A NEW OR IMPROVED KEYLESS. PUZZLE LOCK FOR WORK-BOXES, TRUNKS AND THE LIKE
Year: 1885

page_text: I, FREDERICK WILLIAM AMSDEN, of Falcon Street, London, Wholesale Ware-
houseman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED
KEYLESS. PUZZLE LOCK FOR WORK-BOXES, TRUNKS AND THE LIKE" to be as
follows:-
My. Invention relates to a new or improved keyless puzzle lock for work-boxes,
trunks and the like, which lock can only be opened by arranging certain of its parts
to form a prearranged combination, and my Invention consists in the construction
and combination of the parts as hereinafter described the object being to produce
such a puzzle lock as shall be self-locking, safe, simple in construction, and cheap to
manufacture.
According to one arrangement of carrying my Invention into practice I provide
a dial of circular form preferably of metal on the face of which are shewn the hours
of the day like the face of a watch. The dial is provided with holes or bosses so
that it can be fixed, preferably flush, with the outside of a work-box or trunk.
I provide a hollow arbor which passes centrally through the said dial and carries at
its outside end, that is to say the end which protrudes through the face of the dial,
a finger and at its inside end, that is to say the end which protrudes through the
back of the dial inside the lock, a metal disc preferably of smaller diameter than
the said dial. I prefer to form the said hollow arbor by raising from the said disc,
and to close the said finger thereon, but it may be made separately and the disc
and finger attached thereto. The edge of the said disc is turned outwards
preferably at right angles thereto so as to form a short cylindrical part. I provide
within the said hollow arbor and to project through the ends thereof a second arbor
having attached to its outside end a finger and to its inside end a disc preferably
of smaller diameter than, and having its edge turned outwards similarly to, the
first said disc.
•
I provide to attach to the lid of the work-box or trunk a hasp having at or near
its end an inclined part and a "flat" part the said "flat" part matching the
cylindrical parts of the said discs when the work-box, trunk or the like is closed.
The edge of each disc has a slot at one part about the same width as the hasp so
that the said cylindrical parts are not continuous. The lid of the work-box, trunk
ID 077

page_text: or the like is locked by simply closing it as the hasp attached thereto is so made
that as its inclined part passes the edges of the discs it springs backward and
then, having passed, springs forward and its "flat" part then catches under the
cylindrical part of the discs and prevents the lid being raised. The said fingers are
made preferably one longer than the other and they are fixed on their arbors
relatively to the said slots in the discs in any desired position so that the lock can
be unlocked when they indicate some particular time. For instance if the lock
opens when the fingers indicate a 'quarter to three" both slots in the discs will
then be uppermost coinciding with each other and with the said "flat" part of the
hasp. The lid can then be raised as the said slots will allow the hasp to pass. If
now the fingers are moved out of the aforesaid position after the lid is raised and
then the lid be closed again it can only be opened by placing the fingers to indicate
a "quarter to three."
"
We sometimes weight one side of each disc, or we may use a spring, to turn the
fingers out of the opening position directly the lid has been raised and so prevent
the secret being known.
We sometimes, in order to make the lock more secure, arrange the hasp with
two "flat" and two "inclined" parts one above the other so that when the lock is
fastened as above described the top "flat" part will bear against the outside disc
and the bottom "flat" part against the inside disc.
To add to the security of the lock we may use to operate similarly to the above,
three or more discs and fingers and corresponding "flat" and "inclined" parts on
the hasp and instead of figures letters may be arranged on the dial so that the lock
can be opened when the fingers point to letters forming some particular word or
words.

page_text: A New or Improved Keyless Puzzle Lock for Work-boxes,
Trunks, and the like.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM AMSDEN, of Falcon Street, London, Wholesale Ware-
houseman, 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 reference being hand to the accompanying drawing, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to a new or improved keyless puzzle lock for work-boxes,
trunks and the like, which lock can only be opened by arranging certain of its
parts to form a prearranged combination and my Invention consists in the con-
struction and combination of the parts as hereinafter described the object being to
produce such a puzzle lock as shall be self-locking, safe, simple in construction and
cheap to manufacture.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in front elevation a keyless
puzzle lock constructed according to my Invention the parts being in their
"unlocked" position; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan; Fig. 3 is a back elevation and
Fig. 4 a plan of the same; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a box with the lock
represented by Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, attached thereto, the lid being raised and the
lock "unlocked"; Fig. 6 represents a front elevation and Fig. 7 a back elevation
separately of the same lock the parts thereof being in their "locked" position;
Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the box and lock represented by Fig. 5 the lid
being closed and locked; Figs. 9, 9* and 10 represent parts separately of the lock
illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 as hereinafter described; Fig. 11
represents a front elevation, Fig. 12 a part sectional plan, Figs. 13 and 14 back
elevations and Fig. 15 a sectional elevation of a modification of my Invention as
hereinafter fully described; Fig. 16 represents a front elevation and Fig. 17 a part
sectional plan of a further modification and Figs. 18, 19 and 20 represent further
modification of my Invention all as hereinafter fully described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
I will first describe my Invention by referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 10,
both inclusive.
•
According to one arrangement of carrying my Invention into practice I provide
a dial A of circular form preferably of metal on the face a of which are shewn the
hours of the day like the face of a watch. The face a of the dial is preferably
made separate from the body of the dial, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11,
12, 13, 14 and 15, for convenience of manufacture but it may if desired form part
of the body of the dial, see Figs. 16, 17, 18 and 19. The dial is provided with
holes or bosses a, a, so that it can be fixed, preferably flush, with the outside of
a work-box D, trunk or other like article. provide a hollow arbor b (see Figs. 9
and 9*) which passes centrally through the dial A and carries at its outside end,
that is to say, the end which protrudes through the face of the dial A a finger b¹,
and at its inside end, that is to say, the end which protrudes through the back of
the dial inside the lock a metal disc B preferably of smaller diameter than the said

page_text: dial A. The said hollow arbor 6 may be formed by raising from the said disc B
and the said finger b¹ may be closed thereon (see Fig. 9*) or it may be made
separately and the disc and finger attached thereto or it may form part of the
finger b¹ (see Fig. 9) and be attached to the disc B. The edge bs of the said disc B
is turned outwards preferably at right angles thereto so as to form a short cylindrical
part. I provide within the said hollow arbor b and to project through the ends
thereof a second arbor c having attached to its outside end a finger c² and to its
inside end a disc C preferably of smaller diameter than, and having its edge c
turned outwards similarly to the first said disc B.
"
I provide to attach to the lid d of the work-box D or trunk or other like article
a hasp E having at or near its end an inclined part e¹ and a "flat" part e³, the
said
flat" part e matching the cylindrical parts 63, c³, of the said discs B, C,
when the work-box D, trunk or the like is closed. The edges 63, c², of the discs B
and C have respectively a slot b³, c³, at one part about the same width as the hasp E
so that the said cylindrical parts b, c, are not continuous. The lid d of the work-
box D, trunk or the like is locked by simply closing it (see Fig. 8) as the hasp E
attached thereto is so made that as its inclined part e' passes the edges b³, c³, of the
discs B and C it springs backwards and then, having passed, springs forward, and
its "flat" part 2 then catches under the cylindrical parts b', c², of the discs B
and C and prevents the lid being raised (see Fig. 8). The said fingers b¹, c¹, are
made preferably one longer than the other and they are fixed on their arbors b, c,
relatively to the said slots b³, c³, in the discs B, C, in any desired position so that
the lock can be unlocked when they indicate some particular time. For instance
if the lock opens when the fingers indicate a "quarter to three" (see Fig. 1) both
slots b, c, in the discs B and C will then be uppermost coinciding with each other
(see Fig. 3) and with the said "flat" part e" of the hasp E. The lid d can then
be raised as the said slots b, c, will allow the hasp E to pass (see Figs. 3 and 5).
If now the fingers 6', cl, are moved out of the aforesaid position after the lid d is
raised, for instance to indicate "five o'clock" (see Fig. 6) and then the lid be closed
again (see Figs. 7 and 8) it can only be opened by placing the fingers b¹, c¹, to
indicate a "quarter to three."
I sometimes weight one side of each disc, or I may use a spring, to turn the
fingers out of the opening position directly the lid has been raised and so prevent
the secret being known. This is illustrated by Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 as
applied to a lock in which a separate face a is used for each disc. The disc B. has
a weight b' formed on one side thereof and the disc B¹ has one end f¹ of a coiled
spring Fattached to it (see Fig. 13) the other end fi of the spring F being
attached to the dial A. After the discs B and B' have been turned to the "open
position (see Fig. 13) the weight and the spring F will cause them to assume
their locked position (see Figs. 14 and 15).
"2
I sometimes, in order to make the lock more secure, arrange the hasp with two
"flat" and two "inclined" parts one above the other so that when the lock is
fastened as above described the top "flat" part will bear against the outside disc
and the bottom "flat" part against the inside disc. This modification of my
Invention is illustrated by Figs. 18, 19 and 20, Fig. 18 being a back and Fig. 19
a sectional elevation of the lock and hasp and Fig. 20 representing the hasp
separately. The hasp E has a "flat" part e and inclined" part 3 above the
"flat" and "inclined" parts e¹, e, so that when the lock is fastened (see Figs. 18
and 19) as above described with reference to the preceeding Figures the top "flat"
parte will bear against the outside disc B and the bottom "flat" part e will bear
against the inside disc C.
"
To add to the security of the lock I may use to operate similarly to the above,
three or more discs and fingers and corresponding "flat" and "inclined" parts
on the hasp and instead of figures, letters may be arranged on the dial so that the
lock can be opened when the fingers point to letters forming some particular word
or words, for instance as shewn by Figs. 16 and 17 which represent a three laced
lock with letters instead of fingers arranged to open at the word AND.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The new or improved keyless puzzle lock for work-boxes, trunks and the
like hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, that is
to say, a lock consisting essentially of a dial face a having at the back thereof two
or more discs B, C, each of which is connected to and can be caused to rotate by a
finger on the said dial face the parts being constructed and arranged to operate for
the purpose and as described and illustrated.
2. The new or improved keyless puzzle lock for work-boxes, trunks and the like
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, that is to say,
a lock consisting essentially of two or more dial faces a side by side each having at
the back thereof one or more discs B each of which is connected to and can be
caused to rotate by a finger on the said dial face the parts being constructed and
arranged to operate for the purpose and as described and illustrated.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
128, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.