CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND OTHER FASTENINGS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
CHARLES HOBBS, of New York, in the United States of America, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of February, in
the fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alfred Charles Hobbs, Her especial licence that I,
the said Alfred Charles Hobbs, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Charles Hobbs, my exors, adñors, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
LOCKS AND OTHER FASTENINGS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said Alfred Charles Hobbs, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Charles Hobbs, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and

page_text: ascertained by the Drawing in the margin hereof, and the words following,
that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a novel mode of constructing certain parts of locks,
by means of which the possibility of feeling the position of the gating of the
tumblers, by applying pressure to the bolt, is prevented.
Another part of my Invention consists in a novel arrangement or con-
struction of parts, whereby the key or instrument which operates upon the
tumblers, to bring them into a proper position preparatory to throwing the
bolt, is carried into the lock, and the keyhole is effectually closed while the
key or other instrument is so acting upon the tumblers.
I will now proceed to describe, by reference to the accompanying Sheets of
Drawings, certain arrangements and apparatus for the purpose of attaining
the above mentioned and other improvements in the construction of locks.
In Sheet No. 1 I have shewn a means of preventing any person from feeling
the position of the gating of the tumblers, which is usually done by applying
pressure to the bolt. This improvement, which forms part of my Invention,
consists in applying a moveable stump to the bolt, which "stump," when
pressure is applied to the bolt, will be brought into contact with the face of the
tumbler, but, instead of binding the tumblers and holding them fast, as is
usually the case, the stump, by being made moveable, will yield and leave all
the tumblers free, but yet holds the bolt securely, and prevents it from being
thrown back. In the Figures in Sheet No. 1 I have shewn several methods
of effecting this object.
In Figure 1, A is the case of the lock. B, B, the bolt. E, the tumbler
stump attached to the piece F, which moves on the centre G on the back or
under side of the bolt. H is an additional stump or stud rivetted into the
case of the lock. D is a dog or lever that catches into a notch in the bolt
when it is locked out, as shewn in Figure 2.
Figure 3 shews the lock unlocked, with one tumbler C, C, attached.
Figure 4 represents the lock locked, and also with one tumbler adapted to
the lock, to illustrate the object of the improvement. Upon pressure being
applied to the bolt when the lock is locked, the dog D being previously
released, the stump E will be brought against the face of the tumbler C,
unless the tumbler is raised by the proper key, and by being thus brought
against the tumbler, the piece F, to which the stump is attached, will turn on
its centre, and its tail being raised, will abut against the fixed stump H, thereby
preventing the bolt from being shot back, but leaving the tumbler free to act
or move up and down, thereby preventing the possibility of feeling the
obstruction that would otherwise be offered by the tumblers.

page_text: Figure 6 represents the same object, effected in a somewhat different
manner. In this case the stump E is attached to a latch or moveable
piece F, which works on the centre G on the outside of the bolt. Should
pressure be applied to the bolt in this instance, the stump will be brought
against the tumbler, but it will rise up and fall down with the tumbler,
and therefore, as it will not hold the tumbler in the position which the latter
occupied when the stump was first brought into contact with it, it would be
impossible to find out the position of the gating. A similar effect may be
produced by adopting the plan shewn in Figure 7, which represents a portion
of a bolt, with a roller or moveable piece I attached to and working in the
face of the stump E; and Figure 5 represents a portion of a bolt, with a
moving collar I fitted to and moving on the stump E. The employment of
either of these plans will render it impossible to hold any of the tumblers in
a given position by applying pressure to the bolt.
Figure 8 represents a key which may be used with either of the locks.
A similar object may be effected by the employment of a compound or
double tumbler, as shewn in Figures 9 and 10.
Figure 9 represents a compound or double tumbler, having a small
tumbler B working on the pin D, which is attached to the large or principal
tumbler C, C. Figure 10 shews a section of the double tumbler. Should
pressure be applied to the bolt, the stump will bear against the face of the
small additional tumbler B, which will turn or move on its centre, leaving the
main tumbler at liberty to move.
Another improvement, whereby all access to the internal parts of the lock is
prevented while the key or other instrument is operating on the tumblers, is
shewn in Sheet 2, Figures 1 and 2, which represents an improved mode of
constructing and working a moveable curtain or revolving chamber, whereby
the keyhole is completely and effectually closed, instead of being only partially
so, as has hitherto been the case, during the operation of the key upon the
tumblers. The revolving chamber or curtain moves on the centre A, and the
key, which merely consists of the bit shewn at Figure 5, is inserted in the
keyhole B, and the curtain or chamber being turned by a knob handle or key
applied to the spindle A, the key bit will be carried round by the chamber or
curtain into the lock, and the hole completely closed by the solid part of the
curtain. By this means all access to the interior of the lock is effectually
prevented. When the lock is unlocked, and the key bit is required to be
withdrawn, this is done by bringing the bit round opposite the keyhole, when
a small spring at the bottom of the hole will push the bit out, or it may be
withdrawn by a handle, as shewn at Figure 4. Figure 3 shews the handle
with the key bit attached. It will therefore be evident that instrument
any

page_text: to open the lock must be carried out of the operator's hand into the interior
of the lock, as it will be impossible to act upon the tumblers until the curtain
or revolving chamber is brought round and made to completely close the key-
hole, In contradistinction therefore to ordinary safety locks the bolt is not
shot, nor the lock unlocked by a key of ordinary construction, but simply by
means of a knob, handle, or other instrument applied to the spindle A of the
revolving chamber or curtain, the internal parts of the lock upon which its
safety depends having been first brought into the proper positions by means of
a key "bit" or other instrument properly constructed to suit the particular
combination of the lock,
FLUSH BOLT PORTABLE OR CAMP DESK LOCK.
The advantages of this lock over those in general use are these, that the
bolt descends flush with the selvage when the lock is unlocked, and when in
the act of locking first ascends vertically from out of the selvage until it
arrives at the proper height of the link, then with an horizontal motion slides
under the link, as in the ordinary method of the common link plate lock.
The bolt then has two motions given it, horizontal and vertical, which
is accomplished with one set of tumblers or slides in the following:-Sheet 2.
Figure 6, represents the bolt and case of a lock when unlocked. Figure 7
represents the bolt locked. Figure 8 represents the bolt locked with one
tumbler attached. C is the bolt pierced with three right angular slots
D, D, D. E, E, E, are three square stumps or studs firmly rivetted into the
plate F, forming guides for the bolt. The two motions given to the bolt by
the slots traversing these fixed stumps gives the vertical and horizontal motion
before mentioned. G is a feather spring which acts to throw the bolt down
into the selvage of the lock. H is the drill pin for the centreing of the key.
Supposing the bolt to be down, as in Figure 6, and the key brought to bear
against the talon of the bolt at the point I, it will lift the bolt in opposition to
the spring G, and give its vertical motion until the bolt is lifted to its proper
height, when the key will pass into the circular part of the talon, when action
will cease until the key find its way into the notch at the head of the talon,
when the horizontal motion is given, and the bolt shoots into the link plate,
J is one of the tumblers or slides, whose motion is vertical, moving in the
shots K, K, on the square stumps E, E, E, which project up through the bolt
for that purpose. L is the racking or gating through which the main stump M
of the usual construction passes. N is the spring to throw the tumblers to
their places when raised by the keys. Figure 9 is the link plate.
Figure 10, Sheet 2, represents a new method of constructing a link plate
cupboard lock. Instead of having the link enter. the selvage, and the bolt shoot

page_text: out of the case of the lock, as has heretofore been the case, the links O, O,
as shewn in Figure 11, enters the case of the lock at the appertures, as shewn
at P, P, Figure 10, by which means the lock may be made to occupy much
less space on the door.
Having thus described the nature and action of my improvements in locks,
I claim as of my Invention,-
Firstly, the use and application of a moveable stump to the bolt, or
attaching a moveable piece to the stump, or the stump to a moveable piece,
for the purpose above described, and shewn in the several Figures in Sheet
No. 1.
Secondly, I claim the use of a compound or double tumbler, as shewn
in Figures 9 and 10, Sheet No. 1, for the purpose above described.
Thirdly, I claim the arrangement shewn in Sheet No. 2, Figures 1 and 2,
or any modification thereof, either by circular parallel motion, by which the
bit of the key is carried into the lock, and made to operate upon the tumblers
so as to bring them into a suitable position preparatory to shooting back
the bolt, the keyhole being completely closed while the key bit is operating
upon the tumblers.
Fourthly, I claim the constructing of a lock with a bolt, having a series of
right angular slots moving both vertically and horizontally, operating with a
single set of slides or tumblers, as shewn in Sheet No. 2, Figures 6, 7, and 8,
or any modification of the same, for the purposes before named.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Charles Hobbs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
ALFRED CHARLES (L.S.) HOBBS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Alfred Charles Hobbs came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.