COMBINATION LOCKS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clarke, of Baltimore, Baltimore County,
State of Maryland, United States of America, for the Invention of
" COMBINATION LOCKS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Clarke at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 5th March 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CLARKE, of Baltimore, Baltimore County, and State of Maryland, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for." COMBINATION
Locks," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto, me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent.for..
the same, and have made solemn Declaration: that. I am the first.,
and true Inventor thereof...
"
:

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Clarke, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention relates to locks so constructed that a key is not
necessary, and that certain parts must be placed in some relative
position, or a combination formed of certain parts to allow the movement
of the devices, by means of which the locking and unlocking are
accomplished.
My Invention further relates to the application of a seal to the lock
in such manner that the preliminary steps toward unlocking the device
will destroy or perforate the said seal, and thereby prevent the secret
examination of the lock with a view to discover the combination.
The first part of my Invention relates specifically to a keyless lock in
which slotted tumblers, arranged in an annular inclosure within tho
lock, and capable of only a sliding movement, are clevated by the pulling
outward of an exterior band, certain of the tumblers constituting a
known combination being adapted to be pushed back by the fingers to
their original position, bringing them to such position with relation to an
eccentrically formed plate that certain teeth thereon can pass through
slots in the depressed tumblers, and allow of the movement of the said
plate, and the shooting out or in of the bolt or the releasing of the
spring catches. The movement of the eccentrically formed plate is
allowed, and the shooting out of the bolt caused, or the releasing of the s
spring catches made admissible by the rotary movement of the exterior
band, consequent upon the relative arrangement of the tumblers and
said plate.
My Invention consists, first, in the application to the lock case of the
eccentrically formed toothed plate secured to and at a right angle with a
sleeve, within which the tumblers are placed, the said tumblers being
supported by an upper disk or register through which they pass and a
lower annular plate, and operated by means of the movable band fitted
to the exterior of the said sleeve, which band when raised elevates the
tumblers, and upon the depression of certain of the tumblers to their
original position, a combination is formed which bears such relation to
the said eccentrically formed plate that the plate at first locked by the

page_text: -
Nexisting between similar teeth forming within a horizontal plate b, the
office of which will be herein-after fully described. One or more of the
teeth on the sleeve arc turned outwardly where they project below the
plate for the purpose of fastening the plate and sleeve together; C is
an ornamental band placed upon the outside of the sleeve B, and is
secured from turning upon the sleeve by means of the projecting stop c,
and the slot within which it is inserted. This stop while preventing any
lateral movement of the band independently of the sleeve, does not
interfere with the longitudinal motion of the said band, as the slot in
'which the stop rests extends to the lower edge of the band.
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In some cases in order to prevent the projecting stop e from being
sheared off or otherwise injured by the edge of the slot in which it rests,
as excessive strain is applied to the band C in a circumferential direction,
'I use a lining c¹ in the band, the slot being cut in the said lining instead
of in the band.
In the transmission of motion from the band C to the sleeve B, friction
between the band and the lining c¹ only is depended upon, and the
friction is principally caused and compensation for wear provided for, by
the lining being formed slightly larger in diameter than the inner surface
of the band, and after being cut, sprung together or closed to the required.
diameter; D is the register situated within the band C at the outer end
of the same, and is provided with a suitable number of perforations in
which the tumblers d and d¹ rest. E is a shaft passing through the
register D, securing it to the back plate of the case A.
In locks having the seal attachment, the shaft E is hollow and a part
of the register to admit of the insertion of the seal plate rod, as herein-
after described. The shaft E may be lengthened so as to form a con-
venient method of fastening the lock to the drawer or trunk; F is a
circular plate or core placed upon the shaft E as a bearing for the onds
of the tumblers d, d', and has notches in the edge for that purpose; G is
a spring formed by cutting one end of a sheet metal cylinder into
tapering strips equal in number to that of the tumblers d, d¹, and
bending the strips downward so as to bring their ends nearly to the
circular plate or core F, or it may be formed as shown in Fig. 2. The
purpose of this spring is to give sufficient friction to the tumblers d, d³,
to prevent their too ready movement, and also to provide for any wear of
the tumblers or adjacent parts; His a washer occupying the space

page_text: .
between the plate F and the back plate of the case A. The tumblers d
are provided with grooves f which are of such depth and at such distance
from the register D as to allow the teeth in the plate 6 to pass without
coming in contact with said tumblers when in their lowest position.
The tumblers. d'. have. the grooves fat a greater distance from the
register, thereby requiring the tumblers to be raised a certain height to
bring the grooves in a line with the horizontal plate 6, and allow the
passage. of the teeth on the plate past the tumblers through.. their
respective grooves.. The tumblers are each provided with false notches g.
The purpose of these notches is to mislead any. one endeavoring to
discover the relative positions to which the tumblers d, d', must be
brought to admit of the rotary motion of the plate b, sleeve B, and
band C. The tumblers d,. d', are provided with the pins h, which engage
a projecting portion of the interior of the band C. These pins serve
'as means by which the tumblers are moved as the band C is raised above
the register D.
.
In the lock, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the pins are merely elon-
gated projections on the outer face of the tumblers; I, I, are hooks
pivoted at k, and furnished with the spring 7, and thumb pieces m;
OK, K, are catches secured to the lid or door of the trunk or other object
to which this locking device is applied. The catches pass through
openings in the case A and are caught by the hooks I. The plate 6 has
projections 6¹ on the sides next to the hooks I, which projections when
in the positions shown in Figure 6 of the Drawing, come in contact
with the hooks keeping them from a too far backward movement, by
reason of which their disengagement from the catches might occur.
To provide sufficient space for the movement of the hooks I, the plate
must be moved into the position shown by the dotted lines. The move-
ment of the plate 6 is checked by its coming in contact with the sides of
'the case A.
The seal-holding device herein-before mentioned consists in a seal plate
o of a diameter about equal to the distance between the centres of two
opposite. tumblers, and notched to allow of their clevation. This plate
has a rod o¹ which passes through the hollow shaft E and is held in place
by projections on the side of the rod, which is split and formed into a
spring. The case at this point is recessed at the back to prevent
tampering with the lock, and to shorten the parts requiring nuts to keep
them in position.
.

page_text: 3rd. The case A, and bolt E, in combination with the sleeve B, band
C, register D, and tumblers d, d', having the pins or projections h, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
4th. In combination with the tumblers d, d, spring G, register D, and
circular plate or core F, substantially as herein shown for the purpose
specified.
5th. The spring hooks I, I, m, m, pivoted within the case at k, and
catches K, K, in combination with the plate b, 61, adapted to be mado
stationary or movable by means of the tumblers d, d³, operating with it,
substantially as herein set forth.
6th. The lining c¹ of the band C slotted to admit of the longitudinal
movement of the lining in combination with the said band, as and for
the purpose set forth:
7th. The seal plate o with its spring rod o' adapted to hold a scal
between the seal plate and the register D, in such manner that the
tumblers d, d¹, in being raised above the face of the register shall per-
forate and destroy the seal, substantially as shown.
8th. The recessed back plate of the case A in combination with the
shaft E.
In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, at Baltimore,
Maryland, United States of America.
Witnesses,-
W. F. BEASLEY,
Manufacturer,
Baltimore,
Med. U. S. of A.
W. T. HOWARD,
Solicitor of Patents,
Baltimore.
HENRY CLARKE. (L.S.)