IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FASTENING PURPOSES, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Alfred Wright, of Homerton, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR FASTENING PURPOSES, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE
"
Sealed the 23rd April 1872, and dated the 25th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Alfred Wright
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th October 1871.
I, ROBERT ALFRED WRIGHT, of Homerton, in the County of Middle-
sex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FASTENING PURPOSES, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE
TO THE FASTENING OF RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGE DOORS," to be as
follows:-
The apparatus is composed of two main portions or members, one
of which is the working or moving portion, and the other the stationary
portion, and by the engagement of the same the fastening action is
effected.

page_text: My fastening contrivance consists of apparatus in which a bolt acts
in combination with an arm, tongue, or latch on a handle or spindle, so
that when one is worked or moved the other is also worked or moved.
The arm, tongue, or latch is capable of travelling over an incline into a
socket or staple, and the bolt abuts or jams against an abutment; the
bolt and the arm, tongue, or latch form one portion or member of the
fastening, and the incline socket and abutment form the other member
thereof.
In order that the Invention may be fully understood I describe in
what manner it may be performed when applied to a railway carriage
door ;
it may be constructed in like manner when applied to other
articles or places.
The "
working member" of the fastening is fitted in the edge of the
door. A boss on the spindle or shank of the door handle works in a
recess or mortice in the edge of the door, and carries an arm, projection,
tongue, or latch. A cam path or spiral groove is formed in the boss,
in which works a pin or stud on a bolt capable of horizontal to-and-fro
travel when actuated as herein described. The handle (with its boss
and arm) and the bolt being thus engaged, the handle when turned will
push the bolt to and fro. The same action raises and depresses the
arm, that is to say, when the handle is so turned as to raise the arm or
draw it within the recess, the bolt will be shot out or propelled in a
direction outward of the recess, and vice versa, when the bolt moves
back or inward of the recess the arm drops or moves outward of the
recess.
The other or stationary portion of the fastening apparatus is on the
jamb or edge of the door frame, in a convenient position for receiving
the action of the bolt and arm. This second or stationary portion consists
of a socket or mortice of peculiar shape to receive the arm or tongue,
and having a projection at one edge. A portion of this projection is formed
with an incline; and at the other side of the socket is a plate or block
forming an abutment against which the end of the bolt presses as
afterwards described. When the door is to be fastened, suppose the
arm to be in its free position, that is to say, raised or within its recess,
the bolt will then project from the recess or be in its outward position.
When the door is shut the bolt will impinge against the abutment,
and as the door is being shut the arm will be depressed, fall into the
socket, and slip to the lower part thereof, the bolt end jamming against

page_text: the abutment. If the arm is not within the recess or in its proper
position, but projecting, then on closing the door the arm will impinge
on the incline and be driven up into the socket, at the same moment
the action is reversed, that is to say, the bolt impinges on the abutment,
and the arm falls into the socket. The parts of the fastening are thus
securely engaged, and the door is firmly fastened. In order to unfasten
it the handle is turned, thereby raising the arm and clearing it from
the socket. This action (by the engagement of the pin or stud on the
bolt in the path on the boss of the tongue) pushes the bolt out again
ready for the next fastening action. The arm or tongue spindle may
be worked by a key instead of by a handle. A racket and pinion or a
ratchet motion or other mechanical gear contrivance may be substituted
for the cam path and pin.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Alfred Wright in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ALFRED WRIGHT, of Homerton, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, 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 suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Alfred Wright, Her
special licence that I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the said Robert Alfred
Wright, 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 APPARATUS FOR FASTENING PURPOSES, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE
TO THE FASTENING OF RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGE DOORS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say :—
The apparatus is composed of two main portions or members, one of
which is the working or moving portion, and the other the stationary
or passive portion, and by the engagement of these portions or members
the fastening action is effected.
E
]
My fastening contrivance consists of apparatus in which a bolt acts 1
in combination with an arm, tongue, or latch on a handle or spindle
in such manner that when one is worked or moved the other is also
worked or moved. The arm, tongue, or latch is capable of travelling over
an incline and into a socket or staple, and the bolt abuts or jams
against an abutment. The bolt and the arm, tongue, or latch form one ?
portion or member of the fastening, and the incline socket and abutment
form the other portion or member thereof.
In order that the Invention may be fully understood I describe in
what manner it may be performed when the fastening is applied to a
-railway carriage door, and I would add that it may be constructed in:
like manner when applied to other articles and places.
The "
working member" of the fastening is fitted in the edge of the
door. A boss on the spindle or shank of the door handle works in a recess
or mortice in the edge of the door, and carries an arm, projection,
tongue, or latch. A cam path or spiral groove is formed in the periphery
of the boss, in which works a pin or stud on a bolt capable of horizontal
to-and-fro travel when actuated as herein described. The handle (with
its boss and arm) and the bolt being thus engaged, that is to say, the
pin or stud on the bolt being engaged in the cam path or spiral
path, the handle will when turned push the bolt to and fro. The
same action raises and depresses the arm, that is to say, when the
handle is so turned as to raise the arm or draw it within the recess,
the bolt will be shot out or propelled in a direction outward of the recess,

page_text: and vice versa, that is to say, when the bolt is moved back or inward
of the recess the arm will drop and move outward of the recess.
"
The other or "
stationary or passive portion or member of the
fastening apparatus is on the jamb or edge of the door frame in a
convenient position for receiving the action of the bolt and arm
above described. This "stationary" portion consists of a socket or
mortice formed of peculiar shape to receive the arm or tongue, and
having a projection at one edge. A portion of this projection is formed
with an incline; and at the other side of the socket is a plate or block
forming an abutment against which the end of the bolt presses as after-
wards described. When the door is to be fastened, first, suppose the
arm to be in its free position, that is to say, raised or within the recess,
the bolt will then project from the recess or be in its outward position.
When the door is shut the bolt will impinge against the abutment,
and as the door is being shut the arm will be depressed, fall into the
socket, and slip or drop to the lower part thereof, the end of the bolt
jamming against the abutment. If the arm is not within the recess
or in its proper position, but projecting, then on closing the door the
arm will impinge on the incline and be driven up into the socket at
the same moment the action will be reversed, that is to say, the bolt
will impinge on the abutment, and the arm will fall into the socket.
The portions or members of the fastening apparatus are thus securely
engaged and the door is firmly fastened. In order to unfasten the
door the handle is turned, thereby raising the arm and clearing it from
the socket. This action moves the bolt because the pin or stud on the
bolt is engaged in the cam path on the boss, and thus the bolt is pushed
out again ready for the next fastening action. The arm or tongue
spindle may be worked by a key instead of by a handle.
I proceed with reference to the accompanying Drawings to describe
more particularly in what manner the Invention may be carried into
effect.
Figure 1 is a side view of the working or active portion or member
of the fastening applied to a railway carriage door; Figure 2 is a side
view of the same shewing it in its closed position; Figure 3 is an edge
view of this portion of the fastening partly in section; Figure 4 shews
the slotted covering plate thereof in side view, and Fig. 4* in edge
view.

page_text: Figure 5 is a side view, and Figure Ca front view of the second or
stationary portion of the fastening applied to the jamb of the carriage
door. The apparatus is shewn as applied to a railway carriage door.
I first proceed to describe what I call the working or active member or
portion of the fastening apparatus..
A is the wood work of the door, in the edge of which is formed a recess
or mortice b, protected by a slotted plate 6*, Figures 4, 4*. This plate
is removed in Figs. 1, 2, & 3. B is the door handle, the spindle c of
which passes through the mortice b, and is supported in bearings in the
edges thereof. On the spindle c within the mortice 6 is fixed a boss D;
e is an arm, latch, or tongue formed or fixed on the boss D in the mortice
b, and moving with the boss D; f is a cam path or spiral groove cut or
formed in the periphery of the boss. The arm or latch is bevelled at e*
to facilitate its travel over the incliner herein-after referred to. H is a
bolt fitted in the mortice where it is supported so as to be capable of
being pushed or slidden to and fro; i is a pin or stud fixed or formed
on the bolt. This pin or stud engages in the cam groove, so that when
the handle is turned it will move the bolt to and fro, and so also when
the bolt is moved to and fro it will cause the boss D and spindle c to
turn, and will therefore move the arm, tongue, or latch c. When the
bolt is moved outward or propelled its free end projects from the mortice
or recess b. So also when the boss is so turned as to depress the tongue
or arm e, the free end of the latter projects from the mortice or recess b.
The parts I have described in reference to Figures 1, 2, & 3 form the
working or active member or portion of the fastening apparatus. When
the handle is turned in one direction so as to raise the arm e, or draw its
free end within the recess b, the bolt H will be pushed out or so that
its free end may project from the recess b. This position is shewn in
Figure 1, and when the handle is turned in the contrary direction so
as to depress the arm or allow its free end to project from the mortice,
the bolt is by the same action drawn inward or in a direction towards the
handle. This position is shewn in Figure 2. p is a slot in the plate b*
for the passage of the latch e, and p³ is a hole in the plate 6* for the
passage of the bolt H.
a is a frame or case fitted in the mortice
supporting the working parts therein.
and
Figures 5 and 6 relate to the other portion or member of the fastening
which I d to decoriko and which I call the stationary or passive

page_text: portion or member. This is situated on the jamb or side of the door
frame K against which the edge of the door closes when shut; part of
this portion of the fastening (as well as the first portion) is shown in
Fig. 2. J is a socket or recess formed in the jamb in convenient
position for receiving the action of the arm e and bolt II. This socket
or recess is seen in Fig. 5. The socket or recess J is of somewhat
peculiar shape, one edge of it being an incline, as shewn at j; lis a
protecting plate slotted to correspond with the shape of the socket.
a projection formed or fixed at one edge of the socket J, but at the outside
of the door jamb. A portion of this projection R is formed with an
inclined edge r. On the opposite side of the socket J is a strong plate
or block m fixed to the frame of the door at right angles to the jamb;
it forms an abutment. v is a spring fastened at one end to the bottom
of the socket.
Ris
I now proceed to describe the action or mode of employment of the
fastening apparatus. The door can be fastened with or without turning
or touching the handle, thus, suppose the door is to be fastened (the
door being open), the door is pushed to or shut, and the arm is thereby
raised so as to be brought entirely within the mortice b; in this position
of the apparatus the bolt will project from the mortice, as shown in
Figure 1, or the arm may be raised by turning the handle. When the
door is shut the bolt will impinge against the abutment m, but as the
door is being shut the arm will be depressed and drop into the socket J,
the end of the bolt jamming against the abutment m, and the spring v
keeping the parts steady, see Figure 2. But if when the door is to bo
shut the arm happens to be depressed or projecting, then the closing
to of the door without turning the handle will bring the arm against the
incline and drive it up into the socket J, the arm travelling along the
incline into the socket J, and at that moment the bolt will impinge
against the abutment, as above described; it will move back, turning the
boss a little, and the arm or latch e will drop into the socket J, the
spring keeping it steady. Thus by slamming or shutting the door the
fastening action can be effected without turning the handle. The parts
being thus disposed the door will be firmly fastened. When the door
is to be unfastened the handle is turned, thereby lifting the arm and
freeing it from the socket. The boss D on the handle spindle c will at
the same time work the bolt pushing it out ready for the next fastening
""

page_text: operation. Instead of using a handle the outside end of the spindle may
be made square so that the boss may be worked by a key.
Although I have shewn the Invention as applied to fastening a car-
riage door, it may be applied in like manner to the fastening of other
doors, articles, and places.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as constituting
the said Invention, the fastening apparatus having its parts arranged,
combined, operated, and applied substantially in the manner herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, have hereunto.
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
E. EDMONDS,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
ROB. A. WRIGHT. (L.S.)