A New or Improved Puzzle Lock for Toy Money Boxes and other Boxes and Cases.
Year: 1896

page_text: A New or Improved Puzzle Lock for Toy Money Boxes and other
Boxes and Cases.
We, GEORGE WILLIAM HERBERT and WILFRED KIRBY INGHAM, trading
together as Herbert and Ingham of 16, 17 and 18, Wrottesley Street, in the City
of Birmingham, Toy Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed new or improved puzzle lock for
toy money boxes, work boxes and other boxes or cases.
Our said improved lock is provided with a dial (preferably like a watch dial)
and two fingers like the fingers of a watch and is so arranged as to prevent the box
being opened unless the fingers are set in a pre-determined position so as to indicate
for instance a certain time on the dial.
We will describe this invention as applied to a toy money box.
The said dial is fixed to or formed on the outside of the box lid and on the other
side of the box lid that is inside the box there are two metal or other discs or
partial discs concentric with the dial and fixed respectively to the two fingers
which are outside the box and adapted to turn round in a hole or bearing at the
centre of the dial. By turning one of the fingers one of the discs, is turned and by
turning the other finger the other disc is turned. In both discs there are two or
more notches arranged so that the notch or notches in one disc match the notch or
notches in the other disc when the fingers occupy a certain position relatively to
each other. Fixed in the box there is a cross bar or partition on which are formed
two upwardly projecting hooks which are made of a size to pass through the
notches in the discs and for the discs to take under them.
Our said new or improved puzzle lock acts as follows:-Before the lid can be
placed on the box the fingers have to be set to indicate on the dial the particular
time at which the box will open so that the notches in the discs will then match
each other and also permit of the said hooks passing through the notches. The
lid can now be closed on to the box when the hooks will pass through the notches.
Now if the fingers are turned to occupy different positions the said discs will
engage under the hooks and thus lock the lid. To unlock the box the fingers have
to be turned to the particular time on the disc corresponding with the positions
where the notches in the discs match each other and allow of the hooks passing
through the notches.
Both discs are by preference made with a raised ring like projection which has
the effect of keeping one of the discs the proper distance from the underside of the
lid and also of keeping the other disc at the proper distance from the cross bar on
which the hooks are fixed.
One finger, namely the shorter finger, is fixed to the disc nearer to the box lid
and is by preference raised from sheet metal in a piece with two downwardly
projecting parts which pass through the hole in the lid and form the arbor and
also pass through holes in the disc and are clenched over so as to be connected
thereto. The longer finger is also by preference made with two downwardly
projecting parts which pass through the central hole in the first named finger and
.

page_text: are similarly threaded through holes in the lower disc and clenched over so as to
be connected thereto.
In order to obtain greater security we may apply two of the locks to one lid so
that the box cannot be opened until the fingers on both of the dials have been set
in the proper positions.
Instead of the dial having numerals on its face like a clock face there may be
other figures letters or other marks on the dial to which the fingers have to be set
to unlock the lock.
Dated this 12th day of February 1896.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.
A New or Improved Puzzle Lock for Toy Money Boxes and other
Boxes and Cases.
We, GEORGE WILLIAM HERBERT and WILFRED KIRBY INGHAM, trading
together as Herbert and Ingham, of 16, 17 and 18 Wrottesley Street, in the City
of Birmingham, Toy Manufacturers, 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:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed new or improved puzzle lock for
toy money boxes work boxes and other boxes and cases.
Our said improved lock is provided with a dial (preferably like a watch dial)
and two fingers like the fingers of a watch and is so arranged as to prevent the
box being opened unless the fingers are set in a pre-determined position so as to
indicate for instance a certain time on the dial.
We will describe our invention as applied to a toy money box.
We will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying drawing on
which
Fig. 1 is a plan of a toy money box with our invention applied;
Fig. 2 is a general view of the said money box with the lid removed;
Fig. 3 is a back view of the lid so as to shew the locking mechanism;
Fig. 4 is an inverted plan and elevation of the locking mechanism of the lid on
an enlarged scale,
Fig. 5 shews the longer finger of the locking mechanism separately;
Fig. 6 is a separate view of the short finger of the locking mechanism; and
Fig. 7 shews separately one of the discs of the said locking mechanism.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawing.
A is the dial which is fixed to or formed on the outside of the box lid B and on
the other side of the box lid that is inside the box C there are two metal or other
discs D and E or partial discs concentric with the dial A and fixed respectively to
the two fingers F and G which are outside the box lid and are adapted to turn
round in a hole or bearing a' at the centre of the dial A. By turning the longer
finger F the disc D is turned and by turning the other finger G the other disc E is
turned. In both discs D and E there are two (or more) notches marked
respectively d¹ del e² arranged so that the notches d' d in the disc D will match
the notches e 2 in the disc E when the fingers F and G occupy a certain position
relatively to each other. Fixed to the box C there is as shewn in Fig. 2 a cross
bar H or partition on which are formed two upwardly projecting hooks h' h² which

page_text: are made of a size to pass through the notches d' de et in the discs D and E and
for the said discs to take under the books h' h².
Our said new or improved puzzle lock acts as follows:-Before the lid B can be
placed on the box C the fingers F and G have to be set to indicate on the dial A
the particular time at which the box will open and which in the particular box
shewn on our drawing is 8-25 so that the notches d' d in the disc D will natch
the notches of the disc E and then permit of the hooks 44 passing through
these notches. The discs are shewn in this position in Fig. 3. The lid B can now
be placed on the box C when the hooks will pass through the notches d' d'
ee of the discs D and E. If the fingers F and G are now turned to occupy
different positions to those shewn in Fig. 1 the discs D and E will also be turned
and engage under the hooks 1 h and thus lock the lid B on to the box C. To
unlock the box lid the fingers F and G have to be turned to the particular time on
the dial namely 8-25 corresponding with the positions when the notches d¹ d² of
the disc D will match the notches ee of the disc E and allow of the hooks h' h³
passing through the notches of the discs.
The dise E is by preference made with a raised ring like projection e³ which has
the effect of keeping the disc E at the proper distance from the underside of the
lid B, and the other dise D is also by preference made with a similar raised ring
like projection d' which keeps the other dise D at the proper distance from the
cross bar H on which the hooks ¹² are fixed.
The shorter finger G which is fixed to the disc E nearer to the box lid is by
preference made from sheet metal in a piece with two downwardly projecting
parts g g (see Fig. 6) which pass through the hole a' in the lid A and form an
arbor and also pass through holes e e in the disc E and are clenched over so as to
be connected thereto. The longer finger F is also by preference made with two
upwardly projecting parts f1f2 (see Fig. 5) which pass through the central hole g³
of the finger G and are similarly threaded through holes d d in the lower disc D
and are clenched over so as to be connected thereto.
In order to obtain greater security we may apply two of the locks above
described to one lid side by side so that the box cannot be opened until the fingers
on both of the dials have been set to the proper positions. In this case it will be
understood that the box will require to have two of the cross bars H carrying the
hooks corresponding with the two dials.
Instead of the dial having numerals on its face like a clock or watch face there
may be other figures or other marks on the dial at which the fingers have to be
set before they will unlock the lock as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to he performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a puzzle lock for securing the lids of toy money boxes and other boxes and
cases, the combination of a dial on the box lid, two external fingers adapted to turn
around said dial, two notched discs or partial discs on the inside of the box lid
secured respectively to the arbors of the said fingers, and two projecting hooks
fixed in the box and adapted to engage with the said discs, the said parts being
arranged so that when the fingers occupy certain positions relatively to each other
and to the dial the said hooks can pass through the notches in the discs and the lid
be opened and when the fingers are turned to other positions the discs will engage
with the hooks and lock the lid on the box, substantially as hereiubefore described
and illustrated.
2. In a puzzle lock for securing the lids of toy money boxes and other boxes
and cases, the combination of a dial on the box lid, the two external fingers F and G
adapted to turn with concentric arbors in said dial, the two notched discs DE
arranged on the inside of the box lid and secured respectively to the arbors of the
said fingers, and the two projecting hooks A fixed in the box, these parts being
so arranged that when the fingers F and G occupy certain positions relatively to

page_text: each other and to the dial the hooks h² can pass through the notches in the
discs D E and the lid can be opened but when the fingers are turned to other positions
the discs DE will engage with the hooks hand lock the lid on the box
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawing..
3. The construction combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved
lock for securing the lids of toy money boxes and other boxes and cases arranged
and acting substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawing.
Dated this 12th day of November 1896.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.