IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO SPINDLES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walker, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Hardware Merchant and Factor, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO SPINDLES."
Sealed the 19th December 1871, and dated the 12th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
12th July 1871.
I, JOHN WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hard-
ware Merchant and Factor, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND
SPINDLES," to be as follows:
OTHER KNOBS TO
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts
herein-after described for attaching door and other knobs to spindles,
whereby great simplicity and security in attaching the said knobs are
obtained.

page_text: By my improvements the use of the ordinary neck screws for fixing
the knobs to the spindles is dispensed with, and the fixing of the knobs
effected without the use of a turnscrew or other tool.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a pair of door knobs for
a rim or mortice lock. The knob for the one side of the door is fixed
upon the square spindle, the end of the spindle which is to receive the
moveable knob being screwed on its angles.
For the purpose of adjusting the moveable knob to the thickness of
the door and for attaching the said knob to its spindle I adopt the
following arrangement or combination of parts:-Upon the screwed end
of the spindle an adjustable key works. The general-figure of this key
is oblong, the longer sides being by preference slightly inclined to one
another. In the middle of this taper key is a screwed hole to enable it
to screw upon the screwed end of the spindle, and the ends of the said
taper key are curved to a circle struck from the axis of the said key.
The curved ends of the key are provided with a screw thread. The
hole in the neck of the moveable knob is plain or unscrewed, the said
knob passing on to the screwed end of the square spindle by a sliding
motion. In the flange or shoulder at the front of the neck of the said
moveable knob a cross recess is made of a size and figure proper to
receive the adjustable taper key on the screwed end of the spindle. The
periphery of the said flange or shoulder of the neck is screwed with a
screw thread similar to that on the curved ends of the taper key. On
the neck of the knob is a moveable collar screwed internally with a
screw thread proper to engage with that on the periphery of the flange
or shoulder of the neck. The said moveable collar is milled externally
to facilitate its rotation by hand.
In using my Invention the screwed end of the spindle is passed
through the door and lock, and upon the protruding end of the spindle
the adjustable taper key is screwed until it nearly abuts against the
lock. The moveable knob is next passed by a sliding motion on to
the screwed end of the spindle, the taper key being situated opposite the
cross recess in the flange or shoulder of the neck of the knob. By
the sliding of the moveable knob upon the spindle the adjusted taper
key on the said spindle enters and fills up the taper cross recess in the
knob. The flange or shoulder of the knob now resembles a solid flange
or shoulder, the screw thread on the ends of the taper key forming con-
tinuations of that on the said flange or shoulder. By now screwing

page_text: the milled screw collar on the neck on to the screwed flange or shoulder
of the neck the said flange and key are covered by the said collar, and
the knob thereby securely attached to its spindle.
In order to detach the moveable knob from the spindle it is only
necessary to unscrew the screw collar from the flange or shoulder of
the neck so as to remove it from over the taper key, when the knob
may be withdrawn from the said key and from the spindle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Walker in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 6th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Hardware
Merchant and Factor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Walker, Her special licence that
I, the said John Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Walker, 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 ATTACHING DOOR
AND OTHER KNOBS TO SPINDLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Walker, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument 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 John Walker, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts
herein-after described for attaching door and other knobs to spindles,
whereby great simplicity and security in attaching the said knobs are
obtained.
By my improvements the use of the ordinary neck screws for fixing
the knobs to the spindles is dispensed with, and the fixing of the knobs
effected without the use of a turnscrew or other tool.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a pair of door knobs for
a rim or mortice lock. The knob for the one side of the door is fixed
upon the square spindle, the end of the spindle which is to receive
the moveable knob being screwed on its angles. For the purpose of
adjusting the moveable knob to the thickness of the door and for
attaching the said knob to its spindle, I adopt the following arrange-
ment or combination of parts. Upon the screwed end of the spindle
an adjustable key works. The general figure of this key is oblong,
the longer sides being by preference slightly inclined to one another.
In the middle of this taper key is a screwed hole to enable it to screw
upon the screwed end of the spindle, and the ends of the said taper
key are curved to a circle struck from the axis of the said key.
The curved ends of the key are provided with a screw thread. The
hole in the neck of the moveable knob is plain or unscrewed, the
said knob passing on to the screwed end of the spindle by a sliding
motion. In the flange or shoulder at the front of the neck of the said
moveable knob a cross recess is made of a size and figure proper to.
receive the adjustable taper key on the screwed end of the spindle. The
periphery of the said flange or shoulder of the neck is screwed with a
screw thread similar to that on the curved ends of the taper key. On
the neck of the knob is a moveable collar screwed internally with a
screw thread proper to engage with that on the periphery of the flange
or shoulder of the neck. The said moveable collar is milled externally
to facilitate its rotation by hand.
In using my Invention the screwed end of the spindle is passed
through the door and lock, and upon the protruding end of the spindle
the adjustable taper key is screwed until it nearly abuts against the
lock. The moveable knob is next passed by a sliding motion on to the
screwed end of the spindle, the taper key being situated opposite the

page_text: cross recess in the flange or shoulder of the neck of the knob. By the
sliding of the moveable knob upon the spindle the adjusted taper key
on the said spindle enters and fills up the taper cross recess in the knob.
The flange or shoulder of the knob now resembles a solid flange or
shoulder, the screw thread on the ends of the taper key forming
continuations of that on the said flange or shoulder. By now screwing
the milled screw collar on the neck on to the screwed flange or shoulder
of the neck the said flange and key are covered by the said collar, and
the knob thereby securely attached to its spindle.
In order to detach the moveable knob from the spindle it is only
necessary to unscrew the screw collar from the flange or shoulder of
the neck, so as to remove it from over the taper key, when the knob
may be withdrawn from the said key and from the spindle.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a pair of door knobs the moveable
knob of which is attached to its spindle according to my Invention;
Figure 2 is a cross section of the same taken on the line a, Figure 1;
Figure 3 represents the same view as Figure 1, but with the milled
screw collar unscrewed from the screwed shoulder of the moveable
knob Figure 4 represents the spindle, adjustable key, and fixed knob,
and Figure 5 represents the moveable knob; Figure 6 is a front
elevation of the moveable knob Figure 5; Figure 7 is a front elevation
of the fixed knob spindle and adjustable key, and Figúre 8 represents
the adjustable key detached. The same letters indicate the same parts
in the several Figures of the Drawing. is the spindle, one end of which
knob, and d is the moveable
screwed hole fin its middle to
is screwed on its angles; c is the fixed
knob; e is the adjustable key having a
enable it to work on the screwed end of the spindle b. The said key e
has the oblong figure represented, the ends of the key being curved
and furnished with a screw thread. The longer sides of the said key
may be slightly tapered or inclined to one another for the
purpose of
facilitating the engagement with it of the moveable knob, or the said
sides of the key may be made parallel; g is a cross recess or groove in
the screwed shoulder h of the moveable knob d, the said cross recess
being of a size and figure proper to receive the adjustable key e on the
screwed end of the spindle. The screw thread on the periphery of the
.

page_text: shoulder his similar to that on the curved ends of the key e. The
bole in the neck of the moveable knob d is plain, so that the said
knob may pass on to the screwed end of the spindle by a sliding motion;
% is a moveable collar on the neck of the moveable knob d. This collar
is screwed internally with a screw thread proper to engage with that
on the periphery of the shoulder of the moveable knob d and the
curved ends of the adjustable key e.
In using this Invention the screwed end of the spindle is placed
through the door and lock. Upon the protruding end of the said
spindle the adjustable key e is screwed until it nearly abuts against
the door or lock. The. moveable knob d is then passed by a sliding
motion on to the end of the spindle b, the key e on the said spindle being
situated opposite the cross recess g in the shoulder of the said knob d,
that is, the longer sides of the key e are situated parallel to the sides of
the spindle, as illustrated in Figure 7. By the sliding of the moveable
knob d upon the screwed end of the spindle the adjusted key e on
the said end of the spindle enters and fills up the cross recess 9 in the
screwed shoulder h of the knob d, as represented in Figure 3, the said
screwed shoulder now resembling a solid shoulder provided with a
continuous screw thread. By next screwing the milled screw collar k
on the neck of the knob (see Figure 3) on to the screwed shoulder h
and screwed ends of the key e, the said shoulder and ends of the key
are covered by the said collar and the knob d is thereby securely attached
to its spindle. The milled screw collar k is provided with a flange k³
(see the section of the collar, Figure 3) on that face turned towards the
body of the knob. The object of the said flange is to prevent the screw
collar from being screwed beyond the position represented in Figure 1.
To detach the moveable knob d from its spindle the screw collar is
unscrewed from the shoulder h so as to uncover the ends of the key c,
when the knob d may be withdrawn from the key e and from the
spindle b, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in attaching
door and other knobs to spindles herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, attaching the said knobs

page_text: to their spindle by means of the adjustable key e cross recess g, in the
screwed shoulder of the knob and the milled screw collar k, the said
part e, g, k, being constructed, combined, and used substantially as
described and illustrated.
to their spindle by means of the adjustable key e cross recess g, in the
screwed shoulder of the knob and the milled screw collar k, the said
part e, g, k, being constructed, combined, and used substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walker, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN WALKER. (L.S.)