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Home > Products: NL Lock > History
History
It was the early 1970s that Nick Gartner – inventor, consultant, and founder of La Gard Inc. and Lock Technology BV–started making changes, many revolutionary, within the security industry. From his work in the Apollo space program, Gartner learned the latest in manufacturing and production technologies, and began to transfer that knowledge to various industries, but specifically the security industry. Transferring technology, along with the power of good simple designs, Gartner was able to make some revolutionary changes to products that had not been changed in many years.
Gartner’s interest in the security industry started when he met Harry Miller in California in the beginning of the 1970s. Mr. Miller was the owner of Sargent & Greenleaf and also considered the world’s expert in combination locks and lock manipulation techniques. Miller made a bet with Gartner one evening at dinner that Gartner could not come up with a lock that Miller couldn’t beat. Two months later, the first electronic safe lock was born.
In 1974, Gartner received his first of many lock patents on an LED key, which was the forerunner of La Gard’s newest product, Lock Navigator, and Lock Technology’s Lock Pilot (which will be discussed in subsequent issues). That patent drawing is shown in Figure 1. LEDs were used as the small LCD display was not yet widely, or inexpensively, available. The key was plugged into a housing. The switch (number 38 on the drawing) was moved up or down and when the desired LED number was present, the switch was pushed in. While this technology is readily available today, it was revolutionary in the 1970s. Harry Miller was so impressed with Gartner’s design that S&G made a license agreement for the lock and a consulting contract with Gartner for other electronic safe locks and access controls.
During his association with S&G, Miller asked Gartner to come up with a new manipulation-proof (MP) mechanical combination lock because of the problems with S&G’s existing one. This product, shown in the patent drawing in Figure 2, is still an S&G standard and Gartner was awarded the patent in 1976. In this same time period, another product was developed that revolutionized the safe deposit industry. This lock was the double key changeable safe deposit lock, as shown in Figure 3. Also developed by Gartner, that patent issued in 1978, and variations of that lock are still used through North America today.
Nick founded La Gard Inc. in Torrance, California in 1975 along with a small group of talented individuals with expertise in specialties such as: aerospace, tool and model making, new product development, high-security mechanical engineering and manufacturing. Although La Gard is now known for safe lock access controls, one of its first products actually changed key cutting in the locksmith industry forever--the 1200 Code Machine. The 1200 was a machine that cut keys by code cards. As shown in Figure 4, Gartner’s patent issued in 1978. As La Gard’s focus became safe locks and the emerging ATM industry, the 1200 was sold to HPC, one of the world’s largest locksmith supply manufacturer. The 1200 Code Machine remains the most popular machine in the history of code machines; so popular in fact that within the last few years, ILCO has made an almost identical copy of the machine.
The first change to safe locks came in the wheel design of the mechanical combination lock. This wheel design is revolutionary because of the simplicity of design and reduction of parts. It contains only three pieces, the inner wheel, outer wheel and the snap ring. Although the patent issued in 1979 (see Figure 5), the wheel is still used in La Gard’s mechanical combination locks.
Since 1975, there has been an explosion of new products further changing the history of safe locks. Gartner’s designs have produced cost-effective, simple-to-use electronic locks, changes to mechanical combination locks, safe access controls, and even handles. Even though La Gard was sold to Masco Corporation in February 1997, Gartner continued to design and improve locks and inputs for another seven years, acquiring more patents on products such as the ComboGard and LG Basic.
Not content to think about retirement, Gartner recently started Lock Technology BV. Nick Gartner is planning to change the safe lock industry one more time through the power of design and quality engineering and manufacturing techniques. So, get ready-it’s a whole new world.
Gartner’s interest in the security industry started when he met Harry Miller in California in the beginning of the 1970s. Mr. Miller was the owner of Sargent & Greenleaf and also considered the world’s expert in combination locks and lock manipulation techniques. Miller made a bet with Gartner one evening at dinner that Gartner could not come up with a lock that Miller couldn’t beat. Two months later, the first electronic safe lock was born.
In 1974, Gartner received his first of many lock patents on an LED key, which was the forerunner of La Gard’s newest product, Lock Navigator, and Lock Technology’s Lock Pilot (which will be discussed in subsequent issues). That patent drawing is shown in Figure 1. LEDs were used as the small LCD display was not yet widely, or inexpensively, available. The key was plugged into a housing. The switch (number 38 on the drawing) was moved up or down and when the desired LED number was present, the switch was pushed in. While this technology is readily available today, it was revolutionary in the 1970s. Harry Miller was so impressed with Gartner’s design that S&G made a license agreement for the lock and a consulting contract with Gartner for other electronic safe locks and access controls.
During his association with S&G, Miller asked Gartner to come up with a new manipulation-proof (MP) mechanical combination lock because of the problems with S&G’s existing one. This product, shown in the patent drawing in Figure 2, is still an S&G standard and Gartner was awarded the patent in 1976. In this same time period, another product was developed that revolutionized the safe deposit industry. This lock was the double key changeable safe deposit lock, as shown in Figure 3. Also developed by Gartner, that patent issued in 1978, and variations of that lock are still used through North America today.
Nick founded La Gard Inc. in Torrance, California in 1975 along with a small group of talented individuals with expertise in specialties such as: aerospace, tool and model making, new product development, high-security mechanical engineering and manufacturing. Although La Gard is now known for safe lock access controls, one of its first products actually changed key cutting in the locksmith industry forever--the 1200 Code Machine. The 1200 was a machine that cut keys by code cards. As shown in Figure 4, Gartner’s patent issued in 1978. As La Gard’s focus became safe locks and the emerging ATM industry, the 1200 was sold to HPC, one of the world’s largest locksmith supply manufacturer. The 1200 Code Machine remains the most popular machine in the history of code machines; so popular in fact that within the last few years, ILCO has made an almost identical copy of the machine.
The first change to safe locks came in the wheel design of the mechanical combination lock. This wheel design is revolutionary because of the simplicity of design and reduction of parts. It contains only three pieces, the inner wheel, outer wheel and the snap ring. Although the patent issued in 1979 (see Figure 5), the wheel is still used in La Gard’s mechanical combination locks.
Since 1975, there has been an explosion of new products further changing the history of safe locks. Gartner’s designs have produced cost-effective, simple-to-use electronic locks, changes to mechanical combination locks, safe access controls, and even handles. Even though La Gard was sold to Masco Corporation in February 1997, Gartner continued to design and improve locks and inputs for another seven years, acquiring more patents on products such as the ComboGard and LG Basic.
Not content to think about retirement, Gartner recently started Lock Technology BV. Nick Gartner is planning to change the safe lock industry one more time through the power of design and quality engineering and manufacturing techniques. So, get ready-it’s a whole new world.
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