SELF- ACTING WINDOW FASTENERS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel James Wilkinson and George Frederick Lee
Meakin, trading under the Firm of Wilkinson & Meakin, at No. 14*,
Saint Mary Axe, in the City of London, for the Invention of "SELF-
ACTING WINDOW FASTENERS."
Sealed the 22nd August 1861, and dated the 19th March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel James Wilkinson
and George Frederick Lee Meakin at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th March 1861.
We, SAMUEL JAMES WILKINSON and GEORGE FREDERICK LEE MEAKIN,
trading under the Firm of Wilkinson & Meakin, at No. 14ª, Saint Mary
Axe, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "SELF-ACTING WINDOW FASTENERS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of certain mechanical contrivances described below,
and shewn by the Drawings, whereby we are enabled to fasten windows or
sashes. by means of the action of the shutting-to of the same, and also for
preventing windows or sashes from being further opened from without after
having been opened a given distance from within.

page_text: piece, and attached thereto a dovetail d, and releasing apparatus f; b is
another plate, also screwed to sash, having attached thereto the spring
catch e, and the dovetailed or splayed sides c to receive the dovetail d.
Figure 2 shews another method similar in action but with a splay and
splay hook instead of the dovetail and dovetailed or splayed sides, with another
mode of releasing the catch. a is a plate with return upright, to which the
splayed hook & and the handle or releasing apparatus f are attached; b is
another plate to which the spring catchse and the splay c are attached.
Memo. The dotted parts shew the positions of the releasing apparatus f,
and the spring catch e, when the sash is required to be opened.
Figure 3 shews a self-acting method of fixing the sash after having been
opened a certain, distance. This is particularly applicable to kitchen, area,
and ground floor windows. G is a slotted plate or ratchet screwed to the
inside of the sash; H is a drop handle and plate or catch, acted on by a
spring, so that when the sash is raised from within, the drop or catch falls
into the slots or ratchet, and thereby effectually prevents any one raising or
opening the sash from without.
Having thus described and illustrated the nature of our Invention, and
in what manner the same may or can be produced, we beg it to be understood
that as our Invention admits of numerous variations we therefore do not.
confine ourselves to the precise details or mechanical arrangements shewn and
described, but what we claim is a window or sash fastener that shall be self-
acting by the bringing into position or closing such windows or sashes, and
again unfastened when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel James Wilkinson and George Frederick Lee Meakin
in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 14th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,.we, SAMUEL
JAMES WILKINSON and GEORGE FREDERICK LEE MEAKIN, trading under the
Firm of Wilkinson & Meakin, at No. 14%, Saint Mary Axe, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight-hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for 'Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant' unto us, the s
said Samuel James Wilkinson and George Frederick Lee Meakin, Her

page_text: special licence, that we, the said Samuel James Wilkinson and George Fre-
derick Lee Meakin, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Samuel James Wilkinson and George Frederick Lee Meakin,
our 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 "SELF-ACTING WINDOW FASTENERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Samuel James Wil-
kinson and George Frederick Lee Meakin, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invén²-
tion, 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 we, the said Samuel James Wilkinson and, George
Frederick Lee: Meakin, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:
Our Invention consists of certain mechanical contrivances for fastening
windows or sashes by the action of the shutting-to of the same, and also for
preventing windows or sashes from being further opened from without after
having been opened a given distance from within.
a
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Figure 1. shews a self-acting
method of fastening sashes by means of dovetails and spring catch. (a) is
plate screwed to sash, with a return upright piece, and attached thereto a
dovetail (d), and releasing apparatus (f); (b) is another plate, also screwed to
sash, having attached thereto a spring catch (e), and the dovetailed or splayed
sides (c) to receive the dovetail (d).
Figure 2 shews another method, similar in action, but with a splay and
splay hook instead of the dovetail and dovetailed or splayed sides, with another
mode of releasing the catch. (a) is a plate with a return upright, to which
the splayed hook (d) and the handle or releasing apparatus (f) are attached;
(b) is another plate, to which the spring catch (e) and the splay (c) are
attached.
The dotted parts shew the positions of the releasing apparatus (f) and the
spring catch (e) when the sash is required to be opened.
Figure 3 shews a self-acting method of fixing the sash after having been
opened a certain distance. This is particularly applicable to kitchen, area,

page_text: :
and ground floor windows. (G) is a slotted: plate or ratchet secured; to the
inside of the sash; (H) is a drop handle, and plate or catch, acted on by a
spring, so that when the sash is raised from within, the drop or catch falls into
the slots or ratchet, and thereby effectually prevents any one raising the sash
from without.
0
. Having now described, by reference to the accompanying Drawings, the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is or may be
'performed, we wish it to be understood that we do not claim as of our
Invention, or the exclusive use of the several parts of the apparatus, above
described, except when employed in the manner and for the purposes above
described, and we hereby declare that we claim as the Invention intended to
be secured by the said Letters Patent, the construction and adaptation of
apparatus as a window or sash fastener which shall be self-acting by the
bringing into position or closing such windows or sashes, and again unfastened
when required, as above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel James Wilkinson and George.
Frederick Lee Meakin, have hereunto set our hand and seal this
Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
S. J. WILKINSON.
(L.S.)
GEO. F. L. MEAKIN. (L.S.)