The history of locks – from invention to the present day

The oldest known prototype, a wooden forerunner of the pin-tumbler lock, dates back some 2,700 years, recovered from the ruins of an Egyptian palace.

The Romans developed Egyptian technology by substituting iron for wood and bronze keys, and developing warded locks with internal projections that required a corresponding key.

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Warded locks remained the industry standard for around 2,500 years, becoming exquisitely complicated and ornate in the process as lock makers attempted to befuddle the pickers.

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In 1778, Robert Barron patented the double-acting tumbler lock, developed further in 1818 by Jeremiah Chubb, who incorporated a spring into the mechanism.

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Joseph Bramah’s safety lock, patented in 1784, employed a cylindrical key. Convinced of its inviolability, Bramah offered a £200 reward to anyone who could pick it. No one did for 50 years.

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In 1848, Linus Yale patented and improved the Yale compact cylinder lock, which was based loosely on the earliest pin–tumbler Egyptian model.

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With the rise of banking, a different kind of lock – the combination – was required for securing safes and vaults. Alas, this merely gave way to robbers resorting to “blowing the bloody doors off”.

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Locks today are still based on the Bramah, lever, Yale and combination models, connecting us directly with those ancient Romans and Egyptians in our need to secure the properties we own.

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The arrival of the Conexis L1 SmartLock, a collaboration between Yale and Everest, ushers in the next generation of locks, which do not require a key and can be managed and operated via a smartphone app or key tag.

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A revolutionary smart lock

The Conexis L1 SmartLock promises to revolutionise how we enter our homes. You’ll never get locked out again – because all you have to do is point your smartphone, key tag or key card at the door and “Open sesame”.

Source elegrapha