IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wolff Bash, Samuel Bash, and Nicolas Stamatus
Damsa, all of Manchester in the County of Lancaster for an Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wolff Bash, Samuel Bash &
Nicolas Stamatus Damsa at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 14th December 1881.
**
WOLFF BASH, SAMUEL BASH and NICOLAS STAMATUS DAMSA all of Manchester
in the County of Lancaster IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS
AND LATCHES"
"3
The principal object of the Invention is to simplify and economize the con-
struction of locks and latches at the same time that they are perfectly secure.
of the
The principal feature of novelty in our Invention is that the "sliders'
lock (which are acted on by the key or by the handle) project through the case of
the lock and themselves form the bolt or latch which secures the same, so that the
"sliders" are the only moving parts of the lock.
"
The "sliders" are formed with two openings of a rectangular or other suitable
form in one of which works the key (which is double bitted) and in the other the
stud of the handle which has also two bits or vanes. The object of having the key
and the stud of the handle double bitted is that when either of them is turned it
moves some of the "slides" in one direction and the rest in the other, the exterior
end of the "Blides are each provided with a slot, notch, or opening, adapted to
pass over the fixed catch or staple on the door post when they are properly
arranged either by the key or by the bits attached to the handle stud and the
vertical faces of the openings in the sliders are so adapted to the notches on the
bits of the key and the handle and stud that upon turning either of them the
sliders are so arranged that they will pass over the fixed catch or staple to open
the door. There is a handle only upon the inside of the lock and a key hole only
upon the outside so that the lock or latch can be opened by the handle from the

page_text: inside and by the key only from the outside. The fixed catch pin or staple is
bevilled at the edges so that the door can be closed without turning either the
handle or the key as the bevilled edges of the catch will arrange the sliders for its
own passage in one direction. A pin is provided inside by means of which the
" sliders can be held fast at any time when required either in their open or their
closed position, so that the door may be prevented from latching in one case, and
cannot be opened even with the key from the outside in the other case.
"
A simple device is also provided which prevents the "sliders" from being picked
or arranged seriatim by meams of pick locks or otherwise.
For this purpose the inner side of the fixed catch or staple is formed with steps
in such a way that the edge of the slot, notch, or opening at the exterior end of
each "slider" rests against its corresponding step, and hence pressure cannot be
brought to bear on all the "sliders" at once (as is requisite for picking locks of
this class) and the lock cannot be opened unless all the sliders' are arranged at
one and the same time, and this can only be effected by the key.
When the Invention is applied to a padlock, desk lock, or other similar lock
where the hasp or catch passes into the body of the lock, the sliders are not
required to pass out through the case as in a door lock or latch

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by tho said Wolff Bash Samuel Bash & Nicolas Stamatus Damsa in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th June 1882.
WOLFF BASH, SAMUEL BASH and NICOLAS STAMATUS DAMSA all of Manchester
in the County of Lancaster IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS
AND LATCHES
The principal object of this Invention to simplify and economize the construction
of locks and latches at the same time that they are perfectly secure.
The principal feature of novelty in our Invention is that the "sliders" of the
lock (which are acted on by the key or by the handle) project through the case of
the lock and themselves form the bolt or latch which secures the same so that the
"sliders are the only moving parts of the lock
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention we will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 in the Drawing is an elevation of the lock with the back plate removed,
the sliders a, a being shown in the locked position in which they are always held
by the spring b, b, excepting when acted upon by the handle or the key in which
case they assume the position shown in Fig. 2.
The "sliders" a, a are formed with two openings c, cd, d of a rectangular or
other suitable form in one of which d, d works the key e, e (which is double bitted
see also Fig. 7.) and in the other c, c works the stud of the handle which has also
two bits or vanes f, f.
The object of having the key and the stud of the handle double bitted is that
when either of them is turned it moves some of the "sliders" in one direction and
the rest in the other direction (see Fig. 2) the exterior end of the "slides" are
each provided with a slot, notch or opening g,g shown in the Drawing of a circular
form and adapted to pass over the fixed catch or staple h, h (see also side view
Fig. 3) on the door post when they are properly arranged either by the key or by
the bits attached to the handle stud and the vertical faces of the openings c, c
and d, d in the sliders a, a are so adapted to the notches on the bits of the key e, e
and the handle stud bits f,f that upon turning either of them the sliders a, a are
so arranged that they will pass over the fixed catch or staple h, h to open the door
as shown at Fig. 2.
There is a handle only upon the inside of the lock and a key hole only upon the
outside so that the lock or latch can be opened by the handle from the inside and
by the key only from the outside.
The fixed catch pin or staple h, h is bevilled at the edges (see Fig. 3) so that the
door can be closed without turning either the handle or the key as the bevilled
edges of the catch h, h will arrange the sliders a, a for its own passage in one
direction.
A pin is provided inside by means of which the "sliders" can be held fast at
any time when required, either in their closed position as at Fig. 1, or in their
open position as at Fig. 2 so that the door may be prevented from latching in one
case, and cannot be opened even with the key from the outside in the other case.
A simple device is also provided which prevents the "sliders" from being picked
or arranged seriatim by means of picklocks or otherwise.
For this purpose the inner side of the fixed catch or staple h, h is formed with

page_text: steps (see Fig. 4) in such a way that the edge of the slot, notch or opening g, g at
the exterior end of each "slider" a, a rests against its corresponding step and
lience pressure cannot be brought to bear on all the "sliders" at once (as is
requisite for picking locks of this class) and the lock cannot be opened unless all
the "sliders" are arranged at one and the same time and this can only be effected
by the key.
Fig. 5 shows an elevation of this modification of the improved lock and Fig. 6 is
a horizontal section of the same.
When the Invention is applied to a padlock, desk lock, or other similar lock
where the hasp or catch passes into the body of the lock, the "sliders" are not
required to pass out through the case, as in a door lock or latch.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect we wish it to be understood that wo claim as our Invention the
construction of locks and latches substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed, wherein the "sliders" themselves (which are
acted upon by the key or the handle) so as to move in different directions, form
the bolt or latch which secures the same, and are the only moving parts of the
lock or latch.
Secondly we claim forming the steps in the catch-pin-or-staple-for-preventing
the picking of the lock.
In witness whereof I the said Samuel Bash (on behalf of myself and the said
Wolff Bash and Nicolas Stamatus Damsa) have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Tenth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two
SAMUEL BASH. (L.S.)