Year: 1886

page_text: •
I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (communicated to me from abroad by Henry Gross of Chicago
County of Cook and State of Illinois United States of America) 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 particularly to that class of lock mechanism known as
permutation locks and has for its object, first, to simplify the means whereby the
driving tumbler of the permutation spindle inay throw the bolt work out of
engagement with the turning knob, and, secondly to provide means whereby in the
event of the permutation mechanism being broken or blown off in an attempt to
forcibly open the safe the removal of the permutation work will cause a detent
to come into operation and hold the bolt uiechanism out of engagement with the
disc of the turning arbor so that the bolt mechanism cannot be operated. To this
end this invention consists in the combination with the permutation spindle and
driving tumbler of a yoke carrying the tumbler fence and provided with a lifting
arm for throwing the bolt mechanism out of action. This invention also consists
in the combination with the permutation work and the bolt work, of a detent for
holding the bolt work out of engagement with its turning disc and a suitable stop
for retaining such detent out of action while the permutation work is in its proper
position. This invention further consists in certain novel. details of construction
hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly
defined in the claims at the end of this specification.
Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a permutation lock embodying this
invention, parts being removed and parts broken away for the purpose of better
illustration Figure 2 is a view in vertical transverse section through the dial
arbor and tumblers of the lock. Figure 3 is a plan view of the improved lock
mechanism.

page_text: A is the door of a safe or vault and B the casing of the permutation mechanism
that is suitably attached thereto. Through the door A extends the spindle c of the
usual dial knob C and upon the threaded ends of this spindle is keyed the driving
tumbler D of the permutation mechanism having the notch d formed in its periphery
and provided with the pin d' that operates the notched tumblers E of the lock.
.The permutation mechanism is of any suitable or well known construction and
as it forms no part of this invention a detail drawing or description of it is not
deemed necessary, that shown in the drawing consisting of the usual notched
tumblers E the setting of which is effected by laterally projecting pins similar to
the pin upon the driving tumbler.
Around the driving tumbler D extends the yoke F that is retained against the
wall of the casing in such a manner as to be free to slide in a vertical direction by
means of the screw plates f. The opening of this yoke is a seen considerably
larger in diameter than the driving tumbler and from the face of the yoke projects
the fence F¹ that is caught by the permutation tumblers when the notches of these
tumblers are brought into alignment. About the middle of the periphery of the
yoke F is formed the lifting arm F that extends through a slot in the casing B
and this arm as well as the fence are preferably cast integral with the yoke.
To the wall of the door is suitably connected the bolt work which latter comprises
the bar G to which the bolts will be attached in the usual manner, the bolt plate H
that is held in a manner free to slide upon the screws h that enter the slots h¹ and
the bolt link K that is pivotally connected to the bolt plate H by means of the
screw k. The bolt link K is provided upon its underside with a lug or shoulder k¹
at its inner end adapted to be struck by the outer end of the lifting arm F2, and at
its opposite end with the slot k by which will be caught the stud of the turning
disc L by means of which the bolt work will be thrown. The arbor of the
disc L will extend through the door of the safe and will be provided with a
turning knob in the usual manner.. To the inner face of the door and preferably
in the relative position shown by the drawing is attached the detenti M that serves
to hold the bolt work out of engagement with the turning disc when the permu-
tation mechanism has been displaced. This detent consists preferably of a thin
bent spring plate which is pressed towards the door by the stop bar N attached to
the casing B of the permutation mechanism but which when said stop ceases to
bear thereon will spring outwardly in such manner that its end n will come
beneath the lug or shoulder k¹ of the bolt-link K and will hold this link in an
elevated position so that it cannot engage with the stud of the turning disc.
From the foregoing construction it will be seen that the yoke F provided as it is
with the fence F and lifting arm F affords a ready means for lifting the bolt link
and thus disengaging the bolt, work from the turning disc. It will also be seen
that in case of any attempt to force open the safe by knocking or blowing off the
permutation mechanism the detent M will serve to hold the bolt link elevated in
such manner that notwithstanding the displacement of the lock mechanism the
bolt work cannot be operated by the turning knob-So long however as the
perinutation mechanism is in proper position the detent will be out of action.
It will be readily understood that the precise form and location of the detent M
may be modified and the details of construction above set out may also be modified
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is―
1. In lock mechanism the combination with the permutation spindle and driving
tumbler of a yoke carrying the tumbler fence and provided with a lifting arm for
throwing the bolt mechanism out of action substantially as described.
2. In lock mechanism the combination with the permutation spindle and driving
tumbler of the sliding yoke encircling said tumbler and provided with the tumbler
J

page_text: fence and lifting arm, the bolt link K having shoulder and the bolt plate H
substantially as described.
3. In lock mechanism the combination with suitable permutation work and bolt
work of a detent for holding the bolt work out of engagement with the turning
disc and a suitable stop for retaining the detent out of action while the permutation
work is in proper place substantially as described.
4. In lock mechanism the combination with the permutation work and the bolt
work having the link bar K provided with the shoulder k¹ of the spring detent M
and a suitable stop for holding the spring detent normally out of engagement with
the link bar substantially as described.
5. In lock mechanism the combination of the permutation casing provided with
the stop or arin N the spring detent M the pivotted link bar K having shoulder k¹,
the sliding bolt plate H and the turning disc L substantially as described.
Dated the 22nd day of May 1886
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER, Fel. Inst. P.A