Detector lock (Chubb)
Cerradura de detector (Chubb)
- Date
- 1818 · confidence high
- Place
- Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Jeremiah and Charles Chubb
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A lever lock with a detector that jams if someone tries to force it with a false key, and is released only by the legitimate key. It left clear evidence of a break-in attempt.
It was a response to a burglary at the Portsmouth dockyard; the 1818 patent improved Barron's lever tumbler lock (1778).
What it led to
- high-security locks and safes in the 19th century
- Chubb's locksmith and safe business
- competition with Bramah and lock-picking