IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS, PORTMANTEAUS, AND LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernst Pfeiffer, of 63, Queen Victoria Street, in the City
of London, Merchant, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR
FASTENINGS FOR BAGS, PORTMANTEAUS, AND LIKE ARTICLES." A communi-
cation from abroad by Messieurs Huppe and Bender, of Offenbach-on-the-
Main, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturers.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernst Pfeiffer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th November 1880.
ERNST. PFEIFFER, of 63, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, Merchant.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS, PORTMANTEAUS, AND LIKE
ARTICLES." [A communication from abroad by Messieurs Huppe and Bender, of
Offenbach-on-the-Main, in the Empiro of Germany, Manufacturers.]
The Invention communicated to me relates to improvements in the locks or
fastenings for bags, portmanteaus, and like articles.
Hitherto these locks or fastenings have generally consisted of simple catch bolts
with means for locking the same, the whole being placed within the frame of the
bag at the centre, and this has necessitated in' the case of the larger bags additional
fastenings, so as to keep the two parts of the frame securely together.
Now by this Invention I am enabled to dispense with the additional separate
fastenings heretofore used, and place the mechanism of the lock or fastening outside
the frame, and on the top thereof.
In carrying out the Invention communicated to me, the improved lock or
fastening is constructed of two spring bolts, and the usual central spring and
locking bolts.
The said two spring bolts work in tubes placed on the top of the part of the
hinged frame which usually carries the lock, and extend nearly from the outer ends
of the fraune to within a short distance of the central or locking bolt, which is
placed within a case fixed on the top of the frané in the centre, and is operated by
a key in the usual manner; the outer end of each of the spring bolts is turned
down at right angles, and passes through a slot in the top of the frame, the turned
תח

page_text: down portion forming a catch working within a slotted case, while the other ends
of the bolts pass into the lower part of the case of the locking bolt, and are
provided with vertical pins to allow of their being operated by the usual sliding
pieces on the lock case, suitable springs being applied to the bolts. The sliding
pieces are provided with the usual catches or bolts. The other portion of the
hinged frame is provided with four catches, the two outer one corresponding with
the hereinbefore described slots in the other portion of the frame, and the central
catches being those usually employed, so that when the two parts of the bag frame
are pressed together, the ends of the said outer catches press against the ends of
the herein before described spring bolts, and the central catches against the bolts of
the sliding pieces, so as to move the bolts until the slots in the catches come
opposite the ends of the bolts, when the said bolts are brought to their normal
position by their springs, and the ends of the bolts take into the slots of the
catches, and the two parts of the frame of the bag will be held together at four
points. The key of the lock being now turned the spring bolts will be bolted
or locked in their closed positions. By releasing the locking bolt, it is then
merely necessary to press inwards the two sliding push pieces in the usual manner,
and the four catches will be released, and the bag can be opened.
If required more than four catches may be employed.
Instead of the spring bolts being placed on the top of the frame as herein before
described, they may be placed in any other suitable position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Ernst Pfeiffer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th May
1881.
"
ERNST PFEIFFER, of 63, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, Merchant.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS FOR BAGS, PORTMANTEAUS, AND LIKE
ARTICLES." A communication from abroad by Messieurs Huppe and Bender, of
Offenbach-on-the-Main, in the Empiro of Germany, Manufacturers.
The Invention communicated to me relates to improvements in the locks or
fastenings for bags, portmanteaus, and like articles.
Hitherto these locks or fastenings have generally consisted of simple catch bolts
with means for locking the same, the whole being placed within the frame of the
bag at the centre, and this has necessitated in the case of the larger bags additional
fastenings, so as to keep the two parts of the frame securely together.
Now by this Invention I am enabled to dispense with the additional separate
fastenings heretofore used, and place the mechanism of the lock or fastening
outside the frame, and on the top thereof.
In carrying out the Invention communicated to me the improved lock or
fastening is constructed of two spring bolts, and the usual central spring and
locking bolts.
The said two spring bolts work in tubes placed on the top of the part of the
hinged frame which usually carries the lock, and extend nearly from the outer ends
of the frame to within a short distance of the central or locking bolt, which is
placed within a case fixed on the top of the frame in the centre, and is operated by
a key in the usual manner; the outer end of each of the spring bolts is turned
down at right angles, and passes through a slot in the top of the frame, the turned
down portion forming a catch working within a slotted case, while the other ends
of the bolts pass into the lower part of the case of the locking bolt, and are
provided with vertical pins to allow of their being operated by the usual sliding
pieces on the lock case, suitable springs being applied to the bolts. The sliding
pieces are provided with the usual catches or bolts. The other portion of the
hinged frame is provided with four catches, the two outer ones corresponding with
the bereinbefore described slots in the other portion of the frame, and the central
catches being those usually employed.
But to make the Invention communicated to me better understood, I will
proceed to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a bag frame provided with a lock or
fastening constructed according to this Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the same,
and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line A, B, of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a
plan of the part of the frame carrying the lock, the sliding pieces and cover thereof
being removed. Similar letters in all the Figures represent similar or corresponding
parts.
a and b are the two spring bolts working in the tubes c and d placed on the top
of the part A of the hinged frame which carries tho lock; e and fare tho usual
central locking bolts, and g is the usual lock placed within the case h fixed on the
top and in the centre of the frame; i and i' are the turned down portions or
catches on the outer ends of the bolts a and b; j and j' are the slots in the top of
the frame, and I, ', are the slotted cases in which the catches i, ¹, work; p, p', are
the springs for automatically locking the bolts a and b; 1, 1, are the vertical pins
on the other ends of the bolts a and b; m, m³, are the usual sliding pieces on the
lock case for operating the spring bolts a and b by means of the said pins 7,
these sliding pieces also carry the usual catches or bolts e and f; B is the other

page_text: portion of the hinged frame; n, n', are the two outer catches corresponding with
the slots in the hereinbefore described cases k, and ¹; o, o¹, are the catches
ordinarily employed and correspond with the bolts e and f
By this construction of lock or fastening it will be understood that when the two
parts A and B of the bag frame are pressed together, the ends of the outer
catches n, n¹, press against the ends of the spring bolts a and b, and the central
catches o, o¹, press against the bolts e and fon the sliding pieces m and m³, so as to
move the bolts until the slots in the catches come opposite the ends of the bolts,
when the said bolts are brought to their normal position by the springs p, p'; the
ends of the bolts take into the slots of their respective catches, and the two parts A
and B of the frame of the bag will be held together at four points. The key g of
the lock g being now turned, the lock will be forced into the position shewn in
dotted lines, Figure 4, and the spring bolts a and b, and the bolts e and f, will be
bolted or locked in their closed position. The locking bolt g having been pushed
back into its original position by turning the key q in the opposite direction, it is
then merely necessary to press inwards the two sliding push pieces m, m', in the
usual manner, and the four catches n, n², o, o¹, will be released and the bag can be
opened.
If required more than four catches can be employed.
Instead of the spring bolts a and b being placed on top of the frame, as shown in
the Drawing, they may be placed within the frame, or in any other suitable
position.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention communicated to me, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what is claimed
and intended to be protected by the herein in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The improvements in locks or fastening for bags, portmanteaus, and like articles,
as herein before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernst Pfeiffer, have hereto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
*31*Am