Improvements in Locks and Striking Plates, principally applicable to Railway Carriage Door Locks.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th June, 1894-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Striking Plates, principally applicable
to Railway Carriage Door Locks.
I, WILLIAM SHEARING BUSBY, of the South Melbourne Engineering Works,
Smith Street, South Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has been devised for the purpose of providing a lock which will
be specially useful for the purpose of fastening railway carriage doors, and
its object is to remedy certain defects which are characteristic of the locks at
present in use for that purpose.
With certain locks used on railway carriage doors it sometimes happens that the
handle is turned after the door is opened, so that said handle projects beyond the
edge of the door, the consequence being that when the door is slammed into
its closed position, the inside handle comes in contact with the striking plate,
thereby damaging the inside handle and thus preventing the door from closing
until the handle has been returned to its proper position.
There are also
Another objectionable feature of certain railway carriage door locks is that when
the door is slammed to, it is not properly locked, but is merely caught sufficiently
to hold the door closed; the proper locking of the door not taking place until the
handle is turned either by a porter or by a person in the carriage.
certain kinds of locks termed "turn-over locks, having an aperture in front,
through which the dust can freely enter the works, thus necessitating much
cleaning (which means delay and expense). They also become a receptacle for
foreign matter, pushed in by mischievous boys or persons, thereby preventing the
lock from acting until it has been removed and put right again. Also by lifting or
pushing back the auxiliary bolt, as the case may be, persons can release the main
bolt, which shoots forward into its locked position, and when the door is slammed
the inside handle comes in contact with the striking plate, thereby damaging the
handle and preventing the door from locking until the handle has been returned to
its proper position, which oftentimes cannot be effected, the train having passed out
of the station, unless by some person who may happen to be inside the carriage at
the time, thus-in the event of an accident happening-putting the railway company
to considerable expense.
A further object of this invention is to devise a lock and striking plate which
will be simpler than those hitherto in use, and which will enable railway carriage
and other doors to be closed with a much less expenditure of power than is required
with the locks and striking plates hitherto in use, a further object being to
compensate for the shrinkage or warping of the door.
&
In carrying this invention into practice, I arrange the main sliding bolt within a
casing in the ordinary manner, and provide it with a recess or projecting piece in or
on its upper edge, with which a hook-shaped projection on a tumbler pivoted
between the main bolt and an auxiliary sliding locking bolt can engage. This
pivoted tumbler is formed with an upwardly projecting lug engaging in
corresponding recess in said sliding auxiliary locking bolt. The main bolt is formed
with a semi-circular recess in its lower edge, with which a correspondingly shaped
projecting lug engages, said lug being formed upon, the socket through which the
spindle, fitted with the usual handle on each end, passes, so that said bolt can be
moved back into its unlocked position by turning said handles, but when released
and forced into its locked position by a spiral spring, said projecting lug will bear
against the forward edge of the semi-circular recess in the lower edge of the main

page_text: bolt and will thus keep said main bolt in its projected or locked position. A spiral
spring is fitted into and bears against the auxiliary sliding locking bolt and tends to
keep same in its projected position.
The object of making the projection or recess on the main bolt undercut is to
prevent said main bolt from being released by simply pushing back the auxiliary
bolt, it being necessary with this undercut projection to first force back the main
bolt slightly so as to release the tumbler, and then to force back the auxiliary bolt
in order to release the main bolt, thus making it more difficult for mischievous
persons to release the main bolt while the door is open.
I can
If preferred, instead of employing a pivoted tumbler, as above described,
form the auxiliary locking bolt with an inclined slot, through which passes a pin
extending from side to side of the casing of the lock, said auxiliary sliding locking
bolt being provided with a projecting lug adapted to engage with a recess (or
projection if preferred) formed for the purpose in the upper part of the main bolt.
Instead of forming an inclined slot in the auxiliary sliding locking bolt, I may
attain the same object by arranging the two bolts at an incline to each other, that is,
so that when forced back they travel away from each other.
The main bolt may be made with a suitably-shaped recess, through the centre of
which is passed the door spindle, so that the main bolt can be more securely held
in its locking or projected position by turuing the operating handle further round
than usual, so as to move a projecting lug into its horizontal position, bearing
against the side of said recess in which it works.
According to another arrangement, a catch is pivoted within the lock casing, and
is formed with an inclined projection engaging with a corresponding incline on the
sliding bolt, so that when this latter is forced back by the closing of the door, it
will raise the catch, and will thus release the main bolt, as above described.
If preferred, instead of using an undercut recess or projecting piece on the main
bolt, and a hook-shaped projection on the tumbler, I form a shoulder upon said
tumbler, so that it bears against the underside of a projection upon the auxiliary
bolt when in its forward position, that is, when the door is open, thus preventing
said tumbler from being turned backwards and the main bolt from being moved
forwards by reason of the projection on said tumbler engaging with a projection on
said main bolt.
With this arrangement only a slight pressure is required to force back the
auxiliary bolt and thus the door will close more easily than with the locks
constructed as above described.
According to another mcdification of this invention, I actuate the main bolt by a
projecting lug fitting upon the door handle spindle and working within a recess in
said bolt, an auxiliary bolt fitting underneath a shoulder connected with said lug,
and therefore with the handle, so as to prevent said handle from being rotated,
thereby holding the main bolt back in its disengaged position, while the auxiliary
When the door is
bolt is in its forward position, that is, when the door is open.
closed, this auxiliary bolt is pushed back, releases the spindle or handle of the lock
and allows a spring or springs with which the main bolt is provided to move it
so constructed
forward into its locking or projected position. The auxiliary bolt
and arranged that it can be pushed back so as to release the handle or spindle
operating the main bolt with a very slight pressure, thus materially reducing the
friction upon the striking plate, as will be well understood.
This lock is particularly simple and easily fitted together, whilst its working
parts being so few in number, there is but very little likelihood of its getting out of
order in any way.
Under certain circumstances, when the door has shrunk and the framing
is further away from the outer edge of said door than usual, it sometimes happens
that the passengers in the carriage do not turn the handle back to the full extent
in order to open the door, because it is not necessary to do so, and therefore the
main bolt is sometimes not held by the catch. To provide against this possibility,
1 have devised means whereby the main bolt will be caught and held in its withdrawn

page_text: position at various distances. This result can be effected by cutting a number
of teeth upon the arm projecting from the spindle above referred to, and by
arranging a small tumbler to engage therewith, said tumbler being connected with
and actuated by a small auxiliary bolt, which is forced back when the door is
closed.
The same result can be effected by providing the main bolt with several rack
teeth along its upper edge and by arranging an auxiliary bolt so that it can be
forced back on coming in contact with the striking plate, and be caused to ride up
over a roller in the casing of the lock and thus be withdrawn out of engagement
with said main bolt.
Another modification consists in forming the upper and rear part of the arm or
lug, which as above referred to, projects from the spindle or handle of the lock, in
the form of a quadrant having three or four teeth which, when the lock is opened,
are forced back into engagement with a tooth upon the auxiliary sliding bolt.
In order to prevent the spindle or handle of the lock from being jammed by the
swelling of the woodwork of the door, I form the inside handle upon a sleeve, which
fits over the spindle upon which the outside haudle is secured, a nut being screwed
upon the end of said spindle so as to draw the end of said sleeve and a shoulder
upon said spindle tightly against the opposite sides of the boss on the lug or arm
which operates the main bolt of the lock; brass or other bearings being fitted on
each side of the door to form additional supports for the spindle of the lock.
The striking plate of the lock is formed according to this invention either with a
pivoted spring flap which is forced back by the outward movement of the main
bolt and therefore forms an incline down which the main bolt can slide when the
door is being shut. The door cannot be again opened except said main bolt be
moved back sufficiently to cause the same to be held in such a position that it will
clear the fixed part of said striking plate when the door is again shut. Or the
striking plate can be formed with a fixed incline, and have a small pivoted catch or
shoulder which springs forward when the door is shut, and projects far enough to
ensure the bolt being drawn back to the required extent before the door can be
opened.
If preferred, the striking plate can be formed with a small fixed shoulder at the
commencement of the incline down which the main bolt slides when the door is
being closed, said shoulder being placed in such a position as to ensure the turning
back of the main bolt far enough to clear said shoulder, and therefore far enough to
cause it to be retained in its proper position so that it will not interfere with the
door being closed.
Dated this Thirty-first day of July One thousand eight hundred and
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Striking Plates, principally applicable
to Railway Carriage Door Locks.
I, WILLIAM SHEARING BUSBY, of the South Melbourne Engineering Works,
Smith Street, South Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to a lock and striking plate which are simpler than those
hitherto in use, and enable railway carriage and other doors to be closed and
secured with a much less expenditure of power than is required with the locks and
striking plates formerly employed, the shrinkage or warping of the door being
moreover fully compensated for.
According to this invention, I use two sliding bolts, the main one being actuated

page_text: by a lug extending from a boss mounted. on the door handle spindle and working
in a recess in the bolt, while the other one (hereinafter called the auxiliary bolt).
is furnished with a tooth adapted to engage with one of several teeth formed upon
a projection from the boss. When the door is open, the tooth on the auxiliary bolt
is in engagement with one of the teeth on the projection, and serves to hold the
main bolt back in its disengaged position; the auxiliary bolt being in its forward
position." When the door is closed, the auxiliary bolt is pushed back by an
incline on the striking plate, thus releasing the toothed projection and consequently
the spindle of the lock, whereupon a spring or springs drives or drive the main bolt
forward into its locking or projected position. The auxiliary bolt is so constructed
and arranged that a very slight pressure is required for pushing it back to release
the handle or spindle operating the main bolt, thus materially reducing the friction
upon the striking plate, as will be readily understood.
This lock is particularly simple and easily fitted together, and having few working
parts is unlikely to get out of order.
With ordinary locks, when the woodwork has shrunk, and the framing is further
away from the outer edge of the door than usual, it is unnecessary to turn the
handle back to the full extent in order to open the door, and under such circum-
stances the catch or auxiliary bolt sometimes fails to engage with and hold back
the main bolt.
With my improved lock it is impossible for the auxiliary bolt to fail to hold
back the main bolt because a sufficient number of teeth are formed on the projection
to ensure the tooth on the auxiliary bolt engaging with the toothed projection
directly the door is opened.
In order to prevent the free movement of the spindle of the lock being interfered
with by the wood work of the door swelling, I form the inside handle upon a sleeve,
which fits over the spindle pertaining to the outside handle; a nut being screwed
upon the end of the spindle so as to draw the end of the sleeve and a shoulder on
the outside bandle or its spindle against the opposite sides of the boss wherefrom
the lug or
arm for operating the main bolt of lock projects. Brass or other
bearings are fitted on each side of the door to form supports for the handles of
the lock.
The striking plate for the lock may be provided with a pivoted spring-actuated
flap, which is forced back by the main bolt to form an incline for that bolt to
slide down while the door is being shut. Or, the striking plate may have an incline
formed upon it; the main bolt, in sliding down such incline, assisting to close the
door. Or, the striking plate may have a small shoulder at the commencement of
the incline to ensure the main bolt being moved back the desired distance.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a view showing in side elevation a lock constructed according to my
invention but without one of the side plates; the exposed internal parts being in
positions they occupy during the closing of the door.
Fig. 2 is a plan with the striking plate in horizontal section.
Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the parts in side elevation in the positions they
occupy when the door is closed and locked.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a portion of the striking plate.
Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4.
Figs. 6 and 7 are horizontal sections representing modifications of the striking
plate.
Fig. 8 is a horizontal section showing the spindle of the lock and the manner of
mounting the same and securing the handles thereto.
A is the main sliding bolt, b the actuating boss, B the lug on that boss,
el a spindle passing through a square hole in the boss, C the auxiliary bolt, and
c the projecting tooth thereon. care the teeth on the boss b with which the
tooth c engages.
a is the recess in the main bolt A into which the lug B projects.
a is the spring which actuates the main bolt A, and the spring for the auxiliary
bolt C. D is the striking plate formed with au incline d leading to the slot d' into

page_text: which the main bolt is projected. This striking plate is also provided with an:
inclined for forcing back the auxiliary bolt C while the door is being closed.
If preferred, instead of the incline d, I may employ a pivoted flap d³, behind
which is arranged a spring d', whose tendency is to always keep the forward edge
of the flap flush with the outer face of the striking plate. When. the pressure of
the main bolt comes upon the flap, the flap is moved back into the position.
indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6, and then forms an incline for the end of the
main bolt to slide down.
The striking plate may have a shoulder or projecting bead across the top of
the inclined to ensure the main bolt being drawn back far enough to clear the
striking plate.
In order to prevent the spindle of the lock being interfered with by the swelling
of the woodwork of the door, I form the inside handle E upon a sleeve e which
fits over the spindle e' whereon the outside handle E' is fixed. The end e of the
spindle is screwed to receive a nut e* which serves to draw the end of the sleeve e
and a shoulder on the outside handle E' against the opposite sides of the boss b..
The nut e and the recess in the handle E are preferably made slightly taper so.
that the nut will become jammed when screwed home and be thus prevented from.
working loose. e* are brass or other bearings fitted on the sides of the door to.
support the handles of the lock.
Before the door can be opened, one of the handles must be turned until the
main bolt A is drawn back to the requisite extent. While the door is being
opened, the auxiliary bolt C slides down the incline on the striking plate and
the tooth c engages with one of the teeth and holds the main bolt A in the
manner shown in Fig. 1. While the door is being closed, the auxiliary bolt C is
forced back by the incline d until the tooth c¹ is out of engagement with the
teeth, whereupon the main bolt A is released and forced forward by its
spring a¹ until it reaches the position represented in Fig. 3. As the main bolt
moves forward, it is forced against the incline d, and thus assists in closing
the door.
The compensating effect of the teeth will be understood from Fig. 1, in which,
the full lines show the positions of the parts when there is not much clearance-
between the door and the jamb, whilst the dotted lines indicate the positions of the
parts when owing to shrinkage the door is further away from the jamb and there is.
therefore no necessity for the bolt to be turned back to the full extent before the
door can be opened.
If preferred, two or more teeth, such as c', may be formed on the auxiliary
bolt C; thus reducing the number required on the projection from the boss b.
It will be obvious that the teeth may be applied to locks in many different.
ways. For instance, they can be applied to the head or to the heel of an ordinary
turn-over lock, or to the main bolt A, as will be readily understood by practical.
locksmiths.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention.
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :—
1. In a lock, the combination, with two sliding bolts (such as A and C), of a boss.
(such as b) through which passes the spindle of the lock, a lug (such as B) on the
boss adapted to engage with and operate the main bolt, and a projection on the boss
having teeth (such as ³) formed upon it for the auxiliary bolt to engage with,.
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
2. In a lock, the employment of teeth (such as c' and c³) adapted to come into.
engagement for the purpose of holding the main bolt in its extreme position, or in.
any other position to which that bolt may be moved for allowing the door to be
opened, substantially as herein described.
3. For use with a lock, a striking plate formed with an incline (such as d) for
the main bolt to slide down and thus assist in closing the door, substantially as.
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. For use with a lock, a striking plate furnished with a pivoted flap (such as d³)
adapted to be forced back by the main bolt of the lock so as to form an incline
down which that bolt can travel, substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth.
5. For use with a lock, a striking plate having an incline (such as d) for the
main bolt to travel down, and a projecting bead (such as d) at the commencement
of the incline, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
6. In a lock, two handles (such as E and E¹), one formed with a sleeve fitting
over a spindle secured to the other, a nut on the end of the spindle serving to draw
the end of the sleeve and a shoulder on the handle secured to the spindle (or on
the spindle) against a boss (such as b) inside the lock, substantially as and for the
purpose herein set forth.
7. The improved lock and striking plate constructed and operating substantially
as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
For the Applicant,
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agent.