CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND OTHERS FASTENINGS
Year: 1823

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
FAIRBANKS, of the United States of America, but now residing in Norfolk
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom, bearing
date at Westminster, the Tenth day of July 1823, in the fourth year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said Stephen Fairbanks, my exors, admors,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Stephen Fairbanks, my exors, admors, and assigns, during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, the Invention communicated to me by a certain Foreigner residing
abroad, of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND OTHERS
FASTENINGS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if
I, the said Stephen Fairbanks, shall not particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 six
calendar months 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, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void;
as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Stephen Fairbanks, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof (that is to say) :-
My improvements in the construction of locks and other fastenings consist
in the employment of a helical, spiral, or worm spring, for the purpose of
forcing out the bolt or latch, instead of the ordinary feather springs or scotch
springs which are used in locks and latches of the usual construction. These
helical, spiral, or worm springs may be employed in locks of a variety of
kinds, and they may be connected to the locks in several ways, so as to pro-
ject the bolts or latches either by pushing or pulling them. The manner of
applying the helical, spiral, or worm springs best suited to the purpose, and
the different sorts of locks and latches to which they are principally applicable,
are exhibited in the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following description
thereof (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is a mortice lock, the cap or plate Fig. 2 being removed in order to
display its internal construction. A is the bolt; B, the tumbler, a lever moving
upon a centre pin; C, the helical spring or worm spring forcing against the
tail of the tumbler, and thereby pressing it to its bearing; D is a dog or
square tooth extending from the side of the tumbler and falling into a notch
inside of the bolt; E is a guide pin on which the bolt slides; F is a small
stud supporting the helical, spiral, or worm spring; G, the bridge wards and
keyhole; H, the key. On the introducing the key, and passing it round
through the wards as usual, the periphery of the key raises the tumbler and
lifts the tooth or dog out of the notch, by which the bolt is enabled to be
sliden outward. When the periphery of the key has passed the tumbler, the
pressure of the helical spring against the tail of the tumbler forces the tooth
or dog into the second notch, and holds the bolt in that situation until it is
again shifted by the key, as before. I is the sliding latch or catch bolt in
which an aperture is made for the spring to act in; K is the helical, spiral,
or worm spring by which the bolt is projected outward; L is called the follow;
and is intended to receive the spindle and nobs.
Fig. 3 M is the short night bolt sliding between its guides, and moved by
its follow N, which has a square hole to receive the nob, Fig. 4.
Fig. 5 is a rim lock with the helical, spiral, or worm springs attached much
in the same way as, the last. The face plato is here also removed to display
the interior. A is the bolt; B, the tumbler; C, the helical, spiral, or worm
spring; D, the square tooth or dog attached to the tumbler; E, the pivot on

page_text: which the tumbler moves, its outer part being square, and acting also as a
guide to the bolt F, the fixed stud supporting the helical spring, its reverse
end pressing up the tail of the tumbler; G, the bridge, wards, and keyhole,
as before, the operation of which is exactly the same as above described';
El is the key; 1 is the sliding latch or small catch bolt, which in this instance
may be forked at its end, for the purpose of forming a recess to receive the
helical, spiral, or worm spring K, by which the bolt is projected; L is the
follow, as before; and Fig. 6 is the spindle, and pair of nobs to move it.
.
Fig. 7 represents the interior of a padlock in which the helical, spiral, or
worm spring may be employed. A is the shackle; B, the bolt; C, the
tumbler; D, the helical, spiral, or worm spring, shewn by dots, as being behind
the bolt, and acting against the tail of the tumbler; E, the stud which sup-
ports the lower end of the spiral spring; F, F, F, the wards, keyhole, and pin
upon which the key turns; G, the tooth of the tumbler; H, a metalic plate
to secure the bolt and tumbler, and guide their action; I, the key.
The operation of these parts of the padlock will bo perfectly understood by
the foregoing description.
Fig. 8 is the face plate of the padlock removed.
Fig. 9 is a plate or stock lock, in which A is the bolt; B, the tumbler;
C, the helical, spiral, or worm spring acting against the tail of the tumbler;
D, the stud which supports the spring; E, the cap of the lock; and F,
the key.
Fig. 10 is a mortice latch used occasionally as a lock and night bolt. A is
the latch or bolt; B, the tumbler moving upon a pin C; D, the helical, spiral,
or worm spring which projects the sliding latch; E, the tooth of the tumbler ;
F, the helical, spiral, or worm spring which acts against the tail of the
tumbler; G, a small stud supporting the end of the spring F; II, the follow
for drawing back the bolt or latch A, with a square aperture to admit the
spindle and nobs, Fig. 11. In the middle of the bolt A there is an aperture
in which the follow I acts, and a key K may be introduced at this part on the
outside of the door through a scutcheon, Fig. 12, for the purpose of forcing
the tooth of the tumbler out of the notch in the sliding latch by which
it is hell. The tumbler may also be moved on the inside of the door by
means of the nob, Fig. 13.
Fig. 14 is a shutter latch or bolt which will be found applicable to thin
doors. A is the bolt; B, the helical, spiral, or worn spring acting in an
aperture of the bolt; C, the follow; D, D, the tails of the follow; E, a stud,
on which the hinder part of the bolt slides. A squaro aperture in the follow

page_text: is provided for the purpose of receiving the spindle, and nob Fig. 15, which
is secured by the screw F.
Fig. 16 is a closet lock or dead lock. A, the bolt; B, the tumbler moving
on a centre pin C, which also guides the bolt D, the tooth of the tumbler
falling into one of the notches of the bolt; E, the helical, spiral, or worm
spring. which acts against the tail of the tumbler; F, the stud which supports
the helical spring; G, the bridge, wards, and keyhole.
I have particularly described every part of several kinds of locks to which
this helical, spiral, or worm spring is applicable in place of the ordinary feather
spring or scotch springs; yet I do not mean to confine my exclusive claim of
adapting such helical, spiral, or worm springs to these particulars kinds of
locks and latches only, but intend to employ them to any other description
of locks and latches to which the same may be applicable. The peculiar
advantages of which said helical, spiral, or worm springs so employed are, that
the bolts or latches are moved with greater ease than by any other sort of
springs, and also that the helical, spiral, or worm springs, whether constructed
to exert their force by expansion or contraction, are more durable and less
likely to get out of order than any other description of spring hitherto applied
to locks or latches..
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Fairbanks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
Jun thousand night hundred and twenty-throo
STEPHEN (L.s.) FAIRBANKS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of September, in
the
year
of our Lord 1828, the aforesaid Stephen Fairbanks came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and twenty-three.