IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOKS AND LATCHES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hector Glendining, of Lowther Street, in the City of
Carlisle, and the County of Cumberland, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOKS AND LATCHES."
Sealed tho 16th February 1877, and dated the 21st August 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hector Glendining at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st August 1876.
HECTOR GLENDINING, of Lowther Street, in the City of Carlisle, and the County
of Cumberland. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES."
68
The object of the Invention is security with simplicity and economy in con-
struction.
In carrying out my Invention the necessity for the use of springs, and the incon-
venience arising from their breakage is avoided. The tumblers I employ are weighted,
and they are formed to slide vertically or on pivots as levers working in a case or
guided by studs or pins.
These tumblers are each formed with a longitudinal slot or opening varying in
height, with vertical enlargements at each end thereof, for the sliding and reception
of a pin or projection from the bolt, and another opening for the passage of the key.
The key in acting on the bolt or catch to lock or unlock it also raises these weighted
tumblers, so that the pin or projection may be relieved from the vertical enlarge-
ments therein to a line with the longitudinal slot, and thus admit of the free passage
of the bolt. In case of a wrong key being introduced, so as to raise the tumblers
too high or not high enough the pin or projection on the bolt will not pass correctly
into the longitudinal openings of the respective tumblers, and consequently the bolt
will not be released.
The opening in each of these tumblers for the key, when the proper key is intro-
duced, acts on the bottom part thereof to bring them into a proper line in the event
of their sticking or otherwise not falling into a proper line, and the key cannot be
withdrawn from the lock without first drawing down each of the tumblers to their
respective positions on the pin or projection on the bolt, thus securing it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hector Glendining in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
February 1877.
HECTOR GLENDINING, of Lowther Street, in the City of Carlisle, and the County
of Cumberland. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS AND LATCHES."
"
The object of the Invention is security with simplicity and economy in con-
struction.
In carrying out my Invention the necessity for the use of springs, and the incon-
venience arising froin their breakage is avoided. The tumblers I employ are weighted,
and they are formed to slide vertically or on pivots as levers working in a case or
guided by studs or pins.
These tumblers are each formed with a longitudinal slot or opening varying in
height, with vertical enlargements at each end thereof for the sliding and reception
of a pin or projection from the bolt, and another opening for the passage of the key.
The key in acting on the bolt or catch to lock or unlock it also raises these weighted
tumblers, so that the pin or projection may be relieved from the vertical enlargo-
ments therein to a line with the longitudinal slot, and thus adinit of the free passage
of the bolt. In case of a wrong key being introduced so as to raise the tumblers
too high or not high enough the pin or projection on the bolt will not pass correctly
into the longitudinal openings of the respective tumblers, and consequently the bolt
will not be released.
The opening in each of these tumblers for the key, when the proper key is
introduced, acts on the bottom part thereof to bring them into a proper line in the
event of their sticking or otherwise not falling into a proper line, and the key
cannot be withdrawn from the lock without first drawing down each of the
tumblers to their respective position on the pin or projection on the bolt, thus
securing it.
In order however that the Invention may be the more fully understood I will by
the aid of the accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me
lock arranged according to my Invention.
Figure 4 an internal view of the lock, corresponding with Figure 1, except
that part of the enclosing frame thereof is removed to enable the operating parts to
be more fully seen.
Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view; and Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 show parts
separately.
"In each of these views the same letters indicate corresponding parts.
a, a', are the parts of the case or frame; b is the bolt; and c and daro tumblers.
These tumblers are each capable of sliding vertically, and are guided in such motion
by the end parts of the frame a¹. The bolt b is formed recessed at 61, 61, for the
action of the key thereon in the usual way, and also with a pin or projection 6*,
which passes through openings or longitudinal slots c¹, d, formed for it in the
tumbler c and d, and also into a corresponding slotted opening a³ in the plate a.
The openings a³ in the parts a, a¹, represent the keyhole; the ends of the slotted
openings c¹, &, are enlarged vertically so as to act upon the pin 62 of the bolt b, and
thereby hold the bolt b either in a locked or an unlocked position, as may be
required; and d² are other openings in the respective tumblers c and d, the upper
portions of each of which is acted upon by the key at the time of the key acting on
the bolt, so as to bring the horizontal portion of the respective slots c² and d¹ into a
line for the free passage of the pin b³, and in the return of the key for its with-

page_text: drawal it acts on the lower portion of the openinga o³, d³, to bring the tumblers
down again in the event of their sticking.
Tumblers thus formed to act by their weight aided by the action of the key
thereon without the necessity for the use of springs may be applied to turn at one
end or part thereof on a centre or axis of motion, and other numbers than those
shown may be employed.
Figure 10 shows a side and end view of a key to the arrangement of lock
described.
I would remark that although I have only shown these improvements applied to
a lock it will be evident that they are equally applicable to latches.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in carrying the
same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise arrangements of parts as shown and described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention, but what I do
claim is, the arranging or combining parts of locks and latches that the tumblers
thereof may operate by their weight aided by the action of the key thereon without
the necessity for the use of springs therewith, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hector Glendining, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
TTSAMA