US1054112A - Unlocking mechanism for safes and vaults. - Google Patents

Description

F. HANDSGHUH: UNLOOKING MECHANISM FOR SAEES AND VAULTS. APPLICATION FILED IEB.-13, 1912.

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Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

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F. HANDSOHUH. UNLOGKING MECHANISM FOR SAFES AND VAULTS. APPLICATION FILED FBB.13, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrioa.

FRANK HANDSCHUH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

UNLOCKING .MECHANISM FOR SAFES AND VAULTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 19-13.

Application filed February 13. 1912. Serial No. 677,276.

mechanism of safes and vaults and especially time unlocking mechanism.

The objects of my invention are to improve the unlocking mechanism and to so construct the same that the safe-door is automaticallyopened after being unlocked;

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 2 sheets: Figure 1' is a front elevation of the improved safe, partly broken away, to show the locking bolts and other internal mechanism. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 2-2, Fig. 1. ;-Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional elevation, showing the door-unlocking mechanism. Figs. 5 and (i are horizontal sections on lines 55 and (3-6, Fig. a.

Similar characters of .reierence' indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

meetin ends by a pin 3, while their oppo-' site cuts are respectively pivoted to lugs or brackets 3 3 secured to theinncr side of the safe door and that side wall of the safe body to which the external hinges 4 are attached. These internal hinge-members form the chief supports of the door in all positions of the latter and folding or unfolding in an obvious manner as the door is closed or opened. As thesesupporting hinges are wholly within the safe, they cannot be pried or broken ofi' like ordinary external hinges- The door preferably consists of inner and outer platesfi, G, firmly bolted together and having arranged therebetaveen slots or re'- cesses 7 and bolt-guides 8 communicating therewith. Arranged within these slots are bars 9 carryin'g therewith outwardly lock: ing bolts 10 which are adapted to enterthe apertures 11 arranged in the bottom, side and top walls of the door-opening, the front ends of these bolts being preferably beveled in the customary manner. The rear edge of the door is provided with a flange 11 which enters a groove in the adjacent wall of the safe when the door is closed, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing locking bolts at said rear edge. Extending inwardly from each of the bolt bars 9 is a rack bar 12, all of said rack bars meshing with a pinion 13, which impart-sequal and simultaneous movement to the several rack-bars and bolts. Located in several recesses 8 of the door are springs 14 which are connected at their inner ends to the bolt bars 9 while their outer ends are connected to abutment plates 15. which bridge the out r ends of said recesses. These springs tend to hold the locking bolts in their locked position.

The safe is divided by a floor or partition 16 into upper and lower chambers or compart'ments" 17, 18, the upper chamber being adapted to receive the contents of the safe while the lower chamber is adapted to receive the 'unlocking mechanism This floor is preferably hinged to the rear wall of the safe to swing upwardly, as shown, but it may .be otherwise held in place, if desired.- The door 2 is applied only to the upper or main compartment 17. The lower or auxiliary compartment 18 is permanently closed on all sides, so that access can be had thereto only through its-top upon raising or removing the floor 16.

The unlocking i'nechanism consists ofa vertically movable rod or plunger 19 which is located directly beneath or in line with one of the locking bolts 10. Engaging a longitudinally screw'threaded bore of this plunger is a rotary screw 20 of comparatively steep pit-ch ournaled at its lower end 111 a bearing in the floor of the lower safecompartment- 18, as best shown in Fig. 4.

()n the lower portion of the screw 20 secured a gear wheel 21. Mounted vertically in astationary frame orstandard 22 a shaft 23 to which is fixed the gear wheel 2t and the bevel gear. 25. The wheel 24C en-' gages an idle gear 26 Which is mountedon the shaft 27 and meshes with the gear wheel 21 while the bevel gear25 is rotated by a bevel pinion 28 secured to the motor-shatt- 30.

nor wall of the sate. The motor 31 is elec trically connected with. a clock of any suitable construction. Extending from this clock is a contact finger 40 which engages a contact plate 41 electrically connected through a battery 42 to the motor 31.. Pro

jecting above the flooring 16 is the winding knob 43 ot. the clock. At a predetermined time the contact members 4t0-4l1 come to gether, thereby starting the motor 31 which throu h the train of gearing hereinbetore descri. ed imparts a rotary movement to the screw 20. Inasmuch as the plunger 19 can not rotate, it is forced upwardly against the cooperating locking bolt 10, forcing the latter and all the other bolts out of the apertures 11. in the sate body and unlocking the door. At the same time the springs 38 are strained. Owing to the beveled faces 01? the locking bolts 10, the plunger 19 after having pushed said bolts to their unlocked position. forces the door open by the con tinued upward movement ot'the plunger. To facilitate this action, the upper end of the plunger 19 is preferably beveled to cor respond to the slant of the contiguous locking bolt 10. "When the contact 40 passes the contact ell, the motor stops and the springs '38 reactand retractthe plunger to its initial lowered position, rotating the screw in the opposite direction, the motor-armature (not shown) and the train of gearing between it and the screw taking part in this backward rotation of the latter. This improved unlocking mechanism, while comparatively simple in construction, is positive and reliable in operation. By locating thismechanism wholly in a separate compartment below the main compartment of the safe, it is exceedingly ditlicult for unauthorized. employees or other persons to reset the clock or otherwise tamper with the unlocking mechanism without danger of detection, as

itis necessary to empty the safe and refivc cents each, by addressing the lommissioncr of :Paftentc, Washington, U.

move the flooring 16 before access can be had. tosaid mechanism. 7

Mounted in the lower compartment 1'? is a bell a l which is arranged to be struck by a hammer or tappet when the bolts lO'havc passed into the apertures 11 and locked the safe-door, thus givingan alarm of that fact,

I claim as my invention:

1'. The combination of a safe body, a door applied thereto, a locking bolt carried by the door and provided with a beveled face, a slidable unlocking member arranged to bear eudwisc against said beveled face, whereby after the bolt has been shifted to its imlockcd position by said member, the continued pressure of the member against said beveled face forces the door open, and means for operating said unlocking member.

2.:1he combination of the sate-body, a door applied thereto and having a locking bolt, a non .-rotary reciprocating member coacting with said bolt to unlock the same, a rotary screw engaging said member for imparting longitudinal movement thereto, and means for rotating said screw.

3. The combination. of the sate-body, a door applied thereto and having a locking bolt,.a non-rotary reciprocating member co acting with said bolt to unlock the smile, a rotary screw engagingsaid member for imparting longitudinal. movemcut thereto,

-means for rotating said screw to advance said member, and means for automatically retracting said member.

4. The combination of the sate-body, a door applied thereto and having a locking bolt, a non-rotary reciprocating membercoacting with said bolt to unlock the same, a rotary screw ngaging said member for imparting longitudinal movement thereto, means for rotating said screw, and a returnspring connected with said reciprocating member.

The combination of a safe body, its door, a locking bolt carried by the door, and unlocking means comprising a non-rotary plunger acting on said bolt and having a screw threaded bore, a rotary screw engaging said bore, means for rotating said screw in one directiomfland a return spring connected with said plunger for withdrawing it to its initial position, at the end of its forward movement. a V

l l itness my hand. this 1st day of February, 1912.

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