Time lock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A time lock is a locking mechanism commonly found in bank vaults and other high-security containers. The time lock is an auxiliary locking mechanism designed to prevent the opening of the safe or vault until the time lock unlocks the safe at a preset time and day, even if the correct combination(s) are known. Modern time locks utilize at least two independent clock mechanisms as a fail-safe system to guarantee the unlocking of the safe or vault in case one of the timers (called movements) fails. Time locks can typically be programmed from 4 to 144 hours.

Time locks were originally created to prevent criminals from kidnapping and torturing the person(s) who knows the combination, and then using the extracted information to later burglarize the safe or vault.

Time locks are not to be confused with time-delay combination locks, which will open at any time with the correct combination, but will not actually unlock until a set delay period elapses, usually less than one hour.