IMPROVE- MENTS IN DOOR FASTENINGS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Jones, of Inverness, in the County of
Inverness, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DOOR FASTENINGS."
"
Sealed the 31st December 1870, and dated the 20th July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th July 1870.
I, DAVID JONES, of Inverness, in the County of Inverness, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR FASTENINGS," to be as follows :—
The improvements are intended to apply more especially to the doors
of railway and other carriages, but may be otherwise applied, and
consist in constructing the latches with a self-securing appliance or
contrivance for maintaining the latch in a closed position unless and
when it is intentionally relieved to allow of the latch turning for the
door to be opened.

page_text: And the manuer of performing the Invention is as follows:-The
handle may be made with shaft partly enclosing or covering the latch
spindle, and the handle shaft may have sliding upon it a ratchet catch
with teeth at crown or end away from handle, and by feathers or other-
wise prevented from turning thereon. A coil spring may keep the
teeth of the catch pressed firmly against those of a reverse catch fixed
to the door, but is intended to yield to the passage of the teeth of one
catch against those of the other when the handle is turned to close the
door, but not otherwise, unless intentionally, the first catch is pulled
or slided back by a small handle conveniently placed thereon, so as to
entirely disengage the teeth of the two catches and to allow the handle
to be turned in the opposite direction for opening the door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th January 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
JONES, of Inverness, in the County of Inverness, North Britain,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said David Jones, Her special licence that I, the said
David Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said David Jones, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOOR FASTENINGS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said David Jones, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: Onice within six calendar montis next and unmeuiately after
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Jones, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 :-
The improvements are intended to apply more especially to the doors
of railway and other carriages, but may be otherwise applied, and
consist in constructing the latches with a seft-securing appliance or
contrivance for maintaining the latch in a closed position, unless and
when it is intentionally relieved to allow of the latch turning for the
door to be opened.
And the manner of performing the Invention is as follows:-The
handle may be made with shaft partly enclosing or covering the latch
spindle, and the handle shaft may have sliding upon it a ratchet catch
with teeth at crown or end away from handle, and by feathers or other-
wise prevented from turning thereon. A coil spring may keep the
teeth of the catch pressed firmly against those of a reverse catch fixed
to the door, but is intended to yield to the passage of the teeth of one
catch against those of the other. When the handle is turned to close
the door, but not otherwise, unless intentionally, the first catch is pulled
or slided back by a small handle conveniently placed thereon, so as to
entirely disengage the teeth of the two catches and to allow the handle
to be turned in the opposite direction for opening the door.
The accompanying Drawing will serve to illustrate the principle of
this Invention and method of self-securing carriage door fastenings.
A and B are respectively the ordinary door fastening and handle in
use, and may be of any suitable form or pattern; C is a ratchet catch
made to move along the handle shaft, and applied to it in the manner
shewn, but is prevented from turning upon it by means of the squares
or any other cheeks g. This ratchet catch C is pressed inwards by the
spring D untill the teeth embrace on the reverse ratchet teeth of the
shield E which is firmly fixed to the door. When intended to be shut
the door latch or lock can be freely turned into its place by the ordinary
handle in the usual way without resistance from the ratchet teeth, but
when attempted to be turned in the reverse direction to open the door
the ratchet resists until the teeth are released by the compression of

page_text: the spring D acted on through the small handle F placed conveniently
to and held by the hand.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Jones, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth, day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.