Year: 1888

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I BARTHOLOMAEUS HEIMSOETH Manufacturer of Coblenz in the Kingdom of
Prussia and German Empire, 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 :-
The invention hereinafter described relates to improvements in locks and consists
in the employment of a springless lock whose bolts have a continuous motion upon
a common guide plate.
Locks employed hitherto and known to me have to be provided with stop pieces
for firmly securing and for releasing the bolts, these pieces being so actuated by
springs that they can be only lifted out of such bolts when the latter are in a
predetermined position and properly shot.
The springs used in such locks increase considerably their cost as the former are
the more expensive of the different parts of the lock viz. the bolt or locking bar,
the stop or locking pieces and the key. Furthermore owing to the use of springs
acting upon stop or locking pieces, the key is subjected to heavy wear and after
a short time often becomes useless. Lastly the use of springs in locks of otherwise
superior construction may also lead to a stoppage of their mechanism, owing
to the said springs becoming idle or ceasing to act.
The lock hereinafter described obviates the above mentioned defects.
This lock operates in such a manner that during the to and fro motion of the
bolt or bolts, a plate is pushed forward in a perpendicular, direction or direction or
direction at right angles to that of the said bolt or bolts suitable guides being
arranged upon that plate in an oblique direction and such obliquity being only
slightly greater than the angle of frictional contact between the substance of the

page_text: .
bolt and the above plate. Besides the bolt serving to operate the lock there are
arranged other additional or assistant bolts whose motion is controlled in a like
manner by means of straight guides arranged in oblique directions upon the guiding
plate Whenever a ward of the key used to open the lock happens to be either too
high or not high enough one of the bolts or bars will be pushed forward slightly
in front of the others, or will remain a little behind and hence a tooth or projection
of the bolt or bolts will enter the guiding plate, so that neither the opening or the
shutting of the lock can be effected.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a
view of the lock after the cover plate has been removed. Figure 2 is a longitudinal
section of the lock on line II of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a back view of the said lock
and Figure 4 is a view of the guiding plate. The lock consists essentially of the
base plate upon which are arranged two guiding bars p. p perpendicularly to
the bolt. Between these guiding bars p p moves the guiding plate e which is provided
on its upper surface with ribs, here shewn, as square, 1, 2, 3, 4, (see Figure 4)
These ribs are arranged in such a manner that they form an angle with the bolts
moving perpendicularly to the guiding plate e which is somewhat larger than the
angle of frictional surface between the substance of the guiding plate and that of the
bolt. The ribs 1, and 2 run in contrary directions to that of the ribs 3 and 4. The
guiding plate e has moreover a central opening which permits the plate e to
move freely without striking against the key pin z which is arranged upon the
base plate.
The bolts a, b, c, d moving perpendicularly to the guiding plate e are furnished with
grooves a, b, c, d¹ corresponding to the ribs 1, 2, 3, 4 of the guiding plate e and
whose direction corresponds likewise with those of the ribs of the said guiding
plate e.
The bolts a, b, c, d have consequently a well determined course or travel upon the
guiding plate e the grooves a¹ b₁ c¹ d¹ of the former moving upon. the square
ribs 1, 2, 3, 4 of the. latter, in the manner described. The motion of the various
bolts a b c d is carried out by means of the projections abcd in the same manner
as in other locks, whereby the position and the width of the opening or space between
two consecutive projections is dependent upon the size and width of the key bit.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4 a double key is used which carries a
bit on each of two opposite sides, which bits when introduced into the abovementioned
openings bite at the same time upon the projections a² 62 and c² ² respectively.
When the projections a³ b c d are suitably arranged to correspond accurately
with the form and proportions of the key, no resistance will be offered to any of the
bolts and when the lock is shut the bolts a and b will move forward and the bolts c, d
rearwardly exerting a pressure by means of their grooves a¹ b¹ c¹ d¹ upon the
ribs 1, 2, 3, 4 of the guiding plate e so that the latter moves downwardly. All the
bolts move simultaneously, so that the motion of the guiding plate can be in nowise
impeded, such motion being therefore a very easy one. Should it however occur
that in consequence of making use of an improperly fitting key one of the projections
of the bolts was seized and acted upon too soon or too late, the corresponding bolt
would also move too soon or too late and its rib would offer a certain amount of
resistance to the guiding plate e. This resistance is greatest, provided the inclination
of the ribs on the guiding plate e. towards the bolts is only slightly greater than the
angle of friction and in consequence thereof the motion of the main bolt b is
prevented.
The resistance is again greater the more the form and proportions of the key bit
differ from that of the bolts. Hence from the moment when the biting of the faulty
key takes place, the lock can be moved neither forward nor backward. In the. lock
shewn in the accompanying drawing the bolt or bar 6 serves as main bolt or bar, the
bolts or bars a, c, d being only additional or assistant bolts.
By increasing the number of bolts used, the safety in opening or closing the lock
is augmented.

page_text: 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 lock without spring and with a continuous motion of its bolts upon a common
guiding plate e, in which the said guiding plate e moving in a perpendicular direction
to that of the bolts is provided with ribs as 1, 2, 3, 4 whose inclination is somewhat
greater than the angle of friction between the guiding plate and the bolts and which
gear in corresponding grooves a¹, b, c, d¹ of the bolts a, b, c, d substantially as
described and shewn in the drawing.
D
1