Year: 1888

page_text: Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to locks for safes and other purposes.
The main object of my invention is to provide a combination hereinafter described,
intended to prevent or render extremely difficult the unauthorized opening of locks
and thereby to render more secure the said locks.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide knobs upon which are the letters
by means of which the combination which places the mechanism in such a position as to
allow of the lock being opened is formed. The disces forming the combination are in
pairs held together by means of flat springs fixed to one of each of the said pairs
of discs, pins upon the said springs pass through the discs and engage in one of a
series of holes, the said holes are equal in number to that of the letters upon the
knobs. Projections or teeth upon a first slide bar or lever pass into slots underneath
the above described springs and liberate the said pin.
The letters upon the knobs serving as an index to form the combination, which
places the mechanism so as to allow of the opening of the lock can then be altered
as desired.
The opening of the lock depends upon the position occupied by another or second
slide bar or lever in respect to a pivoted piece to which it is connected.
The said pivoted piece is fixed upon a suitable plate by means of a screw or
otherwise so that it can pivot upon this screw, and is guided upon the said plate by
means of projections. The first slide bar or lever is moreover guided upon the said
plate by projections upon the latter adapted to fit in holes or apertures provided
in the said slide bar or lever for that purpose and by screws provided with suitable
washers. This second slide bar or lever is connected to the pivoted piece by a screw
which passes through an elliptical slot in the said pivoted piece and is fixed in
a corresponding screw threaded hole in the said slide bar or lever. The pivoted piece
and the second slide bar or lever are in some cases independent of one another,
a projection placed at the height of the second slide bar or lever at the rear of the

page_text: moreover
pivoted piece may take the place of the above mentioned screw. The pivoted piece
sometimes replaced by a spring which tends to push the second slide bar
or lever to the right. Each pair of discs comprises two discs the diameters of which
are different.
The said discs have upon their periphery a rectilinear or nearly rectilinear portion
against which are adapted to bear shoulders upon arms provided upon the second slide
bar or lever when the knobs of the combination are in the required position to form
the combination allowing of the opening of the lock. In this position the contact of
the said shoulders with the rectilinear portions of the discs is ensured by the manner
in which the pivoted piece is hung, so that by its weight it causes the second slide bar
or lever to move to the right, the slot in the said second slide bar or lever is then so
placed that by turning the key so that the said key bears against the lever that
commands the stem of the first slide bar or lever the said first slide bar or lever
is raised and the said shoulder enters into the herein before mentioned slot in the
second slide bar or lever the teeth or projections upon the said slide bar or lever
passing at the same time into the slots in the upper discs so that the lock can be
opened.
If however the positions of the lettered knobs be changed, that is to say, if the
combination be broken up then the bent portions of the discs come in contact with
the shoulders upon the arms of the second slide bar or lever and the said second slide
bar or lever and the pivoted pin are pushed to the left. The slot in the second slide bar
or lever is thus displaced and the first slide bar or lever cannot be raised. In order
to afford still further security I sometimes cut in the second slide bar or lever a small
notch situated in close proximity to the hereinbefore mentioned slot. The side of this
notch to the left is formed inclined. If an undue attempt be made to open the lock
when the discs are not in the position necessary to allow of the lock being opened,
as soon as the first slide bar or lever is raised the projection upon the said slide bar or
lever comes in contact with the inclined side of the said notch and sliding along the
inclined side moves the second slide bar or lever still further to the left, the shoulders
upon which are then removed from contact with the discs so that the lettered knobs
can be turned perfectly freely, and it is impossible to tell the position of the rectilinear
portions of the said discs, if the combination of marks or letters which is necessary
to place the mechanism in the position that allows of the opening of the lock, is not
known.
In the latter case the teeth or projections upon the first slide bar or lever do not
come in contact with the discs.
In some cases moreover I do not employ the above described notch in the first
slide bar or lever.
Dated this 14th day of June 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1 the slide bar a and the pivoted piece b being

page_text: projections upon the latter adapted to fit in holes or apertures c¹ c¹ provided in the said
slide bar or lever c for that purpose and by screws provided with suitable washers.
This second slide bar or lever c is connected to the pivoted piece 6 hy a screw 6' which
passes through an elliptical slot 63 in the said pivoted piece 6 and is fixed in a
corresponding screw threaded hole in the said slide bar or lever cat c². The pivoted
piece and the second slide bar or lever c are in some cases independent of one
another, a projection placed at the height of the second slide bar or lever c at the
rear of the pivoted piece b may take the place of the above mentioned screw 62. The
pivoted piece b moreover is sometimes replaced by a spring which tends to push the
second slide bar or lever c to the right. Each pair of discs i, i comprises two discs i
and Figure 4 the diameters of which are different.
The said discs i have upon their periphery a rectilinear or nearly rectilinear portion
against which are adapted to bear shoulders c³ upon arms c¹ provided upon the second
slide bar or lever c when the knobs are in the required position to form the com-
bination allowing of the opening of the lock. In this position, Figures 1 and 3, the
contact of the said shoulders c3 with the rectilinear portions of the discs i is ensured
by the manner in which the pivoted piece 6, is hung so that by its weight it causes
the second slide bar or lever e to move to the right, the slot c' in the said second slide bar
or lever c is then so placed that by turning the key so that the said key bears against
the lever that commands the stem a¹ of the first slide bar or lever a Figure 5 the
said first slide bar or lever is raised and the said shoulder a² enters into the hereinbefore
mentioned slot in the second slide bar or lever c the teeth or projections upon the said
slide bar or lever passing at the same time into the slots in the upper discs so that the
lock can be opened.
If however the positions of the lettered knobs e be changed that is to say, if the com-
bination be broken up, Figure 2, then the bent portions of the discs i come in contact with
the shoulders c³ upon the arms of the second slide bar or lever c and the said second bar or
lever c and the pivoted piece b are pushed to the left and occupy the position shown in
Figure 2. The slot c in the second slide bar or lever c is thus displaced as indicated by the
dotted lines Figure 2, and the first slide bar or lever a cannot be raised. In order to
afford still further security I sometimes cut in the second slide bar or lever c a small
notch situated in close proximity to the herein before mentioned slot Figures 3
and 7. The side of this notch to the left is formed inclined. If an unauthorized
attempt be made to open the lock when the discs i are not in the position necessary to
allow of the lock being opened as soon as the first slide bar or lever a is raised
the projection a2 upon the said slide bar or lever comes in contact with the inclined
side of the said notch and sliding along this inclined side moves the second slide
bar or lever c still further to the left, the shoulders c³ are then removed from contact
with the discs i so that the lettered knobs can be turned quite freely and it is
impossible to tell the position of the rectilinear portions of the said discs i if the
combination of marks or letters which is necessary to place the mechanism in the
position that allows of the opening of the lock is not known.
In the latter case the teeth or projections & upon the first slide bar or lever do not
come in contact with the discs i.
In some cases moreover I do not employ the above described notch c in the first
slide bar or lever.
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
A combination lock for safes, composed of a pivoted piece 6 suspended from
the plate pin such a manner that by its own weight it has always a tendency to push
to the right hand side, a slide bar c (guided upon the plate p), the shoulders c³
of which come in contact with the rectilineal parts of the periphery of the discs i of
the knobs e when the mechanism oecupies the position necessary for the opening of
the lock-which slide bar e has a slot c³ with which engages the projection or
shoulder a² of the slide bar a for the opening of the lock, and a (Safety) notch c° which

page_text: in each unauthorized attempt to open the safe and under the action of the
shoulder a² of the slide bar a pushes the slide bar e far enough to the left band side
for the shoulders ca on the slide bar c to come out of contact with the discs i, and
every guide mark which might facilitate the unauthorized opening of the lock to he
removed, eventually the replacement of the piece b by a spring which pushes the
slide bar c to the right hand side.
LX
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.