IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF LOCK MECHANISM FOR BURGLAR-PROOF SAFES
Year: 1885

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 the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT
OF LOCK MECHANISM FOR BURGLAR-PROOF SAFES" (a communication to me from
abroad by Henry Gross of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States of America
Gentleman) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In applying lock mechanism to burglar-proof safes it is customary to arrange or
place the bolt work and the permutation or other lock on the inner face of the
safe door and to extend through the door suitable arbors or spindles whereby the
bolts may be operated. A serious objection to this construction and mode of
arranging or applying the lock and bolt mechanism is that the arbors passing
through the door or jamb materially diminish the security of the safe and it is by
knocking out or driving in or drilling these arbors that the burglar usually obtains
an opening through which to introduce explosives for blowing open the door.
Various attempts have been made to overcome this objection by forming the arbors
and their openings of such peculiar shape that they cannot be readily displaced
but notwithstanding these the fact remains that the arbors are the weak points
of the safe.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above objection and to
this end the said invention consists in arranging or placing the lock mechanism by
which the bolt work of the safe is controlled within the wall of the safe or safe
door in such manner that the operating arbor or spindle shall not extend through
such wall and so that no opening through the safe wall can be obtained even were
it possible to displace the arbor. Also in arranging or placing within the recessed
wall of the safe or door a permutation lock having an outwardly tapering operating
arbor or spindle. Also in arranging or placing within a recess in the wall of the
safe or door a permutation lock in such a manner that the lock may be readily
withdrawn from the recess for the purpose of changing the combination on which
the lock is set. Also in arranging or placing within the wall of the safe or door
T

page_text: a permutation lock having an outwardly tapering operating spindle or arbor which
shall bear against the end of the arbor on which the lock tumblers are held so that
any inward movement of the operating spindle will be resisted. Also in combining
with the bolt work upon the inner face of the door a permutation or other lock
arranged or placed within the wall of the safe and connected with the bolt work
in such manner that it can operate the same. Also in certain details of construction
to be hereinafter fully described and particularly defined in the claims at the end
of this specification..
In the accompanying drawings figure 1 is a view in longitudinal transverse
section of the safe door and wall taken along the line of Figure 2. Figure 2 is
an elevation corresponding to figure 1 and looking on the inner side of the safe
door and wall the portion of the wall above the lock being removed for the
purpose of better illustration. Figure 3 is a view in vertical transverse section on
line y y of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a front view of the lock removed from the wall
of the safe. Figure 5 is a view, from the outer side of a portion of the safe wall
and door parts being broken away to expose the lock within the wall. Figure
is a view from the inner side of a portion of the safe wall and door parts being
broken away and parts removed for the purpose of better illustration. Figure 7 is
a view' in longitudinal transverse section on line xx of figure 5 the hinge side of
the door being also shown, and fig. 8 sis a view in vertical transverse section on
line y y of fig. 7.
A represents the front wall of the safe formed of chilled plates to which is hinged
the door A¹ of like construction. The plates of the safe wall and the door at the
hinged side of the door are alternately of different lengths so as to form when the
door is closed the zig-zag joint as seen in figures 1 and 7. By this zig-zag joint a
most secure connection between the door and the safe wall is obtained and at the
same time a much larger door space is formed than in the old method of con-
structing the rear edge of the door with inclined steps as shown at the front edge
of the door in the drawing. Upon the inner face of the door is held in the usual
manner the bolt work B and to the striking bar b of this bolt work is connected
the square link pin C that moves within the slot c extending partially through the
door from its inner side. The inner end of the link pin C is attached to the rear
portion of the latch bar D which is adapted to slide within a suitable long seat or
slot that extends to the front edge of the door as shown. The forward end of this
latch bar is cut away as seen at d to form a knob that is caught by the hook
lever E of the permutation lock by which the bolt work will be operated: This
permutation lock is carried by the small plates F F and F connected together
and adapted to fit within a suitable 'recess in the jamb of. the safe and provided
with recesses to receive the parts of the lock. The tumblers g. of usual,con-
struction are carried by a suitable sleeve on the stud or hub G that is formed
preferably integral with the plate g attached by screws to the rear plate F
Against the end of the stud or hub G bears the drive wheel H that is formed
integral with the operating arbor or spindle H' which extends through the face of
the jamb and connects with the dial kuob I by which the lock is worked. The
operating spindle or arbor H¹-is formed outwardly tapering as shown to prevent
its withdrawal and as it bears against the end of the stud or hub G it cannot be
forced inward and is hence securely held against displacement. In the periphery
of the 'drive wheel H is formed the notch which serves to engage with the hook
or luge of the hook lever E when the several tumblers of the lock have been
brought into such position as to allow the angle bar e¹ of this lever to drop into
the notches of the tumblers. The rear portion of the hook lever E is cut away as
shown and within the space thus formed is the pin mn that serves to limit the
movement of this lever. The hook or lug e of the lever E is rearwardly inclined
and the notch of the drive wheel is formed correspondingly oblique as seen in fig. ?
Bo that the hook lever may be forced forward with certainty and may be retracted
until the slot'e in the upper edge of the lever comes opposite the pin n when by
reason of the inclination of the notch and the_lug e the lever will be lifted until

page_text: the lug. rides out of the notch and the arrangement of the tumblers'is so displaced
as to prevent its, return. The front plate F is cut away as shown in figure 2 so
that the plates with the tumblers, may be withdrawn from the wall when it is
desired to change the combination of the lock. It will be seen that one of the
plates of the door jamb is cut away as at a so as to permit the end of the latch bar
to enter the hook lever when the door is closed...
From, the foregoing description: the operation will be understood to be as
follows: The door of the safe being closed the end of the latch bar rests within the
cut away end of the hook lever and by turning the dial knob the drive wheel: will
force this lever backwards, causing, it to retract the bolt work and lock the safo.:
In figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, is, illustrated,ja modified form of lock embodying, certain
features of this, invention...
L.T
j-
In this construction as in that already described the jamb or wall A is recessed
to receive the permutation lock which is carried by the plate or casing 0 remove-
ably held, within the jamb by means of screws as shown in. dotted lines in fig.5
Within the enlarged, recessed, portion o of this plate or. casing are held, the
tumblers g of; usual construction, which fit on the hub G formed integral with the
plate g¹ that is screwed to the inner side of the plate o as seen in fig. 8.: The
tapering arbor G connected to the dial knob I has upon its inner end the drive
wheel H for operating the bolt plate P. This bolt plate is preferably pivotally
connected by the pinp to the lower part of the plate or casing O the pivotal point
of the bolt, plate being such that the plate will be normally held by gravity in
the upright retracted position when the safe is unlocked. The central portion of
the plate P is cut away as shown in figure 6.to.admit of the recessed portion o
of the casing O and is provided with the angle bar p which passes through the
slot o¹ of the portion o of the casing and will drop into the notches of the
tumblers I when brought coincident' so as to be in position to be acted upon by
the cam shoulder h¹ of the drive wheel H..: The front edge of the door is provided
with the recess a² in which the bolt plate will rest when thrust forward by the
drive wheel.
The operation of this form of lock is as follows:-Assuming the parts to be in
the unlocked position indicated in fig. 6 the angle bar p¹ being in the notches of
the tumblers and the drive wheel a movement of the drive wheel in the direction
of the arrow fig. 6 will force the bolt plate into the recess a² and will disarrange
the tumblers so that it cannot be retracted. If now the notches of the tumblers be
brought coincident the weight of the bolt plate will force the angle bar therein and
the safe will be unlocked. It will be readily seen that if it is desired to change
the combination of the lock it can be quickly done by withdrawing the plate
casing o and the tumblers from the recess of the door jamb.
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 a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall of a lock placed
within said wall substantially as described,
2. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall of a permu-
tation lock placed within said wall and having a spindle extending through the
front face of the wall for operating the lock substantially as described.
3. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall of a permutation
lock placed within said wall and having a conical arbor tapering towards its end
extending through the front face of the wall substantially as described.
4. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall and a permu-
tation lock placed within said recess in the wall of a recessed door and a bolt
adapted to be moved within the recess of the door substantially as described.
5. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed door and jamb of
a lock placed within the recess of the jamb and means substantially as described
whereby said lock shall throw the bolt work substantially as set forth.

page_text: 6. In a burglar proof safe the combination with the recessed door and jamb and
the bolt work having the latch bar connected therewith of the permutation lock
having the hook bar adapted to engage with the said latch bar and throw the bolt
work substantially as described.
7. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall of a permutation
lock placed within said wall and removeably held therein substantially as described.
8. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall of a permutation
lock placed within said recess and having a spindle and a drive wheel and a hub
for its tumblers adapted to bear against the spindle substantially as described.
9. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed wall of a permutation
lock placed within said wall and having a spindle with a driving wheel distinct
from the lock whereby the lock may be removed without removing the drive
wheel and spindle substantially as described.
10. In a burglar proof safe the combination with a recessed door and recessed
jamb and the bolt work upon the inner face of the door of the lock placed within
the recess of the jamb the latch bar connected to the bolt work the hook lever for
engaging with the latch bar and a drive wheel and spindle for operating the hook*
lever substantially as described.