IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE LATCHES, LOCKS, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR SECURING OR FASTENING RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER DOORS IN THEIR CLOSED POSITIONS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Thomas Booth, of Enfield, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE
LATCHES, LOCKS, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR SECURING OR FASTENING
RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER DOORS IN THEIR CLOSED POSITIONS."
Sealed the 3rd October 1879, and dated the 26th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Thomas Booth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th April 1879.
ALFRED THOMAS BOOTH, of Enfield, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE LATCHES, LOCKS, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
FOR SECURING OR FASTENING RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER DOORS IN THEIR
CLOSED POSITIONS."
My Invention has for object improvements in or connected with the latches,
locks, or apparatus employed for securing or fastening railway carriage and other
doors in their closed positions.
A frequent cause of accident is the opening of railway carriage doors by.
passengers whilst trains are in motion. My Invention is designed chiefly to pre-
vent this, and so that a number of latches or locks, for instance, those of all the
doors in a train, either at both sides together or at one side independently of the
other, may be under the control of one person.
In connection with the bolts or catches of the latches or locks of the carriage
doors I provide stop pieces or keepers arranged to be operated, controlled, or held
by pneumatic apparatus in such manner as to prevent the bolts or catches of the
latches or locks being turned, raised, or withdrawn from the staples or sockets, and
consequently the unfastening of the doors until the said bolts or catches are released
by putting the pneumatic apparatus in or out of operation, and so moving the
stop pieces or keepers, or allowing them to move out of the way of the bolts or
catches.
The pneumatic apparatus may be so arranged that the stop pieces or keepers
shall be moved into and held or retained in the stopping or keeping position on a
partial vacuum being established in cylinders or chambers having pistons or

page_text: diaphragms arranged to be thereby operated, and having suitable connections with
the stop pieces or keepers, which latter I then so arrange as on the partial vacuum
being destroyed to automatically assume positions in which the bolts or catches of
the latches or locks of the doors will be left free to be turned, raised, or withdrawn
from the staples or sockets, and thus unfasten the doors. Or the apparatus may be
modified so that the stop pieces or keepers shall be moved into and kept in the
stopping or keeping position by apparatus worked by a plenum or compressed air.
I so arrange the apparatus that when the stop pieces or keepers are in position
to prevent unfastening of the doors any unfastened door may, nevertheless, be
fastened.
As is obvious my Invention, as above set forth, may be carried out in various
forms without departure from its essential characteristics, and it may be applied to
the latches, locks, or fastenings, or doors other than railway carriage doors.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Thomas Booth in the Great. Seal Patent Office on the 24th
October 1879.
"
ALFRED THOMAS BOOTH, of Enfield, in the County of Middlesex. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE LATCHES, LOCKS, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
FOR SECURING OR FASTENING RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER DOORS IN THEIR
CLOSED POSITIONS."
My Invention has for object improvements in or connected with the latches,
locks, or apparatus employed for securing or fastening railway carriage and other
doors in their closed positions.
A frequent cause of accident is the opening of railway carriage doors by
passengers whilst trains are in motion.
My Invention is designed chiefly to prevent this, and so that a number of latches
or locks, for instance, those of all the doors in a train, either at both sides together,
or at one side independently of the other, may be under the control of one person.
In connection with the bolts or catches of the latches or locks of the carriage doors
I provide stop pieces or keepers arranged to be operated, controlled, or held by
pneumatic apparatus in such manner as to prevent the bolts or catches of the
latches or locks being turned, raised, or withdrawn from the staples or sockets, and
consequently the unfastening of the doors until the said bolts or catches are released
by putting the pneumatic apparatus in or out of operation, and so moving the stop
pieces or keepers, or allowing them to move out of the way of the bolts or
catches.
The pneumatic apparatus may be so arranged that the stop pieces or keepers
shall be moved into and held or retained in the stopping or keeping position on a
partial vacuum being established in cylinders or chambers having pistons or
diaphragms arranged to be thereby operated, and having suitable connections with

page_text: the stop pieces or keepers, which latter I then so arrange as on the partial vacuum
being destroyed to automatically assume positions in which the bolts or catches of
the latches or locks of the doors will be left free to be turned, raised, or withdrawn
from the staples or sockets, and thus unfasten the doors. Or the apparatus may
be modified so that the stop pieces or keepers shall be moved into and kept in the
stopping or keeping position by apparatus worked by a plenum or compressed air.
Referring to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a front
view partly in section of my improved apparatus as applied to the outside lock of
a railway carriage door, the outer casing or socket piece being removed, and the
parts shewn in the locked position.
Fig. 2 is a similar view. shewing the parts in the unlocked position.
Fig. 3 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1 shewing the stop piece or keeper and
other parts with their outer casing or socket piece.
a is the ordinary bolt or catch operated by the handle b; c is a case or covering
forming a staple or socket for the bolt to enter; d is a stop piece or keeper for
preventing the bolt being raised or turned, and so holding it in its locked position,
as shewn in Fig. 1. The separate piece d' is pivoted on the same pin d² as the
stop piece or keeper d, and has fixed to it a spring bearing against the piece d
so as to keep it normally up against the pièce d' at d, as shewn, but to allow it
(when pressed by the bolt a at d*) to give way to and permit the bolt a to pass as
required to fasten the door when the stop piece d is in its locked position; e is a
cylinder fitted with a piston f working air-tight therein. The piston f is connected
to the piece d by a rod g, encircled by a spring / bearing against a shoulder or
collar h¹ fast on the rod g, the said spring tending to force the rod g and piece d¹
upward, and thus to move the stop-piece d into its unlocked position as shewn in
Fig. 2; is a pipe leading from the bottom of the cylinder e to any suitable con-
trivance for exhausting the air from underneath the piston f, thereby bringing the
stop piece d into its locked position. The pipes i of a number of locks may be
connected together by a main pipe, and the main pipes may be connected together
carriage to carriage along a train by means of india rubber tubes and connections,
so that all the locking apparatus of one or both sides of the train may be worked
simultaneously from one exhauster.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section, Fig. 5 an end view, and Fig. 6 a cross section of a
locking apparatus for a mortice lock, in which the stop piece d is carried in a metal
case fixed into the wood work of a carriage door instead of outside it as in Fig. 1.
The stop piece d is operated by means of the shaft k and crank connected to the
piston as in Fig. 1. The piece d' is formed with a boss d which passes through
the stop piece d and the sides of the casing j, and around which the stop piece dis
free to move when pressed against at d* by the bolt a, which thus forces it back
as before described.
Fig. 7. shews a modification of the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
It is shewn as applied to a mortice lock, but is also applicable to an outside lock.
The piece d¹ is nearly in a line with instead of at right angles to d, and the piston f
works horizontally instead of vertically.
Fig. S shews a modification in which the cylinder e is arranged above the stop
piece d, and the piston f is operated by pressure of air above it.
In this arangement the spring bears directly on the piston f and against the
fixed piece h, through which the rod g passes, thus the spring forces the piston up
when the air pressure is taken off.
Fig. 9 illustrates the application of my Invention to an ordinary door lock.
Should the bolt a be required to be kept in its locked position, so as not to be
unlocked by its key, air is forced into the cylinder e, beneath the piston f, which
raises the end of the lever d¹, pivoted at d², and causes the part m to engage in the
notch a¹ of the sliding bolt a, thereby holding it in its locked position. Should it
be required to release the bolt the pressure of air is taken from beneath the piston,
the springh forcing it down, thus raising the part m from the notch a¹ of the
bolt a.
The spring may be dispensed with, and the apparatus worked by a

page_text: The
plenum and vacuum alternately for locking and unlocking the bolt a.
piece d is separate from the piece d¹, as in Fig. 1, so that should the bolt a come in
contact (when being locked) with the part m, the rounded or bevelled edge of the
bolt will force up the said part m in opposition to the spring d³, which will after-
wards force the part m down into the locking position in the notch a'. The
cylinders e, instead of being provided with pistons f as shewn, may have suitable
diaphragms fixed therein to operate the stop pieces d.
It will be observed that in each of the several arrangements of apparatus herein-
above described in the event of disconnection or fracture of the pipes the stop
pieces or keepers will immediately assume positions in which the doors may be
unfastened and opened.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying it into practical effect, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,―
1. The method, substantially as herein before described, of controlling the opening
of railway carriage and other doors by the use in connection with the bolts or
catches of the locks or latches of stop-pieces or keepers arranged to be operated
and controlled or held by pneumatic apparatus.
2. Constructing and arranging apparatus for securing doors, substantially as
shewn in and described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
3. Constructing and arranging apparatus for securing doors, substantially as
shewn in and described with reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6.
4. Constructing and arranging apparatus for securing doors, substantially as
shewn in and described with reference to Fig. 7.
5. Constructing and arranging apparatus for securing doors, substantially as
shewn in and described with reference to Fig. 8.
6. Constructing and arranging apparatus for securing doors, substantially as
shewn in and described with reference to Fig. 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Thomas Booth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
A T BOOTH (1.8)