IMPROVED LOCKS OR FASTENERS FOR DOORS, GATES, BOXES, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1870

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LETTERS PATENT to Abel Edgar Samels, of Mortlake, in the County ..
of Surrey, Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVED LOCKS OR FASTENERS
FOR DOORS, GATES, BOXES, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Sealed the 22nd December 1870, and dated the 22nd October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Abel Edgar Samels at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd October 1870.
I, ABEL EDGAR SAMELS, of Mortlake, in the County of Surrey, Builder,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED LOCKS
OR FASTENERS FOR DOORS, GATES, BOXES, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
For doors the latch part of the lock is the most frequently used, and
I make it the principal part of the fastener; using it for latching; bolting,
and locking. The projecting latch or bolt is fixed or cast to a round
rod of any suitable length to allow the door handles to be placed at any
required distance from the edge of the door frame, and this rod is
inserted in a hole bored by an ordinary auger. Instead of the ordinary

page_text: lock spring I use a spiral spring passed over the rod, one end being in
contact with the latch head or tail, and the other end in contact with
the back of a small case let into the door. For working the latch or
bolt there is a lever let into the door, the upper part of which is con-
nected to the rod, and the lower part to a spindle to which the ordinary
door handles are fixed, and the latch is withdrawn from its corresponding
socket by turning the handles in the usual manner. To bolt the door I
employ a small handle attached to a lever for moving a slide or plate
behind the head of the latch to prevent it from being withdrawn by the
ordinary handles. To lock the door I employ a key for shooting another
slide or plate behind the head of the latch, and it will be perceived that
by these arrangements a superior fastening is obtained by locking and
bolting the latch itself, inasmuch that with lock fittings of small dimen-
sions the latch is so securely fastened that it cannot be forced back
until the key releases the plate from behind the head of the latch. In
some cases the latch and bolt are only required, and then the lock and
key are dispensed with, but when the latch and lock are only required
the bolt is not supplied. I also, when desired, work the latch by means
of a drawback instead of the lever and handle, and use a pin and holes
or a slide and notches for keeping back or fastening the latch as required.
For boxes and some descriptions of doors and gates the rod of the latch
works at the surface instead of in the interior, and the spring for giving
one movement connected by a wire to the rod and the head of the latch
is formed angular, round, square, or any required shape.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Abel Edgar Samels in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st April 1871.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABEL
EDGAR SAMELS, of Mortlake, in the County of Surrey, Builder,, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Abel Edgar Samels, Her special licence

page_text: that I, the said Abel Edgar Samels, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Abel Edgar Samels, my 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 "IMPROVED LOCKS OR FASTENERS
FOR DOORS, GATES, BOXES, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Abel Edgar Samels, 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 Abel Edgar Samels, 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 (that is to say)
For doors the latch part of the lock is the most frequently used, and
I make it the principal part of the fastener, using it for latching, bolting,
and locking. The projecting head of the latch is fixed or cast to a round
rod of any suitable length to allow the door handles to be placed at
any required distance from the edge of the door frame, and this rod
is inserted in a hole bored by an auger, the latch head being angular,
round, square, or any required shape. Instead of the ordinary lock spring
I use a spiral spring passed over the rod, one end being in contact with
the latch head, and the other end in contact with the back of a small
case let into the door. For working the rod and latch there is a lever
let into the door, the upper part of which lever is connected to the rod,
and the lower part to a spindle to which the ordinary door handles are
fixed, and the latch head is withdrawn from its corresponding socket by
turning the handles in the usual manner. To bolt the door I employ
a small handle attached to a lever for moving a bolt formed as a slide
or plate behind the head of the latch to prevent it from being withdrawn
by the ordinary handles; and to lock the door I employ a key for
shooting another slide or plate to act as a bolt behind the head of the
latch. In some cases the latch and bolt are only required, and then the

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lock and key are dispensed with, but when the latch and lock are only
required the bolt is not supplied. When desired I work the latch by
means of a drawback instead of the lever and handle, and use a slide
and notches or a pin and holes for keeping back or fastening the latch.
as required, and also place the spiral spring at the tail end of the rod
and latch. For metal boxes, safes, and iron doors and gates the rod and
latch may work at the inner surface instead of in the interior, and the
spring for giving the movement be connected by a wire to the rod of.
the latch.
These improvements will be clearly understood by the following
particular description thereof, reference being had to the figures and
letters in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is
a side view of the interior of a combined latch, bolt, and lock suitable
for any door where a three-bolt lock is required; Fig. 2 is a top view
shewing part of a door and door frame with the latch inserted in them;
Fig. 3, the face of the fastener as it appears at the edge of the door;
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views of some of the parts; Figs. 7 and 8 are side
and top views of the interior of a combined latch and lock; Fig. 9, a
view of the face at the end of the door; Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15
are detached views of some of the parts; Figs. 16, 17, 18, and 19 are
different views representing an arrangement for working the latch as a
drawback instead of using a spindle, and also a different arrangement
for bolting the latch; Fig. 20 represents a latch with the spring at the
tail end of the rod, and the latch without a metallic case; Figs. 21, 22,
and 23 are views of parts of the same; and Figs. 24, 25, and 26 are
different views of a smaller latch having a spring at the back, the whole
being inserted in the door simply by making a hole in the door with an
auger.
In the various Figures a represents part of the door; b, the latch
head; c, the rod to which it is fixed or cast; and d, the spiral spring for
moving the latch one way.
In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 it will be observed that instead of shooting three
separate bolts the latch head alone projects from the small case f, in
which part of the rod c and spring d are enclosed, the spring at one
end pressing against the back of the head, and at the other end against a
the plate 9 of the case, so that when not prevented the spring keeps
the latch head in the socket h, Fig. 2, and also pushes the head forwards
after it has been moved back by hand. In the door there is an ordinary.

page_text: lock spindle i having a handle at one or both sides as required, and on
this spindle there is a lever j, Figs. 1, 2, and 4, let into the door, and
attached to the rod c by a small screw k, there being a slot in the lever
to allow it to vibrate, and to the case is fixed a stop to prevent the
latch head from going too far back. When there is no bolt behind the
head of the latch the door is set free by turning the handle, and after-
wards fastened when the latch is pressed forwards by the spring; but to
bolt the door by keeping the latch in its corresponding socket without
using a key I employ at the inside of the door a small handle connected
by a spindle to the lever m, which works a small bolt n up and down,
the spring o keeping the bolt firm in its place; and when the bolt is in
its raised position, as shewn in Fig. 1, it prevents the latch from being
withdrawn, and as the small bolt is inclosed in the case a person outside
the door cannot apply anything to force it back and so release the latch.
To lock the door, either at the outside or inside, I employ any well-
known description of key in connection with corresponding wards in
the interior of the case for shooting another bolt p behind the head of
the latch, one description of wards and keyhole being shewn at q, Fig. 1 ;
and when the key has been turned one way to place the bolt behind the
head of the latch, as shewn in the Figure, the door is securely locked,
but when the key has raised the bolt the latch is either held by the
bolt nor free to be moved by the handle and spring d. A superior
fastening is obtained by locking and bolting the latch itself, for even
with keys and wards of small dimensions the latch is so securely fastened
that it cannot be moved back until the key has withdrawn the bolt p;
and it will be seen that all the advantages contained in the best three-
bolt locks are by my improvements compressed into about one-third of
the size of an ordinary six inch mortice lock. When the latch and lock
only are required the bolt n and its connections are not used, and where
the latch and bolt n only are required the lock, key, and bolt are not
supplied.
In Figs. 5 and 6 I represent a spindle and lever combined to be used
when desired instead of the loose spindle i and lever j, Figs. 1, 2, and 4. ;
In the arrangement of latch and lock shewn in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 the
latch head b, the rod c, the case f, the lever j, and the stop 1 are similar
to those shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the main difference being that
there is only one bolt and lock, and the wards are of a superior descrip-
tion, similar to those called Chubb's; and I may here remark that any

page_text: ordinary and permutation system of wards or levers and key can be
applied to my improved fasteners. The bolt p is shewn behind the back
of the latch head, and therefore the door is securely fastened, but when
the key has moved the various slides or tumblers », and pushed down
the bolt p, the latch is free to keep the door shut or allow it to
opened. The rod and latch is worked by the lever j in connection with
a spindle and handle at one or both sides of the door, the lever being
cast to a collar 8, Figs. 8, 12, and 13, having a square hole for the
reception of the spindle of the handle or handles, and this collar works
in bearings t, u, Figs. 8, 10, 11, 14, and 15, the external plate of the
bearing u being extended to cover the space cut out of the door for the
reception of the lever j.
In the arrangement for working the latch as a drawback, shewn in
Figs. 16, 17, 18, and 19, Fig. 16 is a side view of the fastener; Fig. 17
a view of the face of the latch as it appears at the edge of the door; and
Figs. 18 and 19 are end and top views of some of the parts. In the
inside of the door is sunk and screwed a plate v having a horizontal
slot w, through which is passed a projection x fixed to the rod c for
carrying the handle y, the handle being used for bringing back the rod
and latch, and the spring d for shooting it into its socket in the door
frame, the slot to being sufficiently long to allow these operations to be
effected. In the rod c are formed notches a', 6', in which can be entered
as required the top of a sliding bolt c¹, which is passed through the
vertical slot d¹ in the plate v, the bolt being in connection with a
handle e¹ on the outside, and prevented from separating from the plate
by a pin at the inside, a spring g¹ being used to keep the bolt steady.
When the handle and bolt are in their lowest positions the bolt does not
enter either of the notches, and the latch is free to be moved to and fro
by the handle y and spring d, but if the bolt is made to enter the hinder
notch a¹ when the latch is in the socket in the door frame the door is
securely fastened, and when the latch is out of the socket and the catch
entered into the foremost notch b' the latch is kept out of the socket
and the door unlatched.
In the side view, Fig. 20, I shew a latch in which the spring d is at
its tail end and the metal case dispensed with, the door itself forming
the case. A hole is bored in the door to receive the rod c, and a space h¹
morticed to receive the latch 6 when it is moved back. The rod c has
a screw k¹, which is screwed into a bearer 1, Figs. 20 and 21, to which
.

page_text: handles are fixed to work the latch as a drawback, there being a space
formed in the door to allow the bearer and spring to work, but the space
is covered by a plate sunk in and screwed to the door, and at the back
of the spring there is a small plate m¹ to act as a guide for the rod c,
and form a stop to the spring. The latch is bolted or kept back as
required by a small pin n¹, Fig. 22, which is passed through a hole o¹ in
the small plate p³, and into one or other of the holes q', ¹, Fig. 20, in
the latch rod c, there being another hole s¹ in the plate to receive the
pin when not used for the latch, and the holes are tapped to receive
the screwed part t¹ of the pin.
In Figs. 24, 25, and 26, representing a small latch, the said latch is
bolted in a similar manner to that just described.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to
be understood that I do not claim any description of key or lock in
connection with my improved fasteners; but what I do claim is, the
improved system of confining the working parts of the latch in a small
case, which can be readily inserted in the door without requiring the
large mortice necessary for the mortice locks at present in use, and the
arrangement for allowing the rod of the latch to project from the case
to any length for fixing the handles at any desired distance from the
edge of the door, as all such improvements are herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abel Edgar Samels, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.