IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR RETORT LIDS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I, GEORGE KING, of Beckton Gas Works, in the County of Essex, Foreman
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENINGS FOR RETORT LIDS to be as follows:-
"7
My Invention has for its object to provide a retort lid fastening which will give
a tight closure and be capable of being more readily opened and closed than those
hitherto constructed, at the same time giving an efficient sliding action of the lid
over the retort mouth.
According to my Invention I provide a cross-bar secured at its mid-part to the
retort lid. This bar has at one end a hook which takes over a pin or projection on
or carried by the retort mouth, the piece on which this pin is formed being preferably
provided with an inclined guide piece for guiding the hooked end of the bar into
its position. The other end of the bar is slotted and is secured to a lug on the
retort mouth by a pin passing through this slot. The said pin is carried by or
forms part of a hand-lever which is also provided with a lug or crank piece in
which is a slot through which a pin on the cross bar engages. In fastening the
retort lid the hand lever is moved so that its crank piece operates upon the pin on
the cross bar and gives a sliding movement thereto and consequently to the retort
lid over the retort face. By this movement the hook at the one end of the bar is
engaged with the pin or projection carried by the retort mouth whilst at the same
time a double wedging action to press the lid firmly against the retort mouth is
given by the wedge shape of the hook at the one end and the slot at the other end
of the cross-bar.
In unfastening the lid the hand lever is moved in the reverse direction whereby
a sliding movement is given to the cross-bar in a direction the reverse of that given
to it in fastening the lid by which means the hook is released from the pin and the
retort lid is opened by the continued movement of the hand lever.

page_text: I GEORGE KING of Beckton Gas Works in the County of Essex Foreman
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENINGS FOR RETORT LIDS" and in what manner the same is to be per-1
formed, to be particularly described- and "ascertained in Band by the following
statement:-
My Invention has for its object to provide a Retort Lid fastening which will
give a tight closure and be capable of being more readily opened and tightly closed
than those hitherto constructed at the same time giving an efficient sliding action
of the lid over the Retort mouth.
I will describe my Invention with reference to the accompanying Drawings
Figure 1 of which is a front elevation and Figure 2 a plan of 'à Retort mouth and
lid provided with a fastening" according to my Invention; Figure 3 shews the
fastening or cross bar separately drawn to a larger scale.
The cross or fastening bar a is secured at its mid part to the Retort lid―This
bar has at one end a hook a² which takes over a pin or projection b on or carried
by the Retort mouth as shown in the drawing the piece 62 on which this pin is
formed is provided with an inclined guide piece ³ for guiding the hooked end of
the bar a into its position. The other end of the bar a is slotted as at a³ and is
secured to a lug c on the retort mouth by a pin d passing through this slot, The
said pin is carried by or forms part of a hand lever which is also provided with
a lug disc or crank piece at d³ in which is a slot or notch d' through which a pin e
on the cross bar a engages. In fastening the Retort lid the hand lever d* is moved
so that the edge of the slot d in the crank piece lug or disc d³ operates upon the
pin e on the cross bar a, and gives a sliding movement thereto and consequently to
the Retort lid over, the Retort face. By this movement the hook a² at the one end
of the bar a is engaged with the pin or projection b carried by the Retort mouth
whilst at the same time a double wedging action to press the lid firmly against the
retort mouth is given by the wedge or inclined surface of the inner part of the
hook a² at the one end of the cross bar wedging against the pin or projection b and
the corresponding inclined surface of the inner side of the slot a at the other end
of the cross bar wedging against the upper part of the pin d. This wedge or inclined
shape of the hook a² and slot as are clearly shewn in Figure 3 where the inclined
parts are marked x.
In unfastening the lid the hand lever d² is moved in the reverse direction whereby
a sliding movement is given to the cross bar a in a direction the reverse of that
given to it in fastening the lid, by which means the hook a² is released from the
pin b, and the retort lid is opened by the continued movement of the hand lever d².
It is preferred to inake the slot d' of sufficient length to allow some little movement
of the hand lever d² before the lid is unfastened.
I do not limit myself to the precise arrangements of the details herein before
described and illustrated for example the following arrangement may be used.
Figure 4 is a front elevation and Figure 5 a plan of a modified form wherein the
essential features are the same as in the arrangement hereinbefore described but
the bar a is arranged to be fastened and unfastened by giving it longitudinal

page_text: movements in directions the reverse of those given to it for these purposes in the.
arrangement Figures 1.2 and 3. Figure 6 shews the bar for this arrangement
separately The hook a³ on the bar a is dispensed with the inclined surface at this
end of the bar being formed at x at an incline the reverse of that on the hook a
and bearing upon the back of the projection 6³. The inclined surface x³ in the
slot as at the other end of the bar a is also formed on an incline the reverse of that
in the previous arrangement as shown clearly in Figure 6 and the pin e and slot a*
are arranged at the opposite side of the pin d It will be readily seen that when
the hand lever d² is moved outwards the bar a will be released by being moved in
a direction the reverse of that in which it is moved to release it in the arrangement
Figures 1. 2 and 3 and similarly a reverse longitudinal movement is imparted to it
to effect the fastening by the double wedging action at opposite ends of the bar.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. In fastenings for retort lids a cross bar or fastening bar provided with
wedges or inclined surfaces at each end and also with means whereby a longitudinal
movement can be given to the said bar to cause the said wedges or inclined surfaces
to effect the tight closure of the Retort lid by pressure applied at both ends of the
cross bar substantially as herein before described.
Second. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the fastening
for retort lids herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
Third. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the fastening
for retort lids herein before described and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the
accompanying Drawings.