IMPROVE- MENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO THEIR SPINDLES. AND IN RACK
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Macvitic, of Erdington, in the County
of Warwick, Plumber and Decorator, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO THEIR SPINDLES. AND IN RACK
Sealed the 12th April 1876, and dated the 22nd October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Macvitic at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd October 1875.
I, WILLIAM MACVITIE, of Erdington, in the County of Warwick,
5 Plumber and Decorator, do hereby declaro the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS TO their
SPINDLES, AND IN RACK PULLEYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, of the improvenients hercin-after described
in attaching door and other knobs to their spindles, whereby the adjust-

page_text: ment of the knob on the spindle to the thickness of the door or other
article is readily effected, and the knob securely fixed on the spindle.
I make on one of the faces of the square spindle a rack or a series of
parallel teeth, and I fix in the interior of the neck of the knob or in the
square tube of the metallic mount, in case of china or other non-metallic
knobs, a short lever pressed down by a spring. When the spindle is
introduced into the neck of the knob the acting end of the lever is raised
by and slips over the inclined sides of the teeth of the rack on the
spindle, and the knob may be adjusted with great nicety on the spindle,
the spindle being prevented from being withdrawn from the knob by
the lever engaging with the square sides of the teeth of the said rack.
In order to release the holding lever for removing the knob from the
spindle I make a hole in the neck of the knob, the said hole being
situated opposite that arm of the lever which is not pressed upon by the
spring. By passing a bradawl or other tool down the hole described in
the neck it may be made to press upon the end described of the spring
lever, and thereby lift the opposite or acting end from the rack teeth of
the spindle. The knob is thereby released from the spindle, and may
be withdrawn; or instead of using a spring lever a spring tongue or
tooth may be fixed inside the neck of the knob, and be made to engage
with the rack on the spindle. The spring tongue or tooth is lifted from
the rack teeth to release the knob by means of a pointed tool passed
through a hole in the neck of the knob, and inserted under the spring
tongue so as to lift it from the rack teeth.
:
My Invention consists further in applying the fastening and releasing
mechanism herein first described to rack pulleys in the following
manner I make on the rack bar, which is fixed to the window frame,
a rack with parallel teeth, and upon the said rack bar a tubular carrier
works, the said carrier supporting the pulley around which the blind
cord passes.
On the side of the tubular carrier is a case in which a
spring lever similar to that herein-before described is situated, the acting
end of the lever passing through a slot in the said carrier, and engaging
with the rack bar.

page_text: teeth. In order to slacken the blind cord by raising the pulley carrier
on the rack it is necessary to release the spring lever from the rack bar.
This is effected by pressing upon the end of the lever which protrudes
from the bottom of the case in which the spring lover is situated. The
acting end of the lever is thereby lifted from the teeth of the rack bar,
and the pulley carrier can be raised to the desired height on the rack
bar, or be wholly removed therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Macvitic in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MACVITIE, of Erdington, in the County of Warwick, Plumber and
Decorator, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Macvitie, Her special
license that I, the said William Macvitic, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Macvitie,
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,
usc, 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 THEIR SPINDLES,
AND IN RACK PULLEYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Macvitie, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Macvitie, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists, first, of the improvements herein-after described
in attaching door and other knobs to their spindles, whereby the adjust-
ment of the knob to the thickness of the door or other article is readily
effected, and the knob securely fixed on the spindle.
I make on one of the faces of the square spindle a rack or a series of
parallel teeth, and I fix in the interior of the neck of the knob, or in
the square hole of the metallic mount, in case of china or other non-
metallic knobs, a short lever pressed down by a spring. When the
spindle is introduced into the neck of the knob the acting end of the
lever is raised by and slips over the inclined sides of the teeth of the
rack on the spindle, and the knob may be adjusted with great nicety on
the spindle, the spindle being prevented from being withdrawn from
the knob by the lever engaging with the square sides of the teeth of
the said rack. In order to release the holding lever for removing the
knob from the spindle I make a hole in the neck of the knob, the said
hole being situated opposite that arm of the lever which is not pressed
upon by the spring. By passing a bradawl or other tool down the hole
described in the neck it may be made to press upon the end described
of the spring lever, and thereby lift the opposite or acting end from the
rack teeth of the spindle; the knob is thereby released from the spindle
and may be withdrawn. Or instead of using a spring lever a spring
tongue or tooth may be fixed inside the neck of the knob, and be made
to engage with the rack on the spindle. The spring tongue or tooth
is lifted from the rack teeth to release the knob by means of a pointed
tool passed through a hole in the neck of the knob and inserted under
the spring tongue, so as to lift it from the rack teeth.
My Invention consists, further, in applying the fastening and
releasing mechanism herein first described to rack pulleys in the fol-
lowing manner :-I make on the rack bar, which is fixed to the window
frame, a rack with parallel teeth, and upon the said rack bar a tubular

page_text: carrier works, the said carrier supporting the pulley under which the
blind cord passes. On the side of the tubular carrier is a case in which
a spring lever, similar to that herein-before described, is situated, the
acting end of the lever passing through a slot in the said carrier and
engaging with the rack bar.
By drawing down the pulley carrier on the rack bar the blind cord is
tightened to the required degree, the spring lover slipping over the rack
teeth. In order to slacken the blind cord by raising the pulley carrier
on the rack it is necessary to release the spring lever from the rack bar;
this is effected by pressing upon one end of the lever. The acting end
of the lever is thereby lifted from the teeth of the rack bar, and
the pulley carrier can be raised to the desired height on the rack bar,
or be wholly removed therefrom. ·
Instead of using a fixed rack bar a moveable or sliding rack bar may
be used. In this case the box or case containing the spring lever is
fixed to the window frame.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying
Drawing, the manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents, partly in section and partly in clevation, a pair
of china or other non-metallic knobs attached to their spindle according
to one of the arrangements of my Invention; Figure 2 represents one
of the said knobs released from the spindle and ready to be with-
drawn Figure 3 represents in plan the metal mount of the knob
detached, in which mount the fastening and releasing mechanism of the
knob is carried; and Figure 4 represents the spindle detached.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a is the square spindle, and b, b, are the two knobs fixed to its ends.
One of the faces of the said spindle a is made into rack teeth marked c.
d is the metallic mount fixed in the axis of the knob b. The square
internal tubular part of the said mount is longer than usual, and to
the said part a short lever e, e, is jointed, the acting arme of the
said lever being pressed down by the spring f. The pins or pivots e³ of
the said short lever e, e³, turn in ears or projections d³, ³, made on
opposite edges of the open tubular part d² of the mount. When the
knob is placed on the end of the spindle a the acting or inner arm e of

page_text: the lever e, e, is raised and slips over the inclined sides of the teeth of
the rack c on the spindle, and the knob may be pushed to the required
distance on the said spindle and adjusted with great nicety to suit doors
of different thicknesses. When the knob has been adjusted on the
end of the spindle a, the acting end e of the lever e, e³,
engages with
the square side of the tooth of the rack to which it has been brought,
and the knob is thereby securely fixed to the spindle, or the spindle is
prevented from being withdrawn from the knob, as illustrated in
Figure 1. When it is required to remove the knob from the spindle it
is necessary to release the holding lever e, e³. This is effected through a
hole g in the neck of the knob, the said hole being situated immediately
opposite the end of the arm e³ of the lever c, &, as represented. By
passing a pin or rod h, or a bradawl or other tool down the said hole y,
as illustrated in Figure 2, it may be made to press upon the arm e³ of
the holding lever e, e², and thereby lift the opposite or acting arm e from
the rack teeth c, as seen in the said Figure 2; the knob is thereby
released, and may be withdrawn from off the spindle. One or both of
the knobs may be fixed to the spindle by the mechanism described and
represented. This part of my Invention may be applied to metal knobs
as well as to china or non-metallic knobs.
Figure 5 represents in section a metal knob fixed to its spindle by a
modification of the arrangement already described, and Figure 6.
represents an elevation of the same with the knob released preparatory
to withdrawing it from the spindle. In this modification a spring
tongue or tooth i is fixed inside the neck of the knob a³ to engage with
the rack teeth c of the spindle a. The spring tongue i is released from
the rack teeth c by lifting the acting end of the said tongue instead of
pressing down the non-acting end of the lever, as in the first described
arrangement. The spring tongue i is released from the rack teeth c by
passing a rod or bradawl or other tool through the hole / (see Figure 6)
in the neck of the knob so as to insert its end under the said spring
tongue and lift the latter from the rack teeth c, as illustrated in
Figure 6. When the said spring tongue i has been thus lifted the knob
is released, and may be withdrawn from the end of the spindle.
Figures 7 and 8 represent in elevation partly in section a rack pulley
containing my improvements, and Figure 9 is a front elevation of the
same.
In Figure 7 the rack bar is represented fixed, and in Figure S

page_text: released.
is the rack bar sliding in the box or case fixed by the ears
,, to the window frame. The upper end of the said rack bar carries
the pulley m under which the blind or other cord passes. In the fixed
box or case is a small lever n, n³, pressed upon by the spring p so as to
cause its acting arm n to engage with the teeth of the rack bar k'. The
end n of the said lever is acted upon to release the said lever by the
pusher q. By drawing down the rack bar the arm n of the lever
slips over the inclined sides of the rack teeth, and the cord passing
under the pulley m may be tightened, but the said rack bar cannot rise
in the box or case in consequence of the arm 12 of the said lever
engaging with the square sides of the said rack tecth, as represented in
Figure 7. To slacken the cord it is necessary to disengage the spring
lever n, n, from the teeth of the rack bar k³. This is effected by
pressing inwards the pusher q. The acting arm of the lever is thereby
lifted from the teeth of the rack bar, as illustrated in Figure 8, and the
rack bar is liberated, and may be lifted to the desired height in the

page_text: Secondly. The improvements in rack pulleys herein-before described
and illustrated in Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, the arrangement or combination of parts described and
illustrated for adjusting, fixing, and releasing the moveable rack bar of
tho rack pulley or the moveable pulley carrier of the rack pulley.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Macvitie, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Eleventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM MACVITIE. (L.s.)