IMPROVEMENT IN ALL KINDS OF LOCKS, LATCHES, AND BOLTS, THAT STRIKE AND CATCH BY MEANS OF A SPRING
Year: 1791

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN ANTES,
of Fulneck, near Leeds, in the County of York, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of November, in the thirty-second year of His
reign, did give and grant unto me, the said John Antes, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and
authority, that I, the said John Antes, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, by myself and themselves, or by my or their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said John Antes, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter, during the term of years therein
expressed; should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, my
"IMPROVEMENT IN ALL KINDS OF LOCKS, LATCHES, AND BOLTS, THAT STRIKE AND
CATCH BY MEANS OF A SPRING," within that part of His said Majestie's Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said John Antes, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions
scem meet. In which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if I,
the said John Antes, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month

page_text: next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then
the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-
before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and
by the said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Antes, in pursuance of and in com-
pliance with the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and declare that the same is to be performed in manner
following (that is to say):-
The parts of which I am the whole and sole Inventor are the following:-
A, A, are two swivels, by means of which all the friction of the follower is
perfectly removed, as the action is all upon pins; these swivels may either be
fastened to the spring bolt, and slide through the follower, or, on the contrary bo
fastened to the follower and slide through the spring bolt, according as circum-
stances may require. They may also be applied to all sorts of spring striking
bolts, such as shutter latches, sash fasts, &c., which.on account of their being so
frequently. out of order, have of late been intirely abandoned by many, though
they would otherwise be very useful to keep the shutters close to the sides of the
window when open. B is a kind of a spiral spring made of steel wire, though
it might also be of a piece of flat steel; but the chief 'property of it is, that it's
action is upon two points which lie in shallow holes sunk for that purpose, the
one in the latch and the other in the box, or some stud fastened thereto, by
which means all possible friction from that quarter is avoided; they have,
besides that, the advantage to act freer than those hitherto in use, and are
not so liable to break. C is a long swivel, which is hung with one end
upon a pin fastened to the box, and with the other end on a pin fixed to
the bolt, but if desired, this may also be done by screws or otherwise.
This swivel will as effectually keep the striking bolt in its proper place as
the bridge which hitherto has been made use of for this purpose, but it will bo
intirely freo from that friction which the latter occasions, which friction is tlic
principal causo that the latch will not move at all when pressed by the
follower on that end furthest from the ancle as soon as tho' oil grows a little
dry, thougli it may still move with somo difliculty the other way: D, D; are two
roller's placed on the extremity of the latch, one to avoid the friction against
the brass plate into which it is to fall, which friction is too often a great
impediment in shutting the door. This roller will also make the door shut
simoother, and the disagreeable snap which the common method produces will
not be heard. The second roller is placed further backward, and serves to

page_text: avoid that friction as much as possible, which is naturally occasioned by the
pressure in shutting the door upon the bolt towards that side of the box. All
the above explanations will serve at the same time for Figure II. These are
locks chiefly adapted for folding doors. The principle is entirely the same,
and the few necessary alterations are easily understood. It would be
needless to make drawings and descriptions of all tho variety of latches and
spring striking bolts to which the above Invention may be applied, because
the principle of the action would likewise be the same, and very con-
spicuous, and only modified to the different forms and constructions of such
latches and bolts.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Antes, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the thirty-second year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
and ninety-one.
Scaled and delivered by the above-named
John Antes (being first duly stamped)
in the presence of us,
THO. BAINBRIDGE.
JOHN DAVIES.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of November, in the
thirty-second year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the
said John Antes came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the several Statutes made in the
sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen William and Mary of
England, and so forth, and in the seventeenth and twenty-third years of the
reign of His present Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the said Fifth day of November, in the year above written.