MENTS IN THE LIFTING LATCH BOLTS OF LOCKS AND LATCHES, AND IN STAPLES FOR THE SAME
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Tildesley, of Willenhall, in the County
IMPROVE-
of Stafford, Lock Manufacturer, for the Invention of
MENTS IN THE LIFTING LATCH BOLTS OF LOCKS AND LATCHES, AND IN STAPLES
FOR THE SAME.
33
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Tildesley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th September 1870.
I, JAMES TILDESLEY, of Willenhall, in the County of Stafford, Lock
5 Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LIFTING LATCH BOLTS OF LOCKS AND LATCHES, AND IN
STAPLES FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:
:
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
the lifting latch bolts of locks and latches and staples for the same,.

page_text: whereby the said locks and latches and staples may be used either for
right or left handed doors without alteration of any kind.
In making lifting latch bolts according to my Invention I make the
under side of the acting end or head of the latch bolt of an angular
figure, the lower edge on either side the head being bevilled so as to
form an obtuse V shaped bottom in cross section to the said latch bolt.
Whether the lock or latch having my improved latch bolt be placed on
a right or left handed door the under side of the head of the latch
bolt presents an incline to the staple, which incline on the closing of
the door permits the said latch bolt to rise and engage with the
staple.
In making a staple to be used with a latch bolt of the kind described
I form a nearly circular picce near the middle of the staple, and on
either-side-the-said-semicircular piece is a recess or opening of a
sufficient size to permit of the passage of the latch bolt. A staple of
this kind when fixed either on a right or left handed door presents to
the latch bolt an inclined surface over which the latch bolt passes as it
enters the staple. The said staple is consequently equally fitted for
use with the said latch bolt on a right or left handed door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 1
filed by the said James Tildesley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th March 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TILDESLEY, of Willenhall, in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Tildesley, Her special licence that I, the
said James Tildesley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Tildesley, my executors; administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time

page_text: 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 THE LIFTING LATCH
BOLTS OF LOCKS AND LATCHES, AND IN STAPLES FOR
"
THE SAME, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Tildesley, 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 months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Tildesley, 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 :-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
the lifting latch bolts of locks and latches, and staples for the same,
whereby the said locks and latches and staples may be used either with
right or left handed doors without alteration of any kind.
In making lifting latch bolts according to my Invention I make the
under side of the acting end or head of the latch bolt of an angular
figure, the lower edge on either side the head being bevilled so as to
form an obtuse V shaped bottom in cross section to the said latch bolt.
Whether the lock or latch having my improved latch bolt be placed on
a right or left handed door the under side of the head of the latch bolt
presents an incline to the staple, which incline on the shutting of the
door permits the said latch bolt to rise and engage with the staple.
In making a staple to be used with a latch bolt of the kind described
I form a nearly semicircular piece near the middle of the staple and on
either side the said semicircular piece is a recess or opening of a
sufficient size to permit of the passage of the latch bolt. A staple of
this kind when fixed either on a right or left-handed door presents to
the latch bolt an inclined surface over which the latch bolt passes as it
enters the staple. The said staple is consequently equally fitted for use
with the said latch bolt on a right or left handed door.

page_text: Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation (a part of the case being removed) a
combined lock and latch, the lifting latch bolt of which is constructed
according to my Invention, and Figure 2 is an end clevation of the
same; Figure 3 is a front and side elevation of the staple to be used
with the said latch bolt, the said staple being constructed according to
my Invention; Figure 4 represents the latch and staple applied to a
right-handed door, and Figure 5 represents the same applied to a left-
handed door. The same letters indicate the same parts in each of the
Figures of the Drawings.
a is the lifting latch bolt, and 6 is the acting end or head of the same.
-The-said-latch-bolt-a-turns on the centre at c and is lifted by the
follower d in the ordinary way. The under side of the end or head 6.
of the latch bolt is made of an angular figure, that is, the lower edge
on either side is bevilled, so as to form an obtuse V shaped bottom to
the said head as best seen by the end elevation Figure 2. The staple e
to be used with the latch bolt a, b, is furnished at its middle with a
nearly semicircular projecting piece f, and on either side the. said
semicircular piece is a recess or opening g, g, the said recesses
openings being of a size sufficient to permit of the passage of the head b
of the latch bolt into the staple e.
or
By an examination of Figures 4 and 5 it will be seen that whether
the lock or latch having my improved latch bolt and staple be fitted on
a right or left handed door the angular or V shaped bottom of the head 6
of the latch bolt presents an incline to the staple, and the staple presents
to the latch bolt an inclined surface and an opening above it for the
latch bolt to enter the staple. When a door provided with the said
latch bolt and staple is closed the incline of the latch bolt head b is
presented to the inclined surface f of the staple, which inclined head
of the bolt travelling up the said inclined surface ƒ of the staple enters
the said staple by the upper recess or opening 9 as represented in
Figures 4 and 5.
In applying my Invention to a one-bolt rim lock, that is, a lock in

page_text: staple with two semicircular pieces, and between them a recess or
opening for the passage of the bolt into the staple.
This arrangement of my Invention is represented in Figures 6 and 7
of the Drawings, Figure 6 representing a front elevation and end
elevation of a one-bolt lock, the latch head of which is made according
to my Invention, and Figure 7 representing a front and side elevation
of a staple for the said lock made according to my Invention. The
angular or inclined bottom of the head of the bolt his marked h², and
the semicircular pieces on the staple e are marked i, i².
k is the recess
or opening between the said pieces i, i².
When the lock and staple, Figures and 7, are applied to a right or
left handed door one or other of the semicircular pieces i, *, is presented
to the inclined or angular latch head h³, and on shutting the door the
said latch head travels up the said semicircular piece i or , and passes
by the opening k into the staple.
Instead of making the under side of the head of the latch bolt or
combined lock and latch bolt angular or bevilled, as represented in the
Drawings, the said under side may be curved, and instead of making
the projecting piece or pieces on the staple of a semicircular figure the
said pieces may be inclined or bevilled with the same effect. I prefer,
however, to construct the parts in the manner herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention, but I claim as my Invention the improvements in
the lifting latch bolts of locks and latches and in staples for the same
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings,
that to say, making the under side of the acting end or head of the
said latch bolts angular or V shape or curved, and making the staples
to be used with the said latch bolts with a semicircular or bevilled or
inclined piece near the middle, and on either side thereof a recess or
opening to permit of the passage of the latch bolt into the staple, or
making the staples with two semicircular or bevilled or inclined pieces

page_text: with a recess or opening between them, whereby the latch or combined
lock and latch provided with the said latch bolt and staple can be used
without alteration either with a right or left handed door, substantially
as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Tildesley, have hereunto set t
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,.
CLEMENT TILDESLEY,
Willenhall.
JAMES TILDESLEY. (L.s.)