IMPROVEMENTS IN Locks
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phelps, of Nottingham, Manager for Henry
Carey, Lace Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Locks."
Sealed the 27th May 1863, and dated the 15th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phelps at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
December 1862.
I, WILLIAM PHELPS, of Nottingham, Manager for Henry Carey, Lace
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LOCKS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements in locks, herein-after explained,
which said improvements are especially applicable to door locks and such
other locks as have a key-hole at opposite sides, but are also applicable
to other locks.
The said improvements are as follows:-In the axis of the key-hole of the
lock is a hollow spindle, carrying at either end a disk, the disk on one end of the
said spindle being circular, and the other disk being of the figure of a circle,
with a portion cut away through about a quadrant. The cut away portion is
of a circular curve, but of less radius than the other portion. A shoulder or
tooth is formed by each junction of the part of larger diameter with the cut
away part. The said disks are of somewhat greater radius than the acting

page_text: part of the key, and have each a hole cut in it for the introduction of the key.
The turning of the key effects the turning of the disks. In the lower part of
the lock and between the disks a lever works. The said lever turns at one
end on a joint, and its other end carries a projecting block, which is made to
bear on the periphery of the toothed disk by the action of a spring. The said
block is toothed both on its upper and lower sides, its teeth engaging with
those on the disk, and preventing more than a partial rotation of the disks so
long as the lever remains in its normal position. The upper edge of the said
lever on which the key acts is deeply indented at the part opposite the key-
hole, so that when the key is introduced into the lock that part of the key
which is formed to act on the lever enters the said indentation. The said
indentation in the upper edge of the lever has on either side the figure of a
convex curve, so that the key cannot be turned in either direction without
coming in contact with one of the curved parts of the lever. The motion of
the lever upwards is limited by the before-mentioned projecting block bearing
against the periphery of the toothed disk, and its motion downwards is limited
by a stop. The action of the several parts is as follows:-When the key is
introduced and turned in either direction it acts on the curved part of the
lever, and depresses the said lever sufficiently to permit the disks to rotate, the
toothed projecting block on the lever being depressed out of. the range of the
teeth on the toothed disk. The key and disks having freedom of motion the
bolt of the lock is shot or withdrawn by the key in the usual manner.
If a
false key is introduced into the lock it either depresses the lever too much or
not enough. If it depresses the lever too much the said lever is arrested by
the stop, and the key cannot rotate. If it does not depress the lever enough
the teeth on the projecting block engage with the teeth on the toothed disk,
and prevent the rotation of the disks and key. The action is the same whether
the key is introduced from one or other side of the lock. When the key is
left in the lock in any other position than that at which it may be drawn out
the key-hole on the other side is closed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Phelps in the Great Seal Patent Office on the.
11th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PHELPS, of Nottingham, Manager for Henry Carey, Lace Manufacturer, send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December; in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year.of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Willian Phelps, Her special licence that I, the said William Phelps,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Phelps, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Phelps, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 Seal Patent Office within six, calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Phelps, 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 following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the improvements in locks herein-after explained,
which said improvements are especially applicable to door locks and such other
locks as have a keyhole at opposite sides, but are also applicable to other
locks.
The said improvements are as follows:-In the axis of the keyhole is a
hollow spindle carrying at either end a disk, the disk on one end of the said
spindle being circular, and the other disk being of the figure of a circle with
a portion cut away through about a quadrant. The cut away portion is of a
circular curve but of less radius than the other portion. A shoulder or tooth
is formed by each junction of the part of larger diameter with the cut away
part. The said disks are of somewhat greater radius than the acting part of
the key and have each a hole cut in it for the introduction of the key. The
turning of the key effects the turning of the disks. In the lower part of the
lock, and between the disks, a lever works. The said lever turns at' one.end
on a centre, and its other end carries a projecting block which is made to bear
on the periphery of the toothed disk by the action of a spring. The said block
is toothed both on its upper and lower sides, its teeth engaging with those on

page_text: the disk and preventing more than a partial rotation of the disks so long as
the lever remains in its normal position. The upper edge of the said lever,
on which the key acts, is deeply indented at the part opposite the keyhole, so
that when the key is introduced into the lock that part which is formed to act
on the lever enters the said indentation. The said indentation in the upper
edge of the lever has on either side the figure of a convex curve, so that the
key cannot be turned in either direction without coming in contact with one
of the curved parts of the lever. The motion of the lever upwards is limited
by the before-mentioned projecting block bearing against the periphery of the
toothed disk, and its motion downwards is limited by a stop.
The action of the several parts is as follows:-When the key is introduced
and turned in either direction it acts on the curved part of the lever and
depresses the said lever sufficiently to permit the disks to rotate, the toothed
projecting block on the lever being depressed out of the range of the teeth on
the toothed disk. The key and disks having freedom of motion, the bolt of
If a false key
the lock is shot or withdrawn by the key in the usual manner.
is introduced into the lock it either depresses the lever too much or not
enough. If it depresses the lever too much the said lever is arrested by the
If it does not depress the lever enough, the
stop and the key cannot rotate.
teeth on the projecting block engage with the teeth on the toothed disk and
prevent the rotation of the disks and key. The action is the same whether
When the key is
the key is introduced from one or other side of the lock.
left in the lock in any other position than that at which it may be drawn out
the keyhole on the other side is closed.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a mortice door lock containing my improve
ments, one of the plates of the lock being removed; Figure 2 is a plan of the
under side (partly in section) of the same lock; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
represent portions of the same and the key, as herein-after explained. The
same letters.indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
In the axis of the keyhole a of the lock is a hollow spindle b carrying at
either end a disk, the said disks being marked c and d respectively. Figure 3
represents in front and side elevation respectively the said hollow spindle b and
disks c, d. The disk c has two teeth c², c³, formed. on its periphery at a distance
of about a quadrant apart. The said teeth may either be formed by cutting
away portions of the disk between c² and c³, so as to make that cut away part
of less radius, or the said teeth may be formed, as represented, by projections

page_text: on the periphery of the disk. When the key, Figure 4, is inserted into the
keyhole a and turned it carries round the hollow spindle b and disks c, d ; fis
a lever turning on a centre g. The said leverf works between the disks c, d,
and carries a projecting block h, which is made to bear on the periphery of the
toothed disk c and between the teeth c², c³, by the action of the spring i. The
said block h is toothed both on its upper and lower sides, so that its upper
side may engage with the tooth c² and its lower side with the tooth c³, and
prevent more than a partial rotation of the disks c, d, so long as the lever f
remains in its normal position. The lever f is shewn separately in elevation
and plan in Figure 5. The upper edge of the lever f, on which the key acts, is
deeply indented at the part opposite the keyhole, so that when the key is intro-
duced into the lock that part of the key which is formed to act on the lever f
enters the said indentation. The said indentation in the upper edge of the lever f
has on either side the figure of a convex curve. The said curved parts are
marked f, f in Figure 5. When the key is turned in either direction it acts
upon one or other of the curved parts f, f³. The motion of the lever f both
upwards and downwards is limited by its end f' working between the stops
k, k. When the key is turned it acts on one of the curved parts f, f³, of the
lever f, and depresses the said lever sufficiently far to permit the disks c, d, to
rotate the block h on the lever f being depressed out of the range of the
teeth c², c³. The depressed position of the lever f is indicated in Figure 1, in
dotted lines. The key and the discs c, d, having freedom of motion, the said
key acts upon the tumbler (shewn separately in elevation and plan in
Figure 6), and shoots or withdraws the bolt m (shewn separately in plan
and elevation in Figure 7) in the ordinary manner. If a false key is intro-
duced into the lock and turned, it either depresses the lever f too much or not
enough. If it depresses the lever f too much, the motion of the lever f is
arrested by the lower stop k and the disks c, d, and key cannot rotate; if it
does not depress the lever f enough, the projecting block h engages with one
or other of the teeth c², c, and the rotation of the disks c, d, and key is pre-
vented. The action is the same whether the key is introduced from one or
other side of the lock. When the key is left in the lock in any other position
than that at which it may be drawn out, the keyhole on the side opposite to
that at which the key is introduced is closed. In the edge of the disk d is a
depression d with which the pin f' on the lever f engages and. retains the
disks c, d, with some little force in the position proper to the introduction.or
withdrawal of the key.
Figures 8, 9, and 10 represent a mortice door lock constructed according to
miy Invention, in which the arrangement of parts is somewhat different..from

page_text: that represented in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 8 is an elevation, with one
of the plates removed, shewing the several parts in their normal position;
Figure 9 is an elevation shewing the position of the parts under. the action of
a false key; and Figure 10 is a longitudinal horizontal section taken through
the axis of the keyhole. Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 represent separate
detached portions of the same and the key as herein-after explained. The
same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
and 14.
b is the hollow spindle carrying the disks c, d. The said spindle and disks
are represented in elevation and vertical section respectively in Figure 11;
fis the lever turning upon the centre g. The said leverf carries a stud h,
and by the action of the spring i the stud h is pressed against the periphery of
the disk c. The lever is shewn separately in front and side elevation in
Figure 12. The disk c carries a tooth c² on its periphery, which said tooth
strikes against the stud h, and prevents the rotation of the disks c, d, when it
is attempted to withdraw the bolt of the lock by the use of a false key, which
does not act sufficiently upon the lever f; k is the tumbler of the lock, shewn
separately in elevation and plan in Figure 13; 2 is a slot in the tumbler k, in
which a stump at the back of the lever works. When the key, Figure 14,
is introduced into the lock and turned, it acts upon the lever f and turns the
said lever so far on its centre g as to remove the stud. A beyond the range
of the tooth c, but not sufficiently far to cause the stump 1 to engage against
the shoulders of the tumbler k, and prevent the raising of the said tumbler.
The key having moved the lever f to the proper distance acts upon the
tumbler k and bolt m in the ordinary manner. I have already explained the
action of a false key which does not act sufficiently on the lever f, and in
Figure 9 I have represented the action of a false key which has too much
action on the lever f. In this case the lever f being turned too much on its
centre by the action of the false key, the stump is brought over the
shoulder 3 of the tumbler k, and engages therewith so as to lock the said
tumbler k. Should the leverf be moved
to cause the stump to engage with the shoulder in the manner represented
in Figure 9, the tumbler k will still be prevented from being raised by the
face of the shoulder striking against the stump as soon as the tumbler k
begins to turn upon its centre.
the false key not sufficiently far
Although I have only described and represented my improvements in
connection with mortice door locks yet my improvements may be applied to
various kinds of locks.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention, but I claim
as my Invention,-
Firstly, the general arrangement or combination of the parts of locks
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly, the general arrangement or combination of the parts of locks
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14,
of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phelps, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM PHELPS. (L.S.)