US2656705A - Combination lock - Google Patents

Description

0a. 27, 1953 H, c, BEHRENS 2,656,705

COMBINATION LOCK Filed Dec. 2, 1949 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Oct. 27, 1953 c, BEHRENs 2,656,705

COMBINATION LOCK Filed D66. 2, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Herbert LZBehrens ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 27, 1953 COMBINATION LOCK Herbert G. Behrens, Canton, Ohio, assignor to Diebold, Incorporated, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 2, 1949, Serial No. 130,722

Claims.

My invention or discovery relates to combination locks generally, and particularly to a combination lock such as set forth in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304 issued to Albert L. Abbott and Charles H. Miller, April 24, 1934, and which includes a case on the rear of the door equipped with the lock, one or more coaxial cylindrical tumblers having equal diameters and being rotatably mounted in the case, a spindle extending from the outside of the door through the door and into the case and the spindle having a dial with a knob mounted on its outer end rotatable within a dial ring on the outer face of the door and the spindle having on its inner end beyond the tumblers a cylindrical cam with an operating notch. Usual pin, lever and circular segment means coact between the cam and the innermost tumbler, and between each tumbler and the next outer tumbler, whereby by manipulation of the dial and setting the combination, the notches of the tumblers are aligned with each other and with the operating notch of the cam for unlocking the lock. i

The lock furthermore includes a reciprocable bolt pivotally connected with one end of an operating lever including an upper arm having a cam follower tongue depending from its outer end, and a stop arm or fence extending from the inner side of the upper arm parallel with the axis of the tumblers. The operating lever is spring pressed towards the tumblers, and when the tumbler notches are aligned with each other and the operating notch of the cam which is located in the aligned position below the cam follower tongue of the upper arm, the fence is permitted to drop into the tumbler notches and the cam follower tongue is permitted to drop into the operating notch of the cam, whereby the bolt may be withdrawn from its extended locking position, and whereby the bolt may be also extended to locking position when the door is again closed and locked by suitable rotations of the dial and spindle. After the bolt is extended into locking position, the spindle is then spun in either direction to scramble the combination by turning the tumblers so that their notches are out of alignment with each other.

Such a look as set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, with respect to the parts above described is similar to other usual combination loclm. When the bolt is extended and the combination scrambled the fence rests upon the cylindrical peripheries of the tumblers. If such a lock is made in a laboratory to extreme accuracy, and assembled with extreme precision, the lock cannot be manipulated by an unauthorized person so as to detect the combination and effect unlocking. In the usual mass production of the parts of such a lock and i the assembly of the same, the extreme accuracy necessary for preventing manipulation cannot be attained. Unless the bottom surface of the fence is exactlyparallel with the axis of rotation of the tumblers, and unless the diameters of the tumbler discs are all exactly the same, when the fence rides over the opening formed by one of the tumbler notches, even though its bottom surface is riding on the peripheries of the remaining tumbler discs, very minute movements of the fence as it ridesover the corners of such a notch can be felt in rotating the dial by the fingers of an unauthorized person who knows the internal construction of the look. In this manner the combination for which the lock is set can be detected. Ordinarily, a person skilled in breaking the-combination of such a lock" can determine the combination by manipulation in the manner described in aboutthirty minutes.

The objects of the present invention or discovery'include the provision of an improved combinationlock of the type set forth in the Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, and in which the fence is entirely eliminated, and in which there is no part whatever which contacts the tumbler notch corners during manipulation of the dial, and thus there is no feeling whatever transmitted to a person manipulating the dial.

Further objects of the present invention or discovery include the provision of such an improved combination lock in which the improvements may be effected by the addition of or modification of a limited number of parts of the combination lock set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304 and which is thus adapted for economical manufacture without the necessity of manufacturing an entirely new set of parts for the improved lock.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the combination lock, construction, improvements, parts, combinations, and sub-combinations which comprise the present invention or discovery, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, and preferred embodiments of which together with their mode of use are set forth by way of example in the following description, and which are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the improved combination lock of the present invention or discovery may be stated in general terms as including, in combination with other usual parts of a combination lock such as set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, the provision of an operating lever including an upper arm having a cam follower tongue depending from its outer end and without a fence, and on the rear end of the bolt the provision of a tongue adapted to extend into the oppositely aligned notches of the tumblers when the combination is set, and the spindle being arranged for movement in the direction of its longitudinal axis and being normally spring pressed in the direction of the dial knob, and the cam on the inner end of the spindle having an operating notch in a portion immediately adjacent the tumblers and having a complete cylindrical portion beyond the notched portion.

By way of example, preferred embodiments of the combination locks of the present improvements and parts thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings formingpart hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of one embodiment of the improved combination lock looking towards the rear face of the door on which the lock is mounted and with the cover plate of the lock removed, and showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions when the bolt is in its fully extended locking position, and with the tumbler wheels having their notches scrambled;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions when the bolt is in its fully extended locking position, and with the tumbler wheels having their notches aligned aftersetting of the combination, and with the cam having its cylindrical portion supporting the cam follower tongue on the upper arm of the operating lever, and the notch of the notched portion of the cam being in alignment with and at one side of the cam follower tongue;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view as on line 33 of Fig. 2;

. Fig. 4 is a View similar to Figs. 1 and 2, and showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions when the bolt is withdrawn to the unlocking position;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view thereof as on line 5-5, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmenary front elevational view looking towards the front face of the door, and illustrating the dial and knob, and the dial ring of the lock Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary rear elevational view showing parts of the lock in the same relative positions shown in Fig, 2, and illustrating details of the drive between the cam and the adjacent tumbler wheel;

Fig. 8 is a detached side elevational view of one of the tumbler wheels v Fig. 9 is a detached elevational view of the pin face of the tumbler Wheel of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detached elevational view of the lug face of the tumbler wheel of Figs. 8 and .9;

Fig. 11 is a detached rear end elevation of the cam of the lock;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section through the cam shown in Fig. 11; and

Fig. 13 is a front end elevation of the cam of Figs. 11 and 12.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. 7

One embodiment of the improved combination lock is indicated generally at It], and includes a case I I which is mounted on the inner face [2 of a door [3, which may be the door of a safe, and the lock may be used for stopping boltwork, not shown, in a usual manner. The look It) includes certain parts not shown in detail and which are substantially identical with such parts as shown and described in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, whereas other parts of the lock construction of said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304 pertinent to the present improvements, are shown and described in detail herein, as well as modified parts of the lock construction of said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, and parts added thereto for the attainment of the present improvements.

The case ll includes a tube l4 extending from the base wall l5 of the case, and the base wall is abutted against the inner face [2 of the door I3. The tube l4 constitutes internal and external bearing means.

The bore of the tube I4 communicates with a registering aperture formed in the base or front wall l5 of the case, and with an aperture formed in the door 13, and an operating spindle I6 is journalled in the tube l4 and extends through the apertures of the base wall 15 and door [3. The operating spindle i6 is also slidable or movable in the tube M in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

The spindle is may be otherwise described as bein axially adjustable by movement-to selected positions in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

A dial ring I"! is secured upon the front face is of the door l3, and the spindle l6 also extends through an aperture formed in the dial ring, and a knob is and dial 20 are secured upon the outer end of the operating spindle I6.

The dial may have inscribed thereon equally spaced division lines, each tenth division lines of which is numbered successively from 10 to 100.

A single preferably vertically extending mark or arrow 2| is formed or inscribed on the dial ring above the knob, and the mark 2| is utilized in conjunction with rotation of the dial 2!] both for operating the combination, and for changing the combination, by reason of the improvements of the several mechanisms of the lock set forth in detail in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304.

Within the case ll of the look I 0, tumbler wheels 22, 22', and 22" are journalled on the tube It between the base wall [5 and a cam 23, the cam being removably secured upon the extremity of the spindle l6 within the case, as by means of cooperating screw threads on the cam and spindle and a key 24 interposed in keyways formed in the cam'and spindle.

The wheel 22 adjacent the cam 23 is driven by a usual pin 25 mounted on the spindle, preferably on the inner face of the cam 23 which is secured as aforesaid on the spindle. The drive from the pin on the cam to the adjacent wheel .22 is by usual means such as a lever 26 journalled on the tube I4 and having one side abutted by the cam drive pin and the other side abutting one end of a segmental flange or lug 29 on the hub or center 28 of the wheel 22. Similar drive means, such as a pin 30, carry the drive from the wheel 22 to the wheel 22' and from the wheel 22' to the wheel 22". Such drive means are set forth in detail in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304.

Each of the wheels 22, 22, 22" are preferably of the construction set forth in detail in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, and each wheel may be described generally as including a spaced pair of outer ring disc members releasable and engageable with the hub or center 28, and the means for effecting the drive from the cam 23 to the wheel 22, and from the wheel 22 to the wheel 22', and from the wheel 22' to the wheel 22 include the segmental lug or flange 29 on one side of the hub or center, and the pin 30 on the other sideof the hub or center of each wheel.

The lock in furthermore includes a bolt 35 mounted in suitable slideways 36a and 361) formed in the case II, for movement to and from the extended looking or bolting position, illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The movement is a sliding movement, and the bolt 35 is a slide bolt operated by a rotation of the spindle I6. The combination locks of the present invention, as are the locks of said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent 1,956,304, are of the general type including a rotary spindle operated slide bolt.

Movement of the bolt 35 to and from looking or bolting position may only be made after the tumbler wheels have been rotated to certain positions relative to each other as determined by the particular combination for which the lock is set. That is to say the combination is determined by the relative location of each wheel center with respect to its outer discs, and the discs of each wheel have outwardly opening registering notches 31 formed therein which must be aligned with the notches of all the other wheel discs for permitting movement of the bolt 35.

The bolt moving means permitted to be operated when the notches 31 of the wheels have been aligned with each other as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, include an operating lever 38 which is pivotally mounted on the bolt 35 as by means of a pivot screw 33. The lever 38 includes an upper operating arm 38a extending upwardly from the pivot screw 39 and above the cam 23.

The operating arm 380. has formed thereon a cam follower tongue 3817 which extends from the arm 33a towards the axis of the spindle shaft and in line with the cam 23, and the cam 23 has a lever operating notch 23a formed therein which cooperates with the follower tongue 38b for moving the operating lever and bolt when the tongue is permitted to be inserted into the cam notch 23a. A spring 39-l normally presses the lever arm 38a towards the cam 23.

For the purposes of the present improvements, the cam 23 includes a hub 23b and an enlarged cylindrical head 230, the hub having an internally threaded bore and a keyway formed therein for connection with the spindle [6 a above described. The head 210 has a substantial thickness and the cam notch 23a is formed in one end 23) of the head, which is adjacent the tumblers and is the front end of the head 230 with reference to the door 13 on which the lock is mounted. The other or rear end 239 of the head 230 is cylindrical around its entire periphery.

The hub 23b of the cam 23 rotatably and slidably fits in a counterbore formed in the rear end of the bore of the tube M. The spindle aperture in the door 13 is provided with a forwardly opening counterbore l3-I in its front face, and a compression spring 55 is located around the spindle 16 in the counterbore |3l, one end of the compression spring 5|] reacting against the bottom of the counterbore l3--| and the other end reacting against the rear end 19-! of the knob l9, through one or more washers, as shown. The

- spindle i6 is thus spring pressed forwardly so that the cam 23 is normally urged to one position of axial adjustment against the rear end of the tube It as best shown in Fig. 3. Pushing the knob l9 rearwardly towards the door [3 displaces the cam 23 rearwardly to the other position of axial adjustment shown in Fig. 5.

Further for the purposes of the present immovements, the bolt 35 is provided on its inner end with an extension tongue 35--l which has a rectangular transverse cross section having a width as best shown in Fig. 4 equal to the width of the tumbler notches 31. When the combination is set permitting extension and retraction of the bolt 35 the notches 31 are aligned with each other and with the bolt tongue 35--| as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

When the bolt 35 is extended to the lockin position as shown in Fig. l, the cam follower tongue 38b on the operating arm 38a of the operating lever 38 is seated on the cylindrical inner end portion 23g of the cam 23.

The operating arm 38a having no fence, when the lock is being manipulated there is no feel transmitted from the tumbler notches 31 through the knob to the fingers of the person manipulating the lock.

When the combination has been set as shown in Fig. 2, the notches 31 are aligned with each other and with the bolt extension 35--I, and the cam follower tongue 38b rests on a sector of the inner cylindrical portion 239 at the inner side of the lever operatin notch 23a. The knob I9 is then pushed in towards the door i3 displacing the spindle l6 and the cam head 23c rearwardly so that the cam follower tongue 38b drops down into the notch 23a, after which the knob I9 may be turned to withdraw the bolt to the unlocked position as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The action of the spring 39|, or spring in the operating arm 38 itself, or other spring means, serves to urge the outer end of the operating arm 38a rearwardly so that after the bolt has been extended to the locking position and the tumblers are scrambled as shown in Fig. 1 the cam follower tongue 38b rides on the cylindrical rear end portion 23g of the cam 23.

It is noted that pushing the spindle [6 rearwardly (1) serves to disengage the cam head 230 from the tumblers, regardless of the location of the lever operating notch 23a.

When the combination has been set so that the cam follower tongue 38b rests on a sector of the inner cylindrical cam portion 23g at the inner side of the notch 23a, pushing the spindle I3 rearwardly (2) serves to release the lock or hold of the bolt lever 38a effected (3) by maintaining the tongue 38b on the cylindrical cam portion When the, tongue 38b, drops into the notch 23a (4) the spindle l6 and cam head 230 are. locked in the rear or pushed in position.

A very simple form of lock utilizing the longitudinally movable spindle IS, the cam head 230, the bolt 35, and the operating arm 38a with its cam follower tongue 38b, would not necessarily require any tumblers.

The tongue 38b on the lever 38a and the cylindrical cam portion 23g may be more broadly termed interengageable stop means on the lever and spindle holding the lever in a raised position with respect to the spindle when the spindle broadly termed is in its-position of'ax-ialad-iustment with thecam head :23cabu ing t e inner en of he tube 14.

Thenotch 23a and the tongue 38b mat be mor nteren a eable notch an t ue means on the spindle and lever for actuating the lever to operate the bolt by rota ion of hespindle when th spindle is pushed in to its other position of axial adjustment.

'I'heinner side-Of the tongue 38 nd the inner wall of the cam notch 23a constitute interena in stop means on the lever and spindle holding the spindle insaid other position of axial adjustment.

In the f rego ng description, certain t rms have. been used for brevity. clearness. and understandin but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example,and th scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination lock construction, a base wall, a tube extending from one side of the base wall, a spindle journalled and longitudinally slidable in the tube, a plurality of tumbler wheels journalleol on the tube, a dial knob on the spindle on the other side of the base wall, a cam on the spindle beyond the tube and the tumbler wheels, the cam including a head and the cam head having .a portion adjacent the tube and tumblers formed with an outwardly opening cam notch, the remaining peripheral sector of the notched portion of the cam being cylindrical and the portion of the cam head beyond the notchedportion being entirely cylindrical and merging with the cylindrical peripheral sector of the notched portion, the tumbler wheels each being formed with an outwardly opening notch, drive means operative between the cam and the adjacent tumbler wheel and drive means operative between each adjacent pair of tumbler wheels, a bolt mounted on the base wall for movement to and from an extended locking position, the bolt having an inner end adjacent the tumbler wheels and the inner end of the bolt having an extension tongue dimensioned for permitting movement of the extension tongue into and out of the oppositely aligned notches of the tumbler wheels when the combination is set, an operating lever, a pivotal connection between the operating lever and the bolt, the operating lever including an upper arm extending above the spindle and having a cam follower tongue depending towards the cam, the cam notch being arranged for alignment with the cam follower tongue in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the spindle when the combination is set, sprin m ans p rative o yieldinelv a nt in the cam head against the opposite end of the tube when the bolt is in the extended locking position and during setting of the combination, and the cam tongue ridingon the entirely cylindrical portion of ,thecam head when the bolt is in the extended lockinsDOsition and during setting of the combination, thecam tongue being arranged to drop into the cam notch when the dial knob is pushed towards the base wall after setting of the combination.

7 2. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 1, and in which the base wall and other walls form a case housing and mounting arts of the lock.

constitutes a compression spring interposed between the base wall and the dial knob.

5. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 1, and in which the spring means includes a helical compression spring extending around the spindle and interposed between the base wall and the dial knob.

-6. In combination lock construction, a base wall, a tube extending from one side of the base wall, a spindle journalled and longitudinally slidable in the tube, a tumbler wheel journallcd on the tube, a dial knob on the spindle on the other side of the base wall, a cam on the spindle beyond the tube and the tumbler wheel, the cam including a head and the cam head having a portion adjacent the tube and tumbler formed with an outwardly opening cam notch, the remaining peripheral sector of the notched portion of the cam being cylindrical and the portion of the cam head beyond the notched portion being entirely cylindrical and merging with the cylindrical peripheral sector of the notched portion, the tumbler wheel being formed with an outwardly opening notch, drive means operative between the cam and the tumbler wheel, a bolt mounted on the base wall for movement to and from an extending osition, the bolt having an inner end adjacent the tumbler wheel and the inner end of the bolt having an extension tongue dimensioned for permitting movement of the extension ton ue into and out of the oppositely aligned notch of the tumbler wheel when the combination is set, an operating lever, a pivotal connection between the operating lever and the bolt, the operating lever including an upper arm extending above the spindle and having a cam follower tongue depending towards the cam, the cam notch being arranged for alignment with the cam follower tongue in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the spindle when the combination is set, spring means operative to yieldingly maintain the cam head against the opposite end of the tube when the bolt is in the extended locking position and during setting of the combination, and the cam tongue riding on the entirely cylindrical portion of the cam head when the bolt is in the extended locking position and during set. ting of the combination, the cam tongue being arranged to drop into the cam notch when the dial knob is pushed towards the base wall after setting of the combination.

7, In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 6, and in which the base wall and other walls form a case housing and mounting Partsof the lock.

8. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 6, and in which the extension tongue of the bolt has a rectangular transverse cross section dimensioned so as to fit with clearance into and out of the aligned notch of the tumbler wheel when the combination is set and the bolt is retracted or extended.

9. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 6, and in which the spring means constitutes a compression spring interposed between the base wall and the dial knob.

10. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 6, and in which the spring means includes a helical compression spring extending around the spindle and interposed between the base Wall and the dial knob.

HERBERT C. BEHRENS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 78,310 Miller May 26, 1868 237,950 Bernhardt Feb. 22, 1881 1,655,002 Winning et a1. Jan. 3, 1928 1,956,304 Abbott et a1 Apr. 24, 1934

Images