NZ198107A - Security device for safe - Google Patents

Description

158107 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION AFTER PROVISIONAL NO. 198107 DATED: August 1981 IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SAFES I, WILLIAM MICHAEL NASH, a citizen of the Unitod Kin^j of 11 Cambria Road, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which I 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: /I This invention relates to safes, and has particular application to safes which utilise a combination lock.

Whatever type of lock mechanism is utilised, safes have been designed with the bulk of the lock mechanism inside the safe, and thus an aperture through the safe is required to give access to the lock mechanism from the outside of the safe. Thus in the case of a key operated tumbler lock, a keyhole is provided, whilst in the case of a combination lock, a dial is provided on the outside of the safe, connected to the lock mechanism by means of a spindle or the like. In either case, a safe breaker can make use of this aperture, by inserting explosives to blow the lock. In the case of the combination lock, the safe breaker has to first drive the spindle through the aperture into the safe.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved safe, having means for resisting the insertion of explosives through the spindle aperture.

In one aspect, the invention provides a safe having an aperture therethrough giving access to an internal lock mechanism, connecting means between the exterior of the safe and the internal lock mechanism, wherein means for closing the aperture is provided, the closing means being biased to close the aperture if the connecting means is removed therefrom.

In another aspect the invention provides a safe having an aperture passing through a wall or door thereof, a spindle connecting an internal lock mechanism to the exterior of the safe, a cavity in said wall or door of said safe corresponding to the position of the aperture in said safe, and a shutter mounted in said cavity and biased against said spindle to close off the aperture in the event that the spindle is removed therefrom.

Other aspects of this invention which should be considered in all its novel aspects, will become apparent from the following description, which is given by way of example only, with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a top plan view of a portion of a lid of a floor safe, adapted in accordance with this invention Figure 2 illustrates a cross-section through a floor safe adapted for use with this invention.

This invention can be applied to safes of different construction, although the following description will refer only to a floor . safe, for the purposes of illustrating the invention.

A floor safe 10 has a main body 11 and a lid 12. The main body may be in the form of a cylindrical canister, which can be recessed in and connected to the floor of a building. It may be provided with suitable flanges, or the like, to ensure that it is securely mounted in the floor. The canister is usually embedded in concrete with its lid recessed below floor level.

The lid can be provided with a combination lock mechanism 13 having a dial 14- on the outside of the safe connected to the lock mechanism by means of a spindle 15. This spindle 15 passes through a suitable aperture 16 in the lid 12.

It is preferred that a cavity 17 is provided within the lid 12, and corresponding to the position of the aperture 16, so that the aperture 16 passes through a portion of the cavity 17.

The lid 12 can be made up of several layers, and as shown in figure 2, there is an outer layer 20, a main portion 21, and an insert 22. This insert 22 covers the cavity 17, and is in turn covered by the outer cover plate 20. The insert 22 is con veniently rectangular, and fits into a corresponding rectangular recess 23, best seen from figure 1. Figure 1 is a top plan view on line A-A of figure 2, with the cover plate 20 and the insert 22 removed to show the arrangement of the cavity 17.

A shutter plate 24- is mounted within said cavity 17, and is biased against the spindle 15, by means of a spring 25 mounted in a groove 26. The groove 26 being formed in the floor of the cavity. If the spindle 15 is removed, then the spring 25 will move the shutter plate 24 into the position 24a shown by the dotted lines in figure 1, thereby closing off the aperture 16.

It is preferred that the shutter plate 24 is provided with an indentation on the underside thereof to correspond with the aperture 16, when in the closed position.

The combination lock mechanism 13 can be provided with bolts 30 or the like which interconnect the lid 12 with the body 11 of the safe. Thus when the lock is in the closed position, * the bolts 30, or the like, will secure the lid to the body.

In addition to the bolts 30, there may be one or more additional bolts 31 provided passing through a portion 32 of the lid, and adapted to be inserted into an aperture 33 in the side wall of the body 11 of the safe. Such a bolt 31 is conveniently biased into the closed position by means of a spring 35. Closure of the bolt 31 can be resisted by a finger 36 connected to the bolt 31. The other end of the finger can be mounted on a sheet of fracturable material 37, which is attached to the underside of the lid 12. Conveniently, the fracturable material 37, consists of a sheet of toughened glass, which is adapted to shatter into a plurality of small pieces, if subjected to shock, or impact. This sheet of glass 37 may be shaped and provided with apertures, to enable it to fit between the lock mechanism 13 and the underside of the lid 12. Preferably, there are a plurality of apertures in the sheet of glass, through which 198(07 fasteners 38 pass to connect the sheet of glass 37, and the lock mechanism 13 to the lid 12.

The safe may be formed of any convenient material, for example, it is preferred that the outer layer 20 of the lid is formed of a material which cannot be readily attacked by a gas torch, such as oxy-acetylene, and it is further preferred that the insert 22 is of a material which it is difficult to drill. Preferred materials for the safe consist of a stainless steel cover member 20, which is welded to a cast steel lid 21, and the insert 22 consists of a ceramic plug, or a material such as cast iron. The body of the safe 11 may be formed of cast steel, and the bolts 30, and 31 may be formed of stainless steel, and filled with ball bearings, to make them difficult to drill.

In use, with the safe in the locked position, the bolts 30 will lock the lid to the body 11. With the glass sheet 37 intact, the bolt 31 will be in the withdrawn position, shown in figure 2, as it will be held in place by the finger 36.

Attempts to crack the safe, are rendered difficult and time consuming by the features of this invention. For example, if a safe breaker attempts to remove the spindle 15, by driving it through the aperture 16, to insert explosives into and through the aperture, the moment the spindle is forced through the aperture, the shutter plate 24 will be forced into the closed position 24a to thereby close off the aperture. It will be appreciated that it is difficult, if not impossible, to withdraw the shutter plate 24 from above. If attempts are made to drill through the lid of the safe, then this will be resisted by the nature of the insert 22, which is chosen from a material which is very difficult to drill. Where a ceramic material is chosen, it is convenient to provide a metal bush 40 in the insert, for the spindle 15. Repeated impacts or shocks on the lid, in an attempt to damage the insert, will result in the glass sheet, 37 being fractured into a plurality of small pieces, thereby releasing what is left of the sheet, and thus releasing the finger 36 and hence the bolt 31. This will be forced into the aperture 33 by means of the spring 35 thus locking the lid to the body 11. Consequently, the safe will have to be removed from the floor, and drilled out from below to release the bolts 30 and 31 and to give access to the interior of the safe. It will also be noted that the shutter plate 24 can only be withdrawn from below, by means of a picker inserted up through the aperture 16 to engage the indent on the underside of the shutter plate, to enable it to be moved to the withdrawn position so that a fresh spindle 15 can be inserted through the aperture.

It will thus be appreciated that the safe of this invention will be difficult to break.

Whilst the invention has been described with particular reference to a floor safe, it will be appreciated that the invention can be utilised with other types of safes.

Finally, it will be appreciated that various alterations or modifications may be made to the foregoing without departing from the scope of this invention, as exemplified by the following claims.

Claims (10)

I3&t07 -7- WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1 A safe having an aperture therethrough, giving access to an internal lock mechanism, connecting means located in said aperture between the exterior of the safe and the internal lock mechanism, wherein means for closing the aperture is provided, the closing means being biased to close the aperture if the connecting means is removed therefrom.

2 A safe having an aperture passing through a wall or door thereof, a spindle located in said aperture connecting an internal lock mechanism to the exterior of the safe, a cavity in said wall or door of said safe adjacent the aperture in said safe, and a shutter mounted in said cavity and biased against said spindle to close off the aperture in the event that the spindle is removed therefrom.

3 A safe as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said spindle is connected to a combination lock mechanism within said safe.

4 A safe as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein said cavity is covered by a layer of drill resistant material.

5 A safe as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said drill resistant material is chosen from a ceramic material or cast iron.

6 A safe as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein said door or wall has an outer layer of material which is resistant to cutting with a gas torch. \

7 A safe as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 6, wherein the shutter has a detent facing towards the inside of the safe. 6 -8- 138107

8 A safe as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 7, wherein one or more bolts are provided, each of which is biased into a locking position connecting the door to the body of the safe, and each of which is held in a withdrawn position by means attached to or integral with a body of fracturable material which, if broken, will allow the bolts to move into the locking position.

9 A safe as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 8, wherein the safe is an underfloor safe, and the door is in the form of a removable lid.

10. A safe substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification. WILLIAM MICHAEL NASH By his Attorney GAMES W. PIPER v<-o i