Improvements in Combination Locks.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combination Locks.
A communication from ERNEST FÉRET, of 42, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in
the Republic of France.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to an improved keyless lock i.e. a lock which is .
opened by means of ordinary handles bearing figures or letters or the like by means
of which different combinations can be formed.
This lock which may also be applied to safes and all kinds of furniture as well as to
doors of any kind consists of a box or case which contains the whole of the mechanism
and is closed by a plate. Through the whole pass two rods or spindles of square
section and provided at both ends with handles or knobs for the purpose of opening
the door from the inside or outside. The upper spindle passes through a square socket
provided on its outer side with a toothed sector gearing with a few teeth formed in
the upper edge of the large bolt of the lock.
By turning the spindle the large bolt is therefore moved laterally to open or lock
the door.
The lower spindle passes through a square socket provided with a nose or single
tooth which engages in a slot formed in the small bolt of the lock in such a manner
that by turning this lower spindle the small bolt is moved laterally.
The said spindles may be dispensed with and the socket pieces turned by means
of a key having the same shape as the opening in the socket.
Through the lock pass a series of short rod. These rods are of square section
for very nearly their whole length and are provided with two noses; they are further
provided with two springs and a transversely projecting pin. Each of the said rods
passes through an opening formed in a spring blade fixed to the case.
This spring
bears against the above named pin and tends to push the rod outwards.
Each rod passes through the cover plate and enters a socket at the end of which is
a spring button by pushing which with the finger the rod is pushed inwards. These
buttons are numbered as required and are visible from the outside of the door.
Instead of figures they may be marked with letters or other signs.
The body of the large bolt is of a flat form and is formed with openings and at the
upper and lower part with a series of notches in which the noses of the short rods are
adapted to engage.
The body of the small bolt has the section of an angle iron. The vertical part is
formed with openings through which pass the lower row of the short rods and the
upper and lower parts are provided with projections.
The operation of the lock is as follows;-
The short rods upon leaving the bolts perfectly free the latter can be moved by
simply turning the handles of the spindles.
If it is desired to prevent any one from opening the door any desired combination
of the numbered buttons is made, for instance, 2, 8, 4, 9. The rod bearing the
number 2 is now drawn inward from the inside of the door and given a half turn
so that the nose of the rod which was at the top is now at the bottom, the rod
is then released and is returned into its former position by the action of the above
named spring. The same operation is performed with the rods bearing the numbers 8
4 and 9.
The noses of the short rods numbered as above which were at the bottom before
are at the top now and engage in the notches formed in the body of the large bolt
so that they must be displaced first from these notches before the large bolt can be

page_text: moved.
To open the door it suffices to press successively the outer buttons 2, 8, 4
and 9. By depressing the buttons the short rods are pushed in and one of the small
springs slipping over one of the projections of the small bolt retains the rod and
thus keeps its nose disengaged from the notch in the large bolt. The latter is now
free and can be moved by simply turning its handle.
To open the door definitely the small bolt is moved by turning its handle and in
doing so the projections of the small bolt are also moved aside, releasing the small
springs of the above named rods 2, 8, 4, 9 which are now returned into their former
position.
If any stranger tries to open the door and presses one of the buttons which is
not in the combination, one of the small springs will always slip over one of the
projections of the small bolt and retain the short rod, but one of the noses of this
rod will now engage with one of the notches of the large bolt and prevent this latter
from being moved even after the right buttons have been depressed afterwards.
To open the door only the buttons in combination ought therefore to be depressed.
To lock the door the buttons of the combination are depressed first the large bolt
is then shot into its socket by turning its handle, the handle of the small bolt is then
turned to move this latter to liberate the rods of the combination and permit them to
return to their former position. The small bolt is returned by means of a spring
and the door is locked.
As many of the rods as desired may be included in the combination, but it is
desirable not to include more than half of them.
To increase the safety an electric contact may be attached to each rod not in the
combination and arranged to ring an electric bell directly a stranger depresses one of
the buttons not in the combination.
Dated this 4th day of June 1889.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combination Locks.
A communication from ERNEST FERET, of 42, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in
the Republic of France.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 :-
The present invention relates to an improved keyless lock i.e., a lock which is
opened by means of ordinary handles bearing figures or letters or the like by means"
of which different combinations can be formed.
In the accompanying drawings
:-
Fig. 1 represents the outer part of the lock.
Fig. 2 represents a view of the interior the covering being removed.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line a b of fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the small bolt.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the rods for forming the combinations.
Fig. 6 represents the position of two of the said rods, which are drawn from the
inner side of the door to form a combination.
Fig. 7 is one of the rods in position to be pushed from the outside for opening the
door.
Fig. 8 represents the same rod pushed back.
Fig. 9 represents a wrong rod pushed back in error and preventing the door from
opening.
This lock which may also be applied to safes and all kinds of furniture as well as to
doors of any kind consists of a box or case A which contains the whole of the

page_text: mechanism and is closed by a plate B. Through the whole pass two rods or spindles CD
of square section and provided at both ends with handles or knobs for the purpose of
opening the door from the inside or outside. The upper spindle C passes through a
square socket C¹ provided on its outer side with a toothed sector gearing with a
few teeth formed in the upper edge of the large bolt P of the lock.
By turning the spindle the large bolt is therefore moved laterally to open or lock
the door.
The lower spindle D passes through a square socket D¹ provided with a nose or
single tooth which engages in a slot T formed in the small bolt Q of the lock in such
a manner that by turning this lower spindle D the small bolt is moved laterally.
The said spindles C and D may be dispensed with and the socket pieces ("¹ D'
turned by means of a key having the same shape as the opening in the socket.
Through the lock pass a series of short rods E (10 being represented in the
drawing). These rods represented in perspective in fig. 5, are of square section for
very nearly their whole length and are provided with two noses ef; they are further
provided with two springs and a transversely projecting pin F. Each of the said
rods passes through an opening formed in a spring blade R fixed to the case. This
spring bears against the above named pin F and tends to push the rod outwards.
Each rod passes through the cover plate B and enters a socket G at the end of
which is a spring button by pushing which with the finger the rod is pushed inwards.
These buttons are numbered as represented in fig. 1 and are visible from the outside
of the door. Instead of figures they may be marked with letters or other signs.
The body of the large bolt P is of a flat form and is formed with openings and at
the upper and lower part with a series of notches in which the noses of the short
rods E are adapted to engage.
The body of the small bolt Q has the section of an angle iron (fig. 6). The vertical
part is formed with openings through which pass the lower row of the short rods E,
and the upper and lower parts are provided with projections q.
The operation, of the lock is as follows:-The short rods E being in the position
indicated in fig. 3 i.e., leaving the bolts PQ perfectly free the latter can be moved by
simply turning the handles of the spindles (, D.
If it is desired to prevent any one from opening the door any desired combination
of the numbered buttons is made, for instance 2, 8, 4, 9. The rod bearing the
number 2 is now drawn inward, from the inside of the door (fig. 6) and given a half
turn so that the nose e of the rod which was at the top is now at the bottom, the rod
is then released and is returned into its former position by the action of the above
named spring R. The same operation is performed with the rods bearing the
numbers 8, 4, and 9.
The noses of the short rods E, numbered as above, which were at the bottom
before are at the top now and engage in the notches formed in the body of the large
bolt so that they must be displaced first from these notches before the large bolt
can be moved. To open the door it suffices to press successively the outer
buttons 2, 8, 4, 9. By depressing the buttons the short rods E are pushed in and one
of the small springs r slipping over one of the projections of the small bolt retains the
rod and thus keeps its nosef disengaged from the notch in the large bolt (fig. 8).
The latter is now free and can be moved by simply turning its handle.
To open the door definitely the small bolt is moved by turning its handle and in
doing so the projections g of the small bolt are also moved aside, releasing the small
springs r of the above named rods 2, 8, 4, 9 which are now returned into their former
position.
If any stranger tries to open the door and presses one of the buttons which is not in
the combination, one of the small springs r will always slip over one of the projections
of the small bolt and retain the short rod E, but one of the noses of this rod will now
engage with one of the notches of the large bolt (fig. 9) and prevent this latter from
being moved even after the right buttons have been depressed afterwards.
To open the door only the buttons in the pre-determined combination ought there-
fore to be pressed.

page_text: To lock the door the buttons of the combination are depressed first the large bolt is
then shot into its socket by turning its handle, the handle of the small bolt is then
turned to move this latter to liberate the rods of the combination and permit them to
return to their former position. The small bolt is returned by means of a spring S
and the door is locked.
As many of the rods as desired may be included in the combination, but it is
desirable not to include more than half of them.
To increase the safety an electric contact may be attached to each rod not in the
combination and arranged to ring an electric bell directly a stranger depresses one of
the buttons not in the combination.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A keyless lock provided with a series of outer buttons each numbered or
otherwise individualized, several of which, in a pre-determined combination, must be
moved to permit the bolts to be operated.
2. In a permutation lock square rods such as E each under the influence of a spring
and provided with two noses e f arranged in such a manner that when the rods are
turned the noses f engage in notches formed in the large bolt and the rods must be
pushed back by spring buttons from the outside to disengage the said noses from the
large bolt and allow this to be moved, the said rods being provided with small springs
or catches such as which slip over and engage with projections on the small bolt
when the said rods are being pushed back, and arranged in such a manner that when
one of the rods not in the combination pushed back one of its noses will engage in
the large bolt and prevent this from moving thus rendering the opening of the door
impossible, the whole constructed and operating substantially as herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a permutation lock a large bolt formed with notches in which the noses of
short rods are adapted to engage, and a small bolt provided with projections with
which springs fixed to the said short rods are adapted to engage when the latter are
pushed back, this small bolt being constructed in such a manner as to disengage all
the above named springs when moved laterally and to permit the above rods to return
to their former position, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.