IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray, of 28, Great George Street, West-
minster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES."
Scaled the 11th August 1871, and dated the 1st May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st May 1871.
I, JOHN IMRAY, of 28, Great George Street, Westminster, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES," to be as
follows:-
-
The casing of a mortice lock or latch is usually made of rectangular
section, requiring a rectangular cavity or mortice of considerable size
for its reception.
One object of my Invention is the construction of a mortice lock or
latch with a tubular casing, which can be inserted in a round hole
bored by a bit or auger.

page_text: In a lock thus constructed the bolt is caused to slide in the tube by
turning the key. When owing to the limited dimensions of the tube
the key cannot by acting directly on the bolt give it sufficient stroke,
the key is made to act on a sliding piece connected to the bolt by a lever
or rocking piece, or to move a lover working against an inclined face, 5
so that the longitudinal movement is magnified to give the required
stroke to the bolt. The tubular casing where the key is inserted may
be fitted with wards and tumblers, the key being notched to suit them,
so as to provide against the use of false keys in the usual way. A
similar construction is adopted for a spring latch, the sliding bolt of 1
which is pressed forward by a spring, and drawn back by turning the
knob spindle, which acts as the key of the lock.
Another object of my Invention is the construction of a spring latch
in such a manner that it is disengaged from the catch plate by pulling
the knob or handle on the side towards which the door opens, or by 1
pushing the knob or handle on the other side. Thus the act of pulling
or pushing the knob without turning it round serves to open the door.
For this purpose the knob spindle is made with a groove in it, or with
a projection or collar on it, which engages with a lever connected to
the spring bolt. The knob spindle being pulled or pushed in the 2
direction of its length moves the lever, and so causes the bolt to be
retracted. For a latch of this kind with tubular casing it is convenient
to use instead of a sliding bolt a rocking piece mounted on an axis
near the mouth of the tube, so as to engage in the hole of the catch
plate. The lever moved by the pull or push of the knob spindle causes
this rocking piece to make a partial revolution, and thus to be withdrawn
from the catch plate. For the purpose of bolting the door a tumbler
is mounted within the casing, so that it can be turned round by a small
bolt knob. When the tumbler is in one position facing a slot or hole
in the lever it allows free play to the lever, when it is in another
position it stops the movement of the lever, and thus prevents the latch
from being retracted. A latch of this construction can be made to act
by turning the knobs or handles instead of pulling or pushing them.
This is effected by making the collar or projection on the knob spindle
inclined or helical, so that when the knob spindle is turned on its axis
the latch lever against which the collar bears is moved, or by making
the knob and its scutcheon with inclined or helical faces, so that when

page_text: the knob spindle is turned on its axis it is also caused to move in the
direction of its length, and thus to act on the latch lever as if it were
pulled or pushed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Joпn
IMRAY, of 28, Great George Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Imray, Her special licence
that I, the said John Imray, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Imray, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term thercin
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 AND
LATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Imray, 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 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 monthis next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Imray, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say :-
The casing of a mortice lock or latch is usually made of rectangular
section, requiring a rectangular cavity or mortice of considerable size
for its reception.

page_text: One object of my Invention is the construction of a mortice lock or
latch with a tubular casing, which can be inserted in a round hole
bored by a bit or auger.
In a lock thus constructed the bolt is caused to slide in the tube by
turning the key. When owing to the limited dimensions of the tube
the key cannot by acting directly on the bolt give it sufficient stroke
the key is made to act on a sliding piece connected to the bolt by a
lever or rocking piece, or to move a lever working against an inclined
face, so that the longitudinal movement is magnified to give the required
stroke to the bolt. The tubular casing where the key is inserted may be
fitted with wards and tumblers, the key being notched to suit them, so
as to provide against the use of false keys in the usual way. A similar
construction is adopted for a spring latch, the sliding bolt of which is
pressed forward by a spring and drawn back by turning the knob spindle
which acts as the key of the lock.
Another object of my Invention is the construction of a spring latch
in such a manner that it is disengaged from the catch plate by pulling
the knob or handle on the side towards which the door opens, or by
pushing the knob or handle on the other side. Thus the act of pulling
or pushing the knob without turning it round serves to open the door.
For this purpose the knob spindle is made with a groove in it, or with a
projection or collar on it, which engages with a lever connected to the
spring bolt. The knob spindle being pulled or pushed in the direction
of its length moves the lever, and so causes the bolt to be retracted.
For a latch of this kind with tubular casing it is convenient to use,
instead of a sliding bolt a rocking piece mounted on an axis near thic
mouth of the tube, so as to engage in the hole of the catch plate. The
lever moved by the pull or push of the knob spindle causes this rocking
piece to make a partial revolution and thus to be withdrawn from the
catch plate. For the purpose of bolting the door a tumbler is mounted
within the casing, so that it can be turned round by a small bolt knob.
When the tumbler is in one position facing a slot or hole in the lever
it allows free play to the lever, when it is in another position it stops
the movement of the lever, and thus prevents the latch from being
retracted. A latch of this construction can be made to act by turning
the knobs or handles instead of pulling or pushing them. This is
effected by making the collar or projection on the knob spindle inclined

page_text: or helical, so that when the knob spindle is turned on its axis the latch
lever against which the collar bears is moved, or by making the knob
and its scutcheon with inclined or helical faces, so that when the knob
spindle is turned on its axis it is also caused to move in the direction of
its length, and thus to act on the latch lever as if it were pulled or
pushed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a sectional plan of
a tubular lock constructed according to my Invention, Fig. 3 is an
clevation of the front, and Fig. 4 of the back end of the lock, and
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are transverse sections on the lines A, A, B, B, C, C,
respectively.
a is the wood of the door, into a round hole in which the lock is
inserted; b is the tubular casing of the lock, and c is the key; d is a
sliding piece notched for the reception of the key, which on being turned
in the onc direction or the other, causes the sliding piece d to slide
backwards or forwards so as to withdraw or shoot the bolt. As the size
of the key c is limited by the dimension of the tubular casing the
stroke of the piece dis necessarily short. In order to obtain a longer
stroke for the bolt e mechanism of the following kind is arranged within
the tube. Two arms d', d³, project from the sliding picce d, and between
these arms a rocking lever f is mounted on a pin. One end of fenters a
hole in the bolt e, and the other end off enters a hole in a piece y fixed
to the casing. When the slide d is moved by the key the centre of fmoves
with it, but the one end of ƒ being held in the fixed hole in g, the other
end performs a stroke greater than that of its centre. Thus the move-
ment of the slide & by means of the key causes a greater movement in
the bolt e, which is worked by the end of the rocking lever f. In order
to retain the bolt e at each end of its stroke a small roller e¹ is mounted
in a recess within it, and a curved spring his fixed to the casing below
it. As the bolt e is moved to or fro the roller e' passing over the
convex surface of the spring / bears it down, and thus the elasticity of
the spring acting so as to resist the passage of the roller retains the
roller e¹ and bolt e at either end of their stroke, unless sufficient force
be applied to the key to move the roller over the spring. In order to
provide against false keys, a tumbler & is mounted on a pin in the end
cover of the casing, and pressed down by a spring k¹. This tumbler k

page_text: lies in a slot in the back part of the slide d, and the spring / causes its
front end to descend below a slot in the front part of a when the bolt is
shot. In turning the key c the tumbler k is lifted so that its point can
enter the front slot in d, and then the farther turning of the key causes
d to slide backwards and the bolt e to be withdrawn. But if the key
be so made as not to lift / sufficiently the slide d is prevented by % from
being moved back. Or if the key be made so as to lift / too far, and
thereby press it against the upper side of the casing, the key cannot be
turned enough to move d. The form and depth of k may be varied, the
key c being notched to suit it.
Fig. 8 represents a longitudinal section, and Fig. 9 a sectional plan
of a tubular latch constructed so as to open by pressing on the one knob
or pulling the other; Fig. 10 is an elevation of the front, and Figs. 11,
12, and 13, are transverse sections on the lines A, A, B, B, and C, C,
respectively. a is the catch mounted on a pin so as to rock outwards,
and thereby engage in the catch plate f, or inwards so as to be clear of
the catch plate; b is a lever mounted on a vertical pin b'. One end of
the lever b has a slot embracing a small roller c mounted in the hollow
of the catch a. The other end of 6 is forked and engages in a groove in
the knob spindle d. A spring e presses the lever to the position
represented in Fig. 9, and thus causes the catch a to engage in the hole
of the catch plate f. On pulling or pushing the knob spindle d in the
direction of the arrow, the lever is caused to move on its pivot b' so as
to withdraw the catch a from the catch plate f, and thus to leave the
door free to open. Thus by pulling the one of the knobs fixed to the
spindle d, or pushing the other knob, the catch a is withdrawn, and at
the same time the door is pulled or pushed open. The inner end of the
tubular casing is slotted so as to pass over the spindle d. Thus after
the spindle & has been inserted in the door the tubular latch is pushed
into the hole prepared for its reception, the forked end of b engaging in
the groove on the spindle d. For the purpose of bolting the latch a
revolving piece or tumbler g is mounted in a hole in the casing, wherein
it can be caused to turn by a spindle and bolt knob . On the face
of g towards the lever b is an oblong projection g³, and in 6 there is a
slot large enough to admit this projection g¹. When is turned by the
knob, so that the projection g² stands transversely to the slot in b, the
lever b cannot be moved and the latch is therefore bolted. But when g
g
.

page_text: is turned so that g' coincides with the slot in b, the lever b is free to be
moved and the latch is unbolted.
Fig. 14 represents a sectional plan of a part of one of the knobs / and
the knob spindle & constructed so that the catch a can be withdrawn by
turning the knob in the usual way. The inner face of the knob / has a
tooth or projection with inclined or helical sides entering a corre-
sponding hollow formed in the socket or escutcheon / fixed on the door.
On turning the knob in either direction the projection h³ rises out of
the hollow in k, and thereby causes the knob spindle d to move in the
direction of the arrow and to withdraw the catch a as if it were pulled or
pushed, as above described.
Fig. 15 represents a longitudinal section, and Fig. 16 a sectional plan
of a tubular latch lock or latch combined with a lock enclosed in a
tubular casing; Figs. 17 and 18 are transverse sections on the lines A, A,
and B, B, respectively. The casing is divided longitudinally as in-
dicated by the dotted line n in Fig. 16, the two parts being secured
together by a screw 6 and an end cover d, which has two holes receiving
dovetailed studs projecting from the ends of the tubular parts. On
unscrewing 6 the two parts of the casing by a slight angular movement
and the removal of the end cover d can be separated so as to give access
to the mechanism within. c is a cam having a square hole for the
reception of the knob spindle c', and having bosses which work in holes
in the casing. a is the catch mounted on a pin as described with
reference to Fig. 9, and e is a rod jointed to it; f,f, are two slides which
have oval holes enclosing the bosses of the cam c, and long rectangular
slots for the reception of the locking mechanism. The front ends of
the slides ff, engage in notches in the rod e, and at their back ends a
roller g
is mounted between them, so as to bear against the periphery
of the cam c. A. forked sliding piece has a hole entered by the rod e,
and a transverse elongated hole through which the pin b passes; Z is
a helical spring bearing at the one end against a collar on the rod e,
and at the other end against the slide h, which is held in position
by the pin b. There is a tumbler k mounted on the pin 6 between
the side cheeks of the slide h. In one position as represented in Fig. 15
this tumbler forms a stop for the end of the rod e, and prevents it
from being moved, thus locking the catch a. To unlock it the key m
is turned in the direction of the arrow; in turning it first pushes back

page_text: the slide so as to disengage it from the tumbler k, and then acting
in a notch in k turns it partly round on the pin till it presents
a notch into which the end of the rod e can enter. The latch
being thus unlocked, the cam c turned in either direction by the
knobs acts on the roller g, so as to move the slides ff, in the direction
of the arrow, and thereby to pull the rod e and withdraw the catch a
from the catch plate. On releasing the knobs and cam c the spring /
pushes forward the rod e protruding the catch a and bringing back
the cam c to its middle position. As a provision against the use of
false keys the ends of the sliding piece on which the key acts may
bc
made with projections or hollows of various forms and dimensions, and
various wards may be made round the key hole within the casing, the
key being in cach case formed to suit them. By properly arranging and
combining these variations of form, suites of locks may be made each
worked by its own key, and all of the suite subject to a master key.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner it is to be performed, I would have it understood that I make no
general claim for constructing locks or latches enclosed in tubular
casings, but I do claim the several constructions of such locks and
latches, herein-before described, and their substantial equivalents.
In witness whereof I, the said John Imray, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
ALEXANDER P. WRIGHT,
55, Millbank Street,
Westminster, S.W.
JOHN IMRAY. (L.S.)