IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS AND KEYS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PEIRCE, of 6, James Place, Hoxton, in the County of Middlesex, Ironmonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Second day of May, in the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Peirce, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Peirce, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Peirce, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS
AND KEYS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the
said William Peirce, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Peirce, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to improvements in the construction of locks,
whereby to indicate any attempt which may have been made with a wrong 5
key, and also to wound or mark the person using a false key.
Secondly, my Invention relates to an improvement on keys, by applying a
spring stop within the barrels to prevent dirt getting therein.
And in order to give the best information in my power, I will proceed to
explain the Drawing hereunto annexed, in which the same letters are used 1
to indicate the same parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a lock having my Invention applied thereto, the works
of the lock being uncovered; Figure 2 is a transverse section; Figure 3
shows the lock, the works being covered; Figure 4 shews one of the tumblers 1
separately; Figure 5 shews the bolt separately; Figure 6 shews various
views of the parts which constitute the detecting apparatus; and Figure 7, a
key having the second part of my Invention applied thereto. The construction
of locks being well understood, and as the parts are clearly shewn in the
Drawing, and form no part of my Invention, it will not be necessary to enter
into a particular description thereof, further than will be required in pointing
out the means of applying apparatus or instruments according to my Inven-
tion. A is the bolt of the lock; B, B, are a series of tumblers which may be
of various shapes, as is used in constructing such descriptions of locks so long
as they are such that they will operate on instruments similar to what are
hereafter explained when moved by a wrong key, in order by such apparatus
to project out an instrument which shall indicate that the lock has been
attempted to be opened, such instrument being so formed as to wound or
mark the person using such false key; C is a sliding bolt, the nature of which
is clearly shewn in the Drawing; D is a spring catch which is affixed to the
sliding bolt C, the upper end of such spring catching into a notch or recess E
formed in the bolt A, when the sliding bolt C is raised by any of the
tumblers B, being acted on by a false key, which raises one or more of such
tumblers above their correct height of action. The sliding bolt C is con-
nected to a lever F, which moves on an axis at F, the other end of the lever
F being suitably formed to enter a notch or recess G in the instrument H,
which is a sliding bolt capable of being projected out some distance from the
interior of the lock, the outer end being formed sharp at the edges, and of

page_text: any device it may be desired to mark and wound any person with who may
attempt improperly to open the lock. The instrument or bolt H slides within
the tube I, affixed to the plate J, affixed to the frame or case of the lock, as
is clearly shewn in the Drawing. K is a spring which surrounds the tube I,
and it has a tendency at all times to force the instrument outwards, and it is
only prevented doing so by means of the lever F, and such will be the case so
long as the proper key is used; but immediately any tumbler or tumblers of
the lock are raised beyond their proper place of action by a false key, the
lever F will be removed in consequence of the sliding bolt C being raised,
for it will be seen that there is a recess formed in the sliding bolt C, in which
the ends of all the tumblers B lie, all which will readily be understood on
examining the Drawing. The various Figures shew the parts in the position
they would be in when the instrument H is within the lock, and in case a
false key were to cause the tumblers to lift the bolt C, the instrument H will
be released by the lever F, and it would instantly be forced out by the spring,
and mark and wound the hand of the person inserting the false key, and the
spring catch D would enter the notch E in the bolt A, and prevent the
instrument H being forced into the lock to reset that instrument until the
proper key had moved the bolt A; and thus it will be seen that by means
of the instrument H, and the apparatus in connection therewith, will any
improper attempt on the lock be detected, and the person will be wounded
and marked.
I will now describe the improvement on keys constituting the second part
of my Invention. L is a spring stop capable of sliding closely within the
barrel of the key, the spring behind having a tendency at all times to keep
the stop L at the outer end of the barrel of the key, and thus prevent the
entrance of dirt; M is a pin passing through the barrel to retain the spring
in its place, the other end of the spring being secured to the sliding stop L,
by means of a pin N, as is shewn.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would wish it to be understood that
what I claim is, first, the mode of applying detecting instruments to locks as
herein described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying spring stops to keys as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Peirce, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty.
WILLIAM
(L.S.) PEIRCE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of November, in
the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid William Peirce came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Second day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.