US536195A - Indicator-lock - Google Patents

Description

QQM A (No Mbdel.) I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. M. EDGAR.

INDICATOR LOGK.. No. 536,195. Patented Mam. 26, 1895.

WITNESSES: 1 INVENTUR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M. EDGAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO THE SMITH,& EGGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

INDICATOR-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 536,195,dated March 26, 1895. 3

Application filed August 10, 1894, Serial No- 519,953. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH M. EDGAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicator-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- My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in indicator devices, such as are commonly used in connection with indicator locks, which latter are principally for the purpose of detecting any unlawful tampering.

In indicator locks the locking is effected and automatically registered on a combination of numbers, letters, or other characters, and this combination is instantly changed by the act of unlocking.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may more fully understand the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation in detail, referring by numbers of reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of an indicator lock of the kind that myinvention relates to; Fig. 2, a rear elevation with the casing removed; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional elevation with chains removed; Fig. 4, a perspective of the parts arranged as at Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6, sections at the lines w, or, and y, y, of Fig. 2; Fig. 7, a perspective showing the shackle as it appears immediately after it has been swung from locked position; Fig.8, a perspective showing the shackle swung completely around preparatory to locking; Fig. 9, a section at line 2, z, of Fig. 2, and Fig. 10, a detail development of the chains at full length and in proper relative position.

I Similar numbers and letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings. a

1 is the casing of the lock, and 2 the shackle thereof which latter is journaled within the casing in any suitable manner so as to be ca-V vided on its periphery with sockets l'extending across the face thereof which constitute grasping points in the manner and for the purpose presently explained.

, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are the indicator chains which are formed from equal sized links 9, 10, 11, and 12, hinged together in each instance as shown at 13, 14, 15, and 16, said chains being carried around the drum 3, and the hinges forming protuberances which snugly lit within the sockets 4, so that it will be readily understood that said drum and chains are in effect a sprocket wheel and sprocket chains.

The chain 8 has one more link than the chain 7, the chain 7 one more link than the chain 6, while the chain 6 has one more link than the chain 5, and each link has thereon any suitable number, letter, or other character.

17 is a support secured within the lock casing and around which these chains extend, so that it will be clear that such chains are substantially endless belts carried by the drum 3 and support 17. This support is constructed with grades 18, 19, 20, and 2l,which form bearing surfaces for the chains 5, 6, 7, and 8,, so that such chains are properly supported according to their dilferent lengths. The outer surfaces of these'grades against which the chains lie are circular and smooth,

so that when such chains are carried around by the movement of the shackle they will drag with but verylittle frictional resistance around such surfaces. These surfaces may of course be provided with anti-friction rollers against which the chains may lie but I do not consider this as necessary since the-wear faces are not appreciable.

The casing is provided with an opening 22,

numbers or other characters carried by the chains register in alignment. There are no two numbers or other characters that are alike on any one of these chains, and the object of this is of course to prevent the location of any one number or character in the same position any greater number of times than is absolutely necessary, in order that the greatest possible nu mberof combinations may be obtained; also it is not advisable to have the chains all of the same length, because in such instance the relative positions of the numbers or characters on such chains would never be changed, and the number of combinations would be limited by the number of links in any one of the chains.

Vith the exception of the feature of the shackle revolving rigidly with the drum, all of the parts and movements which I have heretofore described form no part of my present invention, and I do not wish to be understood as laying anyclaim thereto, and I have described such parts and movements merely in order that my invention presently to be described will be better understood.

The features of my present invention are, first, revolving the shackle and drum in harmony so that the drum must be turned a complete revolution in swinging the shackle from unlocked to locked position; second, in so constructing the polygonal drum that the number of links carried beyond a given point at a single revolution of the drum is not divisible into the number of links in any one of the chains; third, the device for locking and unlocking the shackle and for looking a seal in position.

Myinvention mainly relates to the specific construction of the rotary drum with the end in view that the greatest possible number of combinations of the characters on the chains may be obtained by the continued revolution of the drum, all of which will be clear from the following explanation particular reference being had to Fig. 10 of the drawings. This figure of the drawings represents the chains extended to their full lengths with the numbers or characters thereon in proper relation with respect to each other as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. It will be observed that in these four chains there are eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen links respectively, and it. will therefore be clear that the greatest number of different combinations that can possibly be indicated in vertical-alignment is equal to the product of eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, or in other words, twenty four thousand and twenty four, (24,024.) The number of links in any one of these chains must not be a multiple of the number of links in each chain which are carried beyond agiven point during the complete revolution of the shackle, for otherwise onlya few of the numbers or characters on a chain would ever be brought into the registering position, and the number of combinations would thereby be greatly limited.

The element which controls the extent throughout which the chains are carried during a complete revolution of the shackle is the drum 3, and in the present instance as shown this drum is provided on its periphery with five equidistant sockets 4 which makes this drum equivalent to a pentagon, each side whereof is equal to the length of one of the links. It is absolutely necessary for the purposes of my invention that the number of links in each chain which are carried beyond a given point during a complete revolution of said drum shall not be divisible into the number of links in any one of such chains, and therefore if the number of links in any or all of such chains were changed, it might become essential to change the construction of this drum so that it would carry more or less links beyond a given point. Of course as many links will be carried beyond a given point as there are sides or grasping points on the drum, and in the present instance this number is five, and as this number is not divisible into the numbers eleven, twelve, thirteen and fourteen (these being the number of links in each chain) it will be clear that the conditions of my invention are fulfilled and that the greatest possible number of combinations of the characters on these chains can be obtained.

Of course the number of chains used is not a material feature, and it will be clear that the greater said number is the greater will be the number of combinations possible, the aforesaid precautions of course being taken with respect to the links of said chains, their relative arrangement, and the nu mberof links in each chain carried beyond a given point by a complete revolution of the shackle.

Referring to Fig. 1 taken particularly in connection with Fig. 10, I will explain the operation of my improvement and the manner in which the combinations are formed and indicated.

The combination which appears in Fig. 1 is 881K, and as the rotation of the shackle carries the chains toward the right (referring to Fig. l) or in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 10, it will be obvious from the foregoing description that the following combinations will be 3248, X173, 1596, 0761, 40Y1, 7322, thethat is to say, every consecutive fifth numher or character in said chains will be successively brought into vertical registration through the opening 22 by the complete revolution of the shackle. It becomes necessary to provide some sort of device for locking the shackle when a combination is indicated with the shackle in looking position, but I have merely shown a spring projected pin 23 suitably housed within the casing of the lock, which pin is chamfered as shown at a and automatically enters a socket 24 in the bottom of the nose of the shackle when the latter is swung to locking position. This pin may be depressed to release the shackle to permit the same to swing. around by means of any suitable key, but I have, in the present instance, provided an opening 25 in the casing through which any suitable pin may be inserted into a hole 26 in the lock pin whereby'the latter may be depressed to release the shackle. I have shown integral with the casing and in front of the opening 25 a housing 27 within which a flat tag or label (not shown) may be inserted and held in this position by means of a leaf 28 hinged at 29 within the casing, said leaf being held in depressed position by the nose of the shackle superimposed thereon as shown at Figs. 3 and 4. The object of such tag or label would be to afford some means for properly indicating any suitable information such as the destination of the registered goods or the place from whence they were sent. It will be readily understood however that any sort of a locking device may be combined either with the nose or heel of the shackle to secure the latterin locked position. When the shackle has been swung from its locked position to the extent where it becomes possible to remove said shackle from any staple, bar or other device used in connection therewith, it becomes highly essential that it be rendered impossible to return the shackle to locked position,

for otherwise registered goods might be tam pered with and the locking devices restored without any change appearing in the indicated combination. I therefore provide a collar 30 on the heel of the shackle within the casing, and form ratchet teeth-31 in the periphery of said collar, with which teeth a spring-actuated pawl 32 housed and guided within the casing engages. When the shackle is unlocked and swung around the backs of the teeth will ride against the beveled nose,

of the pawl thereby forcing the latter backward, but should any attempt be made to return the shackle to locking position said pawl will engage with said teeth and will effectually prevent such movement. Referring to Fig. 6 it will be observed that these teeth are so arranged with respect to the pawl that said pawlwill engagewith said teeth, no matter in what direction the shackle is turned,so that it will be readily understood that it is not possible to swing the shackle from its locked position without changing the indicated combination. The teeth may be cut all around the collar 30 if desired, but this is not necessary since the construction shown and described isfully as efficient.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that I lay no claim whatever to the differential chains, the supports therefor and the polygonal drum or other means for revolving said chains, but my invention so far as these parts are concerned relates solely to the provision of a specific polygonal drum which shall carry a specified number of links in each of the chains beyond a given point at a single revolution of the drum, which number must not be divisible into the number of links in any one of the chains.

Having thus particularly described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. In an indicator lock, the combination of a series of endless chains of unequal lengths and all composed of links of the'same size having thereon numbers or characters, a series of supports and a drum around. which said chains are carried in unison, said drum provided with a plurality of equi-distant grasping portions whereby said chains are uniformly and positively carried, the number of links in each chain carried beyond a given point by the complete revolution of said drum being indivisible into the number of links in any one of said chains, and means for locking said drum as against complete rotation save in one direction, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the rotatory drum, the shackle having its heel. end rigid therewith, the collar 30 around the heel of the shackle and having ratchet teeth 31 in its pe riphery, the spring actuated pawl 32 adapted to engage with said'ratchet, said shackle having a socket 24 in the bottom of its nose, and the spring projected pin 23 having chamfered portion a. and adapted to enter said socket when the shackle is turned'to locking tion, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the casing, the shaoklehaving its heel end pivoted therein whereby its nose may swing in a horizontal plane from looking to unlocking position, the seal housing 27 formed on the'outside of the casing immediately in front of the point at which the lockis entered to unlock the shackle, and the leaf 28 hinged at 29 within the easing and adapted to be held in depressed po posisition by the nose of the shackle when swung to locking position, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I' affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH M. EDGAR.

WVitnesses: F. W. SMITH, J r., M. S. LONGDEN.

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