An Improved Combination or Permutation Lock.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June,, 1897-Accepted, 11th Sept., 1897
An Improved Combination or Permutation Lock.
I, ROBERT ERNEST WICKES, of 165 Fentiman Road, Lambeth, in the County of
London, Medical Student, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
―
My invention has for its object a combination lock, the combination of letters.
figures, or other devices forming the key which may from time to time be changed
as required.
I will now proceed to particularly describe my invention with the aid of the
accompanying drawings. The same letters of reference indicate similar parts in
all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lock made according to my invention, showing
the bolt shot and the combination or key set so that the bolt can be withdrawn.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified form of lock showing the bolt shot.
Fig. 3 shows the same form of lock as Fig. 2 but has the bolt withdrawn.
Fig. 4 represents a padlock, Fig. 5 shows another form of padlock having the
bolt withdrawn, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 5 on the Îine — but shows
the bolt shot.
Fig. 7 shows my invention as applied to a door latch, and Fig. 8 shows a detail
hereinafter explained.
A number of discs d, having letters, figures, names, representations of the heads
of celebrated people, or other suitable devices or illustrations marked upon their
peripheries, form the external finger pieces, or key of the lock. In all the draw-
ings I have shown three of these discs applied to each lock, but any other con-
venient number may be employed. To the centre of each of these discs and at
right angles thereto, is fixed one end of a rod or spindle which, passing through
a suitable opening in the caso c of the lock, and being capable of revolving in
suitable bearings therein, has similarly attached at or near its inner end another
disc d having a notch n cut in the edge thereof.
The discs are not rigidly attached to the rods or spindles r, but are so arranged
that (although they normally revolve with the rods or spindles r and the discs d
when the latter are turned) by the exercise of a certain amount of force they may
be turned or revolved upon the rods or spindles and their relative positions to
their respective outer discs or finger pieces d, thus altered.
Fig. 8 of the drawings shows such a method of attachment the disc d¹ being
capable of revolving upon the rod or spindler but being normally fixed thereto
by means of the spring tooth t one end of which is attached to the rod or spindle r
and the other end of which bears against corrugations or the like formed in the
edge of a cavity k cut in the side of the disc.
When it is required to alter the combination or key an outer disc dis held
stationary while its corresponding disc dis turned, until the relative position of
its notch n to the said outer disc is altered: One or more pairs of discs in each
lock being altered as thought fit.
Within the lock is a bolt 6 capable of sliding in suitable brackets b¹ and having

page_text: a suitable number of projections thereon corresponding to the notches n in the
discs d'.
The locks are so arranged that when each of the discs is turned so as to place
a certain pre-arranged number, figure, letter, or other device opposite a mark
on the lock case (in the well known manner usual in case of combination locks)
the notches n will, in the forms of lock shown in Figs. 1 and 4, correspond with
the projections on the bolt b, so that the bolt can be withdrawn by means of the
knob or handle h; the projections passing into the notches n. To fasten the
locks again, the bolt is shot by means of the knob or handle h and one or more of
the discs d revolved a little, when the discs will also revolve, the combination
or key be upset, and the projections 2, now bearing against the peripheries of the
discs d, the bolt cannot be again withdrawn until the combination is rearranged.
It is obvious that, if desired, the figures, letters, heads of celebrities, names,
illustrations, or the like, may be represented on the lock case surrounding each
outer disc, and a single mark or pointer placed upon each outer disc.
In the lock shown in Fig. 1 an apparatus for affording additional security is
shown, consisting of the lever pivoted to the case at having the projections pl
thereon respectively bearing against the peripheries of the discs d' and normally held
in contact therewith by the spring s, the peripheries of the discs d¹ being made of
an irregular shape and these irregularities being so arranged that when the com-
bination is set for withdrawing the bolt, the projections 2 on the lever fall respec-
tively into deeper depressions (of which there is only one on the periphery of
each disc d), the longer end of the lever being thereby raised and the rode on
the short end of the lever withdrawn from the recess r in the bolt. When the
bolt is shot and the combination upset, the peripheries of the discs. d' depress the
projections on the one side of the lever and thereby raise rod e on the opposite
end of the lever and force it into the recess in the bolt. This apparatus for
affording additional security may also be adapted to the other forms of lock
illustrated herewith.
In the padlock shown in Fig. 4 the back of the case is hinged so that when the
bolt is withdrawn the back of the padlock may be opened and the combination or
key altered when required. When the back of the padlock is closed it is secured
by means of the bolt, which, when shot, passes through the loop q, as well as
through the opening in the end of the hasp q
Figs. 2 and 3 represent another modification of my invention in which the discs
aro mounted and used as previously described, but in which the bolt has no pro-
jections thereon, but has in it a slot s¹ or its equivalent and mounted so as to
be capable of revolving in bearings in the bracket b', is a rod . This rod t¹
has a number of short bars m attached at right angles thereto corresponding to
the discs in the lock and also an arm such as a. One. end of the rod pro-
jects for a short distance outside the lock and lias attached to this end a suitable
knob or finger piece g.
The bars m and the arm a are so fixed to the rod t that when the bolt is shot
and the combination or key upset, the bars m respectively bear upon the per-
ipheries of the discs and hold the arm a out of the slot s¹ as shown in Fig. 2.
When it is required to withdraw the bolt the combination or key is set, when the
notches n in the discs d' respectively correspond to the bars m: upon now turning
down the rod t by means of the knob or finger piece g these bars m will be depressed
into the notches n and the arm a will engage with the slot s¹ in the bolt b; the.
bolt & can then be withdrawn by pulling out the rod t for a short distance by means
of the knob or finger piece 9, the bars m being capable of movement in the slots n.
To shoot and secure the bolt again the knob or finger piece g is pushed in and the
rod turned up so that the arm a disengages, with the slot s¹ in the bolt and the
combination upset. The rod may be so arranged that it can be entirely with-
drawn from the lock after the bolt is shot.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a form of padlock made according to my invention, in
which the outer discs d and also the inner discs are arranged concentrically.

page_text: The outermost and innermost discs being attached to the rod r and the other pairs
of discs being respectively attached to the sleeves and mounted upon the rod r.
Mounted in suitable bearings in the lock case is a rod o carrying the lever o¹
one end of which is capable of engaging with the slot s in the bolt b, and the
other end of which is attached to one end of the cross bar 62, the other end of
which is connected to the rod o by the rod . When it is required to open the
padlock the combination or key is set, when all the notches in the discs d¹ will
be in the same straight line, so that upon turning the rod o by means of the knob
or finger piece g the cross bar 62 is depressed into the notches n in the discs d'
and the end of the lever o engages with the slots in the bolt 6 upon now
pushing the knob g the bolt b is withdrawn. When the bolt is again shot and the
combination or key upset, the cross bar 3 bears against the peripheries of
the discs d' and the end the lever o cannot then engage with the slot s' in the
bolt b. One side of the case of this padlock is made to open in order to allow
the combination or key to be altered when required, and the hinged side is secured,
when closed, in the same manner as previously described in connection with the
padlock illustrated in Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 shows a latch fastening made according to my invention having outer
dises d and adjustable notched inner dises das previously described. The latch 2
in this case carrying the projections which, when the combination is set, pass
into the notches and allow the latch 63 to be raised by means of the thumb
piece u. To lock the latch the thumb piece is released, the latch allowed to fall
and one or more of the discs d' revolved thus upsetting the combination as
previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim
is:-
(1) A combination lock consisting of outer discs such as connected with
adjustable notched inner discs such as by means of rolls such as r and a bolt
such as b having projections such as p thereon and operated substantially as herein
fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(2) A combination lock cousisting of outer discs such as d connected with
adjustable notched inner discs such as d by means of rods such as r, a bolt such
as having a slot or the like s', a rod or the like t¹ carrying bars such as m and
an arm or the like a, and operated substantially as herein fully described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(3) In the combination lock referred to in Claims 1 and 2 and illustrated in
Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings, the use of an additional security
apparatus consisting of corrugated inner discs lever carrying projections p
and a rod or the like e, the springs and the slot or its equivalent in the bolt b
substantially as herein fully described and illustrated in connection with Fig. 1
of the accompanying drawings.
(4) A combination padlock made according to this invention having a case
such as e having one side thereof hinged and secured substantially ɛs and for the
purpose herein described and illustrated in Fig. of the accompanying drawings.
(5) A padlock made according to this invention having the outer discs d and
also the inner discs d'arranged concentrically, the rod o, lever o¹, cross har b³,
rod o, the bolt b having a slot or the like s¹, and enclosed in a case having one side
thereof hinged, substantially as and for the purpose herein described and
illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
(6) In a latch fastening the use of a locking apparatus consisting of the pro-
jections on the latch 6 the outer discs and inner adjustable notched discs d
substantially as herein described and illustrated in Fig. 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
(7) In combination locks, the use of representations of the heads of celebrated
people or other suitable illustratious or names in place of the usual letters or

page_text: numerals generally in use with ordinary combination locks at the present time,
substantially as herein described.
Dated this 25th day of June 1897
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, Mitre Court, Fleet Street, London, EC.,
Agent for the Applicant.