IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS FOR DOORS, SAFES, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS FOR DOORS,
SAFES, AND OTHER PURPOSES."-A communication.
Sealed the 16th November 1858, and dated the 1st September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wiliam Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st September 1858.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare tho
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
LOCKS FOR DOORS, SAPES, AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Locks for Doors,
Safes, and other Purposes," relates to that class of permutation locks in which
what may be termed the key remains at all times within the lock, and the
leading objects of the Invention are to prevent the possibility of feeling the
position of the tumblers, so as to discover the combination by which it was
locked; to avoid the use of a keyhole, so that powder cannot be introduced
within the lock to burst it open by explosion; to have the parts so arranged
that force cannot be applied to the bolt to force it back until after the lock has
been properly operated by the combination used in locking it; and to have
all the parts so arranged that the instrument by which the position of the
tumblers is usually determined cannot be brought to act on more than one at

page_text: a time, and so that the proper instrument for operating the bolt cannot act
upon it until the proper distribution or arrangement of the tumblers shall
have been effected.
The essential features of the Invention, and the principal parts whereby the
above results are attained, are,-
1st, the adaptation of a wheel on the key shaft, having a rotary movement
and a longitudinal movement in the direction of its axis, in combination with
a series of tumblers and a series of interposed wheels.
2nd, in combination with the series of wheels which actuate the tumblers,
and with the wheel on the key shaft, there is a cylinder on the key shaft, and
a locking segment, or either of them, the forming operating to lock and hold
the said wheels in their normal position, and they, when out of their normal
position, acting as stops to prevent the inward movement of the said cylinder;
and the latter operating to lock the said wheels in the position in which they
are set by the wheel on the key shaft.
A third feature consists in making the bolt with one or two recesses in its
edge to fit the periphery of the cylinder on the key shaft, and with a cogged
and non-cogged fillet by the side, in combination with the actuating or cog
wheel and cylinder on the key shaft and the space between the two and the
longitudinal movement of the wheel and cylinder, whereby the cylinder locks
the bolt, until, by the longitudinal movement, the cylinder is removed out of
the path of the bolt, and the wheel is brought into gear with the rack on the
bolt to operate it.
Another feature consists in the employment of a permutation key register,
composed of planchets, which may be attached to and detached from the lock,
and when attached will serve to direct the movement of the key shaft, or any
equivalent instrument whereby the required permutation is given to the
tumblers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS FOR
DOORS, SAFES, AND OTHER PURPOSES," being a communication from abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
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 William Edward Newton, 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) :-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Locks for Doors,
Safes, and other Purposes," relates to that class of permutation locks in which
what may be termed the key remains at all times within the lock; and the
leading objects of the Invention are,―
First, to prevent the possibility of feeling the position of the tumblers, so as
to discover the combination by which it was locked.
Second, to avoid the use of a keyhole, so that powder cannot be introduced
within the lock for the purpose of bursting it open by explosion.
Third, to have the parts so arranged that force cannot be applied to the bolt
to force it back until after the lock has been properly operated by the com-
bination used in locking it.
And, fourth, to have the parts so arranged that the instrument by which the
position of the tumblers is usually determined cannot be brought to act on
more than one at a time, so that the proper instrument for operating the bolt
cannot act upon it until the proper distribution or arrangement of the
tumblers shall have been effected.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a section of the lock taken in the

page_text: plane of the axis of the key shaft. Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, are sections
taken in the lines A, a, B, b, C, c, D, d, and E, e, of Fig. 1, and looking in
the direction of the indicating arrows. The same letters indicate like parts in
all the Figures. a represents the bolt fitted to slide in a suitable lock case b.
The inner face of the bolt is reduced in thickness as at c, to receive the
rotating tumblers d, which turn freely on an arbor e that passes through a slot
f in the bolt, and attached to or projecting from a plate g, fitted to suitable
ways in the lock plate h, so as to slide therein at right angles to the line of
motion of the bolt.
The arbor e, with its plate g is operated by the form of the slot f in throw-
ing the bolt in or out. And this is effected by having each end of the said
slot parallel with the axis of the bolt; and one end above the other, and the
intermediate or connecting part oblique. The object of the movement of the
arbor e is to elevate all the tumblers by the throwing in of the bolt, that they
may be disengaged from a series of cog wheels i, and to depress them by the
throwing out of the bolt, that they may become engaged with the said cog
wheels i.
The manner of distributing the tumblers and of operating the wheels i will
.be described hereafter.
The lower edge of the bolt towards the inner end is peculiarly formed. It
is made of two thicknesses; and k, the lower edge of j being formed into rack
teeth, and the lower edge of both straight, except in two places, which are cut
out in the form of a segment of a circle as at land m, the distance between
the centres of these two segments being equal to the range of motion of the
bolt, so that when the bolt is thrown out, the segment / shall correspond with
or fit a part of the circumference of a cylinder n on the key shaft o, connected
with and operated by the key handle p, and when the bolt is thrown in the
other direction, that the segment m shall bear the same relation to the said
cylinder. As the periphery of the cylinder n fits into one or the other of the
hollow segments lor m, cut out of the lower edge of the bolt, when either
thrown in or out, it will be obvious that the said cylinder cannot be inserted
unless the bolt is in either one or the other of the positions named, and as this
cylinder is connected with the key shaft, operated in manner to be presently
described, it will be seen that the key cannot be properly operated, except
when the bolt is thrown either entirely in or entirely out; and it will be
equally obvious that when the said cylinder intersects, that the bolt cannot be
thrown, because the lower edge of the said bolt, forward and back of each of
the recesses or segments l, m, is below the upper part of the periphery of the
cylinder. In this way the bolt, except when thrown entirely in or out, acts as

page_text: a complete barrier to the operation of the cylinder; and the cylinder, when
partly inserted, acts as a complete stop to the bolt to prevent it from being
moved in or out. The said cylinder n and key shaft o are made in one piece,
or permanently attached to each other, and the cylinder is fitted to slide
through a hole in the front plate h of the lock case, and in the hollow of a
boss q, attached to or projecting from the front face of the said lock plate, and
the outer end of the shaft is fitted to turn and slide in a hollow cap or nut r,
attached to the boss q. The inner end of the said key shaft o is fitted to turn
in the central hole of what is termed the locking segments, which is a cylinder
of slightly greater diameter than the cylinder n, and with a segment of its
circumference t cogged.
The non-cogged portion of its periphery is fitted to slide in a part u of the
lock case, which acts as a guide when the key shaft and its appendages are
moved in and out. The said locking segment is feathered to its case to prevent
it from turning with the key shaft o. The said key shaft o carries permanently
a cog wheel v, of a given number of cogs, say twenty-eight. The pitch line
of its cogs should be about equal in diameter to the diameter of the cylinder n
to engage the cogs on the lower edge of the part j of the bolt, and between
this
cog wheel and the inner end of the cylinder n there is a space v', sufficient
to receive the part k of the bolt, and to allow it to slide therein freely when the
key shaft o and cylinder n are drawn out to the limit of their outward move-
ment. In that condition of things, the turning of the key shaft o will cause
the cog wheel v to act on the cogs of the rack j to throw the bolt in or out,
the cylinder being out of the way, so that it cannot then act as a stop.
The rotating tumblers d are circular plates cogged on their periphery, as
represented, each having a slot w cut from the periphery inward, so that when
the slots in all the tumblers are in the same plane, that is, in their normal
position, a stop on the bolt will enter freely and permit the bolt to be thrown
back, but when all the slots are not in their normal position, but are distributed,
the stop will strike again the periphery of some one or more of the tumblers,
thereby preventing the bolt from being thrown back. Just below the series
of tumblers there is a corresponding number of cog wheels i termed the
tumbler-actuating wheels, which turn freely but accurately on an arbor y pro-
jecting from the lock plates, so located, that when the series of tumblers are
let down to their lowest position in throwing out the bolt, the cogs of each
tumbler engage the cogs of the corresponding wheel i in the series, and when
the tumblers are thrown up they are disengaged from the said wheels. Each
of the said wheels i has a concentric segment slot z, which, as the wheel is
turned, works on a stud pin a projecting from the lock plate, which pin acts

page_text: as a stop to limit the extent of motion. The number of cogs corresponding
with that slot is equal to the number in the wheel v, twenty-eight. The
number of cogs beyond that is not material, and the only object in the number
corresponding with the segment slot is to admit of operating these wheels, and
key shaft by which they are actuated, in either direction.
The diameter and position of the said series of wheels i, is such that the
cogs of the wheel v, as it is shifted along in the direction of its axis by the key
shaft, will in succession engage the cogs of each wheel of the series, for the
purpose of turning them to the extent required. And in view of the position
of the parts and the relative diameter of the wheel and the cylinder n, the
circle of the wheels i extends within the circle of the cylinder n, so that the
cylinder could not be moved in the direction of its axis, were in not that the
periphery of the said wheels is slightly cut out in two places, as at 6', 6', to fit
the circumference of the cylinder to admit of the longitudinal motion of the
cylinder when the said wheels are turned in either direction to the extent
permitted by the segment slots z, and the stop pin a', in which cases the said
wheels may be said to be in their normal position, but in any other position,
each in succession will prevent the inward progress of the cylinder n, which is
properly termed the key cylinder, as it is one of the appendages of the shaft o.
It follows also, from the break in the periphery of the wheels i, and their
relations to the key cylinder, that the said wheels cannot be turned out of
their normal position until the cylinder n is drawn out, for until that takes
place the periphery of the cylinder is within the periphery of the wheels, and
acts as a stop to prevent them from turning.
As the key shaft o, with its cylinder n, cog wheel r, and locking segment 8,
are drawn outward, the wheel vin succession engages the several wheels of the
series i, so that each in succession can be turned to any extent desired within
the limits of the slot z, and as the cylinder n leaves one of the wheels i, that it
may be turned by the wheel v, the said wheel v leaves another of the series
which it has turned to the required extent determined by the permutation, and
this is then to be locked and held in the new position. This locking is effected
by the cogs of the locking segment s, which enter the cogs of any one of the
series of wheels i as the wheel v leaves it, and as this locking segment cannot
turn by reason of being feathered to the case in which it slides longitudinally,
it follows that all the wheels i are locked as soon as they are put in position
by the wheel v.
As each tumbler has a slot w in it to receive the stop a of the bolt, when
the bolt is thrown back, and the slots of all the tumblers must be in line, that
is, in the normal position, before the bolt can be thrown back, so as to prevent

page_text: the unlocking of the bolt by any but the permutation by which it was locked,
it is necessary to distribute the slots of the several tumblers into different
positions after the bolt has been thrown out, which can only be done by turning
the several wheels of the series i, each to a different and determined distance,
for the tumblers can only be turned each by the corresponding wheel of the
series i. With a view to a clear understanding of the operation, suppose the
key to have been pushed in to the full extent, which can only be done by
placing each of the wheels i in one of its normal positions, in that con-
dition of things the tumblers are not engaged with the series of wheels i,
and the said wheels are all in the position represented, that is, as far as
the slots and stop pin a¹ will permit. If the key with its appendages should
now be drawn back, and the bolt thrown out, the tumblers would have no
effect on the locking of the bolt, for the tumblers would be all in their normal
position when engaged with the series of wheels i, while they are in their
normal position; but as the object is to distribute the tumblers, that is, to scatter
them in different positions after the bolt is thrown out, it will be seen that it
becomes necessary to turn the wheels out of their normal condition before
the bolt is thrown out. To make this clear, suppose the first wheel i; beginning
from the back, be turned in the direction the reverse of the arrow, a distance
equal to twenty cogs, and then locked by the locking segments, as the wheel
vis shifted to the next wheel i in the series, by pulling the key shaft o, and
this second wheel is turned fifteen cogs and locked, and by the same; means all
the other wheels i in succession are turned to a different and noted distance,
until the wheel v comes to and engages the rack j on the bolt, and the bolt be
then thrown out, the series of tumblers will become engaged with the series of
wheels i by the very act of throwing out the bolt, while the slots w of the
tumblers are all in their normal positions.
The bolt having been thrown out and the tumblers engaged with the series
of wheels i, the key is to be operated in the reverse direction to turn back
each of the series of wheels i in succession to its normal condition, and as each
had been turned to a different extent by the very act of turning them back to
their normal position, they will turn the series of tumblers out of their normal
position, and each to a different extent, dependant upon the range of motion of
the corresponding wheel i, and in consequence of this, the position of the slot
in the several tumblers will be so distributed that they can never again be
brought into the same plane to permit the bolt to be forced back, except by
again operating the key to turn the series of wheels to the condition in which
they were when the tumblers were made to engage them by the throwing out
of the bolt.

page_text: From the mode of operation above described it will be seen, that it would
be necessary to note and register accurately each turn of the key when dis-
tributing the wheels i, preparatory to throwing out the bolt and causing the
tumblers to engage the wheels i, and to be careful to preserve this register, and
to follow it in unlocking, otherwise the tumblers could never be brought to
the right or normal position for unlocking; to avoid this inconvenience, my
correspondent has invented a permutation register for the key, which makes
part of his said Invention, and which is constructed as follows:-Within a
cylindrical case c', I have as many circular planchets d' as there are wheels in
the series i, and each having a number of cogs or notches on the periphery
equal to the number of cogs on the wheel v, the number in this instance being
twenty-eight. The number of spaces between the cogs are lettered or numbered
on the face of each planchet, and the inner periphery of the cylindrical case is
provided with a feather e¹ to fit between any two cogs of each and all the said
planchets.
The inner face of the case is provided with a dovetail projection f'; which
fits a corresponding socket on the outer end of the cap or nut r in which the
key shaft plays, so that it can be readily put on and taken off, and the dovetail
should be so shaped that when applied it shall not turn, and shall have the
central hole in the plate g' in line with the key shaft. The other or outer
plate h¹ of the case is hinged to give access to the planchets, so that they can
be readily taken out, shifted to change the permutation, and replaced. The
planchets all have a central hole to receive freely but accurately the end of the
key shaft o, and the inner periphery of each planchet has a feather notch or
groove, to permit the passage of a spur projecting from the periphery of
the key shaft.
Now, it will be perceived, that if the same numbered or lettered cog of
each planchet d¹ be applied to the feather in the case, the feather grooves
or notches of the several planchets will all be in line, and the key shaft with
its spur will be free to pass through the whole series of planchets; but if the
planchets be distributed by applying to the feather in the case a different cog
of each planchet, say, k of the first, u of the second, and so on throughout
the series, the feather notches in the inner periphery of the said planchets
will all be out of line, and after the spur j¹ on the key shaft has passed the slot
in one planchet, the key shaft will have to be turned until the spur is
brought opposite the notch in the next planchet, and so on throughout the
series. This determines the extent to which the key shaft will have to be
turned to pass from one planchet to another throughout the series. The inner
periphery of each planchet is bevilled, so that when all the planchets are in

page_text: place, they will form a series of V-shaped grooves, in which the spur on the
key shaft can travel when the key shaft is turned, and the distance between
these grooves is to be just equal to the distance the wheel v must be moved to
shift from one to another of the series of wheels i. From the foregoing, it
will be seen that this permutation key register will determine the extent to
which the key shaft shall be turned to turn each of the wheels in the series i,
and that whatever permutation may be adopted in the distribution of the
planchets in the key register, will determine the permutation to be imparted
to the series of tumblers, for so long as this register is applied the key shaft
with its appendages cannot be operated, except as directed by it, and each of
the wheels in the series will be turned from its normal position just to the
extent that the corresponding planchet in the key register has its feather
groove set from the feather, and as the tumblers are engaged with the series
of wheels i, while the slots of the tumblers are in the normal state, the
retrograde movement of the key shaft under the direction of the key register
will bring back the wheels i to their normal position, and in doing so, dis-
tribute the slots according to the permutation of the key register. And from
all this, it follows, that the self-same permutation in the said register will at
all times so guide the key shaft, as to restore the tumblers to their normal
state, to permit the bolt to be unlocked. And as the key register determines
the motions to be imparted to the series of wheels i, and thence to the
tumblers, the series of planchets in the key register can be arranged to any
desired permutation before locking, and that permutation will be impressed
on the tumblers. The key shaft is to be operated by a key handle P, which
may be of any desired form for convenience, and which, in this instance, is a
button, with a stem of the same size as the key shaft, and attached to it by a
dovetail tenon m', but which may be attached in any other suitable manner.
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
of Locks for Doors, Safes, and other Purposes," and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I would observe, that what I claim as new and desire
to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First, the use of the wheel on the key shaft, having a rotary movement and
a longitudinal movement in the direction of its axis, as described, in com-
bination with a series of tumblers and interposed wheels, as described.
Second, I claim, in combination with the series of wheels which actuate the
tumblers, and with the wheel on the key shaft, the cylinder on the key shaft,
and a locking segment, or either of them, the former operating, as herein
described, to lock and hold the said wheels in their normal position, and they,

page_text: when out of their normal position, acting as stops to prevent the inward
movement of the said cylinder, as described; and the latter operating to lock
the said wheels in the position in which they are set by the wheel on the key
shaft, as described.
Third, I claim making the bolt with one or two recesses in its edge to fit
the periphery of the cylinder on the key shaft, and with a cogged and non-
cogged fillet by the side, in combination with the actuating or cog wheel and
cylinder on the key shaft and the space between the two, and the longitudinal
movement of the wheel and cylinder as described, whereby the cylinder locks
the bolt, until by the longitudinal movement the cylinder is removed out of
the path of the bolt, and the wheel is brought into gear with the rack on the
bolt to operate it, as described.
Fourth, I claim the permutation key register, composed of planchets, con-
structed substantially as described, and which may be attached to and detached
from the lock, and when attached, to direct the movement of the key shaft, or
any equivalent instrument whereby the required permutation is given to the
tumblers, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (Ls.)