US477898A - And frederick - Google Patents

Description

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ELECTRIC LOCK. No. 477,898. Patented June 28, 189.2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM H. HOLLAR, OF ELIZABETH, NEV JERSEY, AND FREDERICK S. HOLMES, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO JAMES W. TORREY, OF MERCHANTVILLEQNEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC LOC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,898, dated June 28, 1892. Application filed February 3, 1890. SerialrNo. 338,956. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern;

Be it known that We, WILLIAM H. HOLLAR, of Elizabeth, county of Union, State of New Jersey, and FREDERICK S. HOLMES, of Malden, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in an Electrically Actuated Combination Lock and Method for Operating the Same, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,is a speciicatiomlike letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to provide a novel apparatus and method for controlling combination-locks, such as employed in securing safes or other receptacles.

Our invention consists, essentially, of a series of tumblers, a bolt-locking lever or device operatively controlled by said tumblers, a ratchet-wheel to control the position of the said tumblers, combined with an electro-magnet, its armature, and a paWl or pawls to operate said ratchet-wheel, substantially as will be described.

Other features of our invention Will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specication.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of electricallyactuated combination -lock embodying our invention. Fig. 1 is a detail View; Fig. 2, a front view of the lock shown in Fig. 1, looking toward the right; Fig. 3, a diagram of circuits to more clearly illustrate the operation of our apparatus; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, details to be referred to, Fig. 6 beinga section on line w Fig. 4.; Fig. 7, a front elevation of a Inodiiied form of combination-lock; Fig. 8 a side elevation of the lock shown in Fig. 7.

In accordance with our invention each'safe or other receptacle has located Within it an electro-magnet, preferably a polarized electro-magnet of any usual or well-known construction, it being herein shown as made of two coils a a and a permanent magnet a2, to one part of which. is secured the said coils.

The polarized electro -magnet is herein shown as secured to a frame a3, (see Fig. 1,) having secured to or forming partl of it a bracket a, to which is pivoted the armature a5, provided at its opposite ends with pawls a6 et, pivoted on said armature and normally forced forward by springs as. The pawls a6 a7 are adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet-wheel c, mounted on a stud d10, projecting from the frame a3, and the said armature is kept in its normal position with the pawls out of engagement with the said ratchet-Wheel by a suitable spring or springs w35, it being herein shown as normally maintained in its central position by spring-actuated rods or bars i12 als, constituting a centering device for the said armature, and at the same time a locking device for the ratchet-Wheel, as Will be described.

The ratchet-Wheel is loose on the stud am and is provided, preferably, With a stud or pin @15, extended into a recess or groove on one face'of a tumbler loose on the shaft ctw and marked 2O in Fig. 1, there being four tumblers herein shown. The tumbler 2O has v a shoulder 0,16, Fig. l, against which the pin als is brought into contact by the rotation ot' the said ratchet-Wheel. The remaining tumblers are provided in similar manner with studs and grooves; but We do not desire to limit ourselves to this specific form of tumbler, as any other usual or Well-known form may be employed.

Each tumbler is herein shown as made in two parts, preferably, as disks b b', the disk b being of metal and provided with a socket or notch containing insulation b2, and the disk b being of insulating material and provided, as shown, With a block b3 of metal.

Each tumbler has co-operating with it prefably four Wipers or contact- brushes 12, 13, 14, l5, (see Figs. 1 and 3,) the Wiperl12 of the first tumbler being connected by Wire 16 (see Fig. 3) to the wiper 12 of the remaining tumblers, and the Wiper 13 of the irst tu nibleris connected to a Wire b4, herein represented in Fig. 3 as joined to the poles 514 Z915 of apolechanger forming part of a transmitting apparatus, substantially such as shown and described in the Letters Patent No. 438,236, dated October 14, 1890. tumbler is connected to the Wiper 14 of the second tumbler by Wire 17, and so on, as

The Wiper 15 of the rst clearly shown in Fig. 3, the wiper 15 of the last tumbler being connected by wire 55 to an auxiliary el cetro-magnet 52, joined by Wire 517 to the Wire 54.

The magnet a of the polarized electro-mag net is shown in Fig. 3 as connected by wire 57 to the wiper 12 of iirst tumbler and the magnet a by wire 52 to one strip 2 of a series of strips (marked 2 to 3, inclusive,) and constituting a commutator, with which co-operates a switch-lever or brush 510, electrically joined by spring 512 and metal arm 520 to a break-Wh eel 521, with which cooperates a pen 522, connected by Wire 523 to the poles 524 525, with which co-operate the levers Z926 527 of a pole-changer connected to abattery B, substantially as in an application, Serial No. 338,954,1iled by us February 3, 1890, to which reference may be had.

The auxiliary magnet 50 has its armature c operatively connected to the bolt-operating mechanism, which may be of any desired or usual construction, it consisting, as herein shown, of an elbow-lever c', (see Fig. 2,) pivoted, as at c2, and a bar or rod c2, pivoted to said lever, as at c4, the said rod or bar being shown in Fig. 2 as supported by a suitable guide c5 and provided with a suitable shoulder e0, normally abutting against the guide c5 and constituting a stop for the outward movement of the rod c2, the end of the rod c2 being extended into the path of movement of the rod c7, which may be supposed to be connected with t-he bolt-work of the safe.

As represented in Fig. 3, the commutator or switch is supposed to control the unlocking of seven safes or vaults, there being seven circuits connected to the commutator-strips, the Wire 54 forming a common return for all the said circuits. Each circuit contains a polarized electro-magnet for operating the tum-A blers, which when in position form a circuit either in series or in shunt with the first circuit for operating the lever controlling the bolt mechanism.

The combination of all the locks in all the circuits may be alike or the said combinations may be unlike.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows, viz: The operator closes the circuit of the safe or vault Wit-h the commutator-strip connected in circuit with said safe, which, as represented in Fig. 3, is the strip 2. The break-wheel 521 is then set in motion by any suitable clockwork mechanism. (Not shown.) When the clock mechanism referred to is started, the levers 52G Z927 of the pole-changer are represented as brought in. engagement with the poles Z921 514 and the circuit of the polarized magnets a a is closed7 the magnet ct iu this instance attracting its armature and engaging the pawl a0 with the ratchet-wheel a2 and rotating it one tooth. The circuit of the coils is broken as a tooth of the break-Wheel passes out of contact with the pen or brush 522, and at each break in the circuit the armature a5 is restored to its normal or central position by the springs on the rods @12 (L12. The breakwheel Z921 continues to revolve in one direction until the ratchet-wheel a0 has been revolved the' requisite number of times to bring the stud or pin 0,15 on the iirst tumbler (marked 55 in Fig. 1) into contact with the arm d, (see Fig. 2,) secured to or forming part of a cap d,fast on the shaft (L10. This position of the stud is indicated by a suitable pointer on the dial of a transmitting-instrument, asin Letters Patent No. 438,236, referred to. As

soon as the stud or pin @L15 comes in contact with the arm d the operator manipulates the pole-changer, as described in the said pat.- ent, to bring the levers 520 527 in contact with the poles 515 Z925, the break-Wheelat the same time being revolvedvin the opposite direc-Y tion. With the levers 526 527 in contact with the poles 515 525 the magnet-coil a is energized and the armature a5 attracted by the said coil and the ratchet-wheel a0 rotated in a direction opposite to that in which it was previously rotated, the circuit being traced from the positive pole of the battery by wire e, lever 527 ole 525 wire 523 brush 522 wheel 521, brush 520, Wire 13, spring Z912, switch-lever Z910, contact-strip 2, wire 58, through the coils a a, Wire 57, Wipers 12 13, wire 51, pole 15, Wire e to the negative pole of the battery. As the break-Wheel Z921 revolves under the brush 522, the circuit is broken, as described,V

and the ratchet-wheel a0 is intermittently rotated to move the tumblers until the pin of the second tumbler strikes the shoulder of the first tumbler 55, and so on. In this Way the ratchet-Wheel a0 is rotated in opposite directions a sufficient number of times to bring the metal block 53 of each tumbler in contact with the pens or wipers 14 15 co-operating therewith, and as soon as the tumbler 2O has been revolved into such position that its metal block 52 remains stationary under the pens 14 15 the circuit of the auxiliary magnet Z96 will be closed, the metal blocks of all the tumblers being at such time in contact with the pens or wipers 14 15.

The circuit of the auxiliary magnet may be traced as follows, (the levers Z920 Z927 being in the position shown in Fig. 3:) from the positive pole by Wire e, lever 27, pole 14, Wire 54, Wire 517, magnet 50, Wire 55, Wiper 15, block 5Es of tumbler 20, wiper 14 to Wiper 15 of tumbler 57 by wire 17, thence in a similar manner through all the tumblers to wipers 12 of tumbler 55, wire 57, magnet-coils a a', Wire 52, contact-strip 2, switch-lever 510, spring 512, Wire 512, brush 520, break-wheel 521, pen 522, wire Z923, pole 524, lever 520, wire e to the negative pole of the battery. As soon as the circuit of the auxiliary magnet f0 is closed, which is effected when all the tumblers have been turned into such position that their metal blocks 53 are in substantially the same horizontal line and in contact with their co-operating wipers 14 15,

the armature c of the said auxiliary magnet is attracted and the lever c is turned on its pivot c2 and the rod c2 thus Withdrawn away from IOO IIO

the rod or-bar c7 of the bolt mechanism, thuslcaving the latter free'or unlocked, so that it willdrop into position to permit the bolt mechanism to be operatedA and the door unlocked.

Instead of operating the bolt mechanism by means of an auxiliary magnet it may be operated mechanically, substantially as shown in Figs. 7 and S, wherein the bracket a4 has pivoted upon it a lever g, havingloosely pivoted to it at its upper end a bent arm or gate g', extended over and so as to rest upon the peri pheries of the tumblers. In this case each tumbler is provided with a notch g2, and when the notches of all the tumblers have been brought into line with eachother by means of the ratchet-wheel e9, as above described, the arrn g falls by gravity into the said notches, and when the armature is again retracted all the tu mblers are moved simultaneously by the ratchet-Wheel in the direction to turn the lever g on its pivot and through the connecting-rod g3 operate the bolt mechanism g5.

l. In an electrically-actuated combinationlock, a series of tumblers loosely connected, a bolt-locking lever or device operatively controlled by said tumblers, a single ratchet- Wheel controlling the said tu mblers, combined With'an electro-magnet, its armature, and a pawl or pawls to operate said ratchet-wheel, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

2. In an electrically-actuated combinationtrol the position of said tumblers, an electromagnet, its armature, and pa'wl or paWls for operating the said ratchet-wheel, an'electric 4o circuit for carrying the current to operate said electro-magnet, and an electric circuit for carrying a current to operate the auxiliary electro-magnet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an electrically-actuated combinationlock, the combination, with a bolt-locking lever or device, of an auxiliary electro-magnet and-its armature, a series of electric-currenttransmitting tumblers, a ratchet-Wheel to con- 5o trol the position of said tumblers, a polarized electromagnet,its armature and pawl or pawls for operating the said ratchet-Wheel, anvelectric circuit for carrying the current tooperate said polarized electro-magnet, and an electric 55 circuit for carrying a current to operate the auxiliary electro-magnet, substantially as and for the purpose specitie In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of 6o two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM-H. HOLLAR.

FREDERICK S. HOLMES.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. ADAMS, BENJ. S. BANKS.A

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