US941576A

US941576A - Illuminating device for keyholes.

Info

Publication number: US941576A
Application number: US45583808A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Delker Hardin; John Boone De Saussure
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1908-10-02
Filing date: 1908-10-02
Publication date: 1909-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 1926-11-30

Description

' J. n. HARDIN & J. B. DE SAUSSURE.

ILLUMINATI NG DEVICE FOR KEYHOLES.

APPLIOTION FILED OUT. 2, 1908.

=41,576. Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

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i I; o mwntoq Y a mam W- I %43 1/ I -ffW g I V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DELKER H ARDIN AND JOHN BOONE IDE SAU'SSURE, GH ATTANOOGA,

, TENNESSEE.

ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR KE YHOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN DELKER HARDIN and J oHN BOONE DE SAUSSURE, citizens of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Illuminating Device for Keyholes, of which the following is a specification. I 1

This invention has reference to improvements in illuminating devices for keyholes whereby the keyhole may be made Visible at night by a person wishing to insert a key therein, and may further be utilized as a burglar alarm by suitable additional conductors and a switch so that when the switch is closed the burglar alarm will be actuated on the attempt to either pick the lock or to insert a key therein.

In accordance with the present invention the outside knob of the door is cut away on the side adjacent to the door and at the lower portion thereof and an electric lam is housed in the knob so that when the lamp is lighted the light is thrown downward toward the keyhole and illuminates the same in such manner as to make it clearly visible to a person desiring to insert a key therein. Furthermore the knob or the outer portion thereof, may be made transparent or translucent and the number of the dwelling or apartment may be displayed thereon so as to become visible when the electric lamp is placed in circuit and supplied with current. In accordance with the present invention provision is made for the temporary inclusion of the lamp in an electric circuit capable of causing the lamp to display light and this circuit may be either a circult individual to the lamp or the circuit may be branched off from the bell ringing circuit usually provided indwelling houses or apartments.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings with the understanding however that the invention is not confined to the exact details-of construction shown in the drawings nor the exact location of parts, since the invention is capable of various modifications "and uses in other con-- nections than those shown.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section through a portion of a door lock and the knob thereof, with parts shown in elevation and with the invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view of a door partly opened and displaying the electric circuit diagrammatically.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a door 1 and a portion of a door lock 2, the lock in the particular instance shown being of the type known as a mortise look but the invention is not at all confined to any type of lock.

v The door knobs are shown at 3 and 4, the knob 3 being of ordinary type and the knob 4 being modified as hereinafter'described for the purposes of the present invention. The knobs are secured to a knob spindle 5 by means of the usual screw 6 except that in the case of the spindle of the knob 4 the screw is electrically insulated from the spindle bya sleeve 7 of insulating material, and the knob shank 8 is internally enlargedand insulated from the spindle 5 by a sleeve 9 of insulating materia The door is bored out as shown at 10 for the reception of the flange end 11 of a sleeve 12 of insulating material surrounding the knob spindle 5. Between the flange 11 and the casing of the lock 2 the knob spindle 5 is surrounded by a helical spring 13 tending to force the sleeve 12 away from the lock casing.

On each side of the door are located the

usual face plates

14 and 15 each provided with a projecting flange or collar for the reception of the respective shanks of the knobs. The shank 17 of the knob 3 enters the sleeve or collar 16 in the usual manner, but the shank 8 of the knob 4 is purposely made at its inner end of too great a diameter to enter the sleeve or collar 16 and is held away therefrom by the end of the sleeve 12 which is long enough to force the knob spindle 8 a short distance away from said sleeve. However when the knobs and spindle are forced in a direction against the actlon of the spr' 13 the shank 8 is brought into contact with the sleeve or collar 16 on the face plate 15 and as the parts are made of metal this contact is an electrical contact.

The outer portion of the knob4 is shown as made in the form of a ring 18 whlch may be screwed on the other portion of the knob and in the articular construction shown carries a lenticular member 19 of transparent or translucent material and on the member 19 there may be displayed a number or other indication shown at 20 in Fig. 2. The ring 18 is screwed on to the main portlon of the knob so that access to the interior of the knob may bereadily had. It will be understood, however,that the outer portion of the knob may be made to conform to any style or shape desired. The rear portion of the main part of-the knob is cut away as shown at 21 ina direction toward the keyhole 22 and the main portion of the knob adjacent tothe cut away 'ortion and in line with the spindle'is formed into a socket for the reception of the base 23 of an incandescent electric lamp 24. This lamp because of its use may be of the miniature type althou h of,

course not confined'thereto but it is in practice that a miniature lamp will give ample light for the purposes of the present invention. This lamp is readily accessible for cleaning or renewalby the unscrewing of the ring 18 from the main portion of the ound knob, in the particular structure shown or the disengagement of-a removable portion of the knob in other types than the one illustrated. The circuit through the lamp is by way of the knob on the one side and the central terminal of the lamp and spindle 5 on the other side. C

Electric current is carried to the lamp by means of

conductors

25 and 26, the conductor 25' connecting to the face plate 14 and the conductor 26 to the face plate 15. As; suming that the

conductors

25 and 26 are connected to a suitable source of electric current then the circuit may be traced from the conductor 25 to the face plate 14 thence to the knob shank 17 and spindle 5 and by way of the latter to the lamp 24, returning by the knob spindle 8 and sleeve or collar 16 when the spindle is in contact therewith and thence by the face plate-15 to the conductor .26. In order to cause the lamp to give light it is necessary to force the knob 4 in a direction toward the other knob in order to bring the spindle 8 into contact with the collar or sleeve 16, of the face plate 15, thus compressing thesp 13.. When the lam is energized then thh light therefrom ha s free escape through the opening 21 toward the keyhole and amply illuminates the latter. At the same time if a number or other indication be displayed upon the member. 19 then this also becomes visible. As soon as pressure is released from the knob the spring 13 returns the parts to their normalposition and the circuit to the lamp is' broken and the lamp ceases to display light. In this manner the source of current is not exhausted.

In Fig. 2 the

conductors

25 and 26 are shown as connected to

contact plates

27 and 28 respectively on the top of the door 1 and on the door casing are-

other contacts

29 and 30 the latter branched off from the lead 31 coming from a battery or other-source of electric current indicated at 33. Inthe present instance the lead 31 is connected to a easy reach of the operator, and another conductor 36 extends from the push button to the bell. There is also provided a two-point switch, one terminal 37 of which is connected by a conductor 38 to the conductor 36, and the other terminal 39 of which is connected by a conductor 40 to the lead or conductor 32. The switch arm 41 is connected by a conductor 42 to the contact plate 29. When the switch arm 41 is on the terminal 37, then the bell is in circuit with the door carried mechanism and any attempt to insert a key in the door lock from the outside, or the introduction of lock-picking means causes the closure of the bell circuit through the lock structure, When the switch arm 41 is on the terminal 39, then the bell is cut out of the alarm circuit, but the battery is in the door circuit sothat the lamp receives current when the knob is pushed in as before described.

The operation of the bell as a signal or ation of the lamp: nor does the lamp interfere with the operation of the bell since, under such circumstances, the two are in multiple arc relation to one another and both are fed from the same source of current. Of course it is evident that the lamp may be charged from a separate source of current either carried by the door or coupled up to the door when the same is closed and cut out from the source of current when the door is open the same as shown in Fig. 2. It is also possible to cause the lighting up of the lamp by the closure of the circuit by a proper manipulation of the inside knob 3, the knob 4 being considered as the outside knob, since it is only necessary to pull the knob 3 in a direction away from the door in order to compress the spring 13 and bring the knob spindle 8 into electrical connection with the sleeve 16 of the face plate 15.

The invention is applicable to the front doors of dwelling houses or the entrance doors of apartments in apartment houses, or in fact it ma be used wherever it is desirable to illuminate the keyhole, or. for use as a-burglar alarm.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the character described, a door knob having a light transmitting portion and movable in the direction of the length of the knob spindle, means interior to the knob for producin 1i ht and means controlled by the longitu ina movement of the knob for controlling said light producing means.

2. In a device of the character described, a door knob capable of longitudinal movement, a charged electric circuit, circuit terminals controlled by the longitudinal movement of the knob, and an electric lamp interior to the knob, the said knob having thus giving an alarm.

light.

a passage therethrough for the escape of 3. In a device of the character described, a door knob having a passage therethrough on the side toward the door and capable of longitudinal -movement with relation to the door, a spring for maintaining the knob in its outermost position, circuit terminals controlled by the knob and closed when the knob is moved to its innermost position, and an electric lamphoused in the knob and included in the electric circuit.

4.- In a device of the character described, a knob spindle-movable longitudinally, door knobs secured thereto and one of the knobs being insulated from the spindle and provided with an opening on the side toward the door, an electric circuit including the knob spindle and having a circuit terminal adjacent to the insulated knob, a spring for maintaining the knob spindle in a position to hold the circuit terminals apart, and an electric lamp housed in the-insulated knob.

5. In a device of the character described,

a knob spindle capable of longitudinal movement, knobs thereon, one of the knobs being insulated from the spindle and provided with an opening toward thedoor and with an outer light transmitting member removable from the main portion of the knob, a spring for maintaining the knob spindle in one direction of its movement, electric circuit terminals adapted to be brought together when the knob spindle is moved in the other direction of its movement and against theaction of the spring, and an electric lamp housed in the insulated knob.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto afiixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN DELKER -HARDIN. JOHN BOONE DE SAUSSURE.

VVit-nesses:

J. H. SPRINGFIELD, P. D. AKIN.