US1765736A - Theft-prevention apparatus - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930. A. J. PICHL THEFT PREVENTION APPARATUS '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 5 0 6 P k. m r H uEnEEEEEEEEE T P ,7 I N m V m 7 /z m m M W M Q\ \y w A I w 0 m n a I an m Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED, STATES PATENT Fries ANrnoNY J. PICHL, or ST. LOUIS, ivrrssoonr, ASSIGNOR or onn-ronnrn T0 EDWARD B. HOLLY, an, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI rnnrr rnnvnnrron APPARATUS Application filed January 21, 1929. Serial No. 333,872.

This invention relates to an apparatus that is intended to be used primarily for preventing a robber, such as a hold-up man, from gaming access to a device or compartment in which money or other valuables are kept, or from forcing any person to remove the valuables from said device or compartment and deliver up said valuables.

It is common practice in many business establishments, such as grocery stores, gasoline filling stations, etc, to keepconsiderable sums of money in cash registers, money drawers and safes which invariably are located at such a point in the establishment that a robber, such as a hold-up man, can quickly remove the money or valuables from same while he holds the employes, occupants or customers ofthe establishment under subjection with a revolver, gun or other weapon. Accordingly, establishments of the kind in Which money and other valuables are kept in a cash register, safe or money drawer, are a prolific source of I revenue to hold-up men, due to the ease with which a robber having little or no skill can enter such an establishment, intimidate the occupants with a drawn weapon and then have access to the cash register or money drawer in which the. vain ables are kept. Even in an establishment in which the valuables are kept a safe provided with a combination lock, it is a relatively simple matter for a robber to force the owner or an employee to open the safe, due to the fear that is created in the mind ofthe average man when he is confronted with the alternative of being shot or ol'ieying the commands of a hold-up man.

The main object of my invention is to provide an apparatus that will effectively frutrate hold-ups in business establishments, namely, robberies of the kind that are effected or carried out by a robber who enters a store or similar establishment while business is being transacted in same, then intimidates all or the occupants of the establishment with a drawn gun and then quickly removes the contents of the cash register, money drawer or safe and departs almost before the occupants realize what has happened.

To this end I have devised an apparatus that consists of a passageway proportioned so that it is not large enough to hold more than one person at a time, and arranged so that it serves as the sole entrance to a compartment or space in which valuables are kept, an entrance door and an exit door for said passageway so constructed and combined that the exit door leading from said passageway to the valuables cannot be fully opened to gain access to the valuables, unless the entrance door of said passageway has been moved into its fully closed position, a latch for said exit door combined with same in such a manner that when said door starts to move towards its open position, said latch operates automatically and locks said door, thereby preventing said door from being moved either into its open position or restored to its closed posit-ion, and a combination lOClIOI similar means associated with said latch for preventing said latch from being manipulated or tripped to release the exit door.

WVith an apparatus of the construction above described the only way that a robber can gain access to the compartment or place where the valuables are kept is by entering a passageway and closing the entrance door of said passageway, for, as previously stated, the. exit door leading to the valuables cannot be moved into its fully open position unless the entrance door to said passageway has previously been closed. There is little liability of a robber taking such a chance, for he knows that it he enters the passageway and closes the entrance door of same, he will be cut off from the occupants of the establishment, and will thus be unable to intimidate them, with the result that someone will surely escape from the establishment and give an alarm. If, however, a robber should have the temerity to enter the passageway of the apparatus, close the entrance door of same and then endeavor to open the exit door leading to the valuables, he would be locked in the passageway by the action of the latch for the exit door that becomes operative automatically while the eXit door is being moved to wards its open position, said latch being con trolled and retained in its locked or operative son familiar with the construction and opera- 7 tion of same, and which is located in such a position that it is not visible to a person standing in the passageway. It is impossible for the robber to force an employee of the establishment to accompany him into the passageway, due to the fact that said passageway is not large enough to hold two persons. It the robber should compel an employee of the establishment to enter the passageway alone, this will avail himnothing, as it is impossible for the employee to gain access to the compartment or space in which the valuables are kept without first closing the entrance door to the passageway preparatory to opening the exit door. In doing this the employee would become protected from the robber, for the employee would be located in a closed passageway constructed preferably from sheet steel or some other bullet-proof material.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an apparatus of the construction described practically frustrates hold-ups or daylight rob beries, such as are now being perpetrated extensively in business establishments, due

to the fact that it comprises a bulletproof passageway leading to a place where Valuables are stored, proportioned so that two persons cannot enter and pass through the same at the same time and equipped with a plurality of doors and a door locking mechanism designed so that the door leading to the valuables can be opened only by a person familiar with the construction and principle of operation of the apparatus, and furthermore,

can only be opened after the entrance door to the passageway has been fully closed.

An apparatus embodying my invention can be constructed either in the "form of a sheet metal cabinet provided with two compartmcnts, one of which serves a storage'space in which money or valuables can be kept, and the other serving as a passageway that leads to said space, or the apparatus can be constructed in the form of an attachment or ad junct for vaults, that may consist simply of a sheet metal housing adapted to serve as a passageway and equipped with an entrance door and an exit door that leads to compartment of the vault in which valuables are stored.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a horizontal sectional. view, illustrating an apparatus cmbodying my invention, combined with a vault so as to prevent a hold-up man from gaining access to the compartment of the vault in which valuables are stored.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, illustra ing another form of my invention, consisting of a cabinet constructed from sheet metal and provided with two compartments, one of which serves as a storage space for valuables and the other serving as a passageway to said storage space.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View, taken 011 the line 33 of Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure & is a horizontal sectional view, similar to Figure 2, taken on the line H of Figure 5, showing the entrance door to the passageway in its fully closed position, and the exit door from said passageway in its partially open position.

Figure 5 is a Vertical sectional View, taken on the line 55 of Figure 4. 7

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the latch for the exit door, taken on the line 66 of Figure 4.

Figure 7' is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the latch for the exit door; and

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view,

taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates a passageway, constructed preferably from sheet steel or some other suitable bullet-proof material, and proportioned so that it is only approximately large enough to receive one person standing in a normal upright position. The passageway A is so ar ranged that it constitutes the sole entrance to a compartment or space in which valuables are adapted to be stored. In the form of my invention shown in Figure 1 said storage space consists of a compartment B in a vault whose interior is divided by a vertically-disposed partition 1, the sheet metal housing or casing 2 that constitutes the passageway A being permanently combined with and form ingan integral portion of a swingingdoor 3 in the partition 1 that normally occupies a closed position, shown in full lines in Figure 1, said door 3 being held in its closed position by a retaining device 4 arranged on the in side of the partition 1, i. e., on the side prcsented towards the storage compartment B.

In the form of my invention shown in Figure 2 which represents the preferred form of my invention, the passageway A is formed by one portion of a cabinet 2 constructed from sheet metal or some other suitable bullet-proof material and made'large enough so that a portion of the interior of said cabinet can be used to form a storage compartment B, as shown in Figure 2. 7 Usually, the cabinet 2 will be proportioned so that one-half of same will constitute apassageway A in which a person can stand in an upright position, and the other half will constitute a storage space or compartment for money and other valuables.

The passageway A in both forms of my invention is provided with an entrance door C of the sliding type, an exit door D also of the sliding type. The entrance door C is used as closure for, the opening in one of the walls of the cabinet or casing through which a person can enter the passageway A, and the exit door D is arranged at right anwear e sure for an opening loading from the passageway A to the storage space or compartment B or B. The casing or cabinet of the appa ratus is provided with a pocket C that receives the entrance door C when said entrance door is moved into its open position, and said casing or cabinet is also provided with a pocket D that receives the exit door -'D when said exit door is moved into its open position. The details of construction of the cabinet and the doors C and D associated with same are immaterial and can be varied in numerous ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

As previously stated, the entrance door and exit door D of the passageway A are so constructed and arranged with relation to' each other, that the entrance door must be in its fully closed position before the exit door can be opened, and the entrance door must be in its fully closed position before the exit door can be opened. 'In the form of my invention herein illustrated this result is attained by arranging the doors C and D at right angles to each other, and disposing them in such relation that when the door C is moved into its pocket C, as shown in FigureiQ, it serves as a stop or abutment against which the rear edge of the door D strikes, if an attempt is made to move said door D into its open position. Likewise, when the exit door 1) is moved into its pocket D, as shown in Figure 4, it serves as a stop or abutment against which the rear edge of the door C strikes, if an attempt is made to move said door G into its open position. The only way that the valuables in the storage compartment of the apparatus may be reached is by a person moving the entrance door 0 nto its open position, then entering the passageway A, then restoring said entrance door .0 to its fully closed position, and thereafter moving the exit door D into its open position, whereupon the person may pass from the passageway A into the storage compartment. In order to prevent the entrance to the'storage compartment of a robber or other person not familiar with the construction and prinoiple of operation of the apparatus, I provide the exit door D of the apparatus with a latch E, preferably of the spring-operated type, which is mounted on said doorD in such a we y that said latch will be inoperative when the door D is in its fully closed position. but said latch will operate automatically to lock the door D after said door has been moved slightly towards its open position, said latch E being controlled by or combined with a combination lock or similar mechanism F that is used to retain said latch E in. its operative position and prevent said lat-ch from being tripped or rendered inoperative by a person not familiar with the combination of the lock F, or familiar with the method of operating the same. In other words, the apparatus is so constructed that the exit door D will become locked automatically in a partly open condition, during the operation of moving said door; towards its open position, and further movement ofsaid exit'door D either to its wlde open pos tion" or back to its closed position is prevented unless the person endeav-oring to gain access to the storage compartment knows how to manipulate or actuate the combination lock F that controls the latch E, on said exit door.

The particular type or design of the latch E or. other means that is used to arrest the movement of the exit door D towards its open position is immaterial, so far as my invention is concerned, and various types or kinds of combination locks or snnilar mechanisms may be used to prevent an unauthorized person from tripping or rendering inoperative the latch or equlvalent device E that 1s associated with the exit door D, leadingfrom the passageway A. In the form of my invention herein illustrated the latch E consists of a vertically-disposed plunger recipr0catingly mounted in a bearing 5 attached to the side face of the door D adjacent the upper edge of same and combined with an expansion spring 6 that exerts pressure on said plunger in a direction to hold the upper end of said plunger pressed against a stationary bracket 7 arranged at one side of the path of travel of the door D, said bracket 7 having an elongated slot 7 formed therein, as indicated in Figure 5, and also as shown clearly in Figure 7. When the door D is in 7 its fully closed position, the upper end of the plunger E bears against a solid portion of the bracket 7, thus holding the springs 6 under compression. As soon as the door I) starts to move towards its open position, the

plunger E comes into registration with the slot 7' in the bracket 7 and moves upwardly into said slot, due to the force or pressure of the spring 6, thereby arresting the move ment of the door D and preventing it from being moved into its wide open position. The slot 7 in the bracket 7 is preferably proportioned so that after the door D has been openedslightly, the plunger E will enter the slot in the bracket 7 and travel through said,

stationary bracket 7 with which it co-operatesr Usually, the actuating device 8 will consist of a chain or cord that depends from the lower endof the plunger E, and which is 'so arranged that it can be grasped easily by a person who passes his arm around the front edge of the door D, after said door has been partly opened, as shown in Figure 5. Ohviously, when the plunger E is moved downwardly or disengaged from theslot 7 1n the bracket 7, the exit door D canbe moved into its wide open position.

It is impossible, however, for an unauthorized person, or person not familiar with the construction and principle of operationof the apparatus to pull the plunger E downwardly, so as to render it inoperative, and thus release the door D. Such movement of the plunger E is prevented by the part of the apparatus which I have referred to as the combination lock F for the latch of the exit door. Said combination lock is herein illustrated as being formed by two horizontally-disposed, screwthreaded shafts mounted in the bearing 5 in which the plunger E reciprocates, and provided with cut-out portions, designated by the reference character 9 in Figure 8, which are so disposed that they will register with the passageway 9 in the bearing 5 in which the lower end portion. of the plunger E'slides, if the said screw-threaded shafts have been properly set or adjusted. In all other positions of said shafts portions of same project into the passageway 9, and thus act as a stop or abutment for the plunger E which prevents said plunger from being moved clownwardly far enough to disengage said plunger or withdraw the upper end of same from the elongated slot 7 in the bracket 7. Usually, each of the threaded shafts F will be provided at its front end with a non-circularshaped portion 10, as shown in Figure 8, over which a removable operating handle 10*, shown in Figure 5, can be slipped, so as to adjust or set the combination lock that is associated with the latch E.

In order to facilitate the use of the apparatus by an authorized person or persons, a means is provided for holding the latch E in an inactive or inoperative position, after said latch has been disengaged from'the part- 7 with which it cooperates to hold the exit door D against movement. One means that I have found to be efiicient and highly practicable for this )ur ose consists of a s Jrin pressed bolt 11 arranged horizontally in the bearing 5 in such a way that when the plunger E is drawn downwardly far enough to withdraw the upper end of same fromithe slot the bracket 7, said bolt 11 wi l snap into engagement with an annular recess or groove 12 in the plunger E, under the influence of the spring 13 that acts on said bolt, and which is shown in broken lines in Figure T. In order that said holding device 11 will be tripped or rendered inoperative automatically after it has performed its function, and thus cause the latch E to be restored to such a condition that it will be ready to perform its function when the eXit door D is thereafter moved towards its open position, I have provided the bolt 11 with an extension 11*, shown in Figure 7, that is adapted to strike against a member of the structure arranged in close proximity to the front edge portion of the door D when said door is restored to its fully closed osition re )arator to o enin the entrance door G of the passageway A.

rVhile the latch E and the combination lock F or other means associated with same can be constructed in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, I

prefer to construct the apparatus in such a way that it is necessary for the user to set the combination lock or equivalent means in one position, i. e., to permit the latch E to be drawn downwardly, before the exit door D can be moved into its wide open position, and

' is employed, i. e., to prevent an unauthorized person from rendering the latch E inoperative preparatory tomoving the exit door into its wide open position.

In the form of my invention herein illustrated the latch E is composed of two elements, as shown in Figure 6, i. e., a top element that comprises the upper end portion of the plunger E in which the annular groove 12 is formed, and a bottom portion 14 to which the actuating device 8 is attached, said bottom portion 14 being capable of moving relatively to the upper portion of the plunger and being provided with a rod 15 that projects upwardly through a hole in the top portion of the plunger. At the upper end of said rod 15 is a head 16 which is positioned in a bore in the upper portion of the plunger E. A spring 6 is combined with the lower portion 1a of the plunger E in such a way that it exerts upward pressure on the -por tion 1 1 ofthe plunger, and the component parts of the latch E of the structure are so proportioned and arranged that when the upper end portion of the latch is positioned in the slot 7 in the bracket 7, the head 16 at the upper end of the rod 15 will be in engagement with the bottom or lower end of the bore in the upper portion of the plunger in which said head is positioned. Consequently, if the combination lock F has been set in such a position as to permit the latch. E to be rendownwardly out of engagementwith the slot in the bracket 7. As soon as the upper end portion of the plunger E moves downwardly into its inoperative position, the springpressed bolt 11 snaps. into engagement. with the annular groove .12, andtthus holds the latch E inan. inoperative position until the exit door is thereafter .restoredto its fully closed position. rAs soon as the user releases the actuating device 8, however, the lower portion ldoi the plunger will move upwardly -under the influence-r its actuating spring 6,

and thus cause the bottom-endofsaid portion 1% to be positioned above the two horizontally-disposed threaded shafts F that constitute the combination lock or equivalent means that preventsfan unauthorized person from tripping or releasing thelatch E.

.it' win thus be seen that even when the upper end-portion of the latch'E is held in an inoperative position by the spring-pressed bolt 11, the shafts 1* can be turned into such. a

position that they act as a stop tor the lower I end portion let-oi the plunger which prevents said lower end portion Irom being drawn downwardly. I in order to require the user to .adjustsaid shaits E into this position, i. e., winto a position to change the combination, or another words, prevent an unauthorizedpersoni from: thereafter rendering the latch 1n- Ioperative,theshatts 1* :are mounted in the bearing 5 in such a way thatuthey will: strike I against a stationary part of the cabinet located adjacent the trout edge of the exit door WllQll SELlCl doOris moved back to: it s-closed =position,..unless said shafts F have" beenturn'ed into sucha'position that the cut-out portions 9 of same do not ,i'egister with the passageway 9 in the bearingf) in'which the @lower end portion 14 0f the plunger moves. In using the apparatus it lSiLbSOlllDQlY necessary for the user. to screw the shafts'F rearwardly into the bearing 5 :far enough to pre-. vent the front ends of said shafts from strikingagainst the stationary part of the cabinet when the exit door is restored to its iully closed position, and indoing this, i. e., screwing the shafts into=such a .position,t. the user, changes the combination and makes it neces-. sary for the next user of. the apparatus to adjust or manipulate the lock F properly be-- fore the latch L can bepulleddownwardly so.

' as to release theexit doorand permit it to be moved into its wide open position.

The method ofusingand operating theapparatus is as follows: p

The-money or other valuables which it is desired to protect are keptin the I storage space E or Bof'the apparatus,and theexit door D. leading to said storage space from the passageway A is-norma-lly maintained in its fully closed position, as shown in Figure 2. If an authorized person desires to gain access to the storage, he moves the entrance door G into its open position, then enters the passageway A, then restores the entrance door to its fully closed position, as shown in Figure 4:, and then moves the exit door D towards its open position. In the operation of open-= the storage compartment.

7 or hold-ups or :ing the exit door the latch E springs upwardlyinto the .slot of the bracket 7, and thus arrests further ,movement of .said door towards its open position, but .said door has moved far enoughto permit the user to pass his armaround the front edge ofsame and grasp the actuating. device 8 and pull it downwardly, so as to trip the latch E, and thus release thedoor D, providing the combination lock F is set or adjusted so as to not interfere with the downward -move ment of the latch E. In order to properly set or adjust the combination lock F, the user manipulates the handle 10 in such a way as to move the shafts F into such a position that the cutout portions 9 of same will register with the passageway 9 in the bearing 5 in which the plunger constituting the latch E reciprocates, after which the plunger E can be pulled downwardly and the door D can-be moved into its fully open position. To leave the passageway A it is necessary for the user to move the door D back to its .fully'closed position, preparatory to opening the entrance door (Land in this operation of restoring the exit door D to its fully closed position, the spring-pressed bolt llzthat constitutesthe holding device for the plunger. E is moved in a direction to release the plungeriand permit it to move upwardly into engagement with a solid portion of the bracket 7 and thus be in readiness to enter the slot '7 in. said bracket the next time the exit door. D is ;moved towards its open position.

An, apparatus or the construction above de-- scribed is highly practicable for use in business establishments. for storinginoneywand other valuables, because it'is of such construcitlOl] that the employee or employees of the establishment who have custody of the valuables have easy access to the compartentor '-;place 'where the valuables are kept. However, the apparatus eflectively prevents an unauthorized person, such as a robber, from gaining access to the place where the .valuawhich must-be fully-closedbefore thedoor leading toithe storage compartmentscan be fi'illyopened,said passageway beingof such size thatit is impossible for arobber and an employee "of the establishment to occupy the passageway at the same time.

to a passageway in said cabinet, an exit door leading from said passageway to a compartment in said cabinet which is used for storing valuables, said doors being of the sliding type and arranged in such relation that either of said doors when in apartly open position,

blocks the other door or prevents the same from being opened, and a mechanism in the storage compartment associated with said exit door and constructed so that it has to be manipulated in a certain manner before the exit door can be moved into its fully open position, even though the entrance door is fully closed. Y

2, An apparatus for the purpose described, comprising a casing or housing that is adapted to serve as the entrance passageway to a storage compartment, an entrance door and an exit 1 door for said passageway slidingly mounted and arranged so that either of said doors, when in a partially open condition, is disposed in the path of movement of the other door, thus preventing said other door' from being opened, a spring-actuated latch on the exit door, a part that co-operates with said latch to maintain it in an inoperative condition when said exit door is fully closed, and to cause said latch to become operative automatically to maintain said exit door in a partially open condition when an attempt is made to 'move said door towards its open position, a means associated with said latch that requires manipulation in a certain manner before said latch can be actuated to release said exit door, and a device for holding said latch in an inactive condition after it has been actuated to release said exit door.

An apparatus for the purpose described,

comprising a casing or housing that is adapted to serve as the entrance passageway to a storage compartment, an entrance door and an exit door for said passageway slidingly mounted and arranged at right angles to each other, thereby causing either or said doors, when in a partially open condition, to block or prevent the opening or the other door, a spring-actuated latch on the exit door, a part that co-operates with said latch to maintain it in an inoperative condition when said exit door is fully closed, and to cause said latch to become operative automatically to maintain said exit door in a partially open condition when an attempt is made to move said doors towards its open position, a means associated with said latch that requires manipulation in a certain manner before said latch can be actuated to release said exit door, and a device for holding said latch in an inactive condition after it has been actuated comprising apas'sageway arranged so as to to release said exit door, said holding device being rendered inoperative automatically by the movement of said exit door back to its fully closed position; i a

4. An apparatus for the purpose described,

serve as the entrance to a compartment or space in which valuables are stored, an entrance door and an exit door for said passageway arranged insuch relation that either of said doors, when in a partly open condition, blocks the other door and prevents the same from being opened, and a'meansassociated with said exit door that requires manipulation before said exit door can be fully opened and also requires manipulation before said exit door can be restored to its fully closed position. I r 5. An apparatus for the purpose described, comprising a passageway arranged so as to serve as the entrance to a compartment or space in which valuables are stored, a sliding entrance door for said passageway, and a sliding exit door for said passageway, said doors being arranged in such relation that either of said doors when in other than a fully closed condition acts as an abutment which blocks or prevents the other door from beingopened.

6. An apparatus comprising a passageway arranged so as to serve as the entrance to a compartment or space in which valuables are stored, proportioned so that it is not large enough to hold more than one person, a sliding entrance door and a sliding exit door for said passageway arranged in such relation that either of said doors when in an open or partially open condition serves as an abutment that blocks or prevents the opening of the, other door, and a '1 lock that operates automatically to locksaid exit door in a partially open condition during theact of opening said, exit door.

7. An apparatus for the purpose described, comprising a passageway arranged so as to serve as the entrance to a compartment or space in which valuables are stored, a sliding entrance door for said passageway, a sliding exit door for said passageway, said doors for the purpose described,

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