US1518948A - Safe and the like - Google Patents

Description

C. H. WHITTINGHAM 'SAFE AND THE LIKE Filed June f1, 1924 OQ'/ IN N 'lll lllv Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES CHARLES H. WHITTINGHAIVI,

SAFE AND Application filed .Tune a,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY l/VHIrriNcHAM, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Varwick, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safes and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safes and the like, andV is chiefly designed to provide means whereby a slidable lock bolt may be arranged to control electric alarm circuits so as to give an alarm when any surreptitious or unauthorized attempt is made to tamper with or force the safe.. Such an alarm may be raised by an attempt to move the slidable bolt beyond normal fastening position or by a disturbance of the door of the safe when said door is in its closed position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the lock case looking from the front side.

Fig. 2 represents a sectional side view of the electrical contact on the inner face of `the lock case and the adjacent part of the body of the safe in the closed position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the safe with thek door open on a reduced scale.

Anyone having designs against a safe naturally wishes to know if it is in fact locked before seeking to gain access by explosives or by manipulating the combination, for if it be not locked easy access may be had at once. Therefore, the natural and practically automatic. first action is to try the bolt before making any move toward blowing or picking. Having this natural first action, the testing out of the bolt, in view and the desirability of sounding an alarm before the safe has been opened rather than afterward, I have provided a construction whereby movement of the locking bolt in the locking direction beyond a predeterminedpoint results in the energizing of a signal.

In carrying the invention into practice, the lock case 1 of the safe door 2 is provided as usual with a slidable door-securing or lock bolt 3 which is adapted to be locked by a key lock 4, the bolt of which enters a recess 5 in the tail of said door-securing or lock bolt.

Upon the bolt bar 3 is an electrical contact 6 which is normally at break even PATENT OFFICE.

OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

THE LIKE.

1924. Serial No. 717,776.

when the bolt has been shot forward for locking purposes, in which position it is shown in the illustration at Fig. 1, the bolt being kept from the eXtreme forward position by a bow spring 7 or other shaped resilient medium, so that unless the bolt is urged beyond normallocked position, the electrical contact is at break. From one side of the contact G runs an electrical lead 8 which is joined up to the terminal 9 of the electric bell 10 and passes by way of the terminal 11 through the lead 27 to the contact 12 with which the bolt of the key lock 4.- is adapted to engage. From the contact 12 the lead 28 is continued to the terminal 13 of the battery 14:, and from the terminal 15 thereof the lead 29 passes to the opposite side of the contact 6. The electric bell 1() and the battery 14 are located in recesses formed between the fireproof filling 16. Conveniently, the electric bell and the battery are mounted upon hinge plates 17 and 18 respectively, for enabling access to them for repair and replacement.

A separate battery and bell circuit is provided by the lead 27 running from the bell terminal 11 to the key contact 12, thence through the lead 28 to the battery terminal 13, and from the battery terminal 15 back through the lead 19 to t-he bell terminal 20, the circuit being completed when the switch bar 30 is released by the armature. of the electromagnet.

VVit-h the bolt 3 thrust forward in-to its fastening position by an operating handle (not shown) applied to the aperture 21, and the lock L doubly locked by a two stepped movement of the bolt, the electric circuit is complete eXce-pt at the contact 6 between which and t-he sides of the case 1 a small gap is left. Any tampering with the handle will overcome the resistance of the spring 7 and cause the contact 6 to be forced against the sides of the lock case 1 and eHect a make which will cause the bell to be rung, the battery and bell circuit 19, 27, and 28 remaining closed independently of the contact G so that the. alarm continues until the safe door has been unlocked. The door-securing bolt 3 can be blocked without the switching on of the circuit at the contact 12 as shown in Fig. 1.

The inside face of the lock case 1 is provided with an electrical contact 22 which is adapted to engage with an abutment 23 on` the body of the safe, or any other suitable part thereof. From one side of said contact, the electrical lead 24: runs to the bell terminal 9, and from the bell terminal l1 through the lead 27 and the contact 12 ot the key lock 1l, from 4thence to the battery terminal 13, and from the battery terminal l5 through the lead 25 to the opposite side ofthe contact 22. Ihen the safe door is closed, the contact 22 lies adjacent the abutment 23, or equivalent, such as to leave a ynarrowgap between them whereby the cir- 'cuit is kept open.

This position may be maintained by a spring 2G of any suitable shape on the front of the safe body or other posi-tion between the front tace of the body liningand the adjacent inner door plate.

Should the door have the slightest inward pressure orbe vibrated inwardly such as by tilting or displacing the safe, or by other disturbance7 the spring` 26 will be overcome and the Contact 22 will effect a make and close the circuit 19, 27, and 28, and there will be raised an audible alarm which will continue until `the door has been unlocked.

It will be obvious that in lieu of a battery and bell alarm, I may employ any other suitable. sound alarm, such for instance as a sound horn or hooter, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

In alarms for safes, a slidable lock-bolt, and yieldingY resilient means for normally preventing the passage of said bolt beyond a predetermined point, in combination with an 'alarm circuit and a switch interposed in said circuit, independent of said resilient means, and actingto close the alarm circuit when said lock-bolt is moved beyond said predetermined point against the action of said resilient means. A

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Birmingham, England` this 23rd day of May, 1924.

CHARLES H. WHITTINGH'AM.

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