Improvements in Locks Operated by Keys.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks Operated by Keys.
I, ROBERT BRUNO JENTZSCH, Engineer, of IV., Wiedener Hauptstrasse 6,
Vienna, Austria, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:
-
The object of my invention is the construction of a lock which will permit the
employment of any one of a certain number of differently notched keys, but
which, after the bolt has been moved in one direction by any one of these keys,
will not permit of being operated by any of the other keys until it has been
turned back again (opened) by the same key which operated it before.
I attain this object in the following manner. The bolt of the lock is guarded
by a number of tumblers, each of which is pressed by a spring weight or its
equivalent against a suitable pin or stop. Each tumbler is provided near its end
with a locking aperture or apertures, and these apertures are accessible from the
outside by a slit. The bolt of the lock is provided with an arm or a pin (the so
called locking pin) which, when the lock is not in use, stands outside of the
tumblers but which, when the tumblers are set by a suitably notched key so that
their aforesaid slits correspond, can enter into the locking apertures of the tumblers
when the bolt is shot. So far the only difference between this improved lock and
an ordinary safety lock, is, that the locking pin of the bolt stands outside of the
tumblers instead of being permanently situated within the locking apertures of
the tumblers. But the tumblers of my lock are so placed with reference to the
aforesaid locking pin of the bolt, that when the tumblers remain in the position
in which they are held by their springs or such like, the locking pin of the
bolt when this latter is shot, may get behind these tumblers or into a recess in
the side thereof. Thus, if keys are made for a lock of this kind which do not
have notches for all the tumblers, but only for a certain number of them, the
places for the other tumblers being cut away on the key, it follows that, when a
key of this kind is introduced into the lock, and turned, only those tumblers
will be operated upon by the key, and set, for which the key is notched, the other
tumblers remaining inactive in their position of rest. Now, when the key shoots
the bolt, the locking pin of the latter will enter into the locking apertures of those
tumblers which are set, while it will pass behind or enter into the before mentioned
side recess of the other tumblers which remained at rest. The lock is now firmly
and exclusively adjusted to the particular combination of notches upon the key
which has just shot the bolt or locked it. Should one of the other keys be employed
which has more notches, it will attempt to operate certain of the tumblers which
were not brought into action in locking and the movement of which is prevented
by the locking pin or bar of the bolt being situated between them or in their
before mentioned side recess, wherefore it will be impossible to turn this key. If,
on the other hand, one of the other keys were employed having less notches, it
would fail to set all the tumblers, and again the lock could not be opened. Having
been opened again with the right key, any one of the other keys can be employed
in the manner described.

page_text: A lock with five of my improved tumblers will permit of about 25 different keys,
while for one, fitted with 21 of these improved tumblers, over one million and a half
of different keys may be made, each of which will operate the lock, and render
all the others useless, as long as the bolt has not been returned by the same key.
In order to further increase the security of my lock, I employ, besides the
tumblers having a side recess as above described, one or more tumblers without
this side recess, but by preference otherwise of the same construction. Having
no side recess, it follows that these tumblers will have to be operated every time,
and therefore, that every key must be provided with the like corresponding notches.
A lock of the kind described may be made for any known form of keys.
I may also make the aforesaid side recesses of the tumblers hook shaped, so
that they will catch the locking pin of the bolt when a wrong key is employed.
In order to prevent the using of tools for raising the tumblers I may attach to
the bolt a pin, which, when the bolt is closed will stand so near to the key hole
that it will not permit the operation with a tool on that side.
Dated th Tuno 1800
Improvements in Locks Operated by Keys.
ROBERT BRUNO JENTZSCH, Engineer of IV. Wiedener Hauptstrasse 6,
Vienna, Austria, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 the construction of an improved lock, which will
permit the using of any one out of a number of differently notched keys for
locking it, but which then can only be unlocked again by the same key that
locked it.
I am aware that locks for the same purpose have been made prior to my inven-
tion, but these locks were more or less complicated, that is to say they had to
contain a greater number of and different parts than those of an ordinary safety
lock in order to serve the indicated purpose, whereas my improved lock does not
contain a single part more than the ordinary Chubb lock, but permits the employ-
ment of a plurality of keys by a peculiar disposition and arrangement of the
known parts.
In the annexed drawing a lock of this kind is shown with the covering plate
removed to show the interior. Figure 1 shows the lock in open or unlocked
position, and Figure 2 shows the same when locked. Figures 3 and 4 show a
modification of this lock in the same respective positions.
The lock consists of the bolt a and the tumblers b; these latter may be of any
desired form or number and may be either pivoted, as shown, or sliding. Each
tumbler is provided with the ordinary recessed opening 1 for engaging with the
locking stud which, when the tumblers are pivoted stationary in the lock, as
in Figures 1 and 2, is attached to the bolt a. These parts are those of an ordinary
Chubb lock and, the same as in this, the tumblers in my improved lock are
operated in one direction by the key and in the other direction by a spring or its
equivalent. Contrary to the Chubb lock, however, the tumblers of my improved
lock are so formed and disposed with reference to the position of the locking

page_text: stud, that this latter will pass behind or outside of such of the tumblers that
are not operated or lifted by the key when the bolt is shot. This is illustrated
by Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. In Figure 1, which shows the lock open,
all the tumblers superposed upon each other, are in their position of rest, and it
will be seen that in this position the locking stud e must pass behind or outside
of the tumblers if the bolt were to be moved forward. Supposing the lock to
contain six of such tumblers, and the key to be used having six notches, three
of them of the proper height to operate the respective tumblers, while the three
other notches of the key were cut deep enough to pass clear of the other three
tumblers, it will follow that, in locking, three of the tumblers will be raised so
as to bring the locking stud c into engagement with the locking recesses b
while the stud c will pass behind the other three tumblers which remained
inactive. This position is shown in Figure 2. The lock having been locked with
this particular key, it is easily understood that no other key can be used for
unlocking it again. If a key were to be tried that had an operating notch for
but one of the passive tumblers of this position, this tumbler would resist the
lifting by striking against the locking stud behind it, and if, on the other
hand, but one of the notches or one of the active or locking tumblers of this
position should not be of the exact height it would be impossible to disengage
that tumbler from, the stud c. From the foregoing will be seen that by varying
the notches of the keys so as to alternately operate certain of the tumblers and
leave certain of them inactive, quite a considerable number of different keys
may be made to fit one lock in the manner before described.
In order to make the picking of this lock difficult, if not impossible, the bolt
may be provided with a pin d, situated closely underneath the tumblers and in
such position with reference to the key hole, that it will stand quite close to
this latter when the bolt is shot, as shown in Fig. 2. It will now be impossible
to reach the tumblers on this side with any tool, while their lifting from the
other side, close to their pivot is almost, if not quite impossible.
Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing show another way of placing the tumblers.
These are here pivoted upon the bolt and move with it, while the locking stud c
is stationary in the lock plate. These figures also show another modification in
the employment of two locking studs instead of one. These two studs c and c¹
are placed at such distance from each other that the one stud will pass outside of
the tumblers which are brought to engage with the other stud. Thus if a tumbler
is in locking position with reference to one of the studs, it will be in a passive
position with reference to the other stud, that is to say the other will move and
stand outside of this tumbler the same as in Figures 1 and 2. Both locks will
give the same number of different key combinations. This number can, however,
be increased in the lock Figures 3 and 4 by placing the tumblers as low as in
Figures 1 and 2, so that they will also pass underneath the lower locking stud c.
This gives three possible different positions, for each tumbler, against the two of
the other two manners described: Each tumbler can now either lock upon stud c¹
and have stud e pass on its outside, or lock upon stude and have stud c¹ pass on
its outside, or it can remain in its lowest position and have stud c pass on its
outside.
These locks can be made of any desired size or form, and for any desired
purpose, as well as for any suitable kind or form of key, their advantage being
their great security and simplicity, which latter permits them to be manufactured
at a price not any higher than an ordinary Chubb lock of the same size.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Lock which will permit of being locked by any one out of a number of
differently notched keys, but which can only be unlocked again by the key
used for locking it essentially composed of a bolt, locking stud and tumblers,

page_text: in which the tumblers are so formed and placed with reference to the locking
stud that, when the bolt is shot, the locking stud will pass behind or outside of
such of the tumblers as were not operated upon and brought to engage with
the locking stud by the key.
2. In locks of the kind herein described the combination with the bolt,
tumblers and locking stud of a second locking stud c', which is so placed with
reference to the other locking stud c that it will pass outside of such of the
tumblers as are brought to engage with the stud c, and that this stud c will pass
outside of such tumblers that are brought to engage with the stud c¹.
3. In locks of the kind herein described, having more than one locking stud,
the combination with these studs of a number of tumblers, so formed and placed
with reference to the locking stud c, that this latter will pass outside of such
of the tumblers as are not operated upon by the key, substantially as described.
Dated 5th day of April 1900.
ROBERT B. JENTZSCH.
By George Downing & Sons,
Chartered Patent Agents, 8, Quality Court, London, W.C.