作者：(美国)罗杰·易

Roger Yee， an architecture graduate of Yale School of Architecture， has received honors for his work in the field from such organizations as the American Institute of Architects， the American Society of Interior Designers and the Association of Business Publishers。 Former editor-in-chief of Corporate Design 8， Realty， Contract， and Unique Homes， he is now a contributing editor to such publications as Engineering News Record， Oculus， and Woman's Day Kitchens & Baths， as well as being the author and editor of Corporate Inter/ors， Educational Environments， Healthcare 5paces， 5ports & Recreational Facilities and Hotel & Restaurant Design。

His other activities in the field have included being marketing advisor to Cushman & Wakefield， a national real estate firm， serving as draftsman and designer to architecture firms， most notably Philip Johnson & John Burgee， and tecturing on design at institutions of higher education， including Dartmouth Collego and Columbia University。 He is a consultant on editorial public relations and marketing issues to numerous orgamzations in the design community。

弹子锁的历史可追溯至约公元前2000年的古埃及。当时的人把木制的柱装在门上，以一水平放置的门闩颔在柱 的上方。门闩上有一系列的凹凸位，装有锁簧。使用特定的钥匙把锁簧向上推，便可以打开门闩。

1848年，老奈纳斯·耶鲁（Linus Yale, Sr.）发明了圆柱状弹子锁，并成功申请专利。他的儿子小奈纳斯·耶鲁（Linus Yale, Jr）将之加以改良，在1861年得到新的专利。小奈纳斯·耶鲁发明的结构与今日的弹子锁非常接近。旧式高防盗的锁需要配合重达两磅的钥匙，但凭这一连串发明，高防度锁的钥匙已缩减至几十克重，奠定现代机械式保安的基础。

往后，虽然弹子锁多次被锁匠挑战开启，但弹子锁的原理仍深受重视，美国、北欧、以色列均有公司不断研发新款弹子锁，阻止锁匠把它打开。现代大型锁具公司，亦只是凭创办人发明出一款新式弹子锁的原理，而足以建立跨越全球的业务，反映弹子锁的潜在市场规模。