IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW SASH FASTENINGS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Timothy Hopkinson, of 110, Newington
Causeway, Southwark, Surrey, Tool Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW SASH FASTENINGS."
Sealed the 28th February 1873, and dated the 9th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Timothy
Hopkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 9th November 1872.
I, JOSEPH TIMOTHY HOPKINSON, 110, Newington Causeway, Southi-
wark, Surrey, Tool Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDOW SASH FASTENINGS," to be as
follows:-
The spring which is fixed to the back plate of the ordinary sash
fastener is longer than usual, and extends about half an inch beyond
the arm which connects the twọ halves of the ordinary sash fastener.
Rivetted into the extended part of the spring is a piece of metal (about
in. or in. long and about in. or in. square, rivetted end ways into
the spring) of the shape of three sides of a hollow square or grooved out
square (the sash fastener being in front of the spectator), so as to form a

page_text: top and bottom and side covering or guard to the connecting arm when
the window is fastened. The guard or covering may also be made solid
to the extended part of the spring, or an increased extension at the spring
may be made to form the guard or covering. The top side of the guard
being over the arm, the bottom side of the guard being under the arm,
is to prevent any instrument being pushed between the arm and the
guard to force the arm back. The arm is wider when shut from the pin
hole to the spring, so that it will allow a greater length of guard in case
the sashes cannot be fastened close together. The arm is grooved out at
top and bottom, where it works on the pin, to allow the top side of the
guard to pass over and the bottom side of guard to pass under it, or
an extra thickness of metal may be made under the top plate and over
the under plate where the pin passes through on which the arm works;
the arm then need not be grooved out. The top plate of back half of
sash fastener is wider than usual so as to form a covering to the guard,
or it may be made with the top plate continuous to the end over the
guard, and the end of it solid and part of the front solid, with an
extended lip to fasten it to the sash. The guard would then be in a kind
of box, so that no instrument could even touch the spring to force it
back. Under the plate connected with the top of front half of sash
fastener there is a taper projection to stop the arm being pushed back
while the arm is held up by a spring, or the projection may be on
the bottom plate, the arm held down by a spring. The front half of
sash fastener has a thin steel spring rivetted to it, over which the arm
passes, pressing the spring down when the window is being fastened, the
spring rising again after the arm has passed over it to fasten the
window. This spring is hollowed out on the side ncarest the stop, so
that the arm if pushed back to unfasten the window is pushed under the
spring, thus preventing the arm going back till the spring is pressed down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Joseph Timothy Hopkinson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
TIMOTHY HOPKINSON, of 110, Newington Causeway, Southwark, Surrey,
Tool Maker. send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Timothy Hopkinson, Her
special licence that I, the said Joseph Timothy Hopkinson, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Timothy Hopkinson, 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 WINDOW SASH FASTENINGS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Timothy Hopkin-
son, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after, the date of the said Letters Patent.
'
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Timothy Hopkinson, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:
The object of my Invention is to prevent window sash fastenings being
opened from the outside by means of an instrument passed up through
the opening between the sashes. For this purpose I make the spring
which is fixed to the back plate of the ordinary sash fastener longer than
usual, so that it extends about half an inch beyond the arm which con-
nects the two halves of the fasteners. To the extended part of the
spring I rivet a piece of metal of the shape of three sides of a hollow
square or grooved out square, so as to form a top and bottom and side
covering or guard to the said connecting arm when the window is
fastened; or this piece of metal or guard may be made solid with the
extended part of the spring, or it may consist of an increased extension
of the spring. The top and bottom of the guard being respectively over
and under the arm prevent any instrument being pushed between the

page_text: guard and the arm to force the arm back. The arm is wider from the
pin hole (when shut) to the spring, so that it will allow of a greater
length of guard in case the sashes cannot be fastened close together.
The arm is formed at top and bottom so as to allow the guard to pass
over and under it, or for the same purpose extra thicknesses of metal
may be made under the top plate and above the under plate where the
pin passes through. I make the top plate of the back half of the
fastener wider than usual so as to form a covering to the guard, or the
top plate may be made continuous to the end over the guard and the end
of it be solid and part of the front solid, so as to close the space between
the top and bottom plates, there being an extended lip on the bottom
plate for the screw which fastens it to 'the sash. The guard would thus
be in a kind of box, so that no instrument could even touch the spring
to force it back.
My improvements will be fully understood by referring to the annexed
Drawings.
Figure 1 is a front view of the back half of a fastener with a guard to
the arm as before explained; Figure 2 is a plan view of the guard and
of the spring to which it is attached; Figure 3 is a plan of the fastener
when unfastened; and Figure 4 a plan of the same when fastened.
samc.
a is the bottom plate of the back half of the fastener; b the top plate
and c the back plate of the same; d is the bottom plate of the front
half; e the stop and the plate connected to the said stop; g is the arm
which connects the two halves of the fastener, and the knob of the
This arm is free to be moved on a pin i which passes through the
plates a and b; k is the spring attached at one end to the plate c in the
ordinary way; its opposite end is extended, as has been herein-before
explained, and carries a guard l. This guard consists of three sides of a
hollow square so as to protect the top, bottom, and side of the arm g as
before mentioned. The top plate of the back half of the fastener is
made wider than usual, and the end of the space between the top and
bottom plates and a is closed in as seen at m so as to protect the
guard.
It will readily be understood that when the arm g is moved forward to
secure the fastening, the spring k brings the guard into the position
seen in Figure 4 so as to protect the arm from any instrument that
might be pushed up between the sashes.

page_text: I have herein-before described and shewn the fastening as made to
work from right to left in securing the window, as is usually the case,
but if it be made to work from left to right the position of the parts
must of course be made to correspond.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―Tho
construction and employment of a guard arranged and acting substan-
tially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
l
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Timothy Hopkinson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.