US326424A - Oscae gassett - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

0. GASSETT.

SAFE.

No. 326,424. Patented Sept. 15, 1885.

'VUNITED STATES: PATENT QFFICEO OSCAR GASSETT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,424, dated September 15, 1885.

i Application filed January 8,1885. (N model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR Gnssnrr, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Safes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing likeparts.

This invention, relating to safes and vaults, has for its object to increase the difficulty of, if not absolutely prevent, burglars or unauthorized persons from picking or opening the usual permutation-locks thereon.

An experienced person having very acute sense of hearing or of touch, or both, is often enabled to effect entrance into a safe or vault, for with such senses highly developed the exact position of the parts of the lock mechanism may be accurately ascertained or defined. In every permutation-lock there are a certain number of combinations, and if time permit the opening of the lock, everything being in 1 perfect condition, is but a mathematical prob- 1cm. I have ascertained by experiment that the sense of hearing and of touch never so acute are rendered entirely unavailable provided a noise, hammering, or vibration is kept up in the safe or vault while the knob-spindle of the lock is being tampered with; and, to effect the greatest amount of vibration or trembling movement to the knob-spindle, I prefer that the blows of a hammer within the safe be made effective against the said spindle,

and by causing the spindle and lock to vibrate at such time the tumblers of the lock are made to .vibrate ortremble sufficiently to cause any tumbler broughtinto supposed correct posit-ion for trial with other tumblers to be jarred out ically stopped after the passage of any predetermined number of hours after closing the safe or vault door.

My invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with a safe or vault and its door, having alock, of a hammer or striking mechanism, and with means to actuate the said hammer or striking mechanism, whereby a an is produced at that part of the door occupied by the lock and to the lock itself, and preferably the blows of the hammer or striking mechanism are made effectual at the inner end of the knob-spindle, at the back of the lock, or at the inner side of the door. The hammer shownin thisinstanceofmyinventionis carried by an armature of an electro-magnet located within the safe or vault, together with a battery, the magnet being in a circuit so arranged as to be partially controlled by shutting the door of the safe or vault, the circuit being preferably completely closed only while the knob-spindle is being turned after looking the safe.

Figure 1 is a cross-section of a part of a safe or vault with its door closed, the door being supposed to have upon it a permutation-lock of usual construction, the hammer and means for operating it and vibrating or jarring the usual knob-spindlebeing shown in plan view. Fig. 2 is adetail showing the electrical conmotions and circuit-controlling device in plan view; Fig. 3, a section of the lock-spindle detached, it having attached to its inner end a circuitcontrolling device or clamp; Fig.

4, a detail of the said circuit-controlling device and the plan of connecting it with the spindle frictionally, and Figs. 5 and 6 details showing the detent of the time-motor and circuit-controlling device governed by the said motor in front and rear elevation, re-

spectively.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the safe or Vault; A, its door, hinged at A in usual manner; and B is the knob-spindle of the lock, it passing through and being shaped ,and adapted to operate the tumblers of any usual or suitable permutation-lock, the latter not being herein shown in detail; for,to obtain a correct idea of my invention, it is necessary only to show the knob-spindle, and it will be understood that the particular construction of the lock and of the tumblers is immaterial so long as the lock is of that class in which LII several tumblers must be brought into certain exact position before the bolt of the lock can be reciprocated. In all such looks as known to me the inner end of the knob-spindle may be seen at the back of the lock or at the inner side of the door, the inner end of the knobspindle, in most instances, being covered by a plate attached to the back of the look by screws or bolts.

In accordance with my invention, the plate referred to will be removed, or a hole will be cut through it opposite, and so as to expose the inner end of the knob spindle, so that it may receive against it blows of a hammer or vibrator.

As herein shown,the spindle is made in two pieces,its inner end being made or shaped like a cap-screw, B, having a shoulder, 20, and a head, 30, the screw forming the inner end of the knob-spindle or a rigid metallic part of. it,

and when in place, as in the drawings, serving to hold a slotted metallic arm, b. (Shown best in Figs.3 and 4.) The arm b is'moved with the knob-spindle frictionally as the latter isrotated, the said arm moving with the knobspindle untilitmeets one or the other of the circuit-closing points b b, constituting one terminal of an electric circuit, of which the arm b is the other terminal, so that when the said arm meets the saidpoints it closes the said circuit, and the arm remains in contact with the said circuit-closing point or stop inthe further movement of the spindle, which then turns frictionally within it. The electric circuit controlled by the said arm and'points,

which constitute acircuit-closer therefor, in-

cludes an electro-magnet, M, of usual con struction, located in the safe or vault on a suitable support. The screw d extended through both branches of the arm, forms an adjusting device, by which the arm b maybe made to embrace the knobspindle or itsscrew terminal more or less closely. i v

The armature M of the magnet M,is provided at its free end with a ham mer, M which as the armature is attracted is thrown toward the knob-spindleB; but herein, instead of the hammer striking directly against the spindle 1 B, I have interposed between the said spindle and hammer a rod, (1, which is placed in'suitable bearings, d d, and'is surrounded by a E a forty-eight hours. 5 with a series of holes, gshown assix in number-so that the disk will occupy eight hours in turning through the space between two, of the consecutiveholes, which are adapted to receive a pin or stud, 9 which projects from 1 both sides of the said disk, the part projecting coiled spring, d, which latter normallyacts to keep the said rod in contact with the end of the spindle, the rod d forming practicallyastiif metallic continuation or prolongation of the inner end of the spindle, so that the blows of the hammer against the rod are as effectual in vibrating the spindle as were the hammer to strike directly against the inner end of the spindle, the employment of the rod; being desirable, chiefly, to reduce the cost of the con struction of my apparatus. J U

The armature is acted upon at its back by a contact-spring, 0, held by an insulated post, 6, -in the circuit of the magnet, as is usual in electrically-operated vibrators for bells.

The arm b is provided at its rear side with two pins, b, (see Fig. 3,) between which is placed the free end of a spring, b (see Fig. 2,) attached at its upper end to the door by a screw, 0, the said spring, by its action against the pins b, serving to remove the arm after the spindle is disengaged by the operator to an intermediate position between the points b and b the movement of the arm b by the spring acting to break the circuit and leave the armature at rest.

The magnet might be operated to vibrate the hammer continuously; but such embodiment of my invention would result in useless waste of battery-power. All'that is necessary is that the hammer operate to vibrateor jar the spindle only when the lock is being tampered with out of time or by an unauthorized person, and so I haveprovided the knob-spindlewith the arm b, in order that the electric circuit, to sheet the operation of the magnet and its hammer,may be closed by the said arm only when the spindle is being operated or turned to bring a tumbler into place, and the circuit to operate the armature and hammer will be made whichever way the spindle may be turned.

The apparatus herein described needsto protect the safeor vault lock in practice for not over forty hours continuously, as that is about the maximum time that a bank-vault is ever closed legitimately-ass over Sundays or holidays-so in the circuit of the magnet I in practice employ a time mechanism to con-- trol the circuit, and thereby prevent the opera;- tion of the magnet and hammer or vibrator after a certain length of time.

The circuit-wire 2, leading from one pole of the battery G,is connected with the magnet M,

r from which the circuit is continued by wire-3 to the armature M, the back contact-spring, e, 1 of which is connected by wire 4 to one member,

f, of a circuit-closer, the other member, f, of

f which is connected by wire 5 with the two con- 1 tact-points b b,while the other pole of the said battery is connected by wire 6 with a spring, 7, which makes contact with the knob-spindle Y and arm b when the door is closed. The said circuit-closer f f is controlled by a clock-work or motor adapted to run fifty hours or more, actuating a disk, 9, arranged, as shown in this instance, to make one complete rotation in The said disk is provided at the rear side,as shown in Fig. 6, being adapt- 1 ed at. one point in the rotation of the disk to engage the member f of the circuit-closer and separate it from the member f, thus opening the circuit of the battery B and magnet M,and

causing thehammer M to cease operating, even when contact is made between the arm b and points b and b so that the safe may be easily opened by authorized persons at the IZO proper hour; or in case an accident should happen to the lock, requiring the services of an expert to open it, he will not be embarrassed by the operation of the hammer. The part of the pin 9 projecting at the other side of the disk constitutes a stop for arresting its move- 9 thereon, but not sufficient to overcome the said pressure, so that when the motor is arrested the detent comes to rest with the arm i resting against the stop 4 and when the detent is momentarily disengaged from the stop the spring i will throw it above the stop, so that it will not engage the stop if immediately thrown back by the spring '5 A second pin, similar to the one g,will be provided, which before closing the safe at night will be placed in one of the holes 9 according to the length of time that the safe is to remain locked and the hammer M in operation. For instance, if it is to remain looked for sixteen hours, the usual interval from the close of one business day to the beginning of the next, the pin will be placed in the second hole from the pin engaged by the detent, and then when the stop is released by the disengagement of the detent upon the closing of the safedoor, as hereinafter described, the motor will run for sixteen hours and then be arrested by the second pin; but if the safe is to be closed over a whole day and night, as at the end of a week, the second pin will be placed in the fifth hole and forty hours will elapse before the circuit is again broken.

The circuit-closing springsf f will preferably be connected with the safe-door rather than with the frame-work of the motor 9, so

that in the event of the sad motor becoming shattered or broken by the operation of burglars the circuit will still remain closed and thehammer c in operative condition.

The detent i is disengaged from the stop to release the motor by a shoulder. p, of a slidepiece or tripping-rod, 19, extending through or along the door of the safe, and normally when the door is open projecting from the hinged end of the door, so that when the door is closed the said slide-piece will have a longitudinal movement, forcing the shoulder p against the detent i or a projection, i", thereon, and thereby disengaging the detent from the stop 9 when the spring t'* immediately throws thedetent upward, so that the said stop 9" will not be engaged by the detent t, although the latter returns immediately under the action of the spring to the proper position to engage the next stop when it arrives at the detent in the rotation of the disk 9.

The tripping-rod p is guided in its longitudinal movement by a pin, 9", against which it is held by a spring, 19 which permits the said rod to yield laterally, so as to allow the shoulder 19 to pass the projection i on the detent-lever in the return movement of the rod caused by the spring p when the safe-door is opened.

As herein shown, the contactspring 7, together with the magnet and battery, is supported on aportion of theinterior frame-work or finish in the body of the safe, while the time-movement g is supported on the door, the portion 4 of the circuit extending from the said magnet to the said timemovement being flexible or jointed at the hinge of the door or other point to accommodate the movement of the latter, the circuit being open between the arm I) and spring 7 when the door is open and being connected at this point when the door is closed.

A circuit-closer controlled by the knobspindle of a look, as herein shown, in such manner that the circuit is normally in one condition while the said knob-spindle is at rest, and in another condition when the said knobspindle is being turned, may be employed for other purposes than for controlling the circuit of a vibrating hammer, as herein shown-such, for instance, as for con trolling a circuit leading to distant station, and governing the operation of signaling apparatus to indicate any tampering with the said circuit.

The hammer M is insulated from the armature-lever M to prevent the completion of a short circuit for the battery when the said hammer is in contact with the rod d.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a safe,- of a hammer, electro-magnet for vibrating the same, and battery and circuit for said magnet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a safe, of a hammer, electro-magnet for vibrating it, and a battery and circuit for the said magnet and circuit-controlling devices, governed by the movement of the sate-door, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a safe, of a hammer, an electro-magnet for actuating it, atimemovement governing'the circuit of the said magnet, and a detent for the said time-movement, operated by the movement of the safedoor, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the spindle of a lock with a hammer or vibrator and with means to actuate the same to vibrate and jar the spindle, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the spindle of a lock, of a hammer or vibrator, an armature, and magnet to effect the movement of the hammer or vibrator, substantially as described.

6. The spindle of a lock, its frictionallyheld arm and contact-points in circuit with a magnet, combined with a magnet and vibrator provided with a hammer, whereby the ICC a safe or vault lock with a circuit-controlling device connected with the said spindle, by 15 which the condition of an electric circuit is changed while the said spindle is beingturned, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub- 20 scribing witnesses.

OSCAR GASSETT.

\Vitnesses:

Jos. P. LIVERMORE, \V; H. SIGSTON. v

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