A Magnetic Lock, principally applicable to Doors, Gates, Boxes, and Drawers.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Magnetic Lock, principally applicable to Doors, Gates, Boxes, and
Drawers.
I, HENRY VINCENT SMITH, of No. 33 Cunningham Street, South Yarra, near
Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a magnetic lock principally applicable to doors, gates,
boxes and drawers, and which will automatically lock itself when such doors, &c.,
are closed.
My magnetic lock has a catch bolt or tumbler, either made entirely of iron or
else provided with a strip of that material arranged within the jamb of the door,
and forming the armature of a permanent magnet fitted within the door itself, and
this catch bolt or tumbler being arranged so that immediately the door or the like
is closed it will draw said catch forward into engagement with a recess provided for
the purpose in the door, the result being that said door will be securely locked by
reason of said magnet holding said catch in its projected or locking position.
It it obvious that this arrangement of parts may be reversed, that is to say, the
magnet may be fitted within the jamb of the door and the catch forming the
armature in the door itself. A key or other contrivance is provided to enable
the catch to be drawn or forced back out of engagement with the recess when it is
required to open the door.
Dated this Second day of November One thousand eight hundred and
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Magnetic Lock, principally applicable to Doors, Gates, Boxes, and
Drawers.
I, HENRY VINCENT SMITH, of No. 33 Cunningham Street, South Yarra, near
Melbourne in the Colony of Victoria, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of a magnetic lock principally applicable to doors, gates,
boxes and drawers, and which will automatically lock itself when such doors, &c.,
are closed.
My magnetic lock has a catch bolt or tumbler, either made entirely of iron or
else provided with a strip of that material arranged within the jamb of the door,
and forming the armature of a permanent magnet fitted within the door itself, and
this catch bolt or tumbler being arranged so that immediately the door or the like
is closed it will draw said catch forward into engagement with a recess provided
for the purpose in the door, the result being that said door will be securely locked
by reason of said magnet holding said catch in its projected or locking position.
It is obvious that this arrangement of parts may be reversed, that is to say, the
magnet may be fitted within the jamb of the door and the catch forming the
armature in the door itself. A key or other contrivance is provided to enable
the catch to be drawn or forced back out of engagement with the recess when it is
required to open the door.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a magnetic lock constructed according to my
invention, illustrating it as applied to a door, whilst

page_text: Figure 2 is a front elevation of such a magnetic lock fitted to a drawer.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of a door shown partly in section in order to
illustrate one form of my magnetic lock, in which the magnet is fixed within the
door and the catch within the door jamb.
Figure 4 is a section through said lock showing the catch in its unlocked position,
that is to say, as it would be before the door is closed.
Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 2, but showing said catch in its locked or
engaged position, that is to say, as it would be after the door is closed.
Figure 6 is a detached side elevation of a modified form of said catch.
Figure 7 is a sectional view, showing a modification of my magnetic lock.
Figure 8 is a similar view to Figure 1, but illustrating the catch as being
pivotally supported at its lower end instead of depending from a pivot at its
upper end.
Figure 9 shows another modification of my magnetic lock, which is specially
adapted for a drawer.
Figure 10 is a sectional view of another modification illustrating the employment
of a sliding catch or bolt.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures.
Referring first to Figure 1, A represents the permanent magnet which is inserted
within the door jamb opposite to the pivotted or depending catch or tumbler B.
This latter is preferably constructed of iron, though if preferred it can be made of
some other material, so long as it has a strip or piece of iron secured upon the side
adjacent to the magnet A, as will be well understood. In either case, when the
door is closed the catch will be drawn by the magnet A into the recess C, as shown
by dotted lines in said figure, said recess being formed for the purpose in the door
jamb, the result being of course to effectually lock the door. The catch B is
formed with a projecting arm D so constructed and arranged that it can be pushed
upwards with the aid of a tumbler E through which an ordinary square door
handle spindle can be passed so as to withdraw or force the catch B from
engagement with the recess C overcoming the resistance of the magnet A. and thus
releasing the door. A spiral spring F serves to return this tumbler to its normal
position. In order to lock the catch B in its projecting position, I pivot a cam or
eccentric G within the casing of the lock, so that when said catch is in said position
said cam can be turned round to hold it there.
In order to prevent a knife from being slid down between the catch B and the
magnet A so as to push back said catch without using the key, I form said catch
with a notch or projection F on its forward edge so that when said catch is in its
projected or locked position, said notch or projection will extend across the space
between the door and its jamb, as illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1, thus
forming an effectual stop to the downward passage of a knife or similar implement.
The catch or tumbler B must be pivotally supported in such a manner as to give
it a tendency to remain in the position shown in Figure 1, and if preferred, a spiral
or other spring (such as J) may be employed for returning said catch or tumbler
into this position. The arrangement illustrated in Figure 2 is intended for locking
drawers. The catch B is horizontal, and the magnet A is set in the frame above
said catch so that its ends project over the end of said catch, and thus draw same
up into engagement with the recess C. A key may be used for locking said catch
in its raised position.
In Figures 3 and 4 the permanent magnet is inserted within the door and the
pivoted catch B in the jamb, and the projecting arm D on said catch is bent at
right angles near its end so that it can be pushed back with the aid of a key. In
other respects this arrangement is similar to that shown in Figure 1.
Instead of the finger Ď the catch B may be provided with an oval-shaped hole
or recess D, as illustrated in Figure 6, the key E being inserted within said hole or
recess, and turned round into the position indicated in dotted lines in said figure in
order to unlock or withdraw the catch B. This latter may be formed with a

page_text: projecting portion b, as shown in Figure 6, instead of its front edge being straight,
and if preferred it can be pivotted at its lower end, as illustrated in Figure 8,
instead of depending from its upper end. This projection b is only for the purpose
of giving a greater hold or bite to the catch. If preferred, the catch B can be
made with a projecting loop D, as illustrated in Figure 7, and a spindle e having a
projecting cross piece or double arm E may be passed through either the door or
door jamb, as the case may be, said cross piece or double arm being arranged to
bear against the back of the loop D to enable the catch B to be withdrawn by
turning said spindle e in either direction. A knob or handle is provided on one or
both of the ends of said spindle to enable it to be turned in either direction when it is
required to open the door. The spring e' serves to return the spindle e to its
normal position.
In order that the catch B may be locked in its projected or engaged position, I
mount a cam G behind the loop D, and form a sided recess g in said cam at about
the place where said cam is centred or supported, said recess being adapted to
receive the correspondingly sided end of a key, whereby said cam can either be turned
back into its withdrawn position, as shown in Figure 5, or can be turned round so
that it bears against the back of the loop D, and thus holds the catch B in its
projected position.
With this arrangement the door will be latched automatically as soon as it is
closed, and can then be opened only by turning the spindle e, whilst if the cam G is
turned into its locking position the door can only be unfastened by first inserting a
key into the recess g in the cam G and turning said cam back into the position
shown in Figure 7.
When my magnetic lock is to be applied to a drawer or other similar article of
furniture, I prefer to pivot the catch B at about its centre, as illustrated in Figure 9,
and to arrange the magnet A so that when the drawer is closed it will draw down
the end of said catch into engagement with the recess C, the opposite end of the
catch B being of course made sufficiently heavy to normally hold said catch in its
horizontal position. A key E is provided to enable the free end of the catch B to
be pushed down in order to raise the opposite end out of engagement with the
recess C whenever it is required to open the drawer.
In lieu of using pivotted catches as above described, they can be arranged to
slide into or out of engagement with the recesses C, in which case I use spiral or
other springs such as b, to return said catches to their unlocked positions the
magnet A in this case of course being strong enough to overcome the resistance of
the spring b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. My magnetic lock consisting essentially of a permanent magnet (such as A)
in combination with a catch (such as B) adapted to be drawn into engagement
with a recess (such as C) by said magnet, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described and explained and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Second. In a magnetic lock the employment of a catch (such as B) arranged to
be drawn into engagement with a recess (such as C) by means of a magnet (such
as A) said catch being provided with an arm, projection or recess (such as D) to
enable said catch to be drawn back by means of a key, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and explained and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
Third. In a magnetic lock the employment of a catch (such as B) having a
notch or projection (such as F) on its forward edge, in combination with a magnet
(such as A) adapted to draw said catch into its projected or locking position,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Fourth. In a magnetic lock the combination with a catch (such as B) adapted to

page_text: be drawn into its projected or locking position by a magnet (such as A) of a spindle
(such as e) fitted with a projecting arm or arms (such as E) adapted to bear against
loop (such as D) projecting from said catch, a cam (such as G) being arranged
behind said loop so that it can be turned by means of a key into position to lock
said catch, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained,
now appearing and as illustrated in Figure 7 of accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of June 1892.
H. V. SMITH.