IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR KNOBS TO SINDING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Webb and John Webb, junior, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Builders, and James Catstree,
of the same Place, Brassfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ATTACHING DOOR KNOBS TO SINDING"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Webb, John
Webb, and James Catstree, at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition on the 13th November 1855.
We, WILLIAM WЕBB and JопN WEBB junior, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Builders, and JAMES CATSTREE, of the same Place,
Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR KNOBS TO SPINDLES" to be as follows, that is to say:
Our improvements consist in constructing a small metal case or box, termed
a spindle box or pipe, in which is contained a click or spring catch. This box
or pipe is secured to the mount, and is sunk into the neck of the knob, after
which the mount is turned round over the edge of the knob, securing the whole
together; the spindle has a notch or notches cut on one or more of its sides, and
on inserting the spindle through the mount into the box or pipe before named,
the click or spring catch snaps into one of the notches, and thus the spindle and

page_text: knob are secured. In order to provide for removing the knob, a small hole is
formed in its neck, through which an awl or other suitable instrument can be
brought to bear on the head of the spring catch, by which it may be pressed
down whilst the knob is drawn off the spindle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Webb, John Webb, and James Catstree, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WEBB and JOHN WEBB junior, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Builders, and JAMES CATSTREE, of the same Place, Brassfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Webb, John Webb, junior, and James Catstree, Her special licence
that we, the said William Webb, John Webb, junior, and James Catstree,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Webb, John Webb, junior, and James Catstree, our 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, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR KNOBS TO
SPINDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Webb, John Webb, junior, and James Catstree, by an instrument in writing
under our 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 we, the said William Webb, John Webb, junior,
and James Catstree, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-

page_text: Our Invention has for its object the remedy of certain defects existing in
the present system of putting together the lock furniture for doors, as far as
regards the mode of attachment or connection of the knobs or handles with
the lock spindle, and consists, in the first place, of an improved mode of securing
the knob or handle to the spindle, avoiding the use of screws through the necks
of the knobs, so that the knobs cannot be imperfectly put on, are not liable to
become loose by wear, are capable of very minute adjustment, and may be
readily taken off when required by the most unskilled hands.
We will now proceed to describe our Invention by the aid of the Drawing
hereunto annexed, which represents in Figure 1 a section of a door knob and
spindle, and in Figure 2 a section of the corresponding knob of the pair. (A)
is the spindle, formed as usual of a piece of square rod iron; on to this spindle
is rivetted the mount (B), the neck of which with the end of the spindle in it is
then sunk into a cavity in the neck of the knob, as at (C), after which the
outer edge of the mount is closed round upon the edge of the knob in the
ordinary manner, as at (D). The corresponding knob, seen in Figure 2, has a
much larger cavity sunk in it, to receive what we term a spindle box or pipe
(E), which is formed on the back or inside of the mount. The closing of the
edges of the mount. round over the edge of the knob, as at (F), secures the
mount and spindle box to the knob. Inside the spindle box (E) is a spring
(G), bearing upon the head of the catch (H), pinned to the side of the spindle
box at about its centre, as at (1), and on this pin the catch works freely. Upon
inserting the spindle (A) into the cavity in the neck of the knob, seen in
Figure 2, and driving it home, the stud or butt on the end of the catch (II)
clicks into one of the notches (K) on the spindle, and if the knob be not
sufficiently close to the door it is only necessary to force the handles as much
closer together as may be required, when the catch will engage in another
notch, and the knobs will be firmly secured to the spindle. If it be required
to separate them, or to remove the spindle, provision is made by the introduction
of an awl or other suitable instrument through a small hole (L), left for the
purpose in the neck of the knob, through which the awl may be brought to
bear on the opposite end of the catch, releasing the stud from the teeth on the
spindle, and enabling the latter to be withdrawn with the greatest ease. It
will be seen, on reference to Figure 1, that the spindle is toothed intermediately
on the two sides; or it may be toothed on all four sides; this is for the purpose
of obtaining a more minute adjustment; for if the knobs do not fit closely to
the roses, by fixing the catch on one side of the spindle the loose handle can bo
withdrawn, by the means already described, and turned a quarter or half round,
when the catch will engage in one of the notches on one of the other sides of

page_text: the spindle that may be most suitable for the thickness of door, and thus a
very close adjustment may be obtained.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be clearly understood that we do
not confine ourselves to these precise details, nor to any particular form or
description of knob or handle; but that which we claim, and desire to liave
secured to us by the herein-before .in part recited Letters Patent, is, the con-
necting or mode of attaching the knobs or handles of doors to the lock spindles
by the employment of a spring catch, as herein more fully set forth and
specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Webb, John Webb, junior,
and James Catstrec, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM (1.8.) WEBB.
JOHN (L.B.) WEBB, JUNIOR.
JAMES (L.S.) CATSTREE.