US167008A - Improvement in permutation-locks - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. 24, |875.

N.PETEns, PNuTD-umouRAPNEn. wAsNlNnTON. D C.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

D. K. M l l L ER., Permumion-Lock.

Patented Aug. 24,1875.

Friol DANIEL K. MILLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PERMUTATlON-LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. l 67,008, dated August 24, 1875; application filed May 15, 1874.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL K. MILLER, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have 'invented certain Improvements in Permutation-Locks, of which the following is a specication:

The objects of my invention are to simplify the construction -and to increase the difficulty 'said tumblers on the rotation, or partial rotation, of the lock-spindle, as fully described hereafter.

The mainfeatures of my invention may be variously modified, and I have shown in thev accompanying drawing two locks, in which the said features are embodied, the first, which I will now proceed to describe, being illustrated by the sectional views, Figures 1 and 2, and face views, Fig. 3 to 9,- inclusive.

A is the casing of the lock, recessed for the reception of the permutation disks or tumblers B, of which five are'used in the present instance, the said disks, instead of turning upon a central hub, being fitted snugly into, and turning within, the trued interior of the casing. Contact of the disks, one with another,

-is prevented by stationary distance-pieces a,

and each of the said disks has upon its periphery a notch, b, the whole of which, when brought in line beneath a bolt, D, permit the latter to spring back into the case. The lockspindle, and driver F attached thereto, extend through central openings in the whole of the disks, and the said spindle is secured to, and is arranged to be turned by, a graduated knob, H, of the character commonly used in permutation locks. The annular tumblers have notches don their inner edges for the reception of a spring carrier or dog, F', which is used in connection with the driver F. This carrier or dog` extends across and slides in a direction at right angles to the axis of the driver F, with which it is maintained in contact by a spring, as best observed in Figs. 2 and 4. The driver F is recessed upon one edge, so as to form an inclined shoulder, h, and four abrupt -shoulders or steps, ,one less than the bler B. In operating the lock to withdraw the bolt,

the driver F -is first turned in `the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, until 'the dog F has been pushed outward to its fullextent by the shoulder h, and has entered the notches d of all the tumblers, as shown in Fig. 4, and the move' ment ofthe driver is continued inthe samedirection until the dog F drops onto its first shoulder i, as shown in Fig. 5, when the movement is reversed, and the driver, dog, and whole of the tumblers will be turned inthe direction ofthe arrow until the notch b of the first tumbler ,B has been brought opposite the bolt,whic h is determined by a number on the knobor case. The movement of the driver is then reversed until the dog'drops onto its second shoulder or step i, which will release the tirst tumbler B, as shown in Fig. 6, and the movement of the driver is then continued in the same direction as before, vin order to set the second tumbler, and so on through the series, as indicated by the diagrams, Figs. 7 and 8, the spring-bolt dropping into the notches b of the tumblers when all of the latter* have been brought into line, as shown in Fig. 9.

To shoot the bolt outward, it is only necessary to turn the tumbler B3 in a direction the reverse of that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 9, when the inclined or beveled edge of its notch b will act upon and push outthe bolt, and by continuing the movement of the driver all the tumblers will be thrown out of line with the bolt.

The inclined or beveled shoulder 71,V ofthe driver serves to force the dog outward and into the ,notches clv of the tumblers, whenthe said driver islturnedin the direction of the to pick up and drop the said tumblers by the. simple rotation or partial rotation of the lock- The lock, consequently, is much less.

spindle. complicated than those of ordinary construction, and a much less extended movement of the driver is required to operate the tumblers,

so that the number of the latter can be in.

creased without unduly complicating the movement of the graduated knob.

It will also be noted as an essential feature "of the lock, andone in which it diiers materially from those of ordinary construction, vthat the tumblers are set by a nearly continuons movementof Ithe driver in one-direction, `and that the graduated knob and lock-spindle have simply to be rotated, -or partially rotated, to the extent rdemanded by the combination, without being drawn in vor out.

l In theklock illustrated `in Figs. 10, 11, and "12, a carrier or dog, F', is used, but the lat rter, instead of being at lright angles to the axis of the driver, slides in a direction paralrlel with the same, so that the 'steps kon 4the dog are unnecessary, the latter being perfectly plain, and releasing the tumblers one `at va time, after setting them, 'by descending the: *steps fi'of the driver, which in :this case areupon -the end of the latter, and-being forced outward so as to'engage with all the tumblers by an inclined shoulder, h, also onthe endfoi" "the said driver.

The diagrams, Figs. 13, 14,15, 16, and '17,

'illustrate the successive movements of the'seuv- -"eral `parts in operating the lock last'described. The combinations maybe changed in 1either I "ofthe modifications described lby reversing or v:altering the relative'arrangementfof the tumblers, as in-ordinary permutation-locks,or each tumbler ymay consist of two v'annulantoo'thed sections, mand mtitted together',andrendered fadjustable,one upon vthe other, as shown in Fi g."3, in-orde'r'to change Kthe 'relative positions 4rof the 'internal andexternal notches wand b, "which will correspondinglyeifect the combination. Imake no claim :to this feature, however.

In permutation-locks, p as heretofore conylstructed,'it has been possible to open the lock lby twoentirelyditlerent combinations of numlbers,'one combination `to be used when the driver and tumblers are turnedin one direction forthe iirst'number, and the other-combination when the 'said driverand tumblers are `turned "in the opposite direction for the first number. This renders the lock much easier to pickthan 'if -it could be'opened by one combination of numbers only,'an objection which I overcomey by'so constructing the parts that the ydriver can be turned in s'uchamanner as to-set'or bring the notches of the tumblers opposite the `bolt by a movement of the spindle in one direction only. For instance, when the spindle is turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the carrier Fl will simply be moved in and out by the steps i and incline l1.,- but when the said spindle is'turned in the opposite direction, the carrier must also be turned, and must carry with it one or more of the tumblers, and set or bring the vnotches b opposite the bolt.

.It will be evident tha-t this same result can be attained without using the incline and steps.

A pawl-and-ratchet connection between the spindle and carrier may, for instance, be used in some cases.

The usual plan of picking ordinary permutation-locks is to first set the whole of the tumblers on so1ne imaginary combination, and to then reverse the movement oi the carrier and lreadj ust the first tumbler, nearest to the latter, stepby step, without disturbing the remaining tumblers of lthe series until, by some internal Iclicking or other slight indication, the operator ascertains that he has brought the notch'of the rst tumbler opposite the bolt. He then proceeds 'to manipulate the second tumbler in the vsame vmanner Without disturbing any of the others, and so on through the series until the true combination has been discovered. This experimental manipulation is rendered possible from the fact that any tumblerof the series lcanlbe turned bythe carrier without disturbing those which are'more remote from the latter.

In my improved lock this is rendered impossible `by so constructing the carrier'and its appliances that the -whole of the outermost tumblers must be disarranged before an interme- -diate tumbler can be readj usted after having 1 'been'once set.

For instance, if it be desired to readjus't `the tumbler B2 (Figs. 3, 4, and 5) after the Yremaining tumblers B, more vremote kfrom the carrier, have been set, the dog F' must be'pushedoutward by the vincline h until the whole'of the tumblers have been disarranged beforethe said dog can-be brought to a proper position for operating the said tuinbler B2.

Precisely the same lfeature is embodied in the modified -formof lock illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, it `being vonlyessential to the carry- 'ing out of this feature that the dog shall be so constructed as to be incapable of independent action on any single tumbler of the series 'after the whole have been set infrespect to the bolt, without disarranging those tumblers which are more remote from the dog ythan lthe'one which it is desired to readjust.

temes 3 blers without turning with the spindle, as set forth;

2. The combination, in a permutation-lock, of a driver atached to or forming` part of the spindle and having only a rotary movement, a bolt, an automatic carrier, operated by the driver on the spindle, and a series of independent tumblers. whereby the said tumblers are turned and. adjusted in respect to the bolt by a rotary movement of the driver in one direction, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, in a permutatioirlock,

' of a carrier, a bolt, and a series of rotating tumblers, Whereby tl1e tumblers most remote from the carrier after the Whole series have been once set by the latter, must be again turned by the carrier before a separate read- D.' K. MILLER. Witnesses:

WM. A. STEEL, HARRY SMITH.

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