IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING LATCHES OR FASTENINGS.”
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tubbs, of Goodge Street, Tottenham
Court Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
“IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING LATCHES OR FASTENINGS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tubbs at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th July 1875.
I, GEORGE TUBBS, of Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING LATCHES OR FASTENINGS," to be as
follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in self-acting latches
or fastenings for folding doors, oupboard, and-other doors. For this
purpose in applying my Invention to folding or double cupboard doors,
one part of the fastening consists of a plate with a slot therein which is
screwed to the door frame or fixed portion of the article to which the

page_text: door or doors are applied; at the back of this plate is another plate
having a stud fastened therein, which stud projects through the slot in
the first-mentioned plate, and is capable of sliding to and fro therein;
the other part of the fastening consists of a double inclined plane
fixed or formed on one of the doors, so that as that door is closed it
shall act by one of the said inclines to push the stud forward in its slot
in a direction away from the edge of such door. The other door is
formed or provided with a single incline acting against the stud to
push it in the direction of the other or first-mentioned door, and into
the recess formed on one side by the second incline, and on the other
by a portion of the first-named door. Thus when the two doors are
closed the stud is held by the one door in the recess, in the other when
by locking a common lock the two doors are held firmly closed.
It will be understood that although I have spoken of only one
fastening two of them may be employed, one at the top and the other at
the bottom of the doors.
-
In applying my Invention to a single door I form the first-mentioned
plate with a slot broader at one end than the other, to permit of the stud
moving in two directions; this plate is fixed to the door post or frame.
In the door I form a recess and I fix or form on one side of the door a
an incline, which when the door is being closed acts to raise the stud,
which when the door is fully closed rises over the top of the said incline
and falls down on the other side into the recess in the door. The back of
this recess is formed of a hinged plate having a stud, knob, or handle
fixed thereto, which stud, knob, or handle projects outside the door, and
is acted upon by a spring to hold it back and thereby keep the plate to
which it is fixed in a vertical position. When however it is desired to
open the door, the stud, knob, or handle is pulled forward, which action
raises the lower end of the vertical plate, and thereby places such plate
in an inclined position, when by further pulling the handle the stud is
caused to rise out of the recess and the door is opened.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Tubbs in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TUBBS, of Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Tubbs, Her special
license that I, the said George Tubbs, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Tubbs, 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 SELF-ACTING
LATCHES OR FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Tubbs, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 George Tubbs, 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 :—
The Invention has for its object improvements in self-acting latches
or fastenings for folding doors and double cupboard doors. For
this purpose one part of the fastening consists of a plate with a slot
therein, which is screwed to the door frame or fixed portion of the
article to which the doors are applied; at the back of this plate is
another plate having a stud fastened therein, which stud projects through

page_text: a direction away from the edge of such door, and into the position
shown at Figure 1. The other door f is formed or provided with a
single incline acting against the stud c, to push it in the direction of
the door e and into a recess d, formed on one side by the incline dª,
and on the other by a portion of the door e. I prefer to form the
inclines d, d³, and recess d³, and the incline g in pieces of metal, as
shown, properly fitted and fastened to the doors e, f. Thus when the two
doors are closed the stud c is held by the door f in the recess d³ in the
door e, when by locking a common lock, or other fastening, the two doors
are held firmly closed. The inclino d' acts on the door e, being opened
to slide the stud c away from the edge of the door e to release it and
permit the same to be opened.
It will be understood that although I have described only one of my
improved self-acting latches or fastenings as applied to the doors e, f,
two of them are preferably employed, one at the top and the other at
the bottom of the doors.
:
I would here remark that the arrangement of self-acting latch or
fastening, described in my Provisional Specification as applicable for
a single door does not possess such an amount of utility as to render it
advisable to retain it as part of my said Invention, and for this reason I
desire to disclaim and I do hereby disclaim' such. arrangement.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and
› described, but what I do claim is the improved construction of self-
acting latches or fastenings, consisting of a sliding stud acting' in com-
bination with a recess and inclines on the doors, in manner substantially
as herein shown and described.
'
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tubbs, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
'
GEORGE TUBBS. (L.S.)