Robert Barron
Robert Barron was an English locksmith notable for his invention of the double–acting tumbler lock in 1778. Robert Barron, an accomplished locksmith hailing from England, gained widespread recognition for his groundbreaking invention of the double-acting tumbler lock in 1778. This remarkable accomplishment marked a significant advancement in the field of locksmithing, revolutionizing security practices during that period.
Joseph Bramah
Joseph Bramah is primarily renowned for his pioneering inventions, most notably the hydraulic press and the Bramah lock. The Bramah lock, a significant achievement in the realm of locksmithing and security, received its patent in 1784. Remarkably, it remained impervious to picking attempts for over 65 years, demonstrating its exceptional resistance to tampering and intrusion.
Jeremiah Chubb
Jeremiah Chubb is credited with inventing the first detector lock in 1818. His innovation stemmed from a government competition aimed at creating a lock that was virtually impervious to picking, and remarkably, it retained this reputation until 1851. The Chubb detector lock represented the pinnacle of advanced and secure tumbler lock technology. When an unauthorized attempt was made to pick the lock or open it with the wrong key, the lock’s design led it to jam in a locked state, requiring the use of either a special regulator key or the original key for its release.
In 1820, Jeremiah Chubb and his brother Charles Chubb introduced significant modifications to their initial lock design. This upgraded version of the lock no longer necessitated a regulator key to reset it after an attempt to open it without the proper key. Additionally, the number of lever tumblers was increased from four, as seen in the original lock, to six. This enhanced and refined iteration of the lock was consequently referred to as the combined Bramah–Chubb lock.
James Sargent
James Sargent described the first successful key-changeable combination lock in 1857, the prototype for those used in contemporary bank vaults. The combination lock became popular with safe manufacturers and the United States Treasury Department.
Linus Yale Sr. & Linus Yale Jr.
In 1848, Linus Yale, Sr. invented the pin tumbler lock. Subsequently, in 1861, Linus Yale, Jr. enhanced his father’s lock by introducing a smaller, flat key with serrated edges, which serves as the foundation for modern pin-tumbler locks. In 1862, Yale further advanced lock technology by developing the modern combination lock.