AN IMPROVED WINDOW. LATCH OR FASTENER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan, of 54, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, and Arthur George Harston, of High
Holborn, in the said County, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED WINDOW.
LATCH OR FASTENER."
Sealed the 8th October 1867, and dated the 13th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Reginald Samuel Mordaunt
Vaughan and Arthur George Harston at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th April 1867.
We, REGINALD SAMUEL MORDAUNT VAUGHAN, of 54, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, and ARTHUR GEORGE HARSTON, of High Holborn, in
the said County, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED WINDOW LATCH OR FASTENER," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the construction of window latches or fasteners,
whereby greater security and strength are obtained than by the contrivances
hitherto in use.
The latch or fastener is constructed of two plates of metal connected
together by means of a hinge. One of such plates is attached by means of a
screw or pin to the upper surface of the lower frame of the top sash, the plate
being capable of working freely over the opening between the sashes so as to
enable the hinge connecting the two plates to come to the front edge of the
lower or inner sash, when the other plate working on the hinge will be free to.

page_text: fall down in front of the lower or inner sash. To the face of the latter plate
a tongue or projection is fixed, the same fitting into a corresponding opening
in a face plate attached to the sash, where it is retained by means of a spring
catch which takes into a notch formed in the tongue or projection, thus
holding the two sashes firmly together. The spring catch is connected with a
stud working over or through the face plate of the lower sash, and by pressing
which the catch is released from the notch in the tongue or projection. More
than one such notched tongue or projection may if desired be employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan and Arthur George
Harston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, REGINALD
SAMUEL MORDAUNT VAUGHAN, of 54, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, and ARTHUR GEORGE HARSTON, of 7, High Holborn, in the said
County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan, and Arthur George Harston, Her special
licence that we, the said Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan and Arthur
George Harston, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan and Arthur George Harston,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED WINDOW LATCH
OR FASTENER," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Reginald
Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan and Arthur George Harston, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
oause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan
and Arthur George IIarston, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
Our said Invention consists in certain improvements in the construction of
window latches or fasteners, whereby greater security and strength are obtained
than by the contrivances hitherto in use.
The latch or fastener is constructed of two plates of metal connected
together by means of a hinge. One of such plates is attached by means of a
screw or pin to the upper surface of the lower frame of the top sash, the plate
being capable of working freely over the opening between the sashes so as to
enable the hinge connecting the two plates to come to the front edge of the
lower or inner sash, when the other plate working on the hinge will be free to
fall down in front of the lower or inner sash. If preferred the plate which
works over the opening between the sashes may instead of being itself attached
to the upper sash be attached to a flat plate by a screw or pin upon or by
means whereof it will work freely, such flat plate being fixed to the sash frame.
To the face of the plate which is brought over the front edge of the lower or
inner sash a tongue or projection is fixed, which fits into a corresponding
opening in a face plate attached to the sash, where it is retained by means of
a spring catch which takes into a notch formed in the tongue or projection,
thus holding the two sashes firmly together. The spring catch is connected
with a stud which works over or through the face plate of the lower sash, and
by pressing such stud the catch is released from the notch in the tongue or
projection. If desired, more than one tongue or projection may be employed.
If preferred, instead of employing a spring catch as before described, the
plate which is brought over the edge of the lower sash may be secured thereto
by means of any analogous catch, either with or without a spring, as the catch
does not form by itself, separate and apart from the other portions of the latch
or fastener, any portion of our said Invention.
The latch or fastener which forms the subject of our said Invention possesses
advantages greatly superior to those in ordinary use, one of the most important
of such advantages being that the latch cannot be unfastened from the outside
of the window by the insertion of any instrument between the sashes, whilst
its simplicity renders it unlikely to become deranged or get out of order, and
at the same time allows it to be manufactured at very small cost.
Having thus declared and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which it is to be performed, we would wish it to be distinctly
understood that we do not claim the several parts of the said latch or fastener

page_text: separate and apart from each other as being of our Invention, neither do we
confine or restrict ourselves to the precise details herein-before set forth and
described, as variations may be made therefrom without departing from the
principles or main features of our said Invention ; but what we consider novel
and original, and therefore claim as constituting the Invention secured to us
by the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination
and arrangement of parts and mechanism as and for the purposes herein-before
described and set forth, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said Reginald Samuel Mordaunt Vaughan
and Arthur George Harston, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
R. S. MORDAUNT VAUGHAN. (L.S.).
ARTHUR GEO. HARSTON.
(L.S.)