IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Thomas Hughes at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th March 1879. A communication
from abroad by Henry Rogers, of New Haven, County of New Haven, State
of Connecticut, United States of America.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS." A communication from
abroad by Henry Rogers, of New Haven, County of New Haven, State of Connec-
ticut, United States of America.
This Invention relates to an improvement in that class of locks known as tube or
cylinder locks, that is to say, a rotating cylinder within a stationary cylinder and
means for engaging the two combined with tumblers operated upon by the key to
disengage the rotating cylinder from the fixed cylinder and the rotating cylinder in
connection with the bolt of the lock, so that rotating the cylinder draws the bolt,
and the Invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described on the
accompanying Sheets of Drawings.
Fig. I is a perspective view of the cylinder complete.
Fig. 2, central section through the bolt.
Figs. 3 and 4, section side views of the inner or rotating cylinder.
Fig. 5, transverse section.
Fig. 6, key.
A is the stationary cylinder which is made fast to the lock or door, and within
this the cylinder B is arranged, the one concentric with the other, and so that the
cylinder B may be turned within the outer cylinder A. From the rotating cylinder
B a stem or spindle C extends to the bolt or mechanism of the lock, and so that the
rotation of the cylinder B actuates the lock mechanism in the usual manner for
this class of locks.
The rotating cylinder B has a mortise through it in which lies the bolt a; this
bolt hinged forward as at a¹, and so as to be moved downward as from the position
in Fig. 3 to that in Fig. 4. This bolt a extends up and into a slot b in the
stationary cylinder A, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5, and when in that position the two
cylinders are engaged so as to prevent the rotation of the inner cylinder, but when
the bolt a is moved down or drawn into its cylinder, as in Fig. 4, then the cylinders
are disengaged and the inner may be turned. A flat key is used and introduced
through a central slit & in the cylinder, the plane of the key at right angles to the

page_text: plane of the bolt a pressing the key therefore against the bolt a will force the bolt
into its cylinder and free it from engagement with the stationary cylinder.
Combined with this hinged bolt are several tumblers 1, 2, 3, on one side, and 4,
5, on the other, more or less in number hinged in the cylinder near the lower side
of the mortise, as at e. These tumblers are provided each with its own independent
spring for other suitable spring, the tendency of which is to force the tumblers
towards the key-hole, and preferably so as to bring them into the same line before
the key hole, as seen in Fig. 3; one of the notches in each of the tumblers is made
deeper than others, as at h, but at different relative positions in different tumblers.
On each side of the bolt above the tumblers is a stud i, the thickness of which
corresponds to the width of the notch h in the tumblers; hence, when the tumblers
are all moved to such a position that the slits h in the several tumblers come into
line below the studs i, as in Fig. 4, then the bolt may be turned downward, the
studs i entering the slits h, but in any other position of the tumblers the movement
of the bolt is impossible.
To thus move the tumblers a flat key, such as seen in Fig. 6, is made with
shoulders at its ends corresponding to the respective tumblers, and so that by
pressing the key against the tumblers they will be moved to the position where the
several notches h coincide; then the shoulder n on the key will strike the front
edge of the bolt a, and a continued movement of the key will force the bolt down,
disengaging the inner cylinder from the stationary cylinder and so that it may be
turned by means of the key.
The movement of the key to turn the bolt a will at the same time continue the
movement of the tumblers, hence the notch h must be of a shape corresponding to
the simultaneous movement of both bolt and tumblers, and not on a circle of which
the pivot a of the bolt is the centre, which would be the case were the tumblers
stationary while the bolt is moving.
A sleeve D is placed over the cylinder with a head D', so as to secure the inner
cylinder in place longitudinally.
The tendency of the springs is to throw the key outward, hence it is desirable
that the key should be secured while turning the cylinder; to do this a stud m on
one edge of the key passes through a notch r in the head of the sleeve, which coin-
cides with the key-hole in the rotating cylinder when the lock is in its normal
condition; then when the key is pressed inward and turned, this stud m rides
against the inner face of the head D', and is prevented from being withdrawn until
the key-hole is returned to its normal position.
As thus far described the device is applicable to spring or night locks, but in
dead locks, that is, in which the bolt is thrown, or drawn so as to remain in either
position, the movement of the rotating cylinder would be but a half revolution; in
that case there must be a slot in the stationary cylinder opposite the slot b so that
the bolt a would enter that slot when fully unlocked, and the other slot when fully
locked, and in order to remove the key in that second position there must be a
notch in the head D¹ opposite and corresponding to the notch r to release the
stud m.
It will be understood that the tumblers need be arranged only on one side, but
both sides are preferable.
The bolt and tumblers, both hinged to swing in parallel planes and so that both
move under the same action of the key, may be applied to other classes of locks.