Linus Yale Jr.

Yale, Linus, Jr. (1821–68), U.S. inventor and manufacturer of locks. He developed the Yale Infallible Bank Lock (1851) and other bank locks, the combination lock (1861), and the key-operated cylinder pin-tumbler lock (patents 1861 and 1865), developed from a design used in ancient Egypt and now commonly used on doors of residences. Yale and partners Henry Towne and Henry Robinson Towne founded the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company in 1868.