A New or Improved Means and Appliance for Securing Milk-cans against Robbery.
Year: 1885

page_text: A New or Improved Means and Appliance for Securing
Milk-cans against Robbery.
I, HENRY WISE, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Mechanic do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS
AND APPLIANCE FOR SECURING MILK-CANS AGAINST ROBBERY to be as follows:-
"
According to my present invention I employ an automatic locking device
whereby the milkman can deposit and secure the can on a bracket or hook, but
the can cannot afterwards be removed from the bracket or hook without a key in
the possession of the householder who uses it to release the can from the bracket
or hook. My improved arrangements for effecting this object consist as follows:
In the interior of the bracket or hook, and revolving or oscillating on a pin or
axis therein I place a locking wheel or tumbler with a notch or notches formed
therein. The bracket or hook is provided with a notch or slot so shaped and
placed that the handle or hanger of the milk-can can be inserted through it into
one of the notches on the locking wheel or tumbler, and then be brought, by the
partial rotation or oscillation of the said locking wheel or tumbler on its centre or
axis, under a retaining part of the bracket or hook; which prevents the handle
or banger of the can from being lifted out of the notch in the locking wheel or
tumbler until the latter is moved backwards again; and this cannot be done until
a spring. catch or pawl which prevents the locking wheel or tumbler from turning
backwards, is released therefrom by means of the key in the custody of the
householder.

page_text: A New or Improved Means and Appliance for Securing
Milk-cans against Robbery.
I, HENRY WISE, of 115 Cannon Street in the City of London, Mechanic, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS
AND APPLIANCE FOR SECURING MILK-CANS AGAINST ROBBERY "and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of
drawings and to the letters and Figures marked thereon:―
The object of my invention is to provide a means and appliance for preventing
the robbery of milk-cans when the same are left by milkmen at the doors of their
customers' houses; and for this purpose, I construct an attachuient which may be
fixed, by screws or otherwise, to the door-post, lintel, or in other suitable or
convenient position. This attachment is formed as a bracket or hook, upon which
the milk-can may be hung by its bow handle, or otherwise, and more or less
automatically secured thereon in such a manner as to be capable of removal only
by the employment of a key in possession of the householder, or by the exercise of
force sufficient to break or wrench off the said bow handle, or the bracket.
The new or improved appliance for effecting the beforementioned object, consists
as follows. In the interior of the bracket or hook, and revolving or oscillating on
a pin or axis therein, I place a locking wheel or tumbler with a notch or notches-
formed therein. The bracket or hook is provided with a notch or slot, so shaped
and placed that the handle or hanger of the milk can may be inserted through it
into one of the notches on the locking wheel or tumbler, and then be brought, by a
partial rotation or oscillation of the said locking wheel or tumbler on its centre or
axis, under a retaining part of the bracket or hook, which prevents the handle
or hanger of the can from being lifted out of the notch in the locking wheel or
tumbler until the latter is moved backwards again; and this cannot be done until
a spring, catch, or pawl, which prevents the locking wheel or tumbler from turning
backwards is released therefrom by means of the key in the custody of the
householder.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents an isometric view of one of
my said appliances, and Figure 2 shows a similar view with the side plate removed.
A is the bracket or hook with notch or slot B formed therein; C is the locking
wheel or tumbler with notches D formed in the circumference thereof. E is the pin
or axis on which the locking wheel or tumbler C revolves. F is a catch or pawl
centred at F and taking into the notches in the locking wheel or tumbler C, so as
to prevent the said 'wheel or tumbler from being turned backwards, and G is a
spring centred at G which bears against the catch or pawl F, tending to keep it
in gear with the notches of the wheel or tumbler.
:
The action of the lock is as follows:-The milkman places the bow handle of the
can through the notch or slot B in the bracket or hook A into one of the notches D
on the locking wheel or tumbler C. He then presses the said wheel or tumbler
round (in the direction of the arrow) by means of the bow handle of the milk can,
until the said handle comes under the retaining part H of the bracket or hook A.
1

page_text: The catch or pawl F prevents the locking wheel or tumbler C and the handle of
the can from being moved backwards; the end of the slot in the retaining part H
of the bracket or hook prevents the said handle from being moved further in the
direction of the arrow, and the retaining part H prevents the said handle from
being lifted up out of the notch in which it has been placed. The milk can is
consequently secured and cannot be removed until the locking wheel or tumbler C
is released from the catch or pawl F by the householder or other person in
possession of a special key which is inserted through the hole J and then turned,
so as to act on the lower part of the catch or pawl F to force the latter out of gear
with the locking wheel or tumbler C, which is then free to revolve backwards so
as to bring the bow handle of the milk can opposite the notch B in the bracket or
hook A, when it can be lifted out and removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The new or improved means and appliance for securing milk-cans against
robbery, consisting of an attachment to which the milk-can is secured by a
more or less automatically acting lock, and devices whereby the said milk can
may be released from the said attachment, the whole combined, arranged, and
operating substantially as herein before described, and illustrated in the drawings
hereto annexed.