is necessary to
unlock the levers B by taking the catch s out of the recess a in the lever A, this
is done by the crank lever 1. The staple or boss head R is (see small figure) made
with a projection which catches on the tapered end of the lever I and as the door
is drawn to, forces it in before the levers B come in contact with the boss u. As
the lever I is being pushed back, the crank G turns on the pivot H and the lower
end & presses against the projection of the lever C, so as to push it forward and
tlus draw out the projections from the recess a, leaving the lever A free to be
pushed up whenever the levers B mount the incline of the boss u.
In the lock Figs. 3 and 4 the usual bolt S, slides on the pin w, the latter working
in the slot x. In this lock the levers A and C are combined so as to form a
player" T which is of a "tee" shape with the head downwards. The head of the
27
tee is or may be bevelled or bent upward as shown. The shank j of the lever T
has a projection, which, according to the position of the bolt, catches in one or
other of the notches or recesses, .
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The T lever is pressed downwards by a spiral spring M fitted round the shank j
and bearing at its upper end against the top of a recess in the wood or metal of
the lock. The bolt is cut out at u for the reception of the key. V is a ward, of
which there may be any desired number, fitted to a plate V1 secured to the body
of the lock.
In Fig. 3. the bolt is shown unlocked with spring M. forcing down the lever T so
that the projection y catches in the nick and holds the bolt firmly in place.
In Fig. 4. the bolt is shown locked with the projection y fitting into the nick
and securely holding the bolt. The lever T is lifted by the top 'bit' or part of the
key bearing on the head of the "tee" and as it mounts the curve gradually forcing
the lever up.
The lock is, of course, so constructed, as shown, that the lever T will be lifted
before the bolt is traversed by the key.
In the railway carriage lock Fig. 5 the bolt can as usual be locked or unlocked
by the follow of the handle, E, catching in the recess E¹.
The spring L presses the bolt, S, normally outwards. The cross lever A which
catches in the cut-out part B' of the bolt and is capable of a vertical sliding
movement in forked brackets s¹ or their equivalent. The cross lever or plate A. has
a hole a in it through which passes the bent end of the crank lever I. The crank
lever, which normally projects out of the lock as at Fig. 1, is preferably made
thicker at the part i, than at the extension i¹. The spiral spring M bears against
the part, i, and also against a plate 2 through a hole in which the extension i¹,
passes. With this arrangement of lock, on the door being swung to or closed, the
crank lever I as before (Fig. 1) is pushed in against the action of the spring, M.
The pushing in of the lever I causes the downwardly bent extension, to pass
through the hole in the plate or cross lever A., and of course as the bent part forms
an inclined plane, it forces the lever A, to slide up the forked brackets or guides s¹
and out of the recess B. The bolt is now free to be acted on by the spring L, so
as to be forced out and so lock the door automatically. When the door is being
opened the bolt is pushed or turned back until the plate A catches in the
recess B¹.
Although I have shown my invention as applied, under modifications, to forms of
latches, stock and carriage locks, by way of example, it is to be understood that
it is equally applicable to locks of every description where self-closing action is
required and may be adapted to any other description of lock where suitable.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) A lock or latch constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. of the annexed drawings.
(2) The modified constructions of locks substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, of the drawings annexed.
(3) The combination with the horizontal levers B, of the lever C and cross
lever A substantially as hereinbefore described and shown on the drawings
annexed.
Dated this 5th day of March 1891.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.