IMPROVE MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DOOR BOLTS AND LATCHES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Lowe, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of " IMPROVE
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DOOR BOLTS AND LATCHES."
Sealed the 24th March 1863, and dated the 6th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Lowe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th October 1862.
I, DANIEL LOWE, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DOOR BOLTS AND LATCHES," to be
as follows:-
My improvements in the manufacture of door bolts consist in the methods
herein after described in making the barrels and plates of the said bolts.
In making the barrels and plates I take a piece of sheet iron of the length
of the plates, and by dies and stamps or presses I raise along the middle of the
sheet an arch, which constitutes the barrel in which the bolt slides. Portions
of the said arch are at intervals bent in opposite directions, and constitute
bands, which hold the bolt in the arch or barrel. A narrow band at the end
of the barrel is less depressed than the others, and constitutes the stop of the
bolt. Or in place of a continuous barrel I employ two or more separate
arched bands, in which the bolt slides; and I fix the said arched bands to the
plate by turning the edges of the plate over the ends' of the said arched bands.
My improvements in the manufacture of latches consist of the method

page_text: herein-after described of making the plates of the latches, and of making and
working the lever or latch. I make the plates of the latches by dies and
stamps or presses in a way similar to that by which I make the barrels and
plates of bolts, that is, I cut and raise from a sheet of iron the strap or guard
under which the lever or latch works, and also perforate the plate for the axis
of the latch. Or I make the said strap or guard from a separate piece of
sheet iron, and fix it to the plate by turning its ends over the edges of the
plate.
When the latch turns upon a centre in the plate I make a projecting
hollow axis on the end of the latch by means of a press, and cause the latch
to be held down by means of a helical spring.
When the latch turns upon a centre in the strap or guard I cause the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Daniel Lowe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
Lowe, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Daniel Lowe, Her special licence that I, the said Daniel Lowe, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Daniel Lowe, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DOOR
BOLTS AND LATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Daniel Lowe, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Daniel Lowe, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say -
My improvements in the manufacture of door bolts consist in the methods
herein-after described in making the barrels and plates of the said bolts.
In making the barrels and plates, I take a piece of sheet iron of the length
of the plates, and by dies and stamps or presses I raise along the middle of the
sheet an arch, which constitutes the barrel in which the bolt slides. Portions
of the said arch are at intervals bent in opposite directions, and constitute
bands, which hold the bolt in the arch or barrel. A narrow band at the end
of the barrel is less depressed than the others, and constitutes the stop of the
bolt; or in place of a continuous barrel I employ one, two, or more separate
arched bands in which the bolt slides, and I fix the said arched band or bands
to the plate by turning the edges of the plate over the ends of the said arched
band or bands.
My improvements in the manufacture of latches consist of the method
herein-after described of making the plates of the latches, and of making and
working the lever or latch. I make the plates of the latches by dies and
stamps or presses in a way similar to that by which I make the barrels and
plates of bolts, that is, I cut and raise from a sheet of iron the strap or guard
under which the lever or latch works, and also perforate the plate for the axis
of the latch; or I make the said strap or guard from a separate piece of sheet
iron, and fix it to the plate by turning its ends over the edges of the plate.
When the latch turns upon a centre in the plate I make a projecting hollow
axis on the end of the latch by means of a press or stamp, and cause the latch
to be held down by means of a coiled spring. When the latch turns upon a
centre in the strap or guard I cause the latch to be held down by means of a
spring coiled around its axis.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan and edge view a blank of the kind which I use
for making the barrels and plates of door bolts according to one modification
of my Invention. The said blank, Figure 1, has a series of piercings a, a, at
intervals along its middle as well as piercings or screw holes b, b, in two of its
sides. The said blank, Figure 1, is cut out and pierced by dies worked in a
press or stamp in the ordinary way. I take the said blank, Figure 1, and by
means of dies worked in a press or stamp I form along the middle of the blank

page_text: a series of arches c, d, c², as represented in plan and end elevation in Figure 2,
the arches d being convex or raised, and the arches c, c³, being concave or
depressed. The several arched parts are separated from each other by the
piercings a, a; I next take the partially made bolt, Figure. 2, and by other
dies worked in a press or stamp I give the blank the figure represented in plan
and end elevation in Figure 3. The bent back portions c, c³, constitute bands,
which hold the bolt or rod in the arched barrel d. A barrel is thus made
along the middle of the blank, on either side of which barrel the plate e by
which the bolt is attached to the door is situated.
in it.
Figure 4 represents in plan and end elevation the barrel with a bolt or rod f
After the bolt or rod f has been passed into the barrel.d the end band-
or part is raised into the position represented in the end elevation, Figure 4.
The said raised part c* constitutes a stop, against which the end of the bolt f
bears, and prevents the said bolt from being withdrawn from the barrel d.
The two end piercings in the barrel have the shape represented, to permit of
the handle of the bolt engaging therein.
Figure 5 represents in plan, and Figure 6 in transverse section, another
door bolt made according to my Invention. In making the bolt, Figures 5-
and 6, I take two arched bands or pieces, one being of the form represented
in plan and edge view in Figure 7, and the other being of the form repre-
sented in plan in Figure 8, the said pieces being marked 9 and h respectively..
I place the said arched bands upon the plate i, in the relative positions repre-
sented in Figure 5. I then turn over the edges of the plate i upon the flat
parts of the bands g, h, as best seen in the section, Figure 6, and thereby fix the
said bands to the plate i. The bolt k slides in the said bands g, h, and is held
therein by the plate i at the back of the said bands. The part h has an
opening made in it, in which the handle of the bolt k slides. The handle
of the bolt is passed through the opening h³, and the bolt placed in the arched
bands g, h, before the back plate i is fixed to the said arched bands. Instead
of employing two separate arched bands, as represented in Figures 5 and 6,
one nearly continuous arched piece may be used. An arched piece of this
kind is represented in Figure 9. The back plate is fixed to the arched piece,
Figure 9, by turning the edges of the said plate over the flat sides of the said
arched piece, as before explained with reference to Figures 5 and 6, I make
the staples of bolts from one piece of sheet metal by dies worked in a press or
stamp in the following manner :-Figure 10 represents a plan and edge view
of a blank from which a staple is to be made. I raise along the part 1 of the
blank an arch or short barrel n, as represented in Figures 11, 12, and 13, into
which barrel the end of the bolt is shot. The parts m, m, of the blank are

page_text: afterwards bent at right angles to the part carrying the barrel n, as seen in
Figures 11, 12, and 13, and the staple is complete.
Figure 14 represents in plan, and Figure 15 in transverse section, a door.
latch, made according to my Invention. The plate of the latch is marked o,
and the guard or strap is marked p, under which guard or strap the lever or
latch g works. The said latch turns on a centre at r. I make the plate o
and strap or guard p from one piece of sheet metal, that is, I cut out and
pierce a blank, and raise therefrom, by means of dies worked in a press or
stamp, the guard or strap p across the blank, and the ribs or projections s, s,
along the blank, between which ribs or projections the latch 9 works. I also
perforate the plate o for the axis r of the latch, and I raise round the said.
perforation in the plate a nearly semicircular hollow projection t. I place in
the said projection t, and around the axis r a coiled spring u, which spring
causes the latch q to be held down in its staple. One end of the spring u is.
A
fastened to the latch q, and the other end is fastened to the projection t.
catch or stop v near the end of the latch can be turned, and made to bear on
the said end, and prevent the raising of the latch.
Figure 16 represents in plan, and Figure 17 in edge view, another latch,
made according to my Invention. In this latch the plate w and strap or
guard are made separately, and the strap or guard x is attached to the
plate w, by the ends of the former being bent over the edges of the latter.
The lever or latch y turns on a centre z in the said strap or guard x. I raise.
from the said strap or guard a hollow projection 2, or attach a hollow projection
thereto, in which hollow projection 2, and around the axis or centre 2, I place
a coiled spring, similar to the spring u, Figure 14, by which the latch y is
pressed down into its staple.
.
Figure 18 represents in plan, and Figure 19 in edge view a case latch, the
lever or latch of which is made to work according to my Invention, that is to
say, I raise from or attach to the case 3 a hollow projection 4, in which and
around the axis of the latch 5 I place a coiled spring to act upon and press
down the said latch 5. Or instead of making the projection 4 in the case of
the latch for the reception of the coiled spring, the said case may be made.
without the said projection 4, and a circular depression be cut or drilled in the;
latch 5 around the hole, through which the axis of the latch passes, the said
depression being sufficiently deep to receive the coiled spring. When the said
circular depression is made in the latch for the reception of the coiled
spring, the latch is flat or without the hollow axis herein-after described..
When the latch turns upon a centre in the plate, as represented in Figures
14, 15, 18, and 19, I make a projecting hollow axis on the end of the latch

page_text: by means of a press or stamp. Figure 20 represents in plan and section a
portion of a latch made in this way; 6 is the latch, and 7 is the projecting
hollow axis raised from the latch, which said axis 7 is passed through and
works in the latch plate or case. Around the said axis 7 is the coiled spring 7*
for pressing down the latch as before described.
Figure 21 represents in plan, and Figure 22 in edge view, a staple for latches
made from one piece of sheet metal. Figure 23 is the blank from which the
staple is made. The blank, Figure 23, having been cut. out and pierced as
represented, it is only necessary to bend the tongue 8 at right angles to the
part 10, constituting the plate of the staple, to complete the said staple. A
staple of this kind may be used with a right or left-handed latch.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the
same. may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the improvements in the manufacture of door bolts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, of the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say, making the barrels and plates of the said bolts from
pierced blanks, by raising along the middle of the blank a series of arches,
some of the said arches being convex or raised and the others concave or
depressed, the said arches constituting the barrel of the bolt, the said raising
or shaping being effected by dies worked in stamps or presses.
Secondly, the improvements in the manufacture of door bolts, herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say, making door bolts of two or more arched bands, or of
a nearly continuous arched plate, to which said arched bands or arched plate a
back plate is connected in the manner described and represented.
Thirdly, the improvement in the manufacture of door latches herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 14 and 15 of the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say, making the strap or guard or other raised parts of the plates of
the said latches from one piece of sheet metal by dies worked in a stamp or
press.
Fourthly, the improvement in the manufacture of door latches herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 16 and 17 of the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say, fixing the strap or guard to the plate of the said latches by
turning the ends of the said strap or guard over the edges of the said plate.
Fifthly, the improvement in working the levers or latches of door latches
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,

page_text: and 20, of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, pressing down the lever
or latch, so as to hold it in its staple by means of a coiled spring around the
axis upon which the said lever or latch turns.
Lastly, the improvement in the manufacture of the levers or latches of door
latches herein-before described and illustrated in Figure 20 of the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say, raising from the said levers or latches a projecting
hollow axis by means of a press or stamp.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Lowe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
DANIEL LOWE. (L.S.).