Improvements in Locks.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks.
J, WILLIAM OAKLEY, trading as Joseph Oakley and Company, of Excelsior
Works, New Road, Willenhall in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object; firstly, to increase the security of locks by
making it more difficult to tamper with the levers or other working parts; and,
secondly, to effect improvements in or in connection with the means whereby the
shank or pin of the key used for a lock, such as a padlock or cabinet lock, into
which it can be inserted from one side only, is held in its central position whilst the
key is turned within the lock.
The security of locks is increased, according to this invention, by forming or
fixing immediately around the portion of the keyhole through which the shank or
pin of the key passes a guard or fence which projects as a rim for a considerable
distance inwards from the front plate of the case, or from the plate of the case
through which the key in inserted from the outside of a door to which the lock is
fixed. The guard or fence does not pass across the narrow part of the keyhole,
but is left open opposite such part to allow of the key being pushed into the lock.
The bit of the key is formed with an open-ended slot, cut in from the inner edge
and extending close to the shank or pin of the key for a distance into the bit corre-
sponding to the depth of the guard or fence, and as the key is turned within the
lock the slot allows of the bit clearing the guard or fence. This guard or fence
considerably increases the difficulty of tampering with the levers or other mechanism
of a lock by means an an instrument inserted through the keyhole.
According to the portion of this invention which relates to the means of holding
a key used for a lock, such as a padlock or cabinet lock, into which it can be
inserted from one side only, in its central position whilst it is turned within the lock,
a very short drill-pin is used which is formed in the same piece of metal with the
back-plate, being formed either by a drill which cuts an annular recess in the inner
face of the plate leaving the pin in the middle, or being drilled down from a boss
standing up from the plate, or being formed partly by being drilled down from a
boss and partly by the continuation of the drilling cutting an annular recess into the
face of the plate. The drill-pin, being formed with the plate, has not of course to
be riveted in place, and is not liable to become loose; and in the case of a brass
lock, or lock having a brass back plate, to which this portion of the invention is
mainly applicable, no corrosible metal, such as iron or steel, forming the exposed
end of a drill-pin appears at the outer face of the plate. The drill-pin being also
very short, a very short hole only needs to be drilled up the shank or pin of the key.
If the drill pin is formed wholly or partly by drilling an annular recess into the
face of the plate, the shank or pin of the key is made to project beyond the bit for
a distance corresponding to the depth of the recess.
Dated this 17th day of February 1902
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks.
I, WILLIAM OAKLEY, trading as Joseph Oakley and Company, of Excelsior
Works, New Road, Willenhali in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention has for its object, firstly, to increase the security of locks by
making it more difficult to tamper with the levers or other working parts; and,
secondly, to effect improvements in or in connection with the means whereby the
shank or pin of the key used for a lock, such as a padlock or cabinet lock, into
which it can be inserted from one side only, is held in its central position whilst the
ker is turned within the lock.
The security of locks is increased, according to this invention, by forming or fixing
around the portion of the key-hole through which the shank or pin of the key passes a
guard or fence which projects as a rim for a considerable distance inwards from the
front plate of the case, or from the plate of the case through which the key is
inserted from the outside of a door to which the lock is fixed.
The guard or fence is illustrated, as applied by way of example to a padlock, by
Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings herewith, of which
Figure 1 is a view, shewing the interior of the lock case, looking towards the
key-hole, and
Figure 2 is a vertical section through the centre of the case and key-hole taken
at right angles to the view shewn by Figure 1.
The shackle and other working mechanism of the lock, forming no part of this
invention, are omitted for simplicity. The lock case is shewn with the rim formed in
one piece with the front plate, but it may of course be formed with the back-plate,
or it may be made separately from both the plates and be afterwards fixed in place.
a is the guard or fence which projects from the inner face of the front plate A of
the case around the portion b of the key-hole, that is to say, the portion through
which the shank or pin of the key passes. When the plate A is made of cast
metal, such as brass, the guard or fence a may be cast therewith; but when the
plate is of wrought metal it will probably be found usually more convenient to make
the guard or fence separately therefrom and then braze, rivet or otherwise fix it
thereto. The guard or fence is circular in forin, except that it does not, of course,
pass across the portion c of the key-hole through which the bit of the key is passed
in inserting and withdrawing the key into and from the lock case; and it is pre-
ferred that the inner wall of the guard or fence shall come close up to the edge of
the part 6 of the key-hole, as shewn, though it will answer the purpose in some
degree if it is set somewhat back therefrom. It is not, of course, essential that the
guard or fence shall pass entirely around the part of the key-hole except for the
opening of the part c thereinto, as the purpose of this portion of the invention will
be answered in some degree if the guard passes around the upper portion of the
part 6 only. It is much preferred, however, that it shall pass around as completely
as possible while allowing for the insertion and withdrawal of the key.
Figure 3 illustrates a key having the bit prepared for use with the guard or
fence a.
The bit is formed with an open-ended slot d, cut in from the inner edge
and extending, close to the pin or shank of the key, for a distance into the bit
corresponding to the depth of the guard or fence, and as the key is turned within
the lock the slot d allows the bit to clear the guard or fence.
The guard or fence considerably increases the difficulty of tampering with the
levers or other mechanism of a lock by means of an instrument inserted through
the key-hole.

page_text: In locks in which the key-hole is formed through each plate of the case, so that
the key may be inserted from either side of the lock, a guard or fence may if
desired project from the inner face of each plate; but in such case, of course, an
open-ended slot corresponding to the slot d must be formed in from each end of the
key-bit, and the projections of the guards or fences must be such only as will ensure
that when the slots of corresponding depth have been formed in the key-bit a
sufficient strength of metal will be left between the inner ends of the slots.
According to the portion of this invention which relates to the means of holding
a key used for a lock, such as a padlock or cabinet lock, into which it can be
inserted from one side only, in its central position whilst it is turned within the
lock-a very short drill-pin is used which is formed in the same piece of metal with
the back-plate, being formed either by a tool which cuts an annular recess in the
inner face of the plate leaving the pin in the middle, or by a tool which cuts it
down from a boss standing up from the plate, or being formed partly by being cut
down from a boss and partly by the continuation of the tool cutting an annular
recess.into the face of the plate.
This part of the invention is illustrated, according to the modification thereof in
which the drill-pin is formed partly by cutting it down from a boss projecting from
the face of the back plate and partly by continuing the cutting so as to cut an
annular recess into the face of the plate, by Figure 2 before described, and by
Figure 4 which is a view of the inner face of the back-plate of the case.
The drill-pin e is very short, as shewn, and is formed in one piece of metal with
the back-plate B of the case. The plate B is originally formed (in the modification
illustrated) with a boss which is somewhat larger in diameter than the pin, and this
boss is cut down by a tool or cutter to the desired diameter of the pin, and an
annular groove fis cut into the face of the plate, by the further advance of the
tool or cutter, the solid piece of metal around which the groove is formed forming
the inner end or base of the pin. The pin e is thus partly within a recess in the
inner face of the plate B and partly projects from the face of the plate. The key
illustrated by Figure 3 is shewn to be adapted for use with a lock having the drill-
pin formed in the manner described with reference to Figures 2 and 4. A portion h
of the shank or pin of the key projects beyond the bit for a distance corresponding
to the depth of the annular recess around the base of the drill-pin e, and the
drill-pin being very short, a very short hole only needs to be drilled up the shank,
and thus the bore of the shank is not so liable to become choked as the bore of an
ordinary key-shank.
The drill-pin, being formed (according to either modification above described)
with the plate, has not of course to be riveted or otherwise fixed in place and is not
liable to become loose; and in the case of a brass lock, or lock having a brass
back-plate, no corrosible metal, such as iron or steel, forming the exposed end of a
drill-pin, appears at the outer face of the plate.
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 1
claim is :-
1. A guard or fence, such as a, formed with or fixed to a lock case plate through
which a key-hole is formed and passing around or partially around the portion of
the key-hole through which the shank or pin of the key passes but discontinued
across the portion of the key-hole through which the bit of the key is passed in
inserting it into and withdrawing it from the lock case, the inner wall of the guard
or fence being, preferably, close to the edge of the portion of the key-hole through
which the shank or pin of the key passes, substantially as described for the purpose
set forth.
2. A drill-pin for a key formed in one piece of metal with the back-plate of a
lock, substantially as described.
3. A drill-pin for a key formed in one piece of metal with the back-plate of a

page_text: lock, such piu or a portion thereof, being within a recess in the face of the plate,
substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of November 1893.
STEPHEN
WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.