IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Morrison at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th November
1860.
I, ALFRED MORRISON, of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in locks. For this purpose
the bolt is composed of a number of pieces, each of which is capable of a to-
and-fro sliding movement, and each piece is constantly pressed forward by a
spring. When the lock is to be unlocked each part of the bolt is drawn back
by the key acting on pieces which at their upper ends turn on a fixed pin, and
the lower ends, when the pieces are pressed on by the key, press against
projections on the parts of the bolt and draw them back. In each of the
pieces of the bolt there is a notch into which when all the parts of the bolt
are drawn back to the required extent a catch pressed on by a spring is
caused to enter, so that the parts of the bolt are retained in their backward
position. After the key has by a partial rotation drawn back all the parts of
the bolt the key as it continues its rotation is caused to depress one end of a
lever, and to raise its opposite end, which end projects beyond the case of the
lock and serves as a latch. The lever is placed in such a position that if its
end which is acted on by the key is depressed too far it lifts the catch which
retains the parts of the bolt in their backward position, and allows the parts of
the bolt to be shot forward by their springs. Each part of the bolt has at its

page_text: rear end a projection, which, if in any attempt to pick the lock the part of the
bolt which carries it is pressed back too far, comes against an arm of a lever,
and causes the lever to turn on its centre, and the movement of the other arm
of the lever is caused to release a catch and allow a spring to shoot forward a
second bolt. Between this second bolt and the keyhole is a partition forming
part of the case of the lock, so that this second bolt cannot be directly pushed
back by any instrument inserted through the keyhole. And in order that the
second bolt may be withdrawn by the proper key if it has been shot forward,
a piece capable of a rising and falling movement is passed through the
partition, and on the upper end of this piece there is an incline, which, when
the piece is raised by the key acting on its lower end, acts on a similar incline
on the second bolt and draws it back within the case, when the spring by
which the bolt was before shot forward is again retained by its catch. In
order to accomplish this the key after it has made a portion of a revolution
has an upward motion given to it. Through holes in the partition above
mentioned a number of other similar pieces, capable of rising and falling, are
passed, each of which is furnished with an inclined surface, but the inclines
are in the opposite direction to the incline on the rising and falling piece above
mentioned; the lower ends of these pieces are in such a position that the key
has to have slots formed in it, so that in its upward motion it will not come in
contact with any of their lower ends; but if in any attempt to pick the lock
any of these pieces are raised their inclines will act on inclines on the second
bolt, and shoot it forward. Another rising and falling piece is also placed
amongst the rising and falling pieces above mentioned, and this piece, when
raised by the key acting on the lower end, is caused to lift a latch or bar. In
place of constructing a lock by combining all the parts above described into
one lock, each of the parts may form a lock of itself, or any number of the
parts may be combined together to form a lock.