US923743A - Permutation-lock. - Google Patents

Description

J. T. WHALEN.

PERMUTATION LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1907.

Patented June 1, 1909.

UNITED STATES OFFTQE.

JOHN T. WHALEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE WHALEN COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. WHALEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Permutation-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in permutation locks, and its object is to render such locks safer and more convenient in their use, and to simplify their manufacture.

Furthermore, the aim of my invention is to arrange the parts, relatively one to the other, so that the combination may be changed from without only by the person knowing the same, or when the lock is open, and that when such a changing of the combination is effected, or at any other time, the knobs on the outside of the box cannot be removed or become lost, except through opening the lock and taking same apart from within.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts in all the views, Fi ure 1 is a front or outside view of such a loc r. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical, central section on line A-A of Fig. 1. Fi 4 is a transverse section on line BB of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line OO of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, my permuta-- tion lock is shown to consist, in the main, of a lock-plate a, three disks or tumblers, as b c (1, having tubular extensions which latter project through an opening in the said lockplate, see Fig. '3, and three knobs or rings, as gf e, which engage with the ends of the central tubular extensions of the said disks 1) a (Z, respectively, a central member or screw h serving to hold together the disks and their knobs and to secure same rotatably to the lock-plate a. Each one of the disks 1) c d is provided, on its periphery, with a number of shallow slots or kerfs, as n, and one kerf, as m, which is considerably deeper, all of which kerfs are equidistant. The shallow kerfs n serve to engage with a spring, as s, to aid in obtaining a step by step motion of each disk, while maintaining the other disks in their positions of rest, in accordance or corresponding with the marks or numbers on the knobs, for the purpose of placing the three disks,

successively, in such a position, relative to one another, so that their deep kerfs m are in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 27, 1907.

PERMUTA'IION-LOCK.

Patented June 1, 1909.

Serial No. 381,059.

line to receive the corresponding end of lever r and thereby cause an unlocking of the box to which the lock may be attached.

Each one of the three disks 6 c d has a slot, as b c d, which slots connect with the central openings of their tubular extensions and are, preferably, arranged to register, that is, to be in line, in the one position in which the deep kerfs m m m are in line to receive lever 1, see Figs. 3 and 4, A washer Z, loosely mounted on a part of screw h which is not threaded, has a radially extending detent Z adapted to enter the said internal slots 6 c d and lock them, nut and lock nut j on the end h of screw it retaining said washer and detent on the latter.

, The connection between the disks or tumblers b c d and their knobs or rings g f 6, respectively, I have arranged in such a manner that the same may be changed, whenever desired, from without, that is, without having to open the box or the lock, thereby changing the combination, as follows: The ends of the central tubular extensions of disks 6 0 cl are provided with a number of radial slots as d, see Fig. 5, arranged equidistant, while the knobs g f 6, each, have a pin, as e, adapted to engage with the said slots, respectively. Thus, by its pin engaging with the corresponding disk, each knob may be placed in as many different positions, relative to its disk, as there are slots. In Fig. 5 ten slots are provided for on the tubu lar end of disk d, and its knob 6 will be marked correspondingly on its outer surface. If then each of the three disks admits of ten different positions, the number of possible and available combinations will be 10 X 10 X 10 1000, as is well understood. T 0 change the combination, the lock is first unlocked by setting the rings according to the selected combination, as only in that )osition will the internal slots b 0 cl be foun to register, and screw h is then partly unscrewed until washer Z with detent Z are well within the said internal slots, when it will be possible to slide rings gf 6 toward the front of the lock sufficiently to disengage them from their disks and to then )lace their pins, as e, into different slots, as whereupon screw it may be returned to the position as shown in Fig. 3. Washer Z and nut j prevent screw h from being entirely withdrawn, thereby making it impossible to remove the rings without taking the whole of the lock apart. To unscrew screw h, instead of the customary slot in the head of the screw, 1 bore out its center as shown and provide a hole, as i, and a slot on the periphery of the head, as t", to engage with pins on a suit-ably formed key.

I do not wish to confine myself to the particular means shown and described for variably-adjustably connecting the tumblers with their marked rings, or for holding together all the parts of my lock, as the same may be varied to a considerable extent.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a permutation lock, the combination, of a plurality of tumblers each having independent operating means and slots and a movable detent adapted to engage the slots of said tumblers, whereby the relative positions of the tumblers and the means for turning the same may be variably adjusted.

2. A permutation lock, comprising, a plurality of tumblers provided with slots, rings for turning said tumblers, means for variably adj ustably connecting the said tumblers and rings, a movable central member, means for limiting the motion of said central member, and a detent mounted on said central member for engaging the slots in said tumblers, whereby the combination may be changed.

3. ln a permutation lock the combination of a screw carrying a detent, a plurality of rotary tumblers, provided with slots permitting the movement of said detent when said slots are in alincment and operating rings for said tumblers removably secured thereto.

4. In a permutation lock the combination of a plurality of rotary tumblers, operating rings therefor connected to the tumblers by means of pins and slots, and a movable detent adapted to be moved axially into slots in said tumblers, whereby the relative positions of the rings and tumblers may be changed.

5. In a permutation lock the crnnbination of a plurality of rotary llUll'llllCl'S each having a cylindrical extension and slots in the tumbler and in the cylindrical extension, a plurality of operating rings provided with pins adapted to engage the slots in the cylindrical extensions and a movable detent mounted upon a screw and adapted to engage the slots in the tumblers.

Signed at Brooklyn this 25 day of June 1907.

J. C. BLAK, L. A. COUTLEON.

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