The Padlock Patent Archive

Three centuries of keeping things shut

Tumbler lock

Patent drawing sheet showing eleven figures of a shackle padlock, including exterior front views, interior mechanism views with bolt, tumbler, and spring, an edge cross-section, and detached parts like the bolt shank and tumbler.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSMoses T. Ridout · September 9, 1862Four line-drawing diagrams of a padlock's internal mechanism labeled Fig. 1 through Fig. 4, showing a curved shackle B pivoted into a rounded case A, with internal parts including a spring-pawl b, catch-plate d', hook d, tumblers g and g', and various numbered teeth and slots illustrating the locking and unlocking sequence.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSWilson Bohannan · February 28, 1865Patent drawing of a heart-shaped padlock showing its back plate, internal arc-shaped spring bolt, tumbler, hasp, and separate key, across ten labeled figures.PadlockAndy M. Adams · April 12, 1870Patent drawing showing an oval padlock in six figures: two face views with the case cut away to reveal an internal hook-shaped bolt, pivoted tumbler, and sliding slotted plate, a cross-section showing the key channel, and three detail views of the bolt, plate, and tumbler components.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSGeorge Merkel and Charles H. Meyer · April 4, 1871Patent drawing sheet showing six figures of a 19th-century padlock with a curved shackle arm, rotating face-plate with multiple key-holes, internal sliding bolt, tumbler, pinion and spring lever mechanisms, and a detachable key.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSDaniel Zeiler · February 27, 1872Patent drawing of a round padlock showing six figures: the shackle and tumbler mechanism in locked and unlocked states, an exploded view of the lifted mechanism, a front elevation of the assembled lock, an edge view of the case, and a flat sheet-steel key shown from front and edge.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSFredrick Egge · July 14, 1874Patent drawing of a heart-shaped padlock with an oval body, showing an internal spring, bolt, dog, tumblers, and a warded key, across ten labeled figures.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSBodo Wallmann · October 26, 1875Patent drawing of a heart-shaped padlock case with a pivoted curved shackle, internal spring-loaded bolt and tumbler mechanism, and separate detail views of the tumbler and bolt components.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSWilson Bohannan · June 25, 1878Patent drawing of a padlock showing its rounded shackle and body in Figure 1 alongside a tapered screw-key, with internal cross-section views in Figures 2 and 3 revealing a row of sliding threaded tumblers and springs, and Figure 4 showing the lock's interior lever and bolt mechanism with the side plate removed.IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKSWilliam C. McGill · April 1, 1879Patent drawing of a hexagonal padlock showing internal bolt, tumbler, spring-trigger plate, curved operating arm, and a key with notched projections, alongside an exterior perspective view of the locked case with staple.Padlock.William F. Hofmann · July 29, 1879Technical patent drawing showing the circular internal mechanism of a padlock with a curved vibrating bolt, pivoted lever, spring-loaded blocking piece, and a separate key-post and tumbler piece, alongside a cross-section view showing a barrel key inserted into the lock.Padlock.Frank W. Mix · March 9, 1880Patent 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 of a padlock showing five figures: cutaway side views of the lock body with shackle, spring bolt, and pivoted tumbler mechanism, plus a cross-sectional view of the key.PADLOCK.Wilson Bohannan · May 19, 1885Patent drawing of a Scandinavian-style padlock showing a cutaway body with shackle B, notched tumbler C, clutch plate D, interchangeable wards G H I, and a spring-loaded key E with double bits, alongside smaller face-view details of the tumbler, clutch, and wards.PADLOCK.Samuel McCarter · July 28, 1885Patent 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, 1889Patent drawing of a padlock showing the shackle, an internal eccentric dog and toothed tumbler mechanism, and a separate corrugated key with matching teeth.PADLOCK.Andrew S. Fisher · March 4, 1890Patent drawing sheet showing eight figures of a padlock: several face-on cutaway views of the lock body with numbered internal parts labeled with letters, a small ring-shaped tumbler guard, a tubular barrel key with a round handle, and a flat key variant, along with inventor's signature and witness signatures at bottom.PADLOCK.Frederick Egge · May 13, 1890Patent drawing of a railway switch padlock showing the internal mechanism with shackle, tumblers, spring-loaded bolt, lever, and bell alarm, along with detail views of the key, tumbler-locking device, and case components labeled with reference letters.PADLOCK.George William Lucas · January 13, 1891Patent drawing of a shield-shaped bicycle lock showing internal tumblers and bolts, a U-shaped hasp passing through the lock body, and a mounting clamp attaching the lock to a bicycle's steering head with the hasp threaded between wheel spokes.BICYCLE-LOCK.Edwin W. Macauley · August 23, 1892Patent drawing of a padlock with side plate removed showing internal shackle, spring-loaded tumblers, locking-dog, and key-locking bar, plus a separate key and locking-dog detail views.PADLOCKGeorge M. Hathaway · September 25, 1894Technical patent drawing showing exploded and sectional views of a padlock's internal casing, shackle, tumblers, dogs, catches, and a threaded key, with numbered reference lines identifying each part.PADLOCK.Ernst Wagenknecht · February 26, 1895Cross-section drawings of a padlock showing an arched hasp, internal pivoted tumblers, coil springs, and a multi-notched push key beside detailed tumbler and plate components.PADLOCK.Cornelius S. Van Wagoner · June 11, 1895Patent drawing of a round padlock showing two interlocking hinged jaws with internal tumbler mechanism, pivot-bolt, spring, and a flat key with notched wards.LOCKWoodbury D. Roberts · April 12, 1898Patent drawing of a railroad freight-car door seal lock showing a side elevation of the door and jamb with the bolt and hasp assembly, plus three cross-sectional views (Figs. 2-4) illustrating the internal tumblers, follower, and frangible seal numbered 308.SEAL-LOCKSidney T. Nickerson · November 1, 1898Patent drawing of a padlock showing the case interior with pivoted shackle, swinging dog, three concentric tumblers, and a flat multi-winged key, alongside detail views of each tumbler and ward-plate.PADLOCK.Henry G. Voight · January 31, 1899Patent drawing showing a chain lock assembly with a round casing housing internal tumblers, a key, and an open link, alongside a diagram of the device mounted on a spoked wagon wheel securing it to the wagon body.LOCKING-CHAINJohn U. Barr · August 16, 1910Patent drawing of a round padlock showing internal tumbler mechanism, pivoted shackle, springs, and numbered parts across five figures, with the inventor's signature at the bottom.PADLOCKSamuel R. Fraim · May 31, 1921Patent drawing sheet showing nine figures of a circular padlock mechanism: an assembled front view with looped hasp links, an exploded interior view revealing stacked tumblers and a pivoting locking bolt, a separate cover plate with slots, a perspective locking bolt with curved ends, a hasp element, a tumbler and spring, a latching device, a bitted key, and a modified door-mounting hasp assembly with screws.LOCKAngelo C. Messina and Joseph Messina · October 2, 1923