Improvements in Time Locks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1892-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Time Locks.
I, EDWIN SANFORD PHELPS, of No. 222 Delaware Street, Leavenworth, in
the County of Leavenworth, and State of Kansas, United States of America,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in time locks, applicable to doors of
offices, banks, safes and the like, these locks being so constructed that the door can
only during a certain predetermined time be unlocked by a certain key, entrusted
it may be to a clerk or servant, but can at any time be unlocked by a different key,
carried by the principal. The time mechanism for this purpose can be applied to
a special lock or to a lock suitably provided with tumblers or dogs to guard the
key hub, and it may have combined with it means for recording the times at which
the door may have been unlocked.
In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference designate
corresponding parts,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a time lock according to this invention, the front
of the casing being removed,
Figure 2 is a side elevation, the side of the casing being removed,
Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,
Figure 4 is an enlarged plan of the casing for the outer key-hub and its
adjuncts.
Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the casing carrying the outer key-hub and ports
connected therewith,
Figure 6 is a front view of one of the movable tumblers,
Figure 7 is a front elevation of the two dials, the outer partly broken away, and
of the lock proper, with its casing removed,
Figure 8 is an enlarged section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7,
Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 8, and
Figure 10 is a perspective view showing one of the extension arms and
its guide.
A is the door, B the main casing of the lock, C the lock proper and D the clock
mechanism. E is the escutcheon which is fixed on the outer face of the door and
has secured to its back the casing F which carries the key hub, through which
the lock bolt can be moved from outside.
The lock C contains a bolt e recessed on its inner side to receive the dog c'
which has a rack c³ formed on its upper edge. The key hub c³ is seated in a
socket and is provided with usual tumblers, and with arms c and c, which, when
the hub is rotated, move the bolt c depressing the dog c¹ which is normally by
the arm in engagement with the lantern gear h³, so that the bolt cannot be
moved until the dog is released by its depression by turning c. By means of the
hub c the lock can be operated at any time from the interior.
Above the lock C in a hole h of a sleeve H is journaled a spindle h', to the front
of which is attached the lantern gear h³ which gears with the rack c² of the dog c³,
so that on the rotating of the spindle h', the bolt c is moved to lock or unlock
the door from outside. The end of the spindle h¹ is diametrically slotted across
at h.
To the back plate of the casing B the
screws passing through threaded lugs
of various thickness. The casing F is
escutcheon E. In the casing F is journaled
casing F is adjustably secured by the
allowing the lock to be fitted to doors
secured to or made integral with the
the key-hub ƒ which is slotted for the

page_text: reception of a key and prevented from being turned by any other than the proper
key by the spring tumblers f1 f1 having their upper parts fitted in the extension f
and the lower parts in the hub. Two of the upper tumblers are of the shape shown
in Figure 6, haring at their upper ends projecting lugs f³ fitting slot in . The
inner end of the key hub has a diametrical cross slot receiving one end of the
plate the other end of which is engaged in the slot * so that when the key hub f
is turned by a proper key the spindle and the lantern gear h³ are turned, moving
the bolt a to lock or unlock the door.
Two different keys are provided, one of which can adjust all the tumblers except
those which have the lugs f³, and consequently the spindle cannot be turned so
long as these tumblers are in the way. But the time mechanism hereinafter
described during a certain predetermined time raises the tumblers allowing the
key to turn the hub. At any other time, these tumblers being lowered, the hub
cannot be turned except by another key which makes the proper adjustment of all
the tumblers including those and turns the hub at any time.
The clock mechanism D is such as is ordinarily used in twenty four hour clocks.
The stationary dial plate d supported by the brackets d' d' has marked on it the
hours, one to twenty four inclusive. Beneath the fixed dial d is a moving dial
consisting of the plate 2 mounted on the sleeve 3 journaled on the shaft d' which
carries the hour hand so that d² rotates with the hour hand. On the face of d³,
near its edge, are arranged 24 equidistant radial arms M. Each of these has a
dovetail guide fixed to d² and a sliding part m' fitting in m.
To limit the motion
of m¹ its inner end has a stop m² and it has two notches either of which can be
engaged with a spring m³ to hold m³ in the position to which it may be adjusted.
Each of the arms m¹ terminates in a segmental piece m which projects slightly
beyond the fixed dial. These arms are numbered consecutively from one to
twenty four inclusive, and they are so arranged that the number twelve is directly
'under the hour hand. The segments m, when these arms are extended, press upon
a lever a, which through intermediate mechanism, hereinafter described, elevate
the two tumblers f³. Suppose, for instance, that a merchant desires to adjust
the lock of his store so as to allow the porter, whose key can only operate the
key hub when the tumblers f³ are raised, to use his key between the hours of
seven o'clock a.m. and six o'clock p.m. Before leaving at night, he draws out all of
the segments m³ numbered seven to eighteen inclusive. As the dial de revolves,
these segments press upon the arm a for the time mentioned and through the inter-
mediate mechanism hold up the tumblers 3. As each of the segments will control
the tumblers for an hour they may be so arranged as to operate at any desired
intervals. All the segments or any of them may be divided into two parts each
controlling the tumblers f³ for half an hour.
The intermediate mechanism connecting the segments m₁ to the tumblers f³ is of
the following description.
A bracket K below the clock mechanism has journalled in it the outer end of a
spindle k, the inner end of which has a disc k² diametrically slotted to receive the
one end of a plate k³. The other end of ³ is forked and engages with the notched
periphery of a plate k which can turn on a pin ³ fixed in f. Attached to the
plate k*, near its edge, is an arm k which extends under the projection f³ of the
two special tumblers. On the outer end of the shaft k is fixed the arm a having a
friction roller a¹ at its one end; a spring a², connecting the other end of the arm
with the frame K, holds the arm in an upright position but yields to allow the
arm a to be deflected to the left by any of the segments m*.
On a spindler is a roll R of graduated paper or tape which passes between
rollers S of rubber or other suitable material, which are driven at uniform speed by
the clock mechanism and draw the graduated tape between guide rollers R¹ and
guides G G. As the paper is withdrawn from the roll it is deposited in a suitable
receptacle to which access is had only by a person in authority.
A lever T pivoted at t has in its lower end a slot engaging a pin t¹ projecting
eccentrically from the lantern gear h³, so that when the lantern is turned to unlock

page_text: the door from outside a punch on the upper end of the lever T is caused to
perforate the paper as it passes slots t³ in the guides G. Thus it can always be
ascertained by examination of the graduated tape, at what hours the door has been
unlocked from the exterior.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a time lock the combination of a key hub guarded by tumblers with a
clock mechanism whereby one or more of the said tumblers is raised to allow
the use of a certain key during only a predetermined time, substantially as
described.
2. In the clock mechanism above referred to the combination of the moving
dial, its radially adjustable arms and the intermediate mechanism connecting these
arms with the tumblers, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the time lock the recording mechanism to register the
turning of the hub, substantially as described.
4. In a time lock, the combination of the locking bolt and the dog for moving it
having a rack formed on its upper edge and the rotatable lantern gear meshing
with the said rack substantially as described.
5. The combination of the lantern gear rotated by the key hub, the pin
eccentrically mounted thereon, the lever engaging at its lower end with the pin
and having at its upper end a punch, the tape roll, the guide, and the guide rolls,
substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1809
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.