AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR BOOKS, POCKET BOOKS, PORTFOLIOS, SATCHELS, BAGS, WRITING CASES, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Leach, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR
BOOKS, POCKET BOOKS, PORTFOLIOS, SATCHELS, BAGS, WRITING CASES, AND
OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES."
Sealed the 18th June 1865, and dated the 20th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Leach at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th December 1864.
I, GEORGE LEACH, of Leeds, in the County of York, Manufacturer, do
5 hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED FASTENING
FOR BOOKS, POCKET BOOKS, PORTFOLIOS, SATCHELS, BAGS, WRITING CASES, AND OTHER
ANALOGOUS ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of an improved fastening for books, pocket books, port-
folios, and other analogous articles, relates to a novel and. simple form of
lock or fastening which may be applied to books for the purpose of pre-
venting them from being opened surreptitiously. The fastening consists of a
series of tubular pieces which are secure l alternately to the sides of the book,
and so arranged that when the book is closed the tubular pieces are brought
into a continuous line and form a tube down which a straight lead pencil or

page_text: pencil case or pen case may be passed so as to prevent the several parts from
being drawn asunder without withdrawing the pencil or pen. In order to
prevent the pencil or pen from being drawn out, a spring catch is adapted
thereto; the nib of this spring catch is made to project from a notch or hole
in the side of the pen or pencil case, and take into a notch or under a pro-
jecting shoulder inside one of the tubular pieces, so that in order to withdraw
the pen or pencil so as to open the book, the projecting nib of the spring
catch must be drawn back; this is effected by means of a key or other suitable
instrument which is inserted through a suitable opening at the end of the pen
or pencil case, and is made to bear against the spring catch and force it back,
when the pen or pencil may be drawn out.
In place of adapting the spring catch to the pen or pencil case, it will be
obvious that it may be adapted to one of the tubular pieces attached to the
book or other article to be secured; the spring catch will then be made to
take into a notch made in the pen or pencil case. It will be evident that any
other article capable of being introduced into the tubular pieces may be
employed in place of the pen and pencil cases above mentioned, and either
the spring catch or the notch to receive the latter may be adapted or made in
the article that is employed in place of the pen or pencil case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Leach in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LEACH, of Leeds, in the County of York, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Leach, Her special licence that I, the said George
Leach, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Leach, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time 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

page_text: "AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR BOOKS, POCKET BOOKS, PORTFOLIOS, SATCHELS;
BAGS, WRITING CASES, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Leach, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 George Leach, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of an improved fastening for books, pocket books, port-
folios, and other analogous articles, relates to a novel and simple form of
lock or fastening which may be applied to books for the purpose of pre-
venting them from being opened surreptitiously. The fastening consists of
a series of tubular pieces which are secured alternately to the sides of the
book, and so arranged that when the book is closed the tubular pieces are
brought into a continuous line and form a tube down which a straight lead
pencil or pencil case or pen case may be passed, so as to prevent the several
parts from being drawn asunder without withdrawing the pencil or pen. In
order to prevent the pencil or pen from being drawn out, a spring catch is
adapted thereto; the nib of this spring catch is made to project from a notch
or hole in the side of the pen or pencil case, and take into a notch or into a
groove or under a shoulder made inside one of the tubular pieces. In order,
therefore, to withdraw the pen or pencil so as to open the book, the pro-
jecting nib of the spring catch must be drawn back; this is effected by means
of a key or other suitable instrument which is inserted through a suitable
opening at the end of the pen or pencil case, and is made to bear against the
spring catch and force it back, so that the pen or pencil may then be drawn
out.
In place of adapting the spring catch to the pen or pencil case, it will be
obvious that it may be adapted to one of the tubular pieces attached to the
book or other article to be secured; the spring catch will then be made to
take into a notch or annular groove made in the pen or pencil case. It will
be evident that any other article capable of being introduced into the tubular
pieces may be employed in place of the pen and pencil cases above men-
tioned, and either the spring catch or the notch to receive the latter may be

page_text: adapted or made in the article that is employed in place of the pen or pencil
case.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side view of a book
with one form of my improved fastening adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is an edge
view of the same; Fig. 3 is another edge view shewing the book partly open,
that is, with the tubular fastening divided or separated; Fig. 4 is a sectional
view taken through the fastening and the pen or pencil case.
It will be seen that the fastening is divided into two parts a, a, and a', a¹,
which are attached respectively to opposite sides of the book. One of the
pieces of the tubular fastening a¹ is cut away internally to receive the pro-
jecting end of a spring stud b adapted to and placed inside the pen or pencil
case c, as seen in Fig. 4; it will therefore be evident that until this projecting
stud b is drawn or forced back, the pen or pencil case c cannot be withdrawn ;
this, however, can only be effected by inserting into a notch or opening b¹ at
the top of the pencil case a narrow key or instrument such as that shewn at
Fig. 5. By means of this instrument the spring catch 6 may be forced back
out of the notch in the tubular fastening, and the pencil case may then be
withdrawn.
Fig. 6 represents an edge view of a book with a modification of the fastening
just described adapted thereto; Fig. 7 is another edge view shewing the book
open. The difference between this and the former fastening is that the
spring catch b is attached to one of the tubular parts of the fastening instead
of to the removeable pencil case. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken through
the book and fastening, near the middle of the same, and shewing the manner
in which the pencil case is held in the tubular fastening a, a'. In this
instance the pencil case has an annular groove c¹ made round it, as seen in
Fig. 9, which represents the pencil case detached. The spring catch 6 is
adapted to one of the tubular parts of the fastening, as at b', Fig. 7, and
the projecting part therefrom takes into the annular groove c¹ made in the
pencil case when the latter is inserted in its place. In order to release
the catch 6 from this groove c¹ so as, to enable the pencil case to be with-
drawn, an instrument or key, such as that shewn at Fig. 5, is inserted into
the notch, Fig. 6, for the purpose of depressing the catch and forcing it
back out of the annular groove c¹ in the pencil case.
Having now described my. Invention of an improved fastening for books,
pocket books, portfolios, satchels, bags, writing cases, and other analogous
articles, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
claim the combination of the tubular parts a, a', with a pen or pencil case c,
and a spring catch or other analogous fastening for securing the several parts

page_text: together and holding them until the spring catch is removed or forced back
by some suitable instrument, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Leach, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
GEO. LEACH. (L.B.)