Improvements in Combination Locks.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combination Locks.
I, TIMOTHY WILLIAM MCGRATH, of 209 Ross Street, in the City of Brooklyn,
County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of America, Engineer,
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:
My invention relates to that class of locking devices, known as combination locks,
in which the bolt is unlocked through the medium of a certain combination of letters,
marks or numbers.
The object of my invention is to provide a simple, secure and durable lock
consisting of few parts, and which will be very cheap to manufacture.
The invention consists in the combination with the door or cover to be locked of
two or more rotating disks, each having a cut away portion at its periphery to
permit the door or cover to pass and a groove or projection to be engaged by said
disks, whereby when the uncut part of a disk is in line with said groove, or
projection the door or cover cannot be moved, but when the cut away part of the
disk is in line with said groove or projection, the door or cover is free to be
moved.
A combination of letters or symbols is used to act as a guide to enable the
proper part of the disk to be brought into position to permit the door or cover to
be opened.
The invention also consists in the novel details of improvement and the com-
bination of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out
in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof,
wherein
Figure 1, is a partly broken perspective view of a box having my improvements
applied.
Figure 2, is an inverted plan view of the cover.
Figure 3. is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the parts in the locked
position, and
Figure 4, is a face view of the locking disk.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown my invention as applied to a box A,
to hold its cover B closed. My invention contemplates the combination of two or
more, preferably two, of said locking devices as shown in Figure 1, which consist of
the disk D shown carried on the spindle a, the dial knobs & being rigidly connected to
said spindles. Each dial knob is provided with a marked or numbered portion or
dial formed upon or rigidly attached thereto, so that when the dial knob / is
rotated, the dial and parts a and D revolve. The disks D are cut away at D', on
one edge to reduce their diameter at that point, and the remainder D³ of the
periphery of the disks is to enter a groove or engage a projection y, shown on the
door or cover B, (or the part to be held) whereby the latter cannot be moved unless
the cut away part of the disks both coincide with the groove or projection g.
e is a
stationary dial plate shown carried on the box A and having on its face two
lettered or numbered dials and being provided with two apertures e¹ to admit the
spindles a. This stationary dial plate although preferably made in one piece may
be made in two plates having one dial e on each plate.
The spindles a are shown journaled in the side of the box A and the disks D are
concealed within the box while the operating knobs are on the outside. prefer
to provide the knobs b, with a less number of figures or characters than the dial

page_text: plates e, so that only one combination of figures can be made at once, the others
remaining out of line.
To open the lock, the disks D, D, must be turned by rotating the knobs b, until
the correct number combinations are reached upon the dials, when the cut away
parts D on both disks will coincide or be parallel in line with the groove or
projection g, and the groove or projection g will be then completely disengaged
from the disks and the cover be free to open. A. partial revolution either to the
right or left of either or both disks then relocks the parts as the part D³ then
encounters the groove or projection g.
It will be observed that by using the disks D, correspondingly cut away at D',
both the latter places must coincide in line with the obstruction on the cover before
the latter will open, and that if either disk is turned slightly, the cover will be
locked. The construction of parts is very simple, yet effective in use, and the cost
to manufacture is very slight so that the locks can be placed on cheap articles, such
as " scholars companions" (pencil boxes) cigar and stamp boxes. It will be under-
stood that when I speak of a box and its cover I mean any device to which the
invention is applicable, as it is capable of use on drawers, doors, windows, and many
other articles. It is evident that the disks could be carried on the cover and the
obstruction g be on the box with the same result.
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 disks D having corresponding cut away parts D³, combined with a
movable cover,
door or the like to be held by said disks, substantially as described.
2. The disks D, having corresponding cut away parts D2, combined with a
movable cover, door or the like to be held by said disks, and a groove or projection
on said cover to be engaged by said disks, substantially as described.
3. The disks D, having corresponding cut away parts D2, spindles carrying the
same, knobs on said spindles and scales on said knobs, combined with a cover, door
or the like to be held by said disks, scales to correspond with the scales on the
knobs, and a groove or projection on said cover to be engaged by said disks,
substantially as described.
4. The combination of two disks, having corresponding cut away parts D2,
operating knobs connected to said disks and separate scales on said knobs C with
stationary scales to co-act with the knob scales, a cover, door or the like to be held
by said disks and a box or the like, carrying said parts, substantially as described.
5. In a combination lock the combination of two or more lock disks D, each
having a spindle a and dial knob b, having scales, the parts D and b, being rigidly
connected together and each capable of being rotated independently in holes
provided in the article to be locked; and a single stationary dial plate e formed of
one piece of material and having holes to admit the spindles of the lock bolts,
having a scale graduated differently from the scale of the dial knob b, all in
combination with a groove g, in the cover or casing, substantially as described.
6. In a combination lock, the combination of two or more lock disks D, each
having a scale, and spindle a, and a dial knob b, the parts D, a and b, being rigidly
connected together and each capable of being rotated independently in holes
provided in the article to be locked; and each being provided with a single
stationary dial plate e having a hole admitting the spindle a, and having on its face
a scale graduated differently from the scale of the dial knob b, in combination with
a groove or projection g, in the cover or casing, substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of September 1891.
TIMOTHY WILLIAM MCGRATH.