AN IMPROVED FIELD STILE OR GATE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lyne, of Malmsbury, in the County of
Wilts, Draper, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FIELD STILE OR
GATE."
Sealed the 29th January 1858, and dated the 5th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lyne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
August 1857.
I, THOMAS LYNE, of Malmsbury, in the County of Wilts, Draper, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED FIELD STILE
OR GATE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in an improved stile or gate which shall open
sideways, upon pressure being applied thereto, to allow of the passage of a
person, and which shall close immediately the pressure is removed, and
prevent the passage of cattle through it except when kept open purposely.
The gate or stile consists of two uprights, set at the desired distance apart,
and each fitting at bottom to a metal socket, the lower end of which descends
into a box, and is centred upon a pin or bolt in the upper part of the box, so
as to form a lever. The bottom of each lever is connected to a curved rod,
and both curved rods are united in a joint free to slide up and down upon a
groove in a plate. Strong springs are fitted into the box, and bearing against
the lower ends of the socket levers tend to press them outwards and maintain

page_text: the uprights in a vertical position. When one or both of the uprights is or
are pushed outwards, the springs yield, and both uprights become separated
at the upper part; upon the pressure being removed from it or them the
springs force them to resume their original vertical position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Lyne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LYNE, of Malmsbury, in the County of Wilts, Draper, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Lyne, Her special licence, that I, the said Thomas Lyne,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Lyne, 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 "AN IMPROVED FIELD
STILE OR GATE," upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said Thomas
Lyne, 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 Thomas Lyne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:
My Invention consists in an improved stile or gate which shall open
sideways, upon pressure being applied thereto, to allow of the passage of a
person, and which shall close immediately the pressure is removed, and
prevent the passage of cattle through it, except when kept open purposely.

page_text: The gate or stile consists of two uprights, set at the desired distance apart,
and each fitting at bottom to a metal socket, the lower end of which descends
into a box and is centred upon a pin or bolt in the upper part of the box, so
as to form a lever. The bottom of each lever is connected to a curved rod,
and both curved rods are united in a joint, free to slide up and down upon a
groove in a plate; strong springs are fitted into the box and bearing against
the lower ends of the socket levers tend to press them outwards and maintain
the uprights in a vertical position. When one or both of the uprights is or
are pushed outwards, the springs yield, and both uprights become separated
at the upper part; upon the pressure being removed from it or them, the
springs force them to resume their original vertical position. Or, instead
of springs, I use counterbalance weights to restore the uprights to their
position.
In the Drawings annexed, I shew weights used instead of springs. Figure 1.
is an external elevation. Figure 2, an elevation chiefly in section of one of
my improved field stiles. Figure 3 is a plan of the box. A, A, is the box
cast with legs a, a, which steady it in the ground; B, B, B', B', are stationary
posts let into the four corners of the box; C, C, are the movable uprights;
they are received by metal sockets D, D, in the upper ends of the levers E, E',
centred upon bolts or pins b, b; F, F¹, are projections on the levers, termi-
nating in teeth which work into each other; G is a counterbalance weight
cast on the lower end of the lever E; and G³, a similar weight on the
lever E¹; c is a wooden block let into the weight G¹ to receive the shock
upon the two uprights closing. I have represented a catch at Figure 2,
which may be fitted where it is considered necessary, to prevent the stile
being accidentally opened. d is a lever centered at e, the short arm of which
is forked and enters a hole cut for its reception in one of the movable
uprights; the opposite arm is formed as shewn in the Figure, and fits over a
stud f in one of the fixed posts; g is a rod terminating at top in a knob and
receiving in a notch at bottom the short forked arm of the lever d. On
pressing down the rod, the long arm will be disengaged from the stud, and
the movable uprights can be pushed sideways to allow of a passage through
the stile; h is a rod fixed to the movable, upright C; the rod acts as a guide
and works through between the fixed post B, B; X is the ground line.
Upon either or both of the movable uprights being pushed laterally, the levers
will play upon their centres, and the weights will both be raised; and as soon
as pressure upon the uprights is released, the weights fall back, as shewn in
Figure 2, and thus restore the uprights to their original position.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what

page_text: manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the improved
field gate or stile herein-before described, consisting mainly of two uprights
which have to be separated laterally to allow of passage through them, and
which, when released, are made to close by means of springs, counterbalance
weights, or other similar contrivances, acting upon levers, to which the
uprights are connected.
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the improved
field gate or stile herein-before described, consisting mainly of two uprights
which have to be separated laterally to allow of passage through them, and
which, when released, are made to close by means of springs, counterbalance
weights, or other similar contrivances, acting upon levers, to which the
uprights are connected.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lyne, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight.
THOMAS LYNE. (L.S.)
THOMAS LYNE. (L.S.)