US2081757A - Authorized access means for safes or the like - Google Patents

Description

May 25, 1937- R. MclLVAlNE 2,081,757

AUTHORIZED ACCESS MEANS FOR SAFES OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. s, 1934 f sheets-sheet 1 j /j 7726/ j] g jo y jj l j? Il l z f7 Z9 1 l Z0 3a i f5 3,6. biz

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AUTHORIZED ACCESS .MEANS FOR SAFES QR THE-LIKE Filed Nov. 9, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2- l fra/engel# .oerf L.MCfZz/C72 Patented May 25, 1937 UNITED STATES' oFFlcE AUTHORIZED ACCESS MEANS FOR SAFES OR THE LIKE Robert L. Mcllvaine, Richmond, Ind., assignor to Swayne, Robinson & Company,

Richmond,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to safes provided withy closures carrying permutation locking mechanism and more particularly to small wall safes or other burglar-proof receptacles for homes, oflices and small places of business where small amounts of money and valuables may be desired to be safeguarded temporarily.

Among other objects, the invention aims to provide an improved safe for this purpose and desirably includes means for preventing access to the combination mechanism except by persons having not only knowledge of the correct combination but also in possession of a key for operating the combination, Thus, not only may the combination be varied, as is customary, but also the starting or zero point for different safes may be so varied that even though a person may know the series of combination numbers for a particular safe even though such person may be able to rotate the mechanism, without the proper key therefor, he would be unable to locate the starting or Zero position and thus would be unable to open the safe.

To further this purpose, the keys may be constructed of an easily breakable or deformable material so that they may be readily rendered useless in an emergency.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical axial section of my improved safe, parts being shown in elevation and showing the closure in locked position;

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken on the line 5 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial section similar to Figure 1 but showing the closure in unlocked position;

Figure 4 is a plan View of one form of key shown in dotted lines in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a reduced plan view of a safe adapted for the key of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a slightly different key;

Figure '7 is a View similar to Figure 5 showing a safe adapted for the key of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section of the key of Figures 4 and 6, being a section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 4; and

Figure 9 is a partial plan view of a structure similar to Figure 1 but with a key associated therewith having modified indicating means thereon.

Referring in detail to the illustrative construction shown in the drawings, the safe body I0 is advantageously made of a single materially heavy y casting of iron or the like with the hollow interior II and closure-receiving opening I2 in one end thereof, this opening I2 being desirably interiorly threaded to receive in screw engagement therewith the threaded closure I3, as is clear from Figure 1 of the drawings. 5;

'I'he closure I3, which is of material similar to the body Il) and as shown is relatively long axially to be received to a considerable depth in the body I0, is axially recessed as at I4 to house suitable locking mechanism indicated generally by 10;

the numeral I5.

When the closure i3 has been screwed into the body I0 so that the outer face IB of the closure is substantially flush with the outer face I'I of the body, and in a given relative rotative 15 position of the closure with respect to the body which may be known when the fixed arrow or other marking I8 (see Fig. 5) yon the closure is in register with the xed arrow I9 on the body, the klocking bolt 20 extending radially of the 20 closure is then received in a radially extending recess 2| in the body, to prevent rotation of `the closure and body and thus to prevent access to the interior II of the safe. Wings 22 integral with the closure facilitate rotation thereof by affording a finger grasp thereon.

The locking mechanism I5 as a whole is maintained in fixed position within the recess I 4 of the closure, in this instance by a backing-plate 23, which in the main is a flat circular metallic plate of slightly less diameter than the closure and adapted to abut shoulders 24 spaced about the interior II of the safe, when the closure is in locked position. This abutment of the backing-plate 23 and shoulders 24 guards against any 35 attempt to drive the locking mechanism inwardly. The shoulders 24 may be provided by ribs 25 running lengthwise of the safe interior and integral with the body lil,` there being preferably at least three of these ribs. As here shown also, the plate 23 may have reduced circumferentially segmental block portions 26, in this instance two of these, extending into the recess I4 in the closure and into a counterbored portion 2'I thereof ofv advantageously jointly rectangular cross-section,v thus preventing rotation of the backingplate with respect to the closure. Block portions 26 are spaced apart so that the bolt 23 may move therebetween and in their opposed faces the block portions are cut out arcuately. Screws 28 pass 50 through the plate 23 and block portions 26 into threaded engagement with the closure and the plate may clamp between its block portions 26 and an axial shoulder 29 in the closure, the baseplate 3U of the locking mechanism I5. The base- 55 l plate 3U is also of rectangular shape to t rather snugly into the counter-bored recess 27, thus preventing rotation of the main portion of the locking mechanism I5 which may be cylindrical and .may be received in the main recess I4 which may be also cylindrical. The base plate of the locking mechanism may be riveted to the main casing I5a thereof as by lugs 3| (Fig. 2) passing through the base-plate and turned thereover.

The locking bolt 20 is desirably of solid cylindrical form about 3A; of an inch lin diameter for one size of the safe described and is of rolled steel or other strong material having a somewhat-rounded nose portion 32 so as to facilitatesliding the bolt into the recess 2| in thebody. For reciprocation the bolt 4passes through an aperture 33 in the closure which communicates with a lateral enlargement 34 of the recess I4. As here shown, the bolt 29 has a relatively flat reduced shank 35 which is perforated to have passed therethrough a relatively small link pin 36, which may screw into a reciprocable locking plate 37. The pin 36 is desirably frangible so that if anyone should succeed in damaging the lock, the pin V35 would break leaving the bolt l2 llV in locked position. rI 'he base plate 39 is convenientlyV cut away as at 38 to permit yreciproca-4 tion of the bolt 20 to the position shown in Fig. 3 in`which `the bolt is withdrawn lfrom the recess 2| of the body permitting withdrawal of the closure I3 for access to the safe interior.` The locking plate 37 has a flat enlarged portion 39 which lies within the locking mechanism casing |511 and in the edge of this portion may be formed notches 49 and 4I. A spring detent -42 anchored within the locking mechanism 'has a hump 43 thereon which is resiliently received in the notch 40, whenv the locking plate 37 and bolt 2Q are in locked position, and in the notch 4I when these parts Yare in unlocked position, thus yieldingly establishing the-se alternative positions of the lock.

Any suitable combination mechanism may be employed'in association with the locking mecha.- nism I 5 to prevent retraction of the bolt 29 when it is desired to lock the safe. For present purposes, it is suiicient to state that the com bination mechanism may include a series of concentric discs 44, 45, 45 each of which has a peripheral notch 47 therein. The locking plate '37 has a stop vpin `43 thereon which is received iny the notches '47 `when the discs 44, 45, 46 are in relative rotative position so that all three of their peripheral notches are in register. Otherwise, the locking plate 37, because of the stop pin 48, cannot be reciprocated from its locked position. Conventional means are provided, not necessary to be here described in detail, for rotating the discs 45, 49 `and 47 to place their notches in register or out of register'as may be desired, either to unlock or lock the safe respectively. Such means for rotating the discs includes, `as here shown, the combination cylinder 49 which passes through an axial opening 50' of the closure I 3, but is discontinued beyond the outer face thereof -as more particularly described at a later point. By means of the cylinder 45, for example, to unlock the safe, disc 45 is iirst turned to a given predetermined rotative position which may be considered the starting or zero point of the combination, this` starting point being established, for example, when the cylinder 49, after having been turned say two complete rotations to the right, is then brought to rest with the cylinder in a given rotative position with respect to say the bolt 29. Means including the circumferentially-spaced bulges 5I are provided for indicating, by the click of a resilient detent (not here shown) received in said bulges, the degrees of partial rotation of the cylinder. Thus, continuing to turn the cylinder 49, say, eight clicks farther in the same direction, will align, say, the notch 47 of the intermediate disc 45 with the stop pin 448. Then, reversing the rotation of the cylinder, say for twelve clicks in the opposite direction, will bring notch '47 of the disc 45 into alignment with the stop pin 48. Thereupon reversal Aof rotation of the cylinder again and turning it say 'veclicks in the same direction as it was originally turned will align notch 47 of disc 44 with the two other notches 47 and with the stop pin 48. Thereupon the locking plate 37 may be reciprocated to retract the bolt.

Reciprocation of the locking plate 37, as here shown, Yis accomplished through a shaft 52 passing through the cylinder 49, which is hol-low for this purpose, the shaft 52 extending beyond the outer face of the closure in a knob`53 for manual rotation, the knob being advantageously knurled throughout its periphery. At its other end the shaft 52 terminates .in a pinion v54 coplanar with the lockin-g plate 37 which is centrally cut out as at y55 to receive the pinion. One edge of the plate 37 along this cut-out 55 is serrated to provide a rack 55a in engagement with the pinion 54, and which, upon Yrotation of the shaft 5I, causes reciproeation (when permitted by the discs 44, 45'and 45,) of the plate 37' and with it the locking'bolt 2i). 4

As already intimated, vthe combination cylinder 49 is substantially protected :from unauthorized access by Abeing 'wh-ollywithin the closure I3 and is vpractically inaccessible for rotation without the use or Va key `56 which my invention contemplates. Such a key is illustrated in Figs. 4, 6 and 8. The key `which I have here shown is desirably of hollow cylindrical form and is made of an aluminum die casting so as tol be desirably brittle. It has a shank portion 55a which' telescopes over the knob 53 and cylinder 49 in only one relative rotative position of the key with respect to the cylinder. `Such position is determined, V'in this instance, by a longitudinal groove 57 inthe cylinder 49 and a radially inwardly directed nib 58 on the shank portion 56 of the key, which nib slides in the groove 57 but prevents relative rotation of the key and cylinder when interengaged, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. For purposes of telescoping4 of thekey and cylinder, the cylinder is spaced from the closure affording an annular space 49a between the cylinder and the wall of the opening 50, which receives the annular key shank 56a. The other end of the key is desirably enlarged in a thumb portion 59 which may be knurled upon its exterior and which carries an indicating mark, for example, such as the arrow 6|] (Fig. 4:7).V The closure I3, in accordance with my invention, is also provided with a mark or arrow 6I advantageously located on one of the wings ..22, as best shown in Fig. 5. When the key. 56 is interengaged with the` cylinder 49, my invention contemplates that it be turned until the arrow 6I) on the keyregisters with the arrow ISI` on the closure. This thereby determines a given angular distance between the arrow 5I, and, say, the groove 57 of the cylinder, and the Ylocking mechanism may be sov adjusted that when this occurs the combination mechanism is in its rst or starting position as already explained. Having determined this position by means of the key, as just described, the cylinder may be placed in its successive rotative positions in series as already described by means of the key 56, in the usual way. That is, in the'example above given, eight clicks to the right, twelve to the left, and ve tothe right. It will thus be understood, that without the use of the correct key, in this instance the key 56 (having its nib 58 located ninety degrees from its arrow 66) the starting or zero point could not be known, since there is nothing to indicate the correct rotative position of the cylinder with respect to anything on the closure, at this starting or zero point, and therefore, mere knowledge of the combination itself would not suflice to open the safe.

It will be noted with respect to the closure of Fig. 5, for example, and with the key of Fig. 4, that the correct rotative position of the cylinder with respect to the closure for the starting point of the combination occurs when the groove 51 of the cylinder is ninety degrees from the arrow 6I. At this time it will also be noted that the groove 51 is ninety degrees from the bolt 26.

These angular distances may be varied indefinitely for different safes, so that a key 62 similar to key 56 but having its arrow 66 at a different angular location with respect to its nib 64, and the arrow 63 aligned with the arrow 6I, would place the cylinder 49 in incorrect position for its starting or zero point so that the safe could not be opened even though the correct combination were known.

With a safe as shown in Fig. '1, however, adapted for the key 62, knowledge of the proper combination will permit opening of the safe. It will be noted with the safe of Fig. '1, assuming that the first position of the combination still occurs when the groove 51 is ninety degrees from the bolt 26, these relative positions of the bolt and groove 51 occur when the groove 51 is at say forty-ve degrees from the arrow 6I. Since the lnib 64 of the key 62 is also forty-five degrees from the arrow 63 when ,the key 62 is used with the safe of Fig. '7, the correct starting or zero point for the combination' will be automatically determined by the key 62, as it would not be, in this instance, by the key 56 or by any key other than a key identical with the key 62.

Instead of the arrows 66, 63 on the keys, the key might carry a series of clock-like numbers as indicated in Fig. 9. For example, the key 65 might be used in place of the key 56 to open the safe of Fig. 5, by locating the number 10 in alignment with the arrow 6| to determine the starting or zero point of the combination. Thereafter the key, and with it the cylinder, might be turned a certain number of angular spaces to the right or left as predetermined. The use of the key such as 65 would also eliminate the necessity for the clicking of the lock to indicate the amount which it is rotated, the numbers on the key serving the same purpose. That is, with the example above given, rotating the key eight clicks to the right would be the equivalent of rotating the key 65 from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the rotative position where the number 2 coincides with the arrow 6I, and so on as will be readily understood.

The safe, which may be otherwise portable although quite heavy, is intended to be secured in a wall, floor or the like, as by large lag screws 66 passing through the rear wall of the body I6 with their flaring heads countersunk in the interior II as indicated at 61, no access being had to the screw 66 when the safe is closed.

I desirably provide an inner container 68 fitting snugly into the space I I, which may be made of heat-resisting or insulating material and may be lined with felt or the like for the reception of jewelry as well as money and other valuables. A cover 69 ts snugly on the container 68 and to provide means always accessible when the safe is open for withdrawing the container, I place a loose, flexible, endless band or strap 16 about both the cover 66 and container 66, the strap being retained in permanent engagement with these parts by passing through loops 1I formed on the cover and container. Thus there is always a portion of the band 16 which is accessible when the container is placed in the safe. The band 16 is of sufficient length so that the cover may be separated from the container but may not be lost therefrom.l The safe may be hidden behind a picture, for example, or in back of a drawer in a bureau, to minimize discovery.

'I'he invention embraces, in addition to the apparatus shown, a novel and useful practice adaptable to guard against tampering with the combination mechanism by unauthorized persons, since, for example, the owner of the safe can have two keys for the same safe, both of which will rotate the lock cylinder, and both of which therefore appear to be the correct keys, but only one of these seemingly correct keys would open the safe, that is only the key in which the angle between the interengaging formations and the indicator on the key is the correct angle. Thus, under coercion, the owner of the safe might even disclose the correct combination and could deliver up one of the keys--the wrong key, but which appears to be the right key-all without enabling the unauthorized person to open the safe.

Having described my invention, I c1aim:-'

l'. Means for safeguarding locks including a key having a shank portion adapted to be interengaged with a rotatable cylinder in but one relative rotative position of the key and cylinder for rotation of the key and cylinder on a longitudinal axis, and a single indicator directed radially of said axis, the shank portion having a single formation interengaging with a similar formation on said cylinder to transmit motion from the key to the cylinder, the said formation on the key lying in one plane passing through and extending along said axis, and the said indicator lying in another plane passing through and extending along said axis, said planes being angularly related.

2. Means for safeguarding permutation locks for safe closures or the like having a rotatable cylinder carried by the safe and operatively connected with the locking mechanism for the closure and having a starting mark on the safe in the vicinity of the cylinder, said means comprising a key having a shank portion adapted to be interengaged with the cylinder in but one relative rotative position of the key and cylinder for rotation of the key and cylinder on a longitudinal axis, the shank portion of the key having a formation for interengaging withasimilarformation on said cylinder to transmit motion from the key to the cylinder, said key also having a fixed indicator directed radially of said axis, the said formation on the key lying in one plane passing through and extending along said axis and the said indicator lying in another plane passing through and extending along said axis, said with the cylinder in but one relative rotative position of the key and cylinder for rotation of the key and cylinder on a longitudinal axis, said shank portion having a single formation interengaging with a similar formation on said cylinder to transmit motion from the key to the cylinder, and aV single indicator on said key directed radially of said axis, the said formation and said indicator being disposed at spaced-apart locations circumferentially of said tubular shank 10 portion.

ROBERT L. MCILVAINE.

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