Question

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

Patent 'SAFLOK'



Mr Jim Williamson, proper name James P Williamson,, was a tool maker in the Lithgow factory during WW11 and a number of years later he was promoted to Technical Officer. Jim was given the Peerless handcuff project, his task was to modify and improve the product which eventually resulted in the development of the SAFLOK handcuff.


The patent was filed on the 19th October 1965, with the number 3,392,554 under the name J.P.Williamson the patent was granted on the 16th July 1968.

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

JOOI (just out of interest)

SAF (Small Arms Factory) pronounced SAF as in Saffron

Not and never SAFE-LOCK

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

Hello,

...is on Google Patents at http://www.google.com/patents?id=8DV0AA ... CDQQ6AEwAA

Cheers,

Jack

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

Thank you for posting the link Jack, They sure are different inside, I can almost see why they cost $300+!. One minor improvement I can see would be the fitting of another roll pin to secure the swivel into the lock case, this would align the swivel better in the event of the cuffs being pulled apart i think.

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

They look like they could be shimmed somewhat easily. I haven't ever seen or held any so i could be wrong but this is what i assume from the drawing.

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

I have these drawings, they are in a book I bought years ago called Tactical Handcuffing. I don't much care about tactical handcuffing but it has a whole section on patent drawings that I do care about. I have a pair of these that I paid about $250 for many years ago and there are a couple of interesting things about them that isn't obvious from the drawings. First is the rotating barrel of the lock. Once the cuffs are unlocked then closed on somebody the barrel is turned by your fingers 90 Degrees. This sets the double lock and prevents shimming. The barrel locks there and cannot be turned anymore. To unlock the cuff the key is inserted and the barrel is turned 90 degrees further in the same direction to release the double lock and open the cuff. Then the barrel is turned another 90 degrees further to return the cuff to single lock mode to be ready to be used again. Double locking is almost required on these cuffs. Also, on my pair the lockcase is manufactured from one piece of metal, not built up from multiple layers of plates, very strong. I haven't played with mine for a long while but I believe this is accurate.

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

Hello,
yes, it is easy to shim the SAF-LOK when it is only singlelocked. But if doublelocked, shimming is impossible. The description of function is nearly correct: after unlocking and removing key, the cuff is open and will not snap shut. If you turn the cylinder 90 degrees counterclockwise by your fingers without key, cuff is set to singlelock mode. It is best to set cuffs to this mode before using them, they are ready to be applied like singlelocked S&W or other handcuffs. When cuffs are applied, doublellock can be set by turning cylinder by another 90 degrees counterclockwise. You need no key to set doublelock. Now cuff is doublelocked and cylinder cannot be turned without key anymore. To unlock, insert key and turn it 180 degrees counterclockwise, cuff will be totally open again.

It is very difficult to pick a SAF-LOK counterclockwise to open it because cylinder profile makes it nearly impossible to insert a tension tool in that direction. You must keep cylinder profile free because there are not only 3 normal pins but also an additional pin on the opposite side. But it is much easier to insert a tension tool at the side of cylinder and make a clockwise tension. So you can pick cylinder back to singlelock position, bit no more. Now it is possible to shim handcuffs. You see, SAF-LOK is really a high security handcuff, you need real picking tools and much more skill to open them, next you can try this "onhand" with cuff on your own wrists... Athttp://www.andys-handschellensammlung.d ... mk4_en.htm you can see on the last picture how SAF-LOK can be picked. Sorry, text is still in gernam, perhaps babelfish will help...

With a special designed tension tool (a ring witha handle and a pin inside that fits over cylinder) it is possible to pick it counterclockwise to open cuff directly without shimming, but you have to make this special tension tool just for this cuff.

A very nice and secure cuff, you see the reason for its high price.

Best regards

Where do i find the patent for saf lok handcuffs?

Thank you Noah and Andy for those insights on picking SAF-LOK cuffs, I very nearly understand some of it!. It would seem I have found a worthy example of an innovative cuff from my modest collection. My first pair of these were a MK 1 version and still my favourites. As i said before, shame they enlarged the shackle size on the MK V or I might have a pair of those in my collection also. If Mr Goncz comes up with something half as good it might just be worth the hype/bickering we have witnessed.