Improvements in Locks.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks.
We, THOMAS WHYTE, of The Murray Lodge, Perth, in the County of Perth,
North Britain Clerk of Works, and THOMAS BENTON and JOHN WORMINGTON
BENTON, trading together in copartnership as Thomas Benton and Son, of Victoria
Works, Victoria Street, Willenhall, in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Locks have heretofore been made which may be locked by a key termed a
master key, and when fully or completely locked by such key cannot be unlocked
by another key, termed a servant key (or servants' key), though such latter key
can be used to unlock or unlatch the lock when the same has been locked by itself,
or is simply latched and has not been locked or has not been fully or completely
locked by the master key. These locks are subject to some inconveniences, one
of such being that if an attempt is made to unlock or unlatch the lock by the
servant key, after it has been locked or after it has been fully locked by the master
key, the servant key cannot be turned round in the lock, and if it is forced, with
an idea that the key is simply hard to turn, the lock mechanism may be injured;
and another of these inconveniences is that, in the case of some constructions
of lock, it is possible to move the levers into such position by the servant key
that when a self-latching locking bolt is used, and is banged up against the
striking-plate or staple, the inward force of the bolt causes a stump of the
mechanisin to shear away certain parts of the levers, and thus leave the lock so that
if it is locked, or is fully or completely locked, in future by the master key, it
can be unlocked by the servant key, and locks are sometimes tampered with in
this way by the attendants at asylums and other places where this kind of lock
is used.
Now, this invention has for its object an improved construction of the mechanism
of a lock which will ensure that when the same has been locked, and then a
portion of the mechanism moved by a master key, the servant key can be merely
turned uselessly therein round and round in either direction, without any risk,
consequently, of injuring either the key or the lock mechanism, and in which the
mechanism cannot be wilfully injured, as in the manner above described, to enable
a servant key to be used to unlock when the lock is supposed to have been secured
by the master key; and has the subsidiary object, also, of otherwise increasing the
security of the lock mechanism.
The main object of this invention is accomplished by forming the side of the
key gating of the bolt, against which the bit of the key bears in unlocking, as a
sliding-piece or bolt which may be moved transversely of the main bolt. This
sliding-piece is itself key-gated so that it may be moved to-and-fro by the key.
Its lower end is guided by a downward branch of the bolt and its upper end by
the main portion of the bolt, and for this purpose stumps from the branch and
from the main portion of the bolt may project, respectively, through slots formed
through the sliding-piece. The sliding-piece is provided with a lever or levers
or tumbler, pivoted to the branch and engaging with the sliding-piece as levers

page_text: or a tumbler usually engage with a bolt. When the lock is to be secured by the
master key against the use of the servant key, the master key is turned a revolution
within the lock after the bolt has been shot out into its locked position, with the
effect that it moves the sliding-piece upwards, or in the direction towards the
main bolt; and the sliding-piece is so shaped in relation to the servant key that
when it has been thus moved by the master key it is out of reach of the servant
key as it is turned round in the lock, and the servant key may thus, when the
sliding-piece has been moved as described by the master key, be turned uselessly
round in either direction within the lock. The master key is, of course, so
constructed that if it is now turned within the lock in the unlocking direction it
will move back the sliding-piece, after which the bolt can be unlocked either by
the master key or the servant key, as desired.
The upper or inner end of the sliding-piece comes, when in its upward or inward
position, immediately in front of a stump which is carried by the case, and thus
tends to give increased support to the bolt against any attempt to force it.
Dated this 16th day of March 1899.
STEPHEN WATKINS & GROVES,
Wolverhampton, Agents for the Applicants
improvements in Locks.
We, THOMAS WHYTE, of The Murray Lodge, Perth, in the County of Perth,
North Britain Clerk of Works, and THOMAS BENTON, and Joux WORMINGTON
BENTON, trading together in copartnership as Thomas Benton and Son, of Victoria
Works, Victoria Street, Willenhall, in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturers,
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 ;-
66
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Locks have heretofore been made which, when fully or completely locked by a
key termed a master" key, cannot be unlocked by another key, termed a
servant" key (or servant's key), though such latter key can be used to unlock
or unlatch the lock when the same has been locked by itself, and has not been
fully or completely locked by the master key, or is simply latched. These locks
are subject to some inconveniences, one of such being that if an attempt is made
to unlock or unlatch the lock by the servant key, after it has been fully or com-
pletely locked by the master key, the servant key cannot be turned round in the
lock, and if it is forced, with an idea that the key is simply hard to turn, the
lock mechanism may be injured; and another of these inconveniences is that, in
the case of some constructions of lock, it is possible to move the levers into such
position by the servant key that when a self-latching locking bolt is used, and is
banged up against the striking-plate or staple, the inward force of the bolt causes
a stump of the mechanism to shear away certain parts of the levers, and thus leave
the lock so that if the master key is used in the ordinary way to lock it against
the servant key the lock can nevertheless be unlocked by the servant key, and
locks are sometimes tampered with in this way by the attendants at asylums, and
other places, where this kind of lock is used.
Now, this invention has for its object an improved construction of the mechanism
of a lock which will ensure that when the same has been locked (or, in some cases,
simply latched), and then a portion of the mechanism moved by a master key, the
servant key can be merely turned uselessly therein round and round in either

page_text: direction, without any risk, consequently, of injuring either the key or the lock
mechanism, and which will prevent the lock being wilfully injured, in the manner
above described, to enable à servant key to be used to unlock when the lock is
supposed to have been secured by the master key; and has the subsidiary object,
also, of otherwise increasing the security of the lock mechanism.
The main object of this invention is accomplished by forming the side of the
key-gating of the bolt, against which the bit of the key bears in unlocking (or,
in some cases in unlatching), as a sliding-piece or bolt which may be moved
transversely of the main bolt. This sliding-piece is itself key-gated so that it
may be moved to-and-fro by the master key. Its lower end is guided by a down-
ward branch of the bolt and its upper end by the main portion of the bolt,
and for this purpose stumps from the branch and from the main portion of the
bolt may project, respectively, through slots formed through the sliding-piece..
The sliding-piece is provided with a lever or levers or tumbler, pivoted to the
branch and engaging with the sliding-piece as levers or a tumbler usually engage
with a bolt. When the lock is to be secured by the master key against the use
of the servant key, the master key is turned a revolution within the lock after
the bolt has been shot out into its locked position (or, in some cases, after the
bolt has been latched), with the effect that it moves the sliding-piece upwards, or
in the direction towards the main holt; and the sliding-piece is so shaped in
relation to the servant key that when it has been thus moved by the master key it
is out of reach of the servant key as it is turned round in the lock, and the servant
key may thus, when the sliding-piece has been moved as described by the master
key, be turned uselessly round in either direction within the lock. The master
key is, of course, so constructed that, if it is now turned within the lock in the
unlocking direction, it will move back the sliding-piece, after which the bolt
can be moved in either by the master key or the servant key, as desired.
The upper or inner end of the sliding-piece comes, when in its upward or
inward position, immediately in front of a stump which is carried by the case, and
thus tends to give increased support to the bolt against any attempt to force it.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to
describe a practical application of the same with reference to the drawings here-
with, which illustrate, by way of example, a mortise lock of which the bolt
may be used as a latch when in its unlocked position.
Figure 1 shews an elevation of the lock, with the cap-plate removed to expose
the interior mechanism, the holt being shewn in its latched position, that is to
say unlocked.
Figure 2 is a corresponding view to Figure 1, but shews the parts of the
mechanism in the position they assume when the lock has been locked simply
by the servant key, or simply shot out by the master key. In this view the levers,
hereinafter described, are shewn by broken lines only.
Figure is a corresponding view to Figure 2, but shews the parts of the
mechanism in the position they assume when the lock has been locked by the
master key. In this view, also, the levers hereinafter described are shewn by
broken lines only.
Figure 4 is a corresponding view to Figure 3, except that the levers are omitted
and the bolt and follower are shewn by broken lines only.
Figure 5 is a section taken on line of Figure 3, looking towards the rear
end of the lock.
Figure 6 is a detached face view of the bolt.
Figure 7 is a detached view of the top edge of the bolt.
Figure 8 is a detached face view of the sliding-piece.
Figure 8 is an inner edge view of the sliding piece.
Figure 9 is a detached transverse section through the branch of the bolt and
sliding-piece, taken on line y y of Figure 4.
Figure 10 is a side view of the servant key; and,
Figure 11 a side view of the master key.

page_text: The bolt A is shewn to have its rear end guided by means of a stump a fixed
to the case, which passes through a slot of the bolt tail; and a lever or
levers B, pivoted to the stump , engage with a stump e carried by the bolt,
though a tumbler or tumblers may, of course, be substituted for the lever or levers,
if desired. The bolt is pressed inwards, from its latched position shewn by
Figure 1, against the pressure of a spring, such as the spring C; and to enable
the bolt to be moved back from such position by a follower D, or by means of
the key acting within a gating a, the gating or gatings through the lever or levers
are formed to allow of the end-way movement of the stump c of the bolt. Thus
far, however, the lock illustrated is of an ordinary description.
The tail of the bolt A is formed with a downward branch A' which is always
clear of the bit of either key, whatever position the bolt may have been moved
into by the key. A sliding-piece E is mounted to slide transversely of the bolt A.
The lower portion of this sliding-piece slides along the branch A¹ of the bolt, and
the upper portion slides across the back face of the bolt, that is to say, the
opposite face to that at which the lever or levers are placed. The outer face of the
sliding-piece is, consequently, set back at its upper end, as shewn by Figure 8ª, to
allow it to pass behind the bolt A.
The sliding-piece E is guided by stumps dd, which project from the front face
of the branch A and from the back face of the bolt tail, respectively, through
vertical slots formed through the sliding-piece E. This sliding-piece forms, in
effect, a vertical bolt, and is formed with a key-gating e by means of which it
may be operated by the nose e of the master key F. A lever or levers G are
pivoted to a stumpf which is fixed to the branch A, and are gated to engage
with a stump g which is carried by the sliding-piece E; or a tumbler or tumblers
may be used in lieu of such lever or levers. The sliding-piece may be operated in
a vertical direction by the master key, and when it has been moved upwards by
such key into the position shewn by Figures 3 and 4, it is out of reach of the
servant key. The sliding-piece is formed with a portion h which, when the
sliding-piece is in its downward position shewn by Figures 1 and 2, forms the
rear side of the gating of the bolt A within which either key operates to lock
or unlock the bolt; and, therefore, when the sliding-piece is in its downward
position, the bolt may be unlocked by either the master or servant key. When
the sliding-piece is in its upward position, shewn by Figures 3 and 4, the part h
thereof is within a notch within the bolt as shewn, and cannot, therefore, be
pressed against by either key, and consequently while the sliding-piece is in such
position the bolt cannot be moved back by either key. The sliding-piece is, of
course, held in its upward or downward position, when moved thereinto by the
master key, by means of the lever or levers, or tumbler or tumblers if such are
used in lieu thereof. When the parts of the mechanism are in their relative
position shewn by Figure 1, either the master key or servant key may be turned
in a direction to shoot out the bolt, and the bolt be thereby shot forwards into its
locked position, in which case the parts assume the relative position shewn by
Figure 2, the sliding-piece being carried by the bolt into a position in which it
can be operated vertically by the master key, but not by the servant key. The
bolt may then be shot back again by either the master or servant key. If, however,
when the bolt has been shot out by either key, it is desired to lock it against the
servant key, the master key is turned a further revolution in the locking direction.
with the effect that it shoots up the sliding-piece E so that its portion is brought
into the notch of the bolt; and if the servant key is then inserted, and turned
within the lock, it merely moves the levers of the sliding-piece and bolt, but
does not move the sliding-piece itself, and consequently cannot move the bolt. To
unlock the bolt, the master key must first be turned a single revolution back-
wards, which has the effect of shooting down the sliding-piece, and bringing the
portion thereof into position to act as the rear side of the key-gating of the
bolt A. The bolt A may then be shot backwards by either the master or servant
key,

page_text: The lower side of the key-gating e of the sliding-piece E extends from the back
face of the case for about the thickness only of the nose e¹ of the master key, as
shewn by Figures 5 and S*; and it will be seen, more especially by Figure 9.
that, while a portion of the sliding-piece E passes across a portion of the width
of the face of the branch A. a portion of the sliding-piece passes, also, across the
forward edge of the branch.
i is a stop, which is securely fixed within the case, and the upper end of the
sliding-piece E comes immediately in front of this stop when the sliding-piece
is shot up by the master key. This stop i, therefore, increases the security against
the bolt A being wrongfully forced back.
It will be obvious that the application of the invention is not restricted to locks
in which a locking bolt may be also latched, or in which a latching bolt may be
also locked, as the sliding-piece operated by the master key answers the purpose
just the same with a bolt which will lock only, or which will latch only, as in the
case of the lock shewn by the drawings, that is to say, in the former instance, it
will, when moved in by the master key after the bolt has been shot out, prevent
the bolt being moved back by the servant key, and in the latter instance it will.
when moved in by the master key while the bolt is in its outward or latched
position, prevent the bolt from being moved in or unlatched by the servant key.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In a lock mechanism which may be operated by a master key with the result
that the servant key will then turn uselessly within the lock, substantially as
described.
2. In a lock mechanism which may be operated by a master key when the bolt
is in a position from which it can be moved back by the servant key, with the
result that the servant key will turn uselessly within the lock, substantially as
described.
3. In a lock, mechanism which may be operated by a master key after the bolt
has been shot out by a key, with the result that the servant key will then turn
uselessly within the lock, substantially as described.
4. In lock mechanism, the rear side of a key-gating, through the medium of
which the bolt is moved back, made movable in relation to the bolt and adapted
to be moved by a master key to ensure that it cannot be utilized to move back the
bolt by means of a servant key, substantially as described.
5. In lock mechanism, a sliding-piece, such as E. mounted transversely of the
bolt and formed with a portion which, when the sliding-piece is in its normal
position, constitutes the rear side of a key-gating through the medium of which
the bolt is moved back by the key said sliding-piece being adapted to be operated
in a direction transversely of the bolt by the master key only, substantially as
described.
6. In lock mechanism, a sliding-piece carried by the holt and provided with
lever or tumbler mechanism and itself formed to be operated by a master key
only, and formed, also, with a portion which, when the sliding-piece is in its
normal position, constitutes the rear side of a key-gating by which the bolt is
moved back, substantially as described.
7. In lock mechanism, a bolt having a branch extending sideways therefrom, a
sliding-piece mounted transversely of the bolt and guided partly by the said
branch. and itself formed to be operated by the master key only, and formed
also with a portion which, when the sliding-piece is in its normal position, con-
stitutes the rear side of a key-gating by which the bolt is moved back, sub-
stantially as described.
S. The combination of a stop within the case and a sliding-piece mounted
transversely of the bolt in a manner which ensures that it will travel with the

page_text: bolt though capable of being moved transversely in relation thereto, substantially
as described.
9. The combination of a stop within the case and a sliding-piece mounted
transversely of the bolt in a manner which ensures its travelling therewith, said
sliding-piece being mounted so that it may be moved in a direction transversely
of the bolt by means of a key and thereby brought in front of the stop, suli-
stantially as described.
10. Lock mechanism arranged and operating substantially as described and
shown by the drawings herewith.
Dotad this 15t Jar of Dogamhan 1800
STEPHEN WATKINS & GROVES,
Wolverhampton, Agents for the Applicants.