Untitled record

Application filed February 28, 18891

Serial No. 301,513. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Joshua Pusey, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsyl5 vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks for Boxes and other Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

io My invention relates to locks for boxes or other receptacles or articles; and it consists in certain improved constructions of locking and key-trapping mechanism whereby the key used in the act of unlocking will be trapped 15 and held until released by other mechanism operated by suitable means.

My improved lock is particularly adapted to be used in connection with boxes permanently secured in suitable places in theaters, 20 concert-halls, or other places of amusement for the purpose of forming a secure receptacle for articles intended to be hired or sold— such as opera-glasses, fans, bonbons, &c.—it being designed that the keys should be hired 25 by persons desiring to use the contents of the boxes, thus enabling one attendant to control any number of boxes.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have illustrated it in the ac30 companying drawings and will describe it in the specification following, and point it out more particularly in the claims at the end thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a partial front 35 view of a box provided with my improved lock, the covering-plate being removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views of the lock. Fig. 5 is a front view of the.escutch eon40 plate. Fig. 6 is an enlarged front view of the interior of the lock. Figs. 7 and 8 represent keys, the former to unlock the box and the latter to release the key. Fia·. 9 is a modification of the middle limb of the key shown 45 in Fig. 7.

Similar letters of reference indicate identical parts throughout.

A represents a box or other receptacle, which may be permanently secured in place or not, 50 as desired, for holding opera-glasses or other articles. A spring-lid B is pivotally secured to the box and is preferably provided with three slots or openings b.

L represents my improved lock firmly secured in a suitable place to the box. This 55 lock is provided with an opening c for the reception of the hasp b, and also with one or more spring-catches c', having tongues c², beveled or rounded on one side to engage the opening b' of the hasp when the lid is closed. 60 These spring-catches I prefer to make of the form and number shown in the drawings; but their number and shape may be varied as desired. It will be seen that when the lid is closed the hasp coming in contact with the 6j beveled tongues c² will force them back until they reach a point opposite the opening b', when they will spring forward and lock the box, as shown in Fig. 4.

In order to open the box, I provide a key 70 of a form substantially as shown in Fig. 7, having, by preference, three limbs cl d' d², and I provide the limb d' with a slot or opening d^s. - A key-hole L' is provided of suitable shape, as shown in Fig. 5,which may be modi- 75 fled to conform to the key used. When the key is inserted in the lock, the ends of the limbs bear against the spring-catches, and by exerting enough pressure the tongue c² will be retracted until the hasp is released, when the 80 lid will rise by virtue of the force exerted by the spring e. The simplicity of this construction, however, is such as to render duplication of the keys very easy, and to avoid this I provide a device which serves to retain the key in 85 the lock after the process of unlocking. To this end I provide a gravity or spring pawl operating and located in front of the catches c and preferably attached to a pivoted rod P'. The forward end of this pawl may be beveled or 90 rounded, as desired, and is adapted to enter and engage the opening eV in the limb cl' of the key K when the box is unlocked. Thus when the key is inserted in the lock the pawl will be forced upward until the opening d³ is 95 reached, when the said pawl will drop into the opening by force of gravity or a spring and prevent the key from being withdrawn. With this construction, however, it will be seen that a key would operate equally as well 100 in unlocking the box if there were no opening, as at d³, provided, as the pawl would be

429,795 raised and the catches operated in the same manner and there would be no danger of trapping the key in the lock, thus enabling any one having a key without the opening d^s to 5 open the box and retain the key in their possession. To remedy this objection I attach to the bar P' one or more depending lugs P³, located in the rear of the spring-catches c, and which rise and fall with the pawl P. The io spring-catches are provided with a recess P³, which is normally opposite the lug P². When, therefore, tlie pawl P is forced upward by the key, the lug P² rises also, Fig. 4, and prevents the further backward movement of the 15 catches and the consequent unlocking of the box. As soon, however, as the pawl P drops into the opening d³ the lug also drops into its normal position, as indicated in Fig. 3, permitting the further retraction of the catches 20 and the unlocking of the box. By this construction it will be seen that should a key be used without the slot or opening d^s the box could not be opened. Moreover, should a key be used having the form shown in Fig. 9 25 it would fail to engage its catch, and consequently would fail to unlock the box.

To release the key K, I provide the lock with an opening or key-hole, as-at x, to receive a key K', which is so constructed as to 30 reach the movable bar P' and raise it until the pawl P is retracted from the opening cZ³, when the key K may be withdrawn.

It is evident that the form of keys and the details of the construction above described 35 may be very considerably modified. Thus I may use a key capable of rotating in the lock for retracting the catches, ord may use equivalents for the pivoted bar or any number or form of catches, pawls, lugs, &c., all of which 40 I have shown in my preferred form, but which I may vary without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention.