The Padlock Patent Archive

Three centuries of keeping things shut

Permutation lock

Patent drawing of a round padlock with a curved shackle, shown in exterior view, sectioned interior with divided stop-pins and a turning block, a separate flat key with two pins, and a rectangular door-lock variant with a similar pin mechanism.IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS.Thomas George Harold · November 24, 1863Patent drawing of a round combination padlock with a chain looped through two side holes, a dial and knob on top, and internal cutaway views revealing nested permutation rings and a locking bolt.IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINATION-PADLOCKS.Herbert M. King and S. Dermott Pierce · February 26, 1878Patent drawing showing four views of a trunk permutation lock: a scalloped cover plate with tumbler recess, a hinged hasp with numbered dial and knob, the closed locked assembly, and a cross-sectional view revealing internal tumblers and pins.Permutation-Lock.Benjamin F. Kelly · January 11, 1881Patent drawing showing a trunk lock assembly with a front plate containing a keyhole and rotary bolt, a hinged hasp with a lettered permutation dial, internal lever and bolt mechanisms on the reverse plate, and separate detail views of a bit key and small locking plates.PERMUTATION TRUNK-LOCKJohn Kubler · December 6, 1881Patent drawing of a padlock in cross-section showing a rounded shackle, internal tumblers, a sliding bolt, and a key-cylinder, accompanied by smaller figures of keys and internal gear-like tumbler mechanisms.PERMUTATION-LOCK.Eugene C. Smith · November 5, 1889