A CERTAIN IMPROVED FASTENING OR CERTAIN IMPROVED FASTENINGS FOR WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, DOORS, AND TABLES, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A FASTENING OR FASTENINGS GENERALLY
Year: 1847

page_text: LOACH'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LOACH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brass Founder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth
day of February, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the
tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Loach, my exors, admors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Loach, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I; the said John Loach, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
térm of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "A CERTAIN IMPROVED FASTENING OR CERTAIN IMPROVED FASTENINGS
FOR WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, DOORS, AND TABLES, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A FASTENING OR
FASTENINGS GENERALLY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said John Loach, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in

page_text: and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Loach, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
box
9,
Figure 1 represents a plan of one of my improved fastenings, and Figure 2
a side elevation of the same, partly in section. a, b, represent portions of the
two sashes or other articles to be fastened together. a', 6', are metal plates
attached to the said sashes, and on which said plates the parts of the fastening
are fixed. c is an axis on the plate a'. d is a lever moving in a horizontal
plane on the said axis c. The end of the said lever is formed into a thumb
plate, and the end d" of the said lever is curved, as shewn in the Drawing.
The curvature of the concave side of the same is excentric to the axis c. The
upper surface of the curved end d¹¹ of the lever d is inclined, as seen in the side
view, Figure 2. e is a steel spring, one end of which is fixed to the plate a', and
the other end presses against the lever d, as shewn in the Drawing. f is a
roller which works on an axis on the plate 6'. This roller is contained in the
the under surface of which is inclined, as seen in Figure 2. The action
of this fastening is as follows:-When the thumb plate d is pushed in the
direction of the arrow a, Figure 1, until the curved end of the lever d is quite
disengaged from the roller f, and is brought over the sash a, the said lever
is unconnected with the sash 6, and the said sash 6 may be lowered, or the sash
a raised. When the window is closed and the parts of the said sashes are
brought nearly opposite each other, as shewn in Figure 2, the motion of the
thumb plate d in a direction contrary to that indicated by the arrow x,
Figure 1, effects the complete closing and fastening of the window sashes, that
is to say, it brings the parts a, b, of the sashes (see Figure 2) opposite to each
other, either by raising the sash 6 or lowering the sash a; it draws the said
sashes close together, and fixes the same firmly in the window frame or case.
so as to prevent the shaking of the said sashes by the wind or otherwise.
These several effects are produced in the following manner. If in closing
the window the upper sash has not been raised sufficiently high, or the lower
one not brought down sufficiently low, then on the introduction of the curved
end d" of the lever d into the box g, the inclined surface of the said curved
end of the lever d (see Figure 2) coming in contact with the inclined
under surface of the box g. raises the said box g and sash 6, or depresses the

page_text: sash a. The sashes a, b, are drawn close together by the eccentricity of the
concave surface of the curved arm d" of the lever d, for as the thumb plate
dis moved in a direction contrary to that indicated by the arrow a, Figure 1,
the parts of the said curved arm which pass in succession over the roller f
being of a radius becoming gradually shorter, the said roller is necessarily
drawn closer to the axis c of the lever, and the sashes pressed close together
by the action last described. The sashes are also fastened in the window
frames; for, since the curved arm d does not press on the roller f in a direc-
tion perpendicular to the length of the said sashes a, b, that is to say, in the
direction indicated by the arrow a³, but in an oblique direction, that is to
say, in the direction indicated by the arrow a", the said pressure not only
tends to bring the said sashes closer together, but it also presses the sash a
in the direction indicated by the arrow and the sash 6 in the direc-
tion indicated by the arrow al. The said sashes are thus pressed against
the window frames, and prevented from shaking. During the motion of the
lever d into the position represented in Figure 1, the spring e presses on the
convex side of the curved end d" of the said lever, and since the curvature of
the same is concentric with the axis c, the said spring does not resist the
motion of the said lever, excepting by its friction, but when the lever d has
assumed the position shewn in Figure 1, the spring presses on another part
of the lever, as shewn in the Drawing, and in opposing by its pressure the
return of the said lever, maintains the several parts in the position represented.
By pressing the thumb plate d in the direction indicated by the arrow x,
the spring & offers resistance to its motion, until the convex part of the lever
is brought under the spring e, when the said spring no further opposes the
motion of the said lever, excepting by its friction. I sometimes modify my
improved fastening in the manner represented in Figure 8, that is to say,
I substitute a lever h in place of the spring e, Figure 1, which said lever is:
made to press upon the lever d by a coiled spring contained within the box i.
A roller jis placed on the end of the said lever h, whereby the friction of the
said lever on the lever d is diminished. In applying my improved fastening
to the fastening of tables, I sometimes modify it in the manner represented
in Figure 4, that is to say, in place of the spring e, Figure 1, or the lever h,
Figure 3, I employ a click k and spring 1. The said click k is made by tho
spring to engage in the teeth m, formed on the lever d, and holding it firmly
in the position in which it is placed. In unfastening this improved fastening
it is necessary first to disengage the click k from the teeth m on the lever d, by
pressing the end of the said click in the direction indicated by the arrow y,
when the lever d may be moved and the unfastening effected. Either of the

page_text: fastenings herein-before described, and represented in the accompanying
Drawing, may be used as a fastening for doors or shutters, or as a fastening
generally.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise method of carrying my Invention into effect
herein-before described, and represented in the accompanying Drawings, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention;
and I wish it further to be understood that I do not claim as my Invention
any of the parts of my improved fastenings herein-before described and repre-
sented, separately considered, as the same are or may be in common use, but
I claim the construction of a sash fastener, in which, by the means herein-before
described (that is to say, the motion of a lever), three separate motions are
communicated to the sashes to which the said fastening is attached, by which
said motions the said sashes are firstly raised or lowered to the proper height,
secondly, drawn closely together, and, thirdly, pressed against the window frame
so as to prevent the shaking of the said sashes, as herein-before described, and
represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawing; also the
modification of the same herein-before described, and represented in Figures
3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawing, and the application of the said
fastenings as fastenings for doors and shutters, and as fastenings generally.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Loach, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.