Improvements in Locks and Keys.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Locks and Keys.
ALFRED CHARLES BROWN, of 129, Algernon Road, Lewisham, in the County of
London, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to provide a simple lock suitable especially for
street posts and for use under other similar rough conditions, which, while con-
taining no complicated parts, shall be incapable of being mischievously opened
by bits of wire or other such implements likely to be used by mischievous persons,
or by anything excepting its own key, or a piece properly constructed very like
thereto.
:
The invention also consists in combining the lock with the iron doors of such
street posts as are used for various municipal and similar purposes in such way
that the door itself forms an integral part of the lock, and by its own strength
assists in preventing tampering or picking.
My method of accomplishing this is to make the key-hole in the strong door
frame as a plain round hole only, and which hole I nearly fill up with a central
steel pin firmly affixed into a back casting which forms the body of the lock. No
room is thus left in the small annular space for the insertion of anything strong
enough to open the lock, excepting a tubular key, which requires to be made of
steel, or other very strong material, and must further be shaped or recessed out
in the particular ways described further on.
On the central pin turns the latch-piece, which consists of a simple casting,
having an arm capable of rising over a catch-piece (affixed to the fixed body of
the door, or box, or chamber), during the shutting of the door, and then of falling
behind same, being held down by gravity assisted by any simple form of spring,
preferably a strong one. The body of the lock is formed bridge or bracket shape,
so as to allow for the thickness of the latch-piece.
For a portion of its thickness the latch-piece is cleared away round the central
pin for about three fourths or other suitable proportion of the circumference,
but leaving the remaining segment projecting solid with the latch-piece, and
close up to the pin.
:
The tubular key is slotted out or recessed longitudinally as a counterpart for
this, so that on its being inserted into the key-hole-and over the pin-it engages
with this projection on the latch-piece and is thereby enabled to turn the latch:
For further security, however, I may sometimes insert, between the body of the
lock and the back of the door-frame, another fixed plate having a piece or nib
projecting close up to the central pin, over the same position as is covered by
the projection on the latch-piece, but recessed out for some distance round the
pin for the remainder of its circumference, also similarly to the latch-piece.
This nib therefore passes down the same longitudinal slot in the key as the

page_text: projection on the latch-piece, which has to be turned; but the nib being prevented
from rotating (forming part of the fixed plate) requires a cross, transverse, or
bayonet joint slot in the key, at the bottom of the longitudinal slot, in order to
allow of the angular motion of the key in opening the lock, and no tube key will
therefore open the lock, unless it also be formed in this way.
The arm on the piece which is engaged by the key, (hereinbefore called the
latch-piece), instead of engaging with a catch-piece on the body of the post, box.
or chamber, may, in some cases, be used to operate an additional or separate bolt
piece
This combination therefore makes a simple lock; not liable to derangement,
but absolutely incapable of being opened by pieces of wire or any of the usual
implements used by mischievous persons.
ALFRED CHARLES BROWN, of 129, Algernon Road, Lewisham, in the County of
London, Electrical Engineer, 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:
The object of this invention is to provide a simple lock suitable especially for
street posts, (as used for fire alarms and various municipal purposes) and for use
under other similar rough conditions, which, while containing no complicated
parts, shall be incapable of being mischievously opened by bits of wire, or other
such implements, likely to be used by mischievous persons, or by anything
excepting its own key, or a piece properly constructed very like thereto..
The invention also consists in combining the lock with the iron doors of such
street posts as are used for various municipal and similar purposes in such way
that the door itself forms an integral part of the lock, and, by its own strength,
assists in preventing tampering or picking.
No
My method of accomplishing this is to make the key-hole in the strong door
frame as a plain round hole only, and which hole I nearly fill up with a central
steel pin, firmly affixed into a back piece which forms the body of the lock.
room is thus left in the small annular space for the insertion of anything strong
enough to open the lock, excepting a tubular key, which requires to be made of
steel, or other very strong material, and must further be shaped or recessed out
in the particular ways described further on.
The plain cylindrical, or tubular shape of the key, also renders it well adapted
for forming a combined telephone plug for clipping on and operating portable
telephones, frequently required to be used in connection with such street posts,
and so thereby reducing the number of loose parts required to be carried.
The detail parts of the lock are shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 & 4 of the drawings,
and these parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 5. In this Fig. A and B are
respectively parts (shown in sections) of the door and the body of the post or
box with which the lock is to engage. The lock itself consists of the bridge
piece or casting. C, having a pin D projecting therefrom partly through the
key-hole, which is simply a round hole drilled or formed in the door A, and which

page_text: hole the pin nearly fills, leaving only a small annular space for a tubular key,
as before described.
On the central pin, turns the latch-piece E, Fig. 2, which consists of a simple
casting or forging having an arm capable of rising over a catch-piece F (affixed
to the body of the post, or box, or chamber) during the shutting of the door,
and then of falling behind same, being held down by gravity assisted by the
spring G, which encircles the cylindrical part of the latch-piece E, as shown in
Fig. 2; and bears at its free end against the side of the bridge piece C, while the
other end bears with tension on a pin or lug projecting from the latch-piece E,
(shown in Fig. 2) which it thus presses down.
For a portion of its thickness the latch-piece is cleared away round the central
pin for about three-fourths or other suitable proportion of the circumference,
but leaving the remaining segment H projecting solid with the latch-piece and
close up to the pin, as shown best in the detail views, Fig. 2.
The tubular key is slotted out or recessed longitudinally as a counterpart for
this, as shown at M in Fig. 6, so that, on its being inserted into the key-hole,
and over the pin, its counterpart engages with this projection on the latch-piece,
and is thereby enabled to turn the latch.
Between the body of the lock and the back of the door frame, I also insert
another fixed stop-plate I, having a piece or nib J projecting close up to the
central pin, over the same quadrant or segment as is covered by the projection H
on the latch-piece, but recessed out for some distance round the pin for the
remainder of the circumference, also similarly to the latch-piece, and as shown in
Fig. 4.
:
This nib, therefore, passes down the same longitudinal slot in the key
(K, Fig. 6) as the projection H on the latch-piece, which has to be turned:
but the nib J, being prevented from rotating (as it forms part of the fixed plate)
requires a cross transverse, or bayonet joint slot in the key (as shown at L in.
Fig. 6) at the bottom of the longitudinal slot M, in order to allow of tlie angular
motion of the key in opening the lock, and no tube key will, therefore, open the
lock unless it is also formed in this way.
The arm on the piece which is engaged by the key (hereinbefore called the latch-
piece) instead of engaging with a catch-piece on the body of the post, box or
chamber, may, in some cases, be used to operate an additional or separate bolt-
piece.
Fig. 6, as before stated, shows the key K, which may be formed in one metal
piece with a broadened piece for turning in the ordinary way, or may as shewn
be conveniently fixed in an insulating handle N, having a metallic ferrule or
collar O; and which ferrule or collar, together with the key itself, form the two
electrodes, which may be connected to the terminals of a portable telephone or
any other electric device which it may be found desirable to use in connection
with the street posts or municipal boxes, contact with the wires, or fixed parts,
in the post or box being established conveniently by pushing the combined key-
plug into counterparts, shaped as shown in Fig. 7, wherein P is a collar or washer
fitting outside of and forming a stop or abutment for the coned collar O on key
handle N, when inserted therein; and R is a slotted tube sprung together, or
other spring embracing or pressing on and contacting with the key K when the
latter is pressed therein. These parts P and R are insulated from one another
and are affixed to any convenient part of the internal fittings of the post or
box, and are connected to the line and earth, positive and negative, or other con-
necting wires leading to or from the post or box.
This combination, therefore, makes a simple lock not liable to derangement.
but absolutely incapable of being opened by pieces of wire or any of the usual
implements used by mischievous persons, and the plug is strong and efficient for
its purpose, and capable of conveniently fulfilling the other functions enumerated
above.

page_text: 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:
The combination of parts of the shapes substantially as described above and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, used as, and for the purposes herein
set forth.