Puzzle lock
Lock with unusual or hidden mechanics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A puzzle lock or puzzle padlock is a type of mechanical puzzle. It consists of a lock with unusual or hidden mechanics. Puzzle locks are reconfigurable mechanisms where the topological structure changes during the operation.[1] Such locks are sometimes called trick locks, because there is a trick to opening them which needs to be found. Puzzle locks exist both with keys and without keys.
China
Europe
In Europe, many small puzzle padlocks had front plate with a face or mask. The padlocks were designed to secure small bags or pouches and could be found across Europe with the most around the Danubian provinces and Aquileia.[2] They were often shaped like rings and may have been fitted around the mouth of a bag as a sort of tamper-proof seal.[3] The earliest Roman puzzle locks date back to the 2nd century BCE. [4]
In the 1850s in the UK, "puzzle lock" was synonymous with "letter lock" and used to denote a lettered combination lock.[5]