How Was The Door Lock Invented

As everest and yale launch a revolutionary new smart lock we look back at the history of locks and keys from wooden locks in ancient egypt to 21st century keyless locks.

How was the door lock invented.

History of mechanical locks started over 6 thousand years ago in ancient egypt where locksmith first managed to create simple but effective pin tumbler lock that was made entirely from wood. In 1933 chicago lock company invented a tubular key lock named the chicago ace lock. Next the inventor turned his attention to general use locks. The growing reputation and improved mechanism of it.

His lock became popular with safe manufacturers and the united states treasury department. Locks such as this were later developed into the egyptian wooden pin lock which consisted of a bolt door fixture or attachment and key when the key was inserted pins within the fixture were lifted out of drilled holes within the bolt allowing it to move. What separates the egyptian lock from later inventions is the fact. In 1857 james sargent invented the world s first successful key changeable combination lock.

It consisted of the wooden post that was affixed to the door and a horizontal bolt that slid into the post. The oldest preserved door locks we have ever found belong to the ancient egyptians and date back to at least 2000 b c. Often instead of locking a door people kept valuable possessions in chests or boxes which could be locked. Yale then developed the first combination lock eliminating the need for a key.

Early keys and locks were larger than today and having a key meant being in a position of trust. When was the door lock invented. Locks with keys have also existed for much of history. Locks have been around since man first decided to keep his belongings to himself.

It s believed but not proven that they existed even earlier than that. It was designed by the pin tumbler mechanism but used a circular keyway. The earliest known lock and key device was discovered in the ruins of nineveh the capital of ancient assyria. A number of improved key based bank locks followed.