IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING DOOR FASTENINGS FOR APARTMENTS CLOSETS
Year: 1885

page_text: We ARTHUR ASHWELL of Thurlow Park Road, West Dulwich in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, and CHESTER CROSS of 61 Shakespeare Road, Herne Hill, in
the County of Surrey, Druggist, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING DOOR FASTENINGS FOR APARTMENTS
CLOSETS," to be as follows:-
AND
This invention relates to improvements in the indicating door fastening described
in the specification of Letters Patent granted to the said Arthur Ashwell dated
17th February 1882, No 781, whereby the said fastening is greatly simplified in
construction, is rendered less liable to breakage from rough usage, and the fixing of
the same can be effected with greater facility.
In carrying out the present invention we employ a sliding rack bolt with a
pinion and spindle and the main parts generally as described in the specification of
said patent. Instead of forming the pinion and spindle separately and securing
them together by a complicated arrangement of keys which we find is liable to fail
if used roughly we form the pinion and spindle in one preferably by casting them,
and we thereby not only simplify but strengthen the construction of the parts. The
spindle we bore out internally for some distance down and the hollow portion we
thread internally to receive a screw by which the parts are secured together.
To the outer end of the spindle a metal plate was secured fitted with a ring of
porcelain having the word "Engaged," or other suitable word thereon. We have
found that it is not only difficult for the uninitiated to fix this plate in its proper
position to appear and disappear entirely at the right moment but that it often
works loose so.that sometimes half the word only appears or disappears, and the
object of the indicating bolt was thereby frustrated. By employing a rotating
plate it was also necessary to have a second plate fixed to the door to serve as a
bearing plate to support the outer end of the spindle.
According to our improvements we dispense with the bearing plate and we secure
the porcelain ring with its backing plate to the door, the said backing plate serving
also as the bearing plate for the spindle. On to the outer end of the spindle we
fit a revolving shutter which we secure by a screw entering the hollow spindle as
before mentioned.

page_text: A segment of the free end of the spindle is cut away so as to form the end
D shape and the hole in the shutter is formed to correspond so that keys or wedges
to lock the spindle and shutter are rendered unnecessary. The hollow portion of
the spindle being threaded for some distance down will allow of a portion of the
spindle being cut off to adjust its length to the thickness of the door to which the
apparatus is to be fitted.
The normal position of the shutter will be to cover the word carried by the ring,
but on shooting the bolt the shutter will be withdrawn and the word exposed to
view.
The porcelain ring and the shutter we enclose in a glazed cap piece, as described
in the before mentioned specification. We have found, however, that the glass is
liable to be shifted round so that the opening in the glass through which the word
carried by the ring is exposed becomes shifted and only half the word is exposed,
or exposed at the wrong time. To obviate this inconvenience we thread the metal
of the cap piece internally to receive a screwed lining ring by which the glass disc
is jammed against a flange of the cap, and is thereby prevented from slipping
round.
Our improved arrangement of indicating door fastening admits of the fastening
being applied to either a right or left hand door, as it will only be necessary to
remove the bolt and replace it end for end, and to reverse the position of the knob
and stop pin or screw.

page_text: Improvements in Indicating Door-fastenings for Apartments
and Closets.
We ARTHUR ASHWELL of Thurlow Park Road, West Dulwich in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, and CHESTER CROSS of 61, Shakespeare Road, Herne Hill, in
the County of Surrey, Druggist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in the indicating door-fastening described
in the specification of Letters Patent granted to the said Arthur Ashwell dated
17th February 1882 No 781, whereby the said fastening is greatly simplified in
construction, is rendered less liable to breakage or disarrangement from rough
usage, and the fixing of the same can be effected with greater facility.
4
In carrying out the present invention, we employ a sliding rack bolt with a
pinion and spindle, and the main parts generally as described in the specification
of said patent, but instead of imparting an axial motion to the indicator disc, we
fix the same to the door, and fit the spindle with a shutter for covering the indi-
cating word when the apparatus is not in use; we provide also against the
mischievous or accidental shifting of the glass face of the enclosing cap piece, and
we so modify the construction of the rack bolt and spindle, as readily to adapt the
apparatus indifferently to right and left handed doors, and to doors of varying
thickness.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shews in front view the indicating apparatus applied to a door, the word
"Engaged" being exposed to view by reason of the bolt being thrown.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the apparatus, the shutter being in position, and
covering the word.
Fig. 3 represents the apparatus as seen from the inner side of the door, with the
bolt thrown, and
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the apparatus taken on the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
The other Figures represent detached parts of the indicating apparatus.
In these Figures, A is the back plata (shewn in front and sectional views at
Figs. 5) formed with staples a a for receiving the sliding rack bolt.―This plate,
with its staples, is cast in one piece, for the double purpose of economy.in con-
struction, and of ensuring a definite distance between the staples of any number of
back plates, such staples forming stops for limiting the traverse of the sliding
bolt. B is the rack bolt, fitted as heretofore with a handle b for moving it, and
with a stud b-Both the handle and the stud are screwed to enter threaded holes
made through the bolt B, and they serve as studs for limiting the movement of the
sliding bolt in the staples a,. by striking against one or other of the staples as the
bolt is thrown forward or drawn back.-C is the spindle, constructed preferably in
one piece with the pinion, as shewn in the sectional view Fig. 6. This will avoid
the necessity for securing the pinion to the spindle by a key or its equivalent,
which we find is liable to fail if used roughly.
We form, for economy, the pinion and spindle in one by casting.

page_text: To provide for the adaptation of the indicating apparatus to doors of various
thicknesses, we make the spindle C of a length sufficient to suit the maximum
thickness of the doors, say, of consulting rooms, leaving it to the fitter up of the
apparatus to reduce the length of the spindle to suit his requirements. Upon the
end of this spindle is mounted the shutter D, shewn detached in face and sectional
views at Figs. 7.-The spindle we bore out centrally for say one inch or more, and
tap the hole throughout its length to receive a short screw d, by which the shutter
is held on to the spindle.
The free end of the spindle is cut away on its periphery so as to give it a
D shape in cross section, and the hole in the shutter for the reception of the
spindle is formed to correspond, thus rendering the use of a key or wedge for
tightening on the shutter unnecessary.
E is the indicator plate, consisting of a dise of metal, to which a ring of porcelain
carrying the word "engaged," or equivalent device, is fitted, preferably by turning
up the edge of the disc to grip the ring, as shewn in face and sectional views at
Figs. 8. Screw holes are made through the ring and disc to receive screws for
fixing the same firmly to the door. This avoids a difficulty which was formerly
experienced by the indicator plate working loose on its spindle, and the consequent
presentation to view of a portion only of the indicating word, or its partial dis-
appearance only, thus frustrating the object of the indicating apparatus.-By
employing a rotating indicator plate, it was also necessary to have a second plate
fixed to the door, to serve as a bearing plate to support the outer end of the
spindle.
According to our improvements, we dispense with the bearing plate, and use the
plate E as the bearing plate for the spindle.
The indicator plate E and the shutter D we enclose, as described in the before
mentioned specification, in a glazed cap pièce F, the face of which formed a screen
with an opening which exposed the indicating word to view when the latter was
brought into coincidence with the opening in the screen. Finding, however, that
the glass screen was liable to be shifted round by the act of mischievous persons, so
that a part only of the indicating word was exposed or covered on the shifting of
the bolt, we now thread the metal of the cap piece internally to receive a screwed
clamping ring f, which, when screwed up tight against the glass, will hold it
firmly in its proper position.
In fitting this apparatus to a door, the back plate is made fast by screws to the
inner face of the door, a hole corresponding to the spindle hole in the plate having
been made through the door for the insertion of the spindle C.-The length of this
spindle is reduced if necessary to suit the thickness of the door, the tapped hole in
the spindle for the reception of the screw d having been made sufficiently long to
admit of this reduction.-The indicator plate is then secured to the front face of
the door, concentric with the spindle, and with its indicating word uppermost.―
The shutter D having been fitted to the spindle, and secured in place by the
screw d as explained, it will cover the indicating word at the time that the bolt is
in its back position.-The cap piece F is next made fast to the front face of the
door by screws passed through its flange, its position being such that the opening
in the glass screen corresponds with the position of the indicating word on the
plate E-When the apparatus is thus fitted, the position of the bolt will be
indicated with certainty, it being beyond the power of any mischievous person to
tamper with the apparatus, or put it out of order, without applying a destructive
force thereto.
From the foregoing it will be understood that the fitting of the apparatus to a
door requires no special skill or experience, but is within the capacity of any
ordinary carpenter at a first trial.
We have said that our improved indicating door fastening admits of its being
applied to either a right or left hand door.-To provide for this, it is only necessary
to remove the bolt and replace it end for end.-The handle b and stud b¹ are then
screwed into the opposite face of the said bolt, but in the same holes as before.

page_text: In order to prevent the rattling of the bolt in its fittings, we recess the back
plate A behind the bolt B, as shown in the detached sectional view of the plate,
Fig. 9, and place a bent metal spring in the recess; the middle of the length of the
spring projects beyond the surface of the plate A, and bearing against the bolt,
holds it steady in the staples a, a slight friction being set up, which renders the
action of the bolt smooth and noiseless.
When the indicator bolt is to be applied to the doors of sea-going vessels, we
form the spring with a sharp angular projection in the middle of its length, which
enters into one or other of two notches formed at the back of the bolt when the
bolt is at either end of its stroke, as shewn at Fig. 10.-This arrangement will
remove the liability of the bolt to be shot or withdrawn by the rolling of the
vessel at sea.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is
The improvements in rack bolt indicating door fastenings above described,
whereby the efficiency of the fastening is maintained against wear or mischievous
practices, and its adaptation to doors of various kinds is made easy.
Dated this 5th day of February 1886.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.