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71-456: A latch is not the same as the locking mechanism of a door or window, although often they are found together in the same product. Latches range in complexity from flexible one-piece flat springs of metal or plastic, such as are used to keep blow molded plastic power tool cases closed, to multi-point cammed latches used to keep large doors closed. A deadbolt latch is a single-throw bolt. The bolt can be engaged in its strike plate only after

142-534: A cryptographic key and wireless protocol. Smart locks have begun to be used more commonly in residential areas, often controlled with smartphones . Smart locks are used in coworking spaces and offices to enable keyless office entry. In addition, electronic locks cannot be picked with conventional tools. Locksmithing is a traditional trade, and in most countries requires completion of an apprenticeship . The level of formal education required varies from country to country, from no qualifications required at all in

213-429: A "security layer" that exceeds the reasonable gain of an intruder. Traditional key cutting is the primary method of key duplication. It is a subtractive process named after the metalworking process of cutting , where a flat blank key is ground down to form the same shape as the template (original) key. The process roughly follows these stages: Modern key cutting replaces the mechanical key following aspect with

284-486: A V-shape surrounding the keyhole. They are often called drunk man's lock , as these locks were, according to certain sources, designed in such a way a person can still find the keyhole in the dark, although this might not be the case as the ornaments might have been purely aesthetic. In more recent times similar locks have been designed. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century and

355-401: A button-activated latch. Likewise a ballistic knife uses a strong latch to restrain a powerful spring from firing the blade as a projectile until triggered by opening the latch. A gravity knife relies on a latch to hold the folding blade in an open position once released. A butterfly knife uses a single latch to hold the folding blade both open and closed, depending on the position of

426-458: A cabin hook in such a situation, one should keep in mind that a fire-resistant door is an expensive and heavy item, and it only works as a fire door if it is closed during a fire. To hold an often heavy fire door open simply, electromagnetic door holders are used that release when a building's fire alarm system is activated. As cabin hooks must be released manually, they are impractical for fire doors. Also named draw latch or draw catch. It has

497-402: A claw or a loop that catches the strike plate (named catch plate in this case) when reaching a certain position. A pawl is a latch that will allow movement in one direction, but prevents return motion. It is commonly used in combination with a ratchet wheel. A latch of some type is typically fitted to a door or window . Many types of weaponry incorporate latches with designs unique to

568-474: A cylindrical key with precise notches along the surface; these moved the metal slides that impeded the turning of the bolt into an exact alignment, allowing the lock to open. The lock was at the limits of the precision manufacturing capabilities of the time and was said by its inventor to be unpickable. In the same year Bramah started the Bramah Locks company at 124 Piccadilly, and displayed the "Challenge Lock" in

639-411: A disc that allowed the key to pass but narrowed the field of view, hiding the levers from anybody attempting to pick the lock. The Chubb brothers also received a patent for the first burglar-resisting safe and began production in 1835. The designs of Barron and Chubb were based on the use of movable levers, but Joseph Bramah , a prolific inventor, developed an alternative method in 1784. His lock used

710-407: A door from the outside or the in. A cabin hook is a hooked bar that engages into a staple. The bar is usually attached permanently to a ring or staple that is fixed with screws or nails to woodwork or a wall at the same level as the eye screw. The eye screw is usually screwed into the adjacent wall or onto the door itself. Used to hold a cupboard , door or gate open or shut. A cabin hook

781-493: A double-acting pin tumbler lock was granted to American physician Abraham O. Stansbury in England in 1805, but the modern version, still in use today, was invented by American Linus Yale Sr. in 1848. This lock design used pins of varying lengths to prevent the lock from opening without the correct key. In 1861, Linus Yale Jr. was inspired by the original 1840s pin-tumbler lock designed by his father, thus inventing and patenting

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852-410: A hammer to fire the new round. Break open actions are universal in double-barrelled shotguns , double-barrelled rifles and combination guns , and are also common in single shot rifles, pistols , and shotguns , and can also be found in flare guns , grenade launchers , air guns and some older revolver designs. Several latch designs have been used for loading revolvers . In a top-break revolver,

923-467: A knife of this type may require significantly more force than the weapons variety as an added safety feature. Crossbows incorporate a type of latch to hold the drawn bowstring prior to firing. Automobiles incorporate numerous special-purpose latches as components of the doors, hood/bonnet , trunk/boot door , seat belts , etc. On passenger cars, a hood may be held down by a concealed latch. On race cars or cars with aftermarket hoods (that do not use

994-494: A long strip of staples. Staple strips are commonly available as "full strips" with 210 staples per strip. Both copper plated and more expensive stainless steel staples which do not rust are also available, but uncommon. Some staple sizes are used more commonly than others, depending on the application required. Some companies have unique staples just for their products. Staples from one manufacturer may or may not fit another manufacturer's unit even if they look similar and serve

1065-413: A longer reach from the pivot point than general-purpose staplers and bind pages into a booklet or "signature". Some can use "loop-staples" that enable the user to integrate folded matter into ring books and binders. Outward clinch staples are blind staples. There is no anvil, and they are applied with a staple gun . When applied, each staple leg forms a curve bending outwards. This is in part caused by

1136-409: A more permanent and durable fastener for paper documents than the paper clip . The word "staple" originated in the late thirteenth Century, from Old English stapol , meaning "post, pillar". The word's first usage in the paper-fastening sense is attested from 1895. In ancient times, the staple had several different functions. Large metal staples dating from the 6th century BC have been found in

1207-419: A neat and efficient method of binding paperwork because they are relatively unobtrusive, low cost, and readily available. Large staples found on corrugated cardboard boxes have folded legs. They are applied from the outside and do not use an anvil; jaw-like appendages push through the cardboard alongside the legs and bend them from the outside. Saddle stitch staplers , also known as "booklet staplers," feature

1278-624: A number of unique profiles requiring a specifically milled key blank to engage the lock's tumblers . Keys appear in various symbols and coats of arms, the best-known being that of the Holy See : derived from the phrase in Matthew 16:19 which promises Saint Peter , in Roman Catholic tradition the first pope , the Keys of Heaven . But this is by no means the only case. Some works of art associate keys with

1349-430: A process in which the original key is scanned electronically, processed by software, stored, then used to guide a cutting wheel when a key is produced. The capability to store electronic copies of the key's shape allows for key shapes to be stored for key cutting by any party that has access to the key image. Different key cutting machines are more or less automated, using different milling or grinding equipment, and follow

1420-404: A secure bond between cylinder and frame. To fire a revolver, generally the hammer is first manually cocked and latched into place. The trigger, when pulled, releases the hammer, which fires the round in the chamber. Various types of knives with folding or retractable blades rely on latches for their function. A switchblade uses an internal spring to produce the blade which is held in place by

1491-488: A set of levers to prevent the bolt from moving in the lock. In its simplest form, lifting the tumbler above a certain height will allow the bolt to slide past. Lever locks are commonly recessed inside wooden doors or on some older forms of padlocks, including fire brigade padlocks. A magnetic keyed lock is a locking mechanism whereby the key utilizes magnets as part of the locking and unlocking mechanism. A magnetic key would use from one to many small magnets oriented so that

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1562-409: A set of obstructions, or wards, to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. The key has notches or slots that correspond to the obstructions in the lock, allowing it to rotate freely inside the lock. Warded locks are typically reserved for low-security applications as a well-designed skeleton key can successfully open a wide variety of warded locks. The pin tumbler lock uses

1633-490: A set of pins to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. The key has a series of grooves on either side of the key's blade that limit the type of lock the key can slide into. As the key slides into the lock, the horizontal grooves on the blade align with the wards in the keyway allowing or denying entry to the cylinder . A series of pointed teeth and notches on the blade, called bittings , then allow pins to move up and down until they are in line with

1704-464: A single jamb may be "captured" on the door by U-shaped bails, or anchored by a bolt on its inboard end and pivoted up and down into open cleats, making it a form of latch . A "draw bolt" style closure adds a handle for sliding its bolt - the source of the term "bolting a door". A variant with a slot in the handle for dropping it over a hasp to secure it with a lock is known as an aldrop. Most modern draw bolts are made of metal, and may be used to secure

1775-475: A smaller flat key with serrated edges as well as pins of varying lengths within the lock itself, the same design of the pin-tumbler lock which still remains in use today. The modern Yale lock is essentially a more developed version of the Egyptian lock. Despite some improvement in key design since, the majority of locks today are still variants of the designs invented by Bramah, Chubb and Yale. A warded lock uses

1846-416: A strip), and 04 is the dash number for a staple with a length of 0.250 inch (6 mm), a leg thickness of 0.020 inch (500 μm), a leg width of 0.030 inch (800 μm), and a crown width of 0.500 inch (13 mm). Staples are most commonly used to bind a stack of individual paper pages. A mechanical or electrical stapler may apply them by passing them through the paper pages and then clinching

1917-415: Is a type of latch consisting of a base and a cam . The base is where the key or tool is used to rotate the cam, which is what does the latching. Cams can be straight or offset; offset cams are reversible. Commonly found on garage cabinets, file cabinets, tool chests, and other locations where privacy and security is needed. Electronic cam locks are an alternative to mechanical cam locks. The appearance of

1988-443: Is released by a physical object (such as a key, keycard , fingerprint , RFID card, security token or coin), by supplying secret information (such as a number or letter permutation or password ), by a combination thereof, or it may only be able to be opened from one side, such as a door chain. A key is a device that is used to operate a lock (to lock or unlock it). A typical key is a small piece of metal consisting of two parts:

2059-448: Is that in some cases the occupant may believe the latch is secure (e.g., by hearing a characteristic click) when in fact it is not. A parking pawl is a device that latches the transmission on automatic vehicles when put in 'park'. A spring latch (in this case an over-center-latch) is used to hold the walls of a springform pan in place. Lock (security device) A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that

2130-403: Is used for both fastening sheets of paper together with bent legs or fastening sheets of paper to something solid with straight legs; however, when differentiating between the two, the term "tacking" is used for straight-leg stapling, while the term "stapling" is used for bent-leg stapling. Modern staples for paper staplers are made from zinc-plated steel wires glued together and bent to form

2201-462: Is used in many situations to hold a door open, like on ships to prevent doors from swinging and banging against other woodwork as the ship moves due to wave action. This usage spread also to other domains, where a door was required to be held open or a self-closing device is used to close the door. Many buildings are built with fire-resistant doors to separate different parts of buildings and to allow people to be protected from fire and smoke. When using

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2272-419: The bit or blade , which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow , which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. In its simplest implementation, a key operates one lock or set of locks that are keyed alike, a lock/key system where each similarly keyed lock requires the same, unique key. The key serves as a security token for access to

2343-402: The shear line of the inner and outer cylinder, allowing the cylinder or cam to rotate freely and the lock to open. An additional pin called the master pin is present between the key and driver pins in locks that accept master keys, to allow the plug to rotate at multiple pin elevations. A wafer tumbler lock is similar to the pin tumbler lock and works on a similar principle. However, unlike

2414-544: The 19th century. They have recently come back into favour, particularly in traditional homes and country cottages. They were common from the 17th century to around 1825, and their lack of a back plate made them different from the later, and neighbouring Norfolk latch (introduced 1800–1820). Both the Suffolk latch and Norfolk latch are thought to have been named by architectural draughtsman William Twopenny (1797–1873). Many of these plates found their way into America and other parts of

2485-649: The FSK paper sheathing is overlapped, and the two layers are stapled together before sealing with tape. Staples are used in various types of packaging . Construction staples are commonly larger, have a more varied use, and are delivered by a staple gun or hammer tacker . Staple guns do not have backing anvils and are exclusively used for tacking (with the exception of outward-clinch staplers used for fastening duct insulation). They typically have staples made from thicker metal. Some staple guns use arched staples for fastening small cables, e.g. phone or cable TV, without damaging

2556-662: The Greek goddess of witchcraft known as Hecate . The Palestinian key is the Palestinian collective symbol of their homes lost in the Nakba , when more than half of the population of Mandatory Palestine was expelled or fled violence in 1948 and were subsequently refused the right to return . Since 2016, a Palestinian restaurant in Doha , Qatar , holds the Guinness World Record for

2627-493: The North and South poles would equate to a combination to push or pull the lock's internal tumblers thus releasing the lock. An electronic lock works by means of an electric current and is usually connected to an access control system. In addition to the pin and tumbler used in standard locks, electronic locks connect the bolt or cylinder to a motor within the door using a part called an actuator. Types of electronic locks include

2698-532: The UK, to a simple training certificate awarded by an employer, to a full diploma from an engineering college . Locksmiths may be commercial (working out of a storefront), mobile (working out of a vehicle), institutional, or investigational (forensic locksmiths). They may specialize in one aspect of the skill, such as an automotive lock specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Many also act as security consultants, but not all security consultants have

2769-435: The belt which constrains the occupant to the body of the car. Particularly in rear seats slightly different latches may be used for each seat in order to prevent adjacent seatbelts from being attached to the wrong point. Inertial seatbelt release is a potential circumstance where, in a collision, the seatbelt latch can unintentionally come loose leading to potential injury of the passenger. An additional risk of seatbelt latches

2840-419: The button is pressed. Generally the car door can be opened with either a valid code by radio transmission, or with a (non-electronic) pin tumbler key. The ignition switch may require a transponder car key to both open a pin tumbler lock and also transmit a valid code by radio transmission. A smart lock is an electromechanics lock that gets instructions to lock and unlock the door from an authorized device using

2911-407: The cable. Devices known as hammer tackers or staple hammers operate without complex mechanics as a simple head loaded with a strip of staples drives them directly; this method requires a measure of skill. Powered electric staplers or pneumatic staplers drive staples easily and accurately; they are the simplest manner of applying staples, but are hindered by a cord or hose. Cordless electric staplers use

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2982-411: The concomitant development of precision engineering and component standardization, locks and keys were manufactured with increasing complexity and sophistication. The lever tumbler lock , which uses a set of levers to prevent the bolt from moving in the lock, was invented by Robert Barron in 1778. His double acting lever lock required the lever to be lifted to a certain height by having a slot cut in

3053-464: The design of early 20th century key duplicators. Key duplication is available in many retail hardware stores and as a service of the specialized locksmith, though the correct key blank may not be available. More recently, online services for duplicating keys have become available. A keyhole (or keyway ) is a hole or aperture (as in a door or lock) for receiving a key. Lock keyway shapes vary widely with lock manufacturer, and many manufacturers have

3124-469: The door is closed. The locking mechanism typically prevents the bolt from being retracted by force. A slam latch uses a spring and is activated by the shutting or slamming of a door. Like all latches, a slam latch is a mechanism to hold a door closed. The slam latch derives its name from its ability to slam doors and drawers shut without damaging the latch. A slam latch is rugged and ideal for industrial, agricultural and construction applications. A cam lock

3195-497: The electronic cam lock is similar to the mechanical cam lock, but it is different in the lock cylinder. The keyhole of a mechanical cam lock is usually the same as an ordinary padlock. A physical key is used to unlock the lock. The physical key has a notch or slot corresponding to the obstacle in the cam lock, allowing it to rotate freely in the lock. Different from mechanical cam locks, electronic cam locks use an electronic key to unlock. The key needs to be programmed which contains

3266-450: The factory latch system) the hood may be held down by hood pins. The term Nader bolt is a nickname for the bolt on vehicles that allows a hinged door to remain safely latched and closed. It is named after consumer rights advocate and politician Ralph Nader , who in 1965 released the book Unsafe at Any Speed which claimed that American cars were fundamentally flawed with respect to operator safety. Latches in seatbelts typically fasten

3337-439: The fitting and replacement of keys remains an important part of locksmithing, modern locksmiths are primarily involved in the installation of high quality lock-sets and the design, implementation, and management of keying and key control systems. Locksmiths are frequently required to determine the level of risk to an individual or institution and then recommend and implement appropriate combinations of equipment and policies to create

3408-419: The following: A keycard lock operates with a flat card of similar dimensions as a credit card . In order to open the door, one needs to successfully match the signature within the keycard . The lock in a typical remote keyless system operates with a smart key radio transmitter. The lock typically accepts a particular valid code only once, and the smart key transmits a different rolling code every time

3479-540: The frame is hinged at the bottom front of the cylinder . The frame is in two parts, held together by a latch on the top rear of the cylinder. For a swing out cylinder, the cylinder is mounted on a pivot that is coaxial with the chambers, and the cylinder swings out and down. Some designs, such as the Ruger Super Redhawk or the Taurus Raging Bull , use a latches at the front and rear of the cylinder to provide

3550-450: The handles; by rotating 180 degrees the same latch can be used in either configuration. Butterfly knife latches have numerous variations, including magnetic variants and some which can be opened via a spring when the handles are squeezed together. Utility knives also often use a latch to hold a folding knife both open and closed. This allows it to be locked in orientation to the handle when in use, but also safely stowed otherwise. To open

3621-599: The keys as rings on their fingers. The practice had two benefits: It kept the key handy at all times, while signaling that the wearer was wealthy and important enough to have money and jewellery worth securing. A special type of lock, dating back to the 17th-18th century, although potentially older as similar locks date back to the 14th century, can be found in the Beguinage of the Belgian city Lier . These locks are most likely Gothic locks, that were decorated with foliage, often in

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3692-685: The legs hit the grooves in the anvil they are bent to hold the pages together. Many staplers have an anvil in the form of a "pinning" or "stapling" switch. This allows a choice between bending in or out. The outward bent staples are easier to remove and are for temporary fastening or "pinning". Most staplers are capable of stapling without the anvil to drive straight leg staples for tacking. There are various types of staples for paper, including heavy-duty staples, designed for use on documents 20, 50, or over 100 pages thick. There are also speedpoint staples, which have slightly sharper teeth so they can go through paper more easily. Staples are commonly considered

3763-695: The lever, so lifting the lever too far was as bad as not lifting the lever far enough. This type of lock is still used today. The lever tumbler lock was greatly improved by Jeremiah Chubb in 1818. A burglary in Portsmouth Dockyard prompted the British Government to announce a competition to produce a lock that could be opened only with its own key. Chubb developed the Chubb detector lock , which incorporated an integral security feature that could frustrate unauthorized access attempts and would indicate to

3834-457: The lock can be unlocked. The emergence of electronic cam locks aims to improve the safety and functionality of traditional mechanical cam locks. A Suffolk latch is a type of latch incorporating a simple thumb-actuated lever and commonly used to hold wooden gates and doors closed. The Suffolk latch originated in the English county of Suffolk in the 16th century and stayed in common use until

3905-441: The lock's owner if it had been interfered with. Chubb was awarded £100 after a trained lock-picker failed to break the lock after 3 months. In 1820, Jeremiah joined his brother Charles in starting their own lock company, Chubb . Chubb made various improvements to his lock: his 1824 improved design did not require a special regulator key to reset the lock; by 1847 his keys used six levers rather than four; and he later introduced

3976-460: The locked area; locks are meant to only allow persons having the correct key to open it and gain access. In more complex mechanical lock/key systems, two different keys, one of which is known as the master key, serve to open the lock. Common metals include brass , plated brass, nickel silver , and steel . The act of opening a lock without a key is called lock picking . Locks have been in use for over 6000 years, with one early example discovered in

4047-691: The masonry works of the Persian empire (ancient Iran). For the construction of the Pasargadae and later Ka'ba-ye Zartosht , these staples, which are known as "dovetail" or "swallowtail" staples, were used for tightening stones together. The home stapling machine was developed by Henry Heyl in 1877 and registered under US Patent No. 195,603. Heyl's companies, American Paper-Box Machine Company , Novelty Paper Box Company , and Standard Box Company , all of Philadelphia, manufactured machinery using staples in paper packaging and for saddle stitching. The term "stapling"

4118-436: The pin lock (where each pin consists of two or more pieces) each wafer is a single piece. The wafer tumbler lock is often incorrectly referred to as a disc tumbler lock, which uses an entirely different mechanism. The wafer lock is relatively inexpensive to produce and is often used in automobiles and cabinetry. The disc tumbler lock or Abloy lock is composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. The lever tumbler lock uses

4189-472: The ruins of Nineveh , the capital of ancient Assyria . Locks such as this were 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. When the key was removed, the pins fell part-way into the bolt, preventing movement. The warded lock

4260-596: The same purpose or applications. 24/6 staples are described by the German DIN 7405 standard. In the United States , the specifications for non-medical industrial staples are described in ASTM F1667-15, Standard Specification for Driven Fasteners: Nails, Spikes, and Staples. A heavy duty office staple might be designated as F1667 STFCC-04: ST indicates staple, FC indicates flat top crown, C indicates cohered (joined into

4331-702: The same purpose. Staples are often described as X/Y (e.g. 24/6 or 26/6), where the first number X is the gauge of the wire ( AWG ), and the second number Y is the length of the shank (leg) in millimeters. Some exceptions to this rule include staple sizes like No. 10. Common sizes for the home and office include: 26/6, 24/6, 24/8, 13/6, 13/8 and No. 10 for mini staplers. Common sizes for heavy duty staplers include: 23/8, 23/12, 23/15, 23/20, 23/24, 13/10, and 13/14. Stapleless staplers cut and bend paper without using metal fasteners. There are few standards for staple size, length and thickness. This has led to many different incompatible staples and staplers systems, all serving

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4402-448: The shape of the crown, which is like an inverted "V", and not flat as in ordinary staples. Also, the legs are sharpened with an inside bevel point, causing them to tend to go outwards when forced into the base material. These staples are used for upholstery work, especially in vehicles, where they are used for fastening fabric or leather to a foam base. These staples are also used when installing fiberglass insulation batts around air ducts-

4473-604: The skills and knowledge of a locksmith. Historically, locksmiths constructed or repaired an entire lock, including its constituent parts. The rise of cheap mass production has made this less common; the vast majority of locks are repaired through like-for-like replacements, high-security safes and strongboxes being the most common exception. Many locksmiths also work on any existing door hardware, including door closers, hinges, electric strikes, and frame repairs, or service electronic locks by making keys for transponder-equipped vehicles and implementing access control systems. Although

4544-409: The staple legs that protrude from the bottom of the page stack. When using a stapler, the papers to be fastened are placed between the main body and the anvil . The papers are pinched between the body and the anvil, then a drive blade pushes on the crown of the staple on the end of the staple strip. The staple breaks from the end of the strip and the legs of the staple are forced through the paper. As

4615-513: The thumbpiece is attached. A crossbar , sometimes called a bolt or draw bolt , is a historically common and simple means of barring a door. In its most primitive form it employs a plank or beam held by or placed onto open cleats on a door, which is shifted to be held fast by a corresponding cleat on an adjacent jamb. A crossbar for double doors employs the same principle, but, in most cases, must be manually set in place and removed due to its width being greater than both doors. A crossbar for

4686-478: The user, unlocking date, and time period. The electronic cam lock has no mechanical keyhole, only three metal contacts are retained. When unlocking, the three contacts on the head end of the electronic key are in contact with the three contacts on the electronic cam lock. At this time, the key will supply power to the electronic cam lock and read the ID number of the electronic cam lock for verification and match. If successful,

4757-412: The weapon. Firearms require specialized latches used during loading and firing of the weapon. A break-action firearm is one whose barrels are hinged and a latch is operated to release the two parts of the weapon to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of ammunition. It is then closed and re-latched prior to firing. A separate operation may be required for the cocking and latching-open of

4828-598: The window of his shop from 1790, challenging "...the artist who can make an instrument that will pick or open this lock" for the reward of £200. The challenge stood for over 67 years until, at the Great Exhibition of 1851, the American locksmith Alfred Charles Hobbs was able to open the lock and, following some argument about the circumstances under which he had opened it, was awarded the prize. Hobbs' attempt required some 51 hours, spread over 16 days. The earliest patent for

4899-439: The world's largest key – 2.7 tonnes and 7.8 × 3 meters. Staple (fastener) A staple is a type of two-pronged fastener , usually metal , used for joining, gathering, or binding materials together. Large staples might be used with a hammer or staple gun for masonry , roofing , corrugated boxes and other heavy-duty uses. Smaller staples are used with a stapler to attach pieces of paper together; such staples are

4970-462: The world. A Norfolk latch is a type of latch incorporating a simple thumb-actuated lever and commonly used to hold wooden gates and doors closed. In a Norfolk latch, the handle is fitted to a backplate independently of the thumb piece. Introduced around 1800–1820, Norfolk latches, originating in the English county of the same name, differ from the older Suffolk latch, which lacked a back plate to which

5041-549: Was also present from antiquity and remains the most recognizable lock and key design in the Western world. The first all-metal locks appeared between the years 870 and 900, and are attributed to English craftsmen. It is also said that the key was invented by Theodorus of Samos in the 6th century BC. 'The Romans invented metal locks and keys and the system of security provided by wards.' Affluent Romans often kept their valuables in secure locked boxes within their households, and wore

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