IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFE TIME LOCKS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Griffith Brewer, of Chancery Lane, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFE TIME LOCKS." A communication
from abroad by Patrick Brien Hennessy, of the City of Hamilton, in the
Dominion of Canada.
d the 22nd August 1876, and dated the 28th February 1876
«
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edward Griffith Brewer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th February 1876.
EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of Chancery Lane, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN
SAFE TIME LOCKS." A communication from abroad by Patrick Brien Hennessy, of
the City of Hamilton, in the Dominion of Canada.
Figure 1 represents the inside of a safe door with the improved lock constructed
according to this Invention affixed to the same.
Figure 2 is a side or edge view of the door.
Figure 3 shows the lock detached with the cover or face plate removed; Figure 4
is an end view of the same; Figure 5 is a top view with a portion broken away;
Figure 6 is a vertical section
A, Figure 1, represents the lock secured to the inside of a safe door S by means of
four screws U, U, U, U. It can be easily fastened to the door of any safe or vault
without removing the locks. Inside of the lock and a little to one side is a
time movement B; any movement which will keep correct time will answer; C is a
dial affixed to a small shaft a, it has cut on its face a series of figures marking hours;
any number can be marked on it up to one hundred. It is provided with an index'
hand D, the purpose of which will be shown hereafter.
E is a connecting lever provided with a horizontal arm g and an upright arm g¹,
the said portion g₁ being secured on a pin f, its extreme outer end is provided with
a horizontal pin d which is for dropping into a notched wheel as will be shown
hereafter; it is also provided with a pendant bracket having a pin o projecting
horizontally from it, which drops into a notch c of a disk b which is affixed to a
shaft a along side of a gear time wheel F on the same shaft. On the right hand'
end of the said lever E is fastened a slotted guide m, which is made to pass on each
side of the frame of the movement for the purpose of steadying the said lever.
G is a wheel having a plain outside and has a notch c¹ cut in its outer circumference
for the purpose of allowing the pin & of the lever E to drop into it at a certain time,

page_text: which has the effect of pushing back the lever to open the lock at the set time; H
is a lock bolt affixed to the pin J; when the bolt is up it is opposite the bolt hole f¹
in the end of the lock, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The safe or vault door is always
locked when the bolt is in the horizontal position as shewn, and open when the
said bolt drops. It is provided with an upright arm I which is for the purpose of
drawing the horizontal part g of the lever E to the left to raise the bolt H when it
is down; J is the pin affixed to the back of the lock upon which the bolt H
moves.
K is a pendant pawl affixed upon pin f, its lower end is constructed with a
catch which is made to hook under a projection I of the cylindrical portion h of
the bolt H for holding up the said bolt to its place opposite the bolt hole or opening
f in the end of the lock; j is a small pin inserted in the horizontal part g of the
lever E¹, the object of which is as follows:-When the lever E is pushed back the
said pin presses against the pawl K and releases its catch from the bolt H, when
the said bolt drops down by its own weight as shown by dotted lines in Figure 3.
L is a safe bolt affixed to the sliding bar T of the safe door immediately opposite
the bolt hole f¹ in the end of the lock, and into which it enters (when the bolt H
drops in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3), when the sliding bar T and
bars M are thrown back by means of a turn of the outside handle N, Figure 2;
1,1,1,1, are circular collars lightly surrounding the bolts M, said collars are made to
work in slots into the flat sliding bar T, so that when the said bar is moved by the
action of the outside handle, the circular bars or bolts M and the safe bolt L move
with it, and it will be observed that the said sliding bar with the bolts attached
cannot be moved back to open the safe door, as the safe bolt L will come in contact
with the end of the locking bolt H, which completely blocks up the bolt hole f¹ in
the lock. The safe door therefore cannot be opened until the time is up for which it
was set, at that time a small pin o in the pendant bracket of the lever E drops
into the notch c of the small wheel or disk b which allows the pin d of the end
of the said lever to simultaneously drop into the notch c¹ of the larger wheel G,
which pushes the lever back and causes the pin j to strike against the pawl K, the
backward movement of which releases its catch from the cylindrical portion of the
locking bolt when it (the bolt H) drops. The bolts M can then all be thrown back
by a turn of the handle, as the bolt L can then enter unobstructed into the lock
through the opening f¹.
O is a spring affixed to the arm g¹ of the lever E and held in place by the pin P;
its object is to push the said lever forward.
O is a similar spring attached to the upper end of the pawl K and held in place
by the pin P, and it is for the purpose of pushing the said pawl forward, so that it
may always catch and hold up the bolt H until released by the lever E.
Qis a shaft upon which the spring for giving the motive power is fastened; it is
on the under side or bebind the wheel G, and not necessary to be shown in the
Drawing. A knob Qis fastened to the outer end of said shaft Q by means of a
small screw for the purpose of conveniently turning and setting the hand D to any
decided hour; R is the face plate of the lock secured to it by means of the two
screws P, P.
In the operation of the device the first thing to be done is to set any hour
marked on the dial C at which the door is to be opened to the index hand D,
and for this purpose turn the dial so that the required figure will be under the
pointer D, this of course is done while the door is open, the door is then closed
and the bolts M are shot into their recesses by a turn of the handle N; this action
also withdraws the bolt L from the opening f¹ in the lock, and the bolt H rises
and covering the opening f¹ thereby locking the safe door, the bolts M and L
cannot be moved back until the hour arrives at which it was set to. When the
set hour of opening arrives, the pin d on the connecting lever F drops into the
notch of the wheel G, and forces the said lever back against the pawl K which
releases its hold of the locking bolt H and allows the end of said bolt to drop,
as shown in dotted lines, Figure 3, leaving the opening f' free for the bolt L to enter

page_text: when the outside handle is turned, thus allowing all the bolts M to be drawn back
to open the door.
The gear wheels may be placed in the most convenient position for operating the
device.
It should have been stated above that s is a flat spring secured to the arm g¹ of
the lever E, and made to pass into a notch in the arm g of the same lever for the
purpose of assisting to push downwards the outer end of the said lever E, so as the
pin & will not fail to drop into the notch c¹ of the wheel G, and also the pin O to
drop into the notch c of the disk b.
A minute dial V is placed on the left of large hour dial C for calculating the
number of minutes after any set hour; it is operated by a small cog wheel W set in
motion by the clock movement.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the aforesaid improvements in
safe time locks,―
First. In combination with a time movement safe lock the lever E, provided with
pins d, o, j, arms g and gl, and guide m hinged on the pin f and acted upon by
springs O and 8, wheels G and b, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second. In coinbination with a time movement safe lock the arrangement of the
wheel_G with notch c¹ and wheel b with notch c for operating the lever E and
pawl K, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Third. In combination with a time movement safe lock the arrangement of the
locking bolt H on the pin J, and provided with arm I actuated by the lever E and
pawl K, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In combination with a time movement safe lock the pawl K with its
spring O¹ and catch for holding up the lever E, substantially as specified.
Fifth. In combination with a time movement safe lock the knob Q on on the
shaft for simultaneously giving the motive power, substantially as specified.
Sixth. The minute dial V and cog pinion W operated by the time movement for
indicating minutes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.