US810861A

US810861A - Portable fireproof vault.

Info

Publication number: US810861A
Authority: US
Inventors: William H Hedges
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1904-02-02
Filing date: 1904-02-02
Publication date: 1906-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 1923-01-23

Description

No. 810,861. v PATENTBD JAN. 23, 1906.

W. H. HEDGES.

PORTABLE PIREPROOF VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.2.1904.

' s SHEETSSHEET 1.

with/e5 5 e s l/entor.

No. 810,861. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

W. H. HEDGES.

PORTABLE FIREPROOF VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, 1904.

Ei y.4.

witnesses In Van/tor.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

W. H. HBDGES.

PORTABLE PIREPROOF VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.Z. 1904 3 SHEETS-SHEBT 3.

'Z/Zitne sses Inventor.

WILLIAM H. HEDGES, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

PORTABLE FlP-YEPROOF VAULT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed February 2, 1904;. Serial No. 191,750.

To all 10/1/0121, it Hui/y concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. H nnens, a citizen of the United States, residing at 650 Garfield avenue, Kansas City, in the county of W'yandotte and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Fire and Water Proof Vaults; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention pertains to improvements in fire and burglar proof safes, its object being to provide a portable fire and water proof vault so constructed that it may readily be applied to any of the many forms of burglarproof safes in common use and when so applied shall not only render such safe fire and water proof, but shall also render it more convenient in use than if fireproofcd by any of the usual methods or if placed in the usual old form of vault for fire protection.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the portable vault that a safe being of definite size or proportions as to its height or width the vault shall have an appreciable degree of adjustability within certain limits to the end that the same size vault may be applied to and made to fit safes differing in size or shape, thus obviating the necessity of lniilding a vault of an. exact size to fit each particular safe.

I attain these objects by means of the novel forms and details of construction given to the several parts of my portable vault, as will be fully understood from the following specification, and illustrated by the drawings, which accompany and form part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the front or door side of my improved portable fire and water proof vault, showing the approximate relative positions of its several operating parts. Fig. 2 is a detailed plan view of one of the screw-bolts by means of which the hinged side or door of the vault is tightly secured in place when closed to render the vault waterproof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the outside knob and its connecting-spindle by which the locking mechanism shown in Fig. 4 is operated. Fig. dis a plan view of the hinged portion of mechanism by which the screw-bolts fastening the door .in place are locked against turning to release it. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the inner end of the key, showing the two projecting wards by which the two locking-bolts 10 and 11 are both moved at once, but in opposite directions. Fig. 6 is a view of the spindle vnth exterior drop-handle for operating the locking mechanism instead of knob, as shown in Fig. Fig. 7 is a horizontal crosssectional view of the vault, showing the hinged side or door partly open and an outline of top of the inclosed safe. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the adjustable flange-casting or finish ing-plate which surrounds the front side of an inclosed safe, being of suitable width, extending from it to the metal walls of the vault, forming the inner step of the flanged joint.

A special feature in the novel construction of my improved portable fire and, water proof vault is that the portion forming the door by which it is opened to afford access to the safe within consists of one entire side of the boxlike structure hinged at a vertical line in the side walls of the vault approximately flush with the front of the inclosed safe. This the vault forming the door 18 telescopic or somewhat similar in form to the lid of a trunk in that when closed its side, top, and bottom edges are flush with the outer surfaces of the side, top, and bottom walls 'of the main portion of the vault. By this novel construction the open space between the inner wall of the trunk-lid form of door and the front wall of the inclosed safe in addition to forming a dead-air space as a factor of the fireproofing also gives room for the spindle, knob, dial, or other device used for operating the locking mechanism of the inclosed safe, such spindle, knob, or handle usually projecting some distance beyond the front face of the safe. By this means the inclosed burglar-proof safe is so situated that when the side of the portable vault forming its door is open the front face of the inclosed safe is directly accessible instead of being situated back in a recess, where from imperfeet light or the adjacent walls of the vault its use is found inconvenient, as in most forms of combined fire and burglar proof safes, as also where burglar-proof safes are placed in oldstyle vaults for fire protection.

It will be understood that the outer walls of the portable vault are of metal, preferably ICO point by means of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4. It is also seen from Fig. 2 that the outside projecting ends of these screw-bolts where the wrench is applied to manipulate them are of much lighter body of metal than the portion where the square notches of the locking-bolts clamp and hold them in position. Hence any attempt to tamper with them when they are locked would break ofi this square end where wrench is applied without forcing them loose from the lock.- This-feature has been introduced here as an additional element of burglar-proofing.

Referring to the details of construction as shown in the drawings of the several figures and views, like reference letters and figures indicate like parts in all the views.

In Fig. 1, 1 is the square projecting end of the screw -bolt. 2 is the collar or flange forming part of the bolt. 6 is the dial of the locking mechanism. 7 is the lever-handle by which the interior locking-bolts 10 and 11 are operated. 9 is the adjustment-screw attaching both dial and lever-handle and by which the conical spindle 8 is drawn outward to render the joint around it waterproof.

In Fig. 2, 3 is the tapered round head of the screw bolt. 4 is its square ortion, which enters the square notch in the ockingbolts, and 5 is its screw-threaded inner end, which meshes in the nut situated in the main portion of the vault.

In Fig. 3, 8 is the conical spindle extending from outer dial to inner locking mechanism, a portion of its length being conical or tapering for purposes hereinbefore explained. 9 is a washer situated between the dial-knob and the face of the metal outside wall 20 of the door In Fig. 4, 10 and 11 are the two lockingbolts, secured in place by the studs 10 and having a reciprocating motion to lock and unlock the screw-bolts, as operated by the double-warded key 7 (Shown in Fig. 5.) These locking-bolts have thesquare notches 4, which embrace the square portion 4 of the screw-bolts, as heretofore explained. 12 is the bolt of the'dial-lock, which being thrown forward from the position shown in drawings locks the locking-bolts 10 and 11 in place, but being thrown in opposite direction releases them, so.they may be thrown back by means. of the outside operating-handle 7 and the screw-bolts may be turned.

In Fig. 6, 7 is the operating-handle, 7 is its inner double-warded key end, 8 is the conical spindle, and 8 is the screw-nut securing the key in place on end of the spindle.

steel, and the main portion of such sizelarger than the safe proposed to be inclosedthat the space between their walls may be filled in with fire-brick, plaster, or other suitable material of non-conducting properties, and, if desired, a dead-air chamber may also be left as a further element of fireproofing. The hinged portion or door of the vault is also constructed with double walls, as shown in Fig. 7, and to be packed with any of the. well-known heat-resisting substances, such as asbestos 14 plaster, &c.

Along the joints where the hinged side shuts against the edges of the main portion I provide steps forming angles in the joints as a feature for better preventing the penetration of heat. The outer step of the flanged casting is packed with asbestos 14) as a further heat and water proof protection at the joints between the door and the main body of the vault.

The adjustable feature of the vault, whereby it is adapted to be applied to varying sizes of safes, consists in partially closing the front open side of the main portion with a flat flange-casting having an opening between its three parts somewhat larger than the lateral and vertical dimensions of the safe to be inolosed. This flange-casting is made in three sections, as shown in Fig. 8, and the safe being in its proper position in the main portion of the vault the straight section 22 of the casting is cut to a length equal to the width of the safe, and the two angle-sections 23 23 are cut to length so their top short arms together equal the width of the safe, while their long side rails extend to lower edge of the bottom rail 22. Thus it will be seen that by the simple cutting of these sections of the finishing-plate the vault may be adjusted to fit safes differing materially in size or the relative proportion of width to height. This flanged casting or finishing-plate extending from the outer walls of the safe to the metal walls of the vault covers and-incloses the fire-brick or other material used in forming the fireproofing and also the dead-air space, if such has been left as a feature of the fireproofing, and presents a neat finished appearance. This finishingplate is pierced with oblon openings 24 to permit passage through it o the screw-bolts, and being elongated these openings allow plates to be adjusted without obstructing free passage of the bolts. These screw-bolts passing through the door side of the vault enter the nuts in the main portion, thus securing the door in place when closed, and they may thus be screwed down so tightly as to In Fig. 7 the main portion of the vault is render the joint between the two portions of indicated by A, the hinged or door portion by the vault absolutely waterproof, one of the B, and their connecting-hinge by O. The inimportant objects of the invention. The closed safe S is shown by outlines in position screw-bolts, as seen from Fig. 2, are so fashwithin the main portion A, its front being ioned that when screwed down to the deabout flush with the adjustable flange or finsired tension they may be locked at that ishing-plate 15 and its dial-knob and lock-opcrating handle projecting forward into the dead-air space heretofore described. In this Fig. 7 the exterior metal walls of the vault are 13. The stepped flange-castings inclosing part of the front side are 14. The adj ustable flange-casting or finishing-plate is 15. A frame or band around the entire structure and covering the joint between the two parts A and B is 16. 17 is a hollow casting in which is situated the nuts 19, into which the screw-bolts enter. 18 is a coil-spring giving automatic adjustment to the screw-bolts. In the hinged. portion or door B, 20 is the exterior metal wall and 21 is the interior metal wall, the space between the two walls being filled in with asbestos or other suitable fireproofing material. In Fig. 7 are also shown the flange-castings 14 and 145*, the casting 14: being attached to the main portion of the vault A, while its mate, 1 1, is attached to the hinged portion B, the two castings meshing when the door is closed and forming the angles in the joint. The adustable flange or finishing-plate 15 is shown in enlarged details in Fig. 8, in which 22 is the horizontal bottom rail or section of the plate; 23 23, the angle-sections forming the top and side rails. The sections 23 are pierced with the openings 24, through which the screw-bolts pass.

it will be seen that a portable fire and wa ter proof vault constructed according to my invention has many advai'itages. The user of a safe so protected finds it convenient of access and its lockingdial in good light. It is not only fireproof, but also waterproof. The vault may be applied to any form of burglar-proof safe already in use or on the market. It is understood that the vault will be provided with wheels, so when applied to a safe the vault, with its inclosed safe, may readily be moved to any desired position, as in a window or other well-lighted part of the room. This feature of ')ortability is regarded as an important element of the invention, it being well known that burglars and safeblow ers prefer the mantle of darkness and the silence of surrounding vault-walls in an obscure place to the glare of light and an exposed place in which. to perform their evil work. F or this reason the fireproof protection by the method I have devised becomes an additional factor in the problem of burglar-proof protection.

Having thus fully described my invention and pointed out its novel and useful features, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1.. A portable ire and water pro of vault for safes, composed essentially ofmain portion, A, and a door portion, B, connected by suitable hinges, C said vault being of such size larger than the safe to be inclosed therein as to leave vacant space between the inclosed safe and the walls of the vault for packing with suitable fireproofing material said vault having between its main portion, A, and its door por tion, B, a stepped flange-joint of the usual form, in which joint the adjustable coveringplate, 15, forms the inner or highest step, the outer or lowest step, 14, forming one wall, and the covering-band, 16, forming the other wall of a channel or groove adapted to receive and retain in place the asbestos packing, 14*, all substantially as, and for the purposes shown and described.

2. In a portable fire and water proof vault for safes, composed essentially of a main portion, A, and a door portion, B, connected by suitable hinges, O, the door portion, B, form.- ing one entire side of the structure, and having double walls as a feature of fireproof protection, locking mechanism located between said walls and comprising the outside operating-handle 7, the interior locking-bolts l0 and 11, and the double-warded key 7 connected by the conical spindle 8, all situated and coacting in the manner and for the purposes substantially as shown and described.

3. In a portable fire and water proof vault for safes, composed essentially of a main portion, A, and a door portion, B, connected by suitable hinges, C, the fastening-bolt passing through the door portion, B, and having a square projecting end, 1 a collar, or flange, 2; a conical head, 3; a square intermediate portion, 4, engages the notches, a, of the locking-bolts 10 and 11, and a screw-threaded inner end portion engages the nut, 19, secured in the main portion, A, of the vault, all substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

4:. In a portable fire and water proof vault for safes, composed essentially of a main portion, A, and a door portion, B, connected by suitable hinges, C, a locking mechanism situated between the outer and inner walls of the door portion, B, by means of which the fas toning-bolts are secured against being unscrewed, said locking mechanism comprising essentially the outside operating-handle, 7, the inside double-warded key, 7, the con necting conical spindle, 8, and the lockingbolts 10 and 11, having the square notches, 4 which mesh with the square portion, 4, of the fastening-bolts, substantially in the manner, and for the purposes shown and described.

5. In a portable fire and water proof vault for safes, composed essentially of a main portion, A, and a door portion, B, connected by suitable hinges, the adjustable fiange-castii'ig or coveringplate, 15, preferably composed of three sections, thestraight section, 22, and the two angle-sections, 23, 23, said pieces being pierced with oblong openings for the free passage through them of the fastening-bolts, all substantially in the manner and for the purposes shown and. described.

6. in a portable fire and water proof vault for safes, composed essentially of a main por- ICC IIO

tion, A, and a door portion B, conneoted by suitable hinges, C, the covering-band, 16, at-

tached to the main portion, A, and projecting a suitable distance beyond the base of the outer or lower step of the flanged castingjoint between the two portions, A and B, to form with the side or riser of said step, a recess or cavity for receiving and retaining in place the asbestos packing, all substantially as and for the purposes shown and described. 10 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. HEDGES. Witnesses:

J. LEE KNIGHT, J OHN CovEr.