Abstract:
A security safe having a housing defining a security enclosure, the housing including an opening into an interior of said enclosure for placing items into, and removing items from, said enclosure. A door mechanism is mounted to the housing for movement between opened and closed positions in relation to said opening, wherein in the closed position the door mechanism precludes access to said interior through said opening. In one version, the housing further includes an aperture for inserting items into said enclosure without moving said door mechanism into the opened position. In another version the aperture is defined in a door of the safe.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates in general to enclosures for protecting valuables, an in particular to lock boxes for universities and colleges.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    There has been a need for safe boxes in public and semi-public locations. For example, in universities, with the prolification of electronic devices such as laptop computers, cell phones and the like, many students find the need for a way to securely store their electronic equipment and other valuables. Many students in schools and universities use laptop computers, and increasingly many education institutions requires the students to have laptops. Some universities provide lockers near class rooms wherein a student can store objects in a locker. However, such lockers have many disadvantages. There usually are less lockers available than the number of students who need lockers. The locker door must be opened and closed every time an item is placed, or removed from the locker. Further, onlookers can see the valuable items being placed into or removed from a locker, and contents of the locker are exposed to public view every time the locker is opened. This poses a privacy and security risk. Further, for students living in dormitory rooms, currently there are no means of securely storing valuables such as laptops, cell phones, money, jewelry, etc., in the dormitory rooms. Theft from dormitory rooms are common, and often dormitory rooms are shared, thereby increasing the risk of theft.  
           [0003]    There is, therefore, a need for a safe box for storing objects such as valuables in public and semi-public locations such as university dormitory rooms. There is also a need for such a safe box to allow placing objects into the safe box without exposing the contents of the safe box. There is also a need for such a safe box to allow securing the safe box to prevent removal.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention satisfies these needs. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a security safe having a housing defining a security enclosure, the housing including an opening into an interior of said enclosure for placing items into, and removing items from, said enclosure. A door mechanism is mounted to the housing for movement between opened and closed positions in relation to said opening, wherein in the closed position the door mechanism precludes access to said interior through said opening. In one version, the housing further includes an aperture for inserting items into said enclosure without moving said door mechanism into the opened position. In another version, the aperture is defined in a door of the safe. The safe includes means for locking the doors, and anchoring means for anchoring the safe to a structure. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 shows an example perspective view of an embodiment of a safe according to the present invention with the safe doors in the closed position;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 shows an example perspective view of the safe of FIG. 1 with the safe doors in the open position;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 shows an example perspective view of the safe of FIG. 1 with the safe doors removed, showing an example shelving for storage compartments within the safe;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 shows a partial top view of the safe of FIG. 1; and  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 shows a front view of the safe of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]    FIGS.  1 - 2  show perspectives view of an example embodiment of a safe  10  according to the present invention for securely storing valuables therein. The safe  10  comprises a housing  12  defining an enclosure  14 , with an access-opening  16  providing access to the interior of the housing  12  for storing objects such as valuables. The housing  12  includes side walls  18 , top wall  20 , bottom wall  22  and rear wall  24 , and said access-opening  16  and a door mechanism  28  including one or more doors form a front wall  26  of the safe  10 . Preferably, the door mechanism  28  includes two doors  28 L and  28 R as shown, wherein the doors  28 L,  28 R are attached to the housing  12  around the opening  16  using hinges  30  as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The hinges  30  are selected, and the doors  28 L,  28 R are attached to the housing  12  via the hinges  30 , such that when the doors  28 L,  28 R are closed, the hinges  30  are not visible (FIG. 1). This provides a flush external surface for the safe  10  where the doors  28 L,  28 R are attached to the housing  12 , and prevents removal of the doors  12  by manipulating the hinges  30  when the doors  28 L,  28 R are closed.  
         [0012]    In one example, the safe  10  has outside dimensions of about e.g. 10″ high×17″ wide×12.5″ deep. The access-opening  16  is defined on the front wall  26  of the safe  10 , wherein the access-opening  16  is about e.g. 8″ high×15″ wide. The housing  12  and the doors  28 L,  28 R are made from e.g. 18 Gauge steel that has a baked power coat finish. Other dimensions and rigid materials for the safe  10  are possible and contemplated by the present invention. Access to the safe  10  is controlled with the two outward swinging doors  28 L,  28 R that pivot on the concealed hinges  30 .  
         [0013]    The safe  10  includes a locking mechanism for locking the doors  28 R,  28 L closed. In one example, the right hand (second) door  28 R traps the left hand (first) door  28 L when closed, if the left hand door  28 L is closed first. For example, the left hand door  28 L can include a lip  32  extending from an edge of the door  28 L, whereby the right hand door  28 R traps the left door  28 L as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the right hand door  28 R is controlled in its opening and closing using a padlock  34  inserted through a member such as steel loop  36  that is welded to the inside of the housing  12  and projects through a breach  38  in the right hand door  28 R, wherein the padlock can be placed through the hoop  36 , preventing the doors  28 L,  28 R from being opened without removing the padlock. In this example, the hoop  36  is attached to a divider  44  secured inside the housing  12 . Other locking mechanisms for the safe  10  are possible (e.g., combination lock) and contemplated by the present invention.  
         [0014]    The right hand door  28 R includes a recessed area  40  on the face of the right hand door  28 R, wherein the breach  38  is defined in the recess  40  to provide an area for the padlock and a flush face to the safe. The hoop  36  projects through the breach  38  into the recessed area  40  (FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 3, the doors  28 L,  28 R can be disassembled from the housing  12 , when the doors  28 L,  28 R are open, by means of hand tools. This allows repairing or changing the doors  28 L,  28 R. Each door  28 L,  28 R is about e.g. 8″ high×7.5″ wide. The recessed area  40  on the right hand door  28 R can be rectangular, about e.g. 4″ high×3″ wide×0.5″ deep. The breach  38  in the recessed area  40  can be about e.g. 1″ from top of the recess  40  and about 1″ wide. The housing  12  further includes lips  43  protruding from the opening  15 , and recessed into the housing by e.g. 0.5 inches″, as door stops when the doors  28 L,  28 R are closed.  
         [0015]    In another aspect of the present invention, the safe  10  further includes at least one aperture  42  for inserting items into the safe  10  without using said access-opening  16 . As such, the aperture  42  can be used to insert items into the safe  10  without moving the doors  28  into the opened position. In one example shown in FIG. 5, the aperture  42  comprises a narrow horizontal slot defined in the right hand door  28 R, wherein the slot is about e.g. ¼″ high and 5″ wide near the upper portion of the face of a door  28 L or  28 R. Other shapes, sizes and locations for the aperture  42  are possible and contemplated by the present invention. In another example shown in FIG. 3, the aperture  42  is defined in the housing  12 , such as e.g. a side wall  18  of the housing  12 . Preferably, the slot  42  is shaped and sized to allow inserting items into the safe  10 , while preventing access to the interior  14  of the safe  10  for removing items therefrom when the safe doors  28 L,  28 R are closed. For example, the slot  42  can be used to insert items such as money, credit cards, mail, etc. into the safe  10  without opening the safe doors  28 .  
         [0016]    The safe  10  further includes a anchoring mechanism for securely fastening the safe to a structure, such as floor or walls boards, such that the safe  10  cannot be moved when the safe doors are closed. As shown in FIG. 3, in one example, the anchoring mechanism includes a plurality of orifices or holes  46  in the housing  12  to allow attachment of the safe  10  to a structure with fasteners  48 , such that the fasteners cannot be removed when the doors  28 L,  28 R are in the closed position. For example, the safe  10  can be installed and anchored in the a student&#39;s dorm room using e.g. ¼″ anchor holes  46  in the bottom wall  22  of the housing  12  using fasteners  48  such as screws, nails, etc. The screws/nails  48  are inaccessible when the safe doors  28 L,  28 R are closed (FIG. 1). Other means of anchoring the safe  10  are possible and contemplated by the present invention.  
         [0017]    As shown by example in FIG. 3, dividers/shelves  44 ,  50  are used to divide the interior space  14  in the safe into different storage area or compartments  52  (e.g,  52 L,  52 R,  52 B). In the example of FIG. 3, dividers  44 ,  50  secured to the housing  12  (e.g., screwed) are used to define three storage areas  52 L,  52 R,  52 B, wherein a horizontal shelf  44  divides the interior  14  in half into lower/bottom storage area  52 B, and an upper area further divided by a vertical divider  50  into two unequal areas, a left area  52 L and a right area  52 R (e.g., area for the receipt of items inserted though said horizontal slot  42 ). The left hand upper interior portion  52 L of the safe  10  can hold cameras, CD players, cell phones, and similar size personal items. The lower portion  52 B of the safe  10  is designed to accommodate at least one portable or notebook personal computers.  
         [0018]    As shown in FIG. 5, the safe  10  further includes one or more breaches/holes  54  providing access into the safe  10  for passing at least a power cable  56  therethrough for powering at least one electrical unit (e.g., notebook personal computer) in the safe  10  from an external power source when the doors  28 L,  28 R are closed. In the example shown, the breaches  54  are defined in the housing  12  (e.g., defined in the front wall  26  of the housing  12 ), and have a circular shape of about 1″ in diameter. Other shapes, sizes and locations for the breaches  54  are possible and contemplated by the present invention.  
         [0019]    A safe  10  according to the present invention can be used in private, semi-public, and public locations. For example, the safe  10  can be used in homes, hotels, vehicles, and education institutions such as dormitory rooms. With the prolification of the notebook personal computer, theft of such items has become more important to students. Currently students have no way of storing their notebook computers and valuables and small expensive items in their dorm room. As such, the students have no choice but and they carry all of their valuables around with them at all times. An example safe  10  according the present invention takes little space in crowded dorm rooms, and can be locked by a lock such as a padlock or combination lock. Preferably, the student provides a lock which only the student can unlock. The lock can also be integrated into the safe  10 . However, integrated mechanical combination locks or digital keypads can create a control/administration overhead for university management. The changing of codes for each student every semester can be difficult and time consuming. A lock provided by a student prevents management access to the student&#39;s belongings stored in the safe.  
         [0020]    Students can store their belongings such as notebook computers, mail, cell phones, CD players, and other high value small items in the safe  10  in their dorm rooms, whereby the students total control over the contents of the safe  10  using the student&#39;s own lock. The student can conveniently deposit money and letters into the safe  10  using the drop aperture  42  without opening the safe doors  28 L,  28 R exposing contents of the safe  10 . The safe  10  is designed for maximum space utilization and provides secure and private storage without using too much of the student&#39;s limited dorm room space. The inside shelf surfaces of the safe  10  can be covered with a rubber type material.  
         [0021]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with regard to the preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the appended claims should not be limited to the descriptions of the preferred versions contained herein.