US1863680A - Bank protective apparatus - Google Patents

Description

June 21', 1932. A. YOUNG ET AL 1,363,580

BANK PROTECTIVE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l In venture! Buzz, I

A tlorney June 21, 1932.

A. YOUNG ET AL M emch fiaam BANK PROTECTIVE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1931 '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors A llqme y June 21, 1932. A. YOUNG ET AL 1,863,680

BANK PROTECTI VE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 llli l ////////////A Inventors 4422071 920 Wan M S \fizz a/zen yereizas'er A tforney Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES we deem ANDREW YOUNG AND STEPHEN GERENCSER, OF WINDBEB, PENNSYLVANIA BANK PROTECTIVE APPARATUS Application filed January 6, 1981.

The present invention relates to a bank protective apparatus and the prime object of the invention is to provide means for effectively protecting banks and similar financial insti- 5. tutions which are normally accessible to the public during business hours and hence are made the object of attack for the purpose of robbery by men who hold up the tellers located at the paying windows under restraint by means of firearms or by actually attacking such officials before means for protecting the funds of the institution can be utilized, and it is therefore the purpose specially of the present invention to provide protective, bullet-proof curtains or shields which may be moved into position to protect the tellers and the funds and portable securities in their position or into position between the tellers and anyone located outside of the screen or grating of the bank or like institution and to provide means for signalling outside help by the display of a signalling panel.

Another very important object of the inr vention resides in the provision of an apparatus of this nature which is exceedingly simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture and install, thoroughly efiicient and reliable in use and operation, easy to manipulate and otherwise well adapted to the 0 purpose for which it is designed.

With the above and numerous other objects in view as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction, and in the 5 combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a tellers cage showing the various windows and the curtains or shields associated therewith and the operating mechanism,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary outside View of the building showing the display of the signal panel, and

Serial No. 506,986.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail it will be seen that the numeral 5 denotes a cage, grating, walls or the like having teller windows 6 therein of conventional construction. Alongside of the windows are vertical channel guides 7 for curtains or shields 8 preferably of bullet proof material and connected with cables 9 trained over pulleys 10. The cables 9 are windable on drums 11 on a shaft 12. There may be a plurality of shafts 12 geared together as at 14 and these shafts may be actuated for winding the cables thereon by means of an electric motor 15 geared to one of the shafts 12 as at 16. A plurality of ratchet wheels 17 are mounted on the shaft 12 one under each window. Rocker shafts 18 are mounted alongside of the shaft 12 and are geared together for simultaneous operation as at 19 and have fixed thereto pawls 20 for engaging ratchet wheels 17. These pawls have pedal extensions 21. A drum 11 is mounted on one of the shafts 12 and has a cable 9 windable thereon in the same direction as the cables 9 and is trained over suitable pulley structures 10 to a signal panel 23 mounted in the wall of the building to be displayed through an opening 24 and to be normally moved up into a pocket 25. The signal panel moves down into displaying position when the screens or shields gravitate down into protective position.

It is quite apparent from the above detailed description that should a robber appear at any of the windows the teller at that window or any of the other tellers may step on his pedal 21 which will release all of the pawls allowing the shields and the signal panels to gravitate downwardly thereby protecting 99 the tellers and at the same time signalling people outside of the bank that a robbery is being intended.

A hand operated lever and ratchet mechanism 26 may be used on the shaft 12 in place of the motor if desired.

Access may be had to the panel in the opening 24: by means of a door 28. The signal panel is slidable in channel irons 29.

It is thought that the construction, operam0 tion, utility and advantages of this invention will now be quite apparent to those skilled in this art without a more detailed descrip tion thereof.

The present embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail merely for the purposes of eXemplification since in actual practice it attains the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description.

It will be apparent that changes in the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit oriscope of the invention as hereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

In combination with a wall having a plurality of windows therein, guideways at the sides of the windows, a gravity shield slidable in each pair of guideways for closing a window when the shield is in lowered position, a pair of pulleys located above each window, a cable passing over each pair of pulleys having one end connected to theupper end of a shield, a shaft supported for rotary movement adjacent the bottom of the wall, drums on said shaft and fastened thereto and to which the lower ends of the cables are connected, means for rotating the shaft to cause the cables to wind on the drum to raise the shields, ratchet wheels on the shaft,

one under each window, a second shaft supported for rotary movement adjacent the lower end of the wall and parallel to the first shaft, pawls fast on the second shaft one engaging each ratchet wheel for holding the first shaft in position with the cables wound on the drums thereof and a pedal extension on each pawl whereby depression of any one of the pedals will release all the pawls to permit all of the shields to drop into closing position.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

ANDREW YOUNG. STEPHEN GERENCSER.

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