New or Improved Lock.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd June, 1896 -Accepted, 11th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Lock.
I, GEORGE GYBBON POTTER, of Bradford Offices, Walsall, in the County of
Stafford, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:--
My invention has for its object a lock in which the usual tumblers or bolts are
replaced by two or more slide bars, each working in an independent groove, such
slide bars engaging with the bolt, or in the case of padlocks, the hasp, in such a
manner that to release the latter, the said slide bars must be arranged in the
predetermined manner. Such lock in the case of padlocks having no other
movable parts than the hasp and the said slide bars, and no aperture for collection
of dirt or dust.
In the application of my invention to padlocks, I mount two or more slide bars
in independent grooves cut in solid metal parallel to one another, and at right
angles to and across these slide-bar-grooves, is bored or cut the hasp hole in which
the hasp travels. This hasp is of U-shape, one leg being made considerably
longer than the other, its outward travel in the hasp hole being limited by a
suitable stop, whilst the other, shorter leg, when the hasp is forced inwards,
engages with a recess in the frame, but is freed therefrom when said hasp is
released and pulled outwards. This hasp may be either of one rigid piece,
or hinged at any suitable distance in its longer leg, so that in one case when
the shorter leg is withdrawn from its recess, the hasp may revolve, and so
open; or in the other case the hasp may open as with ordinary padlocks by a
hinge, such binge only acting when the shorter leg of the hasp is free from its
recess, such hinge being either within or without the hole which receives the
longer leg of the hasp.
In the longer leg of the hasp a number of slots corresponding to the number of
slide bars employed in the lock, are cut, and with these slots the slide bars engage
when the hasp is forced inwards to its full extent, and said slide bars suitably
operated.
Out of each of the slide bars a piece is cut forming a recess which when brought
across the slotted leg frees the hasp and permits of it being slid outwards and
inwards.
These recesses in the slide bars are cut in irregular positions, so as to render it
impossible to open the lock, unless the slide bars are so actuated that the recesses
come in an exact position across the slotted leg of the hasp, such positions only
being ascertainable by chance, without the key of the lock.
To enable the slide bars to be placed in exact position for opening the lock, an
aperture is formed in the covering of the slide bars, and in this aperture slide-bar-
stops on the slide bars give a hold for sliding the bars backwards and forwards.
These stops, and consequently the slide bars, may be arranged in the proper
position to release the hasp by the aid of a key in the form of a plate, which fits
into the aperture over the slide bars-such key having steps cut in its end or side,
so that by placing said key or plate in position and sliding the slide bar stops
against its stepped end or side, the hasp of the lock will be released.
Where found preferable, other methods may be adopted for operating the slide.

page_text: bars, and arranging them in the required position to permit of the lock being
opened, whilst it will be obvious that although only described as applied to padlocks,
the invention, with comparatively slight modifications, is applicable to other types
of locks.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1895.
CASTLE SMITH,
Invention" Office, 54 Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
I, GEORGE GYBBON POTTER, of Bradford Offices, Walsall in the County of
Stafford, Solicitor, 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 :-
According to this invention, the ordinary lever or tumbler mechanism of a lock
is dispensed with, and mechanism is employed which comprises an arrangement, of
slide bars which, or one or more of which, are capable of being interlocked with
the bolt of a fixed lock or with the shackle of a padlock, and which, or two or
more of which, must be arranged in a certain predetermined manner in order to
effect the unlocking of the bolt or shackle. The bars which are required to be
arranged in a particular manner to effect the unlocking of the bolt or shackle are
moved into the proper position therefor by bringing projections thereof against
portions of a gauge or key held for the purpose in a position which is defined by
the construction of the lock, or are moved into the required position by means of
a gauge or key a portion of which comes against or coincides in position with a
stop when the gauge or key has moved the bars as required.
In order that the invention may he clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
the same, according to different modifications illustrated by the drawings herewith,
as applied to padlocks.
Of these drawings
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a padlock with the invention applied thereto, the
cap being removed.
Figure 2 is a section taken on line a x of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a section taken on line yy of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken on line a¹x of Figure 1; and
Figure 5 is a front elevation of the lock with the gauge or key shewn as applied
thereto.
In Figure 5 the upper portion of the shackle is shewn as broken away, for
convenience of illustration. A number of slide bars a are fitted to be capable of
sliding longitudinally in grooves b cut across the face of a block A. This block
carries, also, the shackle B, and is itself carried within a case C. The shackle is
formed with a longer leg c and a shorter leg d. The hole to receive the longer
leg of the shackle is bored down or through one side of the block A, and a
shallower hole to receive the shorter leg d is bored down the other side of the
block. In the particular instance shewn, each slide bar a, and the corresponding
groove to receive it, are formed to extend from the face of the block A for a
distance inwards as far as the centre of the longer leg of the shackle. The longer
leg of the shackle is formed with notches a¹. These are shewn clearly by
Figure 2, which is an elevation of the lower end of the longer leg of the shackle,
as seen when the shackle is in the position, in relation to the observer, indicated

page_text: by Figure 2. These notches a' correspond with the grooves b, and coincide
therewith when the shackle has been pushed fully down into the block. Each
slide bar has a semicircular notch e cut in its inner edge, and when the bars have
all been moved into position along their grooves to bring their notches into
coincidence with the hole formed down the block A to receive the longer leg of
the shackle, the leg may be pushed down fully into the block. The shackle may
then be locked by moving the slide bars a endways so as to bring portions of them
into the notches a¹ of the shackle, thus securely preventing the shackle from being
moved up. When the shackle has been locked in this manner it can be unlocked
again only by moving the bars into such position as to bring their notches into coinci-
dence again with the hole in the block which receives the leg c of the shackle, as the
bars are of such length that portions thereof are always in engagement with the notches
of the shackle when the same is fully within the block, except when their openings or
notches coincide with those of the shackle. The notches, however, are formed in
different positions in the bars, and it would therefore be almost impossible for any
person to ascertain, by experiment merely, the proper position into which to move the
different bars for this purpose, and therefore the lock could not be unlocked
without some means at hand for fixing on the position into which the bars require
to be moved. The semi-circular lines indicating the different notches e in the
bars a are shewn by Figure 4, all the semi circles but that of the top bar being
indicated by broken lines, as they would of course not be visible in the section of
the lock shewn by Figure 4. The slide bars a are operated, for unlocking the
shackle, by means of projections which project through an opening D' formed in
the cap or front plate D of the lock. The position into which it is necessary to
move the slide bars in order to unlock the shackle, is ascertained by the use of a
gauge or key E, which is placed with its back edge against one side of the
opening D' through the cap D, and has its opposite edge properly stepped so that
when the projections are back against the respective steps of the gauge the
slide bars are in such position that their respective notches coincide with the
longer leg of the shackle, and allow such leg to be drawn up to disengage
the shorter leg d from the block A. The shackle may then be opened by turning
it around the axis of the longer leg c. The shackle may, if desired, be drawn
completely out from the block A, but it is preferred that it shall be capable of
being raised up only sufficiently to allow of the shorter leg d being drawn up out
of the block so that the shackle may be turned to open it; and this is conveniently
effected by forming a flat g at the outer side of the longer leg c of the shackle,
which slides, as the shackle is moved up and down, against a pin fixed in the
block, and by forming a groove i around the leg c in position immediately at the
bottom of the flat o. The bottom of this groove i forms a stop against the pin h to
the upward movement of the shackle, and the groove allows the shackle to be
turned when so raised up, notwithstanding the pin h. The gooove is in such
position, of course, as to coincide with the pin when the shorter arm of the shackle
is clear above the top of the block.
Each slide bar a is formed with a return hinder end k, conveniently shaped as a
round pin, and is normally pressed back, with its projection against the hinder
edge of the opening D through the cap D, by means of a spiral spring / which
when the bar is in its backward position is partially within a groove m formed in
the back of the block A and its hinder end surrounds the corresponding pin k. The
slide hars are moved into their position to unlock the shackle, or to admit of its
being pushed fully down within the block A, as the case may be, by means of the
gauge or key E, the steps of which are pressed against the projections f until the
bars have been moved forward sufficiently to bring the hinder elge of the gauge
into coincidence with the hinder edge of the opening D' through the cap D. The.
springs may be arranged at the hinder ends, of the slide-bars so as to press them
forwards, if preferred, in which case the projections f would, of course, be moved
backwards by the gauge or key E instead of forwards, to effect the unlocking of
the shackle.

page_text: The slide bars may be moved end ways to bring them into position to effect the
unlocking of the shackle by means of a gauge or key which is pushed in end ways
against the ends of the bars. In this case the gauge or key is formed with a
shoulder which comes against the end of the lock case when the gauge or key has
been pushed the proper distance into the lock.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are, respectively, a section corresponding to the section shewn
by Figure 4, but taken inmediately above the lowest bar a but one, a plan, and an
end view, of a simpler form of lock to that described with reference to Figures 1
to 5 inclusive. The lock illustrated by Figures 6, 7 and 8 differs from the lock
illustrated by Figures 1 to 5 inclusive in that no springs are used tending to press
backwards the slide bars a, and the construction of the lock is in consequence
considerably simplified. The block A' in this case forms also the entire case of
the lock, except for a cap D2 which corresponds with the cap D above described,
but has ends n which pass across and close in the ends of the grooves within which
the slide-bars a are carried; otherwise the lock is substantially the same in
construction as the lock described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive. As
the bolts a are not. provided with springs, they must of course be moved by hand
as required. A gauge or key is, of course, in this case also, required to determine
the proper position of the slide bars for effecting the unlocking of the shackle.
Figures 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a modified form of the invention in which slide-
bars are at right angles with one another. Figure 9 is a vertical section through
the central plane of the lock, shewing the shackle locked.
Figure 10 is a
corresponding view to Figure 9, but shews the shackle unlocked; and Figure 11
is a section taken on line xx of Figure 9. In this lock, also, the shackle B is
formed with a longer leg c and with a shorter leg d. A is a block corresponding
to the lock case. A hole is bored, conveniently through the whole depth of the
block, to receive the longer leg c of the shackle, and a hole is bored down from the
of the shackle. A transverse
top of the block to receive the shorter leg
slide-bar o is fitted to slide along a slot cut through the block A, and the longer
leg c of the shackle is formed with a notch p into which, when the shackle is
properly down within the block with the shorter leg d within the opening therefor
in the block, the forward edge of the slide bar o may be entered, as shewn by
Figure 9, and the shackle be thus prevented from being pulled up; and thus, so
long as the slide bar o is prevented from being moved back the shackle is securely
locked. are bars (conveniently of a round section) capable of sliding
vertically within holes formed therefor through the block A. These vertical bars
are normally pressed down by means of springs on to inward ledges or rims at
the bottoms of their respective holes, and the springs are prevented from rising by
plugs ss fixed in the upper ends of the holes in which the bars qq slide. Holes
corresponding to the sectional shape of the bars q q¹ are formed through the
transverse slide bar o, and when such bar is engaged with the shackle the holes
therethrough, respectively, coincide with the bores of the holes within which the
bars gg slide, and the bars are then pressed by the springs into the position
shewn by Figure 9, the portions thereof which pass through the slide bar o filling
the holes therethrough and thus preventing such bar from being moved.
Grooves t t are formed, respectively, around the bars 9 9', and if the bars are
respectively, pushed up against the pressure of their springs into position to bring
their grooves into coincidence with the edges of the holes through the slide bar
such bar may be moved backwards as will be obvious, and thus its forward edge
be brought out of engagement with the shackle which may then be raised a
required. In order that the slide bar o may be capable of being moved sufficiently
to withdraw its forward end from a fairly deep notch p, a slot a¹ is cut through the
bar between the holes therethrough, and a notch b' is cut in the inner edge of the
inner hole, as shewn. The slot and notch are of a width which allows them t
clear the portions of reduced diameter of the bars 9 9¹ produced by forming th
grooves tt. The grooves t t are formed at different heights around the bars q q
respectively, and it would, of course, be almost impossible to ascertain

page_text: experiment what was the proper beight to which to move the bars 77ª, respectively,
in order to enable the slide bar o to be moved back. The bars 9 q' are moved into
their proper position, respectively, by means of a gauge or key E' which has
prongs uu, varying in length, as shewn, to suit the different heights to which the
bars 9 g are to be moved. The key is pushed up into the block A, with the
prongs uu against the lower ends of the bars 9 9¹, respectively, and when
the key has been pushed up in this manner until the shoulder portion thereof at the
base of the prongs, comes against the bottom of the block, the bars are in the
proper position, as shewn by Figure 10, for allowing the slide bar o to be moved
back into the position shewn by such view. In this modification, also, the shackle
may be lifted clear out of the block, if desired, or the longer leg may be formed
with a flat g and groove, which operate in combination with a pin h¹, fixed
within the block, to prevent the shackle from being drawn up out of the block,
while the groove ¹ allows it to be turned on the axis of the longer leg c when the
shorter leg d has been drawn clear of the block, as in the case of the similar
arrangement described with reference to the lock illustrated by Figures 1 to 5.
A transverse section through the slide bar o, with the portion of the block
immediately above and below it, is shewn by Figure 12, from which it will be seen
that on the sides of the slide bar o are flanges o' which fit against the sides of the
block A and thus keep the slide bar in proper position sideways. These flanges
may extend for only a portion of the length of the bar, as shewn by Figure 11, and
it is convenient to form them milled at their outer faces to facilitate manipulation.
The bars qq are held up by the engagement of the bar o with the grooves tt of
such bars when the bar o has been drawn back; and when the shackle has been
pushed down into proper position within the block for being fastened by the bar o,
such bar is simply pushed in again and then the bars 9 q' are automatically_pressed
down again by the springs into their positions shewn by Figure 9.
Thus no
key is used in locking the shackle.
2°
As the slot for the slide bar o is cut through nearly the entire width of the
block A, it is preferred to use a strengthening post d' which passes through the-
slide bar o near the outer end of the slot and is fixed by transverse pins to the upper
and lower portions of the block. For this purpose, the hole in the block to receive
the shorter leg d of the shackle is bored through the whole depth of the block, and
the post dis passed down into such hole, as shewn. An opening f1 is formed
through the bar o for the passage of the post d' therethrough; and to allow of the
movement of the bar, notwithstanding such post, the opening f³ is formed
elongated and a notch e' is formed in the inner side of the post to receive the inner
edge of the opening when the bar o is drawn back.
The security of the lock may, of course, be increased by increasing the number :
of the vertical slide bars which interlock with the slide bar o. If desired, also,
more than one horizontal slide bar o may be used, the vertical slide bars inter-
locking with each of them.
In the case of either of the locks above described, the shackle may, if preferred,
be hinged at any suitable part thereof which is either always exterior to the
block or case, or which is drawn up ont of the block or case when the shackle is.
unlocked.
I have described this invention specially in its application to padlocks, for which
it is more especially adapted. Its application to other locks will be sufficiently
obvious without need for further description or illustration. It may be observed,
however, that in applying the invention to fixed locks, slide bars, such as those
illustrated by the drawings on Sheet 1 herewith, may be arranged in vertical
grooves and made to interlock with the lock bolt; or a single vertical bar, capable
of being moved by hand when unlocked, may be made to interlock with the lock
bolt, and be itself locked by horizontal bars of the character of those illustrated
by the drawings on Sheet 1. The bolt itself must, of course, in either case, be
moved by hand.
}
'

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a lock, an arrangement of slide bars by means of which the bolt or shackle
is locked, and which to effect the unlocking of the bolt or shackle must be arranged
in a certain predetermined manner which, unless a proper gauge or key is used, can
be ascertained only by chance, substantially as described.
2. In a lock, an arrangement of slide bars which, or one or more of which, are
capable of being interlocked with the bolt or shackle, and which, or two or more
of which, must be arranged in a certain predetermined manner in order to effect
the unlocking of the bolt or shackle, the proper position of the bars which are
required to be arranged in the predetermined manner, for the purpose stated,
being determined by the aid of a gauge or key which is brought for such purpose
into position with a defined portion thereof against or into coincidence with a defined
portion of the lock, substantially as described.
3. In a lock, the combination of slide bars capable of being operated in suitable
guides and of being entered within notches formed in the bolt or shackle and
provided with openings or notches which may be brought into coincidence with the
notches of the bolt or shackle, with means whereby by the aid of a suitable gauge
or key such bars may be moved into position to bring their openings or notches
into coincidence with the notches of the bolt or shackle, or may be stopped in such
position, each bar being always in engagement with the bolt or shackle except
when its opening or notch is coincident with the corresponding notch thereof,
substantially as described.
4. In a lock, the combination of slide bars capable of being operated in suitable
guides and of being entered within notches formed in the bolt or shackle and
provided with openings or notches which may be brought into coincidence with the
notches of the bolt or shackle, with projections from the bars, an opening through
the front plate of the lock, and a stepped gauge or key by the aid of which the
bars may be brought into or stopped in position with their openings or notches
coincident with the notches of the bolt or shackle, each bar being always in
engagement with the bolt or shackle except when its opening or notch is coincident
with the corresponding notch thereof, substantially as described.
5. A combination padluck comprising a block (such as A or A' of the drawings
on Sheet 1 herewith) having grooves cut across the face thereof within which
notched bars a are fitted to be capable of sliding end ways therealong, and a shackle
(such as B) having notches with which the bars a may be engaged to lock the
shackle, substantially as described and shewn (according to two modifications) by
the drawings on Sheet 1 herewith.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1896.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.