US3221A - Lqck fob - Google Patents

Description

UNITED sfrATas. rArENr oFrroE.

WM. HALL, or CHELSEA, MAssAoHUsE'rrs.

LGK FOCR.` SAEES, BANK-VAULTS, &c.

Specificaton of Letters Patent No. 8,221; datedAugust 17, 1843.

To all (witam/it may colncem:

lowing descriptiomtaken in connection with the accompanying drawings thereof, forms a full and eXact specification of the same;

Figure 1,` of` the drawings above mentioned, represents the interior of a lock having its levers arranged ;to operatelon my improved method, the bolt of the said lock being in this `View thrown entirely back or within the lock case. Fig. 2 is a View of the position of the several parts ofthe interior of the lock when the bolt is` thrown completely forward bythe key. a i a A, Figs. 1, and 2, denotes the lock case, which is constructed in the ordinarvmanner and .has a slidingbolt B, suitably adapted to it. The said bolt being `combined with a series O, oflevers or sliding plates, the particular arrangement of which I shall now proceed to describe. The number oflevers composing the series may Vary at pleasure. Each of them has two Vertical andparallel slots a, Z), formed through it, near its center, or in any other convenient part thereof; and which are connected together by a transverse and somewhat curVed and inclined slot c. This slot operates upon a stud d, which is inserted firmly and immovably in the lock case and projects throughithe series of levers as seen in Figs. 1, and 2. Inlfront of and somewhat below the slot a, each lever or sliding plate has a third Vertical slot e, cut through it, from any suitable part of which a horizontal slot f, extends forward entirely through it to the front edge of the plate-as seen in the drawings. The rear side of the Vertical slot e, has suitable angular notches g, g, g, cut inI it, similar notches h, h, h, being also formed in the front edge of each of the levers-a short distance directly above and below the front extremity of the horizontalislot f. A stud projecting from the bolt, operates within the vVertical and horizontal slots, e, lEach lever or slidiug plate of the series C, is sustained in position at its top part by means of a cylindrcal stud or pin 7a, which projects from the lock case and passes through a Vertical and elongated slot Z, cut through the upper part of the leVer. This slot is to be of suificient length to admit of the free and requisitefvertical y j moi'fements ofzthe levers and the top and Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM HALL, of: Chelsea, inthe county .ofSufolk and State of Massachusetts, have invcnted a certain` new and useful` Improvement in Locks for' Safes, Bank-Vaults, &c., and that thefolbottom` parts of it should each ter'minate or be cut out in a semicircle of the diameter of the stud Ju, the same being as represented in the drawings. Besides the above, every lever` has a horizontal4 or other suitable shoulder m, formed in the rear of, or near the slot Z, upon which (shoulder) the extremlty of a lever a, rests and is forced thereuppn by means of a bent springho. A small washer, or thin circular plate, p, (see Figs. 1, 2,8, thelatter figure representing the washeras detached) is placed upon the center pin 76, and between every two of the faces of the `levers in appositionwith each other, its `object being to keep the surfaces of the levers a short distance apart.` The said surfaces are also kept fromlcontact near the lowenend of the levers, `by means of a lthin elongated strip or plate g ofmetal similarly interspersed between them andlsustained; in a rests against a fiXed Stud, t, inserted in andV projecting from the lock case. The lower edge of the rear part of the bolt rests and moves upon the stud t. The stud which projects from the bolt and operates in the slots e, should have angular teeth formed in its rear side to correspond with the angui lar notches g, g, h, 77,, before mentioned. A side view of the key to this lock is represented in Fig. 4:. It has two series of bits o,

o, '0, of unequal lengths adapted to it, there being the same number of movable bits inserted in the keyat one time-as there are lever plates in the lock. The stationary bit w, of the key is for the purpose of throwing the bolt back and forth. The movable bits of each series are formed of Various lengths and are fitted to the key, and confined therein by a screw in the usual manner. The bits of one series are for the purpose of elevating the levers or sliding plates to the requisite heights to permit the passage of the `stud through the horizontal slot f, while those of the other series are to elevate the levers to such heights as to bring the slots c, into the position to allow the stud (Z, to pass through them, or in other words to elevate the slots o,`

of levers to the height of the stud (Z, in order to permit such levers as may be so actuated to be thrown forward by the bolt as seen in F ig. 2. Each of the levers being properly numbered and corresponding numbers or designating marks being engraved or stamped on their several bits of each series of bits, it will be seen that, if ten lever plates are used in the lock and we make up the key with five bits of each series five of the levers will be thrown forward by the bolt while the other' five will simply be raised and clepressed vertically. Thus it will be seen that for any particular number of levers or sliding plates we are enabled by the above arrangement of their slots, to employ double the number of hits in elfecting the Changes of the key, that we can as these levers are usually arranged and operated. This multiplication of the bits in a two fold proportion so increases the number of changes of the key, as to render this an increased security against the attempt of picklocks. Again by having a set of bits separate from those in the key-should an impression of the key be taken-and a set of bits made corresponding to those in the key, a removal of two or three of the bits thereof, and a substitution of the same number of the other series of bits, will so efiiectually change the key as to prevent the opening of the lock by the duplicate bits made from the impression. In this i consists the great security of this lock or its advantages over others. As soon as the cross slot c, of either of the levers has passed over the fixed Stud of the bolt case, or in other words, the bolt passed through the said slot, when the levers are thrown forward, or so as to bring the said stud into the vertical slot Z), each of the said levers will drop downward until the top of the slot comes into contact with, or rests upon the top of the stud. This being accomplished, it will be impossible to retract the bolt while the said levers so remain. They must be elevated by their respective bits of the second series to the requisite height before the bolt will carry the lever back to a Vertical position.

Having thus explained my' improvement, I shall claim- Constructing the levers or sliding plates with additibnal slots ai, Z), 0, playing upon a fixed stud projecting through them and inserted in the lock case and Operating or throwing forward (with the bolt) one or more of the said sliding plates, by a corresponding number of bits of a secondary or supplementary series of bits affixed to the key and in connection with those by which the remaining levers are elevated and actuacted as set forth, the whole being arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose as above specified.

In testimony that the above is a correct specification of my said improvement I have hereto set my signature this twenty Seventh day of June in the year, A. D. 1843.

TWM. HALL.

Vitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, JOHN NOBLE.

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