Abstract:
A low profile depository cabinet-safe combination including a safe forming a hollow safe interior therein accessible through a lockable door, a depository cabinet set atop and locked to the safe, forming an enclosed cabinet interior accessible through a pivotally mounted lockable door by inputting an unlocking combination therein, an opening formed in the safe and an opening formed in the cabinet to place the respective interiors thereof in vertical communication with each other, deposit handling means in the depository cabinet including a deposit plate moveable from inside the cabinet interior, with the cabinet door, to outside the cabinet when the cabinet door is fully opened, on which to place a deposit and a deposit actuator for moving with the cabinet door to move the deposit plate and the deposit placed upon it from outside the cabinet into the cabinet interior, as the door is being closed, and off the deposit plate, over the communications opening, to allow the deposit to fall down into the safe interior and a snap lock for preventing the cabinet door from being reopened until another unlocking combination is inputted to unlock the cabinet front door.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention pertains to the field of safes. More particularly, the invention pertains to a depository cabinet, for use as a lockable deposit chamber where numerous deposits may be irretrievably made for either dropping down into a main safe located therebelow in the same room as the cabinet or dropping down into a receptacle or a main safe located in another room. When used with a main safe located in the same room as the cabinet, the combination of upper depository cabinet and lower main safe can be made in such a low profile that it can be easily positioned under a desk or other such piece of furniture to provide the requisite safe features without occupying otherwise valuable floor space.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Many businesses are “area specific” meaning that their profitablility depends upon maximizing business areas and minimizing administrative areas. For instance, in a fast food franchise, every square foot of usable work space represents a part of a potential table or eating area or storage for supplies, and thus profit, while every square foot of administrative (office) space represents lost work space and a loss of potential profit. Thus, customer work and server space are maximized while administrative space is minimized.  
           [0005]    In addition, there are instances where adjacent rooms are established for the purpose of having money counted and handled in one room but irretrievably passed from the “counting” or “handling” room, through the wall dividing the rooms, to the other, adjacent room where the money may be stored, packaged, paid out to third parties, and the like. One such set of adjacent rooms would be located in a gambling casino where depository boxes from gambling tables would be brought, opened, and the money removed and counted. The money would then be irretrievably deposited in a wall-mounted, depository cabinet to pass into a receptacle or safe located in the adjacent room, on the opposite side of the wall, where the money would be bundled and packaged for redistribution to other person through access windows.  
           [0006]    In addition, many businesses are run in shifts using managers to supervise workers and to handle sales proceeds (or gambling proceeds) from their respective shifts. At the end of each shift, a manager must deposit the proceeds in a safe to be held securely therein for a period of time pending removal by the business owner after a day or a plurality of shifts. This situation requires separate deposits to be made in the upper deposit cabinet to drop down into a lower safe pending later removal of the accumulated deposits therefrom.  
           [0007]    It is not unheard of that unscrupulous employees will attempt to extract monies deposited in the upper deposit cabinet or the lower safe before pickup by the owner. This criminal activity usually involves sliding a wire or a fish hook on a string into the depository cabinet for passage by gravity down into the safe where the deposits have accumulated, and attempting to “fish” out the paper money, or the deposit bags themselves. Once removed, the guilty employee blames the previous manager for not making the deposit or not placing the reported sum in the envelope when the initial deposit was made.  
           [0008]    The prior art has developed, and currently markets, depository safes that accept paper or coins or one or more envelopes of “deposits” which drop by gravity down into a lower safe; however, these devices are merely safes with a non-lockable, upper entryway that does not allow for moving the deposit anywhere but downward into a lower safe. Generally, the prior art depository safe comprises a lower main safe body having a first hollow safe interior accessible through a first lockable door that is only openable by the business owner. An upper depository cabinet is mounted in fixed position on top of the lower main safe body to allow access to the lower main safe body through an unlocked top-mounted or front-mounted door that is accessible to the managers (or anyone else) of the business.  
           [0009]    The prior art uses four types of depository techniques in the upper deposit cabinet. The first is a V-shaped hopper having a front mounted handle, pivotable at the apex of the hopper so that when the handle is pulled outward from the top of the cabinet, the hopper pivots forward to expose the interior of the hopper and to accept the deposit therein. When the handle is released or pushed backward, the hopper rotates inward of the cabinet and allows the deposit to fall off the rear hopper wall down through the interior passageway between the cabinet and the lower safe into the bottom hollow safe interior. The second type of deposit cabinet is a pull-out drop drawer having a downwardly pivotable drawer floor, usually hinged from the front, but sometimes the rear, of the drawer just inside the drawer handle. When the drawer is pulled out from the deposit cabinet, the drawer interior is exposed to make the deposit therein. When the drawer is pushed closed, the drawer floor pivots downward, inside the deposit cabinet, allowing the deposit to slide off the drawer floor, downward into the hollow safe interior in the lower safe body. The third type has a rotary hopper in the deposit cabinet. An exposed handle is used to rotate the hopper such that it opens through a hole in the top of the cabinet. After the deposit is made in the hopper, the handle is twisted to rotate the hopper and move the open hole in the hopper to align with a bottom hole in the deposit cabinet, allowing the deposit to drop out of the hopper and down into the safe interior. The fourth type is merely a horizontal slot formed in the top of the cabinet. This type of safe accepts only thin envelopes of deposits, is very easily pilfered and, for these reasons, is not readily accepted in the industry.  
           [0010]    Each of these prior art depository cabinets share common problems which, currently, have not been answered and which continue to plague the industry. The first problem is that each cabinet is not lockable and requires the deposit to be made inward through the top or top-front of the deposit cabinet. This causes two problems: First, the entire combination of cabinet and safe is easy to pilfer. secondly, the combination is too high and must occupy its own space in the small, cramped manager&#39;s office. The floor space required by these prior art devices removes floor space that could otherwise be used to either expand the customer service area or the office space for other uses. The second problem is that each cabinet can only be accessed through the top or top-front thereof. This requires space over the top of the cabinet to be maintained free and clear of other furniture, posting boards, shelving, and the like and represents a further loss of otherwise usable space.  
           [0011]    In addition, there is the problem with “fishing” extraction of deposits from the lower safe body. Presently, virtually all prior art deposit cabinets are equipped with “anti-fish” baffles that comprise special plates, walls, dividers, etc., placed at various locations inside the deposit cabinet and in the passageway leading from the upper deposit cabinet down into the safe. While these baffles are somewhat protective of the contents of the deposits already made in the cabinet, criminal ingenuity is constantly at work to overcome these safety measures and, at times, is successful. It is a never-ending chore to develop new anti-fish baffles to stay one step ahead of the thieves.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    This invention is, in one embodiment, an under-table, upper depository cabinet with some major exceptions, such as being lockable and having a low profile, enabling the cabinet to be placed under an existing table or desk to save valuable floor space. In another embodiment, the invention is a wall-mounted, irretrievable, depository cabinet for accepting a deposit in one room and transferring the deposit to another, adjacent room. Further, the invention embodies a novel upper deposit cabinet having a door that opens from the front instead of from the top. Opening from the front means that space above the cabinet can be used for other reasons, such as a place upon which to set other objects, or a place upon which other cabinets or furniture can be placed. The deposit cabinet contains a unique deposit plate that opens with the door to allow placement of loose currency or a “deposit” pouch thereon. A unique deposit actuator is provided that is also arranged to open with the cabinet door and move outboard of the deposit plate when the door is opened. When the deposit cabinet door is closed, both the deposit plate and the deposit actuator move inward with the door. The deposit cabinet includes a rake that passes closely over the deposit plate to force the deposit off the plate and allow it to free-fall by gravity down into the lower safe interior. The utilization of the deposit actuator in conjunction with the deposit plate is a unique design and one that provides anti-fish properties not heretofore possible in existing prior art cabinets. Further, the unique design of the doors in the cabinet prevents access to the interior of the cabinet or to the lower safe, even if the cabinet door hinges are severed in an intent to gain access to the interior of the cabinet.  
           [0013]    When used in conjunction with a pair of adjacent rooms, the inventive cabinet may be wall-mounted having its openable, depository door on the wall in one room and the body of the cabinet, including the opening in the cabinet floor, in the adjacent room so that deposits made through the cabinet door from one room drop down into the interior of the adjacent room to be captured by a lower-mounted safe or a receptacle.  
           [0014]    Accordingly, this invention is a unique, lockable, depository cabinet that includes, in one embodiment, a lower safe to form a combination that is easily positioned under a desk or table, and, in another embodiment, is wall-mountable to allow deposits made in one room to be transferred into another room. In the first embodiment, the lower safe is defined by a bottom wall, contiguous upstanding side walls, a top wall, and a front wall, forming a first hollow safe interior accessible through a first lockable front door mounted over an opening formed in the front wall and pivotally mounted for swinging open and closed on a first hinge. The upper deposit cabinet of this invention is provided in fixed position on top of the lower main safe body, the upper cabinet defined by a bottom wall, contiguous upstanding side walls, a top wall, and a front wall, forming a hollow interior accessible through a second lockable front door mounted over an opening formed in the front wall and pivotally mounted for swinging open and closed on a second hinge. The interior of the deposit cabinet is in communication with the lower main safe body interior through mutual openings formed in the bottom wall of the deposit cabinet and the top wall of the lower main safe. Thus, the interior of the lower main safe is accessible not only through the main safe door, but also through a second lockable front door pivotally mounted above the first lockable front door for swinging open and closed at a level not above the deposit cabinet. A horizontally moveable deposit plate in the deposit cabinet is provided for receiving a deposit thereon, when the cabinet door is opened, and for moving the deposit into the hollow cabinet interior when the cabinet door is closed, so that it will drop, by gravity, from the hollow cabinet interior, irretrievably down into the lower safe interior.  
           [0015]    The safe door includes a lock, such as a combination lock, to secure the front door. The cabinet front door preferably includes an electric push button lock having a digital readout and further includes a plurality of individual numerical combinations that will each unlock the cabinet front door, and a computer memory unit to record information as to the date and time the door was opened. This allows each manager to have his or her own code and provides an “audit trail” to the business owner to determine who, and when, a deposit was made and is an aid in tracing thievery. Another feature making this invention popular in the industry is the plurality of photoelectric cells or the like arranged to direct their beams across the floor of the deposit cabinet into receptors where the beams will be interrupted when a deposit falls from the interior of the cabinet downward into the lower safe interior. This is further evidence for use in establishing an audit trail to track thievery. A still further feature of this invention is that the floor plate is formed with an uneven surface, such as sinusoidal, and the rake includes an edge having a similarly formed shape for following closely on top of the floor plate. This feature allows the deposit of free bills, checks and coins on the deposit plate and insures that the rake will scrape these bills, checks and coins off the deposit plate and allow them to drop down into the lower safe body. As earlier stated, the deposit cabinet of this invention can be wall-mounted so that a deposit made in the cabinet, on one side of the wall, can be easily arranged to drop into a safe or receptacle located on the other side of the wall. The opening in the bottom wall of the cabinet can be located on the opposite side of the wall on which the cabinet is mounted to perform this unique function.  
           [0016]    Accordingly, the main object of this invention is a depository cabinet that, when placed in combination with a lower safe, is sufficiently low in profile as to allow it to be placed under an otherwise non-useful surface such as a desk or table. When wall-mounted by itself, the depository cabinet may be used as a means of irretrievably depositing an item in one room and having it passed into another room for capture in a safe or receptacle. Other objects of the invention include a depository cabinet whose door can be arranged directly above the lower safe door to provide only one side of the combination to be exposed for access to both the upper cabinet and the lower safe and to allow this combination to be moved into a cubbyhole such as in the wall of an office or under an existing desk or table. Still further objects of the invention include a depository cabinet having a hollow interior that is accessible from the front of the cabinet, a cabinet that allows deposits of free bills, coins and checks therein not confined to the customary pouch, and insures the items will be moved to the lower safe; a depository cabinet that insures the transfer of deposits made therein to be passed down into the lower safe; and, a cabinet that possesses unique anti-fish capabilities not possible with current prior art devices.  
           [0017]    These and other objects of the invention will become more clear when one reads the following specification, taken together with the drawings that are attached hereto. The scope of protection sought by the inventors may be gleaned from a fair reading of the Claims that conclude this specification. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one of the preferred embodiments of this invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a front view of another embodiment of this invention showing the locations of the door hinge pins in dotted outline;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is an illustrative view of another embodiment of this invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the safe showing the lockable door being hinged at the bottom of the opening in the safe front wall;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the safe showing the lockable door being hinged at the top of the opening in the safe front wall;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 6 a - 6   d  are top views of the deposit handling means, taken along a plane  6 - 6 , as shown in FIG. 2, showing four stages of closing the deposit handling means in the cabinet;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the depository cabinet and safe combination shown in FIG. 1 with the doors removed for better viewing and with a section removed from the side walls and top walls of the cabinet and one side wall of the safe to allow viewing of the inside thereof;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the portion of the depository cabinet showing the lockable door being hinged at the bottom of the opening into the cabinet;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the deposit plate having a sinusoidal surface;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the deposit actuator and the deposit plate showing how the plate moves into the interior of the deposit actuator and showing part of the interior of the deposit actuator;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 11 is a top view of the deposit plate moving from outside the cabinet into the cabinet interior and the door position means that controls the position;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of the slot in the front wall of the deposit actuator and the rake that passes over the upper surface of the deposit plate to scrape off the deposit in the interior of the cabinet;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 13 is an illustrative view of a portion of the anti-fish baffles that are mounted in the interior of the cabinet;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the front of the door in the cabinet, showing how the rim and inset of the door and door jamb prevent the insertion of fishing devices in through the cabinet door;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 15 is a vertical plan view of the locking bar and shows the ability of the bar to be moved into contact or near contact with the inside surface of a nearby cabinet side wall to deter removal of the door should the hinge pins be severed;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 16 is a side view of the locking bar shown in FIG. 15;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 17 a - 17   c  are illustrative views of a locking bolt that locks the cabinet door closed (and locked) each time it is closed;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 18 is a side view of the cabinet door showing the electronic lock, the code input buttons, the digital readout and the computer processor incorporated therewith;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 19 is a side view of an outside handle for use on the cabinet lockable door;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 20 is a side view of a detent-type handle for use on the cabinet lockable door;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 21 is an illustrative view of the front door swinging into the cabinet;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 22 is an illustrative view of the electric curtain formed by photoelectric cells and receptors across the opening in the bottom of the deposit cabinet for indicating when a deposit passes therethrough; and,  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a portion of the slot in the front wall of the deposit actuator showing the deposit plate passing therethrough during opening and closing of the cabinet door. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0041]    Turning now to the drawings wherein elements are identified with numbers and like elements are identified with like numbers throughout the 23 figures, FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of this inventive deposit cabinet-safe  1  comprising a lower main safe  3  generally defined by a bottom safe wall  5 , three contiguous side walls  7  (only one is shown), a front wall  9  and a top wall  11 . Bottom safe wall  5 , side walls  7 , front wall  9 , and top wall  11  are typical safe walls made of metal, such as iron or steel, and are contiguous in that they are joined together along their intersecting side edges and bottom edges, such as by being cast in that configuration or welded together along their respective contacting edges and corners. Thus described is a safe having an interior  15  accessible through a lockable door  17  mounted over an opening  19  formed in front wall  9 .  
         [0042]    Opening  19  may be formed in a number of ways, take on a number of configurations, and still remain within the spirit and scope of this invention. It is preferred that opening  19  be mated with lockable door  17 , preferably on a hinge pin  21  (FIG. 2) so that door  17  can easily swing open or closed when unlocked. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lock, such as a combination safe lock  23 , and a lock handle  25  are provided to move locking bolts  27  into and out of locking recesses  29 , during locking and unlocking of safe  1 . Hinge  21  is preferably a vertically-oriented hinge so that door  17  swings through an arc parallel to the plane of safe bottom wall  5  or in a horizontal plane. Other means to hang door  17  on safe  1  and other directions of movement of door  17 , such as downward on a hinge located below opening  19  (FIG. 4) or opening upward on a hinge located above opening  19  (FIG. 5) are also contemplated in this invention.  
         [0043]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an upper deposit cabinet  35  is provided in a fixed position and locked on top of lower safe  3 , down on top of top wall  11 . It is preferred that deposit cabinet  35  be comprised of a top cabinet wall  37  and three downwardly descending cabinet side walls  39  extending down toward safe side walls  7  and front wall  9 . Other configurations of side walls and front walls, such as a round safe, are fully contemplated herein. The walls are in contiguous orientation, meaning that they are also joined together along their respective intersecting side edges and top edges such as by being cast in that configuration or welded together along contacting edges and corners. Cabinet top wall  37 , along with side walls  39 , a cabinet front wall  41 , and a cabinet bottom wall  42 , complete the exterior of cabinet  35  and form a hollow cabinet interior  43  as shown in FIG. 7. Interior  43  is accessible through a lockable cabinet door  45  mounted over an opening  47  formed in front wall  41  as shown in FIG. 1. Cabinet bottom wall  42  forms an opening  48  that mates up with an opening formed in safe top wall  11  as will be more fully explained later.  
         [0044]    Lockable cabinet door  45  may be mounted on cabinet front wall  41  in a variety of ways and still remain within the spirit and scope of this invention. It is required, however, that cabinet door  45  be mounted such that, when it opens, it does not exceed the plane of cabinet top wall  37  and that it provides an opening in from the top of a deposit handling means that will hereinafter be more fully described. For instance, door  45  can be mounted on one or more horizontally oriented hinges  49  located below the bottom edge  51  of opening  47  and swing through an arc as shown in dotted outline in FIG. 8. It is preferred, however, that door  45  be mounted on one or more vertically oriented hinge pins  53  and swung through a horizontal arc as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0045]    A deposit handling means  55  is located inside deposit cabinet  35  and is shown in FIGS. 1, 6 a - 6   d,    9 ,  10  and  11  to comprise a deposit plate  59  that is triangular, and preferably pie-shaped, in overall configuration and is further defined by a front edge  61 , a rear edge  63  and an outside edge  65 . As shown in FIGS.  10 - 11 , a pivot hole  67  is formed at the junction  69  of the first terminal ends of front edge  61  and rear edge  63 . Outside edge  65  lies between the second terminal ends of front edge  61  and rear edge  63  to form a three-sided perimeter. It is preferred, as shown in FIG. 10, that pivot hole  67  house vertically oriented hinge pin  53  that supports deposit plate  59  in pivotal, horizontal attitude. As shown in FIG. 10, deposit plate  59  is further defined by top and bottom plate surfaces  73  and  75  respectively.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 10, a deposit actuator  77  is likewise provided and includes a front wall  79  and a rear wall  83 , the latter being attached to the inside surface of cabinet door  45 . Deposit actuator  77  is three-dimensional and has a top wall  85  and a bottom wall  87  in spaced-apart arrangement, as well as an outside wall  93  as shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0047]    Because rear wall  83  is placed against or forms the inner surface of cabinet door  45 , deposit actuator  77  is actuated when said door is opened and closed, swinging through a horizontal arc.  
         [0048]    As shown in FIGS. 6 a,  and  7 , a curved wall  97  is located inside cabinet  35  and provides a solid barrier inside cabinet  35  spaced very closely to deposit plate outside edge  65  and deposit actuator outside wall  93  to allow very close passage therebetween. As shown in FIG. 7, safe top wall  11  is located tightly against the inside of safe side walls  7 , safe front wall  9 , and cabinet bottom wall  42  and forms a substantially pie-shaped opening  95  therein bounded by first and second side edges  99  and  101 , respectively, and an outer curved edge  103 . Opening  95  coincides with cabinet bottom wall opening  48  to provide an unobstructed passageway from cabinet  35  down into safe interior  15  or otherwise in vertical communication with each other. It is preferred that cabinet bottom wall opening  48  be bounded by first and second side edges and an outer curved edge that coincide with edges  99 ,  101  and  103  of safe top wall opening  95 . As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, sleeve  111  is attached along the joined terminal edges of deposit actuator front wall  79  and rear wall  83  and encircles hinge pin  53 .  
         [0049]    A slot  113  is formed in deposit actuator front wall  79  near bottom wall  87 , as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, for the purpose of allowing deposit plate  59  to pass therethrough and into the hollow interior  115  of deposit actuator  77  as cabinet door  45  is pivoted on hinge pin  53 . A rake  117 , either added separately as shown in FIG. 12 or merely cut out of deposit actuator front wall  79 , is located on front wall  79  adjacent and along slot  113 . As shown in FIG. 10, in one preferred embodiment, deposit plate  59  is formed in a sinusoidal design that is concentric about pivot hole  67 . Rake  117  is made in the same sinusoidal design and arranged to pass close to deposit plate top surface  73  when deposit plate  59  is passed through slot  113  and into hollow interior  115  so that coins, checks and dollar bills deposited on deposit plate top surface  73  will be scraped off and into opening  95  to fall directly down into safe interior  15 . A deposit plate position means  119  is provided to control the position of deposit plate  59  as cabinet door  45  is opened and closed. Means  119  is necessary to place deposit plate  59  inside cabinet interior  43  and inside deposit actuator  77  when cabinet door  45  is closed against cabinet  35 . Means  119  is also necessary to place deposit actuator front wall  79  and deposit plate front edge  61  at safe top wall opening front edge  101 , and its coincident cabinet bottom wall opening front edge so that anything previously deposited on deposit plate  59 , when cabinet door  45  was opened, has been pushed off therefrom to drop down through openings  48  and  95  into safe interior  15 .  
         [0050]    When cabinet door  45 , closed against cabinet front wall  41 , is pulled open, deposit actuator  77 , inside door  45  with deposit plate  59  inside cabinet interior  45  and inside deposit actuator hollow interior  115 , begins to swing or pivot outward along with door  45 . Means  119  is shown in FIG. 11 to comprise a position tab  121 , attached to deposit plate  59 , that rotates with deposit plate  59  between a first stop  123  and a second stop  125 . As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, as door  45  is pulled open, deposit actuator  77  swings with it and begins to rotate out of cabinet interior  43 . As tab  121  strikes first stop  123 , it causes deposit plate  59  to stop rotating about hinge pin  53  and remain in position as door  45  is swung further open. Deposit actuator  77  continues to swing outward and deposit plate  59  passes outward through slot  113 . When door  45  reaches full open, deposit plate  59  is fully exposed, having its front edge adjacent cabinet front wall  41  while deposit actuator  77  is further outboard and has its rear wall adjacent and in contact with door  45 . Deposit plate  59  is now ready to accept a deposit.  
         [0051]    As shown in FIGS. 6 a  through  6   d,  when cabinet door  45 , now fully open, is swung closed, deposit actuator  77 , adjacent door  45  with deposit plate  59  between it and cabinet front wall  41 , begins to swing or pivot into cabinet interior  43 . Position tab  121 , attached to deposit plate  59 , rotates with deposit plate  59  between a first stop  123  and a second stop  125 . As shown in FIG. 11, as door  45  is closed further, deposit actuator  77  swings with it and begins to rotate into cabinet interior  43 . Deposit plate  59  also rotates into cabinet interior  43 . As plate  59  finally enters cabinet interior  43 , tab  121  strikes second stop  125 , causing deposit plate  59  to stop rotating about hinge pin  53  and remain in position inside cabinet front wall  41 . Deposit actuator  77  continues to swing inward with door  45  and deposit plate  59  begins to pass through slot  113  into deposit actuator  77  as actuator  77  rotates inward into cabinet interior  43 . As this occurs, rake  117  pushes the deposit off deposit plate  59  into openings  48  and  95  where it falls, under the influence of gravity, into safe interior  15 . When door  45  reaches its full closed position against cabinet front wall  41 , deposit plate  59  is fully inside deposit actuator  77 .  
         [0052]    As shown in FIG. 21, deposit actuator top wall  85  is preferably made to lie and swing through a dotted line arc set slightly below the top edge  127  of opening  47  over which cabinet door  45  closes when shut against cabinet front wall  41 . Similarly, actuator bottom wall  87  is made to lie and swing through the same dotted line arc set slightly above bottom edge  131  of opening  47 . In this manner, deposit actuator  77 , with it&#39;s full front wall  79  and full rear wall  83 , completely fills opening  47  when passing therethrough. Curved wall  97 , interior of cabinet  35 , lies closely adjacent actuator outside wall  93  during the same movement of door  45 , inward to cabinet  35 , thus providing a full barrier to the entrance of “fish” wires, hooks and strings into cabinet  35  when door  45  is in any position other than fully closed against front wall  41 . To further bar entrance against thieves, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 13, side edge  101  of opening  95 , and preferably the coinciding side edge of cabinet bottom wall opening  48 , have formed thereon a plurality of sharp edges  133 , sharp points  135  and sharp-edged openings  137  to catch and hold or sever any wires or strings that someone may attempt to slide under deposit actuator bottom wall  87  or over top wall  85  or around outside wall  93  in an effort to fish a deposit from safe interior  15  or cabinet interior  43 .  
         [0053]    As shown in FIG. 14, cabinet door  45  preferably is formed with an outside rim  139  that fits into an inset  143  formed about opening  47 . Rim  139  discourages the practice of slipping or inserting a fish wire in between the edges of opening  47  and deposit actuator  77  as well as giving cabinet  35  a streamlined design. In doing so, door hinge pin  53  is inset from front wall  41 .  
         [0054]    A common practice of thieves is to sever a safe door hinge pin and remove the door “backward” i.e., pulling the door edge adjacent the severed hinge or hinges outward first without having to deal with the locking mechanism that is usually located on the opposite door edge. This invention discourages such action in two ways. First, the inset of cabinet hinge pin  53  as shown in FIG. 2 means more metal surrounds hinge pin  53  than if it were located outside front wall  41 . This means more heat is needed to sever pin  53  thereby requiring the thieves to use bigger, heavier torches and to remain with the safe for a longer period of time.  
         [0055]    Secondly, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a locking bar  145  is slidingly mounted on the outer surface  147  of deposit actuator front wall  79  cradled in a pair of spaced-apart support flanges  149 . Movement of said bar  147  is limited from side to side on surface  145  by a peg  151  extending outward from surface  147  thru a slot  153  formed in bar  145 . Bar  145  is further defined by a terminal end  159  that is located close to the inside surface  161  of upper deposit safe side wall  39 .  
         [0056]    After full assembly of safe  1 , and the assembly of locking bar  145  on outer surface  147  of wall  79 , lockable safe door  17  is opened and cabinet door  45  is closed. The installer reaches his or her hand inside hollow safe interior  15  and upward thru coincident openings  47  and  95  to grasp locking bar  145  which is by then in a slidable position between support flanges  149 . The installer grasps locking bar  145  and slides it toward inside wall surface  157 , that is the same wall next to which door hinge  53  is located so that it&#39;s terminal edge  159  comes into contact with side wall inside surface  157 . A lock nut  163 , threadably received on peg  151 , is then tightened to hold bar  145  in fixed position on the rear wall surface  147 . Should hinge pin  53  be severed by thieves, pulling door  45  out from the hinge pin side of opening  47  will be deterred because of the interference of bar  145  with inside door rim  139 .  
         [0057]    Locking means  167  on cabinet door  45  preferably comprises a push button-type electric lock  169  coupled to a digital readout  171  as shown in FIGS. 2 and 18. Lock  169  also preferably includes a computer processor  173  with an internal memory section to record, for play back, information concerning the code entered, the date, time, and duration of the opening of cabinet door  45 . The function of lock  169  is that the memory is inputted with one or more access combination codes and the push buttons are actuated by the manager or owner to input the codes, and electronic processor  173  processes the codes and actuates the door lock when a recognizable code is inputted therein. Each manager is provided with his or her own special push-button code that is enterable into electric lock  169  to open cabinet door  45  for access to deposit plate  59 . By this manner, each manger is identified when opening cabinet door  45 . This information may be used to identify the person using safe  1  at certain times to reduce the area of inquiry should thievery take place.  
         [0058]    A locking bolt  175 , attached to door  45 , locks door  45  each time it is pushed closed. As shown in FIG. 17 a - 17   c,  locking bolt  175  possesses a catch or undercut  177  that passes through a slot  179  formed in a bar  181  to catch against said bar and hold door  45  closed (FIG. 17 a ). Upon entering the proper code, bolt  175  is moved sideways such that it does not catch bar  181  (FIG. 17 b ) thus allowing door  45  to be opened and bolt  175  to slip through slot  179 . Each time door  45  is closed, bolt  175  passes through slot  179  (FIG. 17 c ) and moves sideways, this time in the opposite direction, to return to its position locked against bar  181  as shown in FIG. 17 a.    
         [0059]    Handling means  183 , on first lockable door  17 , may include an outwardly graspable handle  185 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 19, or inwardly graspable detent type handle  187  as shown in FIG. 2 and  20 .  
         [0060]    In FIG. 3 is shown another embodiment of the invention. In this invention, cabinet  35  is mounted in an opening formed in a wall  191 . Wall  191  separates a room  193  from another, adjacent room  195 . Cabinet top wall  37 , side walls  39 , rear wall  41  and bottom wall  42  extend into room  195  while cabinet door  45  opens into room  193 . Cabinet bottom wall opening  48  is located in room  195 . As shown, a deposit pouch  197  is inserted into cabinet  35  on deposit plate  59  and door  45  closed. Pouch is moved off plate  59  as previously described so that it falls by gravity through opening  48  to a receptacle  199  located below in room  195 .  
         [0061]    In FIG. 22 is shown another embodiment of the invention wherein a plurality of photoelectric cells  203  are arranged to shine across openings  48  and/or  95  into receptors  205  to provide an electronic curtain through which deposits pass as they drop from cabinet  35  downward through openings  48  and/or  95 . Photoelectric cells  203  operate as a means for creating an electric curtain across the communications opening between safe  1  and cabinet  35  and receptors  205  operate to determine when the electric curtain has been penetrated by passage of an item, such as deposit pouch  197  has been dropped from cabinet interior  43  down into safe interior  15 . This embodiment provides further evidence to the manager or store owner to determine when deposits have been made into cabinet  35 .  
         [0062]    While the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications to the described embodiment of the invention without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that all combinations of elements and steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result are within the scope of this invention.