Patent for a Self-Locking Swinging-Shackle Padlock

On 26 May 1885, Wilson Bohannan received U.S. Patent No. 318,537 for an improvement in padlocks. The design used a swinging shackle and a spring-operated locking mechanism that allowed the lock to secure itself when the shackle was pressed into the case. A key was therefore needed to unlock the padlock, but not to lock it. The arrangement was designed to make securing the lock straightforward while retaining a positive mechanical engagement between the shackle and locking components. This type of self-locking operation was well suited to working environments where locks needed to be opened and secured repeatedly, including railroad and other industrial applications served by our commercial padlock range.