Improvements in and relating to Door and other Locks.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Door and other Locks.
I, NIELS GEORG SÖRENSEN, of Stockholm No. 11 Blasieholmstorg in the Kingdom of
Sweden, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to locks and is chiefly designed to improve the construction
and increase the efficiency of the locks described in the Specification accompanying a
former application for Letters Patent dated February 6th 1889 No. 2155.
In the locks described in the said former Specification the bolt is arranged to drop
into an eye or socket and to be retained in its locking position by its own weight no
other provision being made for retaining it in this position; therefore when the lock
is applied to a drawer or the like in a small article it is possible to open the lock by
inverting the said article.
The main object of my present invention is to provide means for more effectually
protecting such locks against unauthorized opening thereof, that is to say :-to
provide means whereby the bolts will be retained in their locking position in the eyes
or sockets whatever may be the position of the article to which they are attached.
My said invention comprises moreover various other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In the accompanying drawing 1 have shown how my said invention can be con-
veniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure is a vertical section through the casing of a mortise-lock showing my
present improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line x, x Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical section through the lock casing.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line y, y Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section on the line y', yl Figure 3, and
Figure 6 is a front elevation showing a modification of my improved lock chiefly
designed for a drawer or the like.
Figure 7 is a vertical section and
Figure 8 is a front elevation showing a further modification.
Figure 9 is a front elevation and
Figure 10 is a section on the line z, z Figure 9 showing a still further modi-
fication.
Figure 11 is a front elevation partly in section illustrating my improved adjustable
eye or socket and,
Figures 12 to 14 are various views showing detail of construction thereof.
Like letters indicate coresponding parts throughout the drawing.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2
A is the casing of the lock, B is a portion of the frame to which the said
lock is attached, C is a portion of the jamb or door post, D is the eye or socket for
receiving the bolt of the lock, E is the key for operating the said lock.
a is the bolt which is arranged to slide freely in a compartment b provided in the
casing A. c, care apertures provided in the wall of the said compartment. d is a
slot formed in the bolt a. Through the aperture c and into the slot d extends the
free extremity of a lever e firmly attached to or forming part of a boss f, into a squaro
or other suitably shaped hole into which fits the spindle g of the handle or handles.
The extremity of the said lever e forms the point of support for the said bolt a.
h is a
weight pivoted at to the casing A and arranged to bear against a projection upon
the lever e in such a manner that the said lever e will be normally retained in its
lowest position, that is to say, that in which the bolt and the handle or handles upon
1

page_text: the spindle are in the locking position. A suitable stop or stops are, in somⓇ
instances, provided for limiting the downward movement of the lever e. When the
door is open, the bolt a is in its lowest position; and the lower end of the said bolt is
bevelled or cut away so that when the said door is closed, the said bolt, by reason. of
the wedge-like action of the said bevelled or cut away portion, will be raised so as to
pass over the edge of the eye or socket D, which is in the path of the said bolt a, and
to drop into the hole or aperture in the said eye or socket.
i, iare tumblers which are pivoted at to the casing A. The tumblers i are
provided with arms or extensions 22 which, when the said tumblers are not held up by
key as hereinafter described extend through an aperture C' in the casing A, so that
when the door is closed they will engage with a notch d¹ formed in the bolt a.
projections upon the extremities of the arms or extensions 2 intended to prevent the
latter from engaging too deeply in the said notch d¹.
are
It will be seen that it is impossible to lift the bolt a without previously disengaging
the arms or extensions of the tumblers i from the notch d. j is a stop for limiting
the turning movement of the key E and of the tumblers i so as to render it possible
under any circumstances to introduce the said key E. By turning the said key so as
to raise the said tumblers i, the latter can be disengaged and the bolt a becomes free.
Suitable wards or guards may be provided on the tumblers i and in the casing A for
further protecting the lock from being opened by unauthorized persons. Any suitable
number of tumblers i may be employed, as for instance a group of levers or tumblers
arranged one behind the other similarly to the levers or tumblers in a "Chubb's lock,"
and which can only be moved through the medium of a special key so that they will
liberate the bolt a.
The lock illustrated in Figures 3 to 6 is designed more especially for a drawer, box
or the like. In this instance I make suitable provision for preventing the opening of
the said lock by inverting or turning upside down the article to which it is attached.
k, k¹ are suitable catches pivoted at 2 to the casing A. The said catches k, k¹
are combined with stops which limit their movement and normally retain them in
such a position that the bolt a can be freely raised through the medium of the key E..
Should the lock he turned upside down, the catches k, k¹ will turn about their
pivots by reason of their weight and assume the position indicated by the dotted lines
(Figure 3) thus entering the path of the bolt a and preventing the latter from falling
back even should the tumbler i be liberated or disengaged from the bolt a on the said
lock being turned upside down. m, m are other stops for limiting the movement of
the said catches k, k¹ when displaced in the manner above described. The slot or
recess d in the bolt a serves in this instance for the engagement of the tumbler i (one
tumbler only being employed in the arrangement shown) and also for the insertion of
the key E by means of which the said tumbler i may be first disengaged and the
bolt a raised.
I provide, moreover, for enabling the tumbler i when desired to be fixed or retained
in a position out of engagement with the bolt a. For this purpose 1 employ a pin n
which passes through a hole formed in the case A and the extremity of which is adapted
to engage in a hole n¹ provided in the said tumbler in such a position that the latter
will be retained out of engagement with the bolt a.
o is another pin the extremity of which also passes through a hole in the casing A
and is adapted to engage in a hole o' provided in the bolt a thus serving to fix or
retain the said bolt in its raised position and permitting the drawer or other article to
which the lock is attached to be opened and closed freely. The said pins n and o
extend through the key-hole-plate o' and are provided with suitable knobs or handles
by means of which they can be moved from the exterior. The said pins can only be
inserted into the hole n in the tumbler or into the hole o' in the bolt a when the said
bolt is raised by the aid of the key E.
Figures 7 to 10 illustrate a modification of my improved lock adapted for use in
trap and sliding doors of railway-wagons or the like.
In the first arrangement shown in Figures 7 and 8, the lock A is attached to the
fixed frame p of the wagon whilst the socket D is placed on the trap or door g which

page_text: is arranged to turn around its lower edge upon suitable hinges or joints q¹. In a
case in which the trap or door is arranged to turn upon its upper edge, the lock is
preferably placed upon the said trap or door whilst the eye or socket D is fitted to the
frame p, or the said lock may be placed upon the said immovable frame P above the
lower edge of the said trap or door. In the case of sliding doors q as shown in
Figures 9 and 10 the lock A is secured in one of the said doors q, like a mortice lock
or on the back of the said door like a box or case lock, or in the case of a sliding door
having but one leaf, also in the frame of the door whilst the said sliding door carries
the eye or socket D.
In Figures 11 to 14 I have shown the arrangement I prefer to employ for per-
mitting any necessary adjustment of the eye or socket D in order to allow for
shrinkage or warping of the doors or of the posts or jamhs, without diminishing in
any way the security of the fastening of the said eye or socket to the door frame or
jamb.
.
of
The eye or socket D instead of being fastened directly to the door post or jamb C
as heretofore practised is connected indirectly thereto through the medium of a plate,
which is let into or countersunk in the said door post or jamb C and secured to the
latter by means of two or more screws r¹. In the plate is provided a slot
suitable length and width. s, s are screws which pass through holes provided in the
flange D' of the eye or socket D and through the said slot in the plate r.
screws & are screwed into another plate t placed behind the plater which serves as a
common nut for. both the sail screws s. A suitable recess (is moreover provided in
the door post or jamb C adapted to receive the plater and the extremities of the
screw s.
.
The
By means of this arrangement the eye or socket D and the plate t can be displaced
or adjusted in a vertical as well as in a horizontal direction as far as the dimensions of
the slot afford free play to the screws s. Thus for example the eye or socket D can
be adjusted in a case where a mistake has been made in the mounting of either the
said eye or socket D or the lock through incorrect measurement, and also in a case
where the lower extremity of the bolt has been subjected to much wear and tear or
the door has sunk or warped or the relative positions of the door and its post or
jamb have become altered from any cause such as shrinkage or otherwise.
For cases in which the said door has shrunk to a considerable extent through the
drying of the wood or from other causes so that the bolt would drop against the
edge of the eye or socket instead of entering the hole or aperture in the latter,
I provide washers or distance pieces u having a slot or slots u¹ so that they can
be passed over the shanks of the screws s. The said washers or distance pieces u
are made of varying thickness and one or more are inserted between the flange D'
of the eye or socket D and the plate t, the screws s having first been slackened.
The shape of the washers or distance pieces u is such as to correspond exactly to
that of the flange D₁ of the eye or socket D and their front edge is bevelled in
the same manner as the front edge of the said eye or socket D. After the inser-
tion of the requisite number of washers or distance pieces, and the necessary
vertical and horizontal adjustment has been made the screws & are firmly screwed
down again into the plate t so as to rigidly secure the eye or socket D in
position.
It is evident moreover that. I can somewhat further modify the construction of
my improved lock without departing from the nature of my said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood
that I claim :-
First The combination, with a lock such as that described in the aforesaid
former specification, of means for preventing the automatic opening of the said
lock when inverted.
Second In a lock having a bolt arranged to fall by gravity into the locking
position, the combination with the said bolt, of one or more tumblers having arms

page_text: or extentions and arranged to operate by their own weight to cause the said
or extensions to engage with a notch in the said bolt, substantially as
arms
⚫described.
Third In a lock having a bolt arranged to fall by gravity into the locking
position, one or more catches which should the lock be turned upside down will
be caused by their own weight to enter the path of the said bolt before the latter
commences to slide backward substantially as set forth.
Fourth-The adjustable eye or socket for locks comprising the plate having a
suitable slot or aperture and fixed to the door post or jamb, the eye or socket
provided with a flange and the adjusting screws for securing the said eye or socket
in position, extending through the said slot or aperture and screwing into a
common nut or plate placed behind the first plate substantially as described.
Fifth The combination, with the said adjustable eye or socket, of washers or
distance pieces of varying thicknesses provided with suitable slots, the form of the
said washers or distance pieces corresponding with that of the flange of the said
adjustable eye or socket substantially as described.
Sixth The improved lock constructed substantially as described with reference
to either of the forms or modifications shown in the accompanying drawings and
for the purposes above specified.
971 1
r
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.