Expandable structure for automatic teller machines

An expandable security structure for housing an automatic teller machine. The structure comprises a pair of telescopic sections that nest together to provide a minimum dimensioned width structure for housing the automatic teller machine and telescoped to a maximum dimension to provide a structure sufficiently large to enable the automatic teller machine to be serviced by personnel from within the structure. The entry door into the structure permits passage to the interior thereof only when the structure is in at least a partially telescoped from its nested position. Either a motor or manual crank is provided for relative movement of the sections. In a second embodiment the automatic teller machine is translatable relative to the translatable section from a first position where its front surface is substantially flush with the exterior wall of the structure to a second extended position where the front surface is positioned exteriorly remote therefrom. Locking mechanisms are provided to prevent unauthorized telescoping of the sections and translation of the automatic teller machine of the second embodiment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
As a convenience for customers, banks and other institutions involved in 
receiving and dispensing of money have been increasingly installing 
automatic unmanned teller machines. Originally, these machines were only 
installed within the principal premises of the institutions. More 
recently, however, these machines are being installed at locations remote 
from the principal banking premises, such as, driveways adjacent thereto, 
shopping centers, parking lots, building lobbies, airports, etc., both for 
walk up and drive-up application. These remotely located automated teller 
machines permit a customer to identify himself to the computer controlling 
the machine and then transact normal banking transactions such as, 
deposits, withdrawals, payments, etc., just as if the customer were 
physically present at the institution. An essential factor in the 
selection of suitable locations for these automatic teller machines is the 
security of the machine and its availability to the customer. The need for 
security is obvious when it is appreciated that these machines will 
frequently contain large sums of cash. A less obvious factor is the 
installation of such a machine at a location where a minimum of space is 
available or where space is relatively expensive. Such a location is the 
use of driveways adjacent to one or more of these machines which are 
mounted on minimum width islands between or adjacent to these driveways. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,735,966 by inventor R. S. Garver teaches an adjustable 
steel vault having telescope sections which can be positioned to expand 
from a nested position to a telescoped position. A door is provided on an 
end of one section which allows access to the interior of the structure 
regardless of the relative positions of the sections. A manually operated 
crank and panel assembly is provided to decrease the size of the structure 
from a manually telescoped position toward a nested position. The sections 
are supported on the supporting surface by rollers. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,755 by inventor Paul R. Wiedmann teaches a structure 
particularly adapted for use with an automatic teller machine for location 
at a site remote from a financial institution. This structure is adapted 
to be installed on a small space as adjacent to or between driveways when 
in use and mounted on a base are components which rotate from a use 
position to a service position while maintaining environmental integrity 
to the interior of the structure. Like the prior mentioned structure, a 
door on one end thereof provides access to the interior of the structure 
when the interior components are in either a use or service position. The 
construction of this structure is labor intensive, economically expensive 
to construct, will not be readily adaptable to the various automatic 
teller machines and is incompatible with combined computers and automatic 
teller machines. 
There has not been a completely secure and versatile structure for housing 
automatic teller machines or the like until the emergence of this 
invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is directed to a secure expandable structure for the housing 
of an automatic teller machine or the like which when in an automatic 
teller operable mode takes up a minimum amount of surface space and when 
in a service mode expands only over a driveway or walkway positioned for 
that structure's automatic teller machine access and provides ample 
machine service space in a secure environment. 
An object of the invention is to provide an expandable structure the 
interior of which is substantially inaccessible when in a nested or normal 
automatic teller machine operable position. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an expandable structure that 
is adaptable to house any configuration of an automatic teller machine. 
Another object of this invention is to provide automated or manual means 
for telescoping the structure between automatic teller machine operating 
and servicing modes. 
Another object of this invention is to provide additional servicing area 
within the expanded structure by translating the automatic teller machine 
outward from the structure. 
Still another object of this invention is to secure both the structure and 
the automatic teller machine from respectively telescoping or translating 
when the automatic teller machine is in an operating mode. 
The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below 
in which like numerals indicate like or similar parts or elements in the 
drawings in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring now to the various drawing figures. FIG. 1 is a perspective 
showing of one embodiment of the expandable structure 10 of the invention. 
The structure is shown in its expanded or telescoped maximum surface area 
configuration. The structure is formed by two nestable sections and a 
support base. The outer section 12 includes an interior access door 14 and 
a control access door 16. The front of the outer section 12 is open to 
receive the open end of an interior section 18 therein. The inner section 
18 is designed to have an automatic teller machine 20 fixedly secured 
thereto, the front surface being shown. An opening in the rear of 
structure (not shown), provides an opening for interior ventilation. 
Referring now to FIG. 2. the inner translatable section 18 is shown 
translated a short distance from its fully nested position (see FIG. 3). 
The translation is guided and supported by wheel and track combinations. 
Guidance is accomplished by means of a wheel 24 and a "V" shaped outer or 
support surface which engages and rides upon an inverted "V" shaped track 
26. Additional support is provided by tracks 28 and wheels 32 with smooth 
or flat engaging surfaces. The "V" shaped wheel surface and inverted "V" 
shaped tracks may be positioned on the lower support surface or attached 
to the upper surface of the interior of the outer section 12 as shown in 
FIG. 7. Various combinations of guidance tracks and smooth tracks may be 
employed to practice the invention. 
A base 34 is fixedly attached to the outer section 12 and supports the 
entire structure including the bottom tracks 26 and 28. The details of 
construction of the base 34 will hereinafter be discussed in more detail. 
A lip or curb 36 is provided to the lower front surface of the inner 
section 18 for use of the structure 10 as a vehicle drive-up enclosure 
installation for the automatic teller machine 20. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the structure 10 (collapsed to its minumum surface 
configuration) of this embodiment does not include the lip or curb 36 of 
the FIGS. 1 and 2 structure 10 and is used to house a walk up automatic 
teller installation. In this embodiment the surface support tracks 28 are 
flat or smooth, as are the support wheel surfaces. In this configuration 
the upper surface of the tracks are on the same plane as their surrounding 
surface to prevent tripping people using or walking by the front of the 
structure. In the FIGS. 1 and 2 showing, it is not anticipated that there 
will be walk up users of the automatic teller machine and the inverted "V" 
rail 26 will not effect vehicles riding thereover. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the base 34 is constructed of rigid steel or the 
like side beams 36, end beams 38, cross beams 40 and longitudinal 
stiffeners 42. The longitudinal stiffeners 42 generally will be tubular 
steel structures, such as steel pipe having a sufficient diameter and wall 
thickness to prevent the base from torquing from its normal plane when the 
structure 10 is fixedly attached thereto while the structure and base are 
being transported as an integral structure to a location site or when the 
inner section is translated relative to the outer section. Each side beam 
36 includes securing plates 44 secured thereto. The securing plates 44 
each have a central aperture 46 therethrough for attachment to surface 
supports 46. The surface supports 46 generally are in the form of pillars 
embedded in the earth which include an attachment screw embedded therein 
(not shown) which passes through the cental aperture 36 and is secured to 
the securing plates by means of a nut or the like engaging the screw 
threads of the screw in a conventional manner. Leveling of the structure 
on site during surface support attachment is accomplished by means of 
wedge shims or the like not shown. The elements of the base are 
interconnected by welding means or the like to insure rigidity. 
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan showing of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3 
utilizing an automatic teller machine 48 which is not fixedly attached to 
the inner section 18 but is translatable relative thereto the distance 
between the outer lip 50 and the inner shoulder 52. When the structure and 
automatic teller machines are in the position shown in FIG. 5, the 
structure and automatic teller machine are in their normal or operable 
positions. In this position the door 14 can be opened but the side wall of 
the inner section 18 prevents entry into the interior of the structure 10. 
Further if forced entry into the interior of the structure is accomplished 
the rear or access door to the automatic teller machine can at most be 
slightly opened preventing access to the money available within the 
machine bank. Even if the automtic teller machine is translated relative 
to the inner section the distance between outer lip 50 and inner shoulder 
52, access to the machine bank would not be possible. 
Referring now to FIG. 6, which is a schematic plan view showing of the 
inner section 18 of the structure 10 translated outward to its maximum 
surface area as shown in FIG. 1 as well as the automatic teller machine 48 
in its maximum outwardly translated position. The FIG. 6 structure and 
machine position is the automatic teller servicing position. In this 
position the opening of door 14 allows entry into the interior of the 
structure and allows sufficient room therein to allow door 50 on the rear 
of the automatic teller machine to be fully opened as required for machine 
servicing. 
The translation of inner section 18 as well as the automatic teller machine 
operates as follows: 
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 7-10, in either the mechanical crank or motor 
driven operation lock 52 on door 16 is unlocked and the door is pivoted 
open as shown in FIG. 7. Lock arm 54 is then pivoted downward opposite to 
arrow 56 to its FIG. 7 position. The rotation of lock am 54 in this manner 
exposes the crank attachment 58 and translates locking pin 60, attached to 
the lock arm 54 from its engagement with opening 62 to its FIG. 8 position 
freeing the inner lock between the outer and inner sections of the 
structure thus allowing the inner section 18 to translate relative to 
outer section 12. 
Referring now specifically to FIG. 9A, a removable crank 57 is then 
interconnected to crank attachment 58. The rotation of the crank 
connection 58 rotates reduction gears in gear box 64 which produces a two 
to one rotational reduction at output shaft 66 of gear box 64. Connected 
through a universal connector 68 is a drive shaft 70. Drive shaft 70 
interconnects right angle drive unit 72 through a second universal 
connector 68. The rotational input at shaft 74 and at output shaft 76 of 
right angle drive unit are equal (1 to 1). A second drive shaft 78 is 
interconnected to output shaft 76 and axle 80 through a pair of universal 
connectors 68. Axle 80 is held in place by a pair of spaced apart bushings 
82. Positioned between the bushings 82 is a sprocket 84 fixedly attached 
to the axle 80. A chain 86 passes around sprocket 84 and a second sprocket 
86 and is connected at each end to inner section attached connector 88. As 
should be understood from the drawings the rotation of crank connector 58 
rotates sprockets 84 and 86 at half crank speed causing the inner section 
18 to translate relative to outer section 12 in or out according to the 
direction of the rotation of crank connector 58. 
Referring now specifically to FIG. 9B there is shown a second embodiment of 
a manual drive means for translating inner section 12. The system operates 
the same as that system depicted in FIG. 9A and described above. In this 
second embodiment the crank attachment 58 is attached to a first sprocket 
65 which drives a second sprocket 69 by means of a chain 67 therebetween. 
Sprocket 65 is larger in diameter than sprocket 69 so that every two 
rotations of the crank attachment 58 provides a single rotation of 
sprocket 69 and attached shaft 76. The remainder of the components 
employed are the same as hereinbefore discussed. It should be obvious that 
the translation operation is as discribed above. 
It should be understood that various other ratios between the crank 
attachment 58 and output shaft 76 can be employed to practice this 
invention. 
In the motorized version the axle 90 fixedly attached to sprocket 86 
extends beyond the width of the inner section 18 and includes a second 
sprocket 92 fixedly attached thereto. The axle rotation is supported by 
bearings 82. An electric motor 94 is interconnected through a reduction 
box 96 attached to its output shaft to an axle 98 which in turn is 
connected to sprocket 100 through an electric clutch 102. The axle 98 
connected to the output of reduction box 96 should rotate at a slow enough 
speed to translate the inner section 18 relative to the outer section 12 
at approximately four inches a second. It has been found that a one third 
horse power motor operating at 1100 RPM with a 60:1 rotational reduction 
in reduction box 96 is suitable. It should be obvious that combinations of 
different sized motors, rotational speeds and reduction gearing may be 
used to practice this invention. 
Like hereinbefore discussed, locking pin 60 must be in its FIGS. 7 and 8 
position prior to energizing the motor 94. The controls for motor 94 
operation may be located behind door 16 or remotely located. 
Referring again to FIG. 2, to translate the automatic teller machine 48, 
lock rod 104 must be disengaged from the aperture 106 in track 26 by 
pulling upwardly and while the lock rod is disengaged, the machine 48 is 
manually pushed toward the front of the inner section 18 to its FIG. 6 
position. Similar wheel and track guidance and support as that shown in 
FIGS. 1, 3 and 10 are utilized. 
The structure of the invention thus offers a number of unique advantages 
which make it particularly suitable for use in public locations both for 
vehicle drive up and walk up operations. The structure when collapsed in 
its operational mode is compact and may be installed as a free standing 
structure without the dedication of additional space to permit servicing 
of the machine. The machine is serviced from within the structure to 
provide the required security. Security is further improved by the fact 
that the interior is not accessible in the structure's operational 
collapsed mode. It is thus apparent that the structure of the invention 
offers many unique and advantageous features which make it particularly 
suitable for the installation of an automatic teller machine in a public 
area. 
Structure 10 may be suitably decorated to be compatible with its 
surroundings and yet provide an attractive and secure enclosure for an 
automatic teller machine. 
As various changes could be made on the above construction without 
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter 
contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings 
shall be interpreted as illustrations and not in a limiting sense.