IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS, AND IN CONNECTING ROSES TO DOOR KNOBS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Heath and Roland Francis Heath, both of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS,
AND IN CONNECTING ROSES TO DOOR KNOBS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Heath and Roland
Francis Heath at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
5th May 1881.
ALFRED HEATH and ROLAND FRANCIS HEATH, both of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS, AND IN CONNECTING ROSES TO DOOR KNOBS."
Our Invention relates principally to knobs for doors, but is also applicable to
knobs. for other purposes, such, for example, as the knobs used as terminal
ornaments in metallic bedsteads and other articles of metallic furniture.
Our Invention relates further to the connecting of roses to door knobs in which
the knob is made capable of turning in the rose, the knob being connected to its
spindle by the fixing of the rose to the door.
We will first describe our Invention in connection with a door knob.
In making a knob according to our Invention we form by dies and pressure two
shells of thin sheet brass or other ductile metal or alloy, one of the said shells
having nearly the figure of the neck of the knob and somewhat more than one
half of the body of the knob to be made. The other shell has nearly the figure of
the remaining portion of the knob to be made and constitutes the front of the
knob. The widest end of the first described or principal shell is of somewhat
greater diameter than the front shell. In securing the two parts or shells together
the front shell is inserted in the open wide end of the principal shell, and by
burnishing or spinning, or by tools worked in a press, the edge of the principal
shell is turned over the edge of the front shell. The two shells are thus securely
joined together. As the part of the knob of largest diameter is grasped by the
hand in turning the knob, and as the said part of largest diameter is part of the

page_text: principal shell, that is, the part which is secured to the spindle of the knob, the
action of the knob is not interfered with should the front shell become loose or
capable of turning in the other shell, the front shell not being gripped by the hand
in turning the knob.
Or the shell forming the front of the knob may be of larger diameter than the
other shell, and the two shells may be connected by the edge of the front shell,
being burnished or spun over the edge of the other shell. In this case the
tendency of the front shell to turn on the other shell is counteracted by an
internal soldering together of the two shells effected by means of a blow pipe or
* otherwise.
The front shell of the knob, instead of being made of the samic material as the
principal shell, may be made of a dissimilar metal or material. For example, the
front shell may be made of ornamented tin plate, or of china, glass, wood, or
earthenware, and the principal shell of brass.
The iron or other bush having in it the square hole into which the spindle of the
knob is inserted, is fixed in the neck of the knob either by inserting it in the open
end of the neck and closing the extreme end of the neck upon it by pressure either
.before or after the two shells are connected, or before the two shells are connected;
the end of the neck is first turned inwards and the bush introduced into its place
from the open wide end of the principal shell. By giving rotary motion in a
lathe to the principal shell, having the bush in its neck and applying a pressing
tool to that part of the neck where the bush is situated, the neck is pressed at
that part into a groove in the bush and the bush thereby fixed in its place.
The front shell is afterwards fixed in the principal shell by burnishing or spinning
or by pressure.
The application of our Invention to knobs other than door knobs differs in no
essential respect from its application to door knobs, as herein described.
In connecting roses to door knobs according to our Invention we make by the
stamping or pressing process at the neck end of the principal shell of the knob a
short tubular flange or shoulder. In this tubular flange or shoulder the front of
the bush is inserted from the open end of the principal shell, the bush being fixed
in the neck end in such a position that the edge of the tubular shoulder described
projects a short distance beyond the face of the bush.
This tubular flange or shoulder constitutes a bearing for the rose and also
serves to secure the rose to the knob so that the latter may rotate in the rose.
In
The axis of the rose is furnished with an internal tubular flange or shoulder in
which the tubular shoulder at the extreme end of the neck of the knob fits.
connecting the rose to the knob a strong ring of metal is placed upon the internal
shoulder of the rose and the tubular shoulder of the knob is passed into the
tubular shoulder of the rose. By a spinning or burnishing process the projecting
edge of the tubular shoulder of the knob is turned over the ring around the
shoulder of the rose and the rose is thereby securely connected to the knob the
knob being capable of rotating in the rose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred Heath and Roland Francis Heath in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th October 1881.
ALFRED HEATH and ROLAND FRANCIS HEATH, both of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF DOOR AND OTHER KNOBS, AND IN CONNECTING ROSES TO DOOR KNOBS."
Our Invention relates principally to knobs for doors, but is also applicable to
knobs for other purposes, such, for example, as the knobs used as terminal
ornaments in metallic bedsteads and other articles of metallic furniture.
Our Invention relates further to the connecting of roses to door knobs, in which
the knob is made capable of turning in the rose, the knob being connected to its
spindle by the fixing of the rose to the door.
We will first describe our Invention in connection with a door knob.
In making a knob according to our Invention we form by dies and pressure two
shells of thin sheet brass or other ductile metal or alloy, one of the said shells
having nearly the figure of the neck of the knob and somewhat more than one half
of the body of the knob to be made. The other shell has nearly the figure of the
remaining portion of the knob to be made and constitutes the front of the knob.
The widest end of the first described or principal shell is of somewhat greater
diameter than the front shell. In securing the two parts or shells together the
front shell is inserted in the open wide end of the principal shell, and by burnishing
or spinning, or by tools worked in a press, the edge of the principal shell is turned
over the edge of the front shell. The two shells are thus securely joined together,
As the part of the knob of largest diameter is grasped by the hand in turning the
knob, and as the said part of largest diameter is part of the principal shell, that is,
the part which is secured to the spindle of the knob, the action of the knob is not
interfered with should the front shell become loose or capable of turning in the
other shell, the front shell not being gripped by the hand in turning the knob.
Or the shell forming the front of the knob may be of larger diameter than the
other shell, and the two shells may be connected by the edge of the front shell
In this case the
being burnished or spun over the edge of the other shell.
tendency of the front sliell to turn on the other shell is counteracted by an
internal soldering together of the two shells effected by means of a blow pipe or
otherwise.
The front shell of the knob, instead of being made of the same material as the
principal shell, may be made of a dissimilar metal or material. For example, the
front shell may be made of ornamented tin plate, or of china, glass, wood, or
earthenware, and the principal shell of brass.
The iron or other bush having in it the square hole into which the spindle of
the knob is inserted, is fixed in the neck of the knob. either by inserting it in the
open end of the neck and closing the extreme end of the neck upon it by pressure
either before or after the two shells are connected: or before the two shells are
connected the end of the neck is first turned inwards and the bush introduced into
its place from the open wide end of the principal shell. By giving rotary motion
in a lathe to the principal shell, having the bush in its neck and applying a
pressing tool to that part of the neck where the bush is situated, the neck is
pressed at that part into a groove in the bush and the bush thereby fixed in its
place.
The front shell is afterwards fixed in the principal shell by burnishing, or
spinning, or by pressure.

page_text: The application of our Invention to knobs other than door knobs differs in no
essential respect from its application to door knobs, as herein, described.
In connecting roses to door knobs, according to our Invention, we make by the
stamping or pressing process at the neck end of the principal shell of the knob a
short tubular flange.or shoulder. In this tubular flange or shoulder the front of
the bush is inserted from the open end of the principal shell, the bush being fixed
in the neck end in such a position that the edge of the tubular shoulder described
projects a short distance beyond the face of the bush.
This tubular flange or shoulder constitutes a bearing for the rose, and also serves
to secure the rose to the knob, so that the latter may rotate in the rose.
The axis of the rose is furnished with. an internal tubular flange or shoulder in
which the tubular shoulder at the extreme end of the neck of the knob fits. In
connecting the rose to the knob a strong ring of metal is placed upon the internal
shoulder of the rose, and the tubular shoulder of the knob is passed into the
tubular shoulder of the rose. By a spinning or burnishing process the projecting
edge of the tubular shoulder of the knob is turned over the ring around the
shoulder of the rose, and the rose is thereby securely connected to the knob, the
knob being capable of rotating in the rose.
We will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which our Invention. is to be performed,
Figure represents in section the back shell of a door knob made according to
our Invention before the bush is secured in its neck; Figure 2 represents in side
elevation and front elevation the metallic bush to be fixed in the said back shell,
Figure 1 Figure 3 represents in section and back elevation the back shell after
the bush has been secured in its neck; Figure 4 represents a section of the front
shell; and Figure 5 represents in section and elevation a finished knob made from
the shells, Figures 3, 4. The two shells of the knob are marked respectively a
and b, a being the back or principal shell, and the front shell. The said shells
a, b, are made from thin sheet brass or other ductile metal or alloy by the stamping
or raising process conducted in the ordinary way and by the use of the ordinary
tools. The back shell a, Figures 1 and 3, has nearly the figure of the neck of
the knob, and somewhat more than one half of the body of the knob, and the
front shell b, Figure 4, has the figure of the remaining portion of the knob to
be made. The wide end of the back or principal shell a has a greater
diameter than the wide end of the front shell b, so that the open end of the
latter may be passed into the wide end of the former. The iron or other bush c
in the square hole in which the spindle of the knob is inserted has an enlarge-
ment at its front, and the neck part of the shell a. Figure 1. has a figure
proper to receive the said bush. In fixing the bush in the neck part of the
shell a, it is inserted from the front of the neck part and made to take the
position indicated in dotted lines in the said Figure 1.
By then closing the extreme end of the neck upon the bush. c it is securely
fixed in its place, as represented in Figure 3; or the bush may be fixed in the neck
on the back shell from the wide open end of the said shell. In this case the
extreme end a³ of the neck part of the shell a is first turned inwards, and the bush
introduced into its place from the open wide end, and by means of a spinning
process effected in a lathe the neck part of the shell a may be pressed upon the
narrow end of the bush, or into a groove in the bush, so as thereby to fix it in its
place. We prefer however the first described method of fixing the bush in the neck
part of the shell.
-
In securing the two shells a and b, Figures 3 and 4, together, the open end-b²-of
the front shell b is introduced into the open wide end of the shell, and by
burnishing or spinning, or by tools worked in a press, the wide end of the shell a
is turned over the end 6 of the other shell b. and the two shells a, b, thereby joined
together, as illustrated in the finished knob, Figure 5. It will be seen that in
turning the knob the part a, a, of the knob is the part grasped by the hand, and
as this part is fixed to the spindle, the action of the knob is not interfered

page_text: with should the front part become loose or capable of turning in the other
part a.
(
Figure 6 represents a section of a knob in which the open end of the front
shell b is made of larger diameter than the open end of the back or principal shell
the two shells being connected together by the edge of the front shell b being
turned or spun over the edge of the back shell a, as illustrated in the said Figure 6.
In this arrangement the tendency of the front shell b to turn upon the back shell a
may be prevented by an internal soldering of the overlapping parts of the two
shells, effected by a blow pipe or otherwise. A single bead or drop of solder
anywhere on the line b³ is sufficient for this purpose.
The front shell b of the first described arrangement may be made of wood,
porcelain, or other non-metallic material, instead of metal.
Figure represents the front shell made of porcelain or wood, and Figure 8
represents a finished knob, in which the front shell b is made of a non-metallic
material, and the back or principal shell a is made of metal.
Or the front shell may be made of ornamented or japanned tin plate, or of a
dissimilar metal from that of the back or principal shell.
Figure 9 represents in elevation a pair of knobs fitted upon a spindle in con-
junction with connected roses, the front and back shells of the two knobs being
made of different materials; that is, the front shell of the right hand knob is
made, for example, of japanned tin plate, and the back or principal shell a is made
of brass, while the front shell b of the left hand knob is made, for example, of
earthenware, and the back or principal shell a is made of brass.
By thus varying the material of which the two shells are made an ornamental
appearance may be given to the knob.
We make terminal knobs for metallic bedsteads and other like articles and for
other purposes, substantially as herein before described and illustrated with respect
to door knobs.
We will now describe our method of connecting roses to door knobs constructed
according to our Invention so that the said knobs are capable of turning in the
roses.
We make from sheet metal by stamping or pressing a back or principal shell
having the shape represented in Figure 10. The said shell is marked a, and has at
its neck end a short tubular flange or shoulder d, which flange constitutes a
bearing for the rose, and serves to secure the rose to the knob. We use a metallic
bush of the shape represented in Figure 11, the said bush having a shoulder e and
a projecting part at front. The bush is introduced into the shell a at the wide
end, and the projection of the bush is made partly to enter the tubular flange or
shoulder dat the neck end of the shell, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 10,
the shoulder e of the bush abutting against the shoulder at the neck end of the
shell. By a spinning process the neck part of the shell a is closed upon the bush,
so as to fix it in the shell, as illustrated in Figure 12. We use a metallic rose g of
the kind represented in Figure 13, the said rose having in its axis an internal
tubular flange h of a size proper to fit upon the flange d of the shell a of the
knob.
To connect the rose. Figure 13, to the shell a, Figure 12. a strong ring or
washer i, Figure 14, is placed upon the internal shoulder h of the rose, as seen in
Figure 13, and the tubular shoulder d of the shell a is passed into the tubular
shoulder h of the rose. By a spinning or burnishing process, the projecting edge of
the tubular shoulder d of the neck end of the shell a is turned over the ring or
washer i around the shoulder 4 of the rose, as represented in section in Figure 15.
where the turned over part of the shoulder d is marked . The rose g is thereby
connected to the back shell a of the knob, the latter being capable of turning in
the rose. The knob is completed by securing the front shell b. Figure 16, to the
back shell a in the manner herein before described. Figure 17 represents a side
elevation and Figure 18 a front elevation of a finished door knob a, b, and its

page_text: rose g, the said knob being made and the rose attached thereto in the manner
before described.
Figure 9 illustrates a pair of knobs with connected roses g, g. of the kind
represented in Figures 17 and 18, applied to a spindle. The knobs having con-
nected roses are secured on their spindle by the fixing of the roses to the door in
the ordinary way
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention,-
First. The improvements in the manufacture of door and other knobs herein
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
making the said knobs of two shells, the shell which constitutes the back or
principal part of the knob having nearly the figure of the neck of the knob, and
somewhat more than one half of the body, and the other or front shell having
nearly the figure of the remaining portion of the body of the knob, the said shells
being connected together in the ways described and illustrated: whether the front.
shell be made of the same metal as that of the principal or back shell or of a
dissimilar metal, or, when the shells are connected together in the manner first
described, of a non metallic material.
Secondly. The improvements in connecting metallic roses to door knobs of the
kinds claimed in the preceding claim, herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say, making at the neck end of the back or principal shell of the knob, a
tubular flange or shoulder d, and making in the axis of the metallic rose a tubular
flange or shoulder h,. in which the tubular flange of the knob fits, and fixing the
rose to the knob, so that the latter may turn in the former by closing the extreme
end of the tubular flange of the knob upon a ring or washer placed on the tubular
flange of the rose, substantially as described and represented.
In witness whereof. I, the said Rowland Francis Heath, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.