US166838A - Improvement in padlocks - Google Patents

Description

W. H. AN D REWS.

Pad-Lock.

N0.l66,838.v Patented Aug.17,1875.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIOE.

WILLIAM H. ANDREWS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO MALLORY, WHEELER & CO., OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [66,838, dated August 17, 1875; application filed July 6, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ANDREWS, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut,. have invented a new Improvement in Padlocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Fig.1, aperspeotive View; Fig. 2, front View, with one plate removed; Fig. 3, inside view of the front plate.

This invention relates to an improvement in padlocks, the object being to make the security dependent, to a certain extent, upon a secret device, so that to a person unfamiliar with the construction it would be difficult to unlock; and it consists in a spring-catch arranged to engage the bar, combined with a cam, which, in a certain position, will allow the releasing of the catch, and in other positions will prevent such release, the said cam rotated by the drop on the outside.

A represents the case; B, the bar hinged to the casein the usual manner. C is a catch, hung upon a pivot, a, with an arm, D, extending to near the center ofthe case, with a downward projection, 12. The catch 0 is provided with a spring, E, which tends to throw the catch into connection with the bar when closed, and a spring, F, tends to throw the bar outward when released from the catch C. The key-hole proper is formed in the lower edge of the case, as at H, Fig. l, which is simply a narrow slot. Through this the key L, which is a correspondingly-flat key, is passed, one point of which bears upon the projection b from the arm D. This key may be out with numerous shoulders to correspond to guard at in the look, more or less in num' her, but the one point, e, being essential to bear against the projection b, by. pressing the key through the hole H to raise the catch, as denoted in broken lines, the bar B is released.

In order to confuse or make secret the operation, a cam, P, is arranged within the front plate, and in connection with the drop B, so that the cam will turn with the cap, and this cam is constructed to bear upon a shoulder, f, on the arm 1), and also with a notch, n, which, when the cam is turned so that the said notch is presented above the shoulder f, as in Fig. 2, the armcan be raised and the catch turned, but when the cam is turned to any other position the arm B is held down by the cam coming over the shoulder f.

In order to further confuse a person unfamiliar with the lock a slot, S, is made in the face of the lock corresponding to the slot H in the edge, so that the key may be easily inserted through that slot; but this slot S is not an essential part of this invention.

The cam, when turned to bring some other part than the notch nover the shoulder f, will prevent the looking as well as unlocking. To unlock or lock it is therefore only necessary to turn the drop R to such position as will bring the notch on over the shoulder f.

- The combination, in a padlock, of the bar B, the pivoted catch C, the slot H in the edge of the lock, the rotating notched cam P, and drop R upon the outside for rotating said cam, and the key L, substantially as described.

WM. H. ANDREWS.

Witnesses WM. H. KING, R. B. MALLORY.

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