AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF LOCK
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Jennings, of Fludyer Street, in the
City of Westminster, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF LOCK."
Sealed the 10th June 1853, and dated the 29th January. 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lewis Jennings
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Peti-
tion, on the 29th January 1853.
I, LEWIS JENNINGS, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF LOCK" to be as follows: —
This Invention has reference to a new construction of lock, in
which a series of permutation plates, each pierced with a central
hole to receive the key, are arranged within a cylinder or other case
furnished with a projection-to receive the action of the key, and with
a recess or recesses in the outer periphery to receive a tumbler when
all of them have been brought round to the proper point, the key
being made of a series of plates corresponding in number with the
permutation plates, and each having a recess of different length to
act in succession on the permutation plates to bring them to the

page_text: proper position for the reception of the tumblers, one of the series of
plates bring cam-formed for the purpose of operating the tumbler.
The permutation plates and tumbler.are arranged within a rotary
cylinder or other case, surrounded by a permanent flanch or
case properly recessed for the reception of the tumbler when held
out by the permutation plates, to prevent the said rotating case
from turning when locked. Combined with the rotating cylinder
or case which contains the permutation plates and tumbler is an
excentric fitted to a.yoke on the bolt for. the purpose of throwing
the bolt, the excentric being at the dead point when the bolt is
thrown out, that any pressure applied directly to the bolt to force
it in may have no tendency to turn the excentric. It will be
obvious that the key, instead of being made of separate plates,
may be cut out of a solid piece of metal, but this will not present
the advantage of changing the combination.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Lewis Jennings in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 29th July 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
LEWIS JENNINGS, of Fludyer Street, in the City of Westminster,
Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three,
in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Lewis Jennings,
Her special license that I, the said Lewis Jennings, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Lewis
Jennings, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully

page_text: might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF LOCK," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Lewis Jennings, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Lewis Jennings, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, 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
Drawings, hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
My Invention. of "An Improved Construction of Lock" has re-
ference. to a new construction of lock, in which a series of per-
mutation plates, each pierced with a central hole to receive the key,
are arranged within a cylinder or other case furnished with a pro-
jection to receive the action of the key, and with a recess or recesses
in the outer periphery to receive a tumbler when all of thein have
been brought around to the proper point. The key is made of a.
series of plates corresponding in number with the permutation plates,
and each having a recess of different length to act in succession on
the permutation plates to bring them to the proper position for the
reception of the tumblers, one of the series of plates being cam-
formed for the purpose of operating the tumblers. The permutation
plates. and tumbler or tumblers are arranged within a rotary
cylinder. or other case, surrounded by a permanent flanch or case
properly recessed for the reception of the tumbler when held out by
the permutation plates, to prevent the said rotating cylinder or case
from turning when locked. Combined with the rotating cylinder or
case which contains the permutation plates and tumbler is an excentric
fitted to a yoke on the bolt for the purpose of throwing the bolt, the
excentric being at the dead point when the bolt is thrown out, so

page_text: that any pressure applied directly to the bolt to force it in
no tendency to turn the excentric.
may
have
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a view of the back of
the lock; Fig. 2, is a front view of the same, with the plate which
secures the parts removed; Fig. 3, is a transverse section taken in the
line B... b of Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5 are two elevations of the key; a,
represents the lock case, the form of which may be varied at pleasure,
and-b, the main bolt, the rear end of which is formed into a yoke c, to
embrace an excentric d, by the rotation of which the bolt is forced
in and out. The excentric is attached to and made a part of a
hollow cylinder e, which has its bearings in the lock case, and its
upper end is bored out to receive the shank g of the key h, (Fig. 4,)
and grooved at i to receive a short feather or bitt j on the key
stem by which the cylinder is rotated; but this groove only runs
parallel with the axis for a short distance, and then it runs in the
direction of the periphery for nearly the entire circumference (as
shewn by dots in Fig. 6), so that when the key is inserted it has to
be turned nearly one entire revolution before the cylinder and ex-
centric are acted on to be turned. The form of this groove is shewn
by dots in the detached plan view Fig. 6. In this way it will be
observed that when the bolt is thrown out or locked the excentric
is at its dead point, and therefore any pressure applied directly to the
bolt to throw it back will be effectually resisted, and will not be felt
by the permutation tumblers and plates to be hereafter described.
On the shank of the key there are arranged a series of key plates 1,
(Figs. 4, 5, and 7,) which are pierced with a central hole, and fitted
by a feather on to a stem m let into a central hole in the shank of
the key, and there secured by a screw n. A portion o of the peri-
phery of these plates is cut out in the direction of the periphery, all
starting from a line p parallel with the axis (see the plan of one of
them in Fig. 7); but no two of the plates should be cut out to the
same distance. The head of the stem is of the same diameter as
the plates, but of greater thickness, and this is in like manner cut
or recessed out. The varying length of the portion cut out of each
may be governed by the following rule: in the present lock there

page_text: are ten permutation plates, therefore ten key plates with the head I
which makes eleven. The head g is to be cut out to the shortest
distance from the line p, and then the remaining portion of the
circle is to be divided into twelve or more parts, that is, a greater
number than the number of plates; and each succeeding plate is to
have the portion cut out one division longer than the preceding one,
so that there shall be a space left between the end of the longest
recess and the line p. The purpose of this structure of the key
will be presently described. In the bore of the cylinder e is
fitted a series of permutation plates r, (Fig. 8, and shewn de-.
tached in Fig. 9,) and equal in number to those of the key.
Interposed between every two throughout the series of the per-
mutation plates is a washer or friction plate s, (shewn detached.
at Fig 10,) so that the motion of one permutation plate may not
be communicated to the other; and to prevent the washers from
turning by the independent motions of the permutation plates
they are all formed with a tongue feather that fits in a groove t
of the cylinder e. All the permutation plates, as well as the inter-
posed washers, are pierced with a central hole to receive that part of
the key formed by the plates l, and the head q of the stem, and from
the inner periphery of each permutation plate projects a small
tongue u, equal in depth to the recess of the key plates, but all of
the same length in the direction of the periphery, and no longer than
the part cut out of the periphery of the head q of the stem, so that
when all these tongues are ranged in the same line the key can be
put in and taken out. At the further end of the series of permuta-.
tion plates there is another plate v, (denominated the tumbler plate,)
which corresponds with the head q of the key stem, the tongue of
this plate being made to fit the groove or recess in the periphery of
the head of the key stem. A tumbler a¹ passes through a radial.
and longitudinal groove in the cylinder, and projects inwards beyond
the inner periphery thereof. A spring d' is placed at the back of
the tumbler, and the tension of this spring always tends to force the
tumbler inwards. The permutation plates, as well as the washers,
have all of them a recess e¹ in their outer periphery of sufficient.

page_text: breadth and depth to receive the tumbler when forced in, and all
the permutation plates have a similar recess f¹ of much less depth
than the recess e¹, so that when these permutation plates are ranged
with the tongues all in the same line, which is effected by the line p
of the recesses in the key plates when the key is in a position to be
withdrawn, the tumbler will fall into the recess f¹ of all the per-
mutation plates, and prevent them from being shifted while the key
is out. Other recesses similar to e¹ and f' are made promiscuously
in the periphery of all these plates to act as deceptions in case of
any attempt to pick the lock.
In order to prevent the tumbler from being moved back into the
wrong notches e¹, these latter are provided with projecting shoulders
b; (as shewn in Fig. 9,) whereby the. tumbler is stopped and pre-
vented from entering. The periphery of the plate v is cylindrical,
to fit the inner. periphery of the cylinder e, and at the points g¹ it
has a cam-formed depression for the purpose of permitting the
tumbler a¹ at the proper time to enter the recesses of the per-
mutation plates, the face of this cam-formed recess being such as by
its rotation to force the tumbler out of the recess, so that the per-
mutation plates may be turned by the key. When the tumbler a¹
is forced out of the recesses e¹ of the permutation plates, its outer
face enters a groove ¹ (Fig. 1) made in a flanch j¹ of the lock case
which surrounds the cylinder, and therefore locks the cylinder to
prevent it from being turned. In this way the bolt is effectually
locked. The operation is as follows:-The permutation plates r,
and the cam or tumbler plate v, are in the position which they assume
when the tumbler lies on the periphery of the. cam plate v, the
tongues of the whole of the permutation plates having been brought
by the operation of locking into the same line, as shewn in Fig. 1,
and in such a position that the key may be withdrawn and reinserted
when it may be required to open the lock. The parts being thus
situated, the key may be inserted, and as the pin or bitt j is free to
turn in the horizontal part of the groove nearly one entire revolution,
the tumbler plate v, which has the shortest recess, is. turned first,
and each permutation plate will be turned in succession by its cor-

page_text: responding key plate, until the recesses e¹ of each plate is brought
in a line; at the same time the cam groove g¹ of the tumbler plate v
comes into line, which permits the tumbler to enter, so that its
outer face may become flush with the outer periphery of the cylinder.
The cylinder e is then free to turn, so that the excentric d'attached
thereto may move the bolt, which is effected by the pin j of the key
coming in contact with the tongue or projection x of the cylinder,
as shewn by dots in Fig. 6. Upon continuing to turn the cylinder
by means of the key the catch y (Fig 2) comes in contact with one
of the pins on the ears of the barrel, which is thereby prevented
from turning any further. When this has been done the key is
turned in the reverse direction. The tumbler plate first forces out
the tumbler beyond the periphery of the permutation plates, and
then the rotation of the key is continued until the pinj of the key
comes in contact with the opposite side of the tongue x of the
cylinder e, when the tongues u of all the permutation plates will be
brought into a line, as shewn in Figs. 1, & 2,' & 6*. In this
position the key can be withdrawn, not only the bolt, but the
tumbler, being locked.
As a matter of convenience the permutation plates and the key
plates are stamped with corresponding numbers or letters, so that
the combination may be varied at pleasure. It will be obvious that
the key, instead of being made of separate plates, may be cut out of
a solid piece of metal, but this will not present the advantage of
changing the combination.
The advantages derived from my arrangement of the permutation
plates and tumbler and the structure of the key may be obtained
without employing, the means herein described for throwing the
bolt, as this may be done in any other desired manner, although I
prefer the use of the excentric, as herein described for this purpose.
But in some instances, as in the case of padlocks, I do not use the
excentric for throwing the bolt, nor is it necessary in all instances
to have the cylinder revolve, as the arrangement of key and per-
mutation plates may be employed simply to place the tumbler in a
position to lock the bolt.

page_text: Having now described my improved construction of locks, I
claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent the
arrangement of a series of permutation plates in a line and on the
same axis of motion, each having a central hole for the reception of
the key, and a projecting tongue for the key to act upon, and a recess
or recesses for the reception of and in combination with a tumbler,
as described. I also claim making the recesses in the key plate (or
the equivalent thereof) of different lengths, but all starting from the
same line, to facilitate the insertion and removal of the key, as de-
scribed, so that before the key can be removed from the lock, either
before or after locking, the permutation plates may all be brought
into such a position that all the tongues may be coincident one with
another. I also claim the arrangement of the permutation plates
constructed, as herein described and combined with the tumbler in
combination with a rotating cylinder within which they are ar-
ranged, as herein described. And, finally, I claim the excentric for
throwing the bolt in combination with the rotating cylinder, the
tumbler, and the permutation plates, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lewis Jennings, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFAT,
66, Chancery Lane.
LEWIS JENNINGS. (L.S.)