Improvements in or Additions to Locks for enabling them to be Unfastened without a Key when necessary.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Locks for enabling them to be
Unfastened without a Key when necessary.
I, JOHN WALDRAM, of 16, Craven Street, Charing Cross, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide means whereby locks can be unfastened
without the key when it may become necessary to do so for instance on the occurrence
of a fire and the key not being forthcoming.
According to my invention provide means whereby the lock bolt can be released
and withdrawn but these means cannot under ordinary circumstances be had access
to, they being covered and protected by a covering which has to be broken before
access can be had to the said means of releasing the lock bolt. The said means for
releasing and withdrawing the lock bolt may consist of a short lever or piece
resembling the bit of a key secured to a spindle projecting to either one or both
sides of the door and provided with a knob or handle or knobs or handles for
turning it. The said knob or handle is protected as aforesaid from being had
access to under ordinary circumstances, for which purpose it may be covered with a
hood or cover of material which can be readily broken such for instance as glass.
On occasion arising for unlocking the door without a key the glass is broken and
the knob or handle which was covered thereby can be turned to unlock the door.
In order to indicate at any particular place such as in a superintendent's room for
instance which doors have been opened in the way described I may combine with
the locks electric circuits leading to such place or room which circuits are only
electrically completed by contacts being operated by the movement of the aforesaid
knob or handle.
Dated this 21st day of May 1890.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co..
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Locks for enabling them to be
Unfastened without a Key when necessary.
1. JOHN WALDRAM, of 13, Buckingham Street, late of 16, Craven Street,
Charing Cross, both in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Surveyor, 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:—
The object of my invention is to provide means whereby locks can be unfastened
without the key when it may become necessary to do so for instance on thesoccurrence
of a fire and the key not being forthcoming the said locks being capable of being
operated under normal conditions in the ordinary way.
According to my invention I provide means whereby the bolt by which a door is
locked can be released and withdrawn but these means cannot under ordinary
circumstances be had access to, they being covered and protected by a covering
which has to be broken before access can be had to the said means of releasing the
P1121

page_text: lock bolt. The said means for releasing and withdrawing the bolt may consist of a
short lever or piece resembling the bit of a key secured to a spindle projecting to
either one or both sides of the door and provided with a knob or handle or knobs
or handles for turning it. The said knob or handle is protected as aforesaid from
being had access to under ordinary circumstances, for which purpose it may be
covered with a hood or cover of material which can be readily broken such for
instance as glass. On occasion arising for unlocking the door without a key the
glass is broken and the knob or handle which was covered thereby can be turned to
unlock the door.
In order that my invention may be well understood I will describe with reference
to the accompanying drawings the manner in which it may be practically carried
into effect. Figures 1 and 2 shew in views at right angles to each other the lock
applied to a door and Figures 3, 4 and 5 are internal views of the lock respectively
shewing the positions of the parts when the door is unlocked in ordinary use, when
the door is locked and when the door has been unlocked by the means provided
according to my invention.
The lock or lock and latch mechanism to which my invention is applied may be
of any description. I have shewn it as applied to a latch bolt A which is locked
by means of a locking bolt B shot forward by the key so as to secure the bolt A in
its shot position and lock the door. A spindle C passes through the lock case and
door and has on its projecting ends knobs d and carries inside the lock casing a
lever e shaped at its end so as to act upon the bolt B and upon the levers F like
a key. The knobs d are covered by hood or cover pieces g which are of material
which when necessary can be broken to give access to the knobs d. The said hoods
or covers are secured in any suitable way for instance by the clip pieces h arranged
so that the pieces of the hoods or covers fall readily away when the said hoods or
covers are broken.
When the door is in ordinary use it is unlatched and locked and unlocked in the
ordinary manner by means of the handles and spindle i and key inserted into the
keyhole j. When however it is necessary that the door should be opened without a
key the hood or cover piece g, on the side of the door from which it is desired to
open it, is fractured and the knob d is turned whereby the lever e raises the levers F
recessed, as at f for the purpose and also bears on the back of the recessed part b of
the bolt B so as to move it back and unlock the door. By the continued movement
of the knob d spindle C and levere the end of the bolt B bears against the end a of
the latch bolt A so as to withdraw that also.
The recessed part is so formed as shewn that the lever e will not be moved by
the bolt B (as the said bolt is moved by the ordinary key in unlocking and locking)
and so also that when the lever e is returned to the normal position namely that it
was in before the door was unlocked by this means will not move the bolt B forward
so as to relock the door. Moreover the door cannot be re-locked by the key until
the lever e is returned to its normal position. If it be desired to indicate at any
particular place such as in a superintendent's room for instance when a door has
been opened in the way described I may combine with the lock or with the door
electric circuits in any suitable or well known manner to be completed by contacts
operated by the movement of the spindle C or by the opening of the door. Although
I have shewn a knob d, and covering piece on each side of the door it will be
evident that they may be on one side only where they are not required on
both sides.
g
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a lock of a device by which it can be unlocked without
a key when necessary the said device being protected by a hood or cover which

page_text: has to be ruptured before the said device can be operated the lock being capable of
being operated in the usual way under normal conditions substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. The arrangement of parts as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
substantially as shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of January 1891.
JNO. WALDRAM.