Improvements in Fastenings for Gates, Doors, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastenings for Gates, Doors, and the like.
I, CHARLES M. WEAVER, of Collinsville, County of De Kalb, State of Alabama,
U.S.A., Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fastenings
for gates, doors, and the like; the object of the invention being to provide a
device which will be strong, capable of easy manipulation, and which will per-
mit of one of two meeting doors being unfastened without the other one, or of
both doors being unfastened simultaneously.
By this invention, a keeper is secured to the edge of a door, both near the
top and bottom thereof. The keeper consists of a box-shaped casing provided
at opposite sides with transversely aligning longitudinal slots. A block is
mounted to slide longitudinally in the keeper and through an open end or ends
thereof. The block has a transverse slot in it, registering with the slots in the
keeper, to engage and permit the passage through the slots in the keeper of a
transversely arranged latch. One of the slots in the sides of the keeper is
reduced in width near its lowest part and its edges are engaged by transverse
notches or grooves in the latch which are thereby prevented from moving longi-
tudinally. The projecting end of the latch is reduced in thickness so that when
it is raised into the wider portion of the slot it can be readily withdrawn.
The sliding blocks in the keepers are connected, by means of a rod or the
like, in such manner that they can be raised simultaneously by means of a lever
or other means applied thereto.
Suitable hook-catches are arranged, one on the door opposite to that upon
which the keepers are secured, and the other on a post against which the doors
close, and are adapted to engage the latches when they are in their lowest
position. The catches are arranged in such manner that one latch leaves its
corresponding catch before the other one leaves its corresponding catch when
the latches are raised. By this means one door is unfastened by raising the
latches a certain distance, and both doors by raising the latches to their fullest
extent.
•
Dated t
1000

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to means for securing gates, doors and like closures
particularly designed for fastening said gates or closures when provided in pairs.
The complementary parts of the securing means are applied to the meeting edges
of double gates or doors and one of said parts co-operate with the post or stop
secured in the ground or to the floor or surface opposite lower meeting ends of
the gates or doors, so as to admit of one of the gutes or closures being released
and the other held, or both released, as desired.
While the invention is designed more particularly for double gates or doors,
it is obvious that it may be applied to a single gate or door where it is required
to locate securing devices at different elevations or points in the length of the
door.
An essential feature of the improvement is to enable the latch bars and
sliding blocks co-operating therewith to be removed readily or applied to the
keepers or boxes which are secured to the gate or door to be fastened, thereby
enabling these parts to be easily replaced and quickly assembled as required.
The locking devices are connected in series so as to operate in unison, and are
actuated by a single lever.
For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the invention
reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the following
description.
The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form, proportion
and minor details of construction without departing from the principle or sacri-
ficing any of the advantages thereof, and to a full disclosure of the invention
an adaptation thereof is shewn in the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is an elevation shewing the invention applied to double gates or
doors, the dotted lines shewing the relation of the parts when one of the gates or
doors is released. Fig. 2 is a side view, parts being broken away. Fig. 3 is a
perspective view of the outer end of a gate or door. Fig. 4 is a similar view
of the other gate or door. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line X-X of
Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a keeper or box, a block, and a
latch-bar. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the upper sliding block. Fig. 8
is a detail view of a latch-bar. Fig. 9 is a detail section of the lower fastener.
Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and
indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.
The double gates, doors or like closures are indicated by the reference
numerals 1 and 2 and are hinged so as to swing open from one side, being
limited in their movement when closed by a post or stop 3, set in the ground or
secured to the floor or other surface opposite the lower meeting ends of the
closures. Piates 4 are secured to the outer or free end of the gate 1 and have
notched extensions 5, which are engaged by latch-bars 6, so as to hold the
closures shut. These notched extensions 5 are bevelled in the ordinary mauner
to engage with the projecting ends of the latch-bars and enable the latter to
ride thereon when closing the gates. The lower plate 4 has an extension 7,
which is bevelled on its underside and adapted to enter a recess 8 in the inner
side of a plate 9, secured to the upper end of the post 3, thereby preventing
any upward movement of the gate when closed.
The latch-bars 6 and their mountings are substantially alike, with slight
difference in construction adapting them to the different locations, and like parts
will be similarly designated and the changes referred to more particularly and
differently indicated. The hoxes or keepers 10 are secured to or formed with
angle-plates 11 and receive blocks 12, which are slidably mounted therein, said
blocks having notches 13. in which are fitted the latch-bars 6. The side-pieces
of the boxes or keepers 10 are longitudinally slotted, as shewn at 14, for the
end portions of the latch-bars to project through, and these slots are of a length
to permit of the latch-bars moving vertically a sufficient distance to clear the

page_text: notched projections or stops 5. Each latch-bar 6 has a transverse groove 15
near its inner end to receive and inter-lock with the edge portion of the inner
side of a box or keeper 10 so as to prevent longitudinal displacement of the
latch. The end portion of each latch-bar exterior to the notch 15 is cut away,
leaving a projecting portion 16, which is bevelled on the cut away side, forming
an extension which engages the outer face of the inner side of the box or
keeper, so as to prevent the outward displacement of the latch-bar. The inner
side of each box or keeper 10 has a notch 17 at the upper end of the slot 14,
of a form corresponding to the projection 16 of the latch-bar, to admit of said
projection passing through the notch 17 when said parts 16 and 17 are brought
together in coincident relation. By moving a block 12 in the box or keeper 10
to a position so as to bring the upper end of its notch 13 opposite the notch 17
the latch-bar 6 can be drawn out or replaced in position. Under normal con-
ditions the notch or transverse groove 15 of the latch-bar receives the edge-
portion of the box or keeper having the notch 17, thereby holding the latch-bar
in working position.
The
The upper angle-plate 11 has a member extended, as shewn at 18, so as to
extend over a recess in the outer edge of the gate or door 2 and hold in place
the latch-lever 19, which is pivoted in the recess in any desired manner.
extended end 18 of the upper angle-plate is projected beyond the plane of the
gate or door and is provided with an opening 20 to receive the hasp of a pad-
lock, by means of which the fastening devices are secured against operation
and the gates or doors made fast when shut. The lower angle-plate has a
member extended and formed with a projection 21, corresponding with the
extension 7, and adapted to enter the recess 8 and serving the same purpose as
the extension 7.
The upper block 12 has a pendant portion 22, which is provided at its outer
side with a pin 23, which extends across the path of the operating end of the
latch-lever 19, so as to be engaged thereby when operating said lever to disen-
gage the latch-bar from the stop or notched extension 5. A notch 24 is pro-
vided in the inner edge of the pendant projection 22 and comes just below the
box or keeper 10 when the latch-bar is in engagement with the stop or notched
extension 5. When the hasp of the padlock is engaged with the notch 24, the
block cannot be moved upward. Hence the gates or doors are secured or locked
when shut.
The lower block 12 is extended below its box or keeper as shewn at 25, and
this projecting portion is cut away upon its inner side to receive the upper edge
portion of the plate 9 and is bevelled upon its outer face to ride upon said plate
when closing the gate or door 2. The projecting portion 25 is of such length
as to remain in engagement with the plate 9 even though the block has been
moved upward a sufficient distance to disengage the latch-bar 6, connected
therewith, from the lower notched extension or stop 5. It will thus be seen that
the gate or door 2 may be held shut while the gate 1 is liberated, so as to be
opened. The lower box or keeper 10 has a bevelled extension 26, which is
adapted to ride upon the plate 9 when closing the door 2, thereby providing
for raising the outer end of the gate or door 2 should the same tend to sag.
The upper and lower fastening devices are connected so as to operate syn-
chronously by means of a rod or bar 27, the latter being formed into an eye at
its upper end to receive the pin 23 and its lower end being enlarged, as shewn
at 28 and entering a recess 29 in the side of the lower block 12. This con-
necting rod or bar can be readily removed from the block 12 by moving the
latter so as to expose the recess 29 of the lower block. In order to effect this
result, it is essential that the latch-bars 6 be disconnected from the blocks 12,
which is brought about in the manner herein set forth.
The fastening being applied in the manner disclosed and it being desire to
release the gate or door 1 only, the latch-lever 19 is depressed at its outer end a
distance to disengage the latch-bars from the stops or notched extensions 5

page_text: without wholly withdrawing the projecting portion 25 of the lower block 12
from the plate 9, when said door 1 can be swung open. By depressing the
latch-lever so as to disengage the projecting part 25 from the plate 9, both doors
or gates can be swung open. When from any cause it is desired to move one
or both of the latch-bars and the blocks 12, co-operating therewith, the latter
are moved so as to bring the projecting portions 16 of the latch-bars in register
with the notches 17, after which the latch-bars can be drawn outwards, and the
blocks 12 slipped from engagement with the boxes or keepers 10.
The plates 4 are shouldered at their outer ends, as indicated by the dotted
lines, to secure stability, and the notched extension 5 of the lower plate serves
the same purpose as the bevelled extension 26 of the lower box 10 that is to
lift the lower end of the gate when swinging it to by riding on the plate 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1) In a fastening for gates, doors and the like, the combination of a box-
shaped keeper provided in opposite sides with transversely aligned longitudinal
slots, a block mounted to slide longitudinally in the keeper and through an open
end thereof, and a latch-bar separate from said block and passing transversely
therethrough and through the longitudinal slots of the keeper, and having a
shoulder to engage with the inner wall of a side of a keeper adjacent to the
slot thereof to limit the movement of the latch-bar in one direction, and having
a projection to pass through a notch in said side communicating with its longi-
tudinal slot and engaging with the outer face of said side to limit the move-
ment of the latch-bar in an opposite direction, said shoulder and projection
fixing the position of the latch-bar, and the latter in turn serving to hold the
operating block in the keeper, substantially as set forth.
(2) In a fastener for gates, doors and the like, the combination of a plate
having a box-keeper provided in its opposite sides with transversely-aligning
longitudinal slots, an operating block mounted to slide longitudinally in the
keeper, and a transversely arranged latch-bar having engagement, and movable
with the operating block and having its end portions projecting beyond the
sides thereof and operating in the longitudinal slots of the keeper, one end of
the latch-bar having inter-locking engagement with the edge portion of the
keeper bordering upon the slot thereof and preventing accidental displacement
of the latch-bar, substantially as set forth.
(3) In a fastening for gates, doors and the like, the combination of a plate
having a keeper provided in its sides with longitudinal slots, and having a
notch in one of the sides communicating with the end of the slot thereof, a
block slidably mounted in the keeper, and a latch-bar movable with said block
and operating in the longitudinal slots of the keeper and having a transverse
groove to interlock with a side portion of the keeper bordering upon the slot
thereof, and having the portion exterior to the groove cut away forming a pro-
jecting part which when brought in register with the notch of the keeper will
admit of the latch-bar being removed, substantially in the manner set forth.
(4) In a fastening for gates, doors and the like, the combination of a plate
having a keeper provided in its sides with longitudinal slots, one of the sides
having a notch in communication with the end portion of the slot formed
therein, a block slidably mounted in the keeper and having a notch, and a
latch-bar fitting into the notch of the block and operating in the longitudinal
slots of the keeper, and formed with a transverse groove to receive an edge
portion of one of the sides of the keeper, and having a portion exterior to the
groove cut away forming a projecting part, which when brought in register with
the notched side of the keeper will admit of the latch-bar being removed from
the keeper or placed in position, substantially as and for the purpose described.
(5) In combination, a stop applied to one of a pair of doors, or gates, a post

page_text: located opposite the meeting ends of said doors or gates to limit their closing
movement, a latch-bar applied to the other gate or door of the pair and adapted
to engage with the aforesaid stop, and a block applied to the same gate or door
with the latch-bar and adapted to engage therewith and with the said post, the
parts being related to admit of the latch-bar being disengaged from the afore-
said stop to release one of the gates without withdrawing the said block from
engagement with the post, or whereby both gates can be released, substantially
as set forth.
(6) In combination with the upper and lower stops and upper and lower
keepers, blocks slidably mounted in the keepers, latch-bars connected with the
blocks so as to move therewith and adapted to engage with the aforesaid stops,
a pin projecting laterally from an extended end of one of the blocks, and a rod
for connecting the upper and lower blocks having an eye at one end to receive
the aforesaid pin, and provided at its opposite end with an enlarged part to
enter a recess formed in a side of the other block, substantially as and for the
purposes herein before set forth, and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
Dated this 10th dove of Decemben 1900