An improved Device for Indicating Watercloset or other Doors is or is not Fastened.
Year: 1884

page_text: An improved Device for Indicating
Watercloset or other Doors is or is not Fastened.
I, AUGUSTINE ALMA KING, of 59 Romilley Road, Finsbury Park, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN
IMPROVED DEVICE FOR INDICATING WHETHER THE BOLT UPON WATERCLOSET OR
OTHER DOORS IS OR IS NOT FASTENED to be as follows:-
دو
My invention relates to ordinary door bolts, and especially to bolts used for
fastening the doors of waterclosets on the inside, and it has for its object the
arrangement of a device in connection with the bolt, by which it is shewn upon
the outside of the door whether or not the watercloset is occupied and the bolt
fastened inside.
To the moveable cylindrical bar which is shot in or out in an ordinary bolt, to
fasten or unfasten the door to which it is applied, I attach a pin which passes
through a slot in the door upon the outside of which it is jointed to, or fitted in a
slot in a lever one end of which is pivotted to the door, whilst its other or longer
end carries a light shield, which is therefore moved backward and forward as the
bolt is shot in or out.
Upon the outside of the door, or upon a plate attached to it the word "Engaged,"
or other suitable word or sign is prominently marked in such a position that when
the bolt is shot out and the door fastened the word or sign is uncovered and an
indication is thus given that the place is occupied, whilst when the bolt is drawn
back the word or sign is covered by the moveable shield, thus showing that the
door is unbolted and the place not occupied.
A spring may be used to aid the withdrawal of the bolt, and in order that the
projecting knob or handle upon the latter may be turned partly round in the usual
way to retain the bolt in either position without the bolt turning with it which
is prevented by the pin through the door, the handle may be fixed to a ring or
collar turning freely upon the end of the bolt, so that the latter does not itself turn
round.
Or, instead of a pin upon the bolt as described a groove may be made round the
latter, into which engages the end of a pin fixed upon the lever which carries the
shield. The moveable lever and shield are preferably provided with a cover fixed
to the door, and having an opening opposite the word or indicating sign.

page_text: For
It is evident that the device constructed according to my invention, the object
of which is to connect a moveable shield to the bolt in such manner that it moves
with and indicates the position of the latter may be modified more or less.
instance the shield may be attached directly without the intervention of a lever
to a pin fixed upon the bolt and passing through the door.
Or the. indicating word or sign may be upon the shield itself, being brought to
or withdrawn from an aperture in the cover through which it can be seen, and
may be coated with luminous paint.
My invention is particularly applicable to waterclosets in Hotels, or other
public buildings, but it may also be used for the doors of bedrooms, bath rooms, or
other places.

page_text: An Improved Device for Indicating whether the Bolt upon
Watercloset or other Doors is or is not Fastened.
I, AUGUSTINE ALMA KING, of Romilley Road, Finsbury Park, in the County of
Middlesex, Engincer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.
in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawing, (that is to say):-
My invention relates to ordinary door bolts, and especially to bolts used for
fastening the doors of water closets on the inside, and it has for its object a novel
method of arranging and actuating a device in connection with the bolt, by which
it is shewn upon the outside of the door whether or not the watercloset is occupied
and the bolt fastened inside.
In order to put my invention in operation, I attach to the moveable cylindrical
bar which is shot in or out in an ordinary bolt, to fasten or unfasten the door to
which it is applied, a pin which passes through a slot in the door upon the outside
of which it is jointed to, or fitted in a slot in, a lever one end of which is pivotted
to the door, whilst its other or longer end carries a light shield, which is therefore
moved backward and forward as the bolt is shot in or out. Upon the outside of
the door, or upon a plate attached to it the word "Engaged," or other suitable
word or sign is prominently marked in such a postion that when the bolt is shot
out and the door fastened the word or sign is uncovered and an indication is thus
given that the place is occupied, whilst when the bolt is drawn back the word or
sign is covered by the moveable shield, thus shewing that the door is unbolted and
the place not occupied. A spring may be used to aid the withdrawal of the bolt,
and in order that the projecting knob or handle upon the latter may be turned
partly round in the usual way to retain the bolt in either position, without the bolt
turning with it which is prevented by the pin through the door, the handle may
be fixed to a ring or collar turning freely upon the end of the bolt, so that the
latter does not itself turn round.
Or instead of a pin upon the bolt as described a groove may be made round the
latter, into which engages the end of a pin fixed upon the lever which carries the
shield. The moveable lever and shield are preferably provided with a cover fixed
to the door, and having an opening opposite the word or indicating sign.
It is evident that the device constructed according to my invention, the object
of which is to directly connect a moveable shield to the bolt in such manner that
it moves with and indicates the position of the latter may be modified more or less.
For instance the shield may be attached directly without the intervention of a
lever, to a pin fixed upon the bolt and passing through the door.
Or the indicating word or sign may be upon the shield itself, being brought to
or withdrawn from an aperture in the cover through which it can be seen, and the
shield or indicating sign may be coated with luminous paint.
My invention is particularly applicable to waterclosets in Hotels or other public
buildings, but it may also be used for the doors of bedrooms, bath rooms, or other
places.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing, which is in illustration of my invention, figure 1
is a view of the inside of the door shewing the bolt, figure 2 is. a view of the
outside of the door shewing the indicating device, and figure 3 is a plan, partly
in section, of figure 1.
a is the moveable cylindrical bar of an ordinary bolt which is shot in or out to.
fasten or unfasten the door to which it is applied.
b is a pin fixed to the bolt a, and passing through a slot c through the door d,
.outside which its end fits in a slot e in a lever f one end of which is pivotted to
the door at g, whilst its other or longer end carries a light shield h, which is there-
fore moved backward and forward as shewn in dotted lines, when the bolt a is
shot in or out. Upon the outside of the door d, or upon a plate i attached to it,
the word "Engaged," or other suitable word or sign is prominently marked as
shewn, in such a position that when the bolt a is shot out and the door fastened,
as shewn in figure 2, the word or sign is uncovered and an indication thus given.
that the place is occupied, whilst when the bolt a is drawn back the word or sign
is covered by the moveable shield h, thus shewing that the door is unbolted and
the place not occupied.
A spring of sufficient strength is shewn at k, which tends to unfasten the door
by drawing back the bolt a, and the possibility of any partially shooting the bolt a
and so leaving the indicator partly covered is .prevented, as it is necessary to shoot
out the bolt a to its full extent and then to turn down the handle Z in order to
retain it there against the pressure of the spring, and in this position the door is
bolted, and the word or sign fully exposed.
In order to allow the handle to be turned up or down without the bolt a which
is prevented from turning by the pin b passing through the door, the handle is
fixed as shewn to a ring or socket turning freely upon the bolt a but prevented
'from moving endways upon the latter.
The moveable lever fand shield h are shewn enclosed in a cover m, fixed to the
door and having an opening n opposite to the word or indicating sign. The lever f
may be pivotted to this cover instead of to the door as shewn.
The indicating word or sign may be upon the shield h, being brought to or
withdrawn from the aperture n in the cover m, through which it can be seen, and
it may be coated with luminous paint.
Or the moveable shield may be attached directly to the pin b.
The apparatus may be made of any suitable form, dimensions, and materials, to
suit the particular circumstances under which it is to be used.
I do not claim generally the use of indicating devices whereby it is shewn
whether the bolt is fastened or unfastened, but baving now particularly described
and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
The combination of the bolt a, moveable handle 1, pin b, lever f, spring k
:moveable shield h, and indicating word or sign, all arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn in the drawing.
Doted this 01st day of Sentember 1885
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Patentee,
35, Southampton Buildings.