US473061A - Setts - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. H. GROCKETT 8u C. C. ALLEN;

ELECTRIC LOCK.

Patented Ap; 19, 1892.

' l Sheetssheet .2; C. H. CROCKETT & C. C.. ALLEN.

' ELECTRIC 1.00K.

16.473,061.. PaJtendApr.1'9,1a92..

(No Model.)

fig?? UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES H. CROCKETT AND CHANCELLOR C. ALLEN, OE BOSTON, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE BOSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC LOCK, l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,061, dated April 19,1892.

Application tiled May 5, 1888. Serial No1 272,944. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. CRooK- ETT and CHANCELLOR C. ALLEN, of Boston, county of Sulolk, and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electric Locks, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and iigures on the drawings representing like parts.

The object of our invention is to produce a door-lock which can be operated from a distant point by an electricicuit so Yas* to permit the person at the outside of the door to enter. Locks of this kind are especially useful fortheouterdoors of apartment-houses,banks,

and ofiices, as they enable a person on anyV floor to admit the person at the door. Locks for this purpose have been made which were intended to be normally in such condition as to fasten the door so that a person could not enterunless provided with a key, but which could be set by a person at a distant point so as to be opened by turning the door-knob at the outside, and the act of turning the knob and opening the door reset the lock so that when shut it could not be opened by the next person arriving until again set by the closing of the circuit at a distant point. Such locks are objectionable for the reason that when once set so as to permit a person to enter if the person should for some reason not enter the lock would remain set and 'thedoor thus unfastened, so that an unauthorized person might subsequently enter, and it is impossible in locks of this kind to know Whether or not the lock is in such condition as to fasten the door.

The present invention is embodiedin a lock which may be placed by the action of an electro-magnet in condition to permit the door to be opened, but if the door is not opened will cause the door to be fastened again the moment the condition ot' the magnet is changed, or, in other words, when the magnet is restored to its normal condition.

The invention consists, mainly, in details of construction, to be hereinafter described, in a lock which contains the usual knob-operated spring-bolt, and also a two-part bolt having a projecting bevel-faced end which is pivoted with relation to the shank portion of the bolt so that the said bolt may be retired into the lock-case by the pivotal movement ot' the proj ecting end relative to the shank portion or by the sliding motion of the shank portion, while the pivoted end is restrained from pivotal movement with relation thereto. This twopart bolt is intended to be operated, with its sliding movement, by the kusual latch-key inserted from the outside; but. otherwise than this a person at the outside of the door is unable to produce the sliding movement of the bolt and can only be admitted by the ret-ireinent of the projecting end of the bolt by its pivotal movement with relation to the shank portion. The pivotal movement is controlled by a bolt-holder consisting of a two-armed vlever pivoted on the shank portion of the bolt and having one arm normally in Vposition to engage the pivoted end of the bolt so as to prevent its pivotal movement. An electro-magnet fastened in the case ot' the lock is provided with an armature pivoted independ-4 ently of said bolt-holding lever, but in such position that when moved by the attractionof the armature it engages the other arm of the bolt-holding lever than the one engaged with the bolt end, and turns the said lever on its pivot,y so that the arm normally engaged with the bolt end is for-the time being-that is, so long as the magnet remains-energized-disengaged therefrom, so as to permit pivotal movement of the bolt end, by which it may be retired into the lock-case, so as to permit the door to be pushed open.

A person at the outside ofl the door will turn the usual knob, throwing back one bolt, but will be unable to open the door until the obstruction to the pivotal or yielding move# ment of the other bolt is removed, when he will be able to push the door open. The controllingnmagnet is, as shown in the instance, in normally-open circuit and is lenergized to remove the obstruction to the yielding portion ot' the bolt; but the moment the magnet is again demagnetized the obstruction 'returns and the bolt is again fastened or rendered unyielding. It follows that the magnet must be retained energized until the person has pushed the door open; and the inven- IOO tion further consists in the combination, with the lock and its controlling magnet and circuit, of y an indicator at each of the points where the circuit ot' the magnet is controlled, which shows by the change of condition in the circuit produced by opening `the door when the door has ,been opened, sothat the person operating the circuit-closer will know when the person at the door has been admitted and that the magnet may be restored to its normal condition.

Figure l is a side elevation of a door-lock embodying this invention with the side plate of the inclosing case removed; Fig. 2, a sectional view showing the two-part bolt and cooperating device in plan view; Fig. 8, a detail showing a portion of the faceof the lock as seen looking toward the edge of the door;

Fig. 4, a sectional detail on line .fr of Fig. I, showing the operation of the yielding portion of the two-part bolt; Fig. 5', a section on line y, Fig. 2ot` the electrically-controlled bolt; Fig. 6, a diagram showing the circuit by which the electro-magnet that controls the lock is operated and the opening of the door indicated tothe person' that controls the circuit, and Fig. 7 a detail illustrating the position of vthe bolts with relation to the openings or sockets in' the striker-plate. Y

The operative parts of the lock are inclosed in a case a, which is shown as mortised into the doorv in the usual manner, the face a.

standing inthe edge of the door and the bolts projecting from the said face to engage a striker-plate ori the' door-jamb in the usual manner. The said lock is provided with a two-part bolt b b', the portion Z) of which is contained wholly within the case a and is acted upon by a' spring c, bearing at one end against a stationary projection a2 in the lockcase' and tending to throw the entire bolt b b Afo'ryiiard, so as to keep the portion b projecting from the face a of the lock in the position to engage the striker-plate and fasten the door in the usual manner. The ,projecting end b of the bolt is beveled in the usual manner,as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and thus` causes the entire bolt h to slide back against the stress oi:` the spring c, when the door is closed in the usual manner. The projecting portion b is pivoted, as shown at b2, Fig. 2, in the inner portion b, so that it can be turned back into a recess 612 in the inner portion b, as shown in Fig. 4, in which position the portion b will not project beyond the face a of the lock, and consequently will not hold the door, although the portion b may be in its most forward position.` A spring b3 tendsto turn the portion Z9 of the bolt into its normal position in which it projects fro'mthe face of the lock, as shown in Figs. l and2; but said spring is insufiicientto hold the 4portion b in this position against a moderate `pressure tending to turn it tothe position shown in Fig. It. The portion b ofthe bolt is,however, normally held inthe position with relation to the portion b'(shown in Figs. 1 and 2) by a brace or holder d, shown in this instanceA as consisting of an arm pivoted at d upon the main or internal portionvb of the bolt and eX- tending so as to enga-ge a shoulder Z213 on the portion b', so as to prevent the said portion b from turning on its pivot b2 to the position shown in Fig. 4: as long as the arm d remains in the position shown in full lines in Fig. l,

and consequently so long as the holder d rel mains in such position the bolt b fastens the door unless the entire bolt b b is thrown back against the actionfof the springe.

The entire boltb b cannot be thrown back by a person at the outside of the door except by a key inserted in the key-hole, (indicated in dottedlines at e, Fig. 1,) the said key operating on the usual tumblers e", which are properly raised up by the key as it is turned, after which the key acts upon a lever e2, pivoted at e3, which, by its engagement with a shoulder b4, throws the entire bolt b b back, thus withdrawing the end b by a sliding movement in the usual manner.

In order to enable a person at a distant point to admit the person at the outside of the door not having a key, such as last referred to, the lock is provided with an electro-magnet f, having an armature f', which when the said magnet is energized acts on an arm d2 of the bolt-holder d, moving the vsaidl holder to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, so that it no longer engages the shoulder 1713 and obstructs the yielding movement of the portion b'-of the lb'olt,so that if the doori is otherwise unfastened and pushed slightly by the person at the outside, the portion vb of the bolt willturn aside as shown in Fig. 4,- perlmitting the door to open; but it the door should not be opened the moment the mag'- net f is demagnetized the holder d will return to its normal position by the action lof gravi ty, assisted, if required, by a spring d3,

and will thus again obstruct or prevent the IOC IIC

yielding movement of the portion b of'fthe i bolt. Y

Thearmature f of the magnet fis shown as pivoted at its upper end, so that it normally hangs in retracted position by th'eaction of gravity, and some space is left between it andthe teo-operating portion of the' holder, so that when the magnet is energized the armature will move and strike against the holder instead of merely pressing against it, thus insuring the release of Vthe holder, even if the person is pressing against the door, and thus forcing the shoulder Z913 ot' the bolt with considerable pressure against the end of the holding-arm d.

The entire bolt b b may be operated with its sliding movement by means of a knobor handle g (see Fig. 2) at the inside of the door, the spindle g ot' which (see Fig'. I) is provided with an arm ortinger g2, that bears against a shoulder b5 on the bolt, so that when the said handle g is turned the entire bolt b b will be' thrown lback vwith its sliding movement against the stress of the spring c. This one bolt l) b is sufficient to constitute an effective lock for the door; but it is desirable to employ in addition a second bolt h, acted upon by a spring h and operated by a lever t', that engages a shoulder h2 on said bolt and is itself operated by a T-shaped hub t2, operated by the usual squared knob-spindle 3 at the outside of the door, and also at the inside, if desired.

The spring h' of the bolt hbears at one end against the stationary projection d2, which also serves to limit the forward movement of both bolts, and the projection h3 of the bolt h is engaged with a shoulder h6 of the bolt b in such manner that the said bolt b cannotbe slid back to un fasten the door without'also 1 carrying the bolt h with it, so that the single operation of turning the key, before described, at the outside of the door or of turning the handle g at the inside of the door, Will throw back both bolts with their sliding movement and thus permit the door to be opened as with common latch-bolts. The turning ot' the knob, on the other hand, will throw back the bolt 7L by the action of the hub vi? and lever i, but will not produce any sliding movement of the bolt b b', and consequently the mere turning of the door-knob will not unfasten the door, which is thus effectually locked against a person at the outside not having a key until such person is permitted to enter by any one who may operate the circuit-changer and cause the magnet f to be energized.

The holding-shoulder of the bolt h is set a little at one side of that of the bolt b', as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, so as to allow a clearance between the bolt b and the socket of the strikerplate P, as shown at 20, Fig. '7, thus giving the bolt b greater freedom of movement than the bolt h, so as to insure that it will be thrown wholly forward, so that t-he arm d2 of the boltholder will be within range of the armature f of the controlling-magnet. The same result might be eected by widening the part of the opening in the striker-plate that cooperates With the bolt b', and such construction is regarded as an equivalent for the arrangement of the bolts relative to one another. (Illustrated in Fig. 3.)

Locks of this kind are commonly usedin connection with speaking-tubes and call-bells at the dierent iioors of the building oecupied by different persons, and when a person desires to enter the proper signal is sounded, calling the person to the speaking-tube, at which is also located the push-botton or circuit-changer by which the magnet fis controlled, so that the person in the building, by operating such push-button, will admit the person at the door, who merely has to turn the usual door-knob, which will throw back the 'bolt h and open the door, the bolt b then yielding. The person at the push-button will, however, have to keep the circuit closed until the person at the door has entered, and it is consequently desirable that the person at the push-button should know when the door has been opened. Thisk may be effected by the means indicated in diagram, Fig. 6, which also illustrates the circuit connections employed.

The terminals of the magnetfare connected by wires 2 3, which pass through the door to the hinged side thereof and are there connected with contact-plates, which when the door is closed rest against correspondingcontacts 4 5, from which the circuit may be eX- tended to the various points from which the lock is to be operated. As shown in this instance, the terminal onthe door-jamb is connected with another metallic piece 6, also on the door-jamb and connected, as shown at 7,

Vwithone pole of the battery B, by which the apparatus is operated. From the other pole of said battery a conductor 8 is extended to the various points from which the lock is to be operated, each of which is provided with a circuit-changer or push-button n, n', and n2. From the terminala another wire 9 is also extended to the points from which the lock'is to be operated, and is connected with another lmember of each of the push-buttons n, so that when one'of said buttons is operated the wires 8 and 9 are connected, closing the circuit ot' the battery Bv through the magnet f andenergizing the same. When the door is opened, this circuit 8 9 will be broken ate 5, and consequently any indicating-instrument placed in said circuit that will be aiected by the presence or absence of current-such, for example, as an ordinary galvanometer (indicated at p, Fig. 6) .may be employed. A simple circuit-closer having merely two contacts is then sutcient. For a modified form of indicating-instrument the plate 6 may be provided with an insulated contact 10, which is touched by va movable contact 12, connected with the plate 6 when the door is opened. The said contact 10 is connected by wire 13 with an indicating-instrument-such, for eX- ample, as a vibrating bell S-from which it continues to a second contact co-operating with the push-buttons n n. Thus when one of said push-buttons is depressed to close the circuit of the magnet f between the wires 8 9, as before described, it also connects the wire IOC:

IIO

8 with the wire 13 through the signal S'; but

said circuit 8 13 is still open at 10 12, so that the signal S is not operated. As soon, however, asthe door is open the contacts 10 12 are closed, thus completing the circuit 8 13 10 12 6 7 through theparticular signal at which the push button is depressed, thus sounding the said signal and informing ,the person who is holding the push-button closed that the door has been opened andthe person there admitted.

An indicator such as describedvwill show at any time to aperson operatingthe push-button whether or not the door is open, and with the herein-described mechanical controllinglock the door can never be unfastened when closed except While one of the push-buttons is retained closed, while with all other locks,4 so far as known to us, the door will remain nnfastened after a push-button has been once operated until such time as the door has been opened and again closed, so that if the person for whom it lwas unfastened should decide not to enter the' door would still remain unfastened unless the person who unfastened it Went to the door and reset the locking mechanism.

We claim- 1. The combination of a lock provided with two bolts with an electro-magnet and its armature co-operating with one of ySaid bolts and ,a knob co-operating with the other of said bolts, the said magnet-controlled bolt having clearance between it and the striker-plate when the knob-controlled bolt is engaged with the striker-plate, substantially as described.

2. The combination of adoor and lock and electro-magnet controlling said lock with an Witnesses:

Jos. P. LIVERMORE, M. E. HILL.

Images