AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF Lock
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William La Penotière, of Bartholomew Road, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF Lock."
Sealed the 22nd May 1869, and dated the 23rd November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William La Penotière at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd November 1868.
I, WILLIAM. LA PENOTIÈRE, of Bartholomew Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF LOCK," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to produce a lock which when locked
from one side cannot possibly be opened from the other, even by a
similar key or any kind of picklock.
I propose to construct my improved lock with a double bolt, one bolt
sliding on or over the other, both moving in the same direction when set
in motion, but each being acted upon by the key and shot independently

page_text: of the other. Each bolt of this double bolt will be acted upon from
opposite sides of the ward plate and will carry a metal plate which I
term a shield lying close against the inner face of each lock plate.
The ward plate will have similar wards on each side, but the key will
be so made that it will only pass over some of the wards and not act
upon the bolt on the near side of the ward plate, but will extend over
all the wards and act on the bolt on the side of the ward plate furthest
from that keyhole through which it has been introduced, the key
being also made so that the end of the stem cannot enter the opposite
keyhole. When the key is inserted and turned it will only shoot
that bolt of the double bolt which is on the furthest side of the ward
plate, and when this bolt is fairly shot it will have placed the shield
which it carries exactly over the inside of the opposite keyhole, into
which neither key nor picklock can then be inserted, the shield being
irremoveable except by shooting the bolt back from the same side of
the lock from which it was shot forward. From whichever side of
the lock the key is introduced the action will be precisely the same,
that is to say, one or other of the bolts of the double bolt will when
shot place a shield over the inside of one or the other of the keyholes
according to the side upon which the key is introduced. Locks thus
constructed will be found particularly suitable for prison cells, will
do away with the necessity of separate bolts upon the doors of houses,
and will effectually bar the passage of a burglar from an apartment
which he may have entered by the window into any other part of
the house. One shield only may be required in certain locks and be
carried by the ordinary catch, in which case it will be placed over the
keyhole by double locking the catch. The bolt when shot may for
additional security be received in a metal box, and as no pressure
can then by any possibility be brought upon its end it cannot be prized
back with chisel or any kind of lever.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William La Penotière, Her
special licence that I, the said William La Penotière, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William La
Penotière, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF Lock," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William La Penotière, my executors.
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William La Penotière, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of my Invention is the production of a lock which when
locked from one side cannot possibly be opened from the opposite side.
either by a similar key or any kind of picklock.
The essential characteristic of my improved lock is the use of a
double bolt, one bolt sliding on or over the other, both moving in the same
direction when set in motion, but each actuated by the key and shot
independently of the other from opposite sides of the lock, and each
carrying a metal plate termed by me a shield, which lies close against
the inner face of each lock plate and is brought over or removed
from the keyhole accordingly as the bolt carrying it is shot forward
or thrown back. The key used for a lock of my improved construction
is so made as to act only upon the bolt upon the opposite side of the
ward or guide plate to that by which it has becu inserted, and the

page_text: stem of the key does not extend beyond the end bit, so that it cannot
enter the opposite keyhole.
Another feature of my Invention is that I provide a metal box to
receive the end of the bolt when shot forward, by which means I
obviate any possibility of prizing it back with chisel or any kind of
lever pressing on its end. This device may be used independently of
my double bolt and shield arrangement, of which it is not a necessary
adjunct.
This improved construction of lock will be readily understood by
reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this
my Specification, and to the figures and letters of reference placed
thereon, similar letters of reference denoting similar parts where such
parts appear or may be seen at each of the Figures respectively.
Fig. 1 shows the case of a mortice lock prepared for the reception
of my improved arrangement; Fig. 2 same with my improved arrange-
ment applied, neither bolt of the double bolt being shot forward and
the keyhole free for introduction of key from either side; Fig. 3 same
lock with a bolt shot forward and shield covering keyhole of one side
of lock; Fig. 4 key; Fig. 5 plate to be placed on door jamb so as to
receive in its box the end of bolt when shot forward; Figs. 6 to 13
inclusive detached parts.
A, bottom plate of lock; a, b, bolts forming double bolt shown
separately Figs. 6, 7, and 8, Fig. 6 showing inner face of lower bolt a ;
Fig. 7 outer face of top bolt b, and Fig. 8 its inner face; a, b, shields
carried by or of one piece with bolts, a, b, and which open or close
the keyhole accordingly as one or other part of the double bolt is shot
forward or thrown back; c lever shown detached Fig. 9: This lever
pivots on the pin d and has two notches e, e, to receive the studs f, f,
on the bolts a, b, the ends of the opposite studs of each bolt coming
opposite each other when neither bolt is shot forward, and the hinder
stud entering the front notch when the bolt is shot forward; y spring
set on pin and serving to keep lever c pressing against studs f,f;
i, i, slots in bolts a, b, traversing on stud j accordingly as the bolt
is shot forward or thrown back; k, k, shoulders of bolts against wliich
the bit of the key Fig. 4 impinges in locking and unlocking; m guide
or ward plate shown separately Fig. 10. This plate has a keyhole and
is held in position by the two pins n, n, on the supports o, o, which
are tapped at p, p, to receive the ends of the screws by which the top

page_text: plate is fastened on to the case; q a piece of metal shown detached
Fig. 11. The projections r, r, of one edge of this piece fit into the
holes 8, 8, of the plate A (see Fig. 1) and the opposite projections into
similar holes in the top plate t, t, forming grooves in which the ends
of the shields traverse, the body of this piece q forming a shoulder
preventing either of the shields being forced inwards. It also forms
a stop to the shoulder of the latch (shown detached Fig. 12) when
drawn back by the tumbler w (shewn detached Fig. 13); x hole for
spindle of door knobs; y spring on piu z serving to throw the latch;
1, 2, 3, 4, shoulders on side plates of case with pins entering into top
plate of lock; B, Figs. 3 and 5, box for receiving end of bolt when
shot forward.
The action is as follows:-The various working parts of the lock being
in the position shown Fig. 2 if the key be inserted from the opposite
side of the lock and turned in the direction of the arrow, the bit
will lift the lever c freeing the double bolt, and the key still being
turned its bit will press against the shoulder k of bolt 6 and throw it
as shown Fig. 3, the shield b¹ covering the keyhole (shown in dotted
lines); the bolt being shot the lever c is freed from the pressure of
the key bit, and is brought down again by its spring g, its front notch e
receiving the back stud f of the slot bolt 6 which it thus keeps forward
or locks; both the studs f, f, of of the bolt a being in the notches e, e,
of the lever. From whichever side of the lock the key is introduced
the action will be precisely the same, that is to say, one or other of
the bolts of the double bolt will when shot forward place a shield
over the inside of one or the other of the keyholes, according to
the side upon which the key is introduced, such shield preventing
the insertion of key or picklock by the keyhole which it covers, and
only to be removed by throwing back the bolt from the same side
that it was shot. Locks thus constructed will be found particularly
suitable for prison cells and for bedroom doors in hotels, will do away
with the necessity of separate bolts upon the doors of houses, and
when applied to the door of an inner apartment will effectually
bar the passage of a burglar entering that apartment by the window
to any other part of the house.
I would here observe that although I have described and shown the
application of my Invention to a mortice lock it is equally applicable
to others; also that the guide or ward plate m may have wards on either

page_text: or both sides and suitable bits on the key travel over part or all of
them, whether the key be introduced from one side or the other, and
the position and number of springs, levers, and other working parts are
susceptible of infinite variation, the working parts above being described
and shown in the accompanying Drawing being simply intended to
illustrate a practical method of shooting my bolt and shield arrange-
ment, which might however be worked by any other devices well known
to locksmiths.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and shown
in what manner the same may be carried into practical effect, I would
have it distinctly understood that my Invention does not consist in
any particular method of shooting a bolt or latch, that I reserve to
myself the right of using any locking and unlocking arrangement
known to locksmiths, and that I claim,―
Firstly. The use of the double bolt a, b, with shields a', ', cach
bolt of the double bolt being actuated from opposite sides of the lock
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Secondly. The use of the box B, Figs. 3 and 5 of the Drawing, to
receive the end of a bolt when shot forward, substantially as hercin
described and illustrated on the Drawing, and whether used in con-
junction with my double bolt and shield arrangement or applied to
other kinds of lock.
In witness whereof, I, the said William La Penotière, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
W. LA PENOTIERE. (L.S.)