Year: 1888

page_text: I HENRY WHITELEY MORCOW, of Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America
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 my Invention is to so construct a fastener for travelling bags boxes
valises and the like that the frame of the bag or other article will be securely retained
at the sides as well as at the top.
In the accompanying drawings:
:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a travelling bag or valise provided with my
improved fastening device.
Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 1-2 figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan on the line 3-4 figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the bolt mechanism detached from the
bag; and
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are views illustrating modified forms of said bolt mechanism.
In Figure 1A A' are the opposite side frames of the bag or valise, one of which
carries a staple or equivalent device a which when the bag is closed projects through
a slot a¹ in the other frame, and receives a padlock or other suitable fastening.
Other forms of lock may, however be used.
On the top bar of the frame A¹ are guided sliding bolts B, which are connected by
pivoted bell crank levers D at the ends of the frame to bolts F guided on the side
bars of the frame, said side bolts having notches 6 at their lower ends, and the
top bolts having slots d terminating in enlarged openings d¹ (see figure 4).
On the frame A are projecting pins having enlarged heads, as shewn in figures 2
and 3 and when the bag is closed by bringing the frames A A¹ together the enlarged
heads of the pins on the top bar of the frame A pass through the openings in the top
par of the frame A¹ and through the enlarged openings d in the bolts B while the
DQ71

page_text: pins of the side bars of the frame pass beneath the bolts F the stems of the said side
pins being in line with the notches 6 in the side bolts.
When the frames have been drawn together the top bolts are forced apart by
pressure upon the thumb pieces g the slots d in said bolts receiving the shanks of the
top pins and said slotted portions of the bolts engaging with the enlarged heads of 5
the pins, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3.
A downward movement is at the same time imparted to the side bolts F owing to
the intervention of the bell crank levers D, so that the notches b of said side bolts
receive the stems of the side pins f and the lower portions of the bolts engage with
the heads of said pins.
By this means the headed pins serve as retainers for the bolts, hence the two frames
are firmly locked together both at the top and sides, and will be retained in this locked
condition by reason of the engagement of the staple a or equivalent locking device
with the adjacent ends of the bolts B.
The staple a is not rigidly secured to the frame A but can be pushed back on the
same, and on the removal of said staple from between the ends of the bolts the latter
can be drawn together by means of the thumb pieces g and the side bolts thus raised
until the enlarged heads of the pins fare free from engagement with all of the
bolts.
The slots or notches in the top and side bolts may be such that the pins will engage
with the top bolts before they engage with the side bolts, the top of the bag being
first retained, and attention then directed to drawing the sides of the bag together and
holding them by a further slipping of the bolts or the construction may be the reverse
of this.
The bell crank levers D are preferably slotted as shown in Figure 4 to receive the
pins whereby they are connected to the bolts B and F because of the arc of a circle
in which said ends move or the ends of the bolts may be slotted for the same
purpose.
The side bolts may have locking openings or slots other than those at the bottom,
as shown, for instance by dotted lines in Figure 4.
The lower ends of the bolts F need not necessarily be notched as they may simply
be thrust behind the heads of the side bolts f and if desired a single locking bolt B
on the top bar of the frame may be used in place of two bolts, such construction
being shown in Figure 5. In this case one of the side bolts F is operated by an
upward and the other by a downward movement and the top bolt B is held in the
locked position by reason of the bolt i of a lock carried by one of the frames A A¹
said bolt entering a slot in the bolt B.
Where a positive connection of the top and side bolts is not considered necessary
the adjacent ends of said bolts may be simply bevelled as shown in Figure 6 for
instance and if desired the bolts B may in either case be acted upon by springs h
tending to maintain the bolts in a locked position at all times the pins fin this case
having bevelled heads as shown in Figure 7 so that when the frames A A' are drawn
together these bevelled heads will effect the automatic retraction of the bolts, the
latter springing in behind the heads when the bag is, closed.
When the two bolts are positively connected a spring similar to the spring
but acting in the opposite direction, may be used to retract the bolts and unlock the
same.
I have shown the locking bolts arranged on the outside of one of the frames of the
bag, but it will be evident that said bolts can be placed on the inside of the frame
if desired, the locking devices being in this case entirely concealed when the bag i
closed,
The bolts may also, if desired, be provided with locking pins passing through slot
in the other frame of the bag and having enlarged heads engaging with said fram
when the bolts are moved into the locking position, an instance of this constructio
being shewn in Fig. 8.
My improved fastening device can, as will be evident, be applied to boxes, ches
and the like, as well as to the bag shewn in the drawing.

page_text: I am aware that the use of sliding bolts and headed pins in a bag fastening is not
new, and I therefore do not broadly claim this combination.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
First In fastenings for Bags, Boxes, Valises and the like The top and side bolts
carried by one frame and connected or joined at the corners of the frames, and con-
structed to engage with the other frame, or with projections thereon, to lock the two
frames together at top and sides, substantially as shewn and described.
Second In fastenings for Bags, Boxes, Valises, and the like The top and side
bolts carried by one frame and connected or joined at the corners of the frame, and
constructed to engage with the other frame, or with projections thereon, in combination
with a device for holding the top bolt or bolts in locked position, substantially as
set forth.
Third-In fastenings for.Bags, Boxes, Valises and the like The top and side bolts
carried by one frame and engaging with the other frame, or with projections thereon,
in combination with levers whereby said top and side bolts are connected at the corners
of the frame, substantially as shewn and described.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields.