Improvements in Locks for Iron Safes and Strong Rooms and other purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks for Iron Safes and Strong Rooms and other
purposes.
I GEORGE CALVERT of Verulam House Eglantine Road Wandsworth in the
County of Surrey Lock and Safe Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
To provide bank directors and other authorities with a more reliable means for
preventing the opening and closing of iron safes and strong rooms by any
unauthorized person.
The manner in which I obtain such security is by employing a system of multiple
lockings necessitating the use of two or more keys each to be in the keeping of a
separate individual so that in the absence of one person having possession of a key
the remainder shall be useless both for locking and unlocking.
Attached to cach individual bolt is a distinct and separate locking arrangement
worked by a separate key but so dependent upon each other that any five out of
six are locked they cannot be withdrawn in the absence of the complete number.
In as far as the actual bolt and levers are concerned they are made in the ordinary
way but in order to prevent the keys from being withdrawn until the whole set is
present the keyhole is fitted with a revolving cam which internally is a continuation
of the keyhole (and is consequently caused to revolve with the movement of the
key) but externally has a diminishing radius and a square shoulder against which a
rocking lever falls which has been forced out of position by the gradually increasing
diameter of the cam. The position of the cam shoulder or stop is such that until a
complete revolution of the key has taken place the keyhole is blocked and the key
cannot be withdrawn until the said rocking lever has been thrown out of gear by
the action of other locking arrangements which are so constructed that it not only
releases the cams but at the same time places a block against the end of each bolt
in order to doubly secure them.
Another adaptation of my invention is where one key is made to actuate any
number of sliding levers or bolts and rocking bars constituting a multiple locking
arrangement acting simultaneously but at the same time providing several distinct
and separate lockings necessitating in the case of attempted robbery a number of
wedging points instead of one.
In some instances I provide these locks with double chambers and intersecting
steel plates.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks for Iron Safes and Strong Rooms and other
purposes.
I GEORGE CALVERT of Verulam House Eglantine Road Wandsworth in the
County of Surrey Lock Manufacturer 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 :—
The object of my invention is to provide bank directors and other authorities with
a more reliable means for preventing the opening and closing of iron safes strong
rooms and other depositories by any unauthorized person.
The manner in which I obtain such security is by employing a system of multiple
Spin 1

page_text: lockings necessitating the use of two or more keys each to be in the keeping of a
separate individual, so that in the absence of a key the remainder shall be useless
both for locking and unlocking.
Attached to each individual bolt is a distinct and separate locking arrangement
worked by a separate key but so dependent upon each other that if any two out of
three three out of four or one out of any number are locked they cannot be with-
drawn in the absence of the complete number.
In as far as the actual bolt and levers are concerned, they are made in the
ordinary way, but in order to prevent the keys from being withdrawn until the
whole set is present the keyhole is fitted with a revolving cam which internally is a
continuation of the keyhole (and is consequently caused to revolve with the move-
ment of the key) but externally has a diminishing radius and a square shoulder
against which a rocking lever falls which has been forced out of position by the
gradually increasing diameter of the cam.
The position of the cam shoulder or stop is such that until a complete revolution
of the key has taken place the keyhole is blocked and the key cannot be withdrawn
until the said rocking lever has been thrown out of gear by the action of other
locking arrangement which is so constructed that it not only releases the cams but
at the same time places a block against the end of each bolt in order to doubly
secure them.
Another adaptation of my invention is where one key is made to actuate any
number of sliding levers or bolts and rocking bars constituting a multiple locking
arrangement acting simultaneously but at the same time providing several distinct
and separate lockings necessitating in the case of attempted robbery a number of
wedging points instead of one.
In some instances I provide these locks with double chambers and intersecting
steel plates.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a general view of the interior of my improved lock containing three
distinct and separate locking arrangements with the levers and bolts in the position
they will occupy when the door to which it is attached is open.
A. A. are two horizontal bolts, and B is a bolt which moves vertically,
The horizontal bolts are thrown in the ordinary way into the door framing, but
the vertical bolt has its motion entirely within the case of the lock and is used for
the purpose of placing an extra and effectual block against each horizontal bolt,
and for preventing the latter from being withdrawn until such blocks, have been
removed.
C. C. are bushes of a depth equal to that of the interior of the case into which
the respective keys fit and consequently revolve together with them.
Surrounding each bush and cast in one with them is a cam D. the decreasing
curve of those working in conjunction with the horizontal bolts terminating. in a
square shoulder E.
The vertical bolt B is also provided with a bush having a circular disc F
surrounding it, which in this instance is made use of instead of a cam.
G. G. are two vibrating levers, which act in the same manner against the cams
as an ordinary ratchet would do, being fitted with stops H which fall into or against
the square shoulder E of the cam. D before it has completed its revolution,.preventing
the withdrawal of the key from the bush in the event of the absence of those keys
which act upon the other bolts..
As shown in the drawings, the levers G. being pivotted at H, only come into
action during the locking of the horizontal bolts (see Fig. 3) and they remain in
that position until they are thrown out of gear by the lowering, of the vertical
bolt B which comes into contact with their tail ends J. (Fig. 2) at which time the
cam is released and the bush is free to complete its revolution.
Fig. 2 is an internal view shewing the levers and bolts in the position they occupy
when the door to which it is attached is locked.
Fig. 3 shows the position of the locking gear when the holder of the key of one

page_text: "
of the horizontal bolts attempts to "lock up' without the presence of the other
two or more keys..
In this figure will be seen how the mechanism I employ maintains the security.
The key having been inserted by the holder of that which moves the upper
horizontal bolt, the several parts of which are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the
bush revolves with the key in the ordinary way and the bolt has been thrown
(Fig. 3) but during the turning of the key the lever G has been released and its
stop H is in a position for falling against the shoulder of its cam, which action is
effected before the bush has completed its revolution, the key being then at an angle,
so that altho' the bolt has been thrown it must be unlocked before the key can be
taken out.
In the same manner, should the holder of the key of the lower horizontal bolt,
decide to "lock up" the position of the bush after locking would be exactly the
same as in the, former instance, both cam and lever combining to prevent the
removal of the keys.
In the event of both horizontal bolts being thrown during the absence of the
third key, the action of the vibrating levers will effectually prevent the withdrawing
of the keys until the bolts are thrown back again.
The movement of the vertical bolt B in the absence of other keys is an
impossibility in consequence of the interlocking with the tail ends of horizontal
bolts as shown in Fig. 1.
In the event of a locked door, the position of parts being as shown in Fig. 2 (all
bolts having been thrown) the horizontal bolts cannot be withdrawn until the blocks
formed by the vertical bolt has been removed, and then in the absence of one or
both of the other keys the door cannot be opened.
Figs. 4 & 5 show in detail the cam D and lever G with with an edge view of the
cam and bush employed to prevent single locking wherever my multiple lock is used.
Figs. 6 & 7 are modifications of my multiple locking arrangement in which one
key is used to actuate two bolts.
In this instance the bolt K is formed solid with the sliding plate L and moves
with it. M is a rocking lever forming a bolt at its end N and is pivotted at P.
As the sliding plate L is thrown over it carries with it the bolt K.
The projection upon the lower side of the horizontal bolt traverses the curved
surface of one of the ends of the rocking lever M which is so curved, that a gradual
depression of one end produces a corresponding elevation of its opposite end, and
thus I am enabled to multiply the locking power in padlocks or in locks of any kind
the horizontal bolt being thrown into the ordinary position in which the shanks of
such locks are secured, and the rocking bolt being thrown into a slot made in the
boss of the shank.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be carried into effect, I declare that
what I claim is
1. In a single lock case, the combination of two or more distinct and separate
locking arrangements which shall be dependent upon each other, substantially as
shown and described with reference to the drawings.
2. The combination of two or more distinct and separate locking arrangements
each worked by a separate key, and dependent upon each other, substantially as
shown and described with reference to Figs. 1. 2. 3. of the drawings herewith
attached.
3. In a lock case the use of a bush or cylindrical distance piece into which the
key can be inserted and which shall be free to revolve with the turning of such key
substantially as shown and described.
4. In a lock case the use of a cam which shall revolve by the turning of a key
and by means of which the key may be prevented from being withdrawn at any
desired position, substantially as shown and described with reference to Figs. 3 & 4
of the drawings herewith attached.

page_text: 5. In a lock case the use of a rocking or vibrating lever provided with a stop
which shall prevent the turning of a key to the position where it may be withdrawn
without the assistance of a second, third or full set of keys comprising the locking
arrangements substantially as shown and described.
6. In a lock case the use of two or more bolts or levers which shall be controlled
and "thrown" in various directions by one key, and which shall constitute distinct
and separate lockings substantially as described and shown with reference to Figs. 6
& 7 of the drawings hereunto attached.
7. In a single lock case the combination of an unlimited number of distinct and
separate locking arrangements which shall be dependent. upon each other sub-
stantially as described and shown with reference to the drawings.
8. The use of the combination of an unlimited number of distinct and separate
locking arrangements which shall be dependent upon each other in connection with
iron safes, strong rooms and general purposes substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 18th day of August 1892.
GEO. CALVERT.