Hobbs’s Protector Lock
– The Crystal Palace Exhibition showcased Hobbs’s design of the Protector lock.
– Hobbs was the first person to pick the supposedly unpickable Chubb detector lock.
– The Protector lock was created in the early 1850s by Alfred Charles Hobbs.
– Before Hobbs’s design, locks were opened using a series of false keys.
– Hobbs’s manual dexterity and use of a tiny pick allowed him to pick the locks.
Kromer’s Protector Lock
– Theodor Kromer patented the Protector lock in Prussia in 1874.
– Kromer’s lock outsold Joseph Bramah’s lock and became highly successful.
– The Kromer lock remained unpicked until October 2022.
– The lock contained eleven wafers stacked in a central cylindrical core.
– The correct key aligned the wafers, allowing the core to rotate.
Design Features of Kromer’s Lock
– The Kromer lock was difficult to pick and inspect inside the keyhole.
– The lock had asymmetric, double-bitted keys with bevelled bits.
– Some parts of the key’s bit were longer or shorter on the leading edge.
– One cut in the key was angled relative to the shaft.
– The lock had keys of various lengths, including foldable keys for thick vault doors.
References
– Phillips, B. p.9
– The Mechanics Magazine, p.269
– Historical locks. www.historicallocks.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
– Kromer Protector Patents (list, in German). wiki.koksa.org. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
– Kromer. lockwiki.com
Sources
– Roper, C.A. & Phillips, Bill (2001). The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing. McGraw-Hill Publishing. ISBN0-07-137494-9.
– The Mechanics Magazine (1858). Robertson, Brooman, and Co.Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protector_lock
