Year: 1888

page_text: We, HENRY VAUGHAN, of Standard Works, Willenhall in the County of Stafford,
lock manufacturer, and WILLIAM TRUBSHAW, of Wood Street, Willenhall, aforesaid,
wood turner, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters
of reference marked thereon (that is to say) :-
According to a method which has been adopted of fixing a door knob on a spindle
so that its position therealong may be readily adjusted, the angles of the spindle are
screwed and the knob tapped so that it may be screwed thereon, and the end of the
spindle to which a knob is to be attached, for the above purpose, has a slot formed
therethrough through which a pin passes which prevents the turning of the knob upon
the spindle, and such pin is passed through an opening in one side of the neck of the
knob and is screwed firmly into the other side thereof. The slot is made of a length
to give the maximum adjustment of the knob along the spindle. It is found, however,
that the slight play sideways which it is convenient in practice to give the pin in the
slot (and which quickly results from wear, even if the pin is originally a good fit
within the slot) allows of the knob being turned slightly on the spindle, with the
consequence of wearing the screw threads and rendering the knob liable to strip in
its thread and so slip backwards along the spindle and draw the pin to the outer end
of the slot.
A modification of such means has been adopted, as in the case of Maces' lock
furniture, in which instead of forming a slot through the spindle grooves have been
formed along two opposite sides thereof, and the pin by which the knob has been
prevented from turning has simply entered within one of the grooves. In this
modification also the threads of the knob are liable to strip.
Now, the object of this invention is to improve the above methods of fixing knobs,
in such a manner as to obviate the liability of their slipping back accidentally along
the spindles; and this is accomplished, according to this invention, by screwing a
ferrule or sleeve direct upon the spindle and fixing the neck of the knob around such
ferrule, or within a socket thereof, by means of a pin passing through one side of the
neck and ferrule and through the slot in the spindle, or into a groove thereof, as the

page_text: case may be, and, when passed through a slot, screwed also into the other side of
the ferrule or neck of the knob or preferably into both, and in each case forming a
hole in the neck of the knob to fit around the spindle, whether the same is square
or of other angular shape in section.
By the employment of this invention the square (or other angular-shaped) hole in
the neck of the knob prevents it from turning on the spindle, even though considerable
sideway play is allowed to the pin within the slot or groove, and thus there is no
tendency for the screwed ferrule to turn upon the spindle and in this manner wear
parts of its thread, rendering it liable to strip, as is the case with the knob when
screwed direct on to the spindle; and, therefore, as the knob is securely fixed to the
ferrule, the knob itself has no tendency to slip back accidentally along the spindle.
An advantage also results from the employment of the ferrule in the fact that, if
desired, it can be made of a different metal from the knob; thus if the knob is of
brass the ferrule may be of iron, and the employment of a hard metal for the ferrule
ensures stronger screw threads therein than when a softer metal is used.
This invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which figure 1 is a plan of one end of a spindle and section through a
knob thereon showing a means, according to this invention, of fixing the knob to the
spindle. Figure 2 is a section taken on lineæ of figure 1, and figure 3 is a view of
the knob as seen from the inner end thereof. These figures shew the modification of
our invention in which the neck of the knob is fixed around the ferrule and the pin
passed through a slot in the spindle. Figure 4 is a corresponding view to figure 2,
but shews the neck of the knob to be fixed within a socket of the ferrule. Similar
letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout these views. A is the
spindle, a the slot therethrough, B the knob, and b the sleeve or ferrule screwed upon
the angles of the spindle. The neck of the knob B is formed, in the modification
shewn by figures 1, 2, and 3, to fit around the ferrule b; and in the modification
shewn by figure 4 the ferrule 6 is formed as a socket at its outer or back end to
receive the neck of the knob; and in both modifications the knob is fixed to the ferrulo
by a pin c which passes through one side of the neck and ferrule and through the
slot a in the spindle and is screwed into the other side of the neck and ferrule. In
order, preferably, to lock the ferrule tightly to the spindle the head of the pin c is
made to bear upon the spindle as shewn. In the modification shewn by figures 1, 2,
and 3 the hole d down the axis of the neck of the knob is reduced, beyond the part to
which the ferrule reaches therein, to just fit around the spindle so that the knob cannot
be turned upon the spindle notwithstanding any sideway play there may be of the
pin e in the slot a; and in the modification shown by figure 4 the hole d down the
axis of the neck may be formed throughout its length to just fit around the spindle,
for the same purpose.
The position of the kuob upon the spindle is adjusted by running the ferrule thereon
until it bears just easily against the lock or latch, or against a rose, as the case may
be, but with the pin holes or hole through the sides or side of the ferrule in line with
the slot or groove in the spindle, and then the knob is fixed to the ferrule in the
manner described.
Figuro 5 is a corresponding view to figure 2, and shows a modification of the
invention in the case of a pin entering a groove in the spindle. In this case the parts
corresponding to those in the views previously described are similarly lettered. The
pin c passes, of course, through one side only of the neck of the knob and the ferrule,
and is preferably screwed through both, the ferrule being tightly locked to the spindle
by the pressure of the pin upon the bottom of the groove. This modification is
specially applicable for employment with a rose e which has a shield ƒ projecting
therefrom around the neck of the knob, as in "Maces" furniture. The rose is mado
and fixed as usual, that is to say it has a hole c¹ through the shield through which the
pin c is passed to screw it in place, after which the rose is turned, so that the pin if
it works loose cannot get back through the hole, and is then fixed to the door by
screws. This modification may be used with or without the special form of rose; and
may be used also without a groove in the spindle, if desired, by simply screwing the

page_text: pin tightly down against the spindle. In this modification also the neck of the knob
may be fixed within a socket of the ferrule instead of around the ferrule, if desired.
The knob at each end of a spindle may be fixed in the manner described according
to any modification of this invention, or the knob at one end only may be so fixed,
and the other be fixed in any other convenient manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The improved means by which door knobs may be fixed upon spindles,
substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.
2. Attaching door knobs which have square holes (or other shaped holes, as
aforesaid) in their necks to fit around the spindles, to such spindles by securing them
by means of screwed pins to ferrules screwed upon the angles of the spindles,
substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
3. Attaching door knobs which have square holes (or other shaped holes, as
aforesaid) in their necks. to fit around the spindles, to such spindles by securing them
to ferrules screwed upon the angles of the spindles by means of pins passing through
slots in the spindles or into grooves therein or simply screwed tightly against the
spindles, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.
4. The means of fixing a door knob upon a spindle substantially as described with
reference to figures 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings herewith, for the purpose set forth.
5. The means of fixing a door knob upon a spindle substantially as described with
reference to figure 4 of the drawings herewith, for the purpose set forth.
6. The means of fixing a door knob upon a spindle substantially as described with
reference to figure 5 of the drawings herewith, for the purpose set forth, and whether
the rose with protecting shield is employed therewith or not, and whether a groove is
employed in the spindle or not.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Agent for the Applicants.