US126074A - Improvement in permutation locks - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets--Sheet ii SAMUEL MILLER1 Improvement in Permutation-Locks.

Patented April zum-1812.

.Eulen/Z072 SAMUEL MILLER. lm'provement in Permutation-Locks.

Patented Apri! 23,g 1872.

UNITED STATEs SAMUEL MILLER, OF GRATIS, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN PERMUTATION LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 126,074, dated April 23, 1872.

SrEcIrIcATIoN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MILLER, of Gratis, in the county of Preble and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Permutation Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon which form a part of this specication.

The nature of my invention consists in themechanism for operating an interior extensible rack-bar with projecting pin; also in a forked hanging lever, operating in combination with a slide in the bolt; and also in the mechanism immediately connected with the bolt, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a front view, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section of my lock. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 represent the tumblers. Fig. 7 represents the forked lever. Fig. Sis a view of the bolt with the mechanism connected therewith. Fig. 9 is a part of the operating mechanisln placed 011 the spindle of the lock 5 and Fig. l() is an end view of the sleeve on which the tumblers are placed.

A represents a portion of the door with the lock-case B firmly attached on its inner side. On the outside of the door is an annular ring, O, with numbers 1 to 20, or any other desired numbers, marked thereon. D is a thimble passing through the door and lock-casing in the center of the ring C, said thixnble being providedwith a disk, E, iittinginside of the ring O, and provided with iignres corresponding with those on said ring. On the inner end of the thimble D is a cog-wheel, G, and through the thirnble is placed a spindle, I, havin g a knob, H, on its outer end, said knob coming close up to the outer end of the thimble. -0n the inner end of the spindle is a smaller knob, H', whichI secures the spindle so that it cannot be withdrawn. In the knob H is a bolt, a, provided with a thumb-piece, and forced by a spring into a hole or notch on the outer end of the thimble D, said thimble being provided with the same number of holes or notches that there are figures on the ring O. By this means the thimble D will be turned when turning the knob, and by withdrawing the bolt a the thimble may be turned independent of the knob and spindle. The spindle I is provided with a shoulder, b, and groove d, the thimble having also a corresponding shoulder, the object of the same being that, if burglars should by any means break the spindle, it will necessarily break at the groove d, and it cannot be moved inward on account of said shoulders. Around' the spindle I and over the cog-wheel G is placed a box, J, having within it a rackbar, L, gearing with the wheel G, and the whole so arranged that by turning the thimble D alone the rack-bar will be moved out or in, while by turning .the thimble and spindle together the box with rack-bar will be revolved without moving the rack-bar either out or in. On the outer end of said rackbar is an inward-projecting pin, e. On a sleeve. D', attached to the inner part of the lock-case B, and fitting over the spindle I, are placed four tumblers, K1, K2, K3, and K4, and a forked lever, K, the peculiar construction of which is shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively, said tumblers and levers being separated from each other and from the box J by means of suitable collars or Washers.

It will be noticed, from the figures representing the four tumblers, that they gradually diminish in size, the iirst one, K1, being the largest. The tumblers K1 K2 are toothed, as shown, and each provided with an adjustable weight,j', for the purpose of changing the combination. These tumblers must hang on the sleeve D according as these weights are placed, and hence, by changing the position ot' said weights, the position of the slots k1 and k2 in these tumblers is also changed. The weights are each fastened to its tumbler by a screw, as shown, and any desired number of holes may be made in each tumbler for changing the position of the weight.

The tumbler Kl has one or more false teeth, h, which is intended to be thrown out so as to mislead anybody tampering with the lock. A similar tooth may be placed on the second tumbler K2, if desired. The tuinblers K3 and K4 are irregular-shaped, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. All the tumblers have elongated or irregular-shaped holes, through which the sleeve D passes, so as to insure their hanging in their proper positions. Theyhave also each an elongated slot, marked k1, k2, k3, and 7a4, respectively, and the tumblers K3 and K4 have, in addition, at

the side of their slots, a notch, t' or i', and a Y point, m or m', projecting from their lower ends. The lever K is forked at its lower end, and has at its upper end an elongated hole to insure its hanging in the proper position and allow it to slide upward. From near its lower end a pin, e', projects outward toward the pin e ofthe rack-bar L.

M represents the bolt, which may be either attached to or connected with a plate, N, said plate being slotted longitudinally near the base, and provided on its inner side with a slotted bar, O, forming a guide for the movement of the slide P. This slide is provided with a pin, p, projecting through the'slot in the bar O into the forked end of the lever K. It has also on its upper side a point or projection, n. At the inner upper corner of the plate N is hung or pivoted a weight, R, which is provided with a projection, r, and a point, s, as shown in Fig. 8. The bolt M is provided with a projection, x, for locking.

Over the plate N a spring may be arranged, and at the back of the plate a stop to hold said plate andbolt in place should the safe be turned over or upside down. In unlocking, the rear end of the plate is raised up on the top of said stop.

The weight R and slide P are so constructed that, when the slide is placed in a certain position and the weight then turned on its pivot, the points s and a on the same will engage with each other, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. S, and, consequently, if the motion or movement of that partofthe llock which caused the weight to turn on its pivot, as just mentioned, is continued, the plate with the bolt will be moved inward and the lock opened. Hence the two main operations in unlocking are, iirst, to set the slide P in such a position that the point s on the weight can engage with the point n on said slide when the weight is turned on its pivot; and, second, to cause the weight R to turn on its pivot, so that the said points will engage with each other. All the movements are to be made in accordance with a certain combination of numbers, which combination may be changed by the weightsf on the tumblers, as above described, or by changing or adjusting the pin p in different holes in the slide P.

The operation for unlocking the lock is as follows: The thimble D is iirst turned so as to let the rack-bar L out to its full length, when it is turned in the opposite direction one notch, (or more in some cases,) thereby drawing the rack-bar up again suiciently, so that by turning the spindle I to the left the pin e on the rackbar will strike the pin e on the lever K, and thereby move the slide P. It may, however, in case of any disarrangement of the lock, be necessary to turn the spindle one or two revolutions to the right {i1-st, so as to move the slide P to the front end of the plate N. The move` ment of the spindle to the left is continued until a certain number on the disk E comes opposite a certain number on the ring C, when the slide P will be set in its proper position, which, as above mentioned, is the first requisite to unlocking the lock. The spindle is then turned to the right till certain other numbers come opposite each other, when the pin e will be directly opposite to the slot L of the'ii-rst tumbler K1. Then, by drawing the spring-bolt a, the thimble is turned to the left, according to numbers, drawing the pin e on the rackbar into said slot k1 a short distance, but not so far as to engage with the next tumbler. The spindle is now turned to the left (it being, ofcourse, understood that whenever the spindle is turned the thimble D revolves with it) till certain numbers again come opposite each other, thereby bringing the pin e opposite the slot k2 of the second tumbler, K2, when, by a similar movement of the thimble to the left, said pin enters this slot for a certain distance, but not far enough to engage with the third tumbler. The spindle is now, according to numbers, turned a certain distance to the right, when, by a similar movement of the thimble to the left, (also according to numbers,) the pin e is brought into the notch t' of the third tumbler. Now the spindle with the three rst tumblers is turned to the left, according to numbers, and the thimble is then turned to the right two notches, (or according to numbers,) which removes the pin e from the notch z' and allows the tumbler K3 to fall of its own weight, with one side of the slot k3 upon the pin e. By now, according to numbers, turning the thimble to the left, the pin e is drawn up a certain distance into said slot 7c3. In precisely the same manner the fourth tumbler K4 is caught upon the pin c, and said pin is then drawn inward as far as possible. spindle to the left, this pin e will strike the projection r on the weight It and turn said weight until its point s engages with the point n on the slide P, previously set, and, the weight not being able to pass beyond said point n, the entire bolt is drawn back by the pin e.

It will readily be seen that nobody unacqnainted with the combination can open this lock, as the slightest movement ofthe tumblers K3 and K4 in the wrong direction will cause a disarrangement of the slide P by means of their points m m striking the pin e on 'the lever K.

When the lock is open, extend the rack-bar L to its full length by turning the thimble D, and turn the spindle I to the right, when the pin e on the rack-bar will strike the projection w on the bolt and lock the lock.

I do not confine myself to any specific number of tumblers, as any desired number may be used.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a permutation lock, of the numbered ring C, numbered disk E, and

Now, by turning the the thimble D having holes or notches corresponding with the numbers of the ring and disk, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the thimble D, spindle I with shoulder b and groove d, and the knob H with spring-bolt a, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination ofthe thimble D with cog-Wheel G, spindle I, box J, and rack-bar L with pin e, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The forked hanging lever K, provided with pin e', substantially as described, in oombination with the slide P and pin p, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

5. The combination of the tumblers K3 and `K4 with points m and m','lever K with pin e', and slide P with pin p, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

N, bar O, slide P with point n and adjustable pin p, and the Weight R with projection r and point s, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimonyr that I claim the foregoingas my own I ax my signature in presence of v two witnesses. j

SAMUEL MILLER.

Witnesses:

B. F. LARsH, H. B. VAN AUsDAL.,

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