Abstract:
A safe which is attachable to a motor vehicle. The safe may have a door bearing a lock which is centered on the door so that access to the lock is equal from opposed sides of the safe. The safe may have a slide-out drawer which rides on a track, in which case the track and drawer are centered within the safe. The drawer may be locked by a lock which is centered within one face of the drawer. The safe may have a mounting flange bearing at least one hole for engaging a retention element such as threaded fasteners or a tether.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to safes, and more particularly to safes for use in motor vehicles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Safes for motor vehicles have long been desired and proposed. Motor vehicles have evolved from their original designs, which were often quite spacious and laid out with perpendicular and parallel surfaces. Notably, modern vehicles have become relatively compact, and prone to having curved and irregular interior surfaces. This presents certain obstacles to what would otherwise be an uncomplicated exercise in design and installation of safes. Given the trend in interior design of vehicles, it would appear that safes, if not made objectionably small, must be custom fitted to a particular vehicle design. 
     Custom designed and fitted safes present objections in manufacturing. A supplier or vendor of safes would be obliged to fabricate and stock a large inventory to accommodate the many models and designs of safes which would be necessary to offer consumers a product for the many vehicles which consumers may own. 
     There is also the issue of where to mount a safe within a vehicle. Unobtrusive spaces exist beneath seats, on vertical wall surfaces, and in the trunk. However, each of these choices may impose additional restrictions on safe design. 
     Therefore, there exists a need in the art for versatility of design which would enable any one design of a safe to fit into different locations of motor vehicles, and which would enable one design of a safe to be accommodated by different vehicles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides safes suitable for mounting in vehicles which are more versatile in their ability to be mounted in any one particular vehicle. In particular, symmetry of design enables safes to be mounted in either of two opposed orientations according to one aspect of the invention. Illustratively, a slide or guide for a safe having a drawer may be arranged so that the housing may be inverted and the drawer may still open in the upward direction. In another example, a lock may be symmetrically located with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of an associated housing, may be symmetrically located with respect to the left-to-right direction relative to an associated housing, or both. 
     According to other aspects of the invention, a vehicle safe may have flanges for surface mounting, eyes for engaging a tether for tethering to the associated vehicle, or both. 
     According to still other aspects of the invention, the safe may comprise a drawer, may have a hinged door providing access to the interior, or may have a removable door providing access to the interior. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide safes for vehicles which are versatile in their requirements and abilities to be installed within a subject vehicle. 
     It is an object to reduce the number of models or designs of safes which would be required to assure availability of a suitable model or design for the many motor vehicles which are commercially available to the motoring public. 
     It is an object of the invention to be able to utilize conventional fabrication methods to fabricate safes for installing within motor vehicles. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a safe according to at least one aspect of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the safe of  FIG. 1A  shown in an alternative orientation. according to at least one aspect of the invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the safe of  FIG. 1A , showing a drawer in the open position. 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of the safe of  FIG. 2A , showing a drawer in the open position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a safe according to at least one further aspect of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a safe according to still a further aspect of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a passenger automobile, illustrating possible mounting arrangements for a safe such as any of the safes shown in  FIGS. 1A-4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a light truck illustrating a possible mounting arrangement for a safe such as any of the safes shown in  FIGS. 1A-4 . 
         FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic end view of a safe such as any of the safes shown in  FIGS. 1A-4 , and illustrates a horizontal center plane of the referenced safes. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagrammatic end view of a safe such as any of the safes shown in  FIGS. 1A-4 , and illustrates a vertical center plane of the referenced safes. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1A-2B  of the drawings show a safe  100  for a motor vehicle (e.g., such as an automobile  2  as shown in  FIG. 5  or a light truck  4  as shown in  FIG. 6 ), which safe  100  is mountable in at least two positions on the motor vehicle. The safe  100  may comprise a receptacle  102  defined within a housing  104 . The housing  104  may comprise a top panel  106 , a perimetric wall  108 , and a bottom panel  110 . The housing  104  may be a parallelepiped as shown having a horizontal center plane  112  (see  FIG. 7 , described hereinafter) which is parallel to the top panel  106  and to the bottom panel  110 , and which is located equidistantly therebetween. The perimetric wall  108  may extend continuously about the periphery of the housing  104  except at one side which opens to receive a drawer  114 . Only the front panel  116  of the drawer  114  is visible in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . Mounted to the front panel  116  are a handle  118  and a lock  120 . 
     It should be mentioned that orientational terms such as top and bottom refer to the subject matter as it is depicted in the drawings. As will be further detailed hereinafter, a safe such as the safe  100  may be mounted in different positions, so that it may be said that there is no surface which is always the top or bottom. Therefore, orientational terms must be understood as providing semantic basis for purposes of description, and do not limit the invention or its component parts in any particular way. 
     Access to the receptacle  102 , which is a void bounded by the upper panel  106 , the perimetric wall  108 , and the bottom panel  110 , is obtained by partly or fully withdrawing the drawer  114  therefrom. The drawer  114  is disposed to occupy the receptacle  102  and to move reversibly between a protected or inaccessible location within the receptacle  102 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , and an exposed position wherein contents of the drawer  114  are exposed to access from outside the safe  100 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Of course, the front panel  116  remains visible when the drawer  114  is in the protected location. 
     The drawer  114  may comprise a floor  122  and a perimetric wall  124  projecting generally perpendicularly from the floor  122  to define a drawer storage space. The horizontal center plane  112  may be disposed parallel to the floor  122 . 
     A guide such as a track  125  is disposed to guide the drawer  114  to move between the protected location and the exposed position. The track or guide  125  is centered on the respective horizontal center plane  112  of the drawer  114  and of the receptacle  102 . 
     The front panel  116  of the drawer  114  forms a closure which seals the receptacle  102  from ready access from the exterior of the safe  100 . The closure is located on one side of the receptacle  102  and is disposed to close the receptacle  102  when the drawer  114  is within the receptacle  102 . 
     The lock  120  is disposed to selectively lock and unlock the closure, and may be of the keyed lock type which is operable by a key (not shown) and which comprises an interference member such as a finger (such as the finger  226  shown in  FIG. 3 ) which selectively engages a wall or panel of the receptacle  102  to establish interference opposing withdrawal of the drawer  114  from the receptacle  102 , and which selectively moves the interference member out of interference with the receptacle  102  to enable the drawer  114  to be exposed to the exterior of the safe  100 . This type of lock is conventional and need not be detailed further herein. 
     The receptacle  102  has a vertical longitudinal center plane  128  which extends parallel to the track  124 . The lock  120  is in a location intersected by the vertical longitudinal center plane  128 . This is a useful feature since the lock  120  will be equally accessible even when the housing  104  is inverted, as may be performed to mount the safe  100  to the underside of a horizontal vehicle surface rather than to the upper side of a horizontal vehicle surface. 
     The safe  100  may include a mounting for mounting the housing  104  to the motor vehicle. The mounting may take the form of flanges, such as flanges  130 ,  132 . Each flange  130  or  132  may bear holes such as the holes  134 ,  136 ,  138 ,  140 , for passing fasteners, such as screws, bolts, rivets, and the like (none shown). The flanges  130 ,  132  may be parallel to the floor  122  of the drawer  114 , and may be located at the bottom panel  110  of the housing  104 . This relationship enables the flanges  130 ,  132  to sit flush against a vehicle surface to which the safe  100  is to be mounted. 
       FIGS. 1B and 2B  show the safe  100  in an inverted position relative to that shown in  FIG. 1 . It will be appreciated that the safe  100  may be mounted to an overhead environmental surface (not shown) as well as to an environmental surface which is below the safe  100 . It will be appreciated that should the inverted position be employed, the orientation of the drawer  114  within the housing  104  may be reversed so that the receptacle  102  will open upwardly. Manual access to the contents and to the lock  120 , and operability of the track  124  will be unaffected by the new position. This will be apparent upon examining  FIG. 2B , which shows the drawer  114  in the open position, and with the housing  104  in the inverted position. 
       FIG. 3  shows a safe  200  which like safe  100  is mountable in at least two positions on a motor vehicle. The safe  200  may comprise a receptacle  202  defined within a housing  204 . The housing  204  may comprise a top panel  206 , a perimetric wall  208 , and a bottom panel  210 . The housing  204  may be a parallelepiped as shown having a vertical longitudinal center plane  228  which is parallel to the top panel  206  and to the bottom panel  210 , and which is located equidistantly therebetween. The perimetric wall  208  may extend continuously about the periphery of the housing  204  except at one side which opens to expose the receptacle  202 . A closure such as a door  216  which may be pivotally hinged to the housing  204  so as to selectively close and expose an opening  217  formed in the perimetric side wall  208 . A piano hinge  219  may be provided to hinge the door  216  to the housing  204 . The closure is located on one side of the housing  204  and is disposed to expose the interior of the receptacle  202  and to close the interior of the receptacle  204 . The closure may include a handle  218  exposed to the exterior of the safe  200 . 
     A lock  220  may be mounted to the front panel  216 . The lock  220  may be similar to the lock  120 . The finger  226  which establishes interference with the housing  204  is visible in  FIG. 3 . The lock  220  may be mounted on the door  216  at a location which is intersected by the vertical longitudinal center plane  228  (see  FIG. 8 , described hereinafter). This orientation renders the safe  200  suitable for mounting to an environmental surface located below the safe  200 , or alternatively, to an environmental surface located above the safe  200 . In either mounting choice, the lock  220  will be at the center of the door  216 , so that access to the lock  220  in both mounting choices will not be awkward or unduly limited. Of course, the lock  220  may be mounted on a suitable place on the housing  204 , and its interference finger, such as the interference finger  226 , may engage the door  216  if desired. 
     A mounting for mounting the safe  200  to an environmental surface of a motor vehicle may be provided, for example in the form of flanges  230 ,  232 . The flanges  230 ,  232  may be parallel to the floor  210  of the housing  204 . The flanges  230 ,  232  may bear holes such as the holes  234 ,  236 ,  238 ,  240 , for engaging a retention element. 
     A retention element may comprise a plurality of headed, threaded fasteners such as bolts  242 ,  244 ,  246 , and  248 , or any other type such as screws, rivets, expanding fasteners, and still others. 
       FIG. 4  shows a safe  300  according to a further aspect of the invention. The safe  300  is mountable in at least two positions on a motor vehicle. The safe  300  may comprise a receptacle  302  defined within a housing  304 . The housing  304  may comprise a parallelepiped including a perimetric wall  308  and a bottom panel  310 . The upper surface of the housing  304  may comprise an opening  317  which may be surrounded or framed by horizontally oriented members  350 ,  352 ,  354 , and  356 . An angled flange  358  may be fixed to the horizontally oriented member  356  to receive and entrap a closure  316  which may be moved into engagement with the housing  304  as indicated by the broken line  360 . 
     The housing  304  and closure  316  may have a vertical longitudinal center plane  328  (see  FIG. 8 , described hereinafter) which is parallel to the holes  334 ,  336 ,  338 ,  340  formed in a flange  330 . The flange  330  may be a structural and functional counterpart of the flange  230  of  FIG. 3 , which, with or without the opposed flange  332 , forms a mounting for mounting the safe  300  to an environmental surface. 
     The closure  316 , which is removable from the housing  304 , may include a handle  318  and a lock  320 . The handle  318  and the lock  320  may be structural and functional counterparts of respective handle  218  and lock  220  of  FIG. 3 . The closure  316  is secured by engagement with the angled flange  358  together with conventional engagement of the horizontally oriented member  352  by the finger of the lock  320 . The finger of the lock  320  may be similar to the finger  226  of the lock  220  of  FIG. 3 . 
     The lock  320  may be mounted on the closure  316  at a location which is intersected by the vertical longitudinal center plane  328 . As with the safe  200 , access to the lock  320  will not be awkward or unduly limited in different mounting positions. 
     The mounting for mounting the safe  300  to its associated vehicle may comprise holes such as the holes  366 ,  364 , for receiving a tether  370 . The tether  370  may be used for example to tether the safe  300  to the mounting bolt of a vehicle seat or some other sturdy component (none shown in their entirety) of the vehicle in which the safe  300  is mounted. As depicted, the holes  364  and  366  are adjacent a corner  368 . The tether  370  may be passed through both holes  364 ,  366  so as to engage the housing  304  without interfering with the receptacle  302  or closure  316 . 
     The mounting for the safe  300  may comprise fasteners such as the bolts  242 ,  244 ,  246 ,  248 , or may comprise a tether  370  as described above, or both. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a safe such as the safes  100 ,  200  and  300  may be mounted to a vehicle in several different positions or orientations. In  FIG. 5 , a safe A such as either of the safes  100 ,  200  is shown mounted to the floor  6  of a passenger automobile  2 . The closure of the safe A faces either the front or the rear of the passenger automobile  2 , and can be accessed by hand from either the front or rear foot well of the passenger automobile  2 . 
     A second safe B, such as any of the safes  100 ,  200 ,  300  is shown mounted below the rear deck  8  of the passenger automobile  2 . 
     Mounting of the safes A and B may utilize for example fasteners such as the bolts  242 ,  244 ,  246 ,  248 , with equivalent fasteners provided on both flanges, such as the flanges  230  and  232 . Alternatively, safe A may be a safe such as the safe  300  having holes such as the holes  364 ,  366 , and may be tethered to a seat mounting bolt or support (not specifically shown) or any sturdy structural part of the seats of the passenger vehicle  2 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a mounting of a safe C, which may be for example any of the safes  100 ,  200 ,  300  to a vertical surface such as the rear wall  10  of the cabin of the light truck  4 . Mounting of the safe C may utilize for example fasteners such as the bolts  242 ,  244 ,  246 ,  248 , with equivalent fasteners provided on both flanges, such as the flanges  230  and  232 . 
     Centering of certain specified components of the various safes, such as the track  125  ( FIGS. 2A and 2B ) on the horizontal center plane  112 ; and the locks, such as the locks  120 ,  220 ,  320  centered on the respective vertical longitudinal planes  128 ,  228  and  328 , assures unchanging orientation of closures such as the door  116 , the door  216 , and the closure  316  with respect to visual and manual access despite the actual selected position or orientation of mounting. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a horizontal center plane D with respect to the safe A (which of course represents any safe according to an aspect of the invention, such as the safes  100 ,  200 ,  300 ). Mounting flanges E and F respectively represent any of the mounting flanges, such as the flanges  130  and  132 ,  230  and  232 , or  330  and  332 , for example. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a vertical longitudinal center plane G, which represents any of the vertical longitudinal center planes  128 ,  228 , and  328  for example. 
     The present invention is susceptible to variations and modifications which may be introduced thereto without departing from the inventive concept. For example, it is to be understood that due to the conceptual description presented herein, components presented in the singular may be provided in the plural. Where feasible, it would be possible to provide a single component rather than a plurality of components. 
     Locations of components may be changed from those described. Illustratively, a lock such as the lock  120  may be mounted in its associated housing such as the housing  104  rather than in the closure as described. 
     The location of any of the closures, such as the doors  116  and  216  and the closure  316  may be relocated on their respective housings, such as the housings  104 ,  204  or  304 , as desired. 
     Additional mounting positions for a safe such as the safes  100 ,  200 ,  300  are contemplated. If the anticipated weight is not excessive, a safe may be mounted to the underside of the trunk lid of the passenger automobile, for example. 
     The nature of the closure  316  may be varied. For example, the horizontally oriented members  350 ,  352 ,  354 , and  356  may be deleted in favor of another arrangement. For example, the closure  316  may be provided with downwardly depending walls or tabs (not shown) which cooperate closely with the opening  317  and which prevent lateral sliding of the closure  316 . 
     Certain components, such as walls or panels of the various housings, such as for example the perimetric wall  308  may be discontinuous or perforated. That is, the perimetric wall may comprise expanded metal, or parallel but spaced apart strips such as in an arrangement similar to that of a picket fence for example. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.