Improvements in Book and Album Locks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Book and Album Locks.
We LEONHARD VORPAHL, and HERRMANN POHL, both of 18 Admiral
Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturers, 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:-
All the extensible album locks heretofore employed necessitate the arrangement
of special springs which provide for the desired elasticity between the locking slide
and the guide bow-piece or the casing, thus rendering the manufacture of such
locks troublesome and comparatively expensive, apart from the rapid wear to.
which these locks are subject.
Although innumerable attempts have already been made to devise a really
practical and cheap album lock, constituting a good spring by itself so as to.
dispense with special springs, they have not hitherto met with success, as the
methods tried have doubtless for the most part not started from proper
premises.
This invention consists in a special construction of the locking slide which is
formed of two or more wires presenting any desired transverse section and
wound together, and which is made in any form adapted to the style of the
lock, whereupon it is pressed flat by a powerful pressure produced by an
appropriate device. By this latter manipulation two main things are combined
with each other; in the first place the bow-piece, by the several windings of
the wire being forced into each other and pressed hard, receives the elasticity
which it lacked before and which renders the use of spiral springs superfluous,.
its durability being almost unlimited; in the second place a further great
advantage is gained by the appropriate employment of thicker or thinner wire
in bundles of two, three or even more, so that various scaly designs may be
produced on the bow piece, which impart to the whole a
very pleasing
appearance. Use is made preferably of brass wire, but any other metal which
may be worked into wire and which is suitable for this purpose may
advantageously be employed.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 represents a sectional elevation of one half of an extensible hook or
album lock constructed according to this invention, with the spring contracted.
Fig. 2 is a similar view with the spring extended.
Figs. 3 and 4 are front and side elevations closed lock in position.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the spring, and
Figs. 6 and 7 are elevations of modified designs of locks.
In order to utilize the elasticity imparted to the locking slide by the peculiar
mode of manufacture, the hinged locking bow piece a is made with oblique or
curved sliding surfaces which become narrower towards the top and against which
bear the angular feet of the spring locking slide 6 so that the locking slide owing
to its elasticity will always have the tendency to slide downwards and to compress.
the book or album.
A guide bar c working in guides d is secured to the slide 6 which engages with a
catch e in the ordinary manner.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
The mode of manufacture of elastically extensible book and album locks
without the use of special springs, which consists in suitably forming the locking
slide in the first place of any desired number of wires wound together and pre-
senting any transverse section, and then pressing the same flat by means of a
powerful pressure, in combination with the oblique or curved sliding surfaces of
an appropriately formed casing or bow piece which bring into play the spring
power of the slide, substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of December 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.