IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO THEIR SPINDLES, AND IN ADJUSTING THE SAID KNOBS ON THEIR SPINDLES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Pugh, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, and James Steele, of Birmingham aforesaid, Machinist,
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS
TO THEIR SPINDLES, AND IN ADJUSTING THE SAID KNOBS ON THEIR SPINDLES."
Sealed the 31st May 1878, and dated the 14th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Pugh
and James Steele at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th
December 1877.
"
CHARLES HENRY PUGH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and JAMES STEELE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Machinist. IMPROVEMENTS IN
ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO THEIR SPINDLES, AND IN ADJUSTING
THE SAID KNOBS ON THEIR SPINDLES."
Our improvements consist in connecting door and other knobs to and adjusting
them on their spindles in the following ways:-
We will describe our Invention with reference to a door knob. The square spindle
connected at one end to the fixed knob is screwed on its angles in the usual way;
the neck of the other or adjustable knob is of a cylindrical or slightly_conical
figure internally, near its open end, while the part of the said neck which opens
into the body of the knob is of somewhat smaller diameter, and is furnished with a
screw thread of a size suitable for engaging with the screw thread on the angles of
the spindle. A portion of the extreme end of the neck is cut away, leaving the
other portion somewhat longer than the cut-away part. A small sliding collar,
square within and conical without, slides on the spindle. This collar has one or
more slits in it to permit it slightly to expand or contract. The rose employed is
of the ordinary kind, excepting that it has one or more projections or stops in the
central sunken part.
In connecting and adjusting the moveable knob the spindle is passed through the
door, and first the rose and afterwards the sliding slit collar are passed on to the
spindle up to the surface of the door. The neck of the knob is next passed on to the
spindle, and the knob is turned. The concave screw in the neck of the knob is thereby
D

page_text: screwed on to the spindle. As it advances upon the slit collar it compresses it, and
causes it to grip or bind itself tightly on the spindle, and the knob is thereby securely
fixed to the spindle. During the latter part of the screwing motion of the knob the
projection on the end of the neck has engaged between the stops on the roso, and has
carried the rose round. By now fixing the rose to the door the motion of the knob
is limited to about a semi-rotation, which range is more than enough for the action
of the knob In order to remove the knob the rose must be detached from the door,
when the knob can be unscrewed and the pressure of the sliding slit collar on the
spindle relaxed.
When the knob to be connected to and adjusted on the spindle is not metallic
we employ a metallic mount, having the screwed and cylindrical or conical parts,
herein-before described, in the neck of the metallic knob.
In this modification the mount engages with the rose by means of a pin on the
face of the latter, taking into a semicircular slot in the former The action is in all
essential respects the same as that of the arrangement already described. This
modification may also be applied to metallic knobs.
Where an extremely accurate adjustment of the knob on the spindle is required we
make the sliding slit collar advance on the spindle by means of a screw nut working
on the spindle, the said screw nut being connected with the sliding collar so as to
cause the said collar to advance or recede as the screw nut advances or recedes.
The neck of the knob, as it advances on the spindle, compresses the said collar, and
fixes the knob. The sliding slit collar is provided with a circular flange formed
into teeth at its edge, with which teeth a small bolt in the metallic mount of the
knob may be made to engage, the said bolt being made to advance between the
teeth of the said circular flange by the action of a screw collar screwing on the
exterior of the mount In this modification the fixing of the position of the knob
is independent of the rose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Henry Pugh and James Steele in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th June 1878.
CHARLES HENRY PUGH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and JAMES STEELE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Machinist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO THEIR SPINDLES, AND IN ADJUSTING
THE SAID KNOBS ON THEIR SPINDLES."
Our improvements consist in connecting door and other knobs to and adjusting
them on their spindles in the following ways:-
We will describe our Invention with reference to a door knob.
The square
spindle connected at one end to the fixed knob is screwed on its angles at the other
end in the usual way The neck of the other or adjustable knob is of a cylindrical
or slightly conical figure, internally, near its open end, while the part of the said
neck which opens into the body of the knob is of somewhat staller diameter, and
is furnished with a screw thread of a size suitable for engaging with the screw
thread on the angles of the spindle. A projection or projections is or are made on
the extreme end of the neck. A small sliding collar, square within and conical
without, slides on the spindle; this collar has one or more slits in it to permit it
slightly to expand or contract. The rose employed is of the ordinary kind,
excepting that it has one or more projections or stops in the central sunken pait.
In connecting and adjusting the moveable knob the spindle is passed through the
door, and first the rose, and afterwards the sliding slit collar are passed on to the
spindle up to the surface of the door. The neck of the knob is next passed on to
the spindle, and the knob is turned. The concave screw in the neck of the knob is
thereby screwed on to the spindle; as it advances upon the slit collar it compresses
it, and causes it to grip or bind itself tightly on the spindle, and the knob is
thereby securely fixed to the spindle. During the latter part of the screwing
motion of the knob the projection on the end of the neck has engaged between the
stops on the rose, and has carried the rose round By now fixing the rose to the
door the motion of the knob is limited to about a semi-rotation, which range is
more than enough for the action of the knob. In order to remove the knob the
rose must be detached from the door, when the knob can be unscrewed, and the
pressure of the sliding slit collar on the spindle relaxed.
When the knob to be connected to and adjusted on the spindle is not metallic
we employ a metallic mount having the screwed and cylindrical or comical parts
herein-before described in the neck of the metallic knob.
In this modification the mount engages with the 10sc by means of a pin on the
face of the latter, taking into a semicircular slot in the former. The action is in all
essential respects the same as that of the arrangement already described
modification may also be applied to metallic knobs.
This
The adjustment of the sliding slit collar on the spindle may be effected by means
of a screw nut working on the spindle, the said screw nut being connected with the
sliding collar so as to cause the said collar to advance or recede as the screw nut
advances or recedes. The neck of the knob as it advances on the spindle compresses
the said collar and fixes the knob as before described. The sliding slit collar may
be provided with a circular flange formed into teeth at its edge, with which teeth
a small bolt in the metallic mount of the knob may be made to engage, the said
bolt being made to advance between the teeth of the said circular flange by the
action of a screw collar screwing on the exterior of the mount. In this modifica-
tion the fixing of the position of the knob is independent of the rose.

page_text: We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which our Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation a
pair of metallic door knobs, the moveable or adjustable knob of which and parts
connected with it are constructed and arranged according to our Invention,
Figure shewing the parts in position ready to receive the movcable knob, and
Figure 2, the same after the moveable knob has been adjusted on and attached to
the spindle; Figure 3 represents a front elevation of the rose of the moveable
knob placed on the spindle; Figure 4 represents the said rose detached; Figure 5
represents a front elevation; and Figure 6, a side elevation of the moveable knob
detached; Figure 7 represents in side elevation, end elevation, and section, the slit
collar used with the other parts of our Invention
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1 to 7, both
inclusive.
a is the fixed knob, and b is the adjustable or inoveable knob, and c is the door;
d is the rose of the fixed knob, and e is the rose of the moveable knob; f is the
square spindle, to one end of which the fixed knob a 18 secured in the ordinary way.
The other end of the spindle is screwed on its angles in the usual manner, as repre-
sented g is the slit collar, which is capable of sliding on the spindle f and of being
contracted on the said spindle, so as to grip it tightly Tho said slit collar is square
within, so as to fit the square spindle f, and conical externally The shit collar g 18
furnished with a longitudinal slit at g, which permits it to contract when pressure
is put upon it, the said slit collar resuming its normal size when the pressure on it
is relaxed
Instead of one slit the collar may be provided with two or more slits, as seen in
the Drawings.
The internal front part or recess b² of the neck of the moveable knob b is made
conical (or cylindrical) for receiving the conical slit collar g, and at the back of the
said part or recess b³ in the knob b is a concave or hollow screw 63, of less diameter
than the recess b², for engaging with the convex screw thread on the angles of the
spindle f
On the face of the neck of the knob, and at opposite points, are projections or
studs h, h, and in the central sunken part e² of the rose e of the moveable knob is
a shoulder or stop e³
In order to connect the moveable knob b to and adjusted on the spindle f, the
parts are arranged in the manner illustrated in Figure I, that is, the spindle f
having the fixed knob a and rose d on one end, is passed through the door c, and
the rose e of the moveable knob b is passed on to the proti uding screwed end of the
spindle. The sliding slit collar g, with its largest end foremost, is next passed on to
the screwed end of the spindle fup to the surface of the roso e, as seen in Figure 1.
The parts are now ready to receive the moveable knob b, the neck of which is next
passed on to the spindle f and the said knob turned, so as to engage its concave
or hollow screw b³ with the screwed angles of the said spindle, and cause its neck to
pass on to the conical exterior of the slit collar g, as the neck of the knob b
advances on the said slit collar g, it compresses it and causes the said collar to grip
or bind itself tightly on the spindle f, and thereby to securely fix the knob to the
spindle, as illustrated in Figure 2.
For the purpose of preventing the withdrawal of the moveable knob 6 from the
spindle, and at the same time permitting it to move through such an angle as is
necessary to work the latch, the projections h, h, on the front of the neck of the
knob, and the stop or shoulder 6 on the rose e are used; that is to say, when the
advancing moveable knob b has nearly reached the position represented in Figure 2,
the projections h, h, on the neck of the knob have entered the sunken cential part e
of the rose e, and the further 1otation of the knob causes one or other of its pro-
jections to strike against the stop or shoulder es on the rose, and carry round

page_text: the said rose until the knob b is fully screwed home. The rose e is next fixed to
the door.
After the rose e has been fixed to the door the motion of the knob is limited to
about a semi-rotation, which range of motion is more than sufficient for the knob to
work the latch, but the range of the motion of the knob b may be made more or less
than that indicated to suit the requirements of the particular latch mechanism used.
The moveable knob b is thus prevented from being withdrawn, the knob when
turned through about a semi-rotation (or other required angle) striking the stop e³
on the rose, which arrests its further unscrewing motion
To remove the knob b from the spindle, it is necessary first to detach the rose o
from the door. The detachment of the rose permits the complete unscrewing of the
knob b from the spindle, the first motion of the knob carrying the rose with it until
the projections h, h, have escaped from the stop on the rose. The unscrewing of
the knob removes the pressure from the sliding slit collar g, and permits its removal
from the spindle.
Figure 8 represents, in section, our Invention applied to a china or non-metallic
knob. In this case the metallic mount b' of the moveable knob b contains the
recess b² for receiving the slit collar y and also the concave screw b³ for screwing on
the angles of the spindle f. The projections h, h, are made on the face of the metallic
mount, the stop e for one or other of the said projections to bear against being
made on the metallic rose e.
The slit collar ginay be provided with a narrow circular flange, as seen in Figure 8,
and in the separate view, Figure 9, for increasing the bearing surface of the collar ou
the sunken part of the rose.
Instead of adjusting the sliding slit collar on the spindle by the direct pressure of
the hand, it may be adjusted on the spindle by means of a screw nut behind it.
This arrangement of our Invention is illustrated in section and elevation in Figure 10,
where g is the slit collar and is the screw nut, capable of working on the screwed
angles of the spindle f. The screw nut i is embraced by two hooks or clipping
pieces which connect it to the slit collar, but permit it to rotate freely within
them By turning the screw nut i it advances or recedes on the spindle f, and
thereby causes the slit collar g in front of it to advance or recede on the spindle.
Instead of making in the neck of the knob a plain conical recess for compressing
the sliding conical collar upon the spindle, the said plain recess may be replaced by
a screwed recess, and the exterior of the conical collar be screwed to receive the said
screwed recess, the screw in the neck of the knob for engaging with the screwed
spindle being dispensed with.
This arrangement of our Invention is illustrated in section in Figure 10ª, whoro
x² is the conical collar provided on its exterior with a convex screw, and y is the
screwed conical recess at the front of the neck of the knob provided with a con-
cave screw for taking upon the convex screw on the collar. By the screwing of
the screwed neck y of the knob upon the screwed collar ³, the latter is compressed
upon and made to grip the spindle, and the knob is thereby fixed upon the spindle.
The screwed conical collar is adjusted and fixed on the spindle by a loose screw
nut i, or by a connected screw nut as represented in Figure 10.
The arrangement of parts described for preventing the withdrawal of the knob
when it has been adjusted on and attached to the spindle may be modified in the
manner illustrated in section in Figure 11. A front elevation of the knob is shown
separately in Figure 12. We make in the face of the neck of the knob b four, or a
less number of curved slots h, and we make in the sunken part of the rose e a pin
oi stud . When the neck of the knob has been driven home on the slit collar, as
before described, one or other of the slots k engages upon the stud on the rose, and
after the rose has been fixed to the door, the range of motion of the knob is
limited to the slot in which the stud on the rose is engaged, as will be understood
by an examination of the Drawing.

page_text: Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16, represent our arrangement of parts in which the
fixing of the position of the knob is made independent of the rose; Figure 13
representing a longitudinal section of the moveable knob and parts connected with
it; Figure 14, a front elevation of the same; and Figures 15 and 16 side olevations
In Figures 13, 14, and 15 the bolt is represented shot; and in
of the same.
Figure 16, withdrawn.
g
In this arrangement the sliding slit collar g is furnished with a circular flange m
formed into teeth or notches n at its edge. In a slot in the neck or metallic mount
of the knob b, a small bolt p slides, and on the said neck or metallic mount of the
knob a screw collar q works for moving the bolt p, the said screw collar taking
upon a convex screw on the neck or metallic mount as represented. The sliding
bolt is furnished with two shoulders, between which the scrow collar
1
18 situated
and works, so that by rotating the screw collar in one or other direction, the sliding
bolt may either be projected from the face of the neck of the knob, or withdrawn
into the knob. After the neck of the knob b has been advanced on to the slit collar
g so as to fix the latter on the spindle, the screw collar q is rotated in a direction
proper to shoot the bolt p. The said bolt p is thereby made to advance between
two of the teeth or notches n, in the circular flange m of the slit collar y, as illus-
trated in Figures 13, 14, and 15. The knob b is thereby fixed to the screw collar g
through its flange m, the knob, slit collar, and spindle moving together. An
ordinary rose may be used with this modification.
For the purpose of fixing a china or other rose to the door without pins or screws
passing through it, and for preventing tho withdrawal of the knob from the spindle,
the arrangement of parts represented in section in Figures 17 and 18, and a part
separately in Figure 19 may be used. On the door a fixing disc or plate are
secured. This plate is furnished with four radial spring arms 8, 8, the extreme ends
of the said spring arms having a semicicular or hook-like figure. Raised out of
the plane of the other parts of the fixing plate r is a tongue or stop t In the
interior of the rose u, an annular groove v, of a semicircular form in cross section, is
male for receiving the hooked or semicircular ends of the spring arms 8, 8.
the knob has been adjusted and fixed on its spindle, and one or other of the pro-
jections on the neck of the knob, has engaged with the tongue or stop t in the manner
heiein-before described, the fixing plate is secured to the door. The rose u is
then pressed towards the door, and over the fixing plate r. As the interior of the
After
rose passes over the spring arms 8, 8, of the fixing plate, the said spring arms yield
inwards; and when the inner face of the rose abuts against the door the annular
groove v in the 10se 18 brought opposite the hooked ends of the spring arms, when
the said ends snap into the said groove, and fix the rose to the door, the rose being
capable of rotating upon the fixing plate without becoming detached therefrom. To
remove the rose from the door it is only necessary to pull it outwards with
sufficient force to press the ends of the spring arms s out of the annular groove v
when the 10se is disengaged from the fixing plate, and may be removed from the
door, and the knob withdrawn.
Figure 20 represents a pair of knobs, the moveable knob of which is adjusted on
and fixed to its spindle according to a modification of our Invention, and Figure 21
represents the moveable knob separately, and Figure 22 the slit collar separately.
In this modification we use a slit collar w, the conical exterior of which tapers in
the manner best seen in Figure 22, that is, the smaller end of the cone is situated at
the flange end of the collar, or that end which bears against the rose instead of at
The recess
the end most distant from the rose, as in the collars before described
in the knob b for receiving the slit collar w, has a corresponding figure, that is, its
smaller end is situated at the face of the knob or mount of the knob, as illustrated
in Figure 21.
In using this arrangement, the slit collar w is placed in the recess a in the knob,
and the neck of the knob containing the slit collar is passed on to the spindle f, and

page_text: rotated on the spindle in a direction proper to advance the screwed part on the
spindle. As the knob is rotated it pushes before it the collar w, and causes the
flange of the latter to abut against the rose placed against the door, the face of the
neck of the knob being in contact with the said flange.
The knob b is now rotated in a direction proper to unscrew it from the spindle or
to withdraw it from the door. By this back motion of the knob b the smaller end
of the recess in its neck advances over the now stationary slit collar to towards
the larger end thereof, as illustrated in Figure 20, thereby compressing the said
collar on the spindle f, and at the same time fixing the knob to the spindle, the
fixing action being the same as that of the arrangements herein-before described.
In order to remove the knob b, Figure 20, the said knob is rotated so as to advance
it towards the door, and thereby to relax the pressure of the slit collar won the
spindle f. The fixed knob a is next forcibly pulled from the door or in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Figure 20, so as to make the face of the mount of the
knob bear against the flange of the slit collar. In this position of the parts wand
which is maintained by the pulling action on the knob a, the knob b may be readily
unscrewed from off the spindle f.
Any of the arrangements herein-before described for preventing the with-
drawal of the knob after it has been fixed on the spindle by the gripping of the
latter by the shit collar may be used with the arrangement, Figures 20, 21, and
22, but in order to conceal the increased space between the face of the fastened
knob b and the door, which results from the use of this arrangement, the recess
in the rose is required to be made deeper, and the limiting pin or pins on the
face of the neck of the knob or on the rose made longer.
Although we have described our improvements as applied to the adjusting and
fixing of a knob at one end of the spindle, yet our improvements are equally appli-
able to the adjusting and fixing of the knobs on both ends of the spindle.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention
of improvements in attaching door and other knobs to their spindles and in adjusting
the said knobs on their spindles,-
First. The combination of a slit sliding collar, square or angular within, and
conical without, with a conical or cylindrical recess in the neck of the knob or in
the mount of the knob for taking upon the conical exterior of the said slit collar,
the said parts being used in conjunction with a spindle screwed on its angles and
with a knob, the neck of which is provided with a concave or hollow screw for
screwing upon the screwed end of the spindle or upon the screwed exterior of the
collar, the attaching of the knob to the spindle being effected by the neck of the
knob advancing upon the slit collar, and compressing the latter upon and causing
it firmly to grip the spindle, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings; also the modification described and illustrated in
Figures 20, 21, and 22 of the accompanying Drawings, in which the compressing and
fixing of the slit collar, and consequently the knob upon the spindle, is effected by
giving to the knob a slight back or unscrewing motion.
Secondly. The several arrangements of parts herein-before described, and illustra-
ted in the accompanying Drawings, to be used in combination with the slit collars,
claimed in the preceding claims for preventing the detachment of the knob from
the spindle by limiting the range of motion of the knob after it has been adjusted
and fixed on the spindle, and the rose affixed to the door.
Thirdly. The arrangement or combination of parts herein-before described, and
illustrated in Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16 of the accompanying Drawings, for securing
the knob to the slit collar, so that the fixing of the position of the knob is inde-
pendent of the rose.
Lastly. The arrangement or combination of parts herein-before described, and
illustrated in Figures 17, 18, and 19 of the accompanying Drawings, for fixing the

page_text: rose to the door, and for preventing, in conjunction with one or more projections on
the face of the knob, the detachment of the knob from its spindle.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Henry Pugh and James Steele, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
HENRY SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
CHARLES HENRY PUGH. (L.S.)
JAMES STEELE.
(L.B.)