IMPROVE- MENTS IN ADJUSTABLE APPLIANCES FOR FIXING DOOR HANDLES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Hodge, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ADJUSTABLE APPLIANCES FOR FIXING DOOR HANDLES."
Sealed the 24th December 1867, and dated the 29th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Hodge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th June 1867.
I, ARCHIBALD HODGE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ADJUSTABLE APPLIANCES FOR FIXING DOOR HANDLES," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in adjustable appliances for fixing
door handles, and consists in adapting an internally screwed collar to screw
upon the screwed edges of the square or equivalently-shaped spindle, such
collar holding the handle by means of a flange or rim turned over a bead or
flange on the neck of the handle or otherwise, and being prevented from

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Archibald Hodge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARCHIBALD
HODGE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Ironmonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Archibald Hodge, Her special licence that I, the said Archibald Hodge,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Archibald Hodge, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ADJUSTABLE APPLIANCES FOR FIXING DOOR HANDLES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Archibald Hodge, my executors or administrators, 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 Archibald Hodge, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to adjustable appliances for fixing door handles,
and consists in adapting an internally screwed collar to screw upon the screwed
edges of the square or equivalently-shaped spindle, such collar holding the
handle by means of a flange or rim turned over a bead or flange on the neck

page_text: of the handle or otherwise, and being prevented from unscrewing from friction
against the door or shield by an interposed disc loose on the spindle, but fitted
so as not to turn thereon.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing two
modifications embodying my improvements.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of door handles A, B, on their square
spindle C. The handle A to the left is adjustable, whilst the other handle B
may be fixed on the spindle C in the ordinary way; or the latter handle B
may be made adjustable also, if wished as herein-after described. The
adjustable handle A is shown in section in Figure 2, and is formed with a hole
or socket D. A metal socket lining E is fixed on the neck of the handle and
is formed with a square hole fitting one the square spindle C, and the handle
is thus arranged to act on the spindle directly and without shake. The handle
is in this example supposed to be of ebony or other wood, but it may of course
be of horn, porcelain, glass, metal, or other suitable material; and in some
cases the socket D may be without a separate lining piece, being in that case
made square. The adjustment of the handle A longitudinally on the spindle C
for the well understood purpose of adapting it to any thickness of door is
effected by means of a collar G, which is shown detached in section, and in
face view in Figure 3; this collar G is formed with an eye internally screwed
to suit the screwed edges of the spindle C, and it is made with a flange or
rim G, which is first shaped as indicated by the dotted lines in the section,
Figure 3, and is afterwards, by the process technically termed "burnishing,"
turned back over the bead or rim formed upon the neck of the handle by the
flange of the socket lining E projecting beyond the neck;
lining piece E the flange F is burnished over a bead formed for the purpose
on the neck of the handle. The collar G whilst thus holding the neck of the
handle can be turned on the spindle without the handle turning, and so by
the screwing action can be made to draw the handle as closely up to the door
as possible. To prevent friction between the screwed collar G and the door,
or shield fixed on the door, which friction would tend to unscrew the collar, &
disc or washer H, which is shown in section and face view in Figure 4, is put on
the spindle C before the handle, so as to be interposed between the collar G
and the door or shield, and as it is formed with a square eye so that it cannot
turn on the spindle it prevents the turning of the collar by friction. As a
further precaution, and to prevent the screwed collar G from becoming
when there is no

page_text: loosened by the jerking of the handle the collar G and handle A are united
tightly together, and so as not to move easily upon each other, and a per-
manent frictional hold upon each other is conveniently obtained by inserting a
washer of vulcanized rubber between the collar G and the socket lining E.
Another modification, the details of which are shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7,
differs from that herein-before described merely in having added to it a simple
contrivance which will completely prevent the collar G from becoming
unscrewed of itself. A pin k is fixed or formed on the disc or washer H to
enter any one of a number of grooves m formed in the outer face of the
screwed collar G. The eye of the washer H is elongated to allow of the
washer being lifted to get the pin k into a groove m when the handle has been
got close up to the door. The closeness of adjustment will depend on the
pitch of the screw and on the number of grooves m; thus with four grooves,
as shown, the parts can be fixed at any quarter of a turn of the collar G,
which will afford a sufficiently close adjustment for practical purposes. The
washer H should be put on the spindle with the pin k at the top, and as the
handle can be turned through a small angle only in each direction the pin k
will not fall out. It will however be completely prevented from coming out
by the shield or rose usually employed, and which must be fixed to the door
after the handle has been adjusted.
In some cases it is desirable to make both handles A, B, adjustable in order
to obtain a greater range of adjustment. In such cases a simplified modifica-
tion of my improved appliance will suffice for one of the handles B as it can
be adjusted before the spindle is put through the door. This modification is
shown in Figures 8 and 9, the latter being a section of the handle B. The
screwed collar G holds the handle by being fixed to it, or if the handle is of
metal it may be simply formed with a screw-tapped socket. The washer H,
corresponding to the washer H in the other modification, is shaped as shewn
in Figure 8, and whilst it cannot itself turn on the spindle C it prevents the
handle B from turning thereon by entering into a recess formed for it in the
collar G. The displacement of the washer his prevented by the drawing of
the handle B closely up against the door when adjusting the other handle A.
By this arrangement one spindle will serve for either a mortice or a rim
lock.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict myself
to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I believe to
be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-

page_text: before in part recited Letters Patent is, the fixing of door handles by means
of adjustable appliances consisting of a screwed collar (G) and disc (H),
arranged and acting substantially in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Hodge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ARCHD. HODGE. (L.8.