IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND IN THE METHOD OF ADJUSTING THEIR SPINDLES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Leopold Parnell, of 288, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND IN THE METHOD OF ADJUSTING THEIR
SPINDLES."
Sealed the 11th September 1863, and dated the 26th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Leopold Parnell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th March 1863.
I, MICHAEL LEOPOLD PARNELL, of 283, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND IN THE METHOD OF ADJUSTING THEIR SPINDLES,"
to be as follows:--
The nature of my Invention for improvements in the construction of locks
is as follows:-I prevent the stump in the bolt of a lock being pressed back
against the cheeks of the levers. I introduce a detector, which detains false
keys or picks if inserted into the lock, and a contrivance to release the same
without injury, and also an easy mode of adjusting their spindles.
I will now proceed to state how I accomplish the above. In the first place,
I prevent pressure by suspending the levers upon a pin made fast to an arm
attached to a plate, and which moves under the levers upon a pin affixed to
the back plate of the lock, kept in its position by a spring; when pressure is
applied to the bolt of the lock the said plate moves upwards and prevents the

page_text: stump of the bolt pressing against the cheeks of the levers. The detector is
formed by a curtain, with a barrel and collar revolving in the cap plate of the
lock; it is so arranged with a lever and sliding plate upon the top of the other
levers that it cannot return to its proper position after being moved, when the
lock is locked, unless the lock is unlocked by whatever may be introduced for
that purpose. The contrivance to allow this curtain to return to its original
position if moved by any other instrument but its own key is by a circular
plate with a round bole in the centre, and a slot or gating cut in the edge for
a stump that is affixed to the bolt of the lock to pass, working over a nozzle
affixed outside to the cap plate of the lock, and by turning it round to a
certain point checks the action of the detector. The spindles of the knobs for
the spring locks are adjusted to doors of any thickness in the following
manner-At one end of the spindle the knob is made fast with a tap screw;
the other end of the spindle is screwed down a part of its length; the knob
for this end is tapped, and screws upon this end; this knob has two pins
affixed in the shoulders, which fits into a collar placed upon the screwed end
of the spindle, and when screwed up to the thickness of the door prevents the
knob from unscrewing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Leopold Parnell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
LEOPOLD PARNELL, of 283, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Michael Leopold Parnell, Her special licence that I, the said Michael Leopold
Parnell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Michael Leopold Parnell, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND IN THE METHOD OF ADJUSTING

page_text: THEIR SPINDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Michael
Leopold Parnell, 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
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Michael Leopold Parnell, 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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
The nature of my Invention for improvement in the construction of
locks is to prevent the stump in the bolt of a lock being pressed back against
the cheeks of the levers, to detain false keys or picks by means of a detector, a
contrivance to release the same without injury, and an easy mode of adjusting
the knobs to the spindles of the same.
I will now proceed to state how I accomplish the above. In the first place,
I prevent pressure of the stump in the bolt against the cheeks of the levers by
suspending the levers upon a pin made fast to an angle arm, which angle arm
is affixed to the back case of the lock at the tail end of the bolt, by means of
a pin in a line with the pin upon which the lovers are suspended, and when
pressure is applied to the bolt of the lock when locked out, the lower part of
the angle arm moves upwards into an opening cut into the tail end of the bolt
and prevents the stump in the bolt pressing against the cheeks of the levers;
the lock when in this position cannot be unlocked until the pressure is with-
drawn. The detector is formed by a curtain with a barrel and collar revolving
in the cap plate of the lock, and revolves with the key in locking and
unlocking the lock; it is so arranged with a lever and sliding plate
upon the top of the other levers that it cannot return to its proper position
after being moved, when the lock is locked without the lock is unlocked by
whatever may be introduced for that purpose. The contrivance to allow the
curtain to return to its original position if moved by any other instrument but
its own key is by a socket with a circular plate with a round hole in the
centre, and a slot or grating cut in the edge of the plate for a stump that is
affixed to the bolt of the lock for this purpose only to pass; this plate with
socket works over a nozzle affixed outside to the cap plate of the lock, and by
turning it round to a certain point the projecting part of the plate pressed
against a pin affixed to the lever in conjunction with the sliding plate before
mentioned, and checks the action of the detector, so that a false key or pick

page_text: can be withdrawn without injury to the lock, and by so
doing the socket with
plate cannot be again arranged to its former position without the proper key
is introduced into the lock. The spindles of the knobs for the spring locks
are adjusted in the following manner:-To suit doors of any thickness upon
one end of the spindle one of the knobs is fitted, and is made fast with a tap
screw; the other end of the spindle is screwed a part down; the knob for this
end is tapped, and screws upon this end; by this means you can screw the
knob up to the exact thickness of the door. When thus done, by taking off
the knob that is affixed to the spindle with a tap screw, you can withdraw the
spindle from the lock, and then by putting on a collar upon the spindle with a
flange in which is a series of round holes, and pressing the said collar up to
the knob that screws upon the spindle, in the shoulder of which are two or
more pins affixed, some of which enters the round holes that are in the flange
of the collar, and which prevents this knob from unscrewing, when the spindle
is again inserted in the lock, and adjusted to the door.
In my Drawing I have only set forth sufficient of the mechanism of a lock
to make plain the parts I claim as my Invention, the other parts are well
known to everyone, and I do not need them to shew my improvements.
Figure 1 shows a lock case with the bolt and angle arm at rest, the bolt not
being shot out. A, the lock case; B, the bolt; C, the stump in the bolt B;
D, the angle arm; E, the pin upon which the levers are suspended; and F, the
pin affixed to the lock case, upon which the angle arm D moves.
Figure 2 shows the same Figure with the bolt B shot out, and with one
lever G suspended upon the angle arm D. Figure 3 shows the same Figure
after pressure has been applied to the bolt B, with the lower part of the angle
arm D against the opening cut in the tail end of the bolt B, and which pre-
vents the stump C pressing against the cheeks of the lever G. Figures 4 shows
the curtain with collar working in the cap plate of a lock; face view, side
view, and back view. Figure 5 shows the sliding plate, which moves up and
down upon the top of the other levers which are employed in a lock; II, the
triangular stump. Figure 6 shows the detector lever, which moves over the
stump Hin sliding plate; L, a stump affixed in this detector lever for purpose
of release. Figures 4, 5, and 6 are employed in conjunction to form the
detector, as before described. Figures 7 shows the socket with plate, the
means employed to release the detector lever; I, the slot or grating to receive
the stump in the bolt; K, that part of the plate that presses against the
stump L in detector lever, as set forth in Figure 6; face view, side view, and
back view. Figures 8 and 9 shew the collar with flange used for adjusting
the knobs to spindles; face view and side view. Figure 10 shows the spindle

page_text: with one knob and collar affixed. Figure 11 shows the knob with pins in
shoulder; P the pins.
I will now proceed to make out my claims.
First, I claim the angle arm working in the tail end of a bolt of a lock, as
set out in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Second, I claim the curtain with collar, sliding plate, and detecting lever,
working separately or in conjunction with one another, as set out in Figures 4,
5, and 6.
Third, I claim the socket with circular plate, as set out in Figure 7, being
the means employed to release the detector.
Fourth, I claim the collar with flange with the series of round holes, in con-
junction with the pins in the shoulder of the knob upon which it is affixed, as
set forth in Figures 8, 9, and 10.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Leopold Parnell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
M. L. PARNELL. (L.8.)