The Earliest Lock Patent ?

[Channel Hopper]

Hello , and thank you for having me on this forum.

This section header mentions the earliest patents were attributed to mechanisms in 1857, but since the patent system has been around since the 1400s (Europe) is it a positive there has not been a licence/license for locks that predate the industrial revolution ?

Somebody must have been dealing with keys (and combinations) before this time. warding mechanisms, hinges (external/internal) and perhaps the keys (including skeleton/bypass) must surely be something worthy of a submission for a couple of hours and a guinea at the local Patent Office.

I'm posting based on some internals of a strong box I have here, which predates the Pony Express locking mechanisms (of course it could be faked) though the key hole looks genuine and ratchet system to open the door is mechanical to be worthy of a church or naval ship in terms of the workmanship. The weight of the box alone puts it firmly outside stagecoach but possibly into the railroad or accountancy / banking profession but it is strictly ward key basics

Regards and looking forward to any replies.

[Squelchtone]

The Yale patent in 1857 is for a Pin Tumbler mechanism, which is the most common in the United States and the type we usually focus on picking. There were of course earlier locks than that, but they were of the lever or warded type and not pin tumbler design.

[GWiens2001]

Joseph Bramah patented his locking mechanism over 200 years ago, back in 1784. So you are going to need to go further back than that.

Gordon

[buyten]

You’re right—locks have been around for centuries, long before the industrial revolution. Joseph Bramah’s 1784 patent for his high-security lock is one of the earliest well-documented patents, but warded and lever locks existed well before that, often used for chests, doors, and safes.

Even though formal patents weren’t always filed, skilled locksmiths were constantly innovating with key shapes, wards, and internal mechanisms to improve security. Many of these early locks—like skeleton key designs or complex ratchet systems,were handcrafted and can be incredibly sophisticated, especially for strongboxes or naval/church use.

So your strongbox could very well represent one of these pre-industrial, high-quality designs, even if it wasn’t officially patented. It’s fascinating to see how mechanical ingenuity evolved long before mass production.

[GWiens2001]

You’re right—locks have been around for centuries, long before the industrial revolution. Joseph Bramah’s 1784 patent for his high-security lock is one of the earliest well-documented patents, but warded and lever locks existed well before that, often used for chests, doors, and safes.

Even though formal patents weren’t always filed, skilled locksmiths were constantly innovating with key shapes, wards, and internal mechanisms to improve security. Many of these early locks—like skeleton key designs or complex ratchet systems,were handcrafted and can be incredibly sophisticated, especially for strongboxes or naval/church use.

So your strongbox could very well represent one of these pre-industrial, high-quality designs, even if it wasn’t officially patented. It’s fascinating to see how mechanical ingenuity evolved long before mass production.

Some of the earlier locks, like those handcrafted locks you are describing, were made by lockSMITHs who would not want to file a patent so people would not be able to duplicate their work just by looking at patents.

Gordon