IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Nabbs, of No. 6, Peckwater Street,
Kentish Town Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES."
Scaled the 2nd October 1868, and dated the 4th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Nabbs at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
4th April 1868.
I, RICHARD NABBS, of No. 6, Peckwater Street, Kentish Town
Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declaro the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in locks and latches.
In constructing door locks with two bolts, one a latch bolt and the
other a lock bolt, I construct and operate the latch bolt in the following
manner:-The foremost part of the bolt is made rectangular in section,
as is usual, and passes through a corresponding slot in the front plate of
the lock. Projecting from the rear end of this part of the bolt is a

page_text: cylindrical stem which extends back to the rear end of the lock; the
rear end of the stem passes through a cylindrical hole in a guide or
support fixed to the casing of the lock. The bolt is constantly pressed
forward by a spiral spring, one end of which bears against this fixed
projection on the lock case and the other end against a collar on the
cylindrical stem of the bolt. In the portion of the cylindrical stem
which projects back in rear of the fixed projection on the lock case is
a slot through which is passed the tail end of a lever which is acted
on by the horns of the follower on the lock spindle; or the follower
which is fast on this spindle may be made with one horn only, the
outer end of the horn being itself passed through the slot in the
cylindrical stem of the bolt. By this arrangement the lock spindle is
brought close up to the rear end of the lock case, so that the spindle
knobs will be at as great a distance as possible from the key which works
the lock bolt.
When making a lock with one bolt only I arrange the bolt in a
similar manner to that above described; and in order to lock or fasten
such latch bolt when required to prevent its being withdrawn, I form
the stem of the bolt cither with a slot or with a projection upon it,
into or behind which a small bolt of a tumbler or other lock acted
on by a small key is shot when it is desired to lock or fasten the
latch bolt.
The bolts of latches where a latch bolt only is used may also be
constructed and operated in a similar manner to that above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said Richard Nabbs in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 3rd October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
NABBS, of No. 6, Peckwater Street, Kentish Town Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and

page_text: successors, give and grant unto me, the said Richard Nabbs, Her
special licence that I, the said Richard Nabbs, my executors, adminis-.
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Nabbs, 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 AND LATCHES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Nabbs, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 sail Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Nabbs, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in locks and latches.
In constructing door locks with two bolts, onc a latch bolt and the
other a lock bolt, I construct and operate the latch bolt in the following
manner: The foremost part of the bolt is made rectangular in section,
as is usual, and passes through a corresponding slot in the front plate of
the lock. Projecting from the rear end of this part of the bolt is a stem
(by preference cylindrical) which extends back to the rear end of the.
lock; the rear end of the stem passes through a cylindrical hole in a
guide or support fixed to the casing of the lock. The bolt is constantly.
pressed forward by a spiral spring, one end of which bears against this.
fixed projection on the lock case and the other end against a collar on
the stem of the bolt. In the portion of the stem which projects back in.
rear of the fixed projection on the lock case is a slot through which is
passed the tail end of a lever which is acted on by horns of the follower
on the lock spindle; or the follower which is fast on this spindle may be:
made with one horn only, the outer end of the horn being itself passed.
through the slot in the stem of the bolt; or the follower or arm on the
lock spindle, or the tail end of a lever acted upon thereby, might
otherwise be connected with the stem of the bolt, as herein-after explained.

page_text: By this arrangement the lock spindle is brought close up to the rear
end of the lock casc, so that the spindle knobs will be at as great a
distance as possible from the key which works the lock bolt; or the slot
instead of being at the rear end can be made at the fore end, and so the
knob brought near the edge of the door, if desirable.
When making a lock with one bolt only I arrange the bolt in a
similar manner to that above described; and in order to lock or fasten
such latch bolt when required to prevent its being withdrawn, I form
the stem of the bolt cither with a slot or with a projection upon it,
into or behind which a small bolt of a tumbler or other lock acted
on by a small key is shot when it is desired to lock or fasten the latch
bolt.
The bolts of latches where a latch bolt only is used may also be
constructed and operated in a similar manner to that above described.
In Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shown a plan view
of a lock constructed according to my Invention, the back plate of the
lock being removed. The other Figures shewn in the Drawing represent
parts of the lock separately. The lock shewn is made with one latch
bolt only, and to lock or fasten such latch bolt a bolt of a small tumbler
lock is caused to enter a recess in the stem of the bolt.
In the Drawings a is the case of the lock; b, the bolt, which at
its foremost end is made rectangular in section and to pass through a slot
in the front plate of the lock as is usual; is the cylindrical stem of
the bolt, and a' is the fixed guide or support through which the rear
end of the stem passes; c is the spiral spring which encircles the stem
of the bolt and which bears at one end against the support a', and at the
other end against the collar or enlargement 63; on the stem of the bolt b³
is the slot through the portion of the rear end of the stem which projects
back beyond the support a¹; into this slot is received the horn d, which
is fast upon the spindle d; or in place of the horn itself thus entering the
slot in the stem of the bolt, the horn of the follower might, as before
stated, act against a lever, the tail end of which enters the slot; or in
place of a slot being formed in the stem of the bolt for the end of the
follower or lever to enter, the end of the lever or follower might be
forked to embrace a groove formed around the stem of the bolt, or the
follower or tail end of the lever might act upon a projection on the bolt
or otherwise. If it be desired also that the bolt should be withdrawn by
turning the knobs or handles either way, the follower might when moved

page_text: in one direction act directly upon the stem of the bolt, and when turned
in the opposite direction it might act upon the bolt through the inter-
vention of a lever or otherwise. By thus constructing the latch bolts of
locks with a stem acted upon by a spiral spring and by a follower or
arm on the knob spindle, or by the end of a lever acted on by arms or
followers on such spindle, locks fitted with spiral springs to act on the
bolt can be constructed at less cost and to work better than heretofore.
Also, by causing the follower or lever to act upon the extreme rear end
of the stem of the bolt and in rear of the guide or support through
which the stem passes, the spindle knob of the lock will be brought back
as near as possible to the rear end of the case of the lock.
In the lock shown in the Drawing a small tumbler lock contained
within the case a is shewn to work in combination with the cylindrical
stem of the latch; other kinds of locks might however be thus used in
combination with latch bolts formed with cylindrical stems acted upon
by spiral springs, as above described.
The bolt of the small tumbler lock shewn in the Drawing is marked e,
and it is arranged to enter a recess b'in the stem of the bolt when
this bolt is shot or in its forward position, and it thus when desired locks
this bolt and prevents it being drawn back.
As above stated the latch bolt of locks formed with two bolts may be
formed and actuated in a similar manner to that above described, the
otlier or lock bolt being shot by the lock key, and also the bolts of
latelics where a latch bolt only is used may very advantageously be
similarly constructed and operated, as the case of the latch may then be
made of small dimensions.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Nabbs, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.