IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS FOR SAFES, DOORS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS FOR SAFES, DOORS, AND OTHER
PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Lyman Derby, of the City
of New York.
Scaled the 6th November 1860, and dated the 16th May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th May 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS FOR SAFES, DOORS, AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in locks for safes, doors, and other purposes
consists in forming and operating a combination lock by means of a screwed
spindle and nut working in an enclosed case or barrel, in which are arranged
a series of longitudinal bars; on four of these bars are arranged independent
sliding tumblers, having notched upper and lower opposite corners. Trans-
versely to the inner faces of these tumblers is made a channel or groove to
correspond with a channel or groove in the face of an adjustable or com-

page_text: bination tumbler also arranged on one of the longitudinal bars, so that a pin on
the nut or key may traverse throughout the channel to enter a guide way, in
order, by the reversal of the screw, to operate on a self-adjusting detent pin or
bar. This pin is provided with a shoulder which rests on the end of a detent
spring, for the purpose of fixing or holding the barrel or lock and preventing
it from rotating, and thus projecting the bolt out or back except when
required
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th November 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during tho term therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS FOR SAFES, DOORS, AND
OTHER PURPOSES," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me from abroad consists in forming
and operating a combination lock by means of a screwed spindle and nut
working in an enclosed case or barrel, in which are arranged a series of
longitudinal bars; on four of these bars are arranged independent sliding
tumblers, having notched upper and lower opposite corners. Transversely to
the inner faces of these tumblers is made a channel or groove to correspond
with a channel or groove in the face of an adjustable or combination tumbler,
also arranged on one of the longitudinal bars, so that a 'pin on the nut or
key may traverse throughout the channel to enter a guide way, in order,
by the reversal of the screw, to operate on a self-adjusting detent pin or
bar, having a shoulder on it resting on the ends of a detent spring for
holding the barrel or lock from rotating, and thus projecting the bolt out
or back.
But to describe the Invention more particularly I will refer to the accom-
panying Drawings forming a part of this Specification, the same letters of
reference wherever they occur referring to like parts.
Fig. 1 is a view of the lock as it appears on the inside of the door; Fig. 2
is the front of the door showing the knob, and at the side of it a dial plate, but
not seen under the knob, and therefore exhibited in red outline at the side of
it; Fig. 3 is a view of the door as seen, when the lock is attached thereto;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the door and knob through the line x, x,
Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the barrel of the lock and tumblers
through the line a², ³, Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the lock through the
line a,, Fig. 4, for exhibiting the detent spring and bar for operating it;
Fig. 7 is a detached plan view of the under side of the detent spring for
exhibiting the recess into which it locks to hold the barrel from revolving, to
project the bolt till released by the depression of the bar resting upon it;
Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a portion of the barrel exposing a side view of
the detent spring and bar for depressing it; Fig. 9 are detached face and end
views of the tumblers; Figs. 10 are views of the combination tumbler.
A is the barrel of the lock, which may be made of brass or other metal, and
of any size desired. To the front or inner end of it is attached by means
of a flange and screws a² a hollow axlo B, of sufficient length to extend
through the door C, in which is secured a metallic box D for it to work in.
E is a shoulder or flange formed on the outer end of the hollow axle B, which
axle, by means of screws passed through the flange a, is attached to the

page_text: barrel A, (and extending beyond the edges of the box D) unites or combines
the hollow axle and barrel of the lock together to hold them firmly in contact
with the door, though permitting a slight rotatory motion in the box D to project
the bolt out and back again; C' represents a series of letters like a dial, formed
on the external face of the hollow axle B, for the purpose of registering the
working of the tumblers to open the lock. F is a cylindrical spindle, though
it may be made slightly tapering, if deemed most advisable, for preventing the
possibility of driving the spindle through the door; on the outer end of it is a
shoulder d, which fits into a recess in the inner edge of the hollow axle to
prevent it from being forced through it by external violence. On the inner
end of it is secured a cap plate G, by screws e, to prevent the withdrawal of
the spindle from the hollow axle or box B, though allowing it to have a
rotatory motion. Attached to or forming part of the spindle F is a stem II on
which is a square head f. In the end of the stem is cut a female screw into
which fits a thumb screw I, having a rim or flange under its head for the
purpose of connecting it with the knob J when fitted on the stem, so that as
the screw is turned it will connect or disconnect the knob with or from the dial
or hollow axle to rotate it. This knob is made in two parts. In each half
are cut square recesses so that when fitted together on the stem they form a
box in which fits the square head fs. The depth of this recess is about the
eighth of an inch greater than the thickness of the head f; the object of this
is to allow the knob to draw back on the stem to release it from the dial or
hollow axle, but when it is desired to connect the knob and lock together, the
thumbscrew is turned down so as to cause the teeth h² to engage into recesses
in the dial when the whole can be rotated together for the purpose of projecting
the bolt. In operating the tumblers the knob is disengaged from the dial or
hollow axle, by which operation the knob is only in connection with the
spindle F and screw K formed on or attached to its inner end. This screw
extends down into the barrel A of the lock for the purpose of operating the
tumblers by means of a screw nut L working therein. This nut is prevented
from working off the screw by means of a cap plate M, secured by screws ³, on
the back end of the barrel A. On the side of the nut is a pin or shoulder N,
the object of which is to operato a series of tumblers O, and a detent for
preventing the bolt of the lock or door from being projected out or back.
These tumblers are oblong blocks (though this precise form is not absolutely
necessary) of unequal lengths. In their backs are grooves to fit on slides k²,
attached to the inside of the barrel. On their faces the upper and lower
opposite corners are cut out and 1, and tranversely of their faces is cut a

page_text: channel or groove m² to match a corresponding channel or groove cut in the
face of a fixed or combination tumbler O. This combination tumbler is
adjusted by means of a set screw n², working through a slot n³ in the side of
the barrel, so as to admit of the changing of the combination. The tumblers O
are independent of any fixed adjustment other than what is given to them by
the action of the nut and screw working out the combination, that is adjusting
all the tumblers so as to make the channels m² match throughout to permit the
pin on the nut to pass through it. When the pin passes through the channel
it comes in contact with a false guide attached to the inside of the barrel,
but not extending to the ends of it, so that the pin on the nut will always pass
under or over its ends, and can only come in contact with it through the
channel m² to guide the pin on the nut up against the end of a latch bar R
working in a recess p³ in the side of the hollow axle. On the face of the latch
bar is a shoulder 1, which, resting on the end of a detent spring S (secured
at its back end to the door of the safe) depresses it as the nut is drawn up to
relieve it from a recess & cut in the inner face of the flange a³, to allow the
barrel or lock to rotate to project the bolt T out or back, in consequence of
the teeth on the edge of the flange a³ engaging into corresponding teeth on
the edge of the bolt. In the act of depressing the latch bar to release the
detent spring the pin on the nut passes off the end of the bar and over the
end of the false guide to another guide k', extending throughout the length of
the barrel. The object of this is to prevent the nut from being carried round,
but to compel the operator to come back to "A" or zero on the dial, as will
be indicated by the pointer on the base of the knob J at every start to work
the combination of the tumblers.
The operation of the Invention is as follows:-When the tumblers are all
up to the head of the barrel, the knob and barrel are locked together by the
thumb screw, and the bolt is projected outwards as when locking the door.
The combination tumbler 0 is next set at zero or the point nearest the upper
end of the barrel (as an illustration of the operation of the lock, it being
understood, of course, that any other point may be selected to make other
combinations). This will require the adjustment of all the other tumblers by
the screw and nut to match the channels m², to permit the pin on the nut to
pass through it to get to the false guide leading to the latch bar, and operating
of the detent spring to allow the bolt being shot back. The knob is next
liberated from its connection with the barrel of the lock by means of the
thumbscrew. The knob and screw are then turned till the pin or the nut is
stopped against the guide k', when the pointer j³ on the knob will indicato

page_text: "A" on the dial. The screw will now have to be turned from right to left
once round, and plus to "G" to lift or adjust the first tumbler.
[Note. For convenience of forming the combinations originally, the barrel
is made in skeleton, and match marks are cut in the back of the tumblers for
inspection.]
The screw is then reversed to the starting point "A," when as the first
tumbler has been raised or matched with the combination tumbler, the pin
on the nut will pass over the end of it to engage in the notch in the corner
of the second tumbler to operate it. This will require the screw being turned
from right to left once round, and plus to "C" to lift or adjust the second
tumbler. The screw is then reversed to the starting point as before, when as
the second tumbler having been matched, the pin on the nut will pass over it
to operate in the like manner on the third tumbler. This will require the
screw being turned twice round and plus to "X," to elevate the third tumbler
as before the screw is reversed to the starting point, and as the third tumbler
has been matched, the pin on the nut will pass over its end to operate in like
manner on the fourth tumbler. This will require the screw being turned
twice round and plus to U, to elevate it, when, as before, the screw is reversed
to carry the nut back to the starting point, and as the fourth tumbler has been
matched, the pin on the nut will pass over its end to the opposite side of
guide ', extending the entire length of the barrel, when it will require four
turns and plus to "M" of the screw from the starting point "A," to elevato
the pin on the nut on a line with the channel m². The screw is now reversed
from "M" three times, and plus to "G," when the nut meeting with no
obstruction, is carried with it through the channel till the pin on it comes in
contact with the false guide . This obstruction causes the nut to traverse up
the screw, and the pin on the nut coming in contact with the head of the latch
bar R, depresses it, and with it the detent spring S till it is forced from the recess
in the flange a', so as to allow the barrel to rotate. When in this position, and
before the latch bar has been released, the knob is locked to the barrel by
means of the thumbscrew I, in which position the whole may be rotated in
the box D some ten degrees, or other sufficient space, to cause the teeth in the
edge of the flange a³, engaging in corresponding teeth in a bolt, to project it
back far enough to unlock the door. When not designed for applying the
combination, the door may now be bolted or unbolted like a common lock
bolt. When intending to lock the door by the combination, the door is first
shut, and the bolt shot forward. The knob is now released from the barrel by
mieaus of the thumbscrew, which permits the independent action of the screw

page_text: again, and by turning it a few degrees, the pin on the nut will slip off the end
of the false guide to the guide ', or starting point "A" on the dial, as
indicated by the pointer, when the detent spring being relieved instantly
flies back into the recess in the under side of the flange a³ to lock the bolt. By
this action the latch bar is raised, and as the middle part of it is cut away, the
pin on the nut may be carried past it, but cannot touch it or again get access
to the latch bar to release the detent spring, unless by passing the pin on the
nut over the ends of the four tumblers till it comes in contact with the
guide, when it will be carried up to a line with the channel m³, requiring
four turns of the screw from the starting point "A" and plus to "M." Tho
screw is then reversed from "M" three times, and plus to "G," to carry the
pin through the channel to the false guide, up which it follows to the head of
the latch bar, to release the detent spring for operating the bolt, as before
described. This operation is resorted to for despatch in opening the lock
during business hours without disarrangement of the tumblers, but when
designed to give the greatest security to the lock, one or more of the tumblers
are unmatched with the combination tumbler O. This is done as follows:-
The screw is turned from right to left till the pin on the nut comes in contact
with the guide k', down which it is carried to the end of the screw, but off of
which it cannot get on account of the cap plate. When the nut is down, the
screw is reversed. This causes the pin on the nut to engage in the notch ľ³ of
the lower end of the fourth tumbler, and, by continuing to turn the screw,
draws it up to the head of the barrel, when the screw can get no further. Tho
screw is then turned forward, and the nut carried back to the guide again,
down which it runs in consequence of the turning of the screw till it comes off.
The screw is then reversed to cause the nut to act upon the third tumbler to
elevate it. The screw is then turned forward to carry the nut to the guide k*,
ngain; down which it runs to repeat the operation of elevating the second
tumbler, and the like operation is repeated to elevate the first tumbler. The
screw is now turned forward till the nut comes in contact with the guide k*
again, down which it is carried to the end of the screw, and as all the tumblers
have been elevated, the pin on the nut, on the reversal of the screw, passes
under them till it comes in contact with the opposite lower end of the guide /^,
up which it is carried to the starting point "A," as indicated on the dial by
the pointer, to commence the operation, as before described, for adjusting the
tumblers with the combination.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
Locks," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and explained

page_text: the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim the arrangement of
parts as above described for producing a secure lock, suitable for safes, doors,
and other uses.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my band and seal, the Sixteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.B.)