A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FURNITURE OF DOOR LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
RATCLIFF, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS He present, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of July, in the ninth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edmund Ratcliff, Her especial licence, that I, the said Edmund Ratcliff,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmund Ratcliff,
my exors, admiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time, and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FURNITURE OF DOOR LOCKS AND
LATCHES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the
said Edmund Ratcliff, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled

page_text: in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that. in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edmund Ratcliff, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to
consist :-
First, in making the spindle of the lock with screwed ends fitted with loose
flanged collars kept on by screw nuts in such manner that the said spindles
may be adjusted. by means of such nuts to any thickness of door by the
carpenter, without the aid of a smith.
Secondly, in giving additional bearings to lock spindles; and,
Thirdly, in fixing such door knobs as are fixed by the roses on doors inde-
pendently of the spindles, by means of a screw cap instead of by the flanges
and rivetted rings heretofore used for that purpose. And in further compliance
with the said proviso, I, the said Edmund Ratcliff, do hereby describe the
manner in which my said Invention is to be performed, by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing annexed and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, similar letters being used to denote similar
parts in all the Figures, that is to say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents one of my spindles in section, each end being a screw,
and the centre part square and of a length suited to the thickness of an
ordinary door to which mortice locks are applied. This Figure represents in
section my lock furniture complete, without the lock itself, in order that the
Drawing may be more clear. Figure 2 represents an edge view of part of a
door with a mortice lock in it, r, r, being the two roses, one on each side of the
door, and s, s, the spindle in its place, passed through what is called the
follower of the lock, and in the position here shown; loose and capable of being
pushed through the lock from side to side at pleasure. Figure 3 is a loose
collar with a flange a round it, which is to be slided over the spindle s, the part
c of the collar passing through the centre hole in the rose into the hole cut in
the door for the spindle to pass through, until the flange a rests upon a
shoulder cut to receive it in the rose, as shewn at e, e, in Figure 1, which
represents the rose in section, showing the position which the loose collar and
flange take therein, the latter elevated on the shoulder e, e, and so working
(when turned by the handle) clear of the nail or screw heads which fasten the

page_text: rose to the door. Figure 4 is a small screw nut, which when the loose collar
is on the end of the spindle screws over the screwed end of the spindle down
upon the loose collar, more or less, according to the thickness of the door; and
each end of the spindle being similarly furnished, it is by means of the nut
upon each kept firmly fixed with the centre of its square part in the follower
of the lock, and the knobs J, J, are then put on over the collar and fastened
with the small screws i, i, in the usual manner, thus completing my improved
lock furniture, as shown at Figure 1, by which Figure it will be seen that
the screwed ends of the spindle may project each into its respective knob far
enough to provide for the thickness of any ordinary door. Figure 5 is a
perspective view of the loose collar with its flange a; and it will be only
necessary further to observe, with reference to this part of my Invention, that
one or both knobs may be made as here shown, for one knob may be brazed
to one end of the spindle or fastened to it in the ordinary way, and the other
end of the spindle fitted with a screwed end, loose collar, and screw nut, as
before described, by which it may be equally well adjusted to the thickness
of the door; and in the case of applying my Invention to what is called a rim
lock or to a latch, I generally fix one end of the spindle to one of the knobs
without the adjusting furniture, trusting to the other end of the spindle for
the required adjustment, as shewn at Figure 1.
As to the second part of my Invention, it is a common failing in door locks
having only the ordinary lock furniture supplied to them, so that spindle has
only one central bearing in the follower of the lock, that heavy knobs being
placed on the ends of the spindle these knobs act as levers to throw the
spindle out of a straight line on all occasions of using the door, and thus the
spindle soon gets ricketty, and the knobs rattle unpleasantly in the hand when
opening or shutting the door.
The second part of my Invention is intended to remedy the imperfection
alluded to by giving the spindle two outer side bearings, besides the central
bearing in the follower. To effect this I apply what I call a spindle bearing
plate, as shewn in plan and section at Figures 7 and 8, at each side of the door,
as hereafter explained. The piece or boss u has a square hole bored or cut
through it exactly to fit over the spindle, and this piece u turns freely in the
countersink in the plate m, which countersink the end of the piece u is made
to fitt by rivetting in the ordinary way. This plate I let in flush with the face
of the door under the rose before mentioned, and is fastened to it firmly
by three screws, as shown at Figure 7, in which case the rose, which should
extend beyond the plate in order to hide it, will not require any pinning or

page_text: screwing, as it will be kept to its place by the nuts, Figure 4, screwing the
flange a of the loose collar Figure 8 tight up against the shoulder e, e, of
the rose; and the spindle will thus be found to have a bearing as extensive
as the thickness of the door, and so prevent the strain and leverage on what is
called the follower.
The third part of my Invention has reference to those kind of knobs which
are fixed to the doors by means of the rose, independently of the lock spindles
which they are intended to turn, and consists in fastening the knobs to the
rose by means of a screw cap, as shown at Figure 6, W, W, being the screw
cap, and o, o, the screw cut on the rose to receive it, and the knob is furnished
with a flange as shewn at V, V, which works upon a shoulder in the rose
similar to that shown at e, e, in Figure 1.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as
new and as my Invention is,-
First, the furniture by which I adjust the spindle to the thickness of the
door and keep it and the knobs firmly to their places; that is to say, the
loose collar and flange and screw nut, such nut screwing on to a screw cut on
the end of the spindle, and all concealed within the knob, as also the shoulder
e, e, in the rose for the said flange to work upon.
Secondly, the side spindle bearing plates for giving additional bearing to the
spindle; and,
Thirdly, the screw cap for fixing the knob to the rose, with the shoulder e, e,
in the rose and flange to work upon it.
And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare
this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or
disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Ratcliff, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eighth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-six.
EDMUND (L.s.) RATCLIFF.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Edmund Ratcliff came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Edmund Ratcliff came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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.
Enrolled the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.