Improvements in Lever Locks.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Lever Locks.
We, THE CO-OPERATIVE PADLOCK SOCIETY, LIMITED, of Neale Street, Walsall,
in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturers, and ENOCH LAWTON, of 7, Duncalfe
Street, Walsall, aforesaid, Tool Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention has for its main object improved mechanism which shall com-
bine much of the advantage in use which is due to the employment of multiple
levers with a simplicity and consequent cheapness of construction nearly akin to
that of mechanism in which a tumbler action is adopted.
According to this invention, in lieu of levers such as are ordinarily employed
in a lever lock, there are pivoted within the case, by means of the guide pin
for the bolt which is usually employed as the pivot pin for the levers, a set of
levers of very simple construction. Each lever is formed without the usual
gating, and its outer or free end is formed simply with a downward face which
rests, when the lever is not raised by the key, upon the stump which is carried
by and moves with the bolt, and with a downward nib or projection from such
face in position at some distance from each end thereof. When the bolt is in
its locked position, and the levers have been allowed to come down, the nibs or
projections of the levers come immediately behind the stump of the bolt and pre-
vent the bolt from being moved back. To unlock the bolt, the levers are first
raised by the key so as to bring the lower ends of their nibs or projections above
the level of the top of the bolt stump, and then the bolt is moved back by the
key and the levers are allowed to come down and in doing so bring their nibs
or projections immediately in front of the bolt stump thus holding the bolt in
its unlocked position. The lower edge of the portion of each lever which is to
the rear of the downward face, aforesaid, thereof, is formed of a concave shape
which adapts it to be operated upon by the key in a manner to bring the lever
to the required height as the key is turned. The levers are, of course, pressed
downwards by spring pressure. To guard against the levers being raised by
means of a key other than the proper key, but which is, nevertheless, adapted
to raise all the levers sufficiently high to bring the projections from their down-
ward faces above the level of the top of the bolt stump, a stop is fixed within the
case which will prevent any lever from being raised substantially higher than is
required to allow its projection to clear the bolt stump. Thus, the levers being
shaped to be raised each the proper height only by a corresponding nose of the
key bit, they would be raised irregularly by a wrong key, and one or more of
them would be stopped against the fixed stop of the case before the other or
others had been sumciently raised, and the key would thus be jammed. The
fixed stop may conveniently consist of a guide stump for the forward end of the
bolt.

page_text: We, THE CO-OPERATIVE PADLOCK SOCIETY, LIMITED, of Neale Street, Walsall,
in the County of Stafford, Lock Manufacturers, and ExOCH LAWION, of 7, Duncalfe
Street, Walsall, aforesaid, Toolmaker, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its main object improved mechanism which shall com-
bine much of the advantage in use which is due to the employment of multiple
levers of the usual construction with a simplicity and consequent cheapness of
construction nearly akin to that of mechanism in which a tumbler action is
adopted.
According to this invention, in lieu of levers such as are ordinarily employed in
a lever lock, there are pivoted within the case, by means preferably, or con-
veniently, of the guide pin for the bolt which is usually employed as the pivot
pin for the levers, a set of levers of very simple construction, as hereinafter
shown. Each lever is formed without the usual or perforated gating, and its outer
or free end is formed simply with a downward face which rests, when the lever
is not raised by the key, upon the stump which is carried by and moves with the
bolt, and with a downward nib or projection from such face in position at some
distance from each end thereof. When the bolt is in its locked position, and the,
levers have been allowed to come down, the nibs or projections of the levers come
immediately behind the stump of the bolt and prevent the bolt from being moved
back unless the levers are first raised again as by the use of the proper key.
To unlock the bolt, the levers are first raised by the key so as to bring the lower
ends of their nibs or projections above the level of the top of the bolt stump, and
then the bolt is moved back by the key and the levers are allowed to come down
and in doing so bring their nibs or projections immediately in front of the bolt
stump, thus securing the bolt in its unlocked position.
To guard against the levers being raised by means of a key other than the
proper key but which is nevertheless adapted to raise all the levers sufficiently
high to bring the projections from their downward faces above the level of the
top of the bolt stump, a stop is fixed within the case which will prevent any
lever from being raised substantially higher than is required to allow its projec-
tion to clear the bolt stump. Thus, the levers being shaped to be raised each the
proper height only by a corresponding nose of the key bit, they would be raised
irregularly by a wrong key, and one or more of them would be stopped against
the fixed stop of the case before the other or others had been sufficiently raised,
and the key would thus be jammed.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to
describe a practical application of the same by reference to the drawing herewith,
which illustrates the invention applied to a padlock of which the outer or cap
plate is removed to expose the interior mechanism.
A is a bolt of the usual character for locking the spoon end 6 of the shackle B.
The bolt is guided at its hinder end, as is usual in a lever lock, by means of a
pin C which is fixed to the back plate of the case and passes through a slotted
hole a of the bolt; and the bolt is shewn to be guided at its forward end in a
manner similar to that not infrequently practised heretofore, that is to say, by
means of a pin or stump D which is fixed to the case and passes through a slotted
hole c of the bolt. A set of levers, of which the outermost E, and the two next

page_text: The
The
in succession F and G, appear upon the illustration, and of which there may be
any desired number which the case will admit, are pivoted to the case by means
of the pin C. Each lever is formed at its forward or outer end with a downward
face d, from about the middle of which projects, in a downward direction, a nib
or projection e. When the levers are in their downward position, their down-
ward faces d rest upon a stumpf which projects from the side of the bolt.
underside of the portion of each lever to the rear of its face d is formed to a
shape which enables a key bit properly constructed therefor to raise the lever the
required height only for allowing the bolt to be moved endways and to hold the
lever up while the bolt is being moved. Each lever is pressed in a downward
direction by means of the usual spring g, or in any convenient manner.
bolt is shewn as in its locked position, with the levers down, in which case the
stump of the bolt is immediately in front of the projections e of the levers.
When the levers have been raised by the key sufficiently to allow the stump f
to pass under the projections thereof, the bolt can be shot back by the key, and
the projections are of such width that when the levers are lowered again, by con-
tinuing to turn the key in the same direction, the projections are at the forward
side of the stump f of the bolt and thus prevent the bolt from being moved out
again until the levers have been raised. It will be seen that the usual gatings
which are perforated, through the levers are dispensed with, and that the levers
illustrated, which are used in lieu of the ordinary levers, are extremely simple in
construction and afford much of the advantage due to the employment of multiple"
levers of the ordinary or more complex type.
För additional security; the guide pin D is extended across the width of the
whole set of levers, and is arranged in such position that when the levers are
raised just sufficiently to allow the stump f of the bolt to pass under the projec-
tions e of the levers the levers come substantially close to the underside of the
pin D. A stop is thus provided against any lever being unduly raised, and
security is thus provided against the use of any key but the right one or a dupli-
cate thereof.
It is not essential that when the bolt is unlocked the projections e of the
levers shall come in front of the stump f of the bolt, as the portion of the
downward face shewn as to the rear
of each projection e may be
brought down level with the underside of the projection, in which case when the
bolt is unlocked the undersides of the parts e of the levers, which would thus
be considerably lengthened, would rest upon the stump f of the bolt; but this
arrangement is not recommended, as it is much preferred that when the bolt is
unlocked it shall be secured in its unlocked position by the levers.
In lieu of the levers resting when down upon the stumpf they may be formed
to rest upon a stump fixed to the case, but in such modification a portion of each
lever would, of course, still come down behind the stump f of the bolt to lock the
bolt in its outward position. This arrangement, however, is unnecessarily com-
plex and is not therefore recommended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A lock fitted wi... levers in which the ordinary or perforated gatings are
dispensed with and in lieu thereof a portion of the edge of each lever is adapted
to rest upon a stump and a portion of each lever is adapted to come behind a
stump which is carried by the bolt when the bolt is in its locked position & the
lever is down, substantially as described.
2. A lock fitted with levers in which the ordinary or perforated gatings are
dispensed with and in lieu thereof a portion of the edge of each lever is adapted to
bear against a stump which is carried by the bolt and a part projects from such
edge which when the bolt has been shot out and the levers allowed to come again

page_text: against the stump is in position immediately behind the stump and thus secures
the bolt in its locked position, substantially as described.
3. A lock fitted with levers in which the ordinary or perforated gatings are dis-
pensed with and in lieu thereof a portion of the edge of each lever is adapted
to bear against a stump which is carried by the bolt and a part projects from such
edge which when the bolt has been moved into either its locked or unlocked
position and the levers allowed to come again against the stump is in such posi-
tion in relation to the stump as to secure the bolt in the position into which it
has been moved, substantially as described.
4. A lever lock provided with a stop against which the levers will be brought
if they are moved substantially more than is required to allow the bolt to be
moved endways, substantially as described.
5. A lock fitted with lever mechanism and provided with a stop to prevent the
levers being moved outwards substantially more than is required to allow the bolt
to be moved endways, substantially as described and shewn by the drawing
herewith.
Dated this 27th day of Anarrat 1000
STEPHEN WATKINS & GROVES,
Chartered Patent Agents,
Wolverhampton, Agents for the Applicants.