AN IMPROVED SPRING CATCH OR FASTENING APPLICABLE TO WINDOWS AND OTHER REPUL PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Weston, of 4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED SPRING CATCH OR FASTENING APPLICABLE TO WINDOWS AND OTHER
REPUL PURPOSES
Sealed the 31st July 1863, and dated the 4th February 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Weston
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th February 1863.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS WESTON, of 4, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED SPRING CATCH OR FASTENING APPLICABLE TO WINDOWS AND
OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an iniproved construction of spring catch or
fastening, which may be applied to windows, to railway signals, railway brakes,
and a variety of other useful purposes.
I propose to form a box plate somewhat of the ordinary construction, which
is to contain a flat loose curvilinear steel spring extending nearly from end to
end of the box. I make the lever in a hollow or channelled form, in order that
it may contain a flat steel spring, one end of which is fastened to the fulcrum
end of the lever by means of a small vertical pin or stud passing through an
aperture cut in the spring, and also by means of a cross pin passing through
each side of the lever and underneath the flat spring close to the fulcrum end,
to bear pressure and create elasticity or increased power in the spring. The
spring is furnished on its upper surface, and near the opposite end of the lever,
with a wedge or angular shaped stud or tooth, which stud or tooth passes or
projects through an aperture cut in the top of the lever, and forms a catch or

page_text: stop, which takes into a series of corresponding cavities or racks formed either
underneath or at the side or sides of a segmental plate above the said lever,
one end of which is secured on to the ordinary lower plate containing the screw
holes for the attachment to the window or other object to which the fastening
is to be applied; or the rack may be formed upon the lower plate itself, in
which case the spring catch within the lever would have to be reversed.
In some cases I propose to substitute a spiral spring for the flat spring in
the hollow of the lever, the object being to move the catch or stop horizontally
against the rack when formed on the side or sides of the segmental plate.
The lever is applied to the box and spring by means of a pin or stud passing
through holes cut on both the upper and lower surfaces of the box, and
through a hole in the fulcrum end of the lever, which end of the lever is
lengthened, consequently it bears against the centre of the curvilinear spring,
and holds the same in position in the box without the aid of any other fastening.
The fulcrum end of this lever is somewhat enlarged in order to exercise greater
pressure upon the spring by the action or movement of the lever.
In order to unlock the catch, the spring is to be depressed by means of a
vertical stud, piston, or handle inserted into the extremity of the lever, the
lower part of which stud or piston has a horizontal slot cut therein, into
which the tip of the catch spring enters, or it may be rivetted; thus it is
obvious that by depressing the stud or handle the catch is thrown out of gear,
and the lever may be pushed back into a parallel line with the box
plate.
In order to apply the Invention to railway signals and other similar purposes
it is only necessary to extend the segmental spring lever rack to a semicircle
or to a complete circle; day or night signals could thus be actuated and
controlled by the application of this Invention. So also railway brakes may
be worked by a slight modification of the same principles. The fastening may
likewise be applied to other purposes where objects are required to be held in
position for any given period.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Thomas Weston, Her special licence that I, the said
William Thomas Weston, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Thomas Weston, 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 "AN IMPROVED SPRING CATCH OR FASTENING APPLICABLE
TO WINDOWS AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Thomas Weston, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the 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 Thomas Weston, 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 :-
My Invention consists of an improved construction of spring catch or
fastening, which may be applied to windows, to railway signals, railway breaks,
and a variety of useful purposes.
In order that my said Invention may be completely understood, I now
proceed to explain the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same
into practical effect, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
illustrative Drawings, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon, as follows:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a fastening; and Fig. 2 is an
internal view of the box and spring, Fig. 3 being a plan view of the same;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a segmental plate, Fig. 5 shewing an under plan view
of that portion thereof containing the segmental rack.
I form the box plate a somewhat of the ordinary construction; it contains a
curvilinear flat steel loose spring b, extending nearly from end to end of the
box. The lever c is formed in a hollow or channelled form, as shewn, in order
that it may contain a flat steel spring d, one end of which is fastened to the

page_text: fulcrum end of the lever by means of a small vertical pin or stud e passing
through an aperture cut in the spring, and also by means of a cross pin f
passing through each side of the lever and underneath the 'flat spring close to
the fulcrum end, to bear pressure and create an increased elasticity or power
in the spring.
The spring is furnished on its upper surface and near the
opposite end of the lever with a wedge or angular shaped stud or tooth g,
which passes or projects through an aperture cut in the top of the lever, and
forms a catch or stop, which takes into a series of corresponding cavities or
racks formed either underneath or at the side or sides of a segmental plate h
to be placed above the said lever, one end of which c¹ is to be secured on to
the ordinary lower plate a¹ containing the screw holes for the attachment to
the window or other object to which the fastening is to be applied; or the
rack may be formed upon the lower plate itself, in which case the position of
the spring catch within the lever would merely bave to be reversed.
In some cases I prefer to substitute a spiral spring for the flat spring in
the hollow of the lever, the object being to move the catch or stop horizontally
against the rack when formed on the side or sides of the segmental plate. The
lever is applied to the box and spring by means of a pin or stud i passing
through holes k cut on both the upper and lower surfaces of the box and
through a hole in the fulcrum end of the lever, which end of lever is lengthened,
consequently it bears against the central portion of the curvilinear spring, and
holds the same in position in the box without the aid of any other fastening.
The fulcrum end of this lever is somewhat enlarged in order to exercise
greater pressure upon the spring by the action or movement of the lever.
In order to unlock the catch, the spring is to be depressed by means of a
vertical stud, piston, or handle o inserted in the extremity of the lever, the
lower part of which stud or piston has a horizontal slot cut therein, into which
the tip d¹ of the catch spring enters, or it may be rivetted or fixed therein;
thus it is obvious that by depressing the stud or handle the catch is thrown
out of gear, and the lever may be pushed back into a parallel line with the
box plate.
In some cases I propose to reverse the foregoing arrangements and to
dispense with the flat spring in the hollow of the lever, and to make the.
projection, tooth, or stud a fixture on the lever, or to use the lever without a
tooth; the segmental rack, instead of being furnished with fixed racks as
before described, is to have a segmental slot cut in its surface, and one, two, or
more apertures cut completely through the segment, the slot containing a
moveable lever h¹³, as shewn in Fig. 6, which is a plan view, Fig. 7 an under
plan, and Fig. 8 a side view shewing the lever h¹ raised from the segment.

page_text: This lever is hinged, as shewn, and has on its under surface one, two, or other
number of teeth, the outlines of which coincide with the segment. This lever
with its teeth forms a rack for the fastening lever to pass under, and the teeth
are raised by the lever or by the fixed projection or tooth thereon, and after
its passage the teeth fall down and effectually secure the fastening.
In some cases I apply a spring to the short projecting extremity h³ of the
hinged toothed lever to ensure its falling into position, but whenever the
fastening is placed in a vertical position, in lieu of the horizontal position, the
spring is indispensable.
In order to apply the Invention to railway signals and other similar
purposes it is only necessary to extend the segmental spring lever or other
rack to a semicircle or to a complete circle; day or night signals could thus be
actuated and controlled by the application of this Invention. So also railway
breaks may be worked by a slight modification of the same principles. The
fastening may likewise be applied to other purposes where objects are
required to be held in position for any given period.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark in con-
clusion that I do not limit myself to the exact details and configuration of
parts I have specified herein and shewn, as the same may obviously be varied
or modified without departing from the principles on which the Invention is
based; but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the herein in part
recited Letters Patent are, the general arrangement and combination of parts
substantially as herein specified, constituting "An Improved Spring Catch or
Fastening applicable to Windows and other useful Purposes."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Weston, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
0 Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
W. T. WESTON. (L.S.)