GB2236345A

GB2236345A - A security screen

Info

Publication number: GB2236345A
Application number: GB8921665A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graeme Ash
Original assignee: GRAEME ASH SHOPFITTERS Ltd
Current assignee: GRAEME ASH SHOPFITTERS Ltd
Priority date: 1989-09-26
Filing date: 1989-09-26
Publication date: 1991-04-03
Also published as: GB8921665D0

Abstract

A security screen for mounting over a counter in, for example, a bank or a building society, comprises a transparent panel (10) made of impact-resistant and/or energy absorbent material. The panel is supported by a pair of support posts (13, 14). Each post (13, 14) is engageable with a respective upright edge of the panel in such a way as to give rigid support for the edge while defining at least one speech passage from one side of the panel to the other. The posts (13, 14) are shaped to define a speech passage which bends at least partly around the panel edge. This configuration allows verbal communication to take place whilst making it virtually impossible for a small projectile such as a bullet or shotgun pellet to be fired along the passage. <IMAGE>

Description

TRANSPARENT SECURITY SCREEN This invention relates to a transparent security screen and has been developed primarily, though not exclusively, in connection with a security screen for mounting over a counter at which cash transactions take place, in order to protect people supplying cash from physical and ballistic attack.

Cash counters in banks and building societies usually have a counter screen arranged to protect the counter staff at the cash tills, and these screens are made of a material which is bullet resistant and which is also capable of withstanding any violent impact from a blunt instrument. To enable cash transactions to take place, socalled "cash scoops are set into the counter top, and enable cash and / or cheques and other documents to be passed between the customer on one side of the counter and the member of staff at a cash till on the other side of the counter, and without any direct contact being possible so that the member of staff cannot be threatened e.g. with a gun.

Necessarily, these security screens have to be quite thick in order to resist and to absorb the energy of a violent impact e.g. from the firing of a bullet or a shotgun blast, and this therefore reduces the ability of sound to be transmitted through the screen, so that the instructions of the customer cannot properly be heard, without shouting, unless special provision is made of an apertured or slotted speech panel through which normal speech can be heard. However, this involves the manufacture and installation of these special panels in the screen in the region of each cash till, and this represents an additional manufacturing and also installation cost.Clearly, these "speech panels" have to be specially constructed in that they must define communicating passages for sound from one side of the panel to another, but of course these passages should not be direct through-passages to enable a bullet to be fired through the panel or for the staff member to be threatened by someone with a gun. Also, of course, the panel will have to have substantially the same properties as the screen proper to resist attack by a blunt instrument or a fired projectile.

There is therefore a need to provide a design of security screen which avoids the necessity for separate speech panels to be provided at each cash transaction location. and yet which enables verbal communication to be conducted at each location at normal speech levels.

According to the invention there is provided a security screen for mounting over a counter and which comprises: a rigid transparent panel of impact-resistant and / or energy absorbant material. said panel being adapted to be mounted on a counter and having a pair of opposed upright edges: and, support posts adapted to be mounted on the counter and each being capable of supporting a respective one of said upright edges; in which each post is engageable with each upright edge in such a way as to give rigid support for the edge while defining at least one speech passage from one side of the panel to the other and which bends at least partly around the panel edge.

Thus. upon installation of the security screen on a counter, such as a cash counter in a bank or building society, cash transactions can readily take place at each cash till without any direct contact taking place between the customer on one side of the screen and the staff member on the other side, preferably by means of so-called "cash scoops" inset into the counter and below the screen, and yet allowing verbal instructions to be communicated at normal speech levels via the speech passages defined by the particular nature of the interengagement between each post and its adjacent panel edge.By virtue of the inclusion of a bent portion in each speech passage. it should be virtually impossible for a small fired projectile e.g. a bullet or shotgun pellets to be fired along the passage from the customer side of the screen, and also the staff member should be able to withstand menacing by a "customer" wielding a weapon, such as a gun.

Preferably, each post is shaped so as to embrace and overlap the respective panel edge, and conveniently takes a generally channel shape into which the panel edge is located.

In a preferred arrangement, each panel edge is securely located in position in the channel by means of at least one locating shoe which fits into the channel and which defines a mounting slot in which the panel edge is received. The shoe therefore performs a dual function of securely mounting the panel edge in position in the channel defined by the post, but also leave a free air space in the channel which communicates with both sides of the post so that normal speech can be conveyed.

In one preferred embodiment, upper, lower and intermediate locating shoes are used to hold each panel edge, and therefore there will be defined free air passages through the channel above and below the intermediate shoe.

The security screen defined above may be incorporated as a component part of an overall and larger security screen built-up from a plurality of individual security screens, in which case preferably intermediate posts will be provided which are double sided, in the sense that they can locate and support adjacent upright edges of a pair of neighbouring panels.

One embodiment of security screen according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded isometric view of a security screen panel to be incorporated in an overall security screen built-up from a plurality of such panels; Figure 2 is a plan view of an end post for locating and supporting one upright edge of the panel shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view taken in the direction of the arrow X in Figure 2; Figure 4 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrow Y in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a plan view of an intermediate support post to locate and support the adjacent edges of two neighbouring screen panels; Figure 6 is a side view taken in the direction of the arrow X in Figure 5; Figure 7 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrow Y in Figure 5; and, Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of the assembled screen.

Referring now to the drawings, there is disclosed an embodiment of security screen for mounting over a counter, such as a cash transaction counter in a bank or building society. One or more cash transaction locations or tills will be provided along the length of the counter, and conventional "cash scoops" (not shown) may be let into the surface of the counter to enable the transfer of cash and documents e.g. cheques between the customer and the staff member operating the cash till.

Figure 1 shows a single security screen panel, and this represents the basic module of a security screen according to the invention, though evidently where a longer security screen is required, the arrangement shown in Figure 1 may be repeated along the length of the counter.

The basic module shown in Figure 1 comprises a rigid transparent panel 10 made of suitable impact-resistant and I or energy absorbant material, the panel being adapted to be mounted on a counter from which it extends upwardly, and having a pair of opposed upright edges 11 and 12. The panel, in the illustrated embodiment, is in fact rectangular, and a pair of support posts 13 and 14 are provided, which are adapted to be mounted on the counter and are each capable of supporting a respective one of the upright edges 11 and 12. Each post 13, 14 is engageable with its respective upright edge in such a way as to give rigid support for the edge while defining at least one speech passage from one side of the panel to the other and which bends at least partly around the panel edge.

Therefore, upon installation of the security screen on a counter, cash transactions can readily take place without any direct contact between the customer on one side of the screen and the staff member on the other side, and yet verbal instructions can readily pass between these two people at normals speech levels via the speech passages defined by the particular constructions of interengagement between each post 13 and 14 and its adjacent panel edge 11, 12. The inclusion of a bent portion in each speech passage makes it virtually impossible for a small projectile, such as a bullet or shotgun pellet to be fired along the passage from the customer side of the screen.

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the basic module of security screen panel, and Figure 2 is a plan view showing in more detail, and to an enlarged scale, the construction of end post 13. As can be seen, the post 13 is formed from pressed sheet metal into a generally channel shape having a channel portion 15 which merges into curled edges 16 and 17 on the customer side and cash till side respectively of the counter. The panel edge 11 is securely located in position in the channel 15 by means of a number of locating shoes 18, 19 and 20 (Figure 1) which comprise respectively a lower shoe, an intermediate shoe and an upper shoe. In Figure 2, the bottom shoe 18 is shown, and the shoes are all of the same shape, and are securely located in the channel 15, as shown, and define a receiving slot 21 in which the panel edge 11 is securely received.

The shoes 18 to 20 therefore securely locate the panel edge 11 in position in the channel 15, and it will be noted particularly from Figure 2 that the base 21a of slot 21 is located to the right of the forwardly facing ends 16a and 17a respectively, of the edges 16 and 17, and therefore the post structure 13 embraces and overlaps the respective panel edge 11, and clearly there will be no possibility of a fire arm being used to fire a projectile through the post.

However, while the locating shoes 18 to 20 securely hold and locate the panel edge 11 in position, free air passages are defined between the intermediate shoe 19 and each of the lower and upper shoes 18 and 20, which communicate with the customer side of the screen; and also with the staff side of the screen, so that speech at normal sound levels can be clearly heard from one side of the screen to the other, via the communicating air or speech passages. Evidently, these passages will be defined between the panel edge 11, and the surface of the channel 15, and clearly this will take the passages along a path which includes a bend portion taken partly around the panel edge 11. Therefore, this will enable sound to be conveyed readily, but it should be virtually impossible for a fire arm to be discharged from one side of the screen and to exit from the other side of the screen.Therefore, the shoes 18 to 20 perform a dual function of both mounting the panel edges in a desired location within the confines of the channel shape of each post, while also leaving free air or speech communicating passages.

Referring back to Figure 1, the basic module assembly is completed by a top channel 22, a transome 23 overlying this module and any adjacent modules, and end scribing pieces 24.

The left hand post 13 shown in Figure 1 is an end post for the overall screen structure built-up from a plurality of modules side by side, whereas post 14 is in fact an intermediate post, having oppositely facing channel shapes, as can be seen more clearly in Figure 5. However, apart from effectively being formed from a doubled version of the structure shown in Figure 2, the post 14 is largely the same, in that it is able to receive and securely locate in required position the adjacent panel edges of a pair of neighbouring security panels. Figure 8 shows in vertical section the assembled screen.

The illustrated embodiment of security screen therefore enables a counter screen to be provided which protects people handling cash from physical attack, or a fired projectile. The screen is secure, while allowing cash and speech transfer between both sides of the screen.

The protection is provided by transparent panels e.g.

of laminated glass, and made of varying thickness and held in position by stainless steel shoes and posts. The shoes hold the glass within the profile of the post, leaving a clear passage around the sides for speech transfer.

Transfer of cash and paperwork is accommodated by a stainless steel cash scoop inset into the counter top under the glass panel. The glass thickness and construction will determine the security rating of the screen, and therefore the dimensions of the shoes and posts will be varied according to the glass thickness. The width and height of the glass panels also will vary from job to job to suit the counter layout.

The cash scoop and the glass panels are readily available from mass production sources, but the profile of the posts and fixing shoes has been developed particularly for use in the embodiment of the invention. The end posts are constructed from 3mm thick stainless steel pressed to the required profile, whereas the intermediate posts are formed by welding two end post profiles back to back. The shoes are made from 12mm stainless steel, and can be fixed either by bolting through, or screwed into the counter top and the transome. The transome is hardwood with thin gauged stainless steel wrapped around three sides.

A typical mode of assembly of the component parts is as follows: 1. Fix the transome and the cash scoops in position at the required cash till locations along the counter.

2. Fix the scribing end pieces 24 to the wall.

3. Fix the end post 13 in position.

4. Fix the top show 20, bottom shoe 18 and intermediate shoe 19 to the transome, counter and end post 13 respecively. This holds the post in position.

5. Fit the top channel 22 to the panel 12 and slide into the shoes 18 to 20 in the end post 13.

6. Fix the top shoe 20 and bottom shoe 18 to the transome 23 and counter top respectively. 7. Fix the intermediate shoe 19 to intermediate post 14.

8. Push the intermediate post 14 into position.

9. Fix the top shoe 20 and bottom shoe 18 of intermediate post 14 to the transome 23 and the counter top respectively.

10. Fix the intermediate shoe 19 to the intermediate post 14.

11. Repeat procedures 4 to 10 for each cash till position.

12. Repeat procedures 2 to 4 for the last panel.

Claims

1. A security screen for mounting over a counter and which comprises: a rigid transparent panel of impact-resistant and/or energy absorbant material, said panel being adapted to be mounted on a counter and having a pair of opposed upright edges: a first support post adapted to be mounted on the counter and capable of supporting a first one of said upright edges; in which the first post is engageable with the first upright edge in such a way as to give rigid support for the edge while defining at least one speech passage from one side of the panel to the other which passage bends at least partly around the panel edge.

2. A security screen as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a second support post adapted to be mounted on the counter and capable of supporting the second one of said upright edges; in which the second post is engageable with the second upright edge in such a way as to give rigid support for the edge while defining at least one speech passage from one side of the panel to the other which passage bends at least partly around the panel edge.

3. A security screen as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the or each poast is shaped so as to embrace and overlap the respective panel edge.

4. A security screen as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the or each panel edge is securely located in position in the channel by means of at least one locating shoe which fits into the channel and which defines a mounting slot in which the panel edge is received.

5. A security screen as claimed in claim 4 wherein the or each panel edge is securely located by means of upper, lower and intermediate locating shoes.

6. A security system comprising a plurality of individual security screens according to any one of the preceding claims, in which intermediate posts which seperate neighbouring panels of adjacent security screens are double sided such that they can locate and support adjacent upright edges of a pair of neighbouring panels.

7. A security screen substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A security system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 5 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.