US1757688A - Means for protecting banks - Google Patents

Description

'May 6,1930, A 1.; SMITH 1,751,688

I MEANS FOR PROTECTING BANKS Filed April 28, 1928 "/4/ m Invmdmf 231 w flllia L. 5 1111 Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED? ALTA L. SMITH, or CHESTER, VIRGINIA MEANS 'roa PRQTECTING BANKS Application filed April 28, 1928. Serial No. 273,714. I

This invention relates to a bank protector and more specifically to means whereby a door of the revolving type may be locked, and at the same time, a guard operating the 5 locking means will be protected from attack. The principal object is to provide manual locking means positioned directly above the entrance to the bank and at the same time protect the operator or guard from attack. 10 Another object is to providea bank guard with an observation post having openings which may be utilized both for observation and shooting purposes.

Still another object is to provide a bank 15 guard with an observation post safe from attack, in which he may send and receive signals.

Another object is to locate an armored booth above the ground which commands 2 the entire bank or building, including the space directly beneath the booth, and at the same time provides means whereby the guard in the booth may secure the'mainentrance against any one leaving or entering the'bank 2 without exposing himself or the mechanism operating the securing means.

Other objects will be disclosed in specification and drawings:

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan showing the position of the guard booth in relation to the teller cages in a bank;

Figure 2 shows a top plan of the bottom of the booth;

Figure 3 shows a top plan of the locking mechanism with a portion broken away;

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the booth showing the doors in unlocking position taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a section along line 5-5'of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the locking means.

Referring to the drawings:

Numeral 1 designates an armored booth,

the

having revolving doors 2 mounted beneath the same and a ladder 3 furnishing means of access to said armored booth l. A partition 4 separates the means of access 3 from the so rest of the building. Extending along the sides of a room Bare cages 6 used by the casha ier and tellers. At the far end is the usual bank vault 7. In the side walls 8 of the armored booth l are loop holes 9 for observation or shooting purposes. In the floor 10 are openings llfor the same purposes and so arranged as to command all sides of the revolving doors 12, which are directly beneath the armored booth 1. Covers are provided which may be used to close the loop holes when not in use. The revolving doors 12 are mounted on a shaft 13 having bearings 14: and 15 at'the. bottom and top, respectively,

. and extending up into the booth 1, a substantial distance above the bearing 15.,

Adjacent the bearing 15,011" the shaft 13, is secured a collar 16 having serrations 17 integral with said collar. Attached to the floor 10 of the booth adjacent the collar 16 is a support 18 pivotally connected to which at 27 is a handle 19 and which is secured at its lower end to a plate 20, the securing means taking the form of a roller member 21 operating between two jaws 22 in the handle 19, the plate being slidably mounted in a frame 23, the upturnededges 24 forming guides for said plate 20. In the middle of plate 20 is shown an elongated slot .24 which allows for a limited reciprocating movement about the shaft 13. On the end of the plate 20, opposite the handle 19, is a wedge-shaped lug 25 which may be brought into and out ofengagement with the serrations 17 carried by the collar 16, depending upon the movement of the handle 19 which moves the plate 20 forward or backward forcing the lug into or out ofengagement with the serrations. On the upper extremity of shaft 13 is secured a member 26 which permits the manual revolving of the doors, should it be desired to revolve the same from the armored booth. Covering the loop holes 11 in the floor are covers 28 which may be operated by the guards foot. Likewise hinged plates 29 are used to cover the elona? gated loop holes 9 in the side walls of the guard booth.

As actually operated, the guard is stationed in the booth and will observe unseen by anyone else the people passing in and out of the bank and because of the location of the booth Will be able to command the different teller windows. Should he observe anything suspicious or should an alarm be sounded, he will at once lock the revolving doors by pulling the handle which causes the lug to slide into engagement with the serrations, thus securely locking the door against revolving.

This prevents any person already in the bank from escaping and any of his confederates from entering.

If an actual hold-up is taking place, the guard may shoot through the loop holes without any danger of being shot himself, and at the same time, notify the police or any outside agency of the hold-up. By having the locking means immediately above the doors, and the operator stationed there, there is no danger of the locking means being tampered with as might be the case if the armored booth was located away from the door.

By having a partition separating the means of access to the booth from the rest of the bank proper, only a smooth surface will be presented to the occupants of the bank. Openings in the floor of the booth permit the guard to shoot anyone taking refuge in the revolving doors.

Although I have described my invention in connection with revolving doors and a bank, I do not limit myself to this particular case, as it may be highly desirable to utilize the invention in connection with department 7 stores or other places of business, and further, it may be desirable to place a guard booth over doors that are not of the revolving type but which may be locked by the guard stationed directly above the door.

I claim- 1. A thief trap for banking rooms or the like comprising doors fixed to a vertical shaft and revolving therewith, sald doors controlling a door-way and being disposed at such an angle as to form a closed compartment when two of said doors are 111 uxta-position to a side of said door-way, means forming a guards chamber above said revolving doors into which the shaft of said doors extends, locking means including an element on the extended portion of said shaft for locking said doors in anyincidentally assumed position of said doors, and selectively operable means related to said extended portion of said shaft and to said locking element for rotating said doors to a predetermined position before looking them.

2. A thief trap for banking rooms or the like comprising an up-right unitary casing, a transverse partition dividing said casing intermedi'ately, the lowerpart of said casing being of cylindrical curvature and provided with a door-way, the upper part of said casing forming a guards chamber, a shaft sub stantially coaxial'with the lower part of said

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