Year: 1886

page_text: We STEPHEN SMITH PHILLIPS and STEPHEN WIBE both of 10 Baker Street
Portman Square in the county of Middlesex Sanitary Engineers do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to produce an indicator lock or a lock that shall
indicate its present position which shall be especially suitable for use on the doors
of public and private lavatories and closets as well as on other places as this our
lock is extremely simple in construction and therefore not at all liable to get out
of order and yet is very effective and sure in operation and forms a latch or a lock
as may be desired.
93
To carry out this object we pivot preferably on a suitable plate on the inner side
of the door a lever which may have two arms and be shaped in any convenient
form and on the door post in a proper corresponding position therefor is the usual
slot or staple into which the end of the lever can enter to secure the door. On the
outer side of the door in the proper positions may be marked the words "engaged"
or "empty" or other words or signs as may be desired and on the end of the pivot
of the lever which passes through the door and turns with the lever is a plate so
formed as to be capable of exposing one of these words aforesaid or the words or
signs may be marked on the revolving plate and a cover with a slot be placed
thereover for the same purpose. When the lever has two arms one of these arms
is preferably counterweighted and on the other arm may be pivotted a catch
which can be caused to enter a slot or recess made therefor in the door or in the
plate thereon when the door is closed from the inside and when the arm or the
lever that carries this catch has entered the slot or staple on the door post or this
arm or lever may be otherwise secured in this position or the counterweighted arm
if any can be caused to enter the slot or staple on the door post and the catch or
other appliance could then be dispensed with. If required also any suitable stop
can be inserted in the slot or staple on the door post to meet the end of the lever.
To allow the door to be locked from the outside the lever can be turned by the
pivot thereof so that the end of the lever or of one of the arms thereof can enter
the slot or staple on the door post and a screw bolt or other appliance which passes
through the door in the required position is actuated by any suitable key or other-
wise and caused to project on the inner side of the door sufficiently to prevent the
lever being turned to withdraw the end from the slot or staple on the door post.
Then when the revolving plate on the pivot of the lever has been properly
adjusted the position at that present of the lock will always be indicated.
In the same manner this our indicator lock can be fitted and used in other
positions and for other purposes,
A

page_text: We STEPHEN SMITH PHILLIPS and STEPHEN WISE both of 10 Baker Streét
Portman Square in the county of Middlesex Sanitary Engineers 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 :-
The object of our invention is to produce an indicator lock or a lock that shall
at any particular time indicate its then position which lock shall be especially
suitable for use on the doors of public and private lavatories and closets as well as
on other places as this our lock is extremely simple in construction and therefore
not at all liable to get out of order and yet is very effective and sure in operation
and forms a latch or a lock as may be desired.
In order the more clearly to explain this our invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed we refer to the accompanying drawing in which we have
shewn a very simple convenient and effective form and style of our lock. .
Figure 1 is an elevation of the lock on the inner side of the door.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the lock on the outer side of the door.
Figure 3 is an horizontal section of the lock the upper half being taken at a. b.
in Figure 1 the lower half being taken at d. e. in Figure 2.
"
Preferably on a suitable plate A and on the inner side of the door is pivotted a
lever or latch B which may be formed of any convenient shape that shewn being
very suitable and on the door post in a proper corresponding position therefor is
the usual slot or staple or other appliance D into which the end of the latch B can
enter to secure the door. On a suitable annular plate E on the outer side of the
door or on the door itself in the proper position is marked the word "engaged
and thereover is secured a cover F whereof so much or such a segment is cut away
and removed as to expose to view this word "engaged." The pivot or spindle H
of the latch B passes through the door and through the plate E if any and the
cover F which spindle H turns with the latch B and a plate K is fitted between
the plate E if any and the cover F and is tightly secured to the spindle H of
which plate K also so much or such a segment is cut away and removed as to
allow of the exposure of the word "engaged" when desired. A suitable handle L
is preferably fitted to the latch B by which handle L the latch B can be revolved
and lifted into the position shewn in Figure. 1 and thereafter be allowed to drop
or pass into the staple or appliance D to secure the door and the several parts of
this lock are so arranged in respect of each other that when this action is
accomplished the word " engaged "on the other side of the door is fully exposed
as is desired.
The spindle H passes so freely and loosely through the door that when the end
of the latch B is not held and supported in and by the staple D the latch B will
hang downwards and the plate K will cover the word "engaged" and as the
latch B will so fall downwards almost instantly it is released there will be very
little or no danger of the door being locked when it should not be locked but to
render the latch capable of being lifted from the outside the end of the spindle H
is so formed that it can be turned by any usual or suitable key or otherwise by

page_text: which arrangement also the door can be locked from the outside when required
and the end of the latch B be placed in the staple D and to prevent the door being
unlocked a screw bolt M which passes through the door in the required position is
revolved by the same or other key or otherwise and caused to project on the inner
side of the door sufficiently to prevent the latch B being lifted out of the staple D
as is shewn in Figure 3 wherein the door is locked.
C.
We have thus described and have shewn in the drawing an extremely convenient
form and style of our lock but it is obvious that we do not limit ourselves to the
exact methods of fitting and actuating the several parts of this lock or to the
precise forms and shapes of the same as so described and shewn for it may often-
times be desirable to vary the same. For example the lever or latch may have
two or more arms one or more of which arms could act as the latch and any one
or more of the arms may be counterweighted to keep the lever when released in
any desired position. Again it may be advisable to use the word "empty" or
other words or signs instead of the word "engaged" as herein before described or
in combination with the same and in every case so much or such a segment would
be cut away and removed from the cover and from the revolving plate hereinbefore
described as to allow of the exposure of one or more of these words or signs as
may be desired and the several parts of the lock would be so arranged in respect
of each other that the one or more of these words or signs would be exposed only
when the lever or latch is in the proper corresponding position. Instead also of
marking the desired one or more of these words or signs on the door or on a
plate fixed thereon the same may be marked on a plate fixed on and therefore
revolving with the pivot or spindle of the lever or latch in which case only the
cover hereinbefore described would be required thereover or the cover may be fixed
on and revolve with the pivot or spindle over the word or sign fixed on the door.
As is sufficiently obvious this our indicator lock can be fitted and used in the
same manner in many positions and for many purposes whether the door or other
apparatus with which it is to be so fitted and used opens outwardly as well as or
instead of inwardly as shewn in the drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. In an indicator lock the combination of a revolving lever or latch on the
inner side of a door or other apparatus the revolving indicator on the outer side of
the same and the pivot or spindle on and with which the lever or latch and the
indicator revolve substantially as hereinbefore described and set forth.
2. The combination with the lever or latch of the locking bolt M substantially
as herein before described.
3. The indicator lock substantially as herein before described and shewn in the
accompanying drawing.