Improvements in Locks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr. 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks.
I, BENJAMAN PIERS, citizen of the United States, residing at Xenia, in the
County of Greene, and State of Ohio, United States of America, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in locks, and the primary object of the
invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character by which
the doors of dwelling houses, &c., may be locked from the inside without the use of
an ordinary key, and secured in such manner that the door cannot be unlocked by
any one upon the outside of the room or exterior of the building when so
secured; the device being at the same time adapted to be actuated under ordinary
conditions from the outside for the purpose of locking or unlocking the door by the
use of a key in the usual way, when the safety button or device on the inside is in
position to permit this to be done.
A further object is to provide means for locking the doors of closets, cupboards,
and communicating rooms of buildings, and the drawers of bureaus, wardrobes, &c.,
without rendering it necessary to use keys such as are ordinarily employed, which
are liable to be lost and mislaid, thereby annoying the user, and oftentimes causing
considerable inconvenience and trouble, the lock or fastening device being simple
and inexpensive and specially adapted to prevent small children from having access
to cupboards, closets, and the like, and at the same time dispensing with the use of
keys for accomplishing such results.
Another object is to provide an indoor lock or device by which the doors in
partitions of communicating rooms in dwelling houses and hotels may be locked
without the use of a key, and, if desired, secured on the inside in such manner that
the device cannot be operated to open the door by any one except an occupant of
the inner room, or the room at that side of the device opposite the usual knob or
operating handle.
In using locks of the ordinary construction much trouble and inconvenience
results from the loss or breakage of keys such as are generally employed, and it
therefore becomes necessary to provide duplicate keys. These, however, are liable
to be mislaid when removed from the lock, and when left in the lock they punch
holes in plastered walls, and catch onto clothing &c., and great inconvenience_is
occasioned by the loss of a key, when it is desired to hastily unlock a door. To
overcome these and other objections to locks of the usual construction I have
devised the improved devices hereinafter described, by which I dispense altogether
with the use of a key for manipulating the lock from the inside of the room, and nt
the same time adapt the lock to be operated by means of a key on the outside,
thereby avoiding the necessity of using indoor keys, and at the same time retaining
all the advantages of a lock having a key for operating the same from the outside
of the room or building.
In practising my invention I propose to provide a bed-plate, which may be
formed with a right-angled extension; these parts being provided with suitable
openings to receive screws by which the bed-plate is secured to the door in the
ordinary manner. An arbor or spindle passes through the bed-plate at right angles
thereto, and has secured to the inner end thereof a cross handle or knob, the handle
being preferably attached by means of a screw-thread formed upon the spindle and
engaging the interiorly screw-threaded cylindrical shank of the handle. The arbor
has also secured thereto a swinging sliding locking plate or catch, which carries at
its free end a swiveled safety button adapted to engage vertically and laterally
disposed slots in the bed-plate, as hereinafter described. A hollow post or sleeve

page_text: is also fitted upon the arbor so as to rotate therewith, and at the same time permit
the arbor to slide back and forth therein. This connection is made by slotting the
post longitudinally, to receive the ends of a pin, which passes transversely through
the arbor, and also through a sliding thimble or sleeve, which is fitted to rotate and
slide back and forth upon said post; the arbor and sleeve being thus adapted to be
rotated and slid back and forth together as one. The inner end of the post projects
through the bed-plate and has rigidly secured thereto a swinging guide plate, which
is provided with an elongated slot to receive a safety button on the swinging catch,
and hold the same in proper position to engage either one of the aforesaid slots
when the knob is turned in the desired direction. A coiled or other suitable spring
is placed upon the post between the enlarged end of the thimble and the bed-plate,
and tends to force said thimble outward together with the arbor and the catch
attached thereto, so as to hold the catch normally in engagement with one of the
slots in the bed-plate, with the door locked or unlocked as may be desired. A
sliding spring-pressed latch which may be of any desired construction, but which is
preferably formed integrally with or attached to a sliding yoke or frame placed
astride the arbor, is provided with elongated slots to receive lugs or pins which
project from the bed plate into said slots, these parts serving to guide the sliding
yoke or frame as it moves back and forth for the purpose of engaging or
disengaging the latch with a proper keeper. A spring may be attached to an
extension of the bed-plate or other suitable part of the device so as to hold the
latch normally in engagement with the keeper. The sliding yoke has secured
thereto a thumb-piece, which projects through a slot in the bed-plate, in position to
be pressed by the thumb or finger for the purpose of sliding the yoke backward
against the pressure of the spring when it is desired to disengage the latch. The
yoke is also provided with a projecting lug or two-faced cam piece for a purpose to
be described. A cylindrical shell or barrel which may have formed therewith or
secured thereto the recessed head or female portion of a suitable knob is journaled
upon the sliding thimble or sleeve so as to rotate freely thereon. A cap-piece
forms the male portion of the knob, and is recessed interiorly and provided with a
spring-pressed pawl or pivoted cam-lever, the cam portion of which is held normally
by spring pressure against a pin which projects from the inner face of the cap-piece
adjacent to the key-hole. A second pin projects from the cap-piece in such position
as to engage an open ended slot in the shank of a suitable key, so as to permit the
key to be rotated for the purpose of actuating the cam-lever or pawl, and a third
pin also projecting from the inner face of the cap-piece, is adapted to arrest the
movement of the key when the latter has been turned far enough to throw the cam-
piece or pawl into the path or track of the cam-faced end of an extension of the
sliding thimble, in which position of the cam-lever the cam face will impinge
against the cam portion of the lever when the knob is rotated, and force the sliding
thimble and the arbor or spindle inward against the pressure of the spring so as to
disengage the catch. The interiorly recessed head of the knob is formed with a
depression or counter-sink to receive the cam portion of the cam-lever when the
said lever is thrown back out of the path of the cam-faced end of the sliding
thimble. Adjacent to said counter-sink is formed a circular recess or depression, to
receive the end of the key when the latter is inserted in the key-hole of the knob,
and serve as a bearing therefor when the key is turned to actuate the cam-lever.
The cap-piece of the knob has an opening through the same to receive a set screw,
which is adapted to be screwed into the interiorly screw-threaded outer end of the
post, with its head resting upon shoulders formed by the reduced portion of the
opening so as to secure the parts of the knob and the thimble in position upon
the post, and at the same time permit the knob to be rotated for the purpose of
locking or unlocking the door. The head of the knob may, if desired, be secured
to the cap-piece by additional screw bolts, but for ordinary purposes a set nut
provides a sufficient fastening for these parts. In order to prevent tampering with
the lock and derangement thereof, the set nut is housed in the opening or counter-
sink of the cap-piece and is concealed from view by means of a removable plug.

page_text: To limit the movements of the catch so as to cause the same to stop in position for
the button to engage the slots in the bed-plate, the shank of the swinging guide
plate is provided with a curved slot which is engaged by a pin projecting from the
face of the bed-plate; this slot and pin forming a secret stop which is concealed by
the catch.
In order to prevent the door from being unlocked from the outside the handle
may be given a quarter turn which will turn the button athwart the opening in the
bed-plate and in this position of the button it cannot be withdrawn and the latch
will be retained in the keeper and securely held in position with the door locked.
The device is thus adapted to serve as a burglar-proof lock, the button being
inaccessible to any person on the outside, and it being impossible to actuate the
latch until such button is released.
The operation of this part of my invention is as follows:-
The door being supposed to be locked the button of the latch may be disengaged
by drawing upon the knob or handle from the inside, so as to separate the swinging
guide plate and catch, in which position the catch and guide plate may be given a
quarter turn so as to bring the safety button into alignment with the vertical slot
in the bed-plate, in which position of the parts the latch on the inside may be slid
back and forth by pressure upon the thumb-piece in the usual manner, and the
knob on the outside, which is normally loose upon the arbor or thimble, may also
be rotated so as to cause the cam or projection secured to the cylindrical shank or
barrel of the knob to engage the lug or cam piece upon the sliding yoke or frame
and move the latch backward so as to disengage the same from the keeper. When,
however, the safety button is in the laterally disposed slot, it serves as a stop to
prevent the sliding frame from being slid back, and it is necessary to turn the
catch so that the button may engage the vertical slot before the latch can be
disengaged from the keeper. This may be done from the inside by drawing
upon the knob as stated, and when the lock is in the last mentioned position,
the latch may be slid back at pleasure from either the outside or the inside of the
room; but in the former position, with the button in the lateral slot, the latch
cannot be disengaged from the keeper. To unlock the door from the outside, the
key will be inserted in an opening of the cap-piece until the end thereof rests in a
recess or counter-sink in the recessed head of the knob, whereupon the key may
be rotated so as to cause the flange thereof to engage the cam-lever and force the
cam portion thereof into the depressed or lowermost portion of the cam faced
end of the sliding thimble in which position by turning the knob the cam piece
will ride upon the cam faced end of the thimble and force the latter outward,
together with the arbor and swinging catch and thereupon the further rotation
of the knob will move the catch a quarter turn so as to permit the button to
be forced by a spring into the vertical slot of the bed-plate and then, on releasing
the cam-lever, the knob may be rotated without affecting the catch, for the
purpose of disengaging the latch as above described. The door may of course
be locked from the outside by manipulating the key and knob as described, and
turning the catch in the reverse direction.
It will of course be understood that the construction and arrangement of parts
herein before described may be modified in a number of ways without departing from
the spirit of my invention, and hence I do not desire to be limited to the exact
construction described.
An obvious modification in the described arrangement would be the substitution
of a coarse screw for the cam on the end of the thimble and the sliding catch
may be actuated from the outside by dispensing with the use of a key and
attaching a rotable knob adapted to be locked to the arbor and forced inward
therewith against the pressure of the spring.
In the modification of my invention which is specially adapted for cupboards,
closets and the like, and for locking the doors of partitions between communicating
rooms in dwelling houses and hotels;
I employ an arbor or spindle on which is placed
2 sliding thimble and a

page_text: rotary knob which may be formed with or secured to a cylindrical shank, which
is fitted upon the arbor or spindle between the head thereof and a pin which
passes transversely through the arbor and through an elongated slot in the
sleeve or thimble. A coiled or other suitable spring is placed upon the thimble
between said pin and a suitable rib or flange formed upon the thimble so that
said spring will constantly tend to force the arbor with its attached rotary knob
outward or away from said flange, so as to separate the thimble and knob. A
swinging plate is made fast to the front end of the thimble so as to rotate therewith;
and adjacent to said swinging plate is a second similar plate or sliding spring-catch,
which is made fast to the front end of the arbor, so that when said arbor is forced
or drawn inward through the sleeve and against the pressure of the aforesaid spring
said spring-catch will be separated from the swinging plate, for a purpose to be
described. The door jamb or corresponding part of the drawer to which the device
is to be applied, is preferably provided with a fixed plate or keeper, which has a
laterally elongated slot therein, adapted to register with a similar slot in the
swinging plate, so that when said plate is turned into proper position, a tooth or
stud upon the spring-catch will engage said slot and the recoil of the spring will
force said tooth into engagement with the slot and lock the door. On the outside
of the opening through the door is placed a washer, which covers the front of said
opening, and on the inside of said opening is placed a plate or keeper which has a
similar function and is also provided with a vertically elongated slot therein,
adapted to register with the slot in the swinging plate when the parts are in proper
position so as to permit the tooth of the spring-catch to be forced into said vertical
slot and be retained therein by the pressure of the spring. The sleeve or cylindrical
shank of the knob has an enlarged end portion which is provided interiorly with lugs
or projections, adapted to enter corresponding open-ended counter-sinks or
depressions in the enlarged intermediate portion of the sliding thimble, so that when
the knob is turned in such position as to bring the projections in alignment with the
depressions in the thimble, the arbor may be forced inward against the pressure of
the spring carrying with it the sliding spring-catch so as to release the tooth of the
spring-catch from the notch or slot in the plate fixed to the door jamb or drawer,
whereupon the knob may be rotated so as to turn the spindle and swinging plate
and catch to the right or left for the purpose of locking or unlocking the door, and
in either of two positions the recoil of the spring upon the sleeve or thimble will
force the tooth of the spring-catch into the slot of one of the slotted plates or
keepers and hold the parts in such position with the door or drawer locked or
unlocked as the case may be. The rotary knob is held normally in such position
that the spring-catch will not be affected by turning the knob in either forward or
backward direction, and to lock or unlock the door, the knob must first be turned
until the projections on the end of the cylindrical shank or sleeve of the knob are
brought into alignment with the depressions in the sliding thimble, which will be
noticeable by a slight hitch or catch when these parts are brought into proper
position, and thereupon pressure upon the knob will result in disengaging the tooth
of the spring catch, so as to permit the same to be turned in the desired direction.
When it is desired to use the device for locking the doors in partitions or
between communicating rooms, the spindle or arbor may be provided with a screw-
threaded extension or other suitable means for the attachment of an operating handle
by which the arbor may be drawn inward from the inside, and the spring-catch may
be provided with a swiveled tooth, having a thumb-piece or handle so that when
the swiveled tooth is passed through the slot in the plate or keeper, the thumb-
piece or handle, may be rotated so as to turn said tooth athwart the opening through
the keeper, in which position the tooth cannot be withdrawn and will serve as a
safety device to prevent the door from being unlocked by any one outside of the
room.
By these simple and inexpensive contrivances, I provide efficient means for
locking the doors of cupboards, closets, &c., so as to prevent small children or
others who may not understand how to manipulate the lock from opening such

page_text: doors, and at the same time dispense with the use of keys; and by the addition
of the simple safety device the attachment may be used as a burglar proof lock
to prevent the entrance of any person into a bed-room or private apartment
without first violently breaking the lock.
It will of course be understood that the several parts described may be modified
in a number of ways and that the general construction and arrangement of parts
may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not
desire to be understood as limiting my invention to the exact construction described
herein.
1000
BENJAMAN PIERS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks.
I, BENJAMIN PIERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Xenia, in the
County of Greene, and State of Ohio, United States of America, Machinist, 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:
My invention relates to improvements in locks, and the primary object of the
invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character by which
the doors of dwelling houses, &c., may be locked from the inside without the use of
an ordinary key, and secured in such manner that the door cannot be unlocked by
any one upon the outside of the room or exterior of the building when so secured;
the device being at the same time adapted to be actuated under ordinary conditions
from the outside for the purpose of locking or unlocking the door by the use of a
key in the usual way, when the safety button or device on the inside is in position
to permit this to be done.
A further object is to provide means for locking the doors of closets, cupboards,
and communicating rooms of buildings, and the drawers of bureaus, wardrobes, &c.,
without rendering it necessary to use keys such as are ordinarily employed, which
are liable to be lost and mislaid, thereby annoying the user, and oftentimes causing
considerable inconvenience and trouble, the lock or fastening device being simple
and inexpensive and especially adapted to prevent small children from having
access to cupboards, closets, and the like, and at the same time dispensing with the
use of keys for accomplishing such results.
Another object is to provide an indoor lock or device by which the doors in
partitions of communicating rooms in dwelling houses and hotels may be locked
without the use of a key, and, if desired, secured on the inside in such manner that
the device cannot be operated to open the door by any one except an occupant
of the inner room, or the room at that side of the device opposite the usual knob
or operating handle.
have
In using locks of the ordinary construction much trouble and inconvenience
results from the loss or breakage of keys such as are generally employed, and it
therefore becomes necessary to provide duplicate keys. These, however, are liable
to be mislaid when removed from the lock, and when left in the lock they punch
holes in plastered walls, and catch onto clothing &c., and great inconvenience_is
occasioned by the loss of a key when it is desired to hastily unlock a door. To
overcome these and other objections to locks of the usual construction
devised the improved devices hereinafter described, by which I dispense altogether
with the use of a key for manipulating the lock from the inside of the room, and
at the same time adapt the lock to be operated by means of a key on the outside,
thereby avoiding the necessity of using indoor keys, and at the same time retaining
all the advantages of a lock having a key for operating the same from the outside
of the room or building. With these several objects in view my invention consists

page_text: in the improved construction and arrangement of parts, all as will be hereinafter
described and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this Speci-
fication.
In the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made as a part of this
Specification, and in which like letters of reference are used to designate like parts
of the device,
Figure 1, is a sectional plan of my invention, showing the same applied to a door
in the usual way;
Figure 2, is an elevation of the lock as it appears from the outside ;
Figure 3, is a sectional bottom plan of Figure 2;
Figure 4, is an elevation of the lock, partly in section as it appears from the
inside;
Figures 5 and 6, are detail views of the cap-piece of the knob, showing the
pivoted pawl or cam-lever in different positions;
Figure 7, is a detail inside view of the catch with safety button;
Figure 8, is a detail perspective view of the cap-piece with key operating upon
the cam-lever;
Figure 9, is a detail end view of the female portion of the knob ;
Figure 10, represents a plan showing a modification of the invention, applied to
a cupboard door, parts of the door and jamb, with the lock attached, being shown
in section ;
Figure 11, is a similar view of such modification showing the sliding spring-
catch thrown forward to permit the knob to be rotated for the purpose of unlocking
the door ;
Figure 12, is a detail end view of the rotating knob removed from the arbor;
Figure 13, is a detail end view of the sleeve or thimble removed from the
arbor;
Figure 14, is a sectional view of a further modification, illustrating the appli-
cation of the device to a door between communicating rooms of a building, with
an operating-handle and safety-catch or locking device on the inside; and
Figure 15, is a detail view of the device as it appears on the inside of the room
or closet with the door unlocked.
In one form of the invention as illustrated in Figures 1. to 9. of the drawings_I
provide a bed-plate A, which may be formed with a right-angled extension B,
these parts being provided with suitable openings to receive screws by which the
bed-plate is secured to the door in the ordinary manner. An arbor or spindle C,
passes through the bed-plate at right angles thereto, and has secured to the inner
end thereof a cross handle or knob D, the handle being preferably attached by
means of a screw-thread formed upon the spindle and engaging the interiorly screw-
threaded cylindrical shank of the handle. The arbor C, has also secured thereto
a swinging sliding locking plate or catch E, which carries at its free end a swiveled
safety button adapted to engage laterally and vertically disposed slots F¹ F' in
the bed-plate, as hereinafter described. A hollow post or sleeve G, is also fitted
upon the arbor so as to rotate therewith, and at the same time permit the arbor to
slide back and forth therein. This connection is made by slotting the post longi-
tudinally as at g to receive the ends of a pin, c which passes transversely through
the arbor, and also through a sliding thimble or sleeve H, which is fitted to rotate
and slide back and forth upon said post; the arbor and sleeve being thus adapted
to be rotated and slid back and forth together as one. The inner end of the
post G projects through the bed-plate and has rigidly secured thereto a swinging
guide plate, E¹ which is provided with an elongated slot to receive a safety
button on the swinging catch, E and hold the same in proper position to engage
either one of the aforesaid slots F¹ F' when the knob is turned in the desired
direction. A coiled or other suitable spring I is placed upon the post G between
the enlarged end of the thimble H and the bed-plate, and tends to force said!
thimble outward together with the arbor and the catch E attached thereto, so as to
hold the catch normally in engagement with one of the slots F¹ F" in the bed-plate,

page_text: with the door either locked or unlocked as may be desired. A sliding spring-
pressed latch J which may be of any desired construction, but which is preferably
formed integrally with or attached to a sliding yoke or frame K placed astride the
arbor G is provided with elongated slots k, k, (shown in dotted lines in Figure 2)
to receive lugs or pins which project from the bed-plate into said slots, these
parts serving to guide the sliding yoke or frame K as it moves back and forth, for
the purpose of engaging or disengaging the latch with a proper keeper L. A
spring may be attached to the extension B of the bed-plate or other suitable part
of the device so as to hold the latch J normally in engagement with the keeper.
The sliding yoke K has secured thereto a thumb-piece which projects through a
slot in the bed-plate in position to be pressed by the thumb or finger for the
purpose of sliding the yoke backward against the pressure of the spring when it
is desired to disengage the latch. The yoke K is also provided with a pro-
jecting lug or two-faced cam-piece M for a purpose to be described. A cylindrical
shell or barrel which may have formed therewith or secured thereto the recessed
head or female portion N¹ of a suitable knob N is journaled upon the sliding
thimble or sleeve H so as to rotate freely thereon. A cap-piece N³ forms the
male portion of the knob, and is recessed interiorly and provided with a spring-
pressed pawl or pivoted cam-lever, n the cam portion n' of which is held
normally by spring pressure against a pin n² which projects from the inner face
of the cap-piece adjacent to the key-hole O; a second pin o projects from the cap-
piece in such position as to engage an open ended slot in the shank of a
suitable key S so as to permit the key to be rotated for the purpose of
actuating the cam-lever or pawl n, and a third pin o' also projecting from the
inner face of the cap-piece, is adapted to arrest the movement of the key when
the latter has been turned far enough to throw the cam-piece or pawl into the path
or track of the cam-faced end ' of an extension of the sliding thimble H, in which
position of the cam-lever the cam-face will impinge against the cam portion n¹ of
the lever when the knob N is rotated, and force the sliding thimble H and the arbor
or spindle C inward against the pressure of the spring I so as to disengage the
catch E. The interiorly recessed head N' of the knob is formed with a depression
or counter-sink N³ to receive the cam portion n of the cam-lever n when the said
lever is thrown back out of the path of the cam-faced end of the sliding thimble.
Adjacent to said counter-sink is formed a circular recess or depression to receive
the end of the key S when the latter is inserted in the key-hole of the knob and
serve as a bearing therefor when the key is turned to actuate the cam-lever. The
cap-piece N of the knob has an opening 7 through the same to receive a set
screw gas shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, which screw is adapted to be screwed
into the interiorly screw-threaded outer end of the post G, with its head resting
upon shoulders formed by the reduced portion of the opening y so as to secure the
parts of the knob and the thimble in position upon the post and at the same time
permit the knob to be rotated for the purpose of locking or unlocking the door.
The head N of the knob may, if desired, be secured to the cap-piece N' by addi-
tional screw bolts, but for ordinary purposes a set screw q' provides a sufficient
fastening for these parts. In order to prevent tampering with the lock and
derangement thereof, the set screw q' is housed in the opening or counter-sink q of
the cap-piece and is concealed from view by means of a removable plug g³,
(Figures 2 & 3).
To limit the movements of the catch E so as to cause the same to stop in posi-
tion for the button to engage the slots F F in the bed-plate the shank of the
swinging guide plate E' is provided with a curved slot e (Figure 4) which is
engaged by a pin e' projecting from the face of the bed-plate A; this slot and pin
forming a secret stop which is concealed by the catch E.
In order to prevent the door from being unlocked from the outside the handle F
may be given a quarter turn which will turn the button fathwart the opening F¹
in the bed-plate and in this position of the button it cannot be withdrawn and the
latch J will be retained in the keeper and securely held in position with the door

page_text: locked. The device is thus adapted to serve as a burglar-proof lock, the button
being inaccessible to any person on the outside, and it being impossible to actuate
the latch until such button is released.
The operation of this part of my invention is as follows:-
The door being supposed to be locked the button f of the latch may be disengaged
by drawing upon the knob or handle D from the inside, so as to separate the
swinging catch and guide plate E, E, as indicated in Figure 1, in which position
the catch and guide plate may be given a quarter turn so as to bring the safety
button into alignment with the vertical slot F in the bed-plate as indicated in
Figure 4, in which position of the parts the latch J on the inside may be slid back
and forth by pressure upon the thumb-piece in the usual manner, and the knob N
on the outside, which is normally loose upon the arbor or thimble may also be
rotated so as to cause the cam or projection N* secured to the cylindrical shank or
barrel of the knob to engage the lug or cam piece M upon the sliding yoke or
frame K and move the latch J backward so as to disengage the same from the
keeper L. When, however, the safety button f is in the laterally disposed slot Fl
it serves as a stop to prevent the sliding frame from being slid back, and it is
necessary to turn the catch so that the button may engage the vertical slot F
before the latch can be disengaged from the keeper. This may be done from the
inside by drawing upon the knob D, as stated, and when the lock is in the last
mentioned position, the latch J may be slid back at pleasure from either the outside
or the inside of the room; but in the former position, with the button in the lateral
slot the latch cannot be disengaged from the keeper. To unlock the door from
the outside the key S will be inserted in the opening O of the cap-piece N³ until
the end thereof rests in a recess or counter-sink in the recessed head N¹ of the knob,
as shown in Figure 3, whereupon the key may be rotated so as to cause the flange
thereof to engage the cam-lever n and force the cam portion n' thereof into the
depressed or lowermost portion of the cam-faced end h¹ of the sliding thimble H in
which position, by turning the knob N the cam-piece n¹ will ride upon the cam-
faced end of the thimble and force the latter outward, together with the arbor C
and swinging catch E, to the position shown in Figure 2, and thereupon the further
rotation of the knob will move the catch E a quarter turn so as to permit the button
to be forced by the spring I into the vertical slot F2 of the bed-plate and then on
releasing the cam-lever, the knob may be rotated without affecting the catch, for
the purpose of disengaging the latch J as above described. The door may of
course be locked from the outside by manipulating the key and knob as described,
and turning the catch E in the reverse direction.
An obvious modification in the described arrangement would be the substitution
of a coarse screw for the cam on the end of the thimble H and the sliding catch E
may be actuated from the outside by dispensing with the use of a key and attaching
a rotatable knob adapted to be locked to the arbor and forced inward therewith
against the pressure of the spring.
In the modification shown in Figures 10 to 15 of the drawings and which is
especially applicable to cupboards, closets and the like, and for lucking the doors of
partitions between communicating rooms in dwelling houses and hotels: A³ designates
a part or section of a door, and B³ the adjacent door-jamb, to which my invention
is applied, the arrangement of parts being substantially the same when applied to a
drawer, except that in the latter case the parts of the drawer would appear in a
vertical instead of a horizontal position. On the arbor or spindle is placed
a sliding thimble D* and a rotary knob Es which may be formed with or secured to!
a cylindrical shank E which is fitted upon the arbor or spindle between the head c*
thereof and a pin c which passes transversely through the arbor and through an
elongated slot in the sleeve or thimble D³. A coiled or other suitable spring F is
placed upon the thimble D³ between said pin c³ and a suitable rib or flange b
formed upon the thimble D³ so that said spring will constantly tend to force the
arbor with its attached rotary knob outward or away from said flange, 6, so as to
separate the thimble and knob. A swinging plate G³ is made fast to the front end

page_text: of the thimble D³ so as to rotate therewith; and adjacent to said swinging plate is
a second similar plate or sliding spring-catch, H³ which is made fast to the front
end of the arbor, so that when said arbor is forced or drawn inward through the
sleeve and against the pressure of the aforesaid spring said spring-catch will be
separated from the swinging plate as shown in Figure 11, for a purpose to be
described. The door jamb B or corresponding part of the drawer to which the
device is to be applied, is preferably provided with a fixed plate or keeper I*, which
has a laterally elongated slot therein, adapted to register with a similar slot in
the swinging plate, so that when said plate is turned into proper position, the tooth
or stud h³, upon the spring catch H³ will engage said slot and the recoil of the
spring F, will force said tooth into engagement with the slot and lock the door.
On the outside of the opening L' through the door is placed a washer J which
covers the front of said opening, and on the inside of said opening is placed a plate
or keeper K³ which has a similar function and is also provided with a vertically
elongated slot therein, adapted to register with the slot in the swinging plate G³
when the parts are in proper position as shown in full lines in Figure 15, so as to
permit the tooth of the spring-catch to be forced into said vertical slot k and be
retained therein by the pressure of the spring. The sleeve or cylindrical shank E'
of the knob E has an enlarged end portion which is provided interiorly with lugs
or projections e adapted to enter corresponding open-ended counter-sinks or
depressions d' in the enlarged intermediate portion d' of the sliding thimble D³, so
that when the knob is turned in such position as to bring the projections e* in
alignment with the depressions in the thimble, the arbor may be forced inward
against the pressure of the spring F³, carrying with it the sliding spring-catch H³,
so as to release the tooth from the notch or slot in the plate I fixed to the door
jamb or drawer, whereupon the knob may be rotated so as to turn the spindle and
swinging plate and catch to the right or left into either of the positions shown in
full and dotted lines in Figure 15, for the purpose of locking or unlocking the door,
and in either of these two positions the recoil of the spring F will force the tooth h³
into the slot or k, as the case may be, and hold the parts in such position with
the door or drawer locked or unlocked as desired. The rotary knob E' is held
normally in such position that the spring catch H' will not be affected by turning
the knob in either forward or backward direction, and to lock or unlock the door,
the knob must first be turned until the projections e on the end of the cylindrical
shank or sleeve of the knob are brought into alignment with the depressions (* in
the sliding thimble, which will be noticeable by a slight hitch or catch when these
parts are brought into proper position, and thereupon pressure upon the knob will
result in disengaging the tooth of the spring catch, so as to permit the same to be
turned in the desired direction.
When it is desired to use the device for locking the doors in partitions or
between communicating rooms, the spindle or arbor C³ may be provided with a
screw-threaded extension C₁ or other suitable means for the attachment of an
operating handle C' by which the arbor may be drawn inward from the inside, and
the spring-catch may be provided with a swiveled tooth *, having a thumb-piece
or handle H as shown in Figure 14, so that when the swiveled tooth is passed
through the slot in the plate or keeper I the thumb-piece or handle may be rotated
so as to turn said tooth athwart the opening through the keeper, in which position
the tooth cannot be withdrawn and will serve as a safety device to prevent the
door from being unlocked by any one outside of the room.
By these simple and inexpensive contrivances I provide efficient means for
locking the doors of cupboards, closets, &c., so as to prevent small children or
others who may not understand how to manipulate the lock from opening such
doors, and at the same time dispense with the use of keys; and by the addition of
the simple safety device, the attachment may be used as a burglar-proof lock to
prevent the entrance of any person into a bed-room or private apartment without
first violently breaking the lock.
It will of course be understood that the construction and arrangement of parts

page_text: may be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence. I
do not desire to limit my invention to the exact construction shown and described.
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 :-
1st:-A safety-lock comprising the bed-plate, the latch, the hollow post, the
sliding arbor rotatably secured within said post, the spring-pressed catch secured
to said arbor, the sliding thimble fixed to said arbor so as to rotate therewith, the
knob adapted to rotate freely on said thimble, and means for forcing the thimble
and catch inwardly against the spring-pressure so as to disengage the latch,
substantially as described.
2nd-In combination with the bed-plate, the spring-pressed latch, means for
actuating said latch, the swinging spring-pressed catch, the arbor to which said
catch is secured rotatably mounted in said bed-plate and provided at one end
thereof with a rigid cross-handle or knob and at the other end with a loose
rotating knob, and means for engaging the knob so as to force the arbor inward
against the pressure of the spring and disengage the catch, substantially as
described.
3rd In combination with the bed-plate, the latch, the keeper, the swinging
spring-pressed catch, means for operating said catch, and a safety-button whereby
the catch may be secured so as to bind the operating mechanism thereof and the
latch in immovable positions, substantially as described.
4th-In combination with the bed-plate, the latch, the keeper, the swinging
spring-pressed safety-catch, the arbor to which said catch is secured, the hollow
post, the thimble having the cam-faced extension connected to said arbor so as to
rotate therewith, the knob rotatably secured on said thimble, and the cam-lever
adapted to engage said thimble and thereby disengage the catch, substantially as
described.
5th-In combination with the bed-plate, the latch, the swinging spring-pressed
catch, the arbor which supports said catch, the sleeve or thimble fixed to said
arbor and having the cam-shaped end or extension, the knob rotatably secured on
said thimble and the cam-lever secured to said knob, and means for engaging said
cam-lever and thimble and thereby disengaging the catch, substantially as described.
6th In combination with the bed-plate, the sliding spring-pressed yoke or
frame having the thumb-piece or handle and the latch rigid therewith, the cam-
faced projection or lug rigidly secured to said yoke, the rotary knob provided with
a cam adapted to engage said lug, and the pins on said bed-plate adapted to engage
slots in said yoke so as to guide the yoke in its movements back and forth
substantially as described.
7th :-In combination with the bed-plate, the keeper, the latch, the sliding frame
which supports said latch, the thumb-piece or handle on said frame, the sliding
arbor rotatably mounted on said bed-plate and provided at one end with a rigid
operating-handle and at the other end with a rotary knob adapted to actuate the
latch, the means substantially as described, whereby said knob is adapted to
actuate the arbor and disengage the catch, substantially as described.
8th-In combination with the bed-plate, the latch, the swinging spring-pressed
catch, the arbor which supports said catch, the hollow post, the thimble or sleeve
on said post, the rotary knob journaled on said thimble, the latch actuating cam
on said knob, the cam-shaped extension rigid with said thimble, the spring-pressed
cam-lever secured to said knob, and the key whereby said cam-lever is adapted to
be thrown into the path of said cam-shaped extension so as to actuate the thimble
and arbor and thereby disengage the catch, substantially as described.
9th-In combination with the bed-plate, having the vertically and longitudinally
elongated slots therein, the swinging catch, the rotatable sliding arbor to which
said catch is secured, and the spring which is adapted to hold the catch normally
in engagement with one of said slots, substantially as described.

page_text: 10th-In combination with the bed-plate having the catch-receiving slots
therein, the sliding spring-pressed latch, the sliding spring-pressed arbor rotatably
mounted on said bed-plate, the swinging plate secured to said arbor, and the
swivelled safety catch or button carried by said swinging plate and adapted to
engage said slots so as to hold the parts locked or unlocked, substantially as
described.
11th-In combination with the bed-plate having catch-receiving slots therein,
the arbor mounted on said bed-plate provided at one end with a rigid operating-
handle and at the other end with a rotary knob normally free to rotate thereon,
the swinging spring-pressed catch secured to said arbor and movable therewith,
the spring-pressed latch, the thimble, the swinging guide-plate, and means
whereby the catch may be operated from the outside by the rotation of the knob,
substantially as described.
12th-In combination with the bed-plate, the latch, the swinging catch, the
arbor which carries said catch, the thimble locked to said arbor so as to move
therewith, the knob adapted to rotate freely on said thimble and provided with a
cam for actuating the latch, the operating-handle rigidly secured to said arbor, the
cam-shaped extension or screw rigid upon said thimble, the cam-lever for engaging
said cam-shaped extension, and the key for actuating said cam-lever, substantially
as described.
13th: A lock comprising the bed-plate, the keeper, the spring-pressed latch,
means for operating said latch, the swinging-spring-pressed catch provided with
a safety button, the arbor which supports said catch rotatably mounted on said
bed-plate, the hollow post, the thimble on said post, the knob rotatably secured on
said thimble, the cross-handle or knob rigidly secured to said arbor, the cap-piece,
the cam-lever housed in said cap-piece, and the key for actuating said cam-lever,
substantially as described.
14th-In combination with the bed-plate, the sliding spring-pressed frame
having the latch, the operating thumb-piece or handle and the cam-faced lug or
projection rigid therewith, together with the rotary knob provided with a cam
adapted to engage the lug on said frame so as to disengage the latch, substantially
as described.
15th-In combination with the sliding arbor and swinging spring-pressed catch
supported thereby, the swinging guide-plate and the stop for limiting the move-
ments of said plate, substantially as described.
16th-The combination of the sliding arbor or spindle, the loose thimble or
sleeve thereon adapted to rotate therewith, the rotary knob or handle adapted to
be locked to said spindle, the spring which tends to force said thimble and knob
apart, the swinging toothed plate secured to said arbor, and the slotted plate or
keeper adapted to be engaged by the tooth of said swinging plate, substantially as
described.
17th: A lock or fastening device for closets, cupboards, &c., comprising a
sliding rotatable arbor or spindle supporting a catch, an operating handle or knob
which is free to rotate upon said spindle in either forward or backward direction,
a slotted plate or keeper for engaging said catch, and means whereby the knob and
spindle when occupying relatively fixed positions in respect to each other may be
locked together for the purpose of engaging or disengaging the catch and keeper,
substantially as described.
18th-A lock or fastening device comprising a pair of slotted plates, a sliding
spring-pressed catch adapted to be held normally in engagement with one of said
plates, an arbor or spindle to which said catch is attached, a sleeve or thimble
fitted on said arbor so as to rotate therewith, a knob or operating-handle secured
on said spindle so as to revolve freely thereon, and means whereby the spindle and
knob may be made to revolve together so as to disengage the catch, substantially
as described.
19th A lock or fastening device comprising a sliding rotatable spindle, a
spring-pressed catch secured to said spindle, a locking plate or keeper adapted to

page_text: engage said catch, an operating handle or knob rotatably secured on said spindle,
means for causing the spindle to revolve with said knob, a detachable handle
rigidly secured to said spindle, and a safety locking device carried by said spring-
pressed catch, substantially as described.
20th-In combination with the slotted plates, the sliding spring-pressed catch,
the arbor carrying a pin which passes transversely through the same, the flanged
sleeve having an elongated slot therein to receive the ends of said pin, the spring
fitted on said sleeve between said flange and pin, and the knob having the cylindrical
shank rotatably secured on said arbor and provided with lugs or projections adapted
to engage recesses or depressions formed in said sleeve, substantially as described.
21st-In combination with the slotted plates, the sliding spring-pressed
.swinging plate, the arbor having the pin which passes transversely through the
same, the flanged sleeve having an elongated slot to receive the ends of said pin
and longitudinal recesses or depressions therein, the spring placed upon said
sleeve between said flange and pin, the knob having the cylindrical shank rotatably
secured on said arbor and provided with lugs or projections adapted to register
with the depressions in said sleeve, the operating-handle detachably secured to an
extension of said arbor, and the tooth or catch swiveled in said swinging plate,
substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of December A.D. 1892.