IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS, AND ADAPTATION THEREOF TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Edward Redfern at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
July 1861.
I, CHARLES EDWARD REDFERN, of No. 10, Saint Paul Street, New North
Road, Islington, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS, AND
ADAPTATION THEREOF TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing locks in the following manner, that
is to say, I form a shallow circular case of metal, say, of three inches diameter
and half an inch deep; I also form a parallel opening about three-quarters of
an inch wide radiating horizontally from the centre of said case; into this
case I fit loosely a corresponding shaped piece of metal, in which is adapted a
spring bolt of novel and peculiar construction, in the form of a bell-crank
lever, one of the arms of which is formed curved and the other straight. The
end of the bent arm has a hole formed through same which passes over a stud
formed in the second-named case, said stud being the fulcrum of the spring
bolt; there are notches made in said bolt at the angle or bend thereof, and
projecting pieces formed in the first-mentioned or outer case for the notches in
the bolt to catch against to prevent, the lock being opened by any other means
than its proper key, of which the following is the construction :-I form a flat
piece of metal about five-eighths of an inch wide and one inch long. I also
form two slits in the said flat key of different lengths and in the direction of
the length of the key. These slits pass over two pins or studs fixed in a plate

page_text: screwed to the innermost or second case of the lock, said plate being formed
with a broad notch on its edge for the insertion of the flat piece of metal or
key aforesaid. The two cases are connected together by a flat-headed screw,
the barrel of which passes through a curved slot in the outer case, and the
point of said screw fits into a screwed hole formed in the innermost case, thus
allowing this case and parts adapted thereto to turn in the outer case. The
operations of a lock thus constructed are as follows:-When the lock is closed
the radial slit in the inner case is crosswise of the slit in the outer case, thus
leaving an opening through the centre of the two cases, so that suppose any-
thing round to have been previously passed along the two slits when they were
in a line with each other, as would be the case when the lock was unlocked,
it will be obvious that when the lock is locked the article enclosed thereby
cannot be removed. For example, suppose an umbrella stand to have one of
the above locks adapted to each of the openings destined to receive the upper
part of the stick of the umbrella, umbrellas may thus be securely locked in
the stand. In using the above lock as a padlock the staple need simply be a
piece of round iron with a flat head, which would be enclosed and securely
held by the lock, as before stated. To open this lock the key or flat piece of
metal aforesaid is inserted and held pressed into the opening in the edge of the
inner case with one hand, and with the other hand the case is moved round
by means of a small knob affixed thereto, the effect of this is to carry the key
round in the case, which is necessary to force and hold the catches on the bolt
out of the way of the stops on the outer case in order to effect the unlocking
of the lock. And I consider this to be an important feature in the construc-
tion of locks as it prevents the possibility of the lock being picked, for although
a picking instrument could be introduced and the lock be partly opened, the
entire opening of the lock could only be accomplished by keeping the bolt
pressed back during one quarter of an entire revolution of the inner case of
the lock.
By simple modifications the above lock may be adapted to various other
useful purposes to which lock's have not heretofore been applied, as also to
purposes to which locks are now applied.