IMPROVEMENTS IN Locks
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by William Edward Gedge at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th February 1879. A communica-
tion from abroad by Alfred Proseus and Thomas W. Matthews, both of
Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN Locks." A com-
munication from abroad by Alfred Proseus and Thomas W. Matthews, both of
Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
I will describe this Invention as applied to an ordinary outside lock, it will
however be evident from the following description of its construction and principle
that it is equally applicable to mortise-locks or other varieties :-
The lock-plate has the usual edge-flange post and holes for the securing screws;
lugs are formed upon the lock plate, serving the purpose of guides for the latch.
The latter is provided with the usual beveled end and spring, a gravity catch is
pivoted to a lug upon the latch, and normally rests upon a pin, in which position
its lip is adapted to engage with projections upon rings on a post forming part of
the lock plate when the latter are rotated, as hereinafter described.
Through the latch passes a pin, to which is attached a block, which upon being
rotated lifts a catch out of its engagement with the aforesaid rings, and prevents
the retraction of the latch. The pin passes through a cover-plate which is slotted,
and a button is secured upon the end of the pin, by means of which the pin is
rotated.
The post carrying the revolving rings is made integral with the lock plate, and
threaded internally for the attachment of the knob-spindles, a groove being
formed on one side of the central aperture for a purpose which will be presently.
explained.
Upon this post revolve the rings, two in number, each provided with a projection
for engagement with the gravity catch of the latch, and with a lug for engagement
with the pawls of the bolt. To each ring is secured a pin, which projects through
an aperture formed in the lock plate and cover. These apertures are made in the
lock-plate and cover respectively above and below, or on opposite sides of the post,
the object of which is to prevent the weakening of the post.
The bolt is slotted longitudinally, and in the slot are pivoted pawls and a locking
piece. The locking piece has a slot, from which lead lateral offsets which engage

page_text: with a lug as the bolt is shot forward or back. The aforesaid pawls normally rest
upon the locking picce, upon which also presses a spring.
The operations of the parts of the lock herein before described may well be set
forth just here, as the functions and operation of the parts of the lock situate in the
knob are entirely distinct therefrom. Upon rotating either of the rings to the
right the projection thereupon engages with a lip on the gravity catch, and retracts
the latch, this operation being however complete before a lug on another part of
said ring strikes the pawls on the bolt. Upon continuing the rotation of the ring
the lug encounters the first pawl, which simply tips and allows it to pass. Upon
striking the second pawl the latter is forced down, carrying with it the locking
piece until a lug brings up against the upper side of the slot in the locking piece;
further motion on the part of the pawl being impossible, the bolt is shot forward,
and this lug engages with the proper offset from the slot and locks the bolt.
Reverse rotation of the ring retracts the bolt in a similar manner.
I will now describe the peculiar construction of the knob and spindle, and their
attachments.
The spindles are cylindrical in form, and terminate in threaded portions for
insertion within the post, which threaded portions are grooved on one side to
correspond with a groove in the post. In the spindle, which is upon the inside of
the door to which the lock is attached, the threaded portion is made integral with
the spindle, while in the outside spindle it is made adjustable to suit various
thicknesses of door by being screwed into the spindle and retained by means of a
set screw.
The terminal flange upon the end of the spindle for retaining the knob is made
integral with the outside spindle, while it is made separate from the inside spindle,
and conveniently attached thereto by screws.
The spindles are slotted transversely, and in the slots are placed a number of
blocks, having each an opening for the key. The openings in these blocks or
tumblers are at unequal or arbitrary distances from their ends, so that when a
properly-shaped key is inserted they will all be lifted into line, and be within the
spindle.
The knob is adapted to fit snugly upon the spindle, and is slotted internally at
the part which fits over the tumblers. Two of these slots are of a width equal to
that of the tumblers, and are diametrically opposite each other. The third slot
is situated between them, and is of a much greater width than that of the
tumblers.
A pin of a length equal to the thickness of the lock fits loosely into the hole
formed by the groove in the post and the grooves on the threaded ends of the
spindle.
The operation of the lock is as follows:-The knobs are placed upon the spindles
in the proper position as regards the three internal slots, the tumblers of course
dropping into the third slot, the spindles themselves being secured to the lock
in such position that their slots are vertical, allowing free play to the tumblers.
The knobs are thus free to turn sufficiently far to operate the latch, but no
farther, as the tumblers bring up against the side of the slot.
In order to lock the door it is only necessary to insert the key, which raises the
tumblers to a position within the spindle, and admits of the turning of the knob to
a distance measured by the length of a alot in the lock plate or cover. This motion
causes a lug upon the ring to operate the bolt through the medium of one of its
pawls. Upon withdrawing the key the tumblers fall into a slot, and the knob is
securely locked upon the spindle. In the locked position the opposite slot is of
course exactly above the tumblers, so that a key having an outline differing in the
least degree from that of the key properly belonging to the lock will either fail to
raise the tumblers clear of the lower slot, or else cause them to enter the upper one.
In either case a failure to release the knob obviously results.
I have herein before described the pins which connect the rings with the knobs
•

page_text: as formed upon the rings, I may however make the pins integral with the knob,
and entering a hole in the ring.
To place the lock in position upon a door the outside spindle and both knobs are
removed from the lock, and the latter is screwed in the usual manner to the door;
the post upon which revolve the rings being made to register with the hole for the
outside spindle; this latter is then adjusted to the door by means of a screw tip,
and the spindle, being passed through the knob, is screwed home by means of the
lock key inserted in the key hole, care being taken that the pin is caused to enter
the hole in the knob or ring, as the case may be, and that the groove in the
threaded end of the spindle truly registers with the groove in the post; the inside
spindle is then screwed home, and a pin is passed into the hole formed by the
registering-grooves in both spindles and the post. The tumblers are next placed
in the spindle, the knob passed over them, pressing the pin home, and the terminal
flange is screwed upon the end of the spindle. The aforesaid pin effectually
prevents the unscrewing of the spindles from the lock, which can only be removed
from the door by removing the inside knob, and extracting the pin.
A salient feature of the lock is that no strain can by any possibility be brought
upon the internal mechanism without first breaking the spindle or tumblers; a
result which is certainly not likely to occur, owing to the great strength of these
parts.
No relation exists between the size of the bolt and that of the key, as the latter
is simply called upon to raise the tumblers clear of the slots in the knob. This
feature, as well as that of the obvious difficulty of picking the lock, renders the
latter especially applicable to the front doors of dwellings. These features are not
however peculiar to this lock.
The operations of the knobs upon the latch and bolt are perfectly independent of
each other, and the door to which the lock is affixed may be locked from within
or without in such manner as to necessitate the use of a key for opening it from
either side, and may be so operated as to prevent the entrance of one from without,
even if provided with a key. This result is attained by rotating the button
carrying the gravity-catch clear of the rings.