IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW JOINTS OR COUPLINGS
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 4th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 8th July, 1887.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM SHOTTON of 18 St. Peter Street Stapenhill near Burton on
Trent in the County of Derbyshire, Brass-founder do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW JOINTS OR COUPLINGS to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method for Jointing or Coupling two rods or
shafts together by a self-locking arrangement attached to a screwed joint.
The Joint, or Coupling, consists of two pieces of metal or wood, one of which, A, is
provided with a female screw and the other, B, is provided with a male screw.
The piece of metal or wood marked A is also provided with a series of notches, or
rack, as shown in the drawing and marked D.
The piece of metal or wood marked B is also provided with a catch, as shown on
the drawing, and marked C.
The action is as follows.
When the piece marked B is screwed into the piece marked A, the catch C works
freely over the rack D until the joint or coupling is "screwed home." The catch C
then falls into one of the notches D and thus prevents the return of the screw,
locks the joint, or coupling.
and
To uncouple the pieces, the catch is raised out of the notch and held clear whilst
the piece B is unscrewed from the piece A.

page_text: I, THOMAS WILLIAM SHOTTON of 18 St. Peter's Street, Stapenhill, near Burton on
Trent, and in the County of Derby, Brass-founder do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW JOINTS OR COUPLINGS and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved method of Jointing or Coupling two rods or
shafts together, by a self locking arrangement attached to an ordinary screw joint or
coupling.
The object of my invention is to prevent the screwed joint or coupling of two
or more rods or shafts from being undone by turning the rods or shafts in any
direction, and the method employed by me to obtain the object above stated is as
follows.
The Joint or Coupling consists of two pieces of metal or wood, one of which
marked A on the drawing, is provided with a female screw. The other, marked B, is
provided with a male screw, (These pieces of metal or wood may be fastened to the
rods or shafts, or they may be the ends themselves, to be coupled).
The piece of metal or wood marked A is also provided with a series of notches
round the circumference. These notches form a kind of ratchet, and are marked D
on the drawing.
The piece of metal or wood marked B is provided on the circumference with a
catch marked C, on the drawing, this catch is kept down by a spring.
The drawing referred to in this Specification is the one filed with the Provisional
Specification.
The action of my invention is as follows.
The piece of metal or wood B is screwed into the piece of metal or wood A. The
catch marked C. works freely on and over the ratchet marked D, until the joint, or
coupling, is screwed home. The catch C then falls into a notch on the ratchet D and
locks the joint or coupling, and thus prevents the said joint or coupling from slacking
back. To uncouple the joint or coupling, the catch is raised out of the notch on
the ratchet D and is held clear, whilst the two pieces A and B are unscrewed the one
from the other.
Having now particularly described the nature of my invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is-
An improvement in screw joints, or couplings, as hereintofore described, by an
automatic arrangement for preventing the said joint or coupling from being unscrewed 3
or undone except at the will of the operator.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1887.