AN IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING KNOBS TO DOORS, DRAWERS, AND OTHER ARTICLES AND I CONNECTING KNOBS TO SPINDLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Harcourt, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING KNOBS TO DOORS, DRAWERS, AND OTHER ARTICLES
AND I CONNECTING KNOBS TO SPINDLES."
Sealed the 9th May 1862, and dated the 26th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Harcourt at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition, on the
26th November-1861.
., 'ROBERT HARCOURT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING KNOBS TO DOORS, DRAWERS, AND OTHER
ARTICLES, AND IN: CONNECTING KNOBS TO SPINDLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists. in fastening.knobs to doors, drawers, and other
articles, and in connecting knobs to lock or other spindles by means of a
divided collar ór, plate. fastened to the door or other article, and made to
engage with the flange or shoulder. which terminates the 'neck of the knob.
In connecting knobs to the spindles of mortice locks, and fastening the said
knobs to the doors on which the locks are fixed, I proceed as follows:-The
ends of the-square spindle of the lock enter the square holes in the necks of
the knobs, but are not fixed; thereto, the knobs being secured to the. opposite
sides of the door. A ring-like collar consisting of two semicircular pieces is

page_text: fixed on the door, and concentric with the lule through which the lock spindle
passes. These semicircular pieces are fixed to the door by means of a screw,
and turned upon the said screw-in a manner similar to that in which the
blades of a pair of callipers turned upon their joint. In putting the knob in
its place the semicircular pieces are opened, and the knob is put on the spindle
and pressed against the door. The semicircular pieces are then closed and
fixed by a screw. In closing the said semicircular pieces the flauge on the
end of the neck of the knob is enclosed underneath the collar formed by the
said pieces, and the knob cannot be withdrawn from the spindle. In order to
remove the knob it is only necessary to remove the screw which fixes the
halves of the collar upon the flange of the knob, when the said halves can
open outwards upon the other screw when they no longer engage with the
flange on the neck of the knob. The arrangement described is employed on
both sides of the door. In the case of rim locks one of the knobs is fastened
to the spindle at one end, and the spindle is prevented from being withdrawn
by means of a pin passed through it at the other end. Instead of a complete
annular collar a semicircular collar may be used,, or a slide having a semi-
circular figure at its end may be made to engage over the flange on the neck
of the knob. The same arrangement of a divided collar is employed to fasten
knobs to doors and other articles where no spindle is employed.. but in this
case prefer to fix the divided collar by means of more than two screws.
My Invention is applicable to the connecting of knobs to doors.. drawers,
and other articles, and is applicable to knobs made of non-metallic substances
as well as to metal knobs.
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert, Harcourt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th May 1862.
-TO-ALL-TO-WHOM THESE-PRESENTS-SHALL-COME, I; ROBERT
HARCOURT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant, unto me
the said Robert Harcourt, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Harcourt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I;

page_text: the said Robert Harcourt; my executors, administrators, and. assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IM-
PROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING KNOBS TO DOORS, DRAWERS, AND OTHER
ARTICLES, AND IN. CONNECTING KNOBS TO SPINDLES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the, said Robert Harcourt,, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Robert Harcourt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and, ascertained in and, by the following
statement thereof, that is to say
'
My Invention consists in fastening knobs to doors, drawers, and other
articles, and in connecting knobs to lock or other spindles by means of a
divided collar, or plate, which is made to engage with the flange or shoulder
which terminates the neck, of the knob, or to engage with the neck of the
knob as herein-after particularly explained and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
114 Figure 1 represents in plan a mortice lock to which my Invention is applied,
the spindle and knobs being disconnected therefrom; Figure 2 is an edge
view of the same with a spindle and knob fastened thereto; Figure 3 is a plan
(partly in section) of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an edge view (partly in
section) of Figure 3..
J
In connecting knobs to the spindle of the said mortice lock, Figures 1, 2,
3, and 4, and fastening the said knobs to the door on which the lock is fixed,
I proceed as follows:-The ends of the square spindle a of the lock enter the
square holes in the necks of the knobs, but are not fixed thereto, the said
knobs being secured to, the opposite sides of the door. A knob b at one end
only, of the spindle a is represented in the Drawing. Fixed on the door c,
and concentric with the hole d through which the lock
ring-like collar, consisting of two semicircular pieces è, f. The said semi-
circular pieces e, f, are fixed to the door by means of a screw g, and turn úpon
the said screw in a manner similar to that in which the. blades of a pair of
callipers turn upon their joint, as will be understood by an examination of
spindle a passes, is-a.

page_text: Figure 1, which Figure 1 represents the said semicircular pieces e, f, open.
In putting the knob b in its place, the semicircular pieces e, are opened, as
illustrated in Figure 1, and the said knob b is put on the spindle a and pressed
against the door c. The free ends of the semicircular pieces e, f, are then
closed and fixed together, and to the door by a screw h, as illustrated in
Figures 2, 3, and. 4. In closing the semicircular pieces e, f, the flange i on
the end of the neck of the knob b is enclosed underneath the annular collar
formed by the said semicircular pieces e, f, and the knob b cannot be with-
drawn from the spindle. The fixing of the flange i of the knob by the
collar e, f, is best seen in Figure 4, in which Figure 4 the said collar is shewn
in section. Figure 5. represents separately a plan of the inner face of the
collar e, f, and Figure 6 is a section of the same taken through the dotted line
in Figure 5. In the said Figures 5 and 6, as well as in Figure 4, the shape
of that part of the collar e, f, which closes upon the flange of the knob will be
readily seen. In order to remove the knob b from the door and from the
spindle it is only necessary to remove the screw h which fixes the halves e, f,
of the annular collar upon the flange i of the knob, when the said halves can
be opened outwards upon the other screw g, as illustrated in Figure 1, and,
removed from the flange i of the knob, and the said knob can then be with-
drawn from the spindle. The knob on the other end of the spindle is fixed
thereto and to the door by means of the arrangement of divided collar
described with reference to the knob b. Instead of fixing the screw gon
which the pieces: e, f, turn, above the spindle, as represented in Figures 1
and 3, the said screw g may be fixed below the spindle, and the free ends of
the pieces e, f, be uppermost, that is, the position of the parts may be
inverted.
and
In applying my Invention to rim locks, one of the knobs is fastened to the
spindle at one end, and the spindle is prevented from being withdrawn by
means of a pin passed through it at the other end. The other knob is
fastened to the spindle and door by means of a divided collar. Or the spindles
of the rim locks may be loose, as described with reference to mortice locks,
both-of-the-knobs-be-fixed-by-divided-collars. Instead of making the
semicircular pieces forming the collar or plate encircle the flange on the end
of the knob, the said semicircular pieces may engage in a groove made in the
neck of the knob. Figure 7 represents an edge view (partly in section) of a
knob fastened to the door and spindle; by this modification is the groove
in the neck of the knob m, and e, f, are the semicircular pieces of the collar
or plate engaging in the said groove k.
Figures 8 and 9 represent in horizontal section and edge view respectively

page_text: a china, glass, or other non-metallic knob fastened to the door and lock spindle
according to my Invention. n is the china or glass knob, and o is the metallic
mount, of the same. In the said mount o a groove,p is made, into which the
semicircular pieces e, f, of the annular collar engage.
Figure 10 represents in horizontal section a metallic knob of a different
shape fixed to the door and lock spindle according to_my_ Invention,-in-which-
Figure 10 the knob is marked 7, the shoulder of the knob s, and the semi-
circular pieces of the collar encircling the said shoulder are marked e, f.....
Figure 11 represents in .plan.the front of an annular collar or plate made
according to my Invention, and Figure 12-is an edge view of the same. In
the face of this annular collar, Figures. 11, and 12,; I-make a depression or
groove t, for the purpose of ornamenting the said face, instead of making it
flat, and ornamenting the edges, as represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figure 13 represents in plan (partly in. section) a knob. fastened to a. door
and lock spindle according to another arrangement of my Invention, and.
Figure 14 represents an edge view of the same, partly in horizontal section..
In this arrangement, of my Invention I make the collar encircling the flange w
of the knob of two plates u, v, of a semi-octagonal figure, as represented..
The octagonal collar u, v, is fixed to the door by.. the screws x, x, the inner
circular edges of the said collar engaging. with the flange of the knob in the
manner herein-before described. To disengage the knob from the door and
In place of removing one of.
lock spindle it is only necessary to remove one of the plates u, v, by removing
the screws x, x, when the knob can be withdrawn. By placing the knob upon
the spindle, and again fastening the said plate in the manner represented in
the Drawing, the knob is refixed in its place.
the plates forming the collar, when the knob is required to be withdrawn, both
plates may be made to slide so as to withdraw, them from the flange of the
knob. Figure 15 represents a plan of this modification of my Invention, and
Figure 16 is a horizontal section of the same. y, z,, are the two plates forming.
an octagonal collar, in each of which plates a rectangular opening 1, 1, is
made, through which openings the screws. 2, 2, .are passed to fasten the collar
to the door. To disengage the flange of the knob from the collar y, z, the
screws 2, 2, are slightly raised so that their heads, do not bear upon the said
collar. The plates y, z, of the collar are then moved in opposite, directions
until the inner ends of the openings 1, 1, bear against the screws 2, 2, when
the flange of the knob is no longer enclosed by the inner circular edges of the
collar, and the knob can be withdrawn from the said collar and lock spindle.
To fasten the knob, the collar y, z, being in the position last described,, the
said knob is placed upon the spindle, the plates y, z, of the collar are, moved

page_text: towards each other until their inner circular edges enclose the flange of the
knob. The screws 2, 2, are now driven home, and their heads 'made to bear
upon and fix the collar. The knob is thereby fastened to the door and to the
lock spindle. The plates u, v, Figures 13 and 14, and the plates y, z, Figures
15 and 16, may be of a semicircular figure instead of the semi-octagonal
figure represented; or the said plates forming the collar may be made of other
polygonal figures, and ornamented to suit the character of the knobs with
which they are used. Instead of a complete annular collar, a semicircular
collar may be used, or a slide having a semicircular figure at its end may be
made to engage over the flange or shoulder on the neck of the knob.
.
One of these modifications is represented in plan in Figure 17, and edge
view (partly in section) in Figure 18 of the Drawings, that is to say, I fix on
the door a plate 3 having a semicircular depression 4 therein, the said
depression 4 being concentric with the hole in which the spindle of the lock
works, and opposite the said plate 3 I fasten another plate 5, in which plate 5
a slide 6 works, the said slide having a semicircular depression 7 at its end, as
represented. The knob being placed upon the spindle and pushed against the
door, half of its flange being encircled by the plate 3, the slide 6 is moved
towards the knob, and its end 7 made to encircle the other half of the flange
of the knob. The slide 6 being now fixed, the knob is secured to the door
and lock spindle.
Figures 19, 20, and 21, illustrate another modification of my Invention;
Figure 19 representing a plan, Figure 20 a longitudinal section, and Figure 21
an end elevation. In this modification I fix on the door at opposite sides of
the spindle hole of the lock two plates 8, 10, in dovetails, in which plates the
slides 11, 12, work. The ends 13, 14, of the said slides have a semicircular
figure. The knob being placed upon the spindle of the lock, the slides 11, 12
are moved towards each other, and their ends 13, 14, made to encircle the
flange of the said knob. The slides 11, 12, are now fastened by the screws
15, 15, engaging with the fixed plates 8, 10. To disengage the knob, the
Screws-15, -15,-are-turned, and-the-slides-11-12,-moved into the position
represented in the Drawing.
Any of the arrangements described and represented may be employed to
fasten knobs to doors and other articles where no spindle is employed; but in
this case I prefer to fix the divided collar by means of more than two screws.
The arrangements represented in Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16, are specially
suited to fasten the knobs to doors or other articles where no spindle is
employed.
My Invention is applicable to the connecting of knobs to doors, drawers,

page_text: and other articles, and is applicable to knobs made of glass, china, wood,
bone, or other non-metallic substance, as well as to metal knobs.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in 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-before described and illustrated_in_
the Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvement or improve-
ments in fastening knobs to doors, drawers, and other articles, and in con-
necting knobs to spindles, herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say, by means of a divided collar or plate,
which is made to enclose or encircle the flange or shoulder of the neck of the
knob, or engage in a groove in the said flange or shoulder, or in the neck
of the knob, the said divided collar or plate being constructed essentially in
the several ways herein-before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Harcourt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ROBERT HARCOURT. (L.S.)