IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOCKING OR FASTENING THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND OTHER SIMILAR DEPOSITORIES.
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Schooling, of Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOCKING OR
FASTENING THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
DEPOSITORIES.
Sealed the 5th June 1877, and dated the 14th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Schooling at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1877.
"
HENRY SCHOOLING, of Southampton Buildings, London. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR LOCKING OR FASTENING THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS,
AND OTHER SIMILAR DEPOSITORIES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for locking or
fastening the doors of safes, strong rooms, and other similar depositories by means
of a pair of dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts made of any suitable metal. Such
dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts are pivotted or hinged upon a bar or bars
which is or are thrown by the ordinary or well known handle and lever, and when
so thrown into the opening or openings formed in the frame a suitably shaped wedge
is thrown between them by a further action of the same bar or bars, or preferably
by another bar, and by forcing one of such pivotted or hinged catches or bolts up
and the other down forms a solid dovetailed or hooked catch or bolt, thus effectually
preventing the door of the, safe being prized open by the use of wedges or other
similar tools.
When the wedge is withdrawn a spring acting upon each of the dovetailed or
hooked catches or bolts before described presses the outer ends of them together,
thus allowing them to pass the opening or openings in the frame. A stop is con-
veniently placed so that neither of them may be forced beyond its proper position by
the action of the spring.
Any suitable number of such dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts may be placed
in any suitable and convenient positions around the door or doors, and in the case
of double doors may, if preferred, be so arranged as to interlock into each other
alternately as well as into the frame of the safe itself.
=

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Schooling in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th August
1877.
HENRY SCHOOLING, of Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR LOCKING OR FASTENING THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS,
AND OTHER SIMILAR DEPOSITORIES."
Hitherto it has been customary to lock or fasten the doors of safes, strong rooms,
and other similar depositories by means of fixed or rigid bolts or catches thrown by
any suitable and convenient arrangement of levers.
Now, this Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for locking or
fastening the same by means of a pair of movable dovetailed or hooked catches or
bolts, whereby a far greater degree of security is obtained than heretofore.
And in order that my said Invention may be better understood and more readily
carried into effect, I will now, with the aid of the accompanying Drawings, wherein
similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, proceed more particularly to
describe and ascertain the nature thereof.
Figure 1 of such Drawings is a view in side elevation of my improved apparatus
shewing the safe unlocked; and Figure 2 is a similar view thereof shewing the
wedge or tongue thrown between the bolts, as hereafter described, when the safe is
locked.
The outer space A on such Drawings represents the frame of the safe door, and
the inner space B the edge of the lock chamber.
To carry out my Invention I proceed as follows, that is to say-I make a pair
of movable dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts a, a, of any suitable metal. Such
bolts may be made either to correspond with or vary from each other in their form
and configuration as may be desired, but preferably I make them of a corresponding
shape, I then pivot or hinge such catches or bolts upon or between two traversing
bars, one of which only is shewn marked b, placed one on either side of such bolts
either by means of pivots or screws, as indicated at g, g, or in any other convenient
manner. The traversing bars b move in suitable guides, and if preferred, may be
fitted with suitable anti-friction rollers, or in lieu thereof the heads of the pins g, g,
may be made to project outwards a convenient distance so as to form guiding studs,
such studs being made to work in suitable grooves formed in the internal surfaces
of the walls of the lock chamber for that purpose; or separate and independent
guiding studs may either be formed on or affixed to the external surfaces of such
traversing bars in any convenient position, and travel to and fro in suitable grooves
formed as already mentioned, and thus allowing the heads of the pivot, pins, or
screws indicated at g, g, to be countersunk in the traversing bars. I cause such
traversing bars 6 to be thrown by any suitable handle and lever arrangement, and
thereby the teeth c, c, of the movable dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts a, a, are
thrown into a suitable opening or openings formed in the frame of the safe or other
door for their reception. I then cause a suitably shaped wedge or tongued to be
thrown between the teeth of such bolts or catches as seen in Figure 2 of the
accompanying Drawings. Such wedge or tongue d is either welded, morticed, or
otherwise securely fastened to a secondary traversing bar e, fitted either with anti-
friction rollers or working on studs sliding in grooves in a similar manner as already
described with reference to the primary traversing bars b, or such arrangement of
antifriction rollers, studs, or their equivalents may be dispensed with, and the wedge
may be held in position by the bolts themselves. Sach wedge or tongue d, when
thrown forwards by forcing one of the movable catches or bolts a up, and the other
of them down, forms a solid dovetailed or hooked catch or bolt, thus effectually
preventing the door of the safe being prized open by the use of wedges or other
similar tools, at the same time that it cannot be injured by the use of explosives.
I form the teeth of my improved movable bolts or catches a, a, and also the head of
the wedge or tongue & considerably thicker and heavier than the other portions

page_text: thereof, so that not only is increased strength imparted to the fastening, but on
unlocking the safe the head of such wedge or tongue d is brought in contact with
the traversing bars b, and thus draws back the bolts a and the traversing bars b;
at the same time that such increased thickness prevents all possibility of the head
of the wedge or tongue d passing through the space left between the traversing
bars b; or if preferred, I also form a suitably shaped recess, indicated at f on the
accompanying Drawings, on the inner side of each of such movable dovetailed or
hooked bolts or catches a, a, into which corresponding projections f¹ formed on the
head of the wedge or tongue & take, so that when the bolts are thrown back such
projections f¹ take into these recesses, and so cause the bolts a and the traversing
bars b to be drawn back thereby.
When the wedge dis withdrawn a conveniently fixed helical or other suitable
spring (indicated at h, h, in the accompanying Drawings) acts upon each of the
dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts before described, and presses the outer ends of
them together, thus allowing them to pass out of the opening or openings formed in
the frame of the safe or other door for their reception, as aforesaid.
Ieither form or place a suitable metal shoulder or stop, indicated at k, in any
convenient position on each of such dovetailed or hooked catches or bolts, so that
neither of them can be forced beyond its proper position by the action of the lever.
Any suitable number of my improved movable dovetailed or hooked catches or
bolts, fitted upon the principles herein-before described and illustrated, may be placed
in any suitable and convenient positions around a safe or other door or doors, and
in the case of double doors may, if preferred, be so arranged as to interlock into or
between each other alternately as well as into the frame of the safe itself, and may
all be actuated and controlled by a single suitable handle and lever arrangement,
placed either centrally or otherwise, as may be preferred on each door so fitted
therewith.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself either to the particular
form or position of the spring, as indicated at h, h, in the accompanying Drawings,
as the same may be varied in any suitable and convenient manner, as circumstances
may require, without departing from the principle of my Invention.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood
that what I claim and desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the manufacture, use, and application to the doors of safes, strong rooms, and
other similar depositories of an improved locking apparatus consisting of a pair of
movable dovetailed hooked or other suitably formed bolts or catches, pivotted,
hinged, or otherwise loosely secured to two primary traversing bars, as herein-before
described, and which bolts are forced open by means of a suitably shaped wedge or
tongue attached to a secondary traversing bar, the whole being actuated and con-
trolled by any suitable lever arrangement, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described and illustrated, or any multiple and combined
arrangement of such improved locking apparatus. My improved locking apparatus
may also be applied to desks and other similar articles.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Schooling, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
HENRY SCHOOLING. (L.S.)