IM- PROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Karl Ernst, of Stanley Road, Sand's End,
Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS."
Sealed the 19th August 1879, and dated the 20th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilhelm Karl Ernst at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1879.
WILHELM KARL ERNST, of Stanley Road, Sand's End, Fulham, in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanic. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS."
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
locks or fastenings for securing doors, safes, tills, drawers, boxes, bags, or for other
purposes where security is required.
It consists essentially in forming the sliding bolt or catch of a lock on one (or
both) of the edges of its sliding surface inside the box with a toothed rack, into
which gears a toothed pinion formed on the end of the key. Over the sliding bolt
or catch is screwed or otherwise fixed a shield or cover plate, the toothed pinion on
the end of the key passing through corresponding notches cut through this shield
or cover plate.
By an arrangement of springs and catches, or of springs, plates, and catches,
mounted at the outside of the shield or cover plate, and acted upon by the key, the
sliding bolt or catch is operated in such a manner that upon turning the key in the
lock in one direction the springs and catches are moved away, so as to release the
bolt or catch, whilst simultaneously the toothed pinion on the end of the key
taking into the toothed rack on the edge of the bolt or catch projects the latter
outwards to its full extent, and the key then leaving the springs and catches they
return to their normal position and secure the bolt or catch in the locked position.
On turning the key in the reverse direction the springs and catches are again
released from the bolt or catch, and the toothed pinion on the key withdraws the
bolt or catch into its unlocked position, where it is again secured by the springs
and catches returning to their normal position.
The great advantage of this Invention is that it cannot be picked, as the toothed
pinion on the end of the key requires to be fitted with great nicety to enable it to
pass through the notches in the shield or cover plate and to gear it correctly with
the rack on the bolt; the teeth are also varied in form and number to any desired
extent, thus rendering it almost impossible to counterfeit the key.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Wilhelm Karl Ernst in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
August 1879.
WILHELM KARL ERNST, of Stanley Road, Sand's End, Fulham, in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanic. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS OR FASTENINGS."
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
locks or fastenings for securing doors, safes, tills, drawers, boxes, bags, or for other
purposes where security is required.
It consists essentially in forming the sliding bolt or catch of a lock on one (or
both) of the edges of its sliding surface inside the box with a toothed rack, into
which gears a toothed pinion formed on the end of the key. Over the sliding bolt
or catch is screwed or otherwise fixed a shield or cover plate, the toothed pinion on
the end of the key passing through corresponding notches cut through this shield
or cover plate.
By an arrangement of springs and catches, or of springs, plates, and catches,
mounted at the outside of the shield or cover plate and acted upon by the key, the
sliding bolt or catch is operated in such a manner that upon turning the key in the
lock in one direction the springs and catches are moved away, so as to release the
bolt or catch, whilst simultaneously the toothed pinion on the end of the key
taking into the toothed rack on the edge of the bolt or catch projects the latter out-
wards to its full extent, and the key then leaving the springs and catches they
return to their normal position and secure the bolt or catch in the locked position.
On turning the key in the reverse direction the springs and catches are again
released from the bolt or catch, and the toothed pinion on the key withdraws the
bolt or catch into its unlocked position, where it is again secured by the springs and
catches returning to their normal position.
And in order that my said Invention may be well understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, reference being made to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, like letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
the respective Figures.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, with front plate removed, of one form of my
improved lock as applied to a box or trunk; and Figure 2, a section of same on
line 1, 2, in Figure 1.
A, A¹, represent two sliding bolts or locks formed at their lower ends with ears
or wings B, B', which project respectively inwards towards the centre of the box C.
The lower edge of the ear or wing B¹ and the upper edge of the ear or wing B are
formed with notches or teeth, into which gears at or near the centre of the box C
a toothed pinion D on the end of the key E. Over the sliding bolts or locks A, A',
is secured by screws or otherwise a cover plate F, the teeth of the pinion D passing
through corresponding notches cut through that part of the shield or cover plate F
where the key E is inserted. G is a plate sliding over the face of the shield or cover
plate F; and at the upper part of this plate on its front side are lugs a, a, through
which work the long pins or studs H, H, secured to the bottom edge of the box C.
Round these pins or studs H, H, are placed between the lugs a, a, and the said
bottom edge spiral springs I, which serve to retain the sliding plate G, unless other-
wise constrained, in a normal position relatively with the shield or cover plate F.
By means of a projecting lump J combined with the cam shaped hole through the
sliding plate G, as shown, the latter is raised or lowered when required by the
key E, as hereafter more particularly described. K is a double catch or hasp for
engaging with the hooked upper ends of the bolts or locks A, A², and projecting
from a plate which is secured to the lid or cover of the box or trunk in the usual
manner.
The key E being inserted in the lock until its toothed pinion D has passed
through the shield or cover plate F, and is in gear with the toothed edges of the
ears or wings B, B', on turning it in one direction the ward of the key E acts upon

page_text: the projecting lump J, so as to depress the sliding plate G out of contact with the
bolts A, A', the toothed pinion D at the same time acting upon the toothed edges
of the ears or wings B, B, so as to force the sliding bolts or locks A, A¹, apart to
their full extent outwards (as shown in dotted lines, Figure 1), their upper hooked
ends being by this means released from the double catch or hasp K, and the box or
trunk thereby unfastened. On turning the key E in the reverse direction the
toothed pinion D acting on the toothed edges of the ears or wings B, B¹, draws the
sliding bolts or locks A, A', inwards, causing their upper hooked ends to close upon the
double catch or basp K, and so lock the box or trunk. At the same time the ward
_ of the key_E acting on-the-cam shaped--hole-in-the sliding-plate-G-causes the latter
to rise until its upper curved edge comes in contact with the backs of the upper
hooked ends of the sliding bolts or locks A, A', and thereby fixes or prevents the
latter from spreading outwards on the withdrawal of the key E. The sliding
plate G is retained in this position by the action of the spiral springs I, as before
mentioned.
Figure 3 is a front elevation, with cover plate removed, of another form of
my improved lock applied to a door; and Figure 4 a section on line 3, 4, in Fig. 3.
In this arrangement the bolt or lock L slides horizontally through the box M,
and is formed on its lower edge with notches or teeth, into which gears the toothed
pinion N on the end of the key O. P is a shield or cover plate to the sliding bolt
or lock L, and is secured to the back of the box M. Q is a spring attached or
pivoted to the back of the box M, and taking into notches or gaps cut on the upper
edge of the sliding bolt or lock L at points corresponding respectively with its
"locked" and "unlocked" positions; R is a spring secured to the back of the box
M and acting against the bolt or lock L, so as normally to throw it outwards into
its locked position.
On inserting the key O its pinion N engages with the notched edge of the bolt
or lock L, so that by turning the key in one direction the bolt or lock L is forced
outwards into the locked position (see dotted lines, Figure 3), when the spring Q
falls into the "locked "notch or gap of the bolt or lock L, and thereby fixes the
latter securely in that position. On reversing the motion of the key O the spring Q
is moved out of the "locked" notch and the bolt or lock L thrown back by the
pinion N into the "unlocked" position, in which it is fixed by the spring Q
dropping into the "unlocked" notch or gap.
Secured to the back of the sliding bolt or lock L is a guide piece S working in a
slot through the back of the box M, and to it is attached a handle T. U is a
pusher furnished with a handle and inserted through the bottom edge of the box M.
The upper end of this pusher U acts against the spring Q in such a manner that
upon raising the pusher U the spring Q is moved out of gear with the sliding bolt
or lock L, and is retained in that position by a catch on the pusher U, which is
locked against a stud on the bottom edge of the box M. By this means the bolt
or lock L, which is normally retained in a "locked" position by the spring R,
can be moved back freely by hand into the unlocked" position without being
effected by the spring Q.
85
The great advantage of this Invention is that it cannot be picked as the toothed
pinion on the end of the key requires to be fitted with great nicety to enable it to
pass through the notches in the shield or cover plate, and to gear correctly with the
rack on the bolt; the teeth are also varied in form and number to any desired
extent, thus rendering it almost impossible to counterfeit the key.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect,
I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
1. The general construction of lock or fastening having a key formed with a
toothed pinion on its inner end in combination with the notched edge (or edges) of
the sliding bolt (or bolts), and with a correspondingly notched shield or cover plate,

page_text: substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
2. The combination of the key E with the sliding plate G, spiral springs I, and
sliding bolts or locks A, A', substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 on the accompanying Drawings.
3. The combination of the sliding bolts or locks A, A', with the double catch or
hasp K, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated
by Figures 1 and 2 on the accompanying Drawings.
E
4. The combination of the sliding bolt or lock L with spring Q, substantially as
and for the purpose berein before described and illustrated by Figures 3 and 4 on 1
the accompanying Drawings.
5. The combination of the sliding bolt or lock L with spring R, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 3 and 4 of
the accompanying Drawings.
6. The combination of the pusher U with spring Q, substantially as and for the 1
purpose herein before described and illustrated by Figures 3 and 4 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wilhelm Karl Ernst, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
2