Improvements in Locks and Latches.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Latches.
We, LOFTUS BALFOUR MORETON, trading as John Moreton and Company, of
Horseley Fields. Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, Merchant, and JOHN
STOKES, of 174 Lord Street, Wolverhampton, aforesaid, Merchant's Clerk, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates, firstly, to the key holes of locks and latches, more
especially for the purpose of adapting them in an improved manner for use with
locks and latches which it is desired may be fixed alternatively in different
positions such as either right or left hand; and, secondly, to a combination of
latch-bolt head and striker which permits of the door to which the latch is
applied being not only latched, but also unlatched, by simply subjecting the door
to a moderate force exerted in the direction in which it is desired to move it,
thereby avoiding the need for the use of a spindle or other part to enter within the
lock or latch case, from either side of the door, for the purpose of operating the
latch mechanism.
it
According to the first part of this invention, as many key holes are formed
through the plate, or through both plates, as may be required, of the lock or
latch case and in such directions, respectively, as will suit the alternative positions
for which it may be desired that the lock or latch shall be adapted, and these
key holes have a common central axis from which they consequently radiate.
A bush or disc which has a single key hole perforated therethrough, is pivoted
or swivelled at the outer face of the lock or latch plate through which the
key-holes are formed, or, when both the plates have key holes therethrough, two
of such bushes may be swivelled one at the outer face of each plate through
which key holes are formed, or there may be one of such bushes only swivelled
at the outer face of the outer of such plates. When a single bush only is used
may be swivelled to the lock or latch plate by means of a short barrel or
eye-piece passing through the central portion which is common to the key holes
and riveted at the inner face of the plate in a manner which admits of its being
turned axially; but when two bushes are used they may be connected together
by a barrel which passes through the central portion of both sets of key holes
and across the interior of the case. The key-hole formed through the bush, or
each bush, has its pin axis common with that of the barrel and consequently with
the central axis of the key holes through the plate or plates of the case, and
thus such bush or each bush may be turned to bring the key hole therethrough
into position to coincide with either of the key holes formed through the corre-
sponding plate of the lock or latch case, the remaining key hole or key holes being
covered and concealed by the bush. The lock or latch, if required to be adaptable
simply for use either right or left hand, has two key holes only formed through one
or each plate of the case, the key holes running upwards and downwards
from their common central axis, and the bush or bushes is or are turned into
position to bring the key hole through such bush or each bush to coincide with
the hole, in the corresponding plate of the lock case, which is required to be
used, while the other hole is of course covered up. If three holes are formed
through the plate, or each plate of the lock or latch case, radiating from their
common central axis and two of them are vertical and the other at right angles
thereto, such lock or latch is capable of being used either right or left hand, or for
the bolt to shoot upwards or downwards, and the bush or bushes is or are mover
into position for the key hole through such bush or each bush to coincide with the
keyhole, through the corresponding plate of the lock or latch case, which is

page_text: required to be used, and the other holes through such plate are concealed. In the
case of a lock fixed to the inside of a door, such as is usually the case with a front
door lock, the bush or bushes may be turned into position to prevent a key from
being used from the outside, and such bush or bushes may be readily turned back
again, from the inside of the door, into position to allow of the insertion of a key
from the outside when such is desired. For facility in turning the bush or bushes,
such bush or one of them may be fitted with a small stud.
An incidental advantage arises from the employment of this invention, in the
case where the two bushes are connected together by a barrel, inasmuch as the
barrel is more securely mounted, in consequence of the bushes on its outer ends,
than when mounted in the usual manner; and this advantage may be secured by
the employment of such barrels and bushes (and whether the bushes are as
described with a key hole therethrough, or are of quite a small diameter) with
ordinary single-handed locks and latches.
According to the second part of this invention, the latch bolt head of a lock or
latch is bevelled on each side, and a correspondingly double-bevelled striker is
formed with or carried by the staple or striking plate. When a door to which the
lock or latch is fixed is closed in, the inner bevel of the latch bolt head striking
against the outer bevel of the striker causes the latch bolt to be pushed inwards
and allows the door to latch just as with the ordinary latching mechanism; and,
when a moderate degree of force, also, is exerted to move the door in a direction to
open it, the outer bevel of the latch bolt head presses against the inner bevel of the
striker and causes the latch bolt to move inwards again and thus to become
unlatched. The latch bolt is thus moved in by the pressure of the striker, both
when the door closed and opened, and is shot out again by a spring or weight
operated in the usual or any convenient manner; and thus no spindle or other part
is required to enter the case, from either side of the door, for the purpose of
manipulating the mechanism by hand, the door being both closed and opened
merely by a moderate force exerted in the direction in which it is required to
move it.
This part of the invention is very convenient for use with swing doors, but for
such purposes the double bevelled striker requires to be duplicated, that is to say,
there must be two of such strikers side by side, between the two inner faces of
which the double bevelled bolt engages when the door to which the latch is applied
is in its central or closed position.
Dated this 2nd December 1892.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Latches.
We, LOFTUS BALFOUR MORETON, trading as John Moreton and Company, of
Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, Merchant, and JOHN
STOKES, of 174 Lord Street, Wolverhampton, aforesaid, Merchant's Clerk, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates, firstly, to the key-holes of locks and latches more
especially for the purpose of adapting them in an improved manner for use with
locks and latches which it is desired may be fixed alternatively right and left hand;
and, secondly, to a combination of latch-bolt head of rectangular section and
striker which permits of the door to which the latch is applied being not only
latched, but also unlatched, by simply subjecting the door to a moderate force
exerted in the direction in which it is desired to move it, thereby avoiding the need
for the use of a spindle or other part to enter within the lock or latch case, from

page_text: either side of the door, for the purpose of operating the latch mechanism, and
avoiding also the need for turning a handle to unlatch the door.
According to the first part of this invention, as many key-holes are formed
through the plate, or through both plates, as may be required, of the lock or latch
case and in such directions, respectively, as will suit the alternative positions for
which it may be desired that the lock or latch shall be adapted, and these key-
holes have a common central axis from which they consequently radiate. A bush
or disc which has a single key-hole perforated therethrough, is pivoted or swivelled
at the outer face of the lock or latch plate through which the key-holes are formed,
or, when both the plates have key-holes therethrough, two of such bushes may be
swivelled one at the outer face of each plate through which the key-holes are
formed, or there may be one of such. bushes only swivelled at the outer face of the
outer of such plates. The key-hole formed through the bush, or each bush, has its
key axis common with that of the key holes in the plate or plates of the case, and
thus such bush, or each bush, may be turned to bring the key-hole therethrough
into position to coincide with either of the key-holes formed through the corre-
sponding plate of the lock or latch case the remaining key-hole, or key-holes,
through such plate being covered and concealed by the bush. The lock or latch,
if required to be adaptable simply for use either right or left hand, has two key-
holes only formed through one or each plate of the case, the key-holes running
upwards and downwards from their common central axis, and the bush or bushes
is or are turned into position to bring the key-hole through such bush or each bush
to coincide with the hole, in the corresponding plate of the lock case, which is
required to be used, while the other hole is, of course, covered up. If three holes
are formed through the plate, or each plate of the lock or latch case, radiating
from their common central axis and two of them are vertical and the other at
right angles thereto, such lock or latch is capable of being used either right or left
hand, or for the bolt to shoot upwards or downwards, and the bush or bushes is or
are moved into position for the key-hole through such bush or each bush to coincide
with the key-hole, through the corresponding plate of the lock or latch case, which
is required to be used, and the other holes through such plate are concealed.
Before proceeding to describe the portion of the invention which relates to
the latch-bolt head and striker, I will particularly describe, with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings herewith, the part relating to the key-
holes, as applied in the case of a lock having a pair of vertical key holes through
one or each plate of the case.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a lock with our improvements relating to the key-
holes applied thereto, and shews also the latching mechanism hereinafter described.
The cap-plate is removed to expose the interior mechanism.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken through the common key axis of the key
holes, and shews the barrel and single bush, hereinafter described, in section also.
Figure 3 is a corresponding section to Figure 2, but shews a bush on each end
of the barrel.
Figure 4 is a corresponding section to Figure 2, but shews a single bush which
is swivelled to the adjacent plate by means of a short boss or eye-piece; and
Figure 5 is a front elevation of one of the bushes.
In Figures 2, 3 and 4 only sufficient of the lock case is shewn to make clear the
application of the bush or bushes thereto.
The lock mechanism is of a kind which permits of the key being inserted by
passing the bit through either the vertical key hole a or the opposite key-hole a¹
according to whether the lock is in the position shewn in the drawings or is turned
upside down.
A is the locking bolt. The lower edge of the tail b of the locking bolt is
formed to clear the bit of the key when the latter is passed through the key-
hole a'. A lever B (or there may be two or more levers, if desired) gated in the
usual manner to engage with a stump c projecting from the bolt tail, is pivoted
upon a stud C carried by the case. A notch or gating d is formed in the lower

page_text: edge of the bolt tail b near to the forward end thereof. A rocking-piece D is
pivoted upon a pin e carried by the case, and is formed with an arm of which
the outer end is within the notch d of the bolt-tail. The rocking-piece D is
formed also with a portion g which has a key-gating / formed in its outer end.
When the lock is fixed in the position shewn, that is with the key-hole a down-
wards, the key having been first passed through the key-hole a is turned in the
direction of the arrow i, and the nose of the bit, coming in contact with the side j
of the gating h, moves the rocking-piece D in the direction to shoot the bolt A
outwards. As the upper end of the arm f is thus moved by the key, the nose of
such arm first lifts the lever B sufficiently to allow the stump c which is carried by
the bolt tail to pass along the gating in the lever, and then moves the bolt A
forwards, and as it completes the shooting of the bolt it allows the lever B to
descend again so as to interlock with the stump c and thus secure the bolt in its
shot position. The notch d in the bolt tail is, of course, made wide enough to
allow of the movement of the arm f in lifting the lever B the required height
before the lever begins to throw the bolt. When the bolt is shot out and the key
is turned in the opposite direction to that described, the bit coming in contact with
the side of the gating moves the rocking-piece back into the position shewn by
the drawing, and as the rocking-piece is moved the outer end of the arm first
raises the lever B and then moves back the bolt A, the action being exactly the
reverse of that already described. When the key-hole a¹ is used the key is turned
in the same direction for locking, that is to say in the direction indicated by the
arrow i, as when the key hole a is used and is, of course, turned in the reverse
direction for unlocking the bolt.
When a single key-hole bush is employed, namely at the outer face of one side
of the case only, it may either be carried by a barrel which extends to the inner
face of the other plate of the case, as shewn by Figure 2, or it may be swivelled
to the case by means of a short boss or eye-piece as shewn by Figure 4.
In the
arrangement shewn by Figure 2 the barrel E is shouldered down to pass through
the plate F of the case so as to form a collar or bearing against the inner face of
the plate. The shouldered down part 1 extends for its full diameter very slightly
beyond the outer face of the plate F, and is shouldered down to form a part m of
reduced diameter to pass through the bush G. The bush G is pushed over the
part m and against the shoulder at the inner end thereof, and the part m is then
riveted at the outer face of the bush, or it may be riveted into a countersunk
portion thereof so that its outer end may be flush with the outer face of the bush.
The bush is thus held tightly between the shoulder at the inner end of the portion m
of the barrel and the outer riveted end thereof. This arrangement is adapted for
use in locks and latches in which the key is inserted from one side only. In the
arrangement shewn by Figure 4, the bush G is formed with a short boss or
eye-piece n which passes through the plate F of the case and is riveted at the
inner face thereof, but preferably within a countersunk recess therein, as shewn, so
that the inner end of the boss will not project into the case. The riveting is, of
course, effected in a manner which allows of the bush being turned within the
plate F of the case.
When a bush is employed at the outer face of each plate of the case one of
the bushes, namely the bush G, Figure 3, may be formed solid with the barrel E'.
The barrel passes through both plates of the case and is shouldered down to a
smaller diameter very slightly beyond the outer face of the plate which is remote
from the bush G¹. A bush G² is then placed over the end o of reduced diameter
and is riveted thereon. The barrel E' is shewn in transverse section by Figure 1;
or such section might be taken as a corresponding section of the barrel E.
The barrels E and E¹, and also the boss or eye-piece n, are of course each
formed with a slot or opening p longitudinally through it for the passage of the
key bit.
One of the bushes is shewn by dotted line circle Figure 1, and a front view of
one of the bushes with its single key-hole formed therethrough is shewn by detached

page_text: view Figure 5. When the arrangement shewn by Figure 4 is adopted, the bush
may be fixed from turning, when it has been moved into the position to suit the
hand for which the lock is to be used, by means of a screw-pin passed through it and
screwed into one of a pair of holes formed therefor in the lock plate; but when
a barrel is used, the bush or buslies will of course turn therewith as the key is
turned.
In the case of a lock fixed to the inside of a door, such as is usually the case
with a front door lock, the bush or bushes may be turned into position to prevent a
key from being used from the outside, and such bush or bushes may be readily
turned back again, from the inside of the door, into position to allow of the
insertion of a key from the outside when such is desired. For facility in turning
the bush or bushes, it or one of them may be fitted with a small stud.
In the case of using either of the arrangements shewn by Figure 2 or by
Figure 3 the barrel is, of course, a protection against picking the lock, and if it is
turned to facilitate the picking the key-hole is thereby closed by the bush. And
in order to obtain such security a barrel with a bush on one or each end thereof,
so as to be exterior to the case, similar to the arrangements shewn by Figures 2
and 3, may be employed with ordinary single-handed locks and latches, such
arrangements being specially adapted for use with large locks and latches, such as
rim and mortise, which have thin cases.
According to the second part of this invention, the latch bolt head of a lock or
latch is made of rectangular section as usual so that it cannot turn in the case and
is bevelled on each side, and a correspondingly double-bevelled striker is formed
with or carried by the staple or striking plate. When a door to which the lock or
latch is fixed is closed in, the inner bevel of the latch bolt head striking against the
outer bevel of the striker causes the latch bolt to be pushed inwards and allows the
door to latch just as with the ordinary latching mechanism; and, when a moderate
degree of force, also, is exerted to move the door in a direction to open it, the outer
bevel of the latch bolt head presses against the inner bevel of the striker and
causes the latch bolt to move inwards again and thus to become unlatched. The
latch bolt is thus moved in by the pressure of the striker, both when the door is
closed and opened; and it is shot out again by a spring or weight operated in the
usual or any convenient manner; and thus no spindle or other part is required to
enter the case from either side of the door, for the purpose of manipulating the
mechanism by hand, nor has any handle or knob to be turned to unlatch the door,
the door being both latched and unlatched merely by a moderate force exerted in
the direction in which it is required to move it.
The application of this part of the invention, in the case of a rim lock, is shewn
by Figures 1 and 6, of which the latter is a horizontal section taken through the
latch bolt head and forward end of the lock case and inner edge of the door and
through the box staple and striker and the inner edge of the door frame or case.
The latch bolt head H is formed as usual rectangular in section and cannot con-
sequently turn in the fore-end P through which it passes, and is bevelled on both
the faces r
r, and the striker I is bevelled also at its outer face s and at its inner
face s'. The striker I may be fixed to the box staple K by means of rivets passed
through a lug t formed with the striker and through the front plate t¹ of the staple.
In Figure 6 the latch bolt head is shewn to be latched. If it is desired to open
the door it is simply pushed or pulled in the direction to open it, and the bevelled
side of the bolt head, bearing against the bevelled sides of the striker, causes
the bolt head H to be forced back within the case and allows of the door being
pushed or pulled open. When the door is to be closed again, it is simply pushed to
and latched in the ordinary manner, that is to say, the bevelled side of the latch
bolt head pressing against the bevelled faces of the striker causes the bolt head
to be forced back within the case. The latch bolt is pressed forwards by means of
a spring such as the spring L (Figure 1) acting through the medium of an arm M
and a bell-crank N, and the bolt is, of course, pressed in, as it is pressed against
one or other face of the striker I, against the pressure of the spring. Any suitable

page_text: arrangement of spring or spring mechanism may be employed for pressing forwards
the latch bolt. No handle is required to move back the latch bolt, as it is simply
operated in both latching and unlatching by the pressure of one or other of its
bevelled faces against one or other of the bevelled faces of the striker. While the
latch bolt may be forced in when a moderate degree of force is used to open the
door, the pressure of the spring by which it is forced out maintains it in its
outward position with sufficient force to keep the door normally latched when it
has been pushed to.
When this part of the invention is applied, as it may be, in the case of a mortise
lock or latch the double-bevelled striker I is of course formed as a part of, or fixed
to, a striking plate instead of being used with a box staple.
This part of the invention is very convenient for use with swing doors; and its
application to such purpose is illustrated by Figure 7, which is a corresponding
view to Figure 6. The latch bolt is in this case shewn to be carried within a
mortise case, and a duplex double-bevelled striker I¹ I2 is employed. When the
door is latched the latch-bolt head H is in position between the two projections I¹ I²
of the striker. The door may, of course, be pushed or pulled open in either
direction and as it is moved one or other of the inner bevelled sides of the
projections II2 causes the bolt head H to be forced inwards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination, with a lock or latch case having two or more key-holes
formed through one or each plate, of a bush or a pair of bushes swivelled to the
case and having, or each having, a single key hole therethrough, substantially as
described.
2. The combination, with a lock or latch case having two or more key-holes
formed through one or each plate and having a common key axis, of a bush or a
pair of bushes swivelled to the case and having, or each having, a single key-hole
therethrough, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with a lock or latch case having two or more key-holes
formed through one or each plate, of a bush or a pair of bushes mounted on one
end or on each end of a barrel so as to turn therewith at the outer face of one or of
each plate of the case, substantially as described.
4. The combination, with a lock or latch case, of a barrel passing through one
or both plates of the case and carrying a bush on one or each end thereof in
position to turn therewith at the outer face of one or each plate of the case,
substantially as described.
5. The combination, in a lock or latch, of a double-bevelled latch bolt head of
rectangular section with a double-bevelled striker, for the purpose of enabling a
door to be both closed and latched and also unlatched and opened by merely
pushing or pulling the door in the required direction, substantially as described.
6. The combination, in a lock or latch, of a double-bevelled latch bolt head of
rectangular section with a double-bevelled striker, substantially as and operating
in the manner described with reference to Figures 1 and 6 of the drawings here-
with, and also the modification thereof for the purpose of a mortise lock or latch,
substantially as described.
7. The combination, in a lock or latch for use with a swing door, of a double-
bevelled latch bolt head of rectangular section and duplex double-bevelled striker,
for the purpose of enabling the door to be both closed and latched and also
unlatched and opened by merely pushing or pulling the door in the required
direction, substantially as described.
D
1
L
1000