US464579A - Cyrus bussey - Google Patents

Description

vL. MOUAT, Jr. CYLINDER LOCK AND KEY.

(Mdel.)

Patented Deo. 8, 1891.

UNITED STATES LAURENCE M CUAT, JR.,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CYLINDER LOCK AND KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,579, dated December 8, 1891.

Application filed June l5, 1891. Serial No. 396,271. (Model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, LAURENCE MOUAT, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cylinder Locks and Keys, (Case 5,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to combination-locks and keys therefor; and it consists, first,in a key provided with a straight edge on one side and a zigzag edge or portion on the other side, the zigzag edge or portion being preferably provided with a bit and the straight edge being preferably extended beyond the zigzag portion or brought to a point, so as to be readily inserted through the tumblers of the lock; second, in a lock having a case preferably in the form of a cylinder, this case being provided with a cylindrical opening, into which a cylindrical barrel provided withA a key-hole and tumblers is iistted to be rotated therein, said barrel carrying upon its inner end an arm or wing which serves to throw the bolt of the lock in one direction or the other, accordingly as the barrel is turned to the right or left. This barrel is preferably provided with two sets of tumblers, and I have found it convenient to use ive of each kind, the pin-tumblers being arranged vertically and in the line of the axis above the key-hole, and the plate-tumblers having notches or slots being the others of the side plate-tumblers areforced each by its spring in the opposite direction,

so as to enter a corresponding longitudinal slot on the other side of the said bore or opening in the frame. The pin -tumblers are placed, preferably, above the barrel and in line with the short pins in the barrel and corresponding in size thereto, said short pins being of such length that when the key is inserted the bit thereof, coming under said short pins, will force them up against the pintumblers in the corresponding holes in the casing, so that Ythe upper ends of the short pins will be just flush with the outside of the barrel-that is to say, the short pins of the barrel will force the spring-pins of the casing into their holes in the casing just far enough so that there will be no engagement between the barrel and the opening in the casing to which it is fitted. Moreover, when the key is inserted the zigzag edge thereof is, so to speak, Worked through the notched or slotted platetumblers and acts to move said plate-tumbers to the right and left until the key is f nlly inserted, whereupon said plate-tumblers will be held by the key against the force of their springs, so as to be out of engagement with the case-that is, the key being fully inserted disengages all the tumblers from the casing andso. leaves the core free to be turned to the right or left as may be required to turn the bolt.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which-- Figures 1 and 2 are side and edge Views, respectively,- of the key. Figs. 3 and 4c are front and rear views of the casing with the barrel in place. Fig` 5 is a sectional View upon line x of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional view upon line y y of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view upon line z z of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a side view of one of the plate-tumblers.

Like parts areindicated by similar letters of reference throughout the different ligures.

The key, as shown in Figs. l and 2, consists of the straight edge a, and the tinted or zigzagged portion b. The bit c is formed upon the zigzagged side, and may be of any desired outline, according to the combination of the tumblers. Such hitting of a key, the contour thereof conforming in outline in each instance to the particular combination of the tumblers is old in the art. The straight edge a and a iiuted portion b in the same key, either with or without the bit-ting c, I believe to'be broadly new, and by this construction I am -Aenabled to compel the filling of the key-hole--that is, with the key-in order that the tumblers operated by the bittin g may be made acecessible- IOO that is to say, the lock is provided, as shown in Figs. 5, (5, and 7, with pin-tumblers d d2, dac., in a manner well understood, and, in addition, with the notched plate-tumblers c ci", dsc. These plate-tumblers e', &c.,are placed one after the other, so that the slots or notches therein will break joints 'across the key-hole. Each of these plate-tumblers is held by a spring normally in position to entera groove provided in the cylinder in which the barrel is placed. These plates e c2, the., may be of the form shown in Figs. 3 and 8. The spring f of each presses against the shoulder g, provided in the plate, so as to force the lug h into the appropriate `groove or slot. Thus, as shown in Fig. 6, the plates e e2, tbc., are placed one behind the other, the alternate plates being in reverse position-that is to say, the lugs h of plates e e3 e5 normally are held in the slot or groove t' on the side of the cylinder, while the other plates e2 @tare caused to engage with the groove k on the otherside of the cylinder, and, as before explained, the insertion of the zigzagged key spreads these tumblers apart against the force of the springs pressing against the same to disengage the plate-tumblers from the cylinder.

It is evident that the springplate tumblers may be varied in construction and arrangement Without departing from my invention as long as the insertion of the key disengages the said tumblers or in any way acts by compressing the springs thereof to permit the barrel to be freely revolved in the cylinder.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the lower portions of the piu-tumblers rest upon the plate-tumblers. Thus the lower portion of pin-tumbler CZ is provided with a shoulder, which shoulder rests, as shown, upon the edge of the plate e. This construction I have found convenient, though it is evident that any other suitable stop or support might be provided instead of using the plate-tumblers. Bittng c of the key should be such that when inserted under the lower ends of the pintumblers d d2, ne., they will be raised so that the division or divisions of these pins will come on a line with the surface ot the barrel, so that there will be no engagement between the barrel and this cylinder. As previously described, the insertion of the key through the slots or notches in the plates e c2, the., on account of the zigzag construction of the portion b of the key, will act. to disengage the lugs h of the plate-tumblers from the grooves i 7c of the cylinder. Thus when a key of the proper shape is inserted in the key-hole all the tumblers are brought into position, so that there will be no engagement between the barrel of the cylinder, and the key being turned turns the barrel with it. Projecting from the rear end of the barrel is an arm m, and as the barrel is turned by the key this arm m will be also turned. This arm engages with the bolt and throws the bolt when the key is thus turned.

I have not deemed it necessary to show the bolt, since it is evident that the arm m may be made to throw the bolt in the usual man- \Vhen it is desired to lockand unlock the door from both sides, two locks are employed in connection with a single bolt in a Wellknown way. The alternate plates e e2, being forced by their springs into opposite directions, cause their notches or-slots to break joints across the key-hole, so that access can= not be had to the tumblers d d2, or more espeeially to those tumblers farthest from the front, as tumblers cl3 614615, by inserting `an instrument into the key-hole. It is therefore impossible to pick my lock. The only way to cause the joints in the pin-tumblers to register with the line between the barrel and the interior of the cylinder is toinsert the zigzag key provided with the bit of the specific contour or outline required by the tumblers. It is evident that my key provided with the zigzag portion might be usefully employed in connection with locks in which the pin-tumblers were entirely omitted, in which ease there would be no need of the hitting upon the key. The key being inserted would sim* ply serve to disengage the plate-tumblcrs from the grooves z' k and so permit the barrel to be turned.

It is evident that my key having the zigzagged portion may be usefully employed with other forms of locks, and I therefore claim my key broadly-that is, without limitation as to any special form of the lock or of the tumblers'which are operated by the zigzagged portion thereof.

Since the bitting c might be cut in the straight side or portion a of the key instead of in the transversely corrugated or zigzagged portion b, I do not limit my claims on the key to the precise construction shown. It is evident that the key with the hitting on either side might be used with locks having spring pin-tumblers and also spring plate-tumblers. Either the pin-tumblers or the plate-tumblers might be omitted if it should be desired to dispense with the function or work of either of these forms of tumbler-s.

ICO

ITO

Having thus described my invention, I'

2. The key for the cylinder-lock, provided Y with a straight edge on one side and a transversely-corrugated portion on the other side, the edge of the transversely corruated or zigzagged portion being provided with a hitting and the straight edge being extended at thc point of the key, substantially as and for thc purpose specied.

3. The key having one side straight to serve as a guide and the other side transversely corrugated, one edge of said key being provided with a bitting and the straight side being extended beyond the hitting to form aiat point in the same plane with the straight side, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the cylindenlock having the barrel provided with spring pintnmblers and spring plate-tumblers, the platetumblers being provided with slots and placed one after another across the key-holes zigzag, or so as to break joints, and the key provided with a corresponding zigzag portion, of a bitting on the key corresponding in outline to the combination of the pin tumblers, whereby on inserting the key the spring platetumblers are compressed by the zigzag portion of the key and the pin-tumblers coinpressed by the hitting of the key, all the tumblers being thus disengaged on the insertion of the key to permit the barrel to turn Within the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose specified. v

5. The combination, in the lock, of aseries of spring plate-tuinblers provided with slots which normally break joints across the keyhole to prevent picking the same, and a key provided with a trans'versely-oorrugated portion adapted to be inserted in said lock, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

G. A cylinder-lock provided with a barrel having two independent sets or series of turnblers Which normally engage with the cylinder in which the barrel revolves,'and a key having a hitting for one of said series of tumblers and a corrugated portion for the other set of tumblers, whereby on inserting the key the barrel is disengaged from the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my naine this 13th day of June, A. D. 1891.

LAURENCE MOUAT, J R.

Witnesses:

'GEORGE P. BARTON, GEORGE L. CRAGG.

It isv hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 464,579, granted December 8, 1891,

upon the application of Laurence Monat, Jr., of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement g in Cylinder Locks and Keys;7 an error appears in the printed specication requiring I,

l l l correction as follows: Inline 24, page 1, the Word flsted shox-11d. read fitted; and thatV the Letters Patent should be read. with this correction therein thatthe same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Ofce. l

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 22d day of December, A. D. 1891.

[SEAL] oYRUs BUssEY,

Countersigned:

W. E. SIMoNDs,

Commissioner of Patents.

Assistant Secretary of the Interior. y

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