IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ROSES OF DOOR KNOBS OR HANDLES, AND IN PARTS CONNECTED OR USED WITH THE SAID ROSES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Richard Meeson, of No. 17, Southampton
Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Architect, and Joseph
Timothy Hopkinson, of No. 3, Hunter Street, Brunswick Square, in the County
of Middlesex, Commercial Traveller, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ROSES OF DOOR KNOBS OR HANDLES, AND IN PARTS CONNECTED OR
USED WITH THE SAID ROSES."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Richard Meeson
and Joseph Timothy Hopkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 17th September 1880.
FREDERICK RICHARD MEESON, of No. 17, Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, in
the County of Middlesex, Architect, and JOSEPH TIMOTHY HOPKINSON, of No. 3,
Hunter Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of Middlesex, Commercial
Traveller. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ROSES OF DOOR KNOBS OR HANDLES, AND
IN PARTS CONNECTED OR USED WITH THE SAID ROSES."
Our Invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the roses of
door knobs or handles, and parts connected or used with the said roses.
The improvements constituting the first part of our Invention have reference to
the Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to Edward Clifton on the
4th day of March 1868, No. 740.
The said patented Invention consists essentially in securing the door knob or
handle to its spindle by means of a taper key or cotter fitted into a dovetail slot
formed across the face of the shoulder of the knob. Door furniture in which the
knobs are attached to their spindle by the method described, is known in commerce
as Tonks' patent keyed door furniture. In the ordinary method of arranging the
parts of the said door furniture, a centrally pierced washer or disc is fixed to the
door for the face of the knob to bear against, and after the knob has been secured
to the spindle by the key or cotter, a screw collar is fixed to the door, and the rose
is screwed upon the screw collar.
In practice it has been found difficult after the knob or handle has been fastened
to its spindle, to fix to the door the screw collar on which the rose is screwed, and
the object of this part of our Invention is to facilitate the fixing of the rose to the
door.

page_text: This we effect by so arranging the parts, as herein after described, that the screw
collar on which the rose is screwed is fixed to the door before the knob or handlo
is fastened to the spindle by the key or cotter.
For this purpose we take a thick washer or disc, and form a screw thread on its
edge so as to convert it into a screw collar for the rose to be screwed upon. The
said screwed washer or screw collar is fixed to the door by pins or screws before
the knob or handle is fastened to the spindle. The rose is furnished with a screw
thread corresponding to that on the fixed screw washer or collar, and the said rose
is carried on the neck of the knob. After the key has been placed in the slot in
the shoulder of the knob to fix the latter to the spindle, the rose is screwed onto.
the previously fixed screw washer or collar.
The screw, washer or collar may be furnished with a flange, by which it can be
secured to the door.
Instead of forming a screw thread on the edge of the washer or collar, and a
corresponding screw thread in the rose for connecting the two parts together, the
washer or collar and rose may be connected together in the following manner :-
We make an annular groove in the edge of the washer or collar to be fixed on the
door, and in the said groove we place a circular spring which nearly fills up the
groove. One end of the spring is fixed to the washer and the other end is free,
the free end nearly meeting the fixed end. A slot is inade in the washer or collar
_at the part where the two ends of the spring meet. One or both ends of the spring
may be bevilled.
Instead of a screw thread on the rose, we employ a pin or tooth, which, when
the-rose-is-pushed-onto_the_collar or washer, forces the spring open. When the pin
or tooth in the rose has passed the bevilled edge or edges-of-the-spring,-the_said_
spring closes and fastens the rose to the collar.
Or the rose may be made to press inwards the free end of the spring, the said
free end of the spring when the rose has been pushed home rising and snapping
into an annular groove in the rose.
Another part of our Invention has reference to door knobs or handles which are
fixed to their spindles by neck screws; and this part of our Invention consists in
forming the collar and rose to be used with such knobs or handles in the following
manner :-
The collar and rose as ordinarily constructed are liable to bo worked off the door
by the binding of the loose neck screw upon the collar or rose when the knob or
handle is turned to release the latch, thereby producing an eccentric motion upon
and forcing the rose off the door.
For the purpose of preventing the eccentric motion referred to upon the rose, a
collar is made to fit the neck or shoulder of the knob or handle, the said collar
being made of sufficient length to cover the ordinary neck fastening screw. The
collar has a flange at its end next the door. The hole in the centre of the rose is
smaller than the flange of the collar, and is so made that the flange of the collar
can turn round in the rose when the rose is screwed to the door. After the knob
or handle has been fastened to the spindle, the collar is pushed onto the shoulder or
neck of the knob or handle over the fastening screw. The rose is then screwed to
the door so as to allow the flange of the collar to work round in the rose without
friction. The collar working in and being kept to its place by the rose, the
fastening screw is prevented from acting upon the rose, and the latter consequently
is not forced off the door.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Richard Meeson and Joseph Timothy Hopkinson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th March 1881.
FREDERICK RICHARD MEESON, of No. 17, Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, in
the County of Middlesex, Architect, and JOSEPH TIMOTHY HOPKINSON, of No. 3,
Hunter Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of Middlesex, Commercial
Traveller. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ROSES OF DOOR KNOBS OR HANDLES, and
IN PARTS CONNECTED OR USED WITH THE SAID ROSES."
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in the roses of
door knobs or handles, and parts connected or used with the said roses.
The improvements constituting the first part of our Invention have reference to
the Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to Edward Clifton on the
4th day of March 1868, No. 740. The said patented Invention consists essentially
in securing the door knob or handle to its spindle by means of a taper key or
cotter fitted into a dovetail slot formed across the face of the shoulder of the knob.
Door furniture in which the knobs are attached to their spindles by the method
described, is known in commerce as Tonks' patent keyed door furniture. In the
ordinary method of arranging the parts of the said door furniture, a centrally
pierced washer or disc is fixed to the door for the face of the knob to bear against,
and after the knob has been secured to the spindle by the key or cotter, a screw
collar is fixed to the door, and the rose is screwed upon the screw collar. In practice
it has been found difficult, after the knob or handle has been fastened to its spindle,
to fix to the door the screw collar on which the rose is screwed; and the object of
this part of our Invention is to facilitate the fixing of the rose to the door.
This we effect by so arranging the parts, as herein after described, that the screw
collar on which the rose is screwed is fixed to the door before the knob or handle is
fastened to the spindle by the key or cotter.
For this purpose we take a thick washer or disc and form a screw thread on its
edge, so as to convert it into a screw collar for the rose to be screwed upon.
The said screwed washer or screw collar is fixed to the door by pins or screws
before the knob or handle is fastened to the spindle. The rose is furnished with a
screw thread corresponding to that on the fixed washer or collar, and the said rose
is carried on the neck of the knob. After the key has been placed in the slot in
the shoulder of the knob to fix the latter to the spindle, the rose is screwed onto
the previously fixed screwed washer or collar. The screw washer or cullar may be
furnished with a flange, by which it can be secured to the door.
Figures 1 and 2 represent sections taken at right angles to one another of keyed
door furniture provided with this part of our Invention; Figure 3 represents the
moveable knob separately; Figure 4 represents the screwed washer or screw collar
separately; Figure 5 represents the screwed washer or collar secured to the door;
Figure 6 represents the rose separately; and Figure 7 represents the taper key or
cotter separately.
a is the fixed knob, and b the moveable or adjustable knob; c is the taper key
or cotter, which is fitted into the dovetail slot a made across the shoulder of the
knobb (see Figure 3), the said knobb screwing on the screwed end of the spindle e;
fis the screwed washer or collar, which is fixed to the door g by screws passed
through its flange f²; and h is the screw rose for screwing on the screwed washer
or collar f.
In arranging the parts for fixing the moveable knob b on its spindle e,
the screwed washer or collar f is first fixed to the door g in the manner illustrated
in Figure 5.

page_text: The spindle with the fixed knob on one end having been passed through the door,
the rose his next passed over the shoulder of the inoveable knob b so as to rest on
the neck of the knob. The knob b carrying the rose h is now screwed on to the
protruding screwed end e of the spindle until its shoulder abuts against the fixed
screwed washer or collar 9. on the door. The key or cotter c is now placed in the
slot d in the shoulder of the knob b so as to fix the said knob to the spindle e, as
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The rose h which has been resting on the neck of the
knob is finally screwed onto the screwed washer or collar f, the rose covering the end
of the key or cotter c and the slot in which it is placed as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
The fixing of the moveable knob is thereby completed. By this arrangement the
screwed collar or washer fis fixed to the door before the knob b is fastened to the
spindle, and the fixing of the rose to the door is thereby facilitated.
Instead of forming the screwed collar or washer f with a flange for fixing it by
screwing to the door as represented, the said screwed collar or washer may be made
with a central tubular bush at its back, as illustrated in Figure 8, where the central
bush is marked f³. This collar or washer is fixed in its place by driving the said
bush into a hole made in the door.
Instead of forming a screw thread on the edge of the washer or collar, and a
corresponding screw thread in the rose for connecting the two parts together, the
washer or collar and rose may be connected together in the following manner :-
We make an annular groove in the edge of the washer or collar to be fixed on the
door, and in the said groove we place a circular-spring which nearly fills up the
groove. One end of the spring is fixed to the washer and the other end is free, the
free-end-nearly-meeting-the-fixed_end. _ A slot is made in the washer or
-collar_at_the_part where the two ends of the spring meet. One or both ends-of-
the spring may be bevilled. Instead of a screw thread-on-the-rose,-we-employ_a_
pin or tooth, which when the rose is pushed on to the collar or washer forces the
spring open. When the pin or tooth in the rose has passed the bevilled edge or
edges of the spring, the said spring closes and fastens the rose to the collar. Or
the rose may be made to press inwards the free end of the spring, the said free end
of the spring when the rose has been pushed home rising and snapping into an
annular groove in the rose.
Figure 10 represents partly in section and partly in elevation keyed door
furniture, in which the rose is fastened to the collar or washer on the door without
screwing. Figure 11 represents the collar or washer separately without its spring,
and Figure 12 represents the collar or washer with its spring; Figure 13 represents
the rose, and Figure 14 the key or cotter.
i is the collar or washer fixed on the door by screws, as represented, and k is the
annular groove in the edge of the said collar or washer; is the spring fixed in the
said groove k at 1, and is the free end of the spring l In the rose m is an
annular groove n of a size suitable for the free end of the spring to engage
with a hole or recess at p opening into the annular groove n for releasing the rose,
as herein after explained. In fastening the rose m to the collar or washer i on
the door the said rose is pressed upon the said collar or washer so as to cause it to
press inwards the free projecting end of the spring . When the rose m has been
pushed home the compressed free ond of the spring is brought opposite and snaps
into the groove n in the said rose, and thereby fixes the latter to the disc or washer
as illustrated in Figure 10. In order to release the rose a bradawl or other like
tool is passed through the hole or recess p in the rose, and made to press the free
end of the spring out of the groove n in the rose into the groove in the disc i
when the rose is unfastened and may be removed.
In place of pressing the free end of the spring inwards by the pushing home
of the rose the rose may be provided with a pin or tooth, and the free end /³ of
the spring be bevilled, a recess being made in the collar or washer between the
fixed and free ends of the spring. When the rose is pushed onto the washer i the
pin or tooth described on the said rose forces outwards the bevilled free end of the

page_text: spring and permits the pin or tooth to pass into the recess in the collar or
washer.
By the closing of the free end of the spring on the pin or tooth the rose is
fastened to the collar or washer.
Another part of our Invention has reference to door knobs or handles which are
fixed to their spindles by neck screws; and this part of our Invention consists in
forming the collar and rose to be used with such knobs or handles in the following
manner
The collar and rose as ordinarily constructed are liable to be worked off the door
by the binding of the loose neck screw upon the collar or rose when the knob or
handle is turned to release the latch, thereby producing an eccentric motion upon
and forcing the rose off the door.
For the purpose of preventing the eccentric motion referred to upon the rose a
collar is made to fit the neck or shoulder of the knob or handle, the said collar
being made of sufficient length to cover the ordinary neck fastening screw. The
collar has a flange at its end next the door. The hole in the centre of the rose is
smaller than the flange of the collar, and is so made that the flange of the collar can
turn round in the rose when the rose is screwed to the door. After the knob or
handle has been fastened to the spindle the collar is pushed onto the shoulder or
neck of the knob or handle over the fastening screw. The rose is then screwed to
the door so as to allow the flange of the collar to work round in the rose without
friction.
The collar working in and being kept to its place by the rose the fastening screw
is prevented from acting upon the rose, and the latter consequently is not forced
off the door.
This part of our Invention is represented in Figures 15, 16, and 17, Figure 16
representing a pair of knobs provided with this part of our Invention; Figure 17
representing the collar separately, and Figure 18 the rose separately. Tis the
fixed, and 8 the moveable knob tixed to the spindle by the neck screws t, t; u is
the collar titting accurately upon the shoulder of the knob, and u³ is the flange of
the same.
The rose v is furnished with a groove v² of a size suitable to fit upon
the flange u of the collar u. The knobs 7, 8, having been fastened to the spindle
by the neck screws t, t, the collar u, u², of the respective knobs is placed upon the
shoulder of the knob so as to cover the neck screw t, the flange u² of the collar
bearing against the door. The rose is now fixed to the door in the manner
represented, the said ruse embracing the flange u and fixing it in its place, but
perinitting the said flange on the motion of the knob to work in the rose without
friction. By the intervention of the collar u, u³, working as described the fastening
screw t is prevented from acting on the rose and forcing the latter off the door, as
will be understood by an examination of Figure 15.
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 of "Improvements in the Roses of Door Knobs or Handles, and in Parts
connected or used with the said Roses,"
-
First. The combination with keyed door furniture, of the kind described and
illustrated, of a screwed collar or screwed washer for the rose to screw upon, the
said screwed collar or washer and rose being constructed, arranged, and used
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8
of the accompanying Drawings, whereby the said screwed collar or washer is secured
to the door before the knob or handle is fixed to the spindle, and the fixing of the
rose to the door readily effected.
Secondly. The construction and combinations of the parts of collars or washers
and roses for the said keyed furniture herein before described with respect to
Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the accompanying Drawings, whereby the roses are
secured to the said collars or washers without screwing.
Lastly. Constructing the tubular collars and roses used with door furniture, in

page_text: which the knobs or handles are secured to the spindles by neck screws in the
manner herein before described and illustrated in Figures 15, 16, and 17 of the
accompanying Drawings, whereby the neck screws are prevented froin acting upon
and forcing the roses off the doors.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Timothy Hopkinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
J. T. HOPKINSON. (LS.)