Improvements in Locks and Fastenings,
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1992-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Locks and Fastenings,
I CHARLES EMILE ALEXANDRE ALEXIS DÉNY of 48 Rue des Acacias Paris
in the Republic of France, Ironmonger, 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 relates to locks and fastenings of the class described in the
Specification annexed to Letters Patent granted to me and dated the 3rd May 1890
No. 6873 and consists in improvements which I have now introduced in the
mechanism described in that Specification and which are intended to increase
the safety of the said locks and fastenings and to render them absolutely un-
pickable.
$
In my said former Specification I have described a barrel formed by a series of
discs or washers presenting a central orifice and two radial slots constituting a comb
chamber in which the key must be rotated in order to enable it to be presented to a
radial slot in a washer, through which it has to pass before it can enter the lock,
wherein it acts upon a lantern piece which is moved by the bit of the key, and
actuates the bolt or latch.
The object of my present invention being to obtain greater safety, the said barrel
is combined with curtains or shutters in the form of pivoted plates which block the
passage of the key until the latter has been turned or rotated in the barrel, and
has released the said curtains by the action of its bit as hereinafter explained..
My present invention further relates to the mode of making the comb chamber
or barrel in one piece and to an improved arrangement of a cabinet bolt or fastening
provided with a barrel constructed upon the same principle, the said arrangement
being likewise designed with a view to rendering the fastening unpickable.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in section a barrel, such as is
described in my said former Specification No. 68730 provided with a series of
discs or washers a, combined with plates . y. z, acting as curtains which block the
passage of a false key or pick as hereinafter explained. These plates or curtains
are represented separately in Figures 2, 3, and 4.
Figures 5 to 15 represent sections taken through the barrel in different planes so
as to show the arrangement and relative positions of the devices employed for
enabling the key to act upon the obstructing plates or curtains.
Figures 16 and 17 represent in front elevation and horizontal section respectively
a chamber lock or latch provided with the improved barrel.
Figure 18 represents partly in section a cabinet lock or fastening provided with
an improved barrel and Figures 19 and 20 illustrate this fastening in transverse
sections taken respectively on the lines 1-2 and 3-4 Figure 18.
A key such as is employed for the improved locks constructed according to this
invention is illustrated in Figure 21.
The barrel illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a series of washers a perforated
with radial slots arranged at any angle to one another, and with a central aperture
for the passage of the key. All the slots in these washers are of the same size,.
and are placed exactly one over the other, but the central aperture is of a different
diameter in each washer. One of the series of slots corresponds with the entrance
to the barrel, and the other series corresponds with a single radial slot formed in a.

page_text: washer a¹ forming the end of the barrel and allowing the bit of the key to pass
when the latter has rotated in the comb chamber of the barrel.
In my former Specification these washers are described as being separate or
independent and the comb chamber which they formed as being of a circular form.
According to the present arrangement, I solder or weld all the washers together
so as to form one solid block, and the orifices in place of being made of circular
shape form in the case of the larger washers, notches or recesses which enable
them to be utilized as stops controlling the rotation of the key engaged in the barrel.
This mode of construction of the barrel is illustrated in Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13
of the drawings. This barrel applied to any kind of lock or fastening enables a
key of very small dimensions to be employed, and the bit of the key may be cut
in such a manner as to enable the same key to operate different locks. These
advantages are referred to in my former Specification No. 687300.
In order to increase the security afforded by this barrel, I now combine with it a
curtain or shutter arrangement masking or covering the slot in the washer a
until the key itself uncovers or frees this passage by performing a certain move-
ment in the barrel.
20
This curtain or shutter arrangement being placed next to the washer a¹ Figure 1
is composed in the example illustrated, of three plates or curtains marked x, y and z,
sliding one over the other, and which lock one another. The curtain & illustrated
separately in Figure 2 is connected to one end of a spindle or axis a¹ provided
at the other end with an arm or finger x². The spindle ¹ is contained in a
longitudinal recess formed in the side of the series of washers a a¹ (Figures 1 and 6)
and the curtain is placed at the back of the series of washers whilst the
finger projects into the interior of the barrel opposite to any one of the
washers a.
The curtain y illustrated separately in Figure 3 is likewise attached to one
extremity of a spindle or axis y' provided at the other extremity with an arm or
finger y. The spindle y' works in a similar recess in the washers at the side of
the barrel (Figure 6) and is so arranged that the curtain y stands at the back of the
curtain, and the finger y' does not come opposite to the same washer as does
the finger x².
The curtain (Figure 4) is arranged similarly to the curtains x and y on an
axis or spindle 2 working at the side of the barrel and provided with a finger z³
placed opposite to one of the washers a.
The three curtains ay and being shaped as represented in Figures 10, 12 and 14,
present all or parts of a radial slot similar to the slot in the washer a', and are
suspended in such a manner that their own weight causes them to fall automatically
into the positions indicated in Figure 5, in which they block the passage through
the said washer a¹.
The curtain locks the curtain a, by means of a cog or tooth y³, which engages
with a notch or recess ³ in the curtain a, and the curtain z locks the curtain y, by
means of a tooth which engages with a recess y' in the curtain y. By these
means the curtain y is prevented from rising until the curtain is lifted and the
curtain a, cannot rise until the curtain y is lifted so that in order to clear the
passage all three curtains must be acted on simultaneously, this being an operation
that cannot be performed by the aid of a pick or similar tool.
=
The series of washers and the curtains blocking the entrance, are enclosed in a
sheath or casing 9, (Figures 1 and 6) which retains all the parts in position without
interfering with the freedom of motion of the curtains which drop by gravitation
into the closed position represented in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8. The sheath g is
provided with a slot correspouding with the slot in the washer a¹ which forms an
angle with the slot at the entrance of the barrel.
When the key is introduced into the barrel and rotated in the comb chamber
formed by the series of washers a by turning it in the direction indicated by the
arrow in Figures 6, 7, and 8, the bit of the key comes in contact first with the'

page_text: finger 2 (Figure 8) and moves it into the position represented in Figure 13,.
lifting the curtain 2, formed by a circular plate or disc of smaller diameter than
the interior of the sheath into the position represented in Figures 14 and 15 and
thereby releasing the curtain y. The key likewise acts upon the finger. y
Figure 7 and moves it into the position represented in Figure 11 so as to lift
the curtain y which now releases the curtain. Finally the key acts upon the-
finger (Figure 6) and moves it into the position represented in Figure 9, thereby
lifting the curtain x.
At this moment the bit of the key has rotated in the comb chamber, through
an angle equal to that formed between the slots in the washers a and a', and the
three curtains being lifted in such a manner as to cause their slots to coincide with
the slots in the washer a¹ the key is enabled to be pushed through the latter and
to act on the lantern piece L (Figures 16 and 17) in the interior of the lock so.
as to move the bolt or latch in the usual manner.
and z
The key having to act upon three separate parts namely the curtains
y
before it is permitted to enter the lock, absolute security is ensured as it would be
practically impossible to cause a pick to act on these three parts simultaneously in.
such a manner as to uncover the orifice and pass the obstacles. It is evident that
any other suitable number of curtains may be employed if desired being either
greater or less than that represented in the accompanying drawing by way of
example.
In the case of cabinet locks the barrel is preferably constructed in the manner
represented in Figures 18, 19 and 20. In these figures the barrel is formed by a
tube (Figure 18) of rectangular or flattened form in transverse section corre-
sponding to the shape of the double bitted key (Figure 21) which enters it. It is
perforated on opposite sides with notched or stepped openings e e' Figures 19 and 20
which act in the same way as the comb chamber formed by the washers a herein-.
before described. The action of the barrel thus formed is similar to that of the
cylindrical barrel hereinbefore described but its construction is simpler and more
economical. The steps in the openings e e¹ must correspond with the shape of the
double bit of the key so that the latter may rotate freely and these steps are
different in each lock which is thus enabled to retain its individuality.
The bolt A is forked and passes on both sides of the barrel; one branch of the
bolt is provided with the talons on which the key acts and the other is recessed to
allow space for rotating the bit. These two branches which may be connected at
their extremities are each provided with two series of notches u which engage
with stops b on levers or tumblèrs situated in different planes with reference
to the stepped openings e e¹ of the barrel and acted on by springs 62. These
tumblers being arranged to oscillate on centres 63 are each provided with two-
stops 6 on opposite sides of the said centres as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 18
so as to render them double acting.
The key after passing through the openings e e¹ acts upon the tumblers & 6¹ which
disengage the bolt and at the same time acts upon the bolt shooting it in one
direction or the other. The movement resulting from this balanced action is very
smooth the forces being well distributed and balanced. The plate b covers the
talons of the bolt and opposes the operation of a pick thus increasing the security.
With the same object the tumblers are placed at different elevations relatively to
the barrel (Figure 20). The two tumblers hereinbefore referred to act in fact
similarly to the shutter and pawl in the barrel arrangement for ordinary locks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The combination of a barrel such as that described and claimed in the
Specification No. 687300 with curtains covering or closing the slot in the washer a¹
and which require to be lifted or displaced by the key in order to enable the latter -

page_text: to pass through the slot in the said washer and act upon the lantern piece L of the
lock substantially as herein before described, with reference to Figures 1 to 15 of
the accompanying drawings.
2. In the construction of the barrel hereinbefore referred to soldering or welding
together all the washers .a and a' in such a manner as to form a rigid block, the
said block being enclosed in a case or sheath g retaining in place the curtains
referred to in the preceding claiming clause substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the accompanying drawing.
3. A lock or fastening provided with a flattened barrel (1) having stepped
openings e el acting as a comb in combination with the double bitted key the said
barrel acting in combination with the double acting plates or tumblers 6 6' with
stops 6 pivotted on the centres 63 and situated opposite to the stepped openings
and covering a forked bolt whose branches are covered by the said plates all
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 18, 19 and 20 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improvements
in locks and fastenings substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
*111
LM 1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.