IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES." A com-
munication from abroad by Bernard Steinmetz, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer.
Sealed the 9th December 1876, and dated the 8th July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th July 1876.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS AND OTHER
SIMILAR RECEPTACLES." A communication from abroad by Bernard Steinmetz, of
Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineer.
This Invention consists of an arrangement of lock or fastening working on the
principle of a revolving button, which is substituted for buttons acted upon by
pressure, by drawing or the like.
According to this arrangement the revolving button, which is placed on the
middle of the lock or fastening, is provided at its lower part with a disc, shaped
in such a manner as to form two arms, one of which bears against a spring, whilst
the other is destined to act as a stop when the fastening is locked with a key; the
disc is also provided with a stud or pin which engages in a hook attached to that
side of the mouth of the bag (for example) which is opposite to the side carrying
the lock, in order to fasten the mouth.
In certain cases the revolving button may be caused to actuate bolts which fasten
the mount or frame of the bag at both ends.
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In carrying out this Invention the body of the lock which is attached to the
side of the mouth of the bag, and which may be constructed of any suitable form,
is provided at its centre with a socket in which the revolving button works.
the lower part of this button there is attached by screws or otherwise the lise
berein-before referred to which is provided with two arms, one serving to compress
the spring, as before-mentioned, whilst the other arm comes in contact with a pro-
jection fixed on the locking bolt, which is guided by suitable pins. The disc is
provided underneath with a stud or pin, which when the fastening is closed engages
in the hook before-mentioned attached to one side of the mouth of the bag, and
which thus acts as a 'staple. When the bag is locked with a key the bolt is brought
Price Gl

page_text: into such a position that its stop or projection prevents the arm secondly mentioned
from moving. If, however, by means of the key the bolt be caused to advance, say,
from right to left, the stop, which becomes pushed back, admits of the button being
turned round, the pin or stud being thereby moved so as to completely liberate it
from the hook on the side of the bag; the fastening is then open. In order to
close the fastening again it is simply necessary to bring together the two sides of
the mouth of the bag, and a rounded part of the hook displaces the pin, which
resumes its position in the said hook under the action of the spring. The fastening
may then be locked with a key, the bolt being moved from left to right.
In those cases where it is desired to fasten both extremities of the mouth of the
bag simultaneously it will simply be necessary to employ, in combination with the
revolving button, a lower axis carrying a two-armed lever which actuates bolts
arranged on opposite sides so as to release them from retaining hooks in which they
are held by means of springs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
January 1877.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS AND OTHER
SIMILAR RECEPTACLES." A communication from abroad by Bernard Steinmetz, of
Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineer.
The said Invention consists of an arrangement of lock or fastening working on
the principle of a rotatory button to be employed in substitution for the locks or
fastenings with buttons acted upon by pressure by drawing or the like.
In carrying out the said Invention the rotatory button, which is placed in the
centre of the lock or fastening, is provided at its lower part with a disc shaped in
such a manner as to form two arms, one of which bears against a spring, whilst the
other is intended to act as a stop when the fastening is locked with a key; the
disc is also provided with a stud or pin which engages in a hook attached to that
side of the mouth of the bag which is opposite to the side carrying the lock,
whereby the mouth is securely fastened.
In some cases the rotatory button is caused to actuate bolts which fasten the
mouth or frame of the bag at both ends.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a vertical section taken along
the line 1, 2, Figure 3, of the frame or mouth of a bag with the improved lock or
fastening applied thereto. Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same taken along
the line 3, 4, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a horizonal section taken along the line 5, G, Figure 1,. shewing
the lock or fastening in its closed or locked condition; and Figure 4 is a similar
section shewing the lock or fastening open, and the arrangement which may be
adopted for locking the frame of the bag at each end.
The case of the lock, which is attached to the side A of the mouth of the bag,
and which may be constructed of any suitable form, is provided at its centre with
a socket b, in which the rotatory button c works. At the lower part of this button
there is attached by two screws or any other suitable means a disc d, which is
provided with two arms d¹ and d³, the one d¹ serving to compress the spring r,
whilst the other arm d² when the fastening is locked comes in contact with a
projection e fixed on the locking bolt which is guided by the pins g, g¹, g³. The
disc d is provided underneath with a stud or pin h which, when the fastening is

page_text: closed, engages in a hook i, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3, attached to the side A¹ of
the mouth of the bag opposite the lock or fastening, and which thus acts as a staple.
When the bag is locked with a key the locking bolt f is brought into such a
position that its stop or projection e prevents the arm d² from moving, as shewn in
Figure 3. If, however, by means of the key o, shewn in red lines in Figure 1, the
bolt f be caused to advance from right to left, that is to say, in the direction of the
arrow, the stop e, which becomes pushed back, as shown in Figure 4, admits of
the button c being turned round in the direction of the arrow, Figures 1 and 3, the
pin or stud h, which was placed on the line x, x¹, Figure 3, is moved to the line
,, Figure 4, and is thereby disengaged from the hook i on the side A' of the
bag; the fastening is then open. In order to close the fastening again it is simply
necessary to bring together the two sides A and A¹ of the mouth of the bag, and
the rounded part of the hook i displaces the pin h, which resumes its position in
the said hook under the action of the spring r. The fastening may then be locked
with the key o, the locking bolt f being moved from left to right, so as to bring the
stop e opposite the arm d³, as before.
In those cases where it is desired to fasten both extremities of the mouth of the
bag simultaneously it will simply be necessary to employ in combination with the
rotatory button a lower axis k, Figure 4, carrying a two-armed lever j, which
actuates bolts 1, 1', shown in red lines in Figure 4, arranged on opposite sides of
the lock so as to release them from the retaining hooks or staples m, m', the said
bolts being forced into the said hooks or staples under the action of the springs n, n'.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the general arrangement and combination of parts constituting
the lock or fastening actuated by a rotatory button, such button being locked and
released by the aid of an auxiliary appliance, all substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Specifi-
cation set my hand and seals, the Fifth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)