A New or Improved Apparatus for the Protection of Milk Cans and their Contents.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1893-Accepted. 7th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for the Protection of Milk Cans and
their Contents.
I, HENRY SEAL of 4 Forest View Villas, Enfield Highway, in the County
of Middlesex, Grocer 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 an apparatus for attaching to the front or other door, or
door frame, or door post of private dwellings and other establishments, upon which
the usual can containing the early morning milk may be suspended by the milk man,
and by him thereon locked by the simple operation of pressing a button or knob,
and from which the said can cannot afterwards be removed by him or any other
person outside the house until the said locking has been released, which can be
effected, only by some person within the dwelling, by the movement of a lever upon
the inside of the door, door frame or post, as the case may be, when the can and its
The object
contents may be easily removed from the apparatus by the said person.
of my invention is to prevent the possibility of the fraudulent removal of the can
and its contents, and to a great extent, the removal of its contents only, while
suspended and locked as stated, thus obviating the inconven'ence frequently
experienced by housekeepers and others, when proceeding to take in the morning
milk, upon finding the can and its contents gone, or its contents entirely removed.
My invention will thus be found to be a great boon, not only to housekeepers for
preventing the inconvenience stated, but also to milkmen as a protection for
their cans.
In order that my invention and the manner of its application and operation may
be clearly understood, I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings, in which,
Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the said apparatus as it would appear
when viewed from opposite ends.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the manner of connecting the said apparatus
to the door post, or the brickwork forming the door post of a dwelling, which view
also shows the position of the appartus when unlocked, or ready for the reception
of the milk can.
Fig. 4 is an end view of the said apparatus when in this position, as it would
appear inside the dwelling.
Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 3, but showing the position of the apparatus when
locked and the milk can thereon.
Fig. 6 is the same as Fig. 4, but as it would appear when the apparatus is locked
as at Fig. 5.
Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical sections of the can receiving end of the apparatus, as
relating to Figs. 3 and 5 respectively.
Fig. 9 illustrates the manner of arranging the apparatus, and fixing the same
upon the door itself or the frame thereof.
In carrying my invention into effect, I construct of any suitable metal or other
material two plates A and B, the latter of which may be rectangular, while the
former may be, and preferably would be of some fancy design, or both may be
alike if desired. Upon the plate A is fixed or cast or otherwise formed integrally
therewith, a hollow extension on nosing C, the internal formation of which
corresponds to, and coincides with, a vertical slot D communicating with a circular
hole E in the plate A, (Figs. 2. 7 and 8.). At each side of C, and more or less at
right angles with A, a slot F is formed, of any suitable shape or size capable of
receiving the bent wire handle of a small milk can, such as are usually left at
private houses containing milk.

page_text: Through the plate A and nosing C is passed a metallic rod G, which may be of
any suitable length approximating to the thickness of the door, frame, post or other
place, as the case may be, upon which the said apparatus is to be fixed. One end
of G is thickened or extended in cross sectional diameter at H, to the extent of the
diameter of the circular hole E in A, or thereabouts, and to this is fixed or formed
integrally therewith, two extensions or projections I and K of such dimensions as
to be capable of passing into C with H when the knob L, or an equivalent therefor
upon the end of H, is pushed towards the plate A. Surrounding the rod G is
placed a spiral spring M, one end of which abuts against the shoulder formed by
the thicker portion H, the opposite end against the plate B and in the centre of
said plate is formed a circular hole capable of passing freely the smallest end of the
rod G. This end of G is threaded for a suitable portion of its length, and upon
this is screwed outside B, a nut N, accompanied by a lock nut O, which may be
similar to N as at Figs. 3 and 9, or a butterfly nut as at Figs. 1 and 2, or a milled
headed nut as at Figs. 5 and 6, or provided with a projecting lever handle O' as at
Fig. 4, or any other form of nut capable of being rotated by the thumb and
forefinger.
Upon the plate B is pivotted at P, an arm R, to one end of which is connected
a weight S, the opposite end being provided with a handle or its equivalent T.
The manner in which the apparatus is fixed and operates, is as follows.
Having determined where the apparatus shall be fixed, which may be upon the
door V itself as at Fig. 9, or upon the door frame W, or upon the door post X, or
the brickwork forming said post or the opening for the door, or upon any part of
the dwelling convenient for the reception and manipulation of the same.
In Figs. 3
and 4 I have chosen to show its application to a door post and frame, and the height at
which the apparatus shall be fixed having been decided upon, a hole would be bored
entirely through X and W, of such diameter as to permit the rod and spring GM
to pass freely therethrough and upon the frame or wall at the inner end of said
bore within the dwelling, the plate B would be screwed or otherwise fixed, with its
central hole coinciding with the said bore. The rod G would then be passed
through the nosing C and plate A, and the spring M placed thereon, when G and M
would be passed through the said bore, with the small end of G extending through
the plate B, when the nut N may be loosely screwed upon G to retain it in that
position while the plate A. is screwed or otherwise fixed upon the outside of X.
The nut N would then be screwed upon G, compressing M, until the extension
piece K on H is level or thereabouts with the face of C as at Figs. 1 and 3, when
the lock nut may be screwed upon G until it abuts against N. The screw thread
upon G being in excess of that actually needed for the adjustment of the nuts NO,
permits the apparatus to be fitted to places of various thicknesses within a
reasonable limit, but where required for fixing upon doors or door frames as at
Fig. 9 the rod G would be made less in length, still provided with an excess of
screw thread for the same purpose.
The apparatus being fixed as stated, the arm R would be placed so that the
weight S rests upon the outer surface of the put N as at Fig. 4 and the apparatus
is ready for use as at Fig. 3.
The milkman would hang the handle Y of the can containing the milk, upon the
end H, between I and K as at Fig. 3, and would then push in the knob L, when
the extension piece I would place Y in the slots F, and by the same operation N
would recede from B, when the weight S would fall between N and B as at Figs. 5
and 6, thus preventing the return of the rod G H, and so lock Y in F as at Fig. 5,
from which position it cannot be removed by any person outside the house, not even
if the plate A be wrenched from its fixing, nor until the weight S or its equivalent
is removed from between B and N, which can be effected, only by some person
inside the dwelling, by deflecting the arm R, by means of the handle T, or any
suitable equivalent that may be provided in lieu thereof.
I may arrange in lieu of the weight S, a lug or extension upon R of similar
dimensions, and arrange a suitable spring upon the plate B, the tension of which

page_text: would operate to force the equivalent of S between B and N under similar
The removal
circumstances, and I may employ a knob in lieu of the handle T.
of S or its equivalent permits N to close up to B by the tension of the spring M
thus permitting L, H and I to recede from C, and by the same movement the
extension K pushes Y out of F as at Fig. 3 when the can may be easily removed.
If due care be exercised in the manufacture of the apparatus that the slots F are
of such dimensions as to freely receive only, the wire Y of such cans as are usually
employed for this purpose, the can when suspended and locked thereon as described,
can not only not be removed therefrom, but the can cannot be tilted sideways, nor
forward, to permit the milk to be drank therefrom, which is the method usually
employed for fraudulently removing its contents, therefore my invention operates
in the protection of the contents of the can, as well as the can itself, thus serving
to benefit alike the householder and the vendor of the milk.
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. In an improved means for the protection of milk cans and their contents
from theft, when left at the doors of private and other dwellings, the construction
and use of the herein described apparatus, and the application of same to the doors,
door frames, door posts or other convenient part of said dwellings, or other places,
the whole connected, combined and operating substantially as herein set forth and
shewn by the accompanying drawings.
The
2nd. In an improved apparatus for the protection of milk cans and their contents,
the construction and use of the herein described apparatus consisting of a plate A
with slotted aperture D E, and nosing C, formed internally to coincide with DE,
and provided with slots F, for the reception of the handle Y of a milk can.
rod G, carrying a spiral spring M, and having at one end a screw thread for
receiving nuts, NO, after passing through a plate B, the opposite end H being
passed through DEC on A, and carrying projections I K and a knob L. The
plate B carrying a pivotted arm R T, and a weight S, or a projection in lieu of S,
and operated by a spring instead of gravity, the whole connected, and fixed upon,
and operating in combination with, a door V, frame W, or post X, or X and W,
or any other convenient part of a dwelling or other place substantially as herein
described and shewn.
Dated this 31st day of August 1893.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.