Patent GB-859216-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to permutation locking devices
Filed: 1957-05-03
Abstract: 859,216. Combination locks. INTERMETALL GENERALVERTRETUNGEN UND GROSSHANDELSGESELLSCHAFT. May 3, 1957 [May 15, 1956], No. 14204/57. Class 44. A permutation locking device for preventing unauthorized unlocking of a lock comprises a housing 12, a member 28 movable for progressive feeding into a position in which it is effective for unlocking the lock, a plurality of superposed setting members 15 each adjustable before locking to have an angular setting in accordance with a chosen permutation and each having a feed portion 34 to permit feed of the movable member towards the effective unlocking position, and selecting and actuating means for effecting carrying of the movable member to successive selected positions in accordance with a chosen permutation, in which positions it is engageable with the feed portions of successive setting members, and for actuating feeding of the movable member along the engaged feed portion of each successive setting member and into the unlocking position, the selecting and actuating means comprising an operating member 7 having different movements for independently effecting the said carrying and feeding of the movable member. The housing 12 is adapted to be mounted on a door 1 by means of screws 13 in the interior of the housing. It is closed by means of a cover 14 which has a bayonet joint engagement with the housing and which is secured in position by means of a bolt 66. The cover is formed with a circular bore 15 which contains five setting members 16 arranged coaxially. The outer peripheral surface of each member 16 is formed with notches each notch corresponding to one letter of the alphabet or to a numeral and the cover has a web which engages one of the notches to position the member 16 to a desired letter or numeral. The feed portion of each member 16 is a shallow depression into which the nose 33 of the member 28 is received when the member 28 has been turned to the correct letter or numeral. The member 28 is mounted in a longitudinal slot 27 of a sleeve 21; the longitudinal slot 27 intersects a bore 29 and the member 28 is mounted in the slot and bore by means of a ball 30 so that it can both pivot in relation to the slot and also slide longitudinally of the slot. It is urged outwardly of the slot so that the nose 33 can enter the depressions 34 by means of a spring 32 contained in an eccentric aperture in the member 28 and one end of which bears on the interior of the bore 29. The sleeve 21 is mounted in the cover 14 so that it can rotate but cannot move axially and it has a flange 86 which engages a square position of the operating member 7. The member 7 extends through an aperture in the door 1 to receive a knob 4 on the outside of the door by which the member 7 and hence the sleeve 21 is rotated. The member 7 is also axially movable by means of a disc 10 (contained in the knob 4) against the pressure of springs 8 and 23 and this axial movement moves the member 28 in steps in the slot 27 so that the nose 33 successively engages the setting members 16. The axial movement of the member 7 is limited by means of a spring ring 26 contained in a recess in a circular enlargement 19 of the member 7 which is received in a bore 20 of the sleeve 21. The bore 20 is provided with two axially spaced grooves 25 to receive the spring ring 26 and these grooves limit the axial movement of the member 7 since the recess in the portion 19 is of double frustro-conical shape so that once the spring ring enters either of the grooves the movement of the member 7 is limited by wedging action. For moving the member 28 a pawl 37 is pivotally mounted on the sleeve 21 and this has a tooth 44 which coacts with recesses 45 in the member 28. The distance between adjacent recesses is the same as the thickness of the setting members 16. The pawl 37 is mounted on the sleeve 21 by means of a pin 40 which engages a guide slot 41 in the pawl and the pawl also has a cam slot 42 which is engaged by a pin 43 on the member 7. When the member 7 is moved by pressure on the disc 10 the engagement of the pin 43 with the cam slot 42 first moves the pawl away from the plate member 28 so that its tooth 44 moves out of one of the recesses 45 and when the pin 43 reaches the end of the cam slot 42 the pawl is moved downwardly, the pin 40 sliding in the slot 41; when the member 7 is returned by the pressure of the springs 8 and 23 the pawl is moved inwardly when the pin 43 reaches the upper part of the cam slot so that its tooth 44 engages the next lowermost recess 45 of the member 28; when the pin 43 reaches the top of the cam slot the pawl is moved upwardly with the slot 41 sliding on the pin 40 taking the member 28 with it. The member 7 can only be rotated when in its uppermost position as shown in the drawing, its rotation in other positions being prevented by a pin 46 and ball 50 which are urged apart by a spring 49; the pin engages a recess 48 in the member 7 and the ball engages notches 51 in the housing which correspond to the notches 17 (Fig. 4, not shown) of the setting members 16. When the member 7 has been depressed against the springs the pin 46 engages one of the square sides of the member 7 and in this position prevents movement of the ball 50 out of the notch 51 with which it is engaged. The detent and ball also prevent the member 7 being moved axially when it is rotated to a position intermediate of two letters or numbers; in such a position the bore is on the land between the notches 51 and the pin 46 cannot then move out of the recess 48 in the member 7. The knob is provided with letters or numbers around its flange 5 to correspond to those on the setting members 16 and a locking mark 6 is provided on the door to enable the knob and hence the member 7 to be turned to predetermined positions in which the nose 33 enters the depressions 34 in succession, the disc 10 being pressed between successive rotations of the knob to move the member 7 axially. When the nose 33 has cleared the last member 16, a stop 52 on the member 28 becomes aligned with a tooth 54 on a locking bolt 53 which is slidably mounted in the housing 12; rotation of the knob 4 in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 2 then causes the locking bolt to be moved to its unlocking position. If during the unlocking operation the knob 4 is not turned to the correct position the nose 33 does not enter a depression 34 and the member 28 cannot rotate; during the subsequent axial movement of the member 7 by pressure on the disc 10 a pin 35 on the member 7 engages a tooth 36 on the member 28 and moves the member 28 back to its original position so that the unlocking sequence must be started again from the beginning. For moving the locking bolt to its locking position the sleeve 21 is provided with a stop 56 which engages a couterstop 55 on the bolt when the knob 4 is turned in the direction of the arrow b of Fig. 2; to restore the member 28 to its initial position the knob 4 is turned until a locking mark is aligned with the mark 6 and by this operation the member 28 is moved until its stop 52 is disposed below the tooth 54 of the locking bolt whereby the member 28 is swung inwardly so that its tooth 36 is engaged by the pin 35 when the member 7 is moved axially and the member 28 is restored to its initial position. When it is desired to change the combination, the first four symbols of the code are selected in succession by rotating the knob 4 and pressing the disc 10 and this causes the stop 52 to become aligned with a spring pressed plate 59 which locks the cover in position on the housing by engaging a recess in it. By turning the knob 4 the stop 52 then engages a stop 64 on the plate 59 and rotates the plate so that a stop 62 is swung into a second recess on the cover; once the stop 62 is in the second recess and the screw 66 is removed the cover can be rotated to disengage it from the housing. The various positions of the members 16 can then be altered as desired, and the cover replaced by a reverse process. The locking bolt 53 can also be operated and locked from the inside of the door as disclosed in Specification 859,214.