Inventors
The
History of Locks
By
Mary
Bellis
The oldest known lock was found by
archeologists in the Khorsabad palace ruins near Nineveh. The lock was
estimated to be 4,000 years old. It was a forerunner to a pin tumbler type
of lock, and a common Egyptian lock for the time. This lock worked using
a large wooden bolt to secure a door, which had a slot with several holes
in its upper surface. The holes were filled with wooden pegs that prevented
the bolt from being opened.
Famous Locksmiths
Robert Barron
The first serious attempt to improve
the security of the lock was made in 1778 in England. Robert Barron
patented a double-acting tumbler lock.
Joseph Bramah
Joseph Bramah patented the safety
lock in 1784. Bramah's lock was considered unpickable. The inventor went
on to create a Hydrostatic Machine, a beer-pump, the four-cock, a quill-sharpener,
a working planer, and more. Joseph Bramah
James Sargent
In I857, James Sargent invented
the world's first successful key-changeable combination lock. His lock
became popular with safe manufacturers and the United States Treasury Department.
In 1873, Sargent patented a time lock mechanism that became the prototype
of those being used in contemporary bank vaults.
Samuel Segal
Mr. Samuel Segal (former New York
City policeman) invented the first jimmy proof locks in 1916. Segal holds
over twenty-five patents.
Harry Soref
Soref founded the Master Lock Company
in 1921 and patented an improved padlock. In April 1924, he received a
patent (U.S #1,490,987) for his new lock casing. Soref made a padlock that
was both strong and chea using a case constructed out of layers of metal,
like the doors of a bank vault. He designed his padlock using laminated
steel.
Linus
Yale Sr.
Linus Yale invented a pin-tumbler
lock in 1848. His son improved upon his lock using a smaller, flat key
with serrated edges that is the basis of modern pin-tumbler locks.
Linus Yale Jr. (1821-1868)
American, Linus Yale Jr. was an
mechanical engineer and lock manufacturer who patented a cylinder pin-tumbler
lock in 1861. Yale invented the modern combination lock in 1862.
History
Links
Schlage's
History of Locks
Locks and keys were known long before
the birth of Christ. This website has an excellent coverage of lock and
key history.
The
History of Locks
In the history of locks it is interesting
and important to trace the means adopted to make the lock secure, as age
succeeded age.
History
of Locks and Keys
The use of locks goes back to the
beginning of recorded history. Men have always been concerned with protecting
their property from others. Door locks are how people have protected their
property.
Ancient
Key Gallery
The gallery has images of old keys
and locks and history extracted from the Chubb Encyclopaedia of Locks
and Builders Hardware - first published in 1958.
Locksmithing
Throughout the Ages
The first mechanical locks, made
of wood, were probably created by a number of civilizations at the same
time.
A
Brief History of Locks in America
During the period of the 18th and
19th century many technical developments were made in the locking mechanisms
that added to the security of common locking devices. It was during
this period that America changed from importing door hardware to manufacturing
and even exporting some.
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