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working edge of the bit is not flat or gently-rounded to match the circular path described by the key as it is turned). One cut in the key was also angled relative to the shaft. These various features are tested by the eleven wafers. Since the lock could be fitted to anything from a small strong-box to a huge bank vault, the keys were made in corresponding lengths, including foldable keys with sufficient length to pass through a thick vault door.
144:
inserted and turned, the wafers are pushed to a position where they span the central core precisely, projecting from neither side, and at this point, the core is free to rotate in its housing. The wafers vary in design. Some are in one piece, others in two, such that the two halves must both be aligned. The lock was not only hard to pick; it was also difficult to tell what shape the key should have by mere inspection inside the key-hole.
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85:, in a process that could take an extremely long time. If the series was not properly completed in the lock, and the combination not completely correct, the lock could not be defeated. This design was accepted as quite unbreakable until Hobbs was able to pick them, using very fine and careful manual dexterity, applying a certain level of pressure on the
136:'s lock. Kromer's lock was designed for mass production and was highly successful, rapidly outselling Bramah's. It was produced for more than 125 years with many further patented developments, and is regarded as one of the most secure locks ever made, remaining without a public demonstration of picking until October 2022.
143:
in 1839. He founded the Kromer company together with his brother Carl in 1868. In design, his lock was a tumbler- or wafer-lock containing eleven wafers stacked in a central cylindrical core, slotted on each side such that the wafers project one side or the other when locked. When the correct key is
107:
and which slightly preceded the
Protector lock. The American lock was complicated to use and expensive to purchase, with the added disadvantage of requiring a very large key, but it did not differ greatly from the Protector lock as far as security was concerned. The Protector lock was described as
147:
The keys for the Kromer protector lock were designed to be extraordinarily difficult to copy. They are asymmetric, double-bitted keys, but unlike a typical key, some parts of the bit are bevelled such that the bit is longer or shorter on the leading edge than the trailing edge (i.e. the outer,
108:
much simpler to use. The one advantage of the
American lock over the Protector lock was its potential for greater security, if certain internal parts of the lock and key were arranged in a particular way.
92:
In an attempt to create a better locking system, Hobbs patented the
Protector lock, which, complex in design as it was, involved a transfer in pressure between the lock's internal bolt and
96:
mechanisms to a fixed pin. Hobbs claimed that his design was impossible to defeat and superior to the locks that were then in use, but, in 1854, one of
124:
The protector lock of
Theodor Kromer was a high-security lock first patented in Prussia in 1874. Earlier competing designs included the American
427:
120:
A key from an early example of a Kromer protector lock; these keys were made in all shapes and sizes but the bit is similar in all cases
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44:, where Hobbs, designer of the Protector lock, became the first person to pick the supposedly "unpickable" Chubb detector lock.
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The
Protector lock was distinct from Hobbs's other major lock design of the time, which he called the
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Before Hobbs and his revolutionary lock designs, locks were opened by means of a series of false
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while manipulating each lever in turn with a tiny pick inserted through the keyhole.
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in 1851. That lock was created with the intent of being a lock that could not be
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Kromer
Protector (Patent-Post-Kassetten-Eingerichte) Picked and Gutted
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100:'s locksmiths was able to crack it with the help of special tools.
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224:"Kromer Protector Patents (list, in German)"
382:The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing
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311:
428:
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406:
350:"KROMER Protector 2070 für Leicher Tresor"
380:Roper, C.A. & Phillips, Bill (2001).
128:'s protector lock (described above), the
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28:, the other in 1874 by Theodor Kromer.
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24:designs, one invented in the 1850s by
48:The Protector lock (also called the "
7:
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401:(1858). Robertson, Brooman, and Co.
288:"This history of Kromer since 1868"
14:
320:"The Unpickable Kromer Protector"
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63:, the first man to pick the six-
330:from the original on 2021-12-21
56:design by the leading American
1017:Glossary of locksmithing terms
139:Kromer was a mechanic born in
111:
31:
20:has referred to two unrelated
1:
951:Perimeter intrusion detection
930:Miniature snap-action switch
677:Time-delay combination locks
1032:John M. Mossman Lock Museum
1022:Electromagnetic door holder
1148:
384:. McGraw-Hill Publishing.
1065:
890:Closed-circuit television
509:
72:Crystal Palace Exhibition
42:Crystal Palace Exhibition
774:Kensington Security Slot
687:Tubular pin tumbler lock
1132:Locks (security device)
991:Vandal-resistant switch
945:Passive infrared sensor
875:Alarm monitoring center
672:Rotary combination lock
521:Components and hardware
399:The Mechanics' Magazine
203:www.historicallocks.com
177:The Mechanics' Magazine
112:Kromer's protector lock
1047:Lock Museum of America
563:Bored cylindrical lock
121:
52:") was an early 1850s
45:
32:Hobbs's protector lock
1075:Category:Locksmithing
986:Ultrasonic transducer
132:, and the Englishman
119:
39:
956:Photoelectric sensor
910:Glass break detector
809:Real-estate lock box
708:Electromagnetic lock
580:Single-point locking
533:Interchangeable core
456:Fundamental concepts
354:www.tresorberater.de
126:Alfred Charles Hobbs
61:Alfred Charles Hobbs
1052:Musée de la Serrure
905:Fingerprint scanner
814:Steering-wheel lock
749:Chubb detector lock
657:Magnetic keyed lock
585:Three-point locking
318:Fagerlund, Jaakko.
130:Chubb detector lock
68:Chubb detector lock
692:Wafer tumbler lock
652:Lever tumbler lock
199:"Historical locks"
122:
46:
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1027:Exit control lock
754:Child safety lock
647:Disc tumbler lock
498:Physical security
188:Phillips, B. p.10
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940:Occupancy sensor
799:Power door locks
732:Other lock types
701:Electronic locks
667:Combination lock
642:Pin tumbler lock
630:Mechanical locks
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1001:Window security
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935:Motion detector
862:Security alarms
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718:Electric strike
713:Electronic lock
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478:Key duplication
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449:security alarms
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356:. 26 July 2018
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295:www.kromer.com
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228:wiki.koksa.org
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18:protector lock
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1010:Miscellaneous
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488:Master keying
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483:Key relevance
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134:Joseph Bramah
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105:American lock
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50:moveable lock
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961:Piezo switch
870:Alarm device
837:Lock bumping
829:Lock picking
803:
789:Luggage lock
739:Bicycle lock
723:Keycard lock
616:Skeleton key
568:Mortise lock
548:Key retainer
445:lock picking
441:locksmithing
398:
381:
372:
371:
360:28 September
358:. Retrieved
353:
344:
334:28 September
332:. Retrieved
323:
300:30 September
298:. Retrieved
294:
282:
272:, retrieved
267:
261:
253:lockwiki.com
252:
243:
233:28 September
231:. Retrieved
227:
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208:30 September
206:. Retrieved
202:
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176:
160:
146:
138:
123:
102:
91:
80:
49:
47:
26:Alfred Hobbs
17:
15:
1057:Puzzle lock
1042:Lock Museum
976:Reed switch
885:Card reader
794:Night latch
744:Bramah lock
637:Warded lock
473:Key control
920:Key switch
769:Door chain
601:Berlin key
274:2022-10-15
152:References
900:Dual loop
880:Car alarm
842:Locksport
764:Dead bolt
759:Crash bar
682:Time lock
621:Smart key
538:Key blank
70:, at the
58:locksmith
16:The term
1126:Category
981:Tripwire
852:Snap gun
847:Slim Jim
819:The Club
779:Knox Box
611:Keychain
573:Rim lock
543:Key code
503:Rekeying
493:Password
328:Archived
249:"Kromer"
141:Neustadt
662:Padlock
606:Car key
558:Lockset
553:Lockrod
528:Bitting
373:Sources
324:YouTube
94:tumbler
65:levered
925:Keypad
447:, and
388:
76:picked
1098:Locks
947:(PIR)
784:Latch
437:Locks
291:(PDF)
179:p.269
98:Chubb
1110:Book
1086:Keys
594:Keys
386:ISBN
362:2021
336:2021
302:2021
235:2021
210:2021
87:bolt
83:keys
54:lock
40:The
22:lock
1128::
443:,
439:,
352:.
326:.
322:.
310:^
293:.
251:.
226:.
201:.
169:^
78:.
429:e
422:t
415:v
394:.
364:.
338:.
304:.
255:.
237:.
212:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
