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A time lock (also timelock) is a part of a locking mechanism commonly found in
Bank Vault Time Lock Collection
- Mark Frank
TMI Guide to Timelock Movements
Locksmithing {{Technology-stub
A time lock (also timelock) is a part of a locking mechanism commonly found in bank vault
A bank vault is a secure space where money, valuables, records, and documents are stored. It is intended to protect their contents from theft, unauthorized use, fire, natural disasters, and other threats, much like a safe. Unlike safes, vaults a ...
s and other high-security containers. The time lock is a timer
A timer is a specialized type of clock used for measuring specific time intervals.
Timers can be categorized into two main types.
The word "timer" is usually reserved for devices that counts down from a specified time interval, while devices th ...
designed to prevent the opening of the safe or vault until it reaches the preset time, even if the correct lock combination(s) are known.
Time locks are mounted on the inside of a safe's or vault's door. Usually there are three time locks on a door. The first one to reach 0 will allow access in to the vault; the other two are for backup purposes.
Time locks were originally created to prevent criminals from kidnapping and torturing the person(s) who knows the combination, and then using the extracted information to later burgle the safe or vault, or to stop entry by authorized staff at unauthorized times.
An early test of their effectiveness came on May 29, 1875 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...
, when a gang of robbers took the family of banker Frederick N. Deland hostage, demanding that he open the vault of the Grand Mahawie Bank. They were thwarted by a time lock which had been installed only a few days earlier, and left without harming the captives.
Modern electronic time locks have some functions not available to mechanical time locks, like resettable timers and pre-set times to activate.
Further reading
* Erroll, John; Erroll, David. ''American Genius: Nineteenth Century Bank Locks and Time Locks.'' Quantuck Lane, 2006, .References
External links
* - A semi-technical guide to bank vaults built in the early 1900sBank Vault Time Lock Collection
- Mark Frank
TMI Guide to Timelock Movements
Locksmithing {{Technology-stub