US39280A - Improved lock - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES Farmer OFFICE.

HENRY H. ELWELL, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVED LOCK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,20, dated July 21, 1863.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. H. ELWELL, ot' South Norwalk, in the county ot' Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Locks, and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specication, in whiqh- Figure l is an internal View of a lock with my improvement applied to it; Fig. 2, an external view ot' the saine; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the saine, taken in the line x x, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several tigures.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of locks which are provided with reversible latch-bolts to enable them to be applied to either a right or left hand door.

The invention consists in connecting the inner end of the latch-bolt to the lever, which is actuated by the hub on the knob-spindle by a pin on which the inner end of the latchbolt is iitted loosely, and using in connection with the latch-bolt thus connected a sliding or adjustable bearing for the latch-bolt, all being arranged in such a mannerI that the latch-bolt may be detached from'its actuatinglever by simply moving or adjusting' the bearing, removed from the lock-case, reversed, and then replaced in the case and secured therein with the greatest facility.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the case of the lock, which may be of the usual rectangular form, and B the butt, which is operated by a key, as usual.

C represents the latch-bolt, which has its outer end beveled at one side in the ordinary way, as shown at a in Fig. 3.

D is the hub, which is iitted in the case A, and has two arms, b b, projecting from it. The hub D also has asquare opening, c, made through it to receive the knob-spindle.

E is a lever which has its fulcrum at d and its upper end bearing against a spring, c.

The lower end ofthe lever E has a pin, f, projecting from it, and on this pin the inner end ot' the latch-bolt C is fitted, the pin f serving t-o connect the latch-bolt to the lever, so that the former may be operated or drawn within the case A by turning the knob-arbor as usual.

F is a bearing, which is of fork form, and is tted on a guide, G, within the case This bearing is placed in such relation with the latch-bolt that it may be shoved over the latch-bolt, as shown in black in Fig. 1, and serve to retain the latter in proper position as it is moved back and forth, the bearing being also capable of being shoved upward., as shown in red outline iii Fig. 1, so as to be free from the latch-bolt and admit of the inner end ot' the latter being shoved oft' from the pin f, as shown in red in Fig. 3, and withdrawn from the case, if necessary, in order to be turned around, so as to reverse the bevel a. lf the inner part of the latchbolt C be sufficiently narrow, it may oe turned without being withdrawn from the case A. The bearing F may be held up by the operator with one hand while the other turns the latch. The bearing will fall by its own gravity when the hand or finger is withdrawn from it. The bearing is raised by having a projection, y, attached to it, which is .fitted in a slot, h, in the side of the case A, as shown in Fig. 2, the projection being notched to receive the nail of the thumb or any suitable implement. The bearing may have a spring behind it, if necessary, in order to prevent it from moving too freely.

I am aware that reversible latch-bolts have been arranged by having their inner ends attached to the lower end ot' the lever E by means of a screw which requires to be unscrewed in order to release the latch-bolt. This is a rather troublesome operation, and the screw is liable to be lost. Besides, the

bolt is liable to work loose on the screw, and the screw also liable to work loose in the lever.

In my improvement the pin f forms a durable connection for the latch-bolt, and in reversing the latter no screw or any other part requires to be removed, the bearing F being simply raised above the hitch-boit, :is debearing F7 arranged as shown, or man equivsoribed. aient way, to operate as for the purpose herein Having thus described my invention, what set forth.

) claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-tors f HENRY H. ELVVELL. i. arent, is-

The connecting of the inner end of the latoh- W itiiesses: bolt C to the lever E by means of pins j', in CHESTER F. TOLLES,

combination with the sliding or adjustzible WM. T. GRAW.

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