US496241A - Time-lock - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 1

E. B. WOODWARD TIME LOOK.

Tu: NORRIS PETERS m PHOTD-L|T|10., WASHINGTON, D. c

Patented Apr. 25, 1393- J? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL B. VVOODWARD, OF MORRIS, MINNESOTA.

TIM E-LOC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,241, dated April 25, 1893.

Application filed July 7, 1892. Serial No. 439,215. (No model.)

To 61% whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, EARL B. WooDwARn, of Morris, in the county of Stevens and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in time-locks for safes and it has for its object, primarily, the pro duction of cheap, simple and highly efficient mechanism for looking a safe and preventing the opening thereof save at a stated time.

A further object is to provide a safe having double time-clock mechanism with an additional or auxiliary reserve clock which is used to effect the opening or releasing of. the holding mechanism only in the event that the double clocks'fail in their operation.

A further object is to provide a time-lock for use with jewelers and other steel-lined fire-proof safes and capable of being readily and easily applied to safes now in use by any watch-maker, no special fitting of the safe being required.

of said clock gearings, and a movable bar operated by said Wheel and designed to raise said lever for releasing the locking plate. 7

The invention further comprises a timelock having two trains of clock-gearing, a weighted lever operating a plate which engages the locking bolt, a spring pressed rod and mechanism for holding and releasing said rod in the event that either of said clock gearings should run down, thereby-causing said rod to operate said weighted lever and release the slide.

The invention further comprises a timelock having two trains of clock-gearing for operating the locking plate, an auxiliary rod, and an auxiliary clock-gearing for'operating said rod in the event that both of said trains of clock-gearing fail in their operation.

The invention also comprises the detail, construction, combination and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

' In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved timelock shown applied to a safe door, a portion of which is broken away. Fig. 2 is a similar view with one of the clock-dials and hands removed, and showing the position occupied by the parts when one of the clock-gearings has run down. Fig. 3 shows in detail one of the wheels that permits the clock-gearing to continue independently of the other.

- Referring to the drawings, A designates a safe-door, and a a sliding bolt thereof having a groove or recess a cut in its underside and extending inwardly a short distance.

To the adjacent side-wall a of door A is a movable locking plate a held by a screw a extended through a slot therein. corresponds in thickness with the groove or recess in the bolt and when inserted therein holds the latter firm in place.

B designates a box or casing in which I preferably locate the clock-gearing and adjuncts, said box or casing being held by screws projecting through the side wall a? of door A.

Upon a stud b projecting from the upper end ofthe rear-wall b of box B is fulcrumed a lever O, which at its outer end has a weight This plate b and at its other end a roller 17 which is continuously in engagement with the lower Within box or case B between the rear wall b thereof and an innerwall b are located the series of wheels composing the upper and lower clock-gearings D, D, each having its own dial and hands, the latter of both gearings moving in the same direction.

About midway between the dials of the two trains of gearing is a gear-wheel E, mounted on an arbor e supported by walls b, b. This wheel revolves once every twenty-four hours, and has on its periphery a double set of dial ICO indices 6. A pointer 6 attached to wall 1) projects over the rim of this wheel and enables the latter to be set at the proper hour to correspond with the exact time of day. Upon the same arbor e is a cam e against the periphery of which bears a roller f of a bar F held to wall, I)" by screws inserted through slots f. This bar when raised by said cam will strike against the weighted lever C adjacent to its fulcrum and effect the raising of its weighted end. This cam is removable and cams of different shape can be substituted according to the time it is desired should elapse between the locking and unlocking of the safe. The gear-wheel E intermeshes with twogear-wheels 9 both of which are on the same arbors with the hour wheels G of the clockgearings. Each of these hour wheels has a ratcheted hub g with which engage spring pressed pawls or clicks g attached to the inner face of the gear-wheels g. The object of thus connecting the hour-wheels G and gearwheels g is that in the event of one train of gearing stopping the other can continue to revolve wheel E uninterrupted. The advantage of employing two pawls or clicks is that should one break the other will preserve the integrity of the mechanism. Thus it will be seen that according to the hour at which the cam on wheel E is set for, the working of the elock-gearings will effect the gradual elevation of the sliding bar F as the appointed hour approaches, said bar eitecting the complete elevation of the weighted end of said lever and lowering of the locking plate by the hour set.

ll designates a spring-pressed rod located in a barrel 71. and having a coil spring 7L bearing against its lower end. The object of this rod is to eitect the instantaneous elevation of the weighted lever and lowering of locking plate in the event that either clock-gearing should run down, as might occur where through oversightthe gearing has not been wound. This rod is normally held retracted by the hooked end of a lever 71 fitting in a groove or recess Zr thereof, a spring h serving to hold said lever in place. A roller Win the upper end of said lever rests upon a lug or lip h of a sliding bar 7L7 held by screws 7L8 passed through slots h, From this bar projects upper and lower pins h On the projecting ends of the arbors i of the main springs I are wheels or disks 1', each of which is provided with a projecting tooth 2' and two adjacent shoulders i The tooth of each wheel is designed to fit into grooves or recesses t of a star-like wheel loosely mounted on a screw or stud 2' proj ecting from wall I). Each of these wheels 1' carries a pin 2' which pins are designed to come in contact with the pins h of sliding bar 7L7 as the main spring of either one of the clocks runs down and thus raise said sliding bar, which will effect the tripping of lever 71, and permit rod II to fly upward under the action of its coil spring and effecting the raising of the weighted end of the lever O and the lowering of the locking plate. Thus it will be seen I provide against any possible danger of failure of the clock-mechanism to lower the locking plate and rather than depend on one clock mechanism it is far better to remove the locking plate in the event of either clock running down. The toothedwheels on the arbors of the main-springs will revolve four times to the single revolution of the star-wheels and hence the latter will not effect the tripping of the lever holding the auxiliary rod until the clock mechanism has about run down or the spring entirely unwound.

To further provide against any possible accident consequent upon the accidental stopping of both clocks and the failure of either of the lever-operating rods to work I provide a third or auxiliary clock-mechanism J, which is shown as located between walls I) and b to one side of the auxiliary rod 72. The wheels comprising this train of gearing are shown in dotted lines.

Upon the arbor J of the hour-wheel is a short handy", which normally occupies a position to the right of the flanged endj of a sliding barj', which latter is held by screws 3' passed through slots in said bar. The outer end of this barj is designed to engage a pin 3' projecting from the lower end of trip-lever 79.

K is a weighted lever fnlcrumed at 7.; and having its lower end in engagement with the balance wheel The weighted end of this lever normally occupies a position a little to the right of the perpendicular line and holds the mechanism stationary. In the event that the two main-clocks should fail to eltect the unlocking of the locking plate, the safe is tilted to one side to a slight extent suflicient to causethe weighted lever K to swing on its pivot and release its lower end from engagement with the balance wheel and thus permit the auxiliary clock mechanism to work. The short hand j then begins to travel around and strikes against the end of sliding-bar 7' which will move said bar and effeet the tripping of lever 7L2, permit-ting auxiliary rod h to fly upward and raise the weighted end of the lever and thus remove the locking plate and permit of the opening of the safe.

The advantages of myinvention are apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains and it will be specially observed that I have provided simple and efficient mechanism, first, for automatically elfecting the unlocking of the locking-plate at a pre-determined time, second, to effect the automatic unlocking of such plate in the event that either one of the main clocksshould rundown and, third, to enable the operating of said locking plate should both of said main clocks fail in their operation or cease to work. Thus it will be seen that I have produced simple and liighly efficient mechanism for accomplishing these results and providing against all possible contingencies. i

I claim as my invention 1. The herein-described improved time-lock for safes, comprising a lever and a locking plate operated thereby, clock' mechanism, a main gear-wheel located between and operated by both of said clock mechanism, a cam carried by said main gear-wheel, and a sliding bar in engagement at one end with said.

cam-wheel, its other end being designed to engage said lever at one side of its fulcrum, substantially as set forth.

2. The herein-described improved time-lock for safes, comprising a weighted lever and a locking plate operated thereby, two trains of clock gearing having each a loose wheel free to move independent of said clock-gearing, a main gear-wheel located between said clockmechanism and engaged by said loose wheels, a cam carried by said gear-wheel, and a sliding bar in engagement at one end with said cam-wheel and designed to engage and operate said lever, substantially as set forth.

3. The herein-described improved time-lock for safes, comprisinga weighted lever and a locking plate operated thereby, clock gearing, an auxiliary spring pressed bar, and .trip mechanism between said bar and clock gearing, whereby as the latter runs down said bar will be operated, substantially as set forth.

4. The herein-described improved time lock for safes, comprising a weighted lever and locking plate operated thereby, two main clock gearings, a sliding bar designed to be operated thereby, an auxiliary spring-pressed bar, an auxiliary clock gearing, and trip mechanism between the latter and said bar, said auxiliary clock gearing being designed to operate in the event of failure of either of the said clock-gearings to operate said weighted lever, substantially as set forth. I

5. The combination with the lever and the locking plate operated thereby, of the clock gearings, the main gear-Wheel operated thereby and carrying a removable cam, and the sliding bar having a roller in its lower end in engagement with said cam, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the lever and the locking plate operated thereby, of the two clock-gearings having their hour wheels provided with ratcheted hubs, the gear-wheels on the arbors of said hour-wheels and having spring-pressed pawls or clicks in engagement with said ratcheted hubs, the main gear wheel operated by said loose wheels, the cam carried by said main gear-wheel,and the sliding bar having its lower end in engagement'with said cam and designed to bear against said lever, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the lever and the locking plate operated thereby, ot' the two .locking plate operated thereby, of the two clock-gearings having the arbors of their main springs provided with wheels or disks having each a tooth projecting therefrom, star-wheels adjacent to said former-wheels or disks carrying each a pin or projection, a sliding bar having pins or projections designed to be engaged by said pins of said star-wheels, the auxiliary spring-pressed rod having a groove or recess, the trip lever having one end in engagement with said groove or recess, its other end being in engagement with said sliding bar, and the spring bearing against said triplever, substantially as set forth.

9.- The combination with the lever, and the locking plate operated thereby, of the springpressed rod, the trip lever in engagement therewith, the auxiliary clock-gearing normally held stationary, whereby said auxiliary clockgearing is only free to operate when the safe is tilted, and the movable connection with said trip-lever designed to be operated by the hour hand of said auxiliary clock gearing, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with the lever and the locking plate operated thereby, of the spring pressed rod having a groove or recess, the trip lever having a hooked end in engagement with said groove or recess, the sliding bar designed to engage said trip-lever, the auxiliary clock gearing having an hour-hand designed to come in contact with said sliding bar, and the weighted lever normally in engagement with the balance wheel of said auxiliary clock-gearing, substantially as set forth.

11. The herein-described improved timelock for safes, comprising the locking plate for engaging one of the locking bolts, the Weighted lever having a roller in one end in engagement with said locking plate, the two main clock-gearings having each a loose wheel moved by the hour-wheel thereof, the main gear-wheel, the cam on the arbor thereof, the sliding bar having a roller in its lower end in contact with said cam, the wheels or disks on the arbors of said clock-gearings having each a tooth, the star-wheels having each a pin and engaged by said teeth, the sliding bar having pins designed to 'be engaged by said former pins, the spring-pressed trip-leverhaving one end in engagement with said sliding bar, the auxiliary spring-pressedrod normally held depressed by said trip-lever, the sliding bar designed to engage said trip 1ever, the auxiliary clock-gearing having an hour hand designed to move said sliding bar, and the weighted lever normally holding said auxiliary clock-gearing stationary, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EARL B. WOODWARD.

WVitnesses:

HoLMEs E. OFFLEY, WM. S. HODGES.

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