GB2125101A

GB2125101A - A door locking unit for a floor safe

Info

Publication number: GB2125101A
Application number: GB08320709A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henry Hugh Hamber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-07-30
Filing date: 1983-08-01
Publication date: 1984-02-29
Also published as: GB8320709D0; GB2125101B

Abstract

A door locking unit for closing the access to a floor safe and having one or more locking elements (8) which are eccentrically mounted and pivotally connected to a linkage (10) actuable by an ordinary key lock (4) to move in a rectilinear path to thereby rotate both locking elements between unlocked and locked positions in the access. In the locked position the elements (8) project from the unit beneath a flange or flanges (or similar receiving areas) formed in the safe access to effect the required closure. In another embodiment the elements are of square section. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A door locking unit for a floor safe Field of the invention The present invention relates in general to safes and in particular to a door locking unit for a floor mounted safe.

Background art Known designs of floor safe door locking units are constructionally complicated and therefore necessarily costly to manufacture. Moreover the do not offer the easy possibility, where desired, of 3600 rotation in the safe access after locking, or at least when they do they tend to incorporate complicated mechanical contrivances.

Summary of the invention It is an object of ths present invention to provide a door locking unit for a floor safe designed to obviate the above difficulties, and at the same time possessing the necessary safety capabilities in terms of prevention of unauthorised entry to the safe once the unit is in its locked position.

According to the invention there is provided a door locking unit for a floor safe comprising a main body part having a head and neck portion forming between them an annular flange for resting on a corresponding annular flange in a floor safe access to be closed by the door unit, locking element means mounted adjacent the periphery of the neck portion, and being rotatable between a withdrawn unlocked position of the unit in the access and an extended locked position of the unit in the access whereat to project beyond said periphery to engage beneath the annular flange in said access, a linkage pivotally mounted to said locking element means, and locking means for actuating said linkage to effect rotational movement of the locking element means between said withdrawn and extended positions.

The advantage of the above arrangement is that by means of its simple design it reduces manufacturing costs while having at the same time a high safety factor of more sophisticated arrangements.

Advantageously the locking element means are in the form of a pair of locking pieces eccentrically mounted adjacent the periphery of the neck portion, the locking pieces being pivotally mounted to the linkage for rotation by said linkage when the linkage is moved in a rectilinear path by said locking means.

Alternatively the locking pieces may be pivotally mounted to the linkage for rotation by said linkage when the linkage is itself rotated by said locking means.

The head and neck portion of the main body part may be circular and the arrangement of the locking pieces, preferably in the form of a pair of cylindrical elements eccentrically mounted adjacent the periphery of the neck portion, engaging beneath the flange in the safe access, which is itself correspondingly circular, then allows the door unit to be rotated through 3600 in the locked position.

Brief description of drawings Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of a preferred manner of performing the invention taken with respect to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is an underneath plan view of a door locking unit for a floor safe; Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 along the direction of arrow A; Figure 3 is an underneath plan view of a door locking unit for a floor safe according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4 is an underneath plan view of a door locking unit for a floor safe according to further embodiment of the invention.

Best modes for carrying out the invention The door locking unit L showing in Fig. 1 and 2 comprises a cylindrical head portion 1 bearing a handle H for lifting the unit L, and a depending cylindrical neck portion 2 of smaller diameter than the head portion 1 thus forming an annular flange 3.

In use the door locking unit L rests on a corresponding annular flange or counter shoulder in the neck of the opening to a floor safe (not shown) thus permitting the door locking unit to be rotated through 3600 in the opening either in the unlocked or locked position as will be illustrated.

A key lock 4 having locking bolt 5, is mounted to the end face 6 of the neck portion 2 by means of bolts 7 as shown. The keyhole K for actuating the lock 4 is shown in dotted outline in Figure 2 and is accessible from the top face of the head portion 1.

A pair of cylindrical locking elements 8 are arranged spatially on a diameter of the end face 6 of the neck portion 2 adjacent the periphery thereof, and are eccentrically rotatable on the end face 6 about fixed pivot points 9. A T-piece linkage 10 is connected by one of its arms 10' to the bolt 5 of the lock 4 by means of a screw 11 extending through a bent-over end piece 1 2 of the arm 10', to engage a screwed hole 13 in the bolt 5. The respective ends of the other arm 10" are pivotally mounted to respective ones of the locking elements 8 by means of U-shaped slots 14 in each end respectively engaging studs 1 5 formed on the locking elements 8.

In the embodiment shown the cylindrical locking elements 8 are in an extended locking position whereat they extend partially beyond the confines of the periphery of the cylindrical neck portion 2. With the door locking unit L in position in an opening to an floor safe, this position of the locking elements 8 will correspond to them being brought beneath the annular flange in the access so preventing the door locking unit L being removed by engagement of the locking elements 8 with that annular flange. Moreover it will be appreciated that in the extended position of the locking elements 8, that is in a locking position of the door locking unit L in the access of a floor safe, the door locking unit L is able to be rotated through 3600 in its locked position. Conversely with the locking elements withdrawn this 3600 rotation of tme door locking units is also permissible.

It will be observed from the drawing that rotational movement of the locking elements 8 between their retracted and extended positions, is effected by a rectilinear movement of the T-piece linkage 10 by the bolt 5 of the lock 4, the availability of movement of the studs 1 5 within the U-shaped slots 14 at the end of the arm 10' of the T-piece, permitting this locking movement. In the embodiment shown the rectilinear path of the linkage is at 900 to the line joining the pivotal axis 9 of the locking elementS.

To provide live relocking of the door locking unit L, both the two locking elements 8 are urged to their extended or locking positions by means of springs S arranged under tension in suitable positions on the end face 6 of the neck portion 2 of the door locking unit L.

The locking mechanism mounted to the end face 6 is conveniently enclosed by a removable cap C shown in outline in Figure 2.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 differs from that in Figs. 1 and 2 in that the head and body portions 16 and 17 are square in section, and the rotatable locking elements 1 8 are also square in section being equally suitable as an alternative to the circular components 8 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Additionally the linkage piece 1 9 of Fig. 3 is generally triangular, and the unit is provided with a dead relocking device in the form of tensionally mounted springs 20 the arms 20' of which are arranged to release in the case of unauthorised tampering, to act against the respective locking elements 18 and retain them in their locked position.

The square door locking unit of the Fig. 3 embodiment is designed to fit, in any orientation, in a correspondingly square access forming the opening to a safe.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 there is illustrated a further manner or means of rotating the eccentrically mounted circular locking elements 8 of Fig. 1, between their locked and unlocked positions.

Thus instead of the T-piece linkage 4 of Fig. 1, or the triangular shaped linkage 19 of Fig. 3, the embodiment of Fig. 4 employs a rotatable bar B actuable by the locking means of the door unit (not shown).

The central pivotal axis X of the bar B lies on the central axis of the door unit 21.

The bar has a slot 22 at each of its ends, each respective slot lying to either side of the longitudinal axis Y of the bar B.

The slots 22 engage suitably positioned slots 23 on the elements 8, and the arrangement is such that rotation of the bar B rotates the elements 8 between an unlocked position of the door unit i.e. that shown in Fig. 4 to a locked position when the elements 8 are rotated beyond the periphery of the neck portion 2 by the rotational movement of the bar B.

It will be readily appreciated that the unit 21 may be square or rectangular in section as in Fig.

3, or the locking elements 8 square or rectangular in section also as shown in Fig. 3.

The door locking unit as above described is simple to manufacture compared to similar known devices whilst retaining all the necessary standards required of such safes.

The operating mechanism is an externally mounted arrangement and reduces the number of component parts necessary to achieve the strength of locking action required.

Modifications of the device as described will be apparent to the skilled addressee without extending beyond the scope of the invention as herein disclosed and claimed. For example the invention is not limited to the utilization of only two locking elements as described, and several such locking elements may be envisaged spaced around the periphery of the door locking unit and actuated to effect the required closure.

The rotatable elements moreover, may be shaped in conjunction with the locking bar or linkage, to withstand direct end pressure in the locked position in case of unauthorised tampering and the like and such features will be within the purview of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A door locking unit for a floor safe comprising a main body part having a head and neck portion forming between then an annular flange for resting on a corresponding annular flange in a floor safe access to be closed by the door unit, locking element means mounted adjacent the periphery of the neck portion and being rotatable between a withdrawn unlocked position of the unit in the access, and an extended locked position of the unit in the access whereat to project beyond said periphery to engage beneath the annular flange in said access, a linkage pivotally mounted to said locking element means, and locking means for actuating said linkage to effect rotational movement of the locking element means between said withdrawn and extended positions.

2. A safe door locking unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking elements means as in the form of a pair of spatially arranged locking elements eccentrically mounted on the neck portion for rotation between said unlocked and locked positions.

3. A door locking unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said locking means moves the linkage in a rectilinear path at right angles to the line joining the pivotal axes of said to two locking elements.

4. A door locking unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said locking means moves the linkage in a rotatable path.

5. A door locking unit as claimed in claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein said locking elements are either cylindrical or square in section.

6. A door locking unit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said head and neck portions are cylindrical, and the receiving flange in the access to the safe is such as to allow the unit to be rotated through 3600 in either the locking or unlocking positions.

7. A door locking unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the head and neck portions are square in section to fit within a corresponding square access in a floor safe.

8. A door locking unit as claimed in claims 3 or 4, wherein each said locking element is provided with a stud engaging adjacent slots in the linkage such that actuation of the linkage to move in said rectilinear or rotational path respectively effects the required eccentric rotation of the locking elements between the locked and unlocked positions.

9. A door locking unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein said locking means is in the form of a key lock the locking bolt of which is attached to said linkage such that actuation of the key lock cause the linkage to move in said rectangular path.

1 0. A door locking unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.