Re: S&G 6430, 6435
Martin Hewitt, Investigator Chronicles of Martin Hewitt
US4275576 wrote:In a combination lock for bank vaults, safes and the like, a lock case having a tumbler post therein, a pack of tumbler wheels formed of a plurality of selectively adjustable, peripherally gated tumbler wheels loosely journaled for rotation on said tumbler post about a common axis, a peripherally gated rotatable driving cam fixed on a spindle rotatable about said axis, a manually operable dial and knob member on said spindle for rotating the driving cam to angularly adjust the tumbler wheels to an opening combination for the lock, a bolt slidably supported in said case for movement between projected and retracted positions, means providing a lost motion driving connection between the driving cam and tumbler wheels for adjusting the angular positions of the tumbler wheels, and a fence lever having a pivot connection at one end to the bolt for arcuate movement about the axis of said pivot connection and having an opposite end portion forming a fence end adjacent the peripheries of the driving cam and tumblers, the fence lever being movable arcuately between a raised position locating the fence end outwardly of the peripheries of the driving cam and tumblers and a lower position disposing the fence end in the driving cam gate and tumbler gates when aligned therewith for operatively coupling the driving cam with the fence lever to retract the bolt upon rotation of the driving cam in a predetermined direction; the improvement comprising said fence lever having an upwardly arcuately arching body portion extending from the axis of said pivot connection to a position overlying the pack of tumbler wheels and driving cam and a fence formation extending integrally from said arcuate portion downwardly as a foot formation projecting from the arcuate portion a distance substantially corresponding to the radial depth of the tumbler wheel gates and driving cam gate, and said foot formation having a downwardly facing recess spanning most of the lower end portion thereof and having an elongated unitary contact bar member seated therein extending parallel to said common axis and spanning across the periphery of tumbler wheels and the driving cam to normally bear against the non-gated portion of the driving cam periphery and support the fence lever in said raised position, said contact bar member having a bore extending therethrough parallel to said common axis receiving a supporting pin of slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of said bore and supported in opposite side portions of the fence formation flanking said downwardly opening recess occupied by the contact bar, said contact bar member having a pair of lateral sides and a third side facing the tumbler wheels and driving cam and having a fourth side facing upwardly and spaced slightly from a confronting surface of said recess in said fence formation.
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