Lock (security device)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released
by a physical object (such as a key, keycard, fingerprint, RFID card,
security token etc.), by supplying secret information (such as a keycode
or password), or by a combination thereof.

Contents
1 History

1.1 Antiquity

1.2 Modern locks

2 Types of locks
2.1 Locks with physical keys

2.2 Locks with electronic keys

historical Locks from 17th
3 Locksmithing
century Russia
3.1 Full disclosure

3.2 Famous locksmiths

4 See also
4.1 Types of locks

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

History
Antiquity

The earliest known lock and key device was discovered in the ruins of Nineveh, the capital of ancient
[1]
Assyria. Locks such as this were later developed into the Egyptian wooden pin lock, which consisted of a bolt,
door fixture, and key. When the key was inserted, pins within the fixture were lifted out of drilled holes within the
bolt, allowing it to move. When the key was removed, the pins fell part-way into the bolt, preventing
 [2]
movement.
The warded lock was also present from antiquity and remains the most recognizable lock and key design in
the Western world. The first all-metal locks appeared between the years 870 and 900, and are attributed to the
[3] [4]
English craftsmen. It is also said that the key was invented by Theodore of Samos in the 6th century BC.
Affluent Romans often kept their valuables in secure boxes within their households, and wore the keys as rings
on their fingers. The practice had two benefits: It kept
the key handy at all times, while signaling that the
wearer was wealthy and important enough to have
[5]
money and jewelry worth securing.
Modern locks
Medieval lock in Simple three-disc
Kathmandu With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late
18th century and the concomitant development of locking mechanism
precision engineering and component from a wooden box
recovered from
standardisation, locks and keys were manufactured
the Swedish ship
with increasing complexity and sophistication.
Vasa, sunk in 1628
The lever tumbler lock, which uses a set of levers to
prevent the bolt from moving in the lock, was perfected by Robert Barron in 1778.
His double acting lever lock required the lever to be lifted to a certain height by
Chinese lock and key having a slot cut in the lever, so lifting the lever too far was as bad as not lifting the
from Yunnan Province, [6]
early 20th century
lever far enough. This type of lock is still currently used today.
The lever tumbler lock was greatly
improved by Jeremiah Chubb in 1818. A
burglary in Portsmouth Dockyard prompted the British Government to
announce a competition to produce a lock that could be opened only
[7]
with its own key. Chubb developed the Chubb detector lock, which
incorporated an integral security feature that could frustrate
unauthorised access attempts and would indicate to the lock's owner if it Diagram of a Chubb detector lock
had been interfered with. Chubb was awarded £100 after a trained lock-
[8]
picker failed to break the lock after 3 months.
In 1820, Jeremiah joined his brother Charles in starting their own lock company, Chubb. Chubb made various
improvements to his lock; - his 1824 improved design didn't require a special regulator key to reset the lock, by
1847 his keys used six-levers rather than four and he later introduced a disc that allowed the key to pass but
[9]
narrowed the field of view, hiding the levers from anybody attempting to pick the lock. The Chubb
brothers also received a patent for the first burglar-resisting safe and began production in 1835.
The designs of Barron and Chubb were based on the use of movable levers, but Joseph Bramah, a prolific inventor,
developed an alternative method in 1784. His lock used a cylindrical key with precise notches along the surface;
these moved the metal slides that impeded the turning of the bolt into an exact alignment, allowing the lock to
open. The lock was at the limits of the precision manufacturing capabilities of the time and was said by its inventor
to be unpickable. In the same year Bramah started the Bramah Locks company at 124 Piccadilly, and displayed the
"Challenge Lock" in the window of his shop from 1790, challenging "...the artist who can make an instrument that
will pick or open this lock" for the reward of £200. The challenge stood for over 67
years until, at the Great Exhibition of 1851, the American locksmith Alfred Charles Hobbs was able to open
the lock and, following some argument about the circumstances under which he had opened it, was awarded
the prize. Hobbs' attempt required some 51 hours, spread over 16 days.
The earliest patent for a double-acting pin tumbler lock was granted to American physician Abraham O.
[10]
Stansbury in England in 1805, but the modern version, still in use today, was invented by American Linus
[11]
Yale, Sr. in 1848. This lock design used pins of varying lengths to prevent the lock from opening without
the correct key. In 1861, Linus Yale, Jr. was inspired by the original 1840s pin-tumbler lock designed by his
father, thus inventing and patenting a smaller flat key with serrated edges as well as pins of varying lengths
[12]
within the lock itself, the same design of the pin-tumbler lock which still remains in use today. The modern
Yale lock is essentially a more developed version of the Egyptian lock.
Despite some improvement in key design since, the majority of locks today are still variants of the designs
invented by Bramah, Chubb and Yale.

Types of locks
Locks with physical keys

A warded lock uses a set of obstructions, or wards, to prevent the

lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. The key has
notches or slots that correspond to the obstructions in the lock,
allowing it to rotate freely inside the lock. Warded locks are typically
reserved for low-security applications as a well-designed skeleton key
can successfully open a wide variety of warded locks.
The pin tumbler lock uses a set of pins to prevent the lock from
opening unless the correct key is inserted. The key has a series of
grooves on either side of the key's blade that limit the type of lock the
key can slide into. As the key slides into the lock, the horizontal
Pin tumbler lock: without a key in the
grooves on the blade align with the wards in the keyway allowing or
lock, the driver pins (blue) are
denying entry to the cylinder. A series of pointed teeth and notches on
the blade, called bittings, then allow pins to move up and down until pushed downwards, preventing the
they are in line with the shear line of the inner and outer cylinder, plug (yellow) from rotating
allowing the cylinder or cam to rotate freely and the lock to open.
A wafer tumbler lock is similar to the pin tumbler lock and works on a similar principle. However, unlike
the pin lock (where each pin consists of two or more pieces) each wafer is a single piece. The wafer tumbler
lock is often incorrectly referred to as a disc tumbler lock, which uses an entirely different mechanism. The
wafer lock is relatively inexpensive to produce and is often used in automobiles and cabinetry.
The disc tumbler lock or Abloy lock is composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. They are considered
very secure and almost impossible to pick.
The lever tumbler lock uses a set of levers to prevent the bolt from moving in the lock. In its simplest
form, lifting the tumbler above a certain height will allow the bolt to slide past. Lever locks are commonly
recessed inside wooden doors or on some older forms of padlocks, including fire brigade padlocks.
Locks with electronic keys
An electronic lock works by means of an electronic current and is
usually connected to an access control system. In addition to the pin and
tumbler used in standard locks, electronic locks connects the bolt or
cylinder to a motor within the door using a part called an actuator. Tubular lock: the key pins (red) and
Types of electronic locks include the following: driver pins (blue) are pushed towards
A keycard lock operates with a flat card using the same dimensions as a the front of the lock, preventing the
credit card or US and EU driver's license. In order to open the door, plug (yellow) from rotating. The
one needs to successfully match the signature within the keycard. tubular key has several half-cylinder
indentations which align with the pins
A smart lock is an electromechanics lock that gets instructions to lock
and unlock the door from an authorized device using a cryptographic key
and wireless protocol. Smart locks have begun to be used more
commonly in residential areas, and have most likely grown in popularity
[13][14]
due to widespread use of the smartphone. Additionally, smart
locks are gaining momentum in coworking spaces and offices where
[15]
smart locks often enable keyless office entry.
The sidebar lock operates using fins on a radial key that actuate
sidebars that align with a cylindrical code bar within the lock. This is
a new type of master key technology developed by the Australian Wafer tumbler lock: without a key in
Lock Company. The keys and the code bar are cut using a the lock, the wafers (red) are pushed
Computerised Numerical Control (CNC) machine. down by springs. The wafers nestle
into a groove in the lower part of the
Locksmithing outer cylinder (green) preventing the
plug (yellow) from rotating
Locksmithing is a traditional trade, and in most countries requires
completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education required varies from country to country, from a
simple training certificate awarded by an employer, to a full diploma from an engineering college. Locksmiths
may be commercial (working out of a storefront), mobile (working out of a vehicle), institutional, or
investigational (forensic locksmiths). They may specialize in one aspect of the skill, such as an automotive
lock specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Many also act as security consultants, but
not all security consultants have the skills and knowledge of a locksmith.
Historically, locksmiths constructed or repaired an entire lock, including its constituent parts. The rise of
cheap mass production has made this less common; the vast majority of locks are repaired through like-for-
like replacements, high-security safes and strongboxes being the most common exception. Many locksmiths
also work on any existing door hardware, including door closers, hinges, electric strikes, and frame repairs, or
service electronic locks by making keys for transponder-equipped vehicles and implementing access control
systems.
Although the fitting and replacement of keys remains an important part of locksmithing, modern locksmiths are
primarily involved in the installation of high quality lock-sets and the design, implementation, and management of
keying and key control systems. A locksmith is frequently required to determine the level of risk to an
individual or institution and then recommend and implement appropriate
combinations of equipment and policies to create a "security layer" that
exceeds the reasonable gain of an intruder.
In the United States, the locksmith industry exhibited steady growth in
the years following 2010. In 2012, total revenue was over $1.6 billion
[16]
with more than 3,600 locksmiths in operation.
Full disclosure

Full disclosure requires that full details of a security vulnerability are

disclosed to the public, including details of the vulnerability and how to
detect and exploit it. The theory behind full disclosure is that releasing
vulnerability information immediately results in better security. Fixes
are produced faster because vendors and authors are forced to respond
in order to protect their system from potential attacks as well as to
protect their own image. Security is improved because the window of
Locksmith, 1451
exposure, the amount of time the vulnerability is open to attack, is
reduced. The issue of full disclosure was first raised in a 19th-century
controversy over the revelation of lock-system weaknesses to the public.
According to A. C. Hobbs:

A commercial, and in some respects a social doubt has been

started within the last year or two, whether or not it is right to
discuss so openly the security or insecurity of locks.
Many well-meaning persons suppose that the discussion
respecting the means for baffling the supposed safety of
locks offers a premium for dishonesty, by showing others
how to be dishonest. This is a fallacy. Rogues are very keen
in their profession, and know already much more than we
can teach them respecting their several kinds of roguery.
Rogues knew a good deal about lock-picking long before
locksmiths discussed it among themselves, as they have
lately done. If a lock, let it have been made in whatever A Chinese locksmith in
country, or by whatever maker, is not so inviolable as it Jakarta (Batavia) around 1870
has hitherto been deemed to be, surely it is to the interest
of honest persons to know this fact, because the dishonest
are tolerably certain to apply the knowledge practically;and
the spread of the knowledge is necessary to give fair play
to those who might suffer by ignorance.
It cannot be too earnestly urged that an acquaintance with real
facts will, in the end, be better for all parties. Some time ago,
when the reading public was alarmed at being told how
London milk is adulterated, timid persons deprecated the
exposure, on the plea that it would give instructions in
 the art of adulterating milk; a vain fear, milkmen knew all
about it before, whether they practiced it or not; and the
exposure only taught purchasers the necessity of a little
scrutiny and caution, leaving them to obey this necessity
or not, as they pleased.
— A. C. Hobbs (Charles Tomlinson, ed.), Locks and
Safes: The Construction of Locks. Published by
Virtue & Co., London, 1853 (revised 1868).
A Chinese locksmith in
Famous locksmiths Singapore, circa 1900

Robert Barron patented a double-acting tumbler lock in 1778, the first reasonable improvement in
lock security.
[17]
Joseph Bramah patented the Bramah lock in 1784. It was considered unpickable for 67 years until
[18]
A.C. Hobbs picked it, taking over 50 hours.
Jeremiah Chubb patented his detector lock in 1818. It won him the reward offered by the Government
for a lock that could not be opened by any but its own key.
James Sargent described the first successful key-changeable combination lock in 1857. His lock became
popular with safe manufacturers and the United States Treasury Department. In 1873, he patented a
time lock mechanism, the prototype for those used in contemporary bank vaults.
Samuel Segal of the Segal Lock and Hardware Company invented the first jimmy-proof locks in 1916.
Harry Soref founded the Master Lock Company in 1921 and patented an improved padlock in 1924
with a patent lock casing constructed out of laminated steel. Linus Yale, Sr. invented a pin tumbler lock
in 1848.
Linus Yale, Jr. improved upon his father's lock in 1861, using a smaller, flat key with serrated edges
that is the basis of modern pin-tumbler locks. Yale developed the modern combination lock in 1862.
Alfred Charles Hobbs demonstrated the inadequacy of several respected locks of the time in 1851 at The
Great Exhibition, and popularized the practice of full disclosure.

See also
Access control
Associated Locksmiths of America
Door security
Industrial revolution
Exit control lock
Master Locksmiths Association
Physical security
Rope lock
Security door chain
Types of locks

Bicycle lock
Cam lock
Chamber lock
 Child safety lock
Combination lock
Cylinder lock
Dead bolt
Electronic lock
Electric strike
Magnetic lock
Mortise lock
Lever tumbler lock
Chubb detector lock
Police lock
Protector lock
Luggage lock
Magnetic keyed lock
Padlock
Rim lock
Time lock

References
1. de Vries, N. Cross and D. P. Grant, M. J. (1992). Design Methodology and Relationships with Science: Introduction.
Eindhoven: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 32.
2. Ceccarelli, Marco (2004). International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms. New York:
Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 43. ISBN 1402022034.
3. "History". Locks.ru. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
4. "History". Dimensions Info. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
5. "History". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
6. Pulford, Graham W. (2007). High-Security Mechanical Locks : An Encyclopedic Reference. Elsevier. p. 317.
ISBN 0-7506-8437-2.
7. "History of Locks". Encyclopaedia of Locks and Builders Hardware. Chubb Locks. 1958. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
8. "Lock Making: Chubb & Son's Lock & Safe Co Ltd". Wolverhampton City Council. 2005. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
9. Roper, C.A. & Phillips, Bill (2001). The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing. McGraw-Hill Publishing.
ISBN 0-07-137494-9.
10. The Complete Book of Home, Site, and Office Security: Selecting, Installing, and Troubleshooting Systems
and Devices. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 11.
11. The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive. O'Reilly Media, Inc. p. 445.
12. "Inventor of the Week Archive". Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
13. "Ditch the Keys: It's Time to Get a Smart Lock". Popular Mechanics. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
14. "Kisi And KeyMe, Two Smart Phone Apps, Might Make House Keys Obsolete". The Huffington Post. The
Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
15. Kurutz, Steven. "Losing The Key". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
16. Chevishev, Dubb (6 June 2011). "Locksmith Queens". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
17. "Opening an Antique Bramah Box Lock". Hygra.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
18. "Bramah Locks". Crypto.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
Further reading
Phillips, Bill. (2005). The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-
144829-2.
Alth, Max (1972). All About Locks and Locksmithing. Penguin. ISBN 0-8015-0151-2
Robinson, Robert L. (1973). Complete Course in Professional Locksmithing Nelson-Hall.
ISBN 0-911012-15-X

External links
Lockwiki (http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page)
Wikibooks has more on
"Historical locks" (http://wiki.edu-research.info/historical-locks)
the topic of: Lock
by Raine Borg and ASSA ABLOY
(security device)
"Picking Locks" (http://books.google.com/books?id=fvEDAAAA
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Locks
(security devices).
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q&f=true), Popular Mechanics

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