Improvements in Gate Latches.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gate Latches.
IGABRIEL ROHRBACH of Del Rio, in the County of Val Verde and State of
Texas, United States of America Carpenter do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in latches for gates.
The latch consists of a horizontal sliding bolt which extends through an aperture in
the stile and engages at its outer end with a catch plate and at its inner end is
connected with a belt crank lever which is pivoted to a plate fixed to the inner face
of the stile and is provided with a coil spring which throws the bolt outwards to
engage with the catch plate. The stile is provided with metal plates which cover the
aperture in the stile through which the bolt passes and form guides for the bolt. One
of these plates has a slotted sleeve which extends into the aperture in the stile and the
bolt is provided with a cross pin which when the bolt is in its normal position
corresponds with the slots and leaves the bolt free, but which when the bolt is turned
locks the latter in its forward position.
The catch plate consists of a plate bent so as to form two vertical recesses divided
by a partition and is preferably made from a plate bent centrally on itself to form
the partition, then outward and forward at each end at right angles to form the
recesses, then at an acute angle to form inclines then parallel with the partition to
form wings to embrace the post.
Dated this 21st day of July, 1800
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gate Latches.
I GABRIEL ROHRBACH of Del Rio, in the County of Val Verde and Stato of Texas,
United States of America, Carpenter, 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 :—
My invention relates to improvements in latches for gates, and will be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, in
which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gate provided with my latch, part of the
gate being broken away to better disclose the construction of the latch; Figure 2 is
an enlarged cross-section of part of the gate and the latch, on line aa, Figure 3;
and Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the same, on line -, Figure 2.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The gate A is hung to post C by the hinges Beach consisting of the angle plates
or brackets B1 and B2, of which B₁ carries the pintle and B2 has a series of
apertures a in its horizontal portion, which is longer than the horizontal portion of the
plate B. In hanging the gate, the part B₁ of the bottom hinge is attached to the
post and the part B¹ of the upper hinge to the gate stile, the corresponding parts B³
being attached respectively to the gate and post. By placing the pintles b in different
holes a, the pitch and swing of the gate can be regulated.
On the inner side of the outer stile D of the gate is secured the base plate G to
which is pivoted a bell crank lever or latch plate e by the pin g passing through ears
on the base and latch plates; the portion of the lever forms a handle and a coil

page_text: spring c on the pin g bears on the base and lever. On the inner face of the base
plate is secured a slotted sleeve J concentric with the bolt aperture in said plate. In
the upper longer end of the latch plate is held loosely by a pin fand the key K, the
sliding bolt d passing through the base plate, the sleeve J, a suitable hole in the
stile D, and a face plate k, on the outer side of the stile. A pin i passes transversely
through the bolt adjacent to the inner end of the sleeve J. When the bolt is in the
position shewn in Figures 1 and 3, the bolt may be freely moved outward by
manipulating the latch plate, the pin i passing into the slots of the sleeve, but if the
bolt is given a quarter turn, by means of the key K, when an attempt is made to
operate the latch, the pin i coming in contact with the end of the sleeve will prevent
outward movement of the bolt. The catch E attached to the post F is formed with
two vertical recesses 7 divided by a partition and is preferably made from a plate
bent centrally upon itself to form the partition, then outward and forward at each
end at right angles to form the recesses then at an acute angle to form inclines,
then parallel with the partition to form wings to embrace the post.
To open the gate, the handle of the latch plate is pressed downwards which will
draw the upper end of the plate away from the stile D thus drawing the bolt a from
engagement with the catch; the gate may then be swung in either direction. When
the gate closes, the bolt a striking one of the inclines of the catch is forced inward
until it reaches one of the recesses when it will be forced outward by the spring c,
further swinging of the gate being prevented by the bolt striking the partition .
By turning the bolt by the key K the gate can be locked, as hereinbefore described.
The vertical recesses in the catch will permit engagement of the bolt, even should
the gate sag considerably, and allow for the adjustment of the gate by the hinges B.
As shewn, the key K consists of a pin passing through the bolt and bent outward
at its ends, but any device answering for a stop and a handle will be within the
scope of my invention.
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 :
1. A gate latch comprising a slotted sleeve, a pivoted and spring-actuated latch
plate and a bolt mounted to turn in the latch-plate and extending through the sleeve
and provided with a transverse pin, substantially as shewn and described.
2. A catch for a gate lateli, consisting of a plate bent to form two aligning
recesses divided by a partition two opposite inclines and two wings for attachment to
a post, substantially as shewn and described.
3. In a gate latch, the combination, with a base plate and a slotted sleeve, carried
by the base plate, of a spring-actuated latch plate pivoted on the base plate a bolt
held to turn in the base plate and extending through the sleeve a transverse pin in the
bolt and means for turning the bolt, substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this 10th day of September 1800
G. ROHRBACH.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.