A black-and-white image of an 1871 United States patent document. Large serif title at the top reads “United States Patent Office,” with the patent number “116,977” in the upper right corner. Centered beneath the heading: “James H. McWilliams, of New York, N.Y.” and the bolded line “Improvement in Padlocks.” A smaller line notes: “Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,977, dated July 11, 1871.” The page is set in dense, two-column serif text. The left column begins with “To all whom it may concern:” and formally introduces James H. McWilliams and his invention. It describes earlier padlocks with circular tumblers and staple-formed shackles, explaining flaws such as dirt entering the lock and rainwater running down the shackle into the mechanism. The right column explains the improvement: a shackle formed with shoulders to prevent it from being driven too far into the lock and to keep water out. It references labeled parts (a, b, c, d, e, f) corresponding to components described in the drawing on page 1. Near the bottom, it reads “I claim as my invention,” followed by a claim describing the staple-formed shackle with shoulders. The document is dated December 4, 1869, and signed “J. H. McWilliams,” with witnesses “Chas. H. Smith” and “Geo. T. Pinckney.”