Improvements in or connected with Keys for Securing Locks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Keys for Securing Locks.
I WILHELM MENZE of 21 Bismarkstrasse, Charlottenburg in the German
Empire, Architect, 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 relates to safety appliances for sounding an alarum when a lock
is tampered with and consists in the use and constructive arrangement of moveable
keys for this purpose in combination with alarum bells or equivalent apparatus.
The safety appliances for locks hitherto made are either alarums connected to
and operated by the lock mechanism, or silent appliances fixed in the lock or
introduced into the keyhole. The former have the disadvantage that they are
localised to the place where they are combined with the lock, while the others,
although some of them inay be used at different points or transferred from one lock
to another, generally only prevent the picking of the lock imperfectly, as they do
not sound an alarum when the lock is surreptitiously opened. These defects are
remedied by the alarum keys forming the subject of this invention, as they can be
inserted into different locks and not only close the keyhole and prevent the lock
being opened, but also start the ringing of an alarum bell or its equivalent, if an
attempt to open the lock is made by an unauthorised person. This is effected by
arranging a sliding pin or bolt in the barrel of the key, or an equivalent bush
sliding upon the stem, pushed outwards by a spring, which bolt is pushed inwards
when an attempt is made to insert a false or skeleton key, into the lock. The
movement of the pin or bush may be made use of to ring the alarum in various ways.
The key may be provided with electrical contacts which, when the key is used in
hotels or houses fitted with electric bells, can be connected to the existing wires in
the rooms, and the circuit closed and the bell rung by the shifting of the sliding pin
in the key barrel. Or the key may be connected to a separate alarum, which if
electrical is connected with the key by wires, or if mechanical, may be mounted
directly upon the key, the sliding pin or bush closing the circuit or liberating the
mechanism of the alarum.
On the drawings appended hereunto three modified arrangements of the alarum
key and its combination with the alarum apparatus are shewn as examples how my
invention may be carried into effect.
Fig. 1 shows the alarum key in combination with a portable electrical bell ringing
apparatus;
Fig. 2 shows a section through the alarum key with closed contact ;
Fig. 3 a top view of the key shewn in Fig. 1;
Figs. 4 and 5 show in section and top view of the introduction of the alarum key
into the lock and the method of securing its position ;
Fig. 6 shows the manner of connecting the alarum key to an existing electrical
circuit for room telegraphs or bells;
Figs. 7 to 10, represent a key combined with a mechanical alarum, Fig. 7 showing
a side view, Fig. 8 a section along line of Fig. 7, and Figs. 9 and 10, sections
along line yy with the pin in two positions ;
Figs. 11 to 13 show likewise a key fitted with an alarum,
view and Figs. 11 and 12 longitudinal sections along line
arrangement the key barrel is in an axial position relative to
while in the arrangement represented by Figs. 7 to 10, the
traverses that of the key barrel.
Fig. 13 being an end
of Fig. 13, in which
the alarum apparatus,
axis of the alarum

page_text: The alarum key A, Figs. 1 to 6, which is combined with an electric alarum
apparatus directly or indirectly, contains like those shewn on Figs. 7 to 13, a sliding
alarum pin or bolt a, which is preferably under spring pressure, and carries in the
former case a contact b, while in keys combined with mechanical alarums (Figs. 7
to 13), it serves directly to disengage an alarum B, which may have any suitable
construction.
In the keys combined with electrical alarums the barrel'e of the key A has
mounted on it a bush d of insulating material (Figs. 1 to 5), which carries a contact
screw e, which in the position of the sliding pin shewn in Fig. 2, closes the
circuit so that the alarum B indicated on Fig. 1, is put into operation, as long
as the pin a is pushed into the barrel c from the outside by a person attempting
to open the lock.
When the pin a is released after having started an alarum, a small spring fin the
barrel returns it to its original position. Obviously the bit of the key A must
be so placed in the lock C (Figs. 4 and 5), that it does not stand in the.
direction of the keyhole h, in order to prevent its being pushed out of the lock
without giving an alarm.
On Fig. 1, the alarum key is shewn combined with a portable alarum apparatus
mounted in a separate case D and actuated by a separate battery.
But the alarum key may be directly connected to the electrical leads usually put
up in hotels and dwelling houses, by continuing the wires k k leading to the contact
or push button F existing in the room, as connections ii to the alarum key. If
the key is connected to existing leads, the signal when the alarum pin a is pushed
in will not be given in the room, but at the place where the bell indicator is placed.
In hotels the alarum would thus be given at the central office without the thief
obtaining notice that he himself has given the alarm. The key thus not only
protects the lock against being tampered with, but will in such cases frequently
facilitate the capture of the thief.
In order to secure the position of the key A in the lock C, two pins Z under
spring pressure as shewn by Fig. 5, may be arranged on the barrel C₂ the points
of which when pressed into the wood of the door, fix the key A in the lock C.
When the alarum key A is combined with mechanical ringing arrangements,
as shewn by way of example in Figs. 7 to 13, the sliding pin a serves to liberate
the wound up alarum mechanisın.
The alarum B shewn by Figs. 7 to 10, consists of a peg wheel in fixed on a shaft n
which passes crosswise through the key barrel c; a spring case o with spring p also
fixed on the shaft n, in the usual way; a bell 9, and a spring hammer operated by
the pegs m. After the spring p is wound up while the pin a is pushed inwards, a
cranked wire a¹ fixed in the pin, enters between two of the pegs m' on the pin a
being released, and locks the alarum in its wound up state, as shewn by Fig. 9.
When on trying to open the lock the pin a is pushed in, the wire a' liberates the
pegs m' as shewn on Fig. 9, and the alarum is released and rings.
In the arrangement shewn by Figs. 11 to 13, the alarum apparatus is arranged
axially on the key barrel c. In this case also the pin a with its wire a' serves
to lock the peg wheel m, the wire entering between the teeth of a ratchet wheel m
connected to the peg wheel m. The alarum is in this case wound up by turning the
key handle.
Obviously the constructive arrangement of the alarum apparatus and the manner
of combining it with the key may be varied without departing from the nature of
this invention. The key may also be so arranged that the pushing in of the sliding
pin starts a mechanical alarum as well as closes an electric circuit whereby a bell or
other indicator is rung at a central station.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use and arrangement of a key having an axially sliding pin or its

page_text: equivalent combined with an electrical or mechanical alarum or equivalent
apparatus in such a manner, that an inward movement of the said sliding pin or its
equivalent puts the alarum or equivalent apparatus into action, substantially as and
for the purposes hereinbefore described.
2. The combination with a lock key of a pin or its equivalent sliding in or on
Baid key both carrying electrical contacts connected to the opposite wires of an
electrical alarum or equivalent apparatus which contacts close the circuit and set
the alarum or equivalent apparatus to work when the pin or its equivalent is pushed
inwards on the key substantially as hereiubefore described and illustrated by the
drawings.
3. The use and construction of a key with sliding pin and electrical connections
arranged substantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6 of
the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination with a lock key of a mechanical alarum mounted thereon
and a pin or its equivalent sliding in or on the key and formed with or actuating a
catch which locks the wound up alarum when the sliding pin or its equivalent is
pushed outwards by a spring and liberates it when the pin or its equivalent is pushed
inwards substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The use and construction of a key with a sliding pin and an alarum mounted
on the key arranged substantially as herein before described with reference to
Figs. 7 to 10, of the drawings.
6. The use and construction of a key with a sliding pin and an alarum mounted
on the key arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
Figs. 11 to 13 of the drawings.
1
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.