IMPROVED Door Fastener, SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY WAGONS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Heginbothom, of Chorley, in the County
of Lancaster, Fitter, for the Invention of "IMPROVED Door Fastener,
SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY WAGONS."
Sealed the 21st August 1874, and dated the 6th April 1874.
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Heginbothom
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th April 1874.
I, WILLIAM HEGINBOTHOM, of Chorley, in the County of Lancaster,
5 Fitter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
DOOR FASTENERS SPECIALY APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY WAGONS," to be as follows:
My Invention relates to all kinds of doors where a firm fastening is
required, and is specially applicable to railway wagon doors, and is a
self-locking apparatus. For railway wagon doors I use the top end of
0 the hinge plate which I make to project above the top of the door, above
which in the frame of the door or side of the wagon I hang a balance
.

page_text: swivel catch, the catch part of which comes over the point of the before-
mentioned end of hinge plate, holding it firmly in its place.
When it is desired to unlatch or liberate the door I lift a side catch
which when down locks the fastener in its place, but when lifted liberates
the balance swivel catch and the door opens. The back and lower part
of this swivel catch I make of an eccentric shape in order to counteract
catch side when required to lift. The front part of such eccentric side
and immediately under catch I make prominent and full, so that when
the hinge band strikes the catch comes down by its retirement, it being
swivelled above. For open, top, or end doors I place the same arrange-
ment of swivel catch on the side of wagon opening, receiving the
door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Heginbothom in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HEGINBOTHOM, of Chorley, in the County of Lancaster, Fitter, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her. heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Heginbothom, Her special
licence that I, the said William Heginbothom, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Heginbothom,
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,
excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVED DOOR FASTENER, SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY WAGONS," upon the
_condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Heginbothom, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal
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 Heginbotham, do licrcby
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 and the accompanying Drawings, in the
several Figures of which similar parts are marked by corresponding
letters of reference :-
My Invention relates to all or any kind of doors where a firm fastener
is required, and is to some extent self-acting, and is specially applicable
to railway wagon doors, side, end, or bottom.
-
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of my side door fastener shewing the door
slightly open and consequently unfastened; Fig. 2 is a similar view
showing the door fastened; Fig. 3 is a front view of the door fastener
with the door fastened. a in these several Figures is the door; b, the
hinge plate; c, the balance swivel catch; d, the frame in which such
catch swivels; e is a front side catch which when down locks the
fastener. This side catch is lifted by the handle f, which when lifted
the licavy balance end at × by its gravity swiveling on pivot i falls, as
shewn in Fig. 1, lifting thereby the front or catch part.
by the force of weight inside the wagon opens the door.
catch remains in such position until the door is forced to or properly
closed when the front side catch falls into its place locking the door.
The door then
The balance
I can and do in some cases substitute and use, a catch behind the
front plate, as shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 3, marked g, g, and lifted
by handle up slott ; its action and purpose is the same as the one
before specified in front but of a latch shape and are in fact mechanical
equivalents.
. When the door closes, as in Fig. 1, the top end of hinge plate 6 at 1
presses against the back of slot at 2 of balance swivel catch; pressing
it forward until it is in the position, as shewn in Fig. 2, when catch e
(if used) or latch-shaped catch g, if prefered, drops and secures the
balance catch in its place, thereby locking the door.
Figs. 4 and 6 are sectional views showing my end door fastener; and
Fig. 5 a front view of the same. a, a, is the door; b, b, the front plate;

page_text: c, c, the balance swivel catch; d, d, the side catch which is moved by
handle e 1.
Fig. 6 shews the door slightly open sufficiently so to allow the balance
catch to fall down out of the way of the door opening of its own gravity'
swivelling on pivot i. The lower end at j naturally falls to the position-
shewn, but when the front plate of the door bat 1 presses against the
back of slot in balance catch such part retires, bringing the lower end
at 3 to the position, as shewn in Fig. 4, when side catch d 1 falls into
its place, as shewn in Figs. 4 and 5, thereby locking the door.
::
2
When its desired to open the door the handle e 1 is moved to the left
hand, as shewn in Fig. 5, thereby liberating balance catch c, and by.
pressure of weight inside the door opens.
Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views of a bottom door fastener; and Fig. 9
is a front view of the same. 1, 1, is the door; m, m, the hinge plate;
n, n, the balance swivel catch; o, the frame in which it is swivelled at r;
8 is a side catch lever which is acted upon by handle t; this handle,
when the door is in its place closed is in the position indicated by the
Figs. 8 and 9, the lever s being as low down as the frame o will allow it
to drop; it is thus by its gravity kept in such position and holds the
door closed. Nor can such door by any posible means be opened except
by lifting the handle upward, which being connected to lever 8, being
fulcrumed at the other end at u slides into the space v, allows the w.cnd
of balance catch to come back against the sole of the wagon y, liberating,
the door which drops down, allowing the coal or other material to fall
through the bottom. When the door requires to be shut it is lifted up,
and in doing so lifts the balance catch; the end of hinge plate at .4
coming against the under side of catch at point 5, lifting it up till it.
assumes the position of Fig. 8, when the levers falls behind w end of
balance catch, securing it firmly in its place.
Having described my Invention, and the several ways I apply it, I desire
it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details I have had occasion to describe and refer to as many variations
may be made without deviating from the principle or main features of:
my Invention, but what I claim as secured to me herein is,―
First. The balance swivel catch or any colourable imitation of same,
substantially as and for the purposes hercin-before described and illus-
trated

page_text: Second. The side catches and lever 8, substantially as and for the
purposes herein-before described and illustrated.
Third. The combination and arrangements of the several parts herein-
before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Heginbothom, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
JOHN LEWIS,.
WILLIAM HEGINBOTHOM. (L.S.)
Engineer & Patent Agent,
?
Preston,
Lancashire.