US235330A - Time-lock - Google Patents

Description

.- G. ALBERT & O. SEYBOLD.

Time Look.

No. 235,330. Patented Dec. 14, I880.

-FEIEHS, PHOTO-UTHDGRAPHER, WASHINGYON, D C.

NITED STATES PATENT @Fmo.

CHARLES ALBERT AND CHARLES SEYBOLD, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

TIME-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 235,330, dated December 14, 1880.

(ModeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, OHARLEs ALBERT and OHARLEs SEYBoLD, of the city of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Locks for Safes, of which the following is a specification;

The object. of this invention is to provide suitable mechanism to be actuated by a timepiece, for the purpose of automatically disconnecting the driving tumbler of a permutationlock from the tumblers, or to automatically interpose and remove an obstruction to the retraction of the lock-bolt or the train-bolts of a safe at suitable times, which periods of time may be predetermined bysetting the time-piece.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and its novel features particularlypointed'out in the claims;

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a time-piece and so much of a combination-lock as is necessary. to illustrate our improvements, with the intermediate mechanism for disconnecting the drive-wheel in position. Fig. 2 is a similar view, withthedialplate and auxiliary tripping-lever removed and the disconnecting device thrown up. 1 Fig. 3 is a section taken through the axis of "the permutation-lock arbor, showing the means for disconnecting the pin of the drive-wheel from the tumblers. Fig. 4 is a view taken in front of the plate to which the tripping devices are secured. "A portion of the plate is removed to expose the levers. The view here shown is of the oppositeside of the devices shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is atransverse vertical section, enlarged, taken through the ratchet, indicator, and spring-shafts. Fig; 6'is an edge View of the tripping-levers shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of part of the auxiliary releasingdevices.

The time-piece is of the ordinary kind used for the same purpose, inclosed within the usual case, which, in the present instance, is secured upon the top of the lock-case. Upon the outer plate of the clock-case are secured the devices for disconnectingthe tumblers of the lock.

As the mechanism producing the desired results is mainly intended to act upon the engaging-pin of the driving-tumbler of the look through a suitably-shaped cam, this will be first described, then the mechanism which moves the cam into and out of position to en gage with the driving-tumbler.

A is the driving-tumbler and B one of the well-known permutation-tumblers of a combination-lock. The engaging-pin a of the driving-tumbler is constructed similar to the ordinary spring bolt or catch used for many purposes. The case to, within which it slides, is secured to the back of the tumbler A. A pin, a ,projeots from the bolt through a slot in the case a, beyond the periphery of the drive- Wheel. A spiral spring coiled around the pin (it within the case forces the pin out in a position to engage the pin upon the next tumbler. A sliding bar, 0, projects'down from the clockcase and is armed with a cam, c, which, when brought down upon the periphery of the drivetumbler, engages the pin a as the tumbler is revolved, and pushes the engaging-pin within its case so that it will miss the pin upon the face of next tumbler, B. When the earn 0 is thrown up in the position shown in Fig.2 the pin a will miss the cam c, and all the tumblers 0f the permutation-lock may be set to open it. Astud-pin, 0, projects down from the top plate of thelock-case behind the cam-bar O, to steady the cam in place.

The spring of the time-movement drives a shaft, D, and this, through pinion E, drives wheel F, which is secured upon a hollow shaft that has its hearings in the dial-plate, and a bracket, G, which is secured to the outer plate or case of the time-piece.

Secured to the inner side of wheel F is a similar toothed wheel, f, a little greater in diameter than wheel F. The teeth of this wheel f project just above the periphery of wheel F. A shaft, H, passes through the hollow shaft F, and has secured upon it, just back of wheel f, a crank-arm, h, in the outer end of which is a pin, h, that passes between the teeth of wheel f. The arm is held firmly against the wheel f by a coiled spring, h which is coiled around the shaft between the arm and a socket which furnishes the inner bearin g of the shaft. Upon the outer end of the shaft His a button and an index-pointer, I.

The sliding bar 0, which carries at its lower bent end the disengaging-cam c, is made to slide vertically in bearings secured upon the lock-case, its upper end being, a turned shaft, which passes through an eye-plate, A spring, is compressed between this plate and a pin in the upper end of the shaft, the expansion of which draws the bar C up to hold cam 0 out of reach of the pin a.

Pivoted upon the stud-pin j, which is sccured in the lock-case and passes through a slot in the sliding bar (3, is lever arm J, which has an arm, J projecting from it to engage a pin in wheel F. The motion of the arm J is limited by a pin which projects from the eye plate 0 into a slot in the upper end of J.

The bar 0 has a pin, in its face, and projecting from the adjacent side of lever J is a similar pin, j which occupies a position alon gr side of pin a when the barC is in its elevated position. When the bar 0 is pressed down in a position to disengage the tumblers the lever J will be carried inward by the weight of its arm J, and the pi 1 j carried over the pin 0 and retain the can bar 0 in its lowered position.

K is a lever, which has its fulcrum in a studpin secured in the lock-plate. It hasits outer end hooked and resting upon a pin secured in the inner side of Lair 0, and its opposite end in a position to rot eive motion from the end of crank h as it is carried around by wheels Ff. The inner end of the lever will thus be elevated. and the camarm 0 carried down and held in its lowered position until'the pin in the face of wheel F e1 gages the cam end of arm J,pushes it back, and disengages the pinsj 0 The cam-arm will then be elevated by spring 0, and the cam c removed out of reach of the pin in the drive-wheel A. The combination of the lock may then be set up and the safe opened. It thus appears that the arm h, acting upon lever K, automatically interposes an obstruction to the opening of the safe, and that the pin in the face of wheel F automatically removes such obstruction at certain times during the revolution of wheel F, and that if wheel F be made to revolve once in twentyfour hours access to the safe ispossible through the combination-lock during any desired number of these hours, and impossible during the remainder of the day for as many days as the timer is made to run.

For convenience in setting the time-lock, the pin in wheel F and crank-arm h are arranged to act upon their respective levers when the hand F, which is secured upon the outer end of shaft F, and the hand I upon the outer end of shaftH point to the number 24 on the dialplate. The hand F is set the required number of hours from this point by winding the timepiece, and the hand 1 is set by taking hold of the button upon the end of shaft H, pushing the shaft in to disenagage the pin h from the teeth of wheel f, and turning the hand back the number of hours it is desired to leave the safe under control of the permutation-lock. Suppose, for instance, that the timer is to be set at three oclock in the afternoon, and it is intended to leave the safe under control of the combination-lock until seven oclock in the evening, and then be inaccessible until nine oclock the following.' morning. The clock is wound up and the hand 1? left at figure 6. The shaft H is pushed back and pointer I turned to number 20. Now, it is evident that during whatever number of days the timer is made to. run the came will be placed and retained in position to disengage the tumblers from seven oclock each evening until nine oclock the next morning.

It is also evident that instead of the sliding bar 0 being provided with a cam, as 0, to disengage the tumblers of a combination'lock, its lower angle may be shaped to pass between a fixed dog upon the inside of the door and the inner end of the protruded lock or train bolts, to prevent their retraction during the same periods of time.

The auxiliary mechanism for throwing up cam-bar 0, should the time-piece from any cause stop before the appointed hour for open ing the safe, will now be d ibed.

Pivoted to the front of lever J is a lever-bar, L. Its lower end extends into the lockcase and has a forked latch, M, swinging from its lower end, to be engaged at the proper time by case a, which is also the craukpin used to throw the lock-bolt.

N is a lever, pivoted upon a stud-pin projcctingfromthe lock-plate. Theupper end y y y of lever L is bent to bear against acrankwire, at, which projects up from lever N. A pin, I, is secured near the upper angle of lever L, to serve, in connection with the outer end of lever N, as a fulcrum for lever L when the time-movement is at rest.

P is a ratchet-wheel, driven by the timemovement. One end of lever-pawl O is held in contact with the teeth of the wheel by a weighted arm, a, secured to its hub. The opposite arm of pawl 0 is a hooked latch, 0', the hook or notch of which is to receive a pin, n, secured in the inner end of lever N, and lock the lever N in the position shown in Fig. 1 when the time-movement is stopped and the end of pawl 0 is within the teat of wheel P. The outer end of N is weighted, so that ordinan'ly its pin n is held up out of reach of the latch 0 when the timer is running. The wheel P revolves rapidly in the direction indicated by the arrows. This will keep the pawl and latch in the position shown in Fig. 7, so that any attempt to move lever L by the crankpin upon the drive-wheel will elevate the outer end of lever N above the pin I, thus leaving the lever-bar L without a fulcrum.

When the clock-movement is stopped the pawl 0 will drop between the teeth of wheel P, and lever N be locked in the position shown in Fig. 1 by latch 0, and the obstruction to opening the lock may be removed as follows: The drive-tumbler A is revolved by the lockarbor in the direction indicated by the arrow until its crank-pin a comes in the exact position to enter between the forks of latch M. (This manipulation should be carefully performed, as the forks are just far enough apart to admit the pin.) This position isindicated by a letter or number on the lock-dial. It is then revolved in the opposite direction to another letter or number on the outside dial, which brings the crank-pin into the notch in the upper fork of latch M. Then, by again turning in the direction of the arrow,-Fig. 1, the lower end of lever L is carried out. Its upper bent end, engaging crank-wire a, will turn lever N until its pin a is caught by the notch in latch 0. The pawl 0, now finding a support in the teeth of wheel P, the movement of the upper end of the lever, inward will be stopped, and the rotation of wheelAis con tinued the lower end of the lever will be swung back, carrying withit the lever J and disengaging the pin, j from pin 0 when the lever G will be thrown up by spring 0 and the obstruction to the opening of the lock removed. As the letters or numbers upon which the lever I1 is operated need not be known to the same partieswho have the combination for opening the lock, an additional security-is afforded, for in case of violence being used that might disarrange or stop the time-movement, an entrance to the safe could not be effected without a knowledge of both combinations, which knowledge would not be in the possession of the same person.

While the auxiliary tripping mechanism last described is mainly intended as a security against being locked out by the premature stoppage of the tithemovement, from any cause, before the appointed hour, it will, if the wheel F and its connections be removed, serve, with the remaining parts,as an operative time-lock. In this case it would be necessary to pass a pin from lever 0 through a slot in the end of the case, (the whole mechanism except the dial and hands are to be inclosed in' use,) by which it may be depressed. The time-piece should then be wound to run for the desired number of hours. Under this arrangement entrance to the safe would not be possible from the time of closing until the appointed hour for the clock to stop.

We claim- 1. In a timelock, the combination, as set forth, of the Wheel f, driven by the time-movement and carrying with it arm h, with the lever K, and sliding bar 0, to automatically interpose an obstruction to the opening of the safe at a predetermined time, substantially as described.

2. In a time-lock, the combination of the sliding bar 0, having a spring, as 0 to retain it in its upper position, and the mechanism, substantially as specified, actuated by the time-movement to force it to its lower position, with pins 7' and c to hold said sliding bar in its lower position until tripped by the time mechanism.

3. The combination, substantially as specified, of the sliding bar 0, having pin 0 and spring a, the lever J, having cam-arm j and pin 7' with the wheel F, armed with a fixed pin or projection to trip the levers at a predetermined time to remove an obstruction to the opening of the safe.

4. The combination of sliding bar 0 and lever K with toothed wheel f, carried by hollow shaft F, shaft H, adapted to slide within said hollow shaft, arm h secured upon said shaft H, and having a pin, h, to pass between the teeth of wheel f, and a spring, k to hold the arm and wheel connected after the arm has been set to the desired position, substantially as specified.

5. In a time-lock, the combination of drivewheel A, having a pin, as a, the lever L, swinging forked latch M, sliding bar 0, with its pin 0 and spring 0, lever J, with its pin j lever N, with its pins an, pawl and latch O 0, and ratchet-wheel P, the parts combined to operate substantially as specified.

6. In a lock composed of a time-piece, a combination lock, and intermediate mechanism actuated by the time-piece for the purpose of interposing and removing an obstruction to the opening of the safe, the combination, substantially as described, of drive-wheel A, havin g a spring coupling-pin, a a), with the sliding bar 0 and cam c, said sliding bar being actuated by the time-piece to place cam c in a position to force the spring-pin out of connection with the pin upon the adjacent loose tumbler, and to remove said cam out of the path of the coupling-pin at predetermined times, as hereinbefore specified.

CHARLES ALBERT. CHARLES SEYBOLD. Witnesses:

Gno. J. MURRAY, LOUISE MURRAY.

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