An Improved Sash Lock for Windows.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Sash Lock for Windows.
1, GEROLT GIBSON, of No. 117, North 8th Street, St. Louis, in the County of
St. Louis, and State of Missouri, one of the United States of America, Lawyer,
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 :-
My invention relates to an improved window sash lock, more particularly for the
upper sash, and it has for its object to hold the sash closed jamb tight, more
especially at its top, against being jarred downward from any cause, as the action
of the wind, concussions or other disturbance, to exclude cold air currents or drafts,
to provide for the automatic locking or securing of the sash as it is pushed or
forced to its closed position and to readily unlock the sash when it is desired to
lower it; and to these ends my invention consists of the novel combination and
construction of parts, substantially as hereinafter more fully disclosed and pointed
out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 is a side view of my improved sash lock as applied for use, with the
parts locked.
Figure 2 is a view thereof, showing the respective parts or members unlocked.
Figure 3 is a view, showing the same disassociated and relatively disposed.
Figure 4 is a rear view of the invention, showing more particularly the
interlocking action of the hook or horn and the stud.
In the embodiment of my invention, I employ a latch or dog, A, a beveled catch
or stud, B, and a preferably tapering detent or prop, C.
The latch or dog, A, having a hook or lateral arm, a, at its lower end, is hung
between suitable ears, b, of a bracket, D, adapted to be suitably let into, and
fastened to, the parting strip of the window frame just above the top of the lower
sash, the upper end or arm of the latch or dog being extended oppositely to its
lower end hook and provided upon its under side with a shoulder or projection, a¹.
The stud or catch, B, is beveled upon its under side and cast in common with a
bracket or plate, E, adapted to be suitably secured to the rail of the upper sash
contiguous to the bracket, D, having the latch or dog, A.
Upon the bracket or plate, E, is hung the detent or prop, C, adapted to engage
the shoulder or projection, a¹, on the latch or dog, A, by adjusting by hand the
upper end of the detent or prop in contact with the under side of the handle of the
latch or dog against said shoulder or projection.
One of the ears, b, of the plate or bracket, D, between which is hung the
latch or dog, A, is extended downward so as to form a hook or horn, c, also facing
downward and adapted to engage the stud or catch, B, as the upper sash is
pushed to its closed position, to draw the sash, in case it is very loose, toward
that side of the window frame, into proper position, and thus hold it against
shifting toward the other part of the window frame, which would prevent the
ready interlocking of the latch and stud or catch.
It will be understood, however, that this feature may be omitted or retained
without departing from the spirit of my present invention.
It will be seen that while the latch, by engagement with the catch or stud, holds
the upper sash jamb tight at its top when closed, against being accidentally jarred
down, thus excluding cold air currents or drafts, yet, when the upper sash is to be
lowered, by adjusting, as before pointed out, the detent or prop in contact with
the shoulder on the handle of the latch, the latter will be held temporarily out
of engagement with the stud or catch.

page_text: Now, by raising the lower sash, and reaching out through the opening thus
furnished, and pulling down upon the upper sash, the latter can be lowered
without interference with the latch or the holding of the latch by hand.
The lowering of the upper sash, carrying with it the prop or detent,
automatically trips the latter, and permits the latch to reset itself by gravity, and
when the upper sash is raised, it will be seen that the catch or stud thereon will
be carried past and above the lower end of the latch and the latter will
automatically interlock with the stud or catch, thus securing the sash against
downward movement as above indicated.
Simultaneously, as already explained, the hook or horn on the bracket carrying
the latch will embrace or hook over the stud or catch of the bracket carried by the
upper sash, and thus provide against lateral, shifting movement of the sash when
closed in event the sash has undue play and, in case the sash has previously
moved towards the side of the window frame opposite from that having the
latch, for drawing the sash to its proper position to provide for the proper or
effective engagement or interlocking of the latch and stud or catch.
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:
1. A window sash lock combining a bracket carrying a latch or dog having its
upper end provided with a shoulder or projection, a second bracket carrying a stud
or catch having engagement with said latch, and a detent engaging said shoulder,
substantially as described.
2. In a sash lock, the combination of two pivots, a detent or prop, and a latch
or dog, the detent or prop being hung upon one of said pivots and the latch or dog
hung upon the other pivot, the latch having an arm provided with a shoulder or
notch, which, when the latch is in its locked position, extends within the circle
or radius of the prop, whereby the swinging of the prop around into engagement
with the notch or shoulder will hold the latch unlocked, one of said pivots being
attached to the immovable window frame, so that the opening of the sash will
separate the pivots, thus disengaging the prop from the notched latch arm,
allowing both the latch and the prop to fall back to their original positions,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 31st day of January 1893.