IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LOCKING MECHANISM OF SAFES AND IRON DOORS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, RICHARD DAVIES, of Beacon Safe Works, Sedgley in the County of Stafford,
safe manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE LOCKING MECHANISM OF SAFES AND IRON DOORS, to bo as follows:-
This invention has for its object greater security in the locking mechanism of
safes and iron doors.
Hitherto it has been customary to shoot out bolts from the edge of the door in
all directions, but in one plane only, and such bolts have been connected together by
means of cranks, or other suitable mechanism so as to be worked from one handle,
and have been locked in their shot position by means of a bolt shot out froin an
inner lock into a bar forming part of the mechanism of the outer bolts.
Now, according to this invention, bolts are shot out in all directions from the outer
edges of the door in a double plane, thus giving two sets or double the number of bolts
usually employed. Both of these planes of bolts have their mechanism arranged so
that two bars for each plane of bolts are locked by bolts shot out from the inner
lock. One of such bars of each plane of bolts is connected to the bolts which are
shot out from one side and end of the door and the other of such bars is connected
to the bolts which are shot out from the other sido and end of the door, all the bolts
of both planes being shot out and withdrawn by one handle. The inner lock by
which the outer bolts are locked is also formed with two planes of mechanism,
forming two locks, one for each plane of outer bolts. Each of these planes of
mechanism forming the inner lock is constructed with duplicate sets of levers (one
set being on the opposite side of the key to the other) so as to throw out bolts on
two opposite sides to lock into the two bars, aforesaid, connected with the outer
bolts of the same plane. The key for locking and unlocking the inner lock is four-
bitted, the bits being opposite to one another in pairs along the drill pin of the key,
all the bits however being in one plane. The parts of the key-hole through which
the key-bits are passed are formed out in opposite directions from the central part
of the hole, and when the key is properly inserted within the lock, and turned, the
whole of the four sets of levers are actuated at once and their corresponding bolts
shot out and drawn back as required. Between the two planes of mechanism of

page_text: the inner lock is interposed a solid metal block to which the cases or frames
containing the mechanisin are dowelled and fixed. This block forms the cap-plate
to the inner case or frame. The key-hole passes of course through this solid block,
and the narrowness of the hole combined with its depth through the block, in
addition to the distance from the face of the outer case or frame to the outer face
of the block, makes it impossible to get at the mechanism contained in the inner
case or frame with any instrument by which it can be picked.
The quadruple arrangement of the lever mechanism also gives an immense number
of combinations in the key.
Dated this tenth day of Jannery 1084

page_text: I, RICHARD DAVIES, of Beacon Safe Works, Sedgley, in the County of Stafford,
safe manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for, IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE LOCKING MECHANISM OF SAFES AND IRON DOORS, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reforence being had to the accompanying drawings and the
letters of reference marked thercon :-
This invention has for its object greater security in the locking mechanism of
safes and iron doors.
Hitherto it has been customary to shoot out bolts from the edge of the door in
all directions, but in one plane only, and such bolts have been connected together
by means of cranks, or other suitable mechanism, so as to be worked frou one
handle, and have been locked in their shot position by means of a bolt shot out
from an inner lock into a single bar forming part of the mechanism of the outer
bolts.
Now, according to one modification of this invention, bolts are shot out in all
directions from the outer edges of the door, in a double plane. Both of these planes
of bolts have their mechanism arranged so that two bars for each plane of bolts
are locked by bolts shot out from the inner lock, or lock proper. One of such bars
of each plane of bolts is connected to the bolts which are shot out from one side and
end of the door, and the other of such bars is connected to the bolts which are shot
out from the other side and end of the door, all the bolts of both planes being shot
out and withdrawn by one handle. The inner lock, or lock proper, by which the
outer bolts are locked, is also formed with two planes of mechanism, forming two
locks, one for each plane of outer bolts. Each of these planes of mechanism forming
the inner lock is constructed with duplicate sets of levers (one set being on the
opposite side of the key to the other) so as to throw out bolts on two opposite
sides to lock into the two bars, aforesaid, connected with the outer bolts of the same
plane. The key for locking and unlocking the inner lock is four-bitted, the bits
being opposite to one another in pairs along the pin of the key, but all in one plane.
The whole of the four sets of levers are actuated at once and their corresponding
bolts shot out and drawn back together, as required, by the key.
This invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, of which figure 1 is
a front view shewing the interior of a safe door. Figure 2 is a section taken on
line of figure 1; and figure 3 is a view of the key. The same letters of
reference occurring upon both figures 1 and 2 indicate corresponding parts.
A A A nre a set of bolts in one vertical edge of the door, and A' A' a set of bolts
in the top edge of the door. The bolts lettered A are connected in the usual
inanner to a tail piece B, and the bolts lettered A¹ to a tail-piece lettered B', and
these two tail-pieces are connected together by a cranked arm C C so that as the
tail-piece B is moved by a lever D upon the door spindle, the tail-piece B¹ is
similarly moved so as to shoot out or draw back the bolts A' A' as the tail-piece B
shoots out or draws back the bolts lettered A. EEE are bolts on the opposite
edge of the door, and correspond to the bolts lettered A; and E¹ E' are bolts through
the lower edge of the door, and correspond to the bolts lettered A. F F¹ are tail-
pieces for the bolts lettered E El respectively, and are geared together by the
cranked arm G G' so as to be actuated together by means of the lever D. By this
arrangement of bolts it will be seen that all the bolts through the edges of the door
are shot out or drawn back together by means of the lever D. H is the lock

page_text: proper, and is fitted, as shewn, with two bolts J and J', and with two sets of levers.
K and K. The bolt J is shewn locked up into the bolt-tail B, so as to lock the
bolts lettered A and A' respectively, and the bolt J is shewn locked into the bolt-
tail F, so as to lock the bolts lettered E and E' respectively.
Referring specially to figure 2, it will be seen that two planes of bolts lettered A
and E are shewn, the inner set being set back from the outer set so that the door
may be closed into the interior of the safe. This inner set of bolts is geared to a
lever D on the handle spindle, just as in the case of the bolts shewn at figure 1, and
is locked by means of bolts shot out from the lock proper in the manner shewn at
figure 1. The lock proper lettered H is also shewn at figure 2 in a double plane,
each of such planes being lettered H. L is a solid block of metal interposed
between the two planes of lock mechanism, and the inner and outer cases containing
the lock mechanism are dowelled into this block as shewn at a a etc., and are fixed
thereto by screws passing through one of such frames and through the block L into
the other of such frames. This block forms the cap-plate of the inner case or frame.
The key-hole passes, of course, through this solid block, and the narrowness of the
key-hole combined with its depth through the block, in addition to the distance
from the face of the outer case or frame to the outer face of the block, makes it
impossible to get at the mechanism contained in the inner case or frame with any
instrument by which it can be picked. M is a plate carrying the mechanism of the
front plane of the lock proper, and N a plate carrying the mechanism of the second
plane of the lock proper. The key. (illustrated by figure 3) is four-bitted, as shewn,
with all the bits in one plane, and acts, as will be readily understood, upon the four
distinct sets of levers so as to shoot out or draw back four distinct bolts. This
quadruple arrangement of the lever mechanism gives an immense number of
combinations in the key.
Each lock case H H is formed, preferably, of a solid piece of metal, with
openings therein to recoive the mechanism. The parts lettered 6 b, figure 1, are
-bars-formed-solid-with-the-lock-case,-and-pass-across-the-tails-of-the-bolts-J-J'.-
c-c-etc. are lugs upon the-plato N through which the innor-case of the lock.proper
is screwed to the interior of the door.
The outer bolts of the inner plane of mechanism, that is the bolts of such plane
which pass through the edges of the door, may be less in number than those of the
outer plane, being conveniently arranged so as to alternate in position therewith,
thus giving, in the case illustrated, two bolts only on each side, and one bolt only
top and bottom.
Instead of the bolt-tails B and F being formed solid with or fixed rigidly to the
bolts lettered A and E, respectively, they may, of course, if the size and shape of
the door admit thereof, be formed solid with or fixed rigidly to the bolts lettered A'
and E¹, respectively, in which case the bolts J and J' would of course be shot out
sideways instead of upwards and downwards, as shewn.
The invention described and illustrated may be modified, if desired, for the sake
of simplicity or cheapness, by employing only one plane of outer bolts and of
interior locking mechanism, but such arrangement is not, of course, so secure as the
modification first described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore-described improvements in the locking mechanism of safes
and iron doors, according to which two bolts are shot out from the lock proper, one
upwards and the other downwards, or otherwise on opposite sides, so as to lock two
tail-pieces forming part of the mechanism of a set of bolts passing out in one plane,
or approximately so, through the edges of the door, substantially as and for the
purpose herein described and shewn by the drawings.
2. In a safe or iron door, two planes of locking mechanism, substantially as and
for the purpose herein described and shewn by the drawings.

page_text: 3. In a safe or iron door in which two planes of locking mechanism aro employed,
locking the outer bolts of each plane of locking mechanism in the manner referred
to in claim 1, substantially as and for the purpose herein described and shewn by
the drawings.
4. In a safe or iron door in which two bolts are shot out from the lock proper in
the manner referred to in claim 1, the duplicate arrangement of lovers, that is one
set of levers on each side of the key, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described and shewn by the drawings.
5. In a safe or iron door in which four bolts are shot out from the lock proper in
tlie manner referred to in claim 3, the quadruple arrangement of levers, that is a set
of levers on each side of the key and in each plane of the mechanism, substantially
as and for the purpose herein described and shewn by the drawings.
6. In a safe or iron door in which two planes of locking mechanism are employed
substantially in the manner described, the metal block L between two planes of
mechanism of the lock proper, substantially as and for the purpose herein described
and shewn by the drawings.
Dated this th dow of than 1001