Security enclosure for handguns

A security closure for handguns including a rigid metal box having a front opening with a door pivotally attached to one side thereof and having a push-button combination locking mechanism. Disposed within the enclosure is a holster or other gun-holding receptacle which is pivotally mounted to the inside of the box and is adapted to swing outwardly as the door is opened so as to present the handle of the gun to one opening the door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to firearm storage apparatus and 
more particularly to a security closure for handguns which can be quickly 
opened for withdrawal of the gun. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
While the need for a handgun in an emergency situation requires that it be 
easily accessible, it is also well recognized that means must be provided 
to limit access to those for whom its use is not intended. Although 
lockable gun cases and cabinets have long been available for the storage 
of handguns and several such devices are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 
to Pachmayr, 3,329,278; Young, 3,731,818; Robertson, 3,762,789; and 
Berens, 3,848,940, the problems with such prior art devices is that they 
are either not intended to have a high level of security or their security 
features make intended access to the weapon difficult. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel gun 
storage enclosure having a high degree of security but at the same time 
has features which make the contained weapon easily and quickly accessible 
to those having intended to have possession. 
Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a rigid 
metal box having a front opening with a door pivotally attached along one 
side thereof and which includes a push-button combination locking 
mechanism. Disposed within the enclosure is a holster or other gun-holding 
receptacle or apparatus which is pivotally mounted to the inside of the 
box and is adapted to swing outwardly as the door is opened, and to 
present the handle of the gun to one opening the door. 
An important advantage of the present invention is that even though highly 
secure when locked, the enclosure may be quickly opened with one hand and 
the gun may be easily and quickly removed from its holder. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no 
doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the 
following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which are 
shown in the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, a preferred embodiment of the 
present invention is shown to include a single-piece, five-sided, 
rectangular metal box 10 having a metal door 12 attached to one side 
thereof by a piano-type hinge 14. The front edges of the walls of the box 
10 are all folded inwardly, both to strengthen the side walls and to 
provide a sealing surface which mates with a resilient gasket 18 carried 
by door 12, thereby making the box dust proof when in its closed 
configuration. 
Mounted to the inside back surface 20 by screws 24 and spaced therefrom by 
standoffs 22 (see FIG. 3) is a mounting plate 26. Affixed to the mounting 
plate is a vertically disposed bar 28 which serves as a means for 
attaching a leather or plastic holster 30 to the plate 26. The bar 28 also 
serves as a means for securing one end of a leaf spring 32 to the back 
plate 26. As may be noted in FIG. 3, the leaf spring 32 is deformed in 
cantilevered fashion so as to resiliently urge the holster toward the 
extended position shown by the dashed lines 30' when not held in its 
retracted position by door 12. 
The door 12 is locked to box 10 by means of a commercially available 
push-button combination locking mechanism 34 and its associated bolt 
mechanism 36. As shown in FIG. 2, the mechanism 34 includes five push 
buttons 38 which when depressed in a predetermined combination allow the 
latch handle 40 to be rotated to withdraw the bolt 42 from its locked 
position behind the edge of box flange 17. 
The box may be either mounted to a flat wall surface such as is indicated 
by the dashed lines 43 in FIG. 3, and affixed thereto by means of screws 
or bolts 44 which are passed through holes 46 in the back wall of box 10, 
or may be mounted within a recess in a wall as indicated at 48 and secured 
to the sides of the recess by screws 50 which are passed through optional 
openings provided in the side walls (FIG. 3) and indicated by the dashed 
lines 52 in FIG. 1. 
In operation, with the door 12 open, the holster 30 would be rotated into 
the outwardly extending position illustrated by the dashed lines 30'. With 
the holster 30 in this position, a handgun may be easily inserted 
thereinto. Once the gun is so positioned, one need simply rotate the door 
into the closed position and lock it in place. As is clearly apparent from 
the drawing, rotation of the door causes the inside surface thereof to 
engage either the gun butt or the side of holster 30 and cause it to 
rotate inwardly against the force of spring 32 into the position 
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. Note that since spring 32 tends to bias the 
holster and gun outwardly against door 12, upon rotation of the locking 
knob 40 door 12 will release the latch and allow it to be rotated into its 
open position. 
Turning now to FIG. 4 of the drawing, there is shown an alternative 
embodiment of the present invention in which no biasing spring is 
required, and in which instead, rotation of the holster 60 into the 
extended position illustrated by the dashed lines 60' is accomplished by 
mounting the holster to an inclined pivoting shaft 62 which is affixed at 
one end to side wall 64 and at the other end to the bottom wall 66. With 
the holster so mounted, the weight of the gun will cause the holster 60 to 
swing into the extended position 60' as the door 58 is opened. 
Although only two embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed 
above and both utilize conventional holster-type receptacles for the gun, 
it is contemplated that other alternative means might also be used for 
holding the gun either in the position illustrated or in a more 
horizontally disposed position. For example, one might utilize a simple 
shaft that extends up the barrel of the pistol and is pivotally attached 
to the box so as to allow the pistol to rotate into the extended position, 
or perhaps one might utilize a similar tubular receptacle that receives 
only the barrel of the pistol. This invention is therefore deemed to 
include any type of pivotable gun holder which is adapted to swing from a 
position within the box 10 to an extended position as the door is opened. 
And whereas other alterations and modifications of the present invention 
will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having 
read this disclosure, it is intended that the appended claims be 
interpreted as covering all such alterations and modifications as fall 
within the true spirit and scope of the invention.