Adjustable key.

Application filed January 19,1904. Serial No. 189,662. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles J. Caley, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, Hartford county, and State of Con5 necticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Keys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to keys, and particuio larly to that class of keys used with locks for sliding doors.

The main object of my invention is to provide a key which will be adapted for use in connection with sliding doors of different 15 thicknesses; and it consists of a simple means whereby the length of the key-shank may be adapted to the width of the door.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a key, the bow and clamp-knob be20 ing shown in full. Fig. 2 is a plan -view of the same structure, the body being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the plane of the line x x, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the plane of the line y y, Fig. 1.

1 is the main body of the key carrying the bit or bit-head l^a.

is a stem slidably supported by body 1, said stem having a longitudinal passage therein.

3 is a bow suitably attached to head 2^a of stem 2. This bow in the form shown constitutes a handle for turning the key. The inner end of stem 2 is split to form expansion jaws 2^b of any desired number.

4 is a pin-wedge having a handle 4^a, the head of which may be knurled. The body of the pin-wedge may bear a screw-thread 4^b, which takes into an internally-threaded portion of stem 2.

To prevent rotative movement of stem 2 with relation to body 1, portions of its surface, as at 2°, are flattened to take against correspondingly-flattened portions of the upper Avail of a recess within body 1. A por45 tion only of the stem 2 is flattened, leaving that part of the stem adjacent to the jaws 2^bin its original form to form a stop-shoulder, as best seen in Fig. 1. When the stem has been inserted into the body, the butt-end of the latter may be pressed down or swaged to 5° provide a second stop-shoulder. The engagement of these shoulders prevents stem 2 from being entirely withdrawn from body 1. The disengagement of stem 2 and pin-wedge 4 is prevented by reducing the diameter of the 55 pin-wedge and by indenting the wall of the stem adjacent thereto to form the stop-shoulder 2^d. This reduced portion of the pinwedge is of sufficient length to allow pinwedge 4 sufficient freedom of longitudinal 60 movement to permit it. to perform the function of expanding the jaws 2^b. The manner of forming the various stop-shoulders is of course immaterial.

In operation the tapered end of the. pin- 65 wedge 4 serves to expand the split end of stem 2, impinging the jaws thereof tightly against the inner wall of the recess within body 1, thus setting the stem therein at any desired position, and thereby adjusting that portion 7° of the key which constitutes the shank so that it may be of any desired length.