US29929A - Edward p - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVARD P. VHITNEY, OF WESTEIELD, NEW YORK.

LOCK.

Speccation of Letters Patent N o. 29,929, dated September 4, 1860.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be itknown that I, EDWARD P. VHITNEY, of l/Vestlield, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, reterence being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ot this specification, in whichh Figure 1 is a section of a lock with my invention applied to it and taken in the line a, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 a section of the same taken in the line Fig. 1. Fig. 3 a section of the same taken in the line r, Fig. 1. Figs. A, 5, and 6, are detached views of a modification of my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corn responding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to render locks and latches capable of being reversed so that one and the same lock or latch may, without being inverted, be applied to a right or left hand door.

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 a lock. B, its bolt. These parts may be constructed in the usual way and therefore they do not require to be minutely described.

C, is the latch the outer end or head a, of which is provided with a bezel b, as usual. The outer end a, of the latch projects outside of the case and it is thicker than the shank c, or the portion that is within the case. The shank or thin portion c, of the latch is connected with the head a, centrally so that a shoulder (Z, of equal width will be at each side of the shank c, at its junction with the head a, as shown clearly in Fig. 8.

The inner end of the shank `c, of the latchl is forked or divaricated so as to encompass a hub D, through which the knob arbor passes, and each prong e, of the Jfork is provided at each side with a projection f, at right angles, against which the projections g, of the hub D, act. The ends of the prongs e, are bent or hooked as shown in Fig. 1.

At each side of the shank c, and adjoining the head a, of the latch there is a pro jection d, and against the one at t-he inner side of the shank e, a spring 72 bears-said spring having a tendency to keep the head a, of the latch out from the case A.

In consequence of having the shank c, of the latch connected centrally with its head a, and having projections d, f, at both sides of it, the latch may be reversed in its case A, as the spring, It, will act against either projections d, and the projections g of the hub D, act against either of the projections f. In order therefore to reverse the position of the latch C, which is shown in a leithand lock in Figs. 1 and 3, and convert said lock into a right-hand one, all that is required is to reverse the latch C, so that its inner side will become its front side and the bezel be at the inner instead of at the Outer side of t-he head al, as shown in red Fig. 8.

In order to etiect the above result it is not essential that project-ions j", be on the prongs e, of the latch. Projections may be on the hub D. as shown at z', in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the hooks j, at the ends of the prongs 7c, catching over the projections z". This arrangement would admit: of the reversing of the latch equally as well as the former one.

This invent-ion will not augment the cost of construction of locks and latches while it will be the means of avoiding much embarrassment in the purchasing of them, as at present the way in which the doors of a building are hung require to be carefully noted before obtaining the locks in order that the proper number of right and left hand ones be procured.

I am aware that latches have been provided with reversible or swivel heads a, in order that the bezels may be brought at either side of the latch, but, this arrangement has never been adopted as it increased the cost of manufacture and the parts were liable to get out of repair.

I-Iaving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The construction of the latch C, with double projections cl, and 7, so that the lock may be used as a right or left hand lock, as desired, by merely turning the latch C, all as herein shown and described.

EDVVD. P. WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. HUGHES.

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