IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS AND OTHERWISE.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Broomhall, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Smith, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS AND
OTHERWISE.
"
Sealed the 11th July 1871, and dated the 17th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Broomhall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th May 1871.
I, CHARLES BROOMHALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Smith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY CARRIAGE
DOORS AND OTHERWISE," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to locks or fastenings designed specially to
obtain increased safety without inconvenience and disadvantage in the

page_text: case of railway carriage doors, whilst it is also applicable in any other
cases wherein a self-closing action is desirable.
The Invention consists in arranging the bolt, which may be formed
with the ordinary rectangular projecting end, so that on its being drawn
into the lock by the action of turning the handle or key it is held in by
a catch pressed into action by a spring, and so that on the door being
closed the catch is released and the bolt shot by a strong spring, thus
fastening the door without the necessity for turning the handle or key.
When the bolt is shot a tumbler or lever falls in behind a stump or
talon and locks the bolt, but is moved out of the way when required by
the action of the handle or key. A strong spring or a pair of springs
is applied to the inner end of the bolt to tend to press it outwards.
The catch appliance may be varied, but in one modification a notch or
projection is made on the under side of the bolt, and a catch lever acted
on by a spring engages therewith on the bolt being moved into the
lock. Either this catch lever or a separate small lever or trigger piece
in connection with it is made to project slightly from the edge of the
door so as to come in contact with the striking plate on the door case
when the door is closed, and thereby release the bolt; or the trigger
piece may be in a recess in the door, and be acted on by a small
projection on the striking plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Broomhall in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES 2
BROOMHALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Smith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty- 3
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Broomhall, Her special licence
that I, the said Charles Broomhall, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Broomhall, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR
FASTENINGS APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS AND OTHERWISE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Broomhall, 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 Charles Broomhall, 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 in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to locks or fastenings designed specially
to obtain increased safety without inconvenience and disadvantage in
the case of railway carriage doors, whilst it is also applicable in any
other cases wherein a self-closing action is desirable.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing
two modifications of my improved lock or fastening. In these Drawings
the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or corresponding
parts wherever they are repeated.
Figures 1 to 5 represent one modification, Figure 1 being a vertical
section of the opened lock with the bolt 1 shot; Figure 2, a view of the
fore end plate; Figure 3, an inverted plan corresponding to Figure 2;
Figure 4, an inside view showing the position of the bolt 1 when the
handle is turned to open the door; and Figure 5, an inside view showing
the position of the parts after the door is opened. The bolt 1 is fitted
to slide on the usual stump or talon 2, and has applied to its inner end

page_text: a lever 3 acted on by a strong spring 4 which shoots the bolt whenever
it is free. The bolt is moved inwards by a bit 5 on a boss 6 formed with
a square eye to receive a key or the square spindle of the door handle,
and when so moved a catch 7 projecting down from its back end rides
over and beyond the back end 8 of a bent catch lever 8, 9, centred on
a pin 10 below the boss 6 and pressed up by a spring 11. A catch pro-
jection 12 is also formed at the top of the back end of the bolt 1, and
when the bolt is moved quite back an upper catch lever 13 acted on by
a light spring 14 falls in front of the catch projection 12 and holds the
bolt as shown in Figure 4. The lower catch lever 8-9 is connected to
a small bell-crank lever or trigger 15 which is centred on a pin 16 and
has attached to it a tongue 17 projecting through a slot in the fore end
plate 18. This trigger tongue 17 is slightly bevilled, and on the door
being closed encounters the striking plate on the door case, is thereby
pushed in and causes the lower catch lever 8-9 to turn so that its back
end gets below and clears the projection catch 7 of the bolt 1. As long
as the door is closed the lower catch lever 8-9 remains in the position
in which it is shown in Figure 4 even when the bolt is moved quite in,
but as soon as the door is opened the pressure is removed from the
trigger tongue 17, and the spring 11 is then free to push up the back
end 8 of the catch lever. In rising the lever end 8 lifts up a slide 19
connected to the bolt by two screws and a slot, and thereby moves the
upper catch lever 13 clear of the upper catch projection 12. The bolt
thereupon moves out slightly and catches on the lever 8-9, as shown
in Figure 5, ready to be shot fully out on the next closing of the door.
My second modification, shown in Figures 6 to 11, is in principle
identical with my first, and merely differs therefrom in being simplified
by making the bolt 1 itself perform all the functions of the catch
levers 13 and 8-9, and of the trigger 15-17. To admit of the bolt
acting in this way it is fitted so as to be capable of a slight. transverse
movement on the stump or talon 2, and in its slot in the fore end
plate 18, and it is made with a catch projection 7 on its inner side, and
with a catch notch 12 on its opposite side, the former engaging with
a catching or projecting strip 8 on the inner side of the lock, and the
latter with a catch 13 on the end of a blade spring 14. Figures 6, 7,
and 8 are horizontal sections of the lock; Figure 9 is a vertical section,
and Figure 10 a view of the fore end plate 18, whilst Figure 11 is a side

page_text: view of the striking plate fixed to the door case. In Figure 6 the door
is shown closed and the bolt 1 shot, in Figures 7, 9, and 10 the door is
supposed to be still closed, but the bolt moved quite in preparatory to
opening and held by the catch 13, and in Figure 8 the door is supposed
to be open. A projecting strip 20 is formed on the striking plate 21
of the door case, and the door and lock are made with a counterpart
recess 22 (indicated by a dotted line in Figure 9), so that on the door
being closed the bolt 1 encounters the strip 20 and is thereby moved
forward. This causes its projection 7 to clear the catch 8, and it is
instantly shot by the spring 4. On turning the handle to open the
door the bolt is first held by the catch 13, but on the door being opened
and the bolt 1 thereby freed from the pressure of the strip 20 a strong
spring 11 acting on the front of it pushes it clear of the front catch 13,
and causes it to engage with the back catch 8 in a position ready for
closing the door again. The front catch 13 is prevented from following
the bolt across by a staple 23 which limits its movement.
In order to distinguish my improved locks or fastenings from other
attempts to construct a safety railway carriage fastening free from
drawbacks and inconveniences, I would draw attention to certain
peculiarities, as follows, although as long as the door is at all open the
handle stands up, immediately on closing the door the bolt is of itself
fully shot and the handle turned down so as to require no attention
from the guard. When about to open the door if the handle is turned
as far as it will go it may be quitted or let go without the bolt springing
back, and the door may be pushed open by a separate action, whereas
with other safety fastenings a pressure has to be kept upon the handle
whilst opening the door, and this not being understood by passengers
gives them much trouble and inconvenience.
When desired, as for example when applying my improved locks to
safes, they may have added to them tumblers and other known safe-
guards against picking without interfering with their self-closing
arrangements.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein-described or delineated, but
that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the

page_text: combining of the parts or elements of locks or fastenings substantially
in the improved manner herein-described and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Broomhall, have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
CHARLES BROOMHALL. (L.S.)