EP0444384A1

EP0444384A1 - Camouflage plate for built-in safes

Info

Publication number: EP0444384A1
Application number: EP90830111A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vieri Ridolfi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-03-02
Filing date: 1990-03-19
Publication date: 1991-09-04
Also published as: IT9017917A0; IT9017917A1; IT1244248B

Abstract

This invention concerns an electric plate (1) without contacts, fitted over the opening of a small home safe (B) in order to cover the same; this plate (1) is fitted with two special latches (6) which secure it to the sides of this opening.

Description

This design patent application concerns a plate for concealing built-in safes.
For many years now small built-in wall safes with a narrow front opening into which only a hand can fit for access to the internal sliding removable drawers, have been sold very successfully since they are both practical and economical. These safes are considered very secure since they not only have a fairly strong armour-plated front wall but the fact that they are built into the wall make them difficult to remove completely.
The armour-plated lock of these small home safes is very often concealed: standard electric plates - for sockets or switches - are fitted to the wall over the front of the first safe drawer fitted with the lock so as to conceal the same completely.
Obviously for access to a safe concealed in this way, the electric plate must be removed before storing or removing anything from the safe.
In this regard it should be mentioned that using these plates to conceal the safe has proved to be a good way to confuse potential burglars with the only drawback that the construction method currently used for producing and fitting these plates has not been fully convincing.
To date the most commonly used plates of this type are fitted with operating electrical connections so that not only do these plates conceal the safe but they also operate as normal electric switches or sockets.
Producing a safe of this type is not only complex and difficult but the methods used for fixing plates of this kind has also been rather uncertain.
These standard covering plates are screwed on the front wall of the first safe drawer - namely the drawer behind the opening of the safe, to which the covering plate is secured.
In particular this plate is coplanar to the front wall of the drawer, even if it is slightly staggered, so that it is flush to the wall when the drawer is pushed in, giving the misleading impression that it is screwed to a box fixed to the wall.
In addition it should be noted that the removable drawer has a lock on the front which can be locked to the body of the safe to prevent it from being removed; obviously this lock is behind the covering plate.
This means that for access to unlock the safe, one of the front elements of the covering plate - for example the switch lever or the socket body - must slide away behind the plate so as to leave an opening through which to fit the key into the lock behind.
Consequently, this solution is not only rather complicated, but the fact that the covering plate is secured to the first drawer of the safe is questionable to say the least.
Even if the security of the safe depends on the lock behind the covering plate, this should be fairly strong so as to create further difficulty for potential burglars; in addition it seems preferable to have a separate and reliable fixture between the plate and the wall rather than on the removable drawer.
On the basis of the above considerations, the device according the invention aims at simplifying the overall structure of this type of safe - eliminating the electrical connections - and also to separate the covering plate from the first safe drawer, whilst ensuring a strong and reliable separate fixing to the wall.
For major clarity the description according to the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings which are intended for illustrative purposes and not in a limiting sense, whereby:

figure 1 is an axonometric back view of the covering plate according to the invention;
figure 2 is an axonometric front view of the device according to the invention complete with key and illustrated in front of the safe opening on to which the same is fixed.

With reference to the enclosed drawings the device according to the invention consists of an electric plate (1) at the center of which a power supply three hole socket (2) inside the through housing, without electrical connections, is fitted.
As mentioned, even though the purpose of this plate (1) is to conceal the lock hole and the lock of the first drawer of a home safe, it has no connection with the latter. It is in fact screwed on to a bearing bracket (3) fitted into the back wall and occupying almost the full horizontal extension.
At the opposite longitudinal ends, this bracket (3) has two threaded holes (3a) which are perfectly aligned to those of the through holes (1a) normally found on the sides of these electrical plates for fixing the boxes to the wall;
in this case, the screws (4) fitted into the through holes (1a) of the plate (1) must fit into these holes (3a) of the bracket (3) to secure the plate (1) to the bracket (3).
It should also be noted that the body of the power supply socket (2) projects on the back of the plate (1) which encloses it; this conditions the length of the above supporting bracket (3) which has two flat coplanar sections towards its longitudinal ends terminating directly against the back wall of the plate (1) with a small raised section in an intermediate position with respect to the same which matches the projecting part of the socket body (2).
Two identical tabs (5) project from the front of the bracket (2); the same are fitted parallel and edgewise and are of the same length as the bracket (3); each tab (5) has two identical holes (5a) aligned vertically and positioned so that the holes of tabs (5) are perfectly aligned in pairs horizontally.
The two pairs of horizontally aligned holes are used as housings for two identical latches (6) each consisting of a metal circular cross-section bar along which a truncated cone disk (6a) is fixed and against which a precompressed spring (6b) presses; this spring (b) is fitted along the bar (6) between the disk (6a) and one of the supporting bars (5) on which a stop ring (6c) is fitted externally, the same being hooked at the end of the bar (6) in order to prevent the support tab (5) from sliding off.
Particular mention is made of the fact that the two latches (6) are fitted parallel and symmetrically, in that the sections (6d) which project from the tabs (5) face in opposite directions, one projecting to the left of the pair of tabs (5) and the other to their right.
In this way the above truncated cone disks (6a) are placed side by side facing their respective tapered sections which overlap for a very short section of circumference; the axis of the center hole of the imitation electrical socket (2) passes the center of this overlapped section.
In rest position, the two latches (6) are hooked with their end opposite sections (6d) in two special and conforming holes (A) on the side walls of opening (B) of a home safe (C); a pin key (7) is used to remove the plate (1) from the safe opening (C); this pin key (7) is inserted into the center hole of the imitation socket (2) so that its truncated cone tip (7a) wedges between the two disks (6a) placed side by side, thereby opening them.
When these two disks (6b) are opened, the two latches (6) move back in opposite directions and the ends of the latches (6b) slide from the holes (A), thereby releasing the plate (1) from the opening (B) of the home safe (C).
In addition the truncated cone tip (7a) of the pin (7) remains firmly fixed between the pair of disks (6a) which are pushed against the same, from opposite sides, by the respective back fitted springs (6b); it is obvious that the pin (7) can be used as a sleeve to remove and then replace the plate in question (1) from the opening (B) of the safe (C).
It should be mentioned that the above supporting bracket (3) may be made, while complying in full with the invention, in different shapes and sizes as required according to the different types of electric plates used.

Claims

A covering plate for built-in safes characterized in that the same consists of a standard electric plate (1) with a three hole power supply socket (2) at the center, without electrical connections and at the back of which a bearing bracket (3) occupying almost the full horizontal extension, is screwed with standard screws (4) fitted into the side holes which plates of this type generally have; this bracket (3) which has a short raised central section matching the back section of the above electric socket body (2), also acts as a support for two parallel identical tabs (5) fitted edgewise on the back whose length is the same as that of the bracket (3); each of these tabs (5) has a pair of identical aligned holes (5a) placed vertically and positioned so that the holes between the tabs (5) are perfectly aligned in pairs horizontally; these two pairs of horizontally aligned holes (5a) are used to house two identical latches (6) each consisting of a metal circular cross-section bar along which a truncated cone disk (6a) is fixed and against which a precompressed spring (6b) presses; this spring (6b) is fitted along the bar (6) between the disk (6a) and one of the supporting tabs (5) while a stop ring (6c) is fitted on the external end of the bar (6) to prevent the support tab (5) from sliding off; these two latches are fitted in a parallel and symmetrical position so that the sections (6d) projecting from the tabs (5) Face in opposite directions, one projecting to the left of the pair of tabs (5) and the other to the right of these so that their respective truncated cone disks (6a) are placed side by side, facing their respective tapered section which overlap for a short section of the circumference in an area crossed at the center by the axis of the center hole of the imitation electric socket (2); finally, in order to move both the latches (6) back at the same time - a pin key (7) is used; this is fitted into the hole at the center of the imitation electric socket plate (2) so that its truncated cone tip (7a) wedges between the two disks (6a) placed side by side, and opens them.