GB1570188A

GB1570188A - Lock means

Info

Publication number: GB1570188A
Application number: GB803876A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ANTI CRIME GUARDS Ltd
Current assignee: ANTI CRIME GUARDS Ltd
Priority date: 1977-02-25
Filing date: 1977-02-25
Publication date: 1980-06-25

Description

(54) LOCK MEANS (71) We, ANTI - CRIMF. GUARDS LIMITED, a British Company of 407, Goldhawk Road, London, W6 OSA do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to locks for, for example, cabinets or doors. A preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a security cabinet.

Under some circumstances, it is preferable to be able to tell if a lock has been tampered with.

The present invention provides a cabinet and drawers, the drawers each including a lock for locking the drawer closed, and means for mounting a frangible material over the front face of the lock, each drawer and the cabinet being arranged so as to irremovably retain the frangible material within the mounting means when the drawer is closed whereby the frangible material must be broken to reach the front face and thereby unlock the lock to open the drawer.

In a preferred embodiment, the frangible material comprises sheets such as a card and the means for mounting the frangible material each comprise a sheet holder.

If the sheet holder is on the front face of each drawer, the cabinet may have a corresponding lip covering the exit to the sheet holder whilst the drawer is closed. However, we prefer that the sheet is inside each drawer between the inner surface of the front of the drawer and the lock so that it is not possible to remove the card without opening the drawer.

Each sheet holder may include a cut away portion to facilitate removal of the frangible material when the drawer is open.

It is of course necessary that the frangible material should be marked in some way so that it cannot be readily replaced once broken. For example, if cards are used, then the cards should be printed with a pattern or marking to render them difficult to reproduce since otherwise the cards could be simply replaced after the drawers had been tampered with.

Furthermore, as the front face of each lock is covered by the card, if the lock is of a key operated variety then a printed mark on the sheet may be provided to indicate the keyhole aperture.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a cabinet incorporating several drawers according to the invention, Figure 2 is a vertical side section through the cabinet of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan view of one drawer of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is an exploded view of the drawer of Figure 3.

The cabinet 10 comprises a mild steel casing 11 incorporating drawer apertures for five drawers 12. The drawers are identical and so only one will be described.

The drawer 12 is of mild steel construction and as is clear from Figures 2 and 3, the drawer 12 incorporates a lock 13 having a key barrel 14 and a tongue 15 behind its front panel 26. The tongue 15 latches behind a frame part 16 of the casing 11 to maintain the drawer 12 in its closed position.

Referring now to the drawer 12 itself, and in particular to Figure 4, the lock 13 is mounted in a bridge member 17 which spaces the lock 13 rearwardly from the rear face of the front panel 26. The bridge member 17 is suitably welded to the rear face of the front panel 26 and a further spacer plate 18 is welded to the bridge member 17 so as to provide a slot 19 between the face of the key barrel 14 and the rear face of the front panel 26. The slot 19 forms a card holder for a card 20, the lower end of the slot 19 being closed by indentations 21 in the spacer plate 18 to prevent the card 20 falling out of the bottom of the slot 19. Adjacent the indentations 21 and the spacer plate 18 there is provided a cut-away finger portion 22 for allow ing the card to be easily gripped and removed when the drawer is open.

As will be clear from Figure 4, there are holes 23, 24 through the front panel 26 of the drawer and spacer plate 18 respectively aligned with the key barrel 14.

The card 20 carries a mark 25 indicating the position of the key aperture in the key barrel 14 behind the card. Furthermore; the card carries other means of identification such as a pattern to render it less susceptible to forgery.

The cabinet 10 is used as follows. As above discussed the cabinet is particularly useful in circumstances where it is not only desired to maintain the cabinet closed but also to determine whether or not any attempt has been made to open the cabinet by inserting, for example, a skeleton key. With the drawer unlocked and open a card 20 is inserted in the slot 19 whereupon it drops to rest with its lower edge upon the identations 21. The card covers the front face, that is the key barrel 14 of the lock 13. The drawer is then closed at which time, as shown in Figure 2, the card is retained within the drawer in an inaccessible position and the tongue 15 is latched behind the frame part 16. The lock 13 is of the type which automatically locks on closing and so in the- position shown in Figure 2, the drawer is locked closed with the card inserted in the slot 19.It is not possible to remove the card since slot 19 is closed by the frame part 16 of the cabinet 10.

In order to open the drawer it is necessary to insert a key into the key barrel 14 and this can only be done by pushing the key through the card 20. To facilitate the correct position of the key, the mark 25 coincides with the key aperture in the barrel 14. Turning the key to unlock the lock will further damage the card.

When the door has been unlocked, it may be opened and, providing the person opening the cabinet has authority to do so, he will have a further supply of cards 20. He may then, after removal of the key from the lock, remove the card 20 from the slot 19 being assisted in this by being able to insert his finger through the cut away portion 22 and then insert a fresh card.

The process may then be repeated.

It will be understood that it is not possible to open the drawer without damaging the card and any tampering of the drawer will be readily noticed by observing the state of the cards in the different drawers.

In an alternative arrangement, the card holder may be mounted on the outside of the front face of the drawer in which case the cabinet must incorporate a lip so as to obstruct the exit to the card holder when the drawer is closed.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A cabinet and drawers, the drawers each including a lock for locking the drawer closed, and means for mounting a frangible material over the front face of the lock, each drawer and the cabinet being arranged so as to irremovably retain the frangible material within the mounting means when the drawer is closed whereby the frangible material must be broken to reach the front face and thereby unlock the lock to open the drawer.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for mounting the frangible material comprises a sheet holder.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the sheet holder is on the front face of each drawer and the cabinet has a corresponding lip covering the exit to the sheet holder whilst the drawer is closed.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the sheet holder is inside each drawer between the inner surface of the front of the drawer and the lock so that it is not possible to remove the sheet without opening the drawer.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4 in which each sheet holder includes a cut away portion to facilitate removal of the frangible material when the drawer is open.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in combination with the frangible material in the form of sheets printed with a pattern or marking to render it difficult to reproduce.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which each lock is key operated and a printed mark on each sheet is provided to indicate the keyhole aperture.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ing the card to be easily gripped and removed when the drawer is open. As will be clear from Figure 4, there are holes 23, 24 through the front panel 26 of the drawer and spacer plate 18 respectively aligned with the key barrel 14. The card 20 carries a mark 25 indicating the position of the key aperture in the key barrel 14 behind the card. Furthermore; the card carries other means of identification such as a pattern to render it less susceptible to forgery. The cabinet 10 is used as follows. As above discussed the cabinet is particularly useful in circumstances where it is not only desired to maintain the cabinet closed but also to determine whether or not any attempt has been made to open the cabinet by inserting, for example, a skeleton key. With the drawer unlocked and open a card 20 is inserted in the slot 19 whereupon it drops to rest with its lower edge upon the identations 21. The card covers the front face, that is the key barrel 14 of the lock 13. The drawer is then closed at which time, as shown in Figure 2, the card is retained within the drawer in an inaccessible position and the tongue 15 is latched behind the frame part 16. The lock 13 is of the type which automatically locks on closing and so in the- position shown in Figure 2, the drawer is locked closed with the card inserted in the slot 19.It is not possible to remove the card since slot 19 is closed by the frame part 16 of the cabinet 10. In order to open the drawer it is necessary to insert a key into the key barrel 14 and this can only be done by pushing the key through the card 20. To facilitate the correct position of the key, the mark 25 coincides with the key aperture in the barrel 14. Turning the key to unlock the lock will further damage the card. When the door has been unlocked, it may be opened and, providing the person opening the cabinet has authority to do so, he will have a further supply of cards 20. He may then, after removal of the key from the lock, remove the card 20 from the slot 19 being assisted in this by being able to insert his finger through the cut away portion 22 and then insert a fresh card. The process may then be repeated. It will be understood that it is not possible to open the drawer without damaging the card and any tampering of the drawer will be readily noticed by observing the state of the cards in the different drawers. In an alternative arrangement, the card holder may be mounted on the outside of the front face of the drawer in which case the cabinet must incorporate a lip so as to obstruct the exit to the card holder when the drawer is closed. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A cabinet and drawers, the drawers each including a lock for locking the drawer closed, and means for mounting a frangible material over the front face of the lock, each drawer and the cabinet being arranged so as to irremovably retain the frangible material within the mounting means when the drawer is closed whereby the frangible material must be broken to reach the front face and thereby unlock the lock to open the drawer.