IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS."-A communication from abroad by
Nicolas Petre, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America.
Sealed the 15th June 1869, and dated the 22nd April 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 22nd April 1869, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Locks," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same,
and have made solemn Declaration that it has been communicated to

page_text: United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings forming
a part of this Specification:-
The locks represented on Sheet 1 and in Figures 31 and 32 of Sheet 3
are what may be termed latch locks, as the bolt in each of these per-
forms the duty of locking and of latching, and the general and leading
characteristic of this series of locks consists in their having a latch or
bolt that can be operated from one or both sides of the door by a knob
or its equivalent, when the said latch or bolt is not otherwise set or
controlled by a key or its equivalent, which turns a lever or eccentric
hub in the lock and disconnects the bolt or latch from the action of the
knobs, and then the bolt is a locking bolt.
Figures 1, 2, 3, represent different views of one and the same lock,
viz., in perspective, section, and plan respectively, and A represents the
end of the beveled bolt projecting through the edge of the box or lock
case B. This bolt A within the case is pivoted at a to what may be
termed the tumbler or interior portion C of the bolt. The portion C,
in addition to its sliding with the bolt, has a motion at right angles to
the line of the bolt, and that the bolt proper may snugly fit the opening
through which it shoots there is a hinged or pivoted connection at a
that admits of the interior portion rising and falling without carrying
the exterior portion with it. On the interior portion C of the bolt
there is one fixed arm or hook c, which works in connection with the
shoulder 6 on the hub D, through which an ordinary door knob shank
passes, and there is hinged to the piece C at d an arm E, whose hook e
works in connection with the shoulder fon the hub D. The object of
the two arms and two hooks and shoulders is that the bolt A may be
drawn into the lock by turning the knobs either way, to the right or to
the left, and when released the reaction of the spring 9 throws it out
again. F is an eccentric hub, in which the key pin i is loosely placed,
so that they will not necessarily move together. If they did move
together a pair of nippers applied to the said pin would or could be
used for turning the eccentric, and thus opening the door. The key

page_text: pin being loose in the eccentric the latter cannot be moved by simply
moving the pin. In the key G, which is guided by and turns on this
pin i, there is a stud 1, which enters a hole 2 in the hub F, by which
means the hub is turned, and unless this stud be accurately set in
the key, or the hole 2 be accurately bored for the stud, the key will not
turn the hub. When this hub F is turned by the key the eccentric
rim thereof takes against the interior piece C and moves it upward
against the action of the spring 3, and so far upward that the shoulder b
on the hub D fails to catch against the hook c, and consequently the
turning of the hub by the knob or handle will not operate ou the bolt A
or its tumbler C, and thus the lock is inoperative without the key, and
serves as a dead latch lock. A pin or stud 4 is arranged to prevent the
tumbler C from rising too high. On what I term the tumbler C, and
which, but for the fact that it is pivoted to the bolt A, might be called
a portion of the bolt itself, there is a projection 14, which when the
cccentric F is turned far enough to raise the said tumbler takes into
a recess 5 in the eccentric, and there holds until the key is again used
to turn said eccentric. A spring / bears against the hinged portion E
of the tumbler to keep it within the range of the shoulder fon the
hub D, but when the tumbler is raised the said hinged portion E is
prevented from rising with it by a stud or pin 6, and further it swings
the said portion back, so as to be out of the reach of the shoulder on
the hub D, so that in the raised position of the tumbler the hub cannot
act upon either of the arms, and the bolt cannot be operated. A guide
or way on the lock case directs the tumbler or bolt in its backward and
forward motions, and a projection k on the tumbler coming against the
lock case defines the forward or shooting motion of the bolt. That the
bolt may not partake of or be cramped by the upward movement of the
tumbler a spring 7 bears against it, so that such movement will merely
operate the hinge at a and not bind the bolt. A pin 8 prevents the
eccentric from being turned in the wrong direction or from going clear
around, as the swell on the eccentric will not pass the said pin, and when
the eccentric arrives at that part of its "throw" or "beat" where it
raises the tumbler and receives the projection 14 in its recess 5 the
pin 8 stops any further motion in that direction. The hub D has short
journals on its ends, which fit and turn in suitable bearings in the
lock case and its cover H, as seen in the section Figure 2. The barrel
of the eccentric F has a bearing in a recess cast or formed in the
cover H, through which raised bearing the keyhole is also made, and

page_text: is on.
this closed or covered bearing protects the eccentric from being tampered
with from the outside of the lock, or that side of it which this bearing
The opposite end of the eccentric has a bearing in the lock case
by shoulders having a short journal thereon, and a boss m on that end
of the eccentric extends through and beyond the lock case, on which
a knob I is fastened by a "through-and-through "pin " or otherwise, so
that the eccentric may be worked by the knob on the inside as well as by
the key from the outside, and serve all the purposes of a night latch
or lock. The hub D is provided with the ordinary square hole o for
receiving the shank of the common door or latch knobs, so that when
serving as a latch it may be operated from either side of the door, but
when it is a lock or a night latch, as above explained, these knobs will
not operate the bolt.
Figures 4 and 5 represent by plan and section a modification of my
Invention differing from the above described lock only in the con-
struction of some of the parts, as follows:-The hub D in this
modification has four shoulders or recesses instead of two as in the first
described plan. The bolt is in one piece, only not having a hinged
portion attached to it. The bolt A instead of being connected to the
tumbler by a hinge is attached by a shank p, around which is coiled a
spring q, while a pin r holds the bolt and its shank to the said tumbler,
and a post or studs on the case prevents the shank and bolt from
passing too far into the case. The object of the shank and spring
arrangement is that the bolt may be turned in the tumbler to adapt
the lock to a right or left hand door. The eccentric F in this modi-
fication is turned by the key from both sides of the door, instead of one
side only, and having two keyholes the knob need not be used, and the
lock constructed in this way may be used as a mortise lock. The
eccentric is also supported and turns in raised bearings at both of
its ends, but the key pin i is loose in the eccentric as in the first
described lock, so that turning it with nippers from the outside will
not turn the eccentric. The bolt A is thrown into and out of action
with the hub D in substantially the same manner as in the first
described lock.
Figures 6 and 7 represent in plan and section respectively another
modification of the lock in which the bolt A and the portion C are
really united together rigidly, but occupy the same relations to the
outside and, inside of the case as in the first described lock. Instead of

page_text: one arm E only hinged to the portion C there are two arms E, E, both
acting in connection with the hub D and its shoulders, so that by
turning the knob and hub in either direction a quarter turn or there-
abouts, the bolt A will be drawn into the case, and when released the
3. reaction of the springs g, g, will force the bolt out again. The eccentric
F in this modification has two "beats" or "throws," and two notches
5, 5, one for each of the projections 14 on the two arms E, so as to
throw and hold both hinged arms out of action with the hub D. The
key pin i in this case is loose also in the eccentric. When the eccentric
is turned so as to allow the hinged arms to come within the action of the
shoulders on the hub the springs g by their reaction draw the said arms
towards the hub and there hold them with sufficient force to make their
action with the hub certain. In this lock there is one keyhole, viz., on
the outside of the door, wile on the inside it can be operated by a knob
or handle I.
In Figures 8 and 9 is a third modification of this general plan of
constructing and operating locks. In this lock the bolt and tumbler is
in one piece. The hub D is in the same form as that shown in Figure 4,
so that the bolt can be moved by turning the hub, while it will be shot
out when released by the reaction of its spring g. When the interior
end of the bolt is raised by the eccentric F to throw it out of action with
the hub D, a recess t therein takes a stud or pin u in the lock case, and
prevents the bolt from moving or being moved so long as it is raised.
The eccentric in this plan has the same appliances as in the first-
déscribed plan, and operates and is operated in the same way. This
makes an exceedingly cheap and efficient lock, as it has the properties of
a latch, a lock, and a night latch and lock combined, and yet its whole
interior consists of but three operative parts or pieces.
Figures 10 and 11 represent another modification of the lock wherein
the use of a key is dispensed with entirely, the cam lever F which
projects through the lock case serving the purposes of the key and
eccentric. By moving this cam lever the arm c is thrown out of action
with the hub D, and the bolt then cannot be moved by the knobs from
either side of the door, except at the will of the user from the inside, and
when thrown out a pin u prevents its being moved into the case. This
is a very cheap and efficient lock considering its duties of latch and lock,
or both combined.
Figures 31 and 32, Sheet 3, represent another modification of my

page_text: Invention, which is substantially like that in Figures 8 and 9, Sheet 1,
except that the eccentric F and its barrel are supported and turn in a
plate G attached to the lock case, and has a keyhole on each side, so as
to be operated by the key from either side. The knobs too may be on
both sides of the door. Otherwise it is the same in effect and operation
as that shown in Figures 8 and 9.
Figures 12, 13, 22, and 23, of Sheet 2, and Figures 37 and 38 of
Sheet 3, represent respectively plans and sections of a lock in which the
bolt is operated by a turning eccentric, which eccentric is operated by
a key from the exterior, and has guards through which and in which the
key must accurately pass and fit before it can reach or unite with the
eccentric by which the bolt is operated,
In Figures 12 and 13 the lock case A contains a bolt B, on or with
which is cast a yoke C that may move with the bolt and be guided in
its movements hy guides a, a, in the case. Within the yoke C a cam D
is placed, by which with the key E properly made for releasing and
moving it the bolt can be moved in or out of the lock case. On the
case A there is a hub or solid portion b, which contains two spring
locking pins c, c, and over this part 6 the barrel or hollow portion d of
the eccentric or cam D is placed, the said barrel or hollow portion
extending beyond the top of the hub b, and having one permanenţ
division or partition e in it and a removable one f. The cover F of the
lock has a cap or enclosed chamber 9 formed or cast upon it, which
when put upon the case slips over and entirely covers and conceals the
barrel d of the eccentric. The lower partition e has two holes 1, 1,
through which the pins 2, 2, of the key E must be made to take and fit
so as to press down the spring pins c, c, which lock the eccentric to the
hub or solid portion 6 of the case, and without the removal of which the
eccentric cannot be turned by even the proper key or the bolt moved.
On this partition e there is supported a tumbler or hub h, which is bored
and slotted as at i, so that the key may pass through it when in proper
position or line, and a spring ; around it by its pressure or friction
prevents the said hub from turning except by the key. Above this
tumbler or hub h, which is of considerable thickness and solidity, there is
the other partition f, which is removable, so that the hub h may be
placed in its proper position, when it may be secured by a pin or rivet,
and permanently held to the barrel. On top of this partition f is placed
a second hub or tumbler h, in all respects like that below said partition,

page_text: and distinctly shewn in Figure 13, and over all is placed the cap or
cover g on the lock plate. Of course there is a key slot or opening
through the partition f. The key pin k is screwed into the hub bor
otherwise fastened to it, and extends up through the partitions e, f, and
hubs h, h, to the exterior of the cap g, through the upper end of which
cap there is also a key opening. In the bolt B there is arranged a small
spring bolt m which has a knife edge projection n on it that takes into
the notches o, o, in the eccentric when they come around opposite to it,
and holds the eccentric from turning any further except when the key is
used. This spring bolt m is prevented from turning in its seat whilst it.
moves in and out by a pin p, the point of which extends into a longi-
tudinal groove q in the said bolt, distinctly seen in Figure 16. The
partition e, as shewn in Figure 13, is flat and horizontal, but as a further
protection against the use of any other than the right key it may be
made concave, as seen in Figure 17, so that the key must be corre-
spondingly made in order to reach the spring pins c, c, and press them a
certain and defined distance down or inward by the key pins 2, 2, and
no further, else the key pins in turn become locks by passing into the
hub, and thus prevent the key from being turned or turning the
eccentric or working the bolt. There are thus several barriers in this
lock against any but the right key, and that must be very nicely defined
in its parts and dimensions, as follows:-The key pin k is very long, and
the bore in the key pod must be correspondingly long to allow the key
to reach its point of connection with the eccentric D to turn it, and
through it to move the bolt. The pins 2, 2, in the key must be
accurately set to meet and operate those c, c, in the hub b, which must
be as accurately located so as to unlock the movable from the immovable
part of the lock. The curvature of the bottom of the chamber (as seen
in Figure 17) requires a similar curvature in the key, else the latter
would not with its pins accurately meet and definitely move the pins c, c.
In withdrawing the key after locking the lock the lower hub h must be
turned until its key opening matches the key opening in the partition f,
so as to pass through or out of the said partition, which is stationary.
Then the upper hub h must be turned until its key opening matches
that in the top of the case or cover g which is out of the line of that in f,
and when the key is withdrawn a direct avenue from the outside to the
interior is cut off or broken by several pieces of solid metal which
prevent the introduction of powder into the interior to blow open the
lock, and also prevent a "pick "from being introduced until all these

page_text: key openings are in line. The key is inserted into the lock by pushing
it inward and continuing to turn it as it is pushed in, and is withdrawn
by a reverse movement, and turning it at the same time.
Figures 22 and 23 represent a modification of the just above described
lock, in which the bolts B are doubled and the yoke dispensed with.
In this plan the eccentric D moves against the bolt B directly to force it
out of the lock, whilst it is returned by the reaction of the spring, that
is compressed in moving the bolt out. The point or projection n that
takes into the notches o of the eccentric to hold it when relieved of the
action of the key is on the bolt itself. There is in this modification but
one pin on the key, and but one spring pin c in the lock, which the key
pin reaches through the opening 1, and the spring pin c is arranged
within a closed cap y fastened on the outside of the lock case. In the
eccentric D there is a turning hub E', through which there is a key slot
or opening, and the key must pass through this turning hub before it
can reach the opening 1 and spring bolt c to unlock the eccentric, so
that it may turn and thus directly or indirectly through the spring r
operate the bolt.
In the modification shown in Figures 37 and 38 the yoke, eccentric,
and bolt are used as in Figures 12 and 13, but the spring in this case
is a semi-eliptic flat plate spring, and is arranged behind the yoke
instead of at the front of the bolt. The hub h in this case through
which the key passes is a long barrel, as seen at Figure 40, and has a
flat spring c attached to it, which the ward or projection 2 on the key
(Figure 41) strikes as the key is introduced into the lock, and pressing
the said spring into a recess 1 in the cylinder or barrel d it locks the
key barrel and the cylinder d together, so that the turning of the key
turns both barrel and cylinder, and as the cylinder is a part of the
eccentric D the latter moves with them and operates the bolt. In this
modification there is a hollow spindle G attached to the eccentric, which
spindle projects on the opposite side of the lock from the cap g and its
contained parts for the key. Upon this hollow spindle G a knob H is
arranged, so that the lock may be used by a knob or handle on the
inside of the door, and by a key from the outside thereof. The bolt B in
this plan has an opening & in it, which will admit the eccentric D, so
that when the door is shut the bevel on the bolt striking the bevel or
edge of the keeper will allow the bolt to move into the lock against the
action of the spring and without moving the eccentric, and when the
8

page_text: プ
bolt in closing the door has passed the edge of the keeper the spring
reacting throws it unto the keeper. Thus, though the turning of the
eccentric works the bolt, yet the bolt can be worked without turning
the eccentric.
Figures 18, 19, and 20, and 26, 27, and 28 of Sheet 2, and Figures 34
and 35 of Sheet 3, represent a series of cabinet, drawer, desk, or lid
locks in which an eccentric turned by a key accomplishes the locking
operation, as will be explained. In Figures 18 and 19 A represents the
frame or case of an ordinary drawer lock, on which is placed a bolt
plate B having a bolt a, and an opening 6, and a spring c, all of which
may be cut or stamped out of sheet metal. The opening in the bolt
plate is of eccentric form, and the piece of metal stamped or cut out of
the said plate to form the opening may be made to serve as the circular
eccentrically hung disk C that works in the said opening to move the
bolt in and out of the frame or case, or to unlock and lock the drawer or
other article upon which the lock is used. On the back or case of the
lock there is a flat spring d, which carries on its free end a pin or bolt e,
which passes through the case A and into an opening 1 in the disk C,
and fastens the disk to the lock case, that is, prevents it from turning
and moving the bolt. In the perimeter of the disk C there is a
depression f, into which the point of the spring c takes when they come
together, so as to have a frictional union. The disk C, as before stated,
is circular, but eccentrically hung on the key pin 2, so that in moving
around the said pin it moves the bolt plate back and forth. Over the
bolt plate and disk, which being flat and thin occupy but little
space in thickness, is placed a cap piece D, with a slightly raised
escutcheon 3 stamped up or otherwise formed upon it, so that the arm 4
of the key may turn underneath it and between it and the disk C; and
over the escutcheon 3 is placed the cap E, which together with the cap
piece D are furnished with key openings, the cap piece key opening
extending both ways from the key pin. The key F has upon it a pro-
jection 5, which presses upon the bolt e when it is properly inserted in
the lock and reaches the said bolt, and when it is drawn out the said
bolt occupies the hole 1, so that continuing to turn the key will also
turn the disk and operate the bolt. In inserting the key in the lock it
passes through the key opening in the cap E and through a corre-
sponding key opening in the cap piece D. The key is then turned half a
rotation, which brings its projection 5 over the bolt e, and at a point

page_text: where the said bolt is covered or concealed by the cap E, and then, by
pressing the key still further in, its projection 5 forces out the bolt e, and
itself occupies the hole 1, so that it can operate the disk C and also the
bolt through the said disk. All the parts of this lock may be cut or
stamped out of sheet metal and thus be made very cheap.
In the modification of this lock as shown at Figures 26, 27, and 28,
the disk B is segmental or eccentric, and by means of the key F and its
projection 5 is turned so that its full perimeter will project through the
lock frame A and serve as a lock bolt, as, for instance, on a drawer. The
plate D in this plan is raised high enough to allow the key to turn on its
pin 2 between the said plate and the disk B, the space between them
being more clearly shown in Figure 28. A spring d by taking into the
notches or depressions f, f, in the rim of the disk holds it in its unlocked
and locked positions. If it be desired to make a lock of this kind for a
desk, or trunk, or other article with a raising lid, then an eccentric,
such as shown at Figure 30, can be used instead of the plain segment,
and the point or nose g of this eccentric may take into a hasp, catch, or
keeper of any kind on such lid. In this eccentric the key would move
in a countersink in the eccentric, and the plate D would fit down
close to it.
Figures 34 and 35 of Sheet 3 represent another modification of this
lock, in which the bolt a is connected to a semi-eliptic plate spring d,
and the disk or eccentric hub B in turning acts against said spring and
pushes out the bolt, and when the eccentric is again turned to relieve
said bolt then the reaction of the spring draws it in again. This
eccentric B is recessed for the key seat, as in Figure 30, and the
eccentric is notched as at f for the projection on the spring d to enter
to hold the eccentric from turning.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and shown several modifications
thereof, I would state that I do not restrict my Invention to the precise
devices shown in the Drawings, but claim the right of altering or
changing them so long as I retain the general characteristics of the said
Invention; what I claim, therefore, in the locks represented on Sheet 1,
from Figure 1 to 11, and Figures 31 and 32 of Sheet 3 is, the com-
bination of the hub, bolt, and eccentric operating together in the manner
substantially as described and represented, and by means of a key
substantially such as shown.

page_text: I also claim in the locks shown at Figures 12 and 13 and 22 and 23
of Sheet 2, and at Figures 37 and 38 of Sheet 3, the combination of the
bolt and eccentric, and whether with or without a yoke, when the said
eccentric and bolt are operated by a key from one or both sides, or by a
key from one side and a knob or handle on the other side, through the
guards and protections substantially such as described and represented.
I also claim in the locks shown at Figures 18 and 19 and 26, 27,
and 28 of Sheet 2, and Figures 34 and 35 of Sheet 3, an eccentric and
bolt, whether in one or two parts, and actuated by a key and key pin,
substantially as represented.
In witness whom of I the mid A
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)