GB2132683A - Security safe - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a safe having a hinged door 10, in which the hinge pins 14 are retractable so that when the safe is open it may be removed and changed for another door. The main application for the safe is in hotel rooms to prevent a room occupant from copying a key and returning on a later occasion to rob the safe. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Security safe The present invention relates to a security safe.

In recent times, there have been numerous thefts from hotel rooms. This has posed a serious problem but one which is difficult to solve. Of course, it is possible for individual guests to place their valuables in a safe deposit box ofthe hotel but this solution is not entirely satisfactory because guests find it too inconvenient and in any event draw attention to themselves by going to and from the hotel safe.

It istherefore desirable to provide each individual guest with a safe in the hotel room but this poses the problem that a potential thief might stay one night a room, obtain an impression ofthe safe key while it is in his possession and return on a subsequent occasion to steal the contents. Therefore, individual safes do not provide a sure safeguard.

With a view to mitigating the foregoing disadvantage, the present invention provides in accordance with a first aspect, a safe having a hinged door incorporating a lock mechanism, wherein the hinges are readily separable to allow the door to be removed and replace and in which the hinge pins are not relied upon to keep the safe door closed when the safe is locked.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a building having a plurality of safes all having interchangeable doors ofthe same size.

Preferably, each door is hinged about its lower edge and the hinge pins are spring biased and retractable.

This configuration makes for easy assembly and removal.

To remove the door, it is lowered and the hinge pins manually retracted against their return springs. The door may then readily be withdrawn. To reassemble the door, the reverse procedure may be adopted namelythatthe hinge pins are manually retracted and afterthe door has been placed to rest on the lower edge ofthe safe box the hinge pins are released to engage automatically in recesses in the box and to retain the door in the hinged position.

The lock mechanism provided on the door may either be a key operated lock or a combination lock. In the case of a key operated lock, it is preferable that the key should not be removable from the lock when the lock is in an open condition. This latter feature is particlularly advantageous in the case of hotel rooms in that the safe key will then be with the hotel room key and this would effectively ensurethatthe safe is never accidently left open by the hotel guestwhen out ofthe room.

Because of the interchangeability ofthe doors, it is no longer possible for a thief who has previously produced an impression of a key to enter a room and have access to the same safe box since the door is likely to have been changed.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying draw ings, in which: Figure lisa perspective view ofthe rear of a safe door, Figure 2 is afrontview of a safe box, and Figure 3 is a section through a safe box taken along the line Ill-Ill in Figure 2.

In Figure 1, a safe door comprises a steel plate 10 and a lock mechanism generally designated 12. The lock mechanism proper has a retractable tongue 20 and is hidden from view by a cover plate 18 held in place by screws. Two retractable hinge pins 14 are provided onthe door 10. The hinge pins 14are arranged within holes in the door and pegs screwed to the hinge pins 14 project th rough slots on the inside of the door so that the pins may be retracted, againstthe action of springs, by manipulation ofthe pegs. Welded onto the interior of the door is an L-section bracket 16 which acts as a retaining bracket to keep the door closed.

The safe box comprises a frame generallydesig- nated 12 which is machined in one piece by milling.

Because the frame 22 is formed in one piece, its dimensions can be determined with accuracy in mass production and this ensures that any door 10 will fit any frame 22.

Theframe has at its lower end two holes 26 which receive the hinge pins 14. Along the lower edge, there is an upstanding ledge 30, formed integrally with the frame22, behind which the bracket '16 engages when the door is closed. A groove 28 is machined in the side of the frame remote from the holes 26 to receive the tongue 20 of the lock mechanism 12. Itwill be seem from Figure 3 that when the tongue is engaged in the groove 28 and the bracket 16 is engaged behind the ledge 30,the doorcannot be opened even if the hinge pins 14 are in some way retracted. Consequently, the security of the safe depends in no way upon the hinges.

The interior of the safe 24 is defined within a housing which is welded at 32to the frame 22. During manufacture,the depth ofthe box may be varied at will since the same frame 22 can be mounted on any housing regardless of its depth.

Itwill be noted thatwhenthetongue 20is raised it sits within the recess 28 and not merely behind an edge. This ensures that the lock mechanism cannot be dislodged by drilling through thefront plate of the door and punching out ofthe lock mechanism.

The safe may either be wall mounted with the door flush with the wall or merely bolted onto a wall using expansion bolts. Because the primary use ofthe safe is in occupied buildings where noise would not go unnoticed it is not vital to ensure that the safe cannot be burst open by the use of force.

The advantage ofthe safe described above is that the door may readily be changed for another, and with it the lock mechnaism, so that it is only necessary to provide a box in each room of a hotel and each new occupant of a room would be allocated a door selected at random from the stock of doors.

Another application for a safe with a removable door is when valuables are carried regularly from home to a place of work. The box part of a safe is relatively inexpensive whereas the door accounts for most of the cost ofthe safe. The removability of the doorwouldenablea person to have two boxes but only one door, the door being transported with the valuables between the boxes where they are kept.

Claims (6)

1. A safe having a hinged door incorporating a lock mechanism, wherein the hinges are readily separable to allow the door to be removed and replaced and in which the hinge pins are not relied upon to keep the safe door closed when the safe is locked.

2. A safe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door is hinged about its lower edge and the hinges comprise spring biased manually retractable hinge pins projecting from the edge ofthe door.

3. A safe as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock mechanism is key operated and is such that the key cannot be withdrawn from the mechanism when the lock is open.

4. A safe as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the safe box onto which the door is hinged has a front frame for receiving the door machined in one piece and a housing welded to the said frame.

5. A building having a plurality of security safes as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein all the doors are ofthe same size and are interchangeable.

6. A safe constructed substantially as herein de scribed with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.