Improvements relating to Safety Catches for Sash-fasteners and Door-latches.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1894
Comp ete Specification Left, 15th July, 1895-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Safety Catches for Sash-fasteners and
Door-latches.
We, HENRY ROBERT HARVEY of 7 Church Road, Croydon in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, and JOHN WILLIAM BLYTHE UNWIN, of 58 Southbridge Road,
Croydon in the same county, Manufacturers' Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to an improved form of safety-device for the better securing
of windows, already provided with ordinary latches or sash-fasteners, against the
danger of being readily opened from the outside and which device shall automatically
66 stop
the arm or lever of the ordinary sash-fastener or latch, when the window
is closed and latched, so as the better to prevent the said arm or lever from being
easily forced back by any person outside the window. This device is so constructed
as to be readily affixed upon or adjacent to and used in conjunction with any
ordinary sash fastener or window latch. It is also applicable to the latches (or
some of them) in use upon so called "French" windows and glass doors; and
upon and in conjunction with some of the latches-to wit (among others) "Norfolk,"
"Suffolk" and "Bow" latches-used upon wooden doors.
In constructing this our safety-device we proceed substantially as follows:
We form a bent spring of sheet-metal, or wire, or other suitable material, to be
affixed at one of its ends in any suitable manner upon the upper surface of the top-
rail of the lower window-sash or upon the catch-plate or that portion of the
ordinary sash-fastener which is usually fixed upon the lower sash: (in the case of
use upon a so-called "French" window or a glazed door, then upon that leaf or
door, or upon the munting, jamb, stile, casing, or frame, which carries the catch or
hook into which the arm or lever or latch of the ordinary fastener falls or engages;
or upon the other leaf, or the door itself, or upon the base-plate of the arm or lever
"Norfolk,"
or latch, or upon the catch-plate: where used in conjunction with a
"6
Bow," or other door-latch, the device may be designed to be affixed upon the
base-plate of the latch, or-contiguous to the latch-upon the door itself, or upon
the jamb or stile of the door-frame or casing, or upon the catch-plate, and above or
below the latch).
:
This said bent spring is always provided at its free end in any suitable manner
with a preferably more or less wedge-shaped boss, elevation or projection (or may
be so bent as to form the skeleton of such a boss, or to form a suitable elevation or
projection) having, when the arm or lever of the ordinary sash-fastener or latch is
closed-i.e. the window fastened-its thick end or base facing toward the knob
or button usually found upon the free end of the said arm or lever, or toward
the upper edge of the door latch, and which boss, elevation or projection stands
when in its normal position so high above the top-rail of the sash (or, so far
out from the face of the leaf, door munting, jamb, stile, casing or frame) as to
impede the forcing of the arm, lever or latch backward (or upward) from under (or
from behind) the hook or catch of the sash-fastener or latch. The free end of the
said spring may be, and is preferably, further provided in any suitable manner with
a tongue or other suitable projection (or may be so bent as to form such a tongue or
projection) so placed that, when the ordinary sash-fastener or latch is closed, the
said tongue will lie under the knob or button (which is upon the free end of the
sash-fastener arm or lever) or between the latch, arm or lever and the base-plate

page_text: catchplate, door or frame or casing, to prevent the said safety-device from jumping
above the level of the said arm, lever or latch and from readily becoming bent by
careless handling, use or by force. Further, we may provide our safety-device
with a thumb-plate (finger piece) for the purpose of facilitating the needful
depression or raising-as the case may be of the spring when it is desired to
release the arm, lever, or catch in order to open the window or door.
Where we decide to construct; our device of wire we may bend the wire so as to
produce a spring having at one end a loop or loops formed by the wire for the
purpose of holding a screw or screws wherewith wholly on in conjunction with
other means to attach the device in one; or other of the places and positions above
specified; and at the opposite end we form the beforementioned boss, elevation or
projection, and may form the aforesaid tongue or other suitable projection.and.(or)
a loop to serve for the finger or thumb, and all or any of them, substantially as and
for the purposes above described and.set forth:
Dated this Thirteenth day of October 1894:
HENRY ROBERT HARVEY.
JOHN WILLIAM BLYTHE UNWIN.
Improvements relating to Safety Catches for Sash-fasteners and
Door-latches.
We, HENRY ROBERT HARVEY of No. 7 Church Road, Croydon in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, and JOHN WILLIAM BLYTHE UNWIN of No. 58 Southbridge
Road, Croydon aforesaid, Manufacturers' Agent, 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 :-
Our invention relates to an improved form of safety-device for the purpose of
better securing doors and windows, already provided with ordinary latches or sash-
fasteners, against the danger of being readily opened from the outside, and which
device shall automatically "stop" the arm or lever of the ordinary sash-fastener or
latch, when the window (door) is closed, so as the better to prevent the said arm or
lever from being easily forced back by any person outside of the window (door)..
This device is so, constructed as to be readily affixed upon or adjacent to and used
in conjunction with, any ordinary sash-fastener or window latch. It is also
applicable to the latches (or some of them) in use on so-called "French" windows
or (and) glass, doors; and upon or adjacent to and in conjunction with some of the
latches to wit: (among others) "Norfolk," "Suffolk," and "Bow" latches used
upon wooden doors.
In constructing, this our safety-device we proceed substantially as follows:-
We form a bent spring of sheet metal, or wire,, or other suitable material, to be
affixed at one of its ends in any suitable manner on one or other of the following.
places: On the upper surface of the top-rail of the lower window sash (in the case
of a so-called "French" window or, a glazed door, then upon that leaf or door,.or
upon the munting, jamb, stile, casing, or frame,, which, carries the catch or hook
into which, the arm or lever of the ordinary fastener or latch, falls or engages, or
upon the other leaf or the door itself, or upon the base plate of the arm or lever or
latch); or upon the catch-plate or that portion of the ordinary sash-fastener which
is. usually fixed upon the lower sash. Where used in conjunction with a suitable.
door-latch the device may be designed to be affixed upon either the catch-plate or
the base-plate of the latch, or-contiguous to the latch-upon the door itself,,or
upon the munting, jamb, stile, door-frame or casing, and above or below the latch.
This said spring is always provided at its free end in any suitable manner with a

page_text: (preferably more or less wedge-shaped) boss, elevation or projection (or it may be
so bent as to form the skeleton of such a boss, or to form a suitable elevation or
projection) having, when the arm or lever of the ordinary sash-fastener or latch is..
closed-i.e.; the window fastened-its thick end or base (shoulder) facing toward
the knob or button usually found upon the free end of the said arm or lever; or
toward the upper edge of the door-latch and which boss, elevation or projection
stands, when in its normal position, so high above the top-rail of the sash (or so far
out from the face of the door, leaf, munting, jamb, stile, frame or casing, if used
upon a "French" window or door) as to impede the arm, lever or latch from being
forced backward (or upward) from under (or from behind) the hook or catch of
the catch-plate of the sash-fastener or latch by any person outside the window or
door. The free end of the said spring may be, and is preferably, further provided.
in any suitable manner with a tongue or other suitable projection (or it
be so
may
bent as to form such a tongue or suitable projection) so placed that when the
ordinary sash-fastener or latch is closed, the said tongue will lie under the knob or
button (which is usual on a sash-fastener arm or lever) or between the latch, arm
or lever and the base-plate, catch-plate, door, frame, or casing, to prevent the
safety-device from jumping above, and from readily becoming bent from. careless
handling or by force, above the level of the said arm, lever or latch. Further, we
may provide the safety-device with a thumb-plate (finger-piece) for the purpose of
facilitating the needful depression, or raising-as the case may be of the spring.
when it is desired to release the arm or lever or latch in order to open the window
or door.
Where we decide to construct our device of wire, we may bend the wire so as to
produce a spring having at one end, a loop or loops formed by the wire for the.
purpose of holding a screw or screws wherewith wholly or in conjunction with
other means to attach the device in one or other of the places and positions above
specified; and at the opposite end we form the before mentioned boss, elevation or
projection; and we may form the aforesaid tongue or suitable projection; and (or)
a loop to serve for the finger or thumb; and all or any of them substantially as and
for the purposes above described.
In order that the nature of our invention and, the manner in which it is carried
out may be better understood, we attach the accompanying drawings, to which we
now proceed to refer, and in which like letters apply to corresponding parts in all
the figs. so far as this can be done.
Fig. 1 shows one form of our device for windows and doors, in which the whole
is stamped out of one piece of sheet metal and bent to the form more or less of 1*,
of which 1 is the view from above.
Fig. 2 is a form showing the wedge-shaped boss, elevation or projection, a, made
by bending the plate upwards and over upon itself instead of downwards and
under; and showing at the fixed end, b, a tooth cut in the substance of the plate
and turned down to serve in substitution of one screw for affixing the device to the
sash, leaf, stile, munting, etc.
Fig. 3 and 34 show a modification in which the plate is bent to form the shoulder
of the boss (or base of the projection) and the tongue, c, Figs. 4 and 44 show
another modification which is so affixed to the window or door as that the fixed
end of the device is turned towards the contrary side of the sash-fastener or latch;
by which means the base or shoulder, a, of the boss or elevation still comes against
the arm, lever or latch, and yet the thumb-piece d projects towards the manipulator,
as in the foregoing forms, when fixed. This modification needs no tongue, the
spring itself at a serving the said purpose.
Fig. 5 shews Figs. 1, 2 or 3 supported at the fixed end of the spring by a pillow
or block, e, of wood, rubber, metal or other suitable substance.
Fig. 6 & 7 shew any of the foregoing formed with the fixed end of the device
bent back upon itself and made by so much as is necessary longer, the fastening
screws passing through the holes in the spring arm of the device into the holes and
countersinks in the lower (horizontal) arm.

page_text: Figs. 8 & 9 are forms of the device which are more especially suitable to
"Norfolk" and some other door latches; they may or may not have the pillow or
cushion shown at e in Fig. 8.
Fig. 10 shows the unbent piece cut from the sheet of metal to form the device
suitable for such a latch as is more or less wedge-shaped, as in a
Bow" latch.
Fig. 10 shows the manner in which this modification is bent into the finished
device, Fig 10" is a view of Fig. 10 as seen from above.
Fig. 11 shows the unbent plan for a larger and stronger size; in this, the pointed
tooth, a¹, is passed through the slot, f, after the free end of the said device has
been bent under.
Figs. 12, 12, 13, 13B are elevation and plan respectively of our device as made
of wire, and sufficiently explain themselves.
Figs. 7 and 3× simply show Figs. 7 & 3 with a tooth in substitution of one of
the screws for fixing the device.
"French" windows;
Figs. 14 & 14 illustrate the manner in which the device operates, and one of
the positions in which it may be affixed upon a sash.
Figs. 15, 16, 17 show its application to doors and
Figs. 16 & 16 are end views of latches having devices attached of the forms
shown in Figs. 9 & 8.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we
repudiate any claim to attach our form of safety-device to the sash-fastener or
catch-plate by any form of pinned hinge, and any claim to construct it as a rigid
bar, plate or casting actuated by a separate, or attached or adjacent spring; and
we now declare that what we claim is a safety device
1., Constructed in one piece, attachable by a screw or screws at one end, and free
at the other; tempered as a spring;
2., Suitable for use in combination with existing non-safety sash and door
fastenings, and constructed in the manner and for the purposes substantially as
herein before set forth.
Dated the 15th day of July 1895.
HENRY ROBERT HARVEY.
JOHN WILLIAM BLYTHE UNWIN.