IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF Locks
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George William Hart, of 5, Osborn Terrace, South
sea, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF Locks."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George William Hart
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1858.
I, GEORGE WILLIAM HART, of 5, Osborn Terrace, Southsea, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP LOCKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of locks.
For this purpose the bolt is made with a fixed stump on it, and two slot's
through it. There is one set of tumblers acted on by the key, and another
tumbler, which I call the detached tumbler, is acted on by a cam put in
motion by the key, or by the key itself; the bolt has at its upper edge a pro-
jection, the back edge of which is inclined, corresponding with an incline on
the front edge of a projection on the upper edge of the tumbler, which is
actuated by the cam; the tumbler, which is worked by the cam, has also a slot
through it, in which the stump on the bolt moves as the bolt is slid back, and
such slot at its lowest part is longer than at its upper part: The back part of

page_text: case.
the tumbler which is worked by the cam has a shoulder or projection at its
upper edge, which rests against a fixed stop or projection on the case of the
lock in such manner that should it be attempted to push back the bolt, it
would, by its upper projection, come against the projections at the fore end of
the detached tumbler, and be resisted by it, and that by a fixed stump on the
The tumblers, which are actuated by the key, move on an axis at their
back ends, and the fore end of each of such tumblers is formed into a toothed
sector, which takes into a pinion on the axis of a disc, having formed on its
circumference-a number of false notches, and one or more true notches or
holes. The false notches are less deep than the true notch or notches, and the
tumbler, which is worked by the cam, has a tooth, which, when the discs are
turned correctly into position by the corresponding tumblers moved by the
key, the tooth will fall into the true notches of all the tumblers. The discs
have fixed guards around them, except opposite the place where the true notch
is to be brought when the proper key is used.
By these arrangements it will be seen that the key used must not only act
correctly on the key tumblers, but by the cam, it must also act correctly on
the cam tumbler; consequently no tampering or prejudicial action can take
place in respect to the bolt by pressing it back, as the bolt would be resisted
going back unless the tumblers are first properly acted on. In some cases I
make locks with what may be called rotating tumblers, that is, a series of discs
are used, with a number of false notches on the peripheries, and one or more
true notches on each, and each disc or rotating tumbler is made with a hole
for the passage of the key, and a number of steps, one only being the true one
for the key. The discs or rotating tumblers are surrounded by a ring, having
a projection for the key to act upon, and on this ring there is a pin which
works in a slot in the sliding bolt. This ring is kept in position by the case
of the lock, which is circular, and in the ring there is a sliding piece, which is
projected outwards by a spring, there being a recess in the case to receive the
sliding piece. When the key turns the ring, an incline on the case acts on the
sliding piece, and forces it into the true notches of the rotating tumblers,
(which have been turned into position by the key,) and allows the ring to be
turned and the bolt to be withdrawn; but if the rotating tumblers have not
been brought into such a position, that the sliding piece enters the true
notches, the sliding piece is prevented from being forced in, and in conse-
quence the ring is prevented from being turned, and the bolt from being shot.
In some cases I apply two stumps to the bolt, one of which has teeth on its
back surface, which, if the bolt be pushed back when the tumblers are not

page_text: properly placed, take into notches or teeth formed on the fore end of the
tumblers. The tumblers, when properly placed by the key, allow the two-
stumps to pass through a longitudinal slit, there being also transverse slits to
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George William Hart in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WILLIAM HART, of 5, Osborn Terrace, Southsea, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
'the
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
said George William Hart, Her special licence that I, the said George
William Hart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George William Hart, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOCKS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George William Hart, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months.next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George William Hart,. do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.in and by the following..
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements. in the manufacture of locks.
For this purpose the bolt is made with a fixed, stump on it, and two slots
through it. There is one set of tumblers acted on by the-key; and another.
tumbler, which I call the detached tumbler, is acted on by a cam, put in

page_text: motion by the key, or by the key-itself; the bolt has at its upper edge a pro-
jection, the back edge of which is inclined, corresponding with an incline on
the front edge of a projection on the upper edge of the tumbler, which is
actuated by the cam; the tumbler which is worked by the cam has also a slot
through it, in which the stump on the bolt moves as the bolt is slid back, and
such slot at its lowest part is longer than at its upper part. The back part
of the tumbler which is worked by the cam has a shoulder or projection at
its upper edge, which rests against a fixed stop or projection on the case of
the lock, in such manner that should it be attempted to push back the bolt, it
would by its upper projection come against the projection at the fore end of
the detached tumbler, and be resisted by it, and that by a fixed stump on the
case. The tumblers, which are actuated by the key, move on an axis at their
back ends, and the fore end of each of such tumblers is formed into a toothed
sector, which takes into a pinion on the axis of a disc, having formed on its
circumference a number of false notches, and one or more true notches or
holes.
The false notches are less deep than the true notch or notches,
and the tumbler which is worked by the cam has a tooth, which, when the discs
are turned correctly into position by the corresponding tumblers moved by the
key, the tooth will fall into the true notches of all the tumblers. The discs
have fixed guards around them, except opposite the place where the true notch
is to be brought when the proper key is used. By these arrangements it will
be seen that the key used must not only act correctly on the key tumblers, but
by the cam it must also act correctly on the cam tumbler, consequently no
tampering or prejudicial action can take place in respect to the bolt by pressing
it back, as the bolt would be resisted going back unless the tumblers are first
properly acted on.
In some cases I make locks with what may be called rotating tumblers,
that is, a series of discs are used with a number of false notches on the peri-
pheries, and one or more true notches on each, and each disc or rotating
tumbler is made with a hole for the passage of the key, and a number of steps,
one only being the true one for the key. Thè discs or rotating tumblers are
surrounded by a ring, having a projection for the key to act upon, and on this
ring there is a pin which works in a slot in the sliding bolt. This ring is
kept in position by the case of the lock, which is circular, and in the ring
there is a sliding piece which is projected outwards by a spring, there being
a recess in the case to receive the sliding piece. When the key turns the
ring, an incline on the case acts on the sliding piece, and forces it into the
true notches of the rotating tumblers (which have been turned into position

page_text: by the key), and allows the ring to be turned, and the bolt to be withdrawn,
but if the rotating tumblers have not been brought into such a position that
the sliding piece enters the true notches, the sliding piece is prevented from
being forced in, and in consequence the ring is prevented from being turned,
and the bolt from being shot. In some cases, I apply two stumps to the bolt,
one of which has teeth on its back surface, which, if the bolt be pushed back
when the tumblers are not properly placed, take into notches or teeth formed
on the fore end of the tumblers. The tumblers when properly placed by the
key allow the two stumps to pass through a longitudinal slit, there being also
transverse slits to receive the stumps when the bolt is thrown or withdrawn.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully to
describe the manner of performing the same.
of
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 of the Drawing shows a lock arranged according to the first part
my Invention. a is the bolt, made with a fixed stump 6 on it, and having
two slots e, d, formed through it; e, e, are the tumblers acted on by the key;
and fis the tumbler which I call the detached tumbler, which is acted on by
the cam g put in motion by the key, but, if preferred, this tumbler may be
acted on
by the key itself. The bolt a has at its upper edge a projection h, the
back edge of which is inclined corresponding with the incline on the front edge
of the projection j on the upper edge of the tumbler f. The tumbler has
also a slot k through it, in which the stump 6 on the bolt moves as the bolt is
slid back, the slot k being larger at its lowest part than at its upper part.
The back part of the tumbler f has a shoulder or projection at its upper
edge, which rests against a fixed stop or projection m on the case of the lock,
so that if it is attempted to push back the bolt, the bolt would by its projection
h lift the detached tumbler f and be resisted by it, and the tumbler f would
be resisted by the fixed stump m. The tumblers e, e, which are actuated by
the key, turn on an axis at their back ends, and the fore end of each tumbler is
formed into a toothed sector. The toothed sectors take into pinions n on the axis
of the discs o; and each of the discs o is formed with a number of false notches,
and one true notch o', the false notches being less deep than the true notch.
On the tumbler f, which is worked by the cam, there is a tooth f¹, which when
the discs o are all turned correctly into position by their corresponding tumblers
which are moved by the key, will fall into the true notches o¹ in the discs.
The discs o have a fixed guard p around them, except opposite the place where
the true notches in the discs are to be brought, when the proper key is used,

page_text: and in this guard there are spaces- p¹, (as shewn in the separate view of the
guard p), through which the tumblers e, e, pass. In unlocking the lock, the
key first lifts the tumblers e, so as to turn round the discs o, until the true
notch in each disc is so placed that the tooth f' on the detached tumbler f
may fall into them; the bolt a is then withdrawn by the key, which allows the
tumbler f to fall, and permits the projection h on the bolt a to pass the pro-
jection on the tumbler f; the tumbler f is then again raised by the cam, and
is held up by the stump 6 on the bolt, and when the key is withdrawn the posi-
tion of the discs o is altered by the springs e¹ pressing down the tumblers e.
By these arrangements it will be seen that the key used. must not only act
'correctly on the key tumblers e, but by the cam g it must also act correctly
on the tumbler f; consequently no tampering or prejudicial action can take
place in respect to the bolt by pressing it back, as the bolt would be resisted
going back unless all the tumblers were first properly acted on.
Figure 2 shows a lock made with discs or rotating tumblers a, a, having
a number of false notches on their peripheries, and one true notch a', and
each disc a is made with a hole for the passage of the key, and a number of
steps, one only being the true one for. the key. The discs or rotating
tumblers a, a, are surrounded by a ring b, having a projection b₁ for the key to
act upon, and on this ring there is a pin, which works in a slot c in the sliding
bolt d; the ring b is kept in position by the circular case e, and in the ring b
there is a sliding piece f, which is projected outwards by a spring, there being
a recess in the case to receive the sliding piece f. When the key turns the
ring, the inclined end of the recess in the case e acts on the sliding piece f,
and forces it into the true notches of the rotating tumblers or discs a (which
have been turned into position by the key), and allows the ring 6 to be
turned, but if the rotating tumblers a have not been brought into such a
position that the sliding piece f enters the true notches, the sliding piece f
is prevented from being forced in, and in consequence the ring b is prevented
from being turned, and the bolt from being shot. It will be seen that after
locking the lock, that in order to withdraw the key the discs a must all be
brought back to their first position.
Figure 3 shews a lock having a bolt a made with two stumps b, b, the front
one of which is formed with teeth or notches on its back surface, which if the
bolt be pushed back when the tumblers c are not properly placed, take into
notches or teeth formed on the fore ends of the tumblers c, or the front stump b
may be made of a suitable thickness to enter the teeth or notches in the
tumblers. The tumblers when properly placed by the key allow the two

page_text: stumps to pass through a longitudinal slit, there being also transverse slits to
receive the stumps when the bolt is thrown or withdrawn.
In witness whereof, I, the said George William Hart, set my hand and
seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness
F. H. BOWEN,
Southsea.
GEORGE WILLIAM HART. (L.S.)