CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1819

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTHONY
RADFORD STRUTT, of Makeney, in the County of Derby, Cotton Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at His palace at Westminster, the
Eighteenth day of October, in the fifty-ninth year of His reign, for Himself,.
His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me, the said Anthony
Radford Strutt, my exors, adñors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Authony Radford Strutt,
my exors, admors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves,
or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as
I, the said Anthony Radford Strutt, my exors, adññors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
hereafter, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND LATCHES," within that part of His
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His

page_text: Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also on all His
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad; in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso that if I, the said Anthony Radford Strutt,
should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, that then
the same Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by
the same Letters Patent, reference being thereunto. had, will more fully
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Anthony Radford Strutt, in compliance
with the said proviso, do hereby declare that the following Statement under
my hand and seal, and the annexed Drawings, do particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same
is to be performed, videlicit :-
I consider my Invention of Certain Improvements in the Construction of
Locks and Latches to consist,―
First, in a number of levers which are acted upon by the key near the
center, and have their notches (which allow the bolt to be shot when they all
correspond) at the circumference, and these plates or levers may either be
made to return to their places by a spring, or fall by their own weight when.
that is sufficient; by this a small movement of the key produces à large one of
the circumference. Great space is obtained for the false notches, and room
for several working notches to be brought into action by different keys, when
requisite, which keys are not at all like one another. This allows of key,
submaster key, and grandmaster key.
Second, in securing the lock upon the door, or in fastening the lid to the
lock so that it cannot either be taken off the door, or taken in pieces to inspect
the interior, without the assistance of the master key. A decided difference
between this lock and those in use is, that in the lock now in use the key
passes the wards or puts them into the proper position, and also moves the
bolt; in this lock the key has only to put the levers into the right position,
and the bolt is moved by the hand.
Figure 1, A, represents a thin plate or lever of iron, brass, or other
convenient material, of which there may be any number, lying parrallel to
each other, according to the security required. These plates or levers may

page_text: either be made to return to their places by springs, or fall by their own weight,
where that is sufficient. B, a center pin upon which they all turn. C shews
the keyhole, and the dotted line shews the extent to which the key is moved.
D, the key; 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, are steps or notches made at pleasure. When
the key is introduced these steps or notches act upon the levers and raise them
to different heights, some more and some less. E, E, is the bolt. F, the
tumbler. G, a thin plate fast to the tumbler, which, if raised, would press
against the edges of all the levers or plates. H, a button, through the center
of which goes the handle. Now, when the key is introduced and turned as far
as is shewn by the dotted line, and all the levers put into new situations, the
tumbler F. is attempted to be raised, and where the edges of the levers or
plates are marked by the plate G a nick is cut in every plate or lever. It is
now evident that the tumbler F can be raised, and G allowed to enter the
nicks in the plates turning the handle, and button H raises the tumbler F and
shoots the bolt E, E. The bolt E, E, is kept firm in its place by the pin L
fixed into F falling into the notches M and N in the bolt. The edge of every
plate is filled with small notches, something like saw teeth, which prevent any
person who attempts to pick the lock from knowing whether he has moved
any of the plates or levers till one of the deep acting notches or one of the
little ones (which are only to deceive) are opposite G. I consider the
principle of the levers as applicable to all sorts of locks, whatever the bolt and
the tumbler may vary, and the method of moving it according to circum-
stances, for instance:
Figure 2, A, the plates or levers, as before. C, the keyhole. F, the
tumbler. G, the edge to be raised into the nicks in the plates or levers
when they are put into their proper positions by the key. E, E, the bolt.
Now it is plain the bolt cannot be pushed forward or backward by the thumb>
piece O without raising the tumbler F and the plate G, and this cannot be
done till the levers or plates are put into their proper position by this key.
.It is needless to mention the different ways of applying this principle to
different locks; the bolt or fastening may be made in many different ways
that are not new. The principle of the lock is, that the bolt or fastening is
retained firmly in its place by some impediment, which impediment can only
be removed and the bolt shot when the levers are put into their proper position
by the key. Another part of the lock which is new in principle, and is here
claimed as an improvement, is, that in situations where it is required the lock
can be fastened to the door, and the lid or cover to the lock (either or both),
so that the interior cannot be examined without the proper key.

page_text: Figure 3d, A, B, C, D, a shallow box of any suitable material, capable
of holding the works of the lock. Q is a small recess filed in the edge of the
box. S, S, two small holes in the opposite side of the box near the edge.
R, R, a thin piece of metal with another piece T fastened to it at right angles.
When the key is introduced R, R, is moved on its center V, and a set of
nicks cut in the plates or levers to allow the edge T to pass in the direction
shewn, and of course X, X, recedes from the notch Q. A, B, C, D, No. 2, is
the lid or cover. S, S, two small pins to fit into the holes in No. 1. W is a
small piece of metal fast to the cover, with a nick between it and the cover; Y
a small oblong hole in the. lid to allow of a pin or wire to be introduced into
the hole Z, No. 1. Now it is proposed to put on the cover; if the key is first
put in, and the levers placed in their proper position, it is evident R can be
moved in the direction shewn, and be made to recede from Q. Whilst the
parts are in this position the lid or cover is put on, first inserting the pins S, S,
No. 2, into the holes S, S, No. 1. The part W, No. 2, enters the notch Q,
No. 1. In this situation a pin or wire is introduced through Y into the
hole Z, and R, R, is moved back again, drawing the part X, X, behind W,
and this bolts on the lid. The levers then fall to their usual position, and it is
evident R, R, cannot again be moved till the levers are acted upon by the key
and the part T allowed to enter the nicks. Now if screws are put into
the door through the holes P, P, P, P, and the lid put on after, it is plain
what has been proposed is done. I should apply the principle to a latch
in the following manner, but the mode may be varied according to
circumstances:
Figure 4, A, the levers or plates. C, the keyhole, and F, the tumbler, as
before. F, E, the latch working on the same pin as the tumbler F. H, the
button and handle. Now if this latch is on the inside of the door, and the
door is closed, the latch F, E, can rise over the catch S, the latch being quite
independent of the tumbler or any thing else. It is also plain that the latch
cannot be raised from the outside of the door by turning the handle H without
also raising the tumbler F, which cannot be done without the key is first
introduced, and the levers put into their proper position for the part G to enter
the nicks.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
second day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and nineteen
ANTHONY R. (L:s.) STRUTT.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of October,
in the year of our Lord 1819, the Anthony Radford Strutt came before
our said Lord the King in His 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 stampt according to
the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and nineteen.