IMPROVEMENTS IN SASH, FASTENERS
Year: 1882

page_text: ·
LETTERS PATENT to Gilbert Jardin Dickson of the City and County of
Albany and State of New York, United States of America for an invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SASH, FASTENERS
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Gilbert Jardin Dickson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th August 1882.
GILBERT JARDIN DICKSON, of the City and County of Allany, and State of
New York, United States of America, "IMPROVEMENTS IN SASH FASTENERS."
My invention relates to improvements in sash-locks or fasteners for securing
vertically sliding sashes; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a
fastening device that cannot be disengaged by means of a thin instrument inserted,
from the outer side of the window, through the joint between the upper and lower
saslı ; second, to afford facilities for bringing the meeting rails of the upper and
lower sashes into exact coincidence; and, third, to provide means for securely
locking the sashes when entirely closed, and when they are left slightly open for
the purpose of ventilation: These objects I attain by means of the mechanism
illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and
in which figure 1 is a plan view of my device as applied to the meeting rails of an
upper and lower sash; figure 2, a longitudinal section at the line a x; figure 3, a
transverse section at the line y. y; figure 4, a longitudinal section of the device in
an unlocked condition; figure 5, a front elevation of the device when unlocked;
figure 6, an inverted plan view of the hooked lever or hasp; figure 7, a side
elevation of the device as adapted to secure the sash in a slightly opened position ;
and figure 8 a rear elevation of fig. 7.
One of the most serious obstacles to the proper working of locking devices for
sliding sashes arises from the well known tendency of the upper sash to drop from
its place, so that the meeting rails of the upper and lower sashes will not coincide;
thereby throwing the two parts of the locking device out of accord, and preventing
the operation of it until the two sashes are first brought to their proper positions;
By my improvement this defect is remedied.

page_text: As illustrated in the drawing, A indicates the base-plate of that part of my sash-
lock that is secured to the top of the lower sash; said base-plate is provided with
a curved-arm B which extends upward from the top of said plate, and is furnished
with a notch or notches, b, for a purpose bereinafter set forth; a lever or hasp C,
is pivoted at c to the lugs a, found on the base-plate A; said lever is provided,
near one end, with an opening c', through which the arm B passes, and at the
opposite end with a hook c2 whose upper surface is curved eccentrically to the
pivotal centre c in such manner that the shortest distance between said centre and
the upper surface of the hook will lie at the point where the said hook joins the
lever C; a pawl D is pivoted to the side flanges of the lever C in such manner that
the gravity of the arm & will overbalance the arm d' when the lever C is in a
horizontal position, as shown in fig. 2; the arm d is provided with an opening d²,
through which the arm B passes whenever the lever C is turned down into its
horizontal position, and the point of the arm d³, is adapted to engage in one of the
notches b of the arm B, to effect the locking of lever C-the lower one of said
notches being designed for use when the two parts of the sash can be brought into
coincidence, and the upper notch is for use when-by reason of ice, dirt, or other
impediment the two parts cannot be brought into their proper positions.
The catch-piece of my fastening consists of a plate E-which is fastened to the
meeting rail of the upper sash; said plate is provided with an upright in which is
made a single opening (as shown in figs. 2 and 4) or two, or more, openings (as
shown in figs. 7 and 8) for the purpose of forming one or more cross bars, or
staples, e, with which the hook c² engages in the operation of locking the fastener.
My sash fastener operates in the following manner; when the two parts are
locked together as shown in figs. 1. 2. 3. 7. and 8, the hook c² will engage with a
cross-bar e, to hold the two parts of the sash securely together, and the point of the
arm d¹ will then engage in one of the notches, b, in the arm B.
To disengage the fastener, so as to leave the sashes in condition to slide, a slight
upward pressure is exerted against the outer end of the arm d to move the point
of the arm d¹ out of its engagement with the arm B, and when that disengagement
has been effected the continued upward pressure against the arm d causes the
lever C to turn (on its pivot c) into the vertical position shown in figs. 4 and 5 and
effects the withdrawal of the hook c² from its engagement with the cross-bar e to
which it has been locked; upon the releasement of the hook c in the manner
described, both the upper and lower sashes will be in a condition to be moved at
will.
To lock the fastener, the upper and lower sashes must first be brought into
position where their meeting rails will be close enough to permit the point of the
hook to pass under the cross-bar e with which it is required to engage; the
lever, or hasp, C is then turned down into a horizontal position, and thereby the
hook c* will be passed under the cross-bar e of the catch-piece, and the end of the
arm will be carried by the superior gravity of the arm d-into the proper notch
in the arm B, to secure the several parts of the device in their required positions.
When the upper and lower sashes are so adjusted that the hook c² will engage-
under the single cross bar of the catch-piece E shown in figs. 2 and 3, (or under
the lower cross-bar of the catch-piece shown in figs. 7 and 8.) Then, as the lever C
is turned down the eccontric form of the hook cas herein before described,-will
force the meeting rails of both sashes to move into exact coincidence in respect to
each other; but when the hook c engages under one of the upper cross-bars d, as
shown in figs. 7 and 8, while the upper and lower sashes will then be securely
locked in position for obtaining proper ventilation through the window, the
fastening device will be inaccessible from the outside of the window
I claim as my invention:-
--
1. In a sash-fastener composed of two separable parts as herein described, the
combination with the base-piece A, provided with a vertically swinging lever, or
hasp, C, pivoted to said base picce, and having an eccentric hook c² formed on said
lever as herein set forth, of the catch-piece E provided with one or more cross-bars,

page_text: or staples, e, wherewith the hook c² is adapted to engage as and for the purpose
specified.
2. In a sash fastener composed of two separable parts, a base-piece provided
with a vertically-swinging lever, or hasp, having an eccentric hook formed thereon,
and a locking device substantially as described for fastening said lever to the base-
piece, in combination with a catch-piece provided with one or more cross-bars, or
staples, adapted to engage with the hook of the lever pivoted to the aforesaid
base-piece as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a sasli-fastener composed of two separable parts as herein described, the
base-piece, A provided with an arm, B. having notches b or other indentations
formed therein, a vertically swinging lever, or hasp C pivoted to said base-piece
and provided with a book c, and a pawl D, pivoted to the lever C and adapted to
engage in the notches bas herein set forth, in combination with a catch-piece E
provided with one or more cross-bars, or staples, e adapted to engage with the
hook cas and for the purpose herein specified.
In witness whereof I the said Gilbert Jardin Dickson, have hereunto set
my hand seal this twenty fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
1882.
GILBERT JARDIN DICKSON (L.S.)