IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENERS FOR SASH AND CASEMENT WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, AND Doors
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Holbrook, of the City of Manchester,
Stone Carver, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENERS FOR
SASH AND CASEMENT WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, AND Doors."
Scaled the 20th December 1872, and dated the 6th July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Holbrook at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th July 1872.
I, WILLIAM HOLBROOK, of the City of Manchester, Stone Carver, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENERS FOR SASH AND CASEMENT WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, AND DOORS," to be as
follows:-
•
The object of this Invention is the construction of a safety fastener
for windows, which shall be incapable of being opened from the outside,
and also in the case of being applied to fasten window sashes shall
prevent the unpleasant rattling of the sashes together in windy weather,
and consists in the use and application to the purpose of a voluted cam
groove formed in a suitable plate which turns upon a fixed pivot secured

page_text: upon the inner sash. This grooved plate is actuated by a small knob,
and when turned round is caused first to come in contact with a stud
projecting from the ordinary swivel locking arm, and then by a further
turn to lock such stud in the voluted groove which is arranged
eccentrically so as to draw the sashes close together, or in the application
of a double armed latch turning upon a pivot fixed upon the inner sash,
one of these arms carrying the knob for actuating the fastener, and the
other being provided with a projection or catch on the inner side which
locks into a corresponding socket on the other sash or window, a spring
being applied to one of the arms to prevent its being pushed back from
the outside, and also to ensure its remaining in position.
TL 11 2
Lannount that this decorintion of factonor is equally
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Holbrook in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HOLBROOK, of the City of Manchester, Stone Carver, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Holbrook, Her special licence that I,
the said William Holbrook, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Holbrook, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 FASTENERS
FOR SASH AND CASEMENT WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, AND DOORS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Holbrook, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: 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 William Holbrook, 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:―
The object of this Invention, is the construction of a safety fastener
for windows, shutters, and doors which shall be incapable of being opened
from the outside, and also in the case of being applied to fasten window
sashes shall tend to prevent the unpleasant rattling of the sashes together
in windy weather, and consists in the use and application to the purpose
of a voluted cam groove formed in a suitable plate which turns upon a
fixed pivot secured upon the inner sash. This grooved plate is actuated
by a small knob, and when turned round is caused first to come in con-
tact with a stud projecting from the ordinary swivel locking arm, and
then by a further turn to lock such stud in the voluted groove which
is arranged eccentrically so as to draw the sashes close together.
And in order that my Invention may be more thoroughly understood,
and more readily carried into effect, I have hereunto annexed a Sheet
of Drawings illustrative of my improvements applied as a fastener for
an ordinary sash window and representing a top or plan view of the
same; in Fig. 1 the various parts are shewn in position for securing the
window, and in Fig. 2, released to allow the window to be opened.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in both the views.
A is the cam plate turning upon the centre stud or pivot B, secured in
the base plate C, which is fastened in the ordinary manner to the inner
sash D, shewn broken off in the Drawing. This cam plate is actuated
by a knob E, and has formed upon it or cut out of it a voluted groove or
channel F, by preference eccentric to the centre B, the portion G beyond
the actuating knob E, herein-after called the finger, diverging from the
centre B more rapidly than the rest, as illustrated, the end of which
finger rests against a fixed stud or pin H, which acts as a stop to prevent
the cam plate being turned farther than is necessary in either direction.
This pin rises from a raised portion I of the base plate C, which serves as
a rest for the end of the finger G, preventing the cam plate and finger
being injured by undue downward pressure upon the actuating knob E,
or the cam plate may work in close contact with the base plate C, in

page_text: which case the raised portion I is dispensed with. J is a lever (similar
to the swivel or locking arm used in ordinary window fasteners) turning
upon the stud K in the base plate L, fastened to the outer sash M, but
which lever in the case of this my Invention is caused to spring back
when released to the position shown in Fig. 2, by the action of a spiral
or other suitable form of metallic or india-rubber spring N, situated by
preference beneath the base plate L, one end of which spring is con-
nected to a stud O projecting downward from the under side of the
lever J which works through a slot P formed in the base plate concentric
with the stud K. At the other outer end of this lever J is a stud Q.
carrying a friction bowl R for the purpose of easily traversing the groove
in the cam plate A.
The action of securing a sash with this my improved fastener is as
follows: Applying the hand to the knob E, and turning the plate A in
the direction of the arrow the end of the finger G engages the friction
bowl R, and draws it into the eccentric groove of the cam plate A;
traversing this groove the bowl R is with considerable force drawn
nearer and nearer to the centre B, so pulling the two sashes together
and tending to prevent the unpleasant rattling of the same in windy
weather, whilst at the same time the position of the bowl R in the groove
of the plate A renders it impossible to open the window from without,
an advantage which may be still further secured by applying locking
mechanism of any convenient construction to act upon the end of the
finger G. One arrangement of this locking mechanism is illustrated in
Fig. 1, where the end of the finger G is shewn provided with a notch S
which engages with a spring pawl T upon coming in contact with the
stop H. When the fastener is to be released this spring pawl T is first
pushed back by a key U (shewn dotted), introduced through a suitable
keyhole or opening in the top of the lock case which is here shewn
removed to expose the internal mechanism.
I would here remark that I do not confine myself to the construction
of my improved fastener with locking mechanism nor to the form of lock
before described, as the arrangement of the same might be considerably
varied, and even an ordinary padlock be employed with suitable provision
for holding it, and although I have only described my Invention as
applied to a sash window, that it is equally applicable for securing all
kinds of casement windows.

page_text: I claim the combination and arrangement of the grooved cam plate
with the spring lever or locking arm forming a safety fastener for sash
and casement windows as and for the purposes described and illustrated
on the accompanying Drawing.
and casement windows as and for the purposes described and illustrated
on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Holbrook, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Holbrook, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
0
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
. 71, Market St.,
Manchester.
WILLIAM HOLBROOK. (L.S.)