IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW-SASH & CASEMENT FASTENERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Underhill, of Loveday Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WINDOW-SASH & CASEMENT FASTENERS."
Sealed the 26th April 1861, and dated the 1st November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Underhill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
November 1860.
I, JAMES UNDERHILL, of Loveday Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDOW-SASH & CASEMENT FASTENERS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in sash and casement fastenings consist in the combina-
tion of the ordinary spring and bolt which moves on a pin so that the tension
of the spring shall be exerted on it in such manner as to give motion to the
bolt at all points of its traverse, (the quadrant described by the bolt) unless
restrained by suitable stops, this tendency to motion being always in one
direction, and by preference with greater force when the sash or casement is
fastened than in any other: position. For this purpose I form the tail end of
the bolt or lever, on which the spring acts, of a curve or portion of a circle,
but eccentric to the central pin or fulcrum of the bolt, and such as to sustain
the action and effect of the spring as above described. By this means a

page_text: smooth and facile movement is insured in the action of the fastening, when
the sashes or casements are secured by this fastening, the bolt is held in
position by a catch which clips & holds the bolt, the grip being increased by
the tendency of the bolt to return to its normal position. This catch may be
simply a small thumb lever dropping on and embracing the bolt, or it may be
spring or other kind of catch rising from beneath, and depressed when it
is desired to release the bolt. When the bolt is released by the lever spring
or other catch adopted, the bolt flies back to its normal position, and
disconnects or unfastens the casement or window sash.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Underhill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
UNDERHILL, of Loveday Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Underhill, Her special licence that I, the said James
the
Underhill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
said James Underhill, 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 ." IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDOW-SASH AND CASEMENT FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I the said James Underhill, 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 James Underhill, do hereby, declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in. and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,.
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to that class of lever bolts for casement or window
sashes which have a stop catch to retain them when in the fastened position,.
and the improvements consist in so combining the ordinary spring and bolt,.
which moves on an axis or pin, that the tension of the spring. shall have such
effect on it as to give motion to the bolt at all points of its traverse (the
quadrant described by the bolt) unless restrained by a suitable stop, this.
tendency to motion being always in one direction, and by preference with
greater force when the sash or casement is fastened than in any other position.
For this purpose I form the tail end of the bolt or lever on which the spring
acts of a curve or portion of a circle eccentric to the central pin or fulcrum of
the bolt, or of other suitable form, whereby to sustain and render the action
and effect of the spring such as above described, by this means a smooth and
facile movement is insured in the action of the fastening. When sashes.or case-
ments are secured by this fastening, the bolt is held in position by a catch
which clips and holds the bolt, the grip being further insured by the tendency
of the bolt to return to its normal position. This catch may be simply a
small thumb lever dropping on and embracing the bolt, or it may be a spring or
other kind of catch rising from beneath, which is depressed if it is desired to
release the bolt. When the bolt is released by the lever, spring, or other
catch adopted, the bolt flies back to its normal position and disconnects or
unfastens the casement or window sash or sashes. This fastening is applicable
to: "French windows" as well as to other hinge & sliding sashes.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a plan of my improved sash fastening as applied to sliding
window sashes a & b; Fig. 2 is a like plan, but with the..upper plate of the
fastening removed in order to show the form of the bolt and its action; Fig. 3
is an end view; Fig. 4 a front edge view of the same; while Fig. 5 is a
separate view of the bolt. In the general appearance this fastening is. very
similar to ordinary fastenings, as also the plates c, d, thereof, these are fixed
to the sashes in the ordinary way and position. e is the spring fixed at f, and
g the bolt pivotted at h on the plate c, while, R is a catch. to hold the bolt
mounted on the other plate of the fastening, over which plate, the bolt
moves when fastening the sashes together. The spring e bears on the tail of
the bolt g as usual, but which is of such a form (as will be seen in Figs. 2 & 5),

page_text: that the spring has a tendency to and will keep the bolt in its position over
plate cas seen in Fig. 1, if not secured in the position Fig. 2, and 'unlike
ordinary fastenings of the kind which will remain in the position shown at:
Fig. 2 without fixing, their springs being so arranged as to be inoperative in
that position, and this although the thumb lever or latch fastening k is some-
times applied to them for further security. The tendency of the bolt g to
return to and remain in the position shown at Fig. 1 is due to the form of
the tail end of the bolt, which it will be observed is of such form and in
such relation to the fulcrum or pin h on which it turns, that it forces the bolt to
return from position Fig. 2 to position Fig. 1, unless it is restrained by some
superior force which will be readily understood on examining those different
positions together with the bearing, and effect which the spring 7 has upon
it; a friction roller m may be introduced in the tail end of bolt g to reduce the
friction of the rubbing contact of 7 with the spring e.. It will be seen also
that the form of the tail end of the lever or bolt g is such that the spring is in
a greater state of tension when the window is fastened than when it is un-
fastened. To secure the bolt g in the fastened position of the fastening, I adopt
the ordinary latch fixer k, which is simply a small lever pivotted on bracket n,
and dropping by its superior weight at one end on and embracing the arm of
the bolt g as seen in Figs. 2 & 3, the hook or holding part of this latch or
catch may further be made under cut a little; and the bolt g at the corre-
sponding part suitably adapted for it so as to cause a tendency to hold better
than if formed at right angles to the lever k. I also form a projection on the
bolt g inclined a little on the face next fixed bracket n, against which it comes in
contact, and so binds and keeps the two sashes a & b together, as seen at
Fig. 2; is a small projection simply to receive the blow of the return action
of the bolt to position Fig. 1, which part p strikes against the rivet of the
spring f. Instead of the bolt 9 being held by a latch k as described, it
may be held by any other kind of stop to secure it in the fastened position, for
instance, it may be a spring stop 9 rising from below, and as represented in
front view at Fig. 6, this spring stop is furnished with a thumb knob r by
depressing which the bolt 9 will be released. It will be observed that the
catches k and q are so formed that the bolt g when moved into the fastening
position causes them to recede, and that they take hold of and retain the bolt
in a self-acting manner, and whereby the bolt g is held, and the fastening
rendered secure until the stops k or q are operated upon for the release.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the

page_text: herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, so arranging the bolt of sash
and casement fastenings & its spring, that the spring exerts a constant force
on the bolt to return it to the unfastened or normal position, and securing
such bolt and spring in the fastened position in any suitable manner as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Underhill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred & sixty-one.
o Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
JAMES UNDERHILL. (L.S.)