Sargent and Greenleaf
Encyclopedia
Sargent and Greenleaf, more commonly known among locksmithing circles as S&G, is a U.S. company that manufactures combination lock
s, key-operated safe and safe deposit box
locks, high security military padlocks, and associated equipment.
The company was established in 1865 when James Sargent and Halbert Greenleaf became partners. A manufacturing facility was built in Rochester, New York, and the company remained in that city until 1975. Since then, the company has been in Nicholasville, Kentucky
.
S&G locks are used throughout the US railroad industry on high security applications such as for locking locomotive cabs and important main line switches. These high security locks are sold around the world through associated distributor
s.
In 1873 Sargent created the first time lock
, using parts from eight-day clocks.
In 1880 Sargent connected one of his combination locks to a delay timer, creating the first time-delay combination locks
.
Combination lock
A combination lock is a type of lock in which a sequence of numbers or symbols is used to open the lock. The sequence may be entered using a single rotating dial which interacts with several discs or cams, by using a set of several rotating discs with inscribed numerals which directly interact with...
s, key-operated safe and safe deposit box
Safe deposit box
A safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...
locks, high security military padlocks, and associated equipment.
The company was established in 1865 when James Sargent and Halbert Greenleaf became partners. A manufacturing facility was built in Rochester, New York, and the company remained in that city until 1975. Since then, the company has been in Nicholasville, Kentucky
Nicholasville, Kentucky
Nicholasville is the 11th largest city in state of Kentucky and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,680 at the 2000 census...
.
S&G locks are used throughout the US railroad industry on high security applications such as for locking locomotive cabs and important main line switches. These high security locks are sold around the world through associated distributor
Distributor
A distributor is a device in the ignition system of an internal combustion engine that routes high voltage from the ignition coil to the spark plugs in the correct firing order. The first reliable battery operated ignition was developed by Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. and introduced in the...
s.
Notable innovations
In 1857 Sargent had designed the Sargent's Magnetic Bank Lock, said to be the first successful key changeable combination lock.In 1873 Sargent created the first time lock
Time lock
A time lock is a part of a locking mechanism commonly found in bank vaults and other high-security containers. The timelock is a timer designed to prevent the opening of the safe or vault until it reaches 0, even if the correct combination are known...
, using parts from eight-day clocks.
In 1880 Sargent connected one of his combination locks to a delay timer, creating the first time-delay combination locks
Time-delay combination locks
A time-delay combination lock is most commonly a digital electronic combination lock equipped with a delay timer that delays the unlocking of the lock by a user definable delay period, usually less than one hour...
.