Abstract:
A safe or other secure containment having a body, a door for entry into the body, a moveable latch system effective for latching and unlatching the door to the body, a lock attached to the door for locking the safe is made more secure by an active hardplate and an independent lockout means effective for preventing the unlatching of the safe door upon the displacement of the active hardplate caused by an unauthorized and unlawful attempted entry into the safe. Existing safes also can be modified.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to safes and other secured containments with a body surrounded by a wall with an entry door into the body. The entry door has a latching mechanism for latching and unlatching the door to the body and a lock for locking the door to the body. The entry door when closed and latched to the body forms and defines an internal safe cavity. 
         [0002]    Latching bolt systems that have a single bolt latch and multiple bolt latches are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,679,087 and 7,665,405 disclose latch systems that are latched on just one side of a safe door to the safe body, while other systems latch multiple sides including top and bottom of the safe door. 
         [0003]    Anti-drill plates and materials are also disclosed for use in locks and safes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,087 also discloses an anti-drill plate secured to the inside surface of safe door that must be drilled through before the lock is reached and before a relocker system is engaged. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,986 discloses a lock with a hard plate with an outwardly facing convex surface that tilts on its mounting bracket when contacted by a drill bit. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,255 discloses a safe with two hardened-material plates with hardened steel ball bearings therebetween and a second locking mechanism for relocking the safe upon a drill attack. A drill attack on the combination dial or door must first drill through a first plate, then through one or more ball bearings, then through a second plate, then into a cylindrical opening in the second locking system to fracture breakaway screws that held a release plate against the lock works. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,350 discloses a combination dial mounted on a safe door with a protective mounting platelike body of a hardened material welded to the inside surface of a safe door in front of a lock works. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,275 discloses a protective lock mounting plate for safe door locks having a drill-resistant disc rotatably mounted between the lock and the door. A drill attack on the lock rotates the disc making the drilling more difficult. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,717 discloses a combination lock having a tumbler wheel assembly shield for preventing an unauthorized lock manipulation. The shield covers the tumbler assembly and is sufficiently rigid to resist the forces of the end of a piece of bent wire, or similar tool, inserted from the front of the lock through the hole in the dial shaft thereby preventing the lock from being picked. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,597 discloses a mortise lock having a spindle hole with a protective guard disc of hardened metal which is mounted so that it is freely rotatable. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,438 discloses a lock for a parking meter having a metal disc rotatably mounted in a cylindrical space. The metal disc has central slot through which a key can pass to enter the lock. A drill attack on the lock will cause the metal disc to rotate when the tip of the drill reaches the central slot. The lock also has a hardened steel bushing sufficiently hard and axially outwardly in front of the metal disc to preclude tapping. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,947,160, 2,690,144, 1,550,953, 1,448,525 and 1,384,509 disclose auxiliary locking devices for rebolting a door to a safe body upon an unauthorized attempt to break into the safe. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 218,704 discloses an improved burglar-proof spindle for safes having a hardened steel bar within the spindle for breaking a drill off upon a drill attack on the spindle. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 119,258 discloses a lock-spindle for safes into two or more sections and interposing between them a piece or mass of hard and impenetrable material that a drill will not scathe. 
         [0014]    Another interesting feature is that the circumference of the disc has a groove for holding a wire with a weighted plunger attached to a distal end of the wire. If the wire is broken during a drill attack the weighted plunger will fall into a notch in a second bolt latching mechanism that prevents the door from being unlatched. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The following terms used in this application are meant to have the following meanings. 
         [0016]    The term “inwardly” shall mean in the direction generally toward the center of the safe cavity unless otherwise specified. 
         [0017]    The term “outwardly” shall mean in the direction generally from the center of the safe cavity and through the entry door, unless otherwise specified. 
         [0018]    By the term “lock”, as used herein, is meant a key lock, combination lock, or an electronic lock, or any other type of lock accessible by key, key card, dialing a combination, or electronic key pad for entry to a memory component of a computer or other device. 
         [0019]    By the term “hardplate”, as used herein, is meant a hardened steel plate which presents a significant resistance to drilling that is much greater than un-treated or un-hardened steel. 
         [0020]    By the term “active hardplate”, as used herein, is meant a hardplate which is displaceable spatially within a restricted space and/or in a confined manner in the safe. 
         [0021]    Safes and other secured containments having various types of locks, and doors latching systems are made more secure by a moveable and active hardplate of this invention and an independent lockout system that prevents the unlatching of the door latching system when the active hardplate is moved by an attempted unauthorized entry. 
         [0022]    The force necessary to penetrate a hardened steel plate or hardplate by a drill attack requires that a much greater force be applied to the drill bit to cause penetration into the hardplate. Ordinary drill bits will not penetrate hardplate but will be dulled or broken. The material of the hardplate makes it very difficult or impossible to drill through. Any type of commercially available hardplate can be used. A preferred hardplate material comprises hard particles such as sintered tungsten carbide granules brazed onto a steel plate with a nickel silver brazing material. 
         [0023]    It is believed that a lock having a protective hardplate that will resist a drill attack until a predetermined force is exerted on the hardplate that is effective for forcing the hardplate to be spatially displaced, and which displacement prevents the unlatching of the latch bolt or bolts, will greatly improve the security of safes by substantially prolonging the time required to break into the safe. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a view of the back side of a safe door showing an embodiment of an active hardplate of this invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional views through line A-A of  FIG. 1  with the active hardplate under a drill attack. 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view through line A-A of  FIG. 1  with the active hardplate under further drill attack in which the active hardplate has been displaced. 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is an orthogonal view from the lower left side of the back of the safe door showing the moveable latch system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  is an orthogonal view from the lower right side of the front side of the moveable latch system of  FIG. 4  showing the active hardplate under a drill attack. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0029]    This invention can be used on most locks if not all locks, including but not limited to locking mechanisms such as keyed tumblers, combination locks, fingerprint or other biometric recognized locks, and electronic activated locks, including card activated locks. 
         [0030]    Combination locks usually have a dial for inputting a secret combination. Electronic locks usually have a key pad for inputting a secret combination and other secret information such as user identity, and authorization codes. This invention is especially useful for electronic locks for small stores, including fast food and drink stores open 24 hours a day, and automated teller machines or ATM&#39;s. Aperture  191  indicates a location where a key cylinder, or dialer, or electrical connections can be installed for various types of lock mechanisms; see  FIGS. 1 and 5 . 
         [0031]      FIGS. 1-5  illustrate an embodiment  100  of a safe locking system having multiple latch bolts  144  driven by a moveable carriage bar  140 , and having a lock  160  protected by an active hardplate  182 .  FIGS. 1-5  also show the locking system in a locked state. 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  illustrates the inside or rear facing surface of a safe door  102  featuring the locking system with an active hardplate  182  of this invention. 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view through line A-A of  FIG. 1  with the lock  160  under a drill attack and showing the tip of drill bit  190  penetrating a small portion  188  of the safe door  102  and positioned to attack active hardplate  182  next. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  is a corresponding view of  FIG. 1  but with the drill bit  190  now having completely penetrated the small portion  188  of the safe door  102 , however, hardplate  182  has not yet been penetrated. Nonetheless, hardplate  182  has now been activated by driving it inwardly towards a lock mount plate  162  and lock  160 . 
         [0035]    The relatively small portion  188  of safe door  102  in front of the active hardplate  182  is seen best in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 . It is seen that the small portion  188  of the safe door is immediately in front of the active hardplate  182 , which in turn is immediately in front of lock mount plate  162 , which in turn is immediately in front of lock  160 . Small portion  188  of the safe door  102  has been omitted in  FIG. 5  to more clearly illustrate the other components of the safe locking system. The entire safe door is not shown in either  FIG. 4  or  FIG. 5  to more clearly illustrate the other components of the safe.  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate the safe in a latched and locked state. 
         [0036]    In particular  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate a safe locking system comprising a handle  110  for opening and closing the safe door, and a shaft  112  that rotatably extends through another portion of the safe door, which is not shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  to better illustrate other components of this embodiment of the safe locking system. Shaft  112  is also shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  but with the handle omitted. After shaft  112  passes through the safe door it slideably extends through a driver plate  114  located inside the safe and spaced away from the inside surface of the safe door. A distal end  116  of shaft  112  is fixed and secured to a driver  118  by a fastener or bolt  120  and nut  121 . Shaft  112  contains opposite flat areas near and immediately before distal end  116  to insure that driver  118  rotates with handle  110 . 
         [0037]    Driver plate  114  further comprises cooperative cam slots  124  and  126 . Slots  124  and  126  are spaced apart and are oriented approximately 90° relative to each other. Other effective orientation of the moving components for closing and latching the safe door can be used if desired. 
         [0038]    Rotation of the door handle  110  causes shaft  112  to slideably move in cam slot  124 , which causes a cam  128  to slideably move in cam slot  126 , which cause latch bolts  144  to enter their associated respective locking bolt recesses in the body or frame  104  of the safe, not shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , thereby enabling the safe door to be in a closed and latched state as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5 . An opened state of the safe door is not shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5 . Once the safe door is in its closed state, the safe can be locked, which is described more fully below. 
         [0039]    Driver plate  114  is fixed to the moveable carriage bar  140  by bolts  142 , which are secured in threaded holes in moveable carriage bar  140 . A plurality of latch bolts  144  are fixed to carriage bar  140  by bolts  146  at a plurality of spaced apart locations. Bolts  146  also are secured in threaded holes in carriage bar  140 . Latch bolts  144  extend into side frame  104  or body of the safe of  FIG. 1  when safe door  102  is closed and latched, or when locked. 
         [0040]    Lock  160  is attached to a lock mount plate  162  by bolts inserted through apertures  192  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . Lock mount plate  162  is also spaced away from the safe door as seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0041]    A lock bar  164  is fixed to moveable carriage bar  140  by bolts  166 , which are secured in threaded holes in carriage bar  140 . Lock mount plate  162  is not shown in  FIG. 5  to more clearly illustrate the other components of the moveable latch system. 
         [0042]    Lock  160  has a lock bolt  170  or tongue that is extendable into a lock bolt recess  172  in lock bar  164 . When the safe is in the locked state as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , lock bolt  170  extends into lock bolt recess  172  and prevents the carriage bar  140  and the other moving parts of the door opening and closing linkages, i.e. the moveable latch system, from entering into the unlatched and unlocked state. Therefore, when lock bolt  170  is extended into lock bolt recess  172 , the safe door, and safe, is locked. 
         [0043]    Active hardplate  182  is confined to move in a restricted space  180  that is bounded in part by a hardplate enclosure  185 , lock mount plate  162 , and small portion  188  of safe door  102 , see  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3  and  5 . Active hardplate  182  can move in a direction roughly perpendicular to the plane of the lock mount plate  162  and lock  160  as seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  5 . 
         [0044]    Press fitted into holding apertures  163  in a lock mount plate  162  are one or more lockout pins  184 . Lockout pins  184  are effectively aligned with associated lockout recesses  165  in locking bar  164 . Hardplate  182  is not attached to lockout pins  184 , lock mount plate  162 , locking bar  164  or carriage bar  140 . Instead hardplate  182  is confined to move within the three dimensional restricted space  180  described above. 
         [0045]    In this invention, active hardplate  182  has hardness effective for preventing, for example, a drill bit  190  from readily biting into the hardplate  182  thereby requiring a safecracker to exert more force on the drill bit  190  in an attempt to bite into hardplate  182 . Such greater force will be effective at some point, e.g. preferably a predetermined force, for pushing or driving lockout pins  184  into their associated lockout recesses  165  in locking bar  164 . 
         [0046]    When lockout pins  184  are positioned in their respective lockout recesses  165  in locking bar  164  the lock bar cannot be moved into the unlatched and unlocked position even if lock bolt  170  is retracted into lock  160 . Therefore, when lockout pins  184  are positioned in their respective lockout recesses  165  in locking bar  164 , the unauthorized entry into the safe becomes much more time consuming thereby allowing the police more time to respond to an alarm system preferably associated with the safe or the building in which the safe is contained. Once lockout pins  184  are set in lockout recesses  165  a factory trained locksmith may be needed to open the safe and to subsequently repair the safe system. 
         [0047]    For example, if the safe cracker were to attempt to disable the lock  160  by drilling into an area of the safe door directly in front of hardplate  182 , i.e. the small portion  188  of the safe door  102 , a drill bit  190  will soon reach hardplate  182 . As more force is applied to the drill bit  190  in an attempt to cause the drill bit to bite into the hardplate  182 , that greater force will, at some point, push lockout pins  184  that are abutted against hardplate  182  into their associated lockout recesses  165  in locking bar  164 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , thereby preventing locking bar  164  from being moved thereafter into the unlatched safe door state or condition. 
         [0048]    In a preferred embodiment, the lockout pins  184  that are press fitted into lockout recesses  165  are designed to require at least a force of about 60 lbs to be exerted by the drill bit  190  on the hardplate in order to push the lockout pins  184  into lockout recesses  165 . 
         [0049]    In an alternative embodiment, one or more springs  187  are installed between the active hardplate  182  and the lock mount plate  162  that require at least a force of about 60 lbs to be exerted by the drill bit  190  on hardplate in order to push hardplate  182  away from the safe door in order to push the lockout pins  184  within the holding apertures  163  into lockout recesses  165 . 
         [0050]    In either of the above embodiments, the predetermined force may be higher or lower depending on the desire of the owner of the safe. For example, the predetermined force can be about 30, about 60, about 90 or about 120 lbs. 
         [0051]    Thus, the parameters for activating the independent lockout system can be tailored to the particular safe owner&#39;s requirements. 
         [0052]    Turning back to the point as illustrated in  FIG. 2  but before the point illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the safe door  102  can still be unlatched and unlocked in the usual authorized and legal manner. Hopefully, the time already spent trying to break into the safe will cause the burglary attempt to be abandoned and repairs to the safe door  102  will be minimized since the hardplate has not yet been activated. 
         [0053]    However, once lockout pins  184  are inserted into lockout recesses  165  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the repairs to the safe become much more time consuming and may require a factory trained locksmith to open the safe and to subsequently repair the safe system. At this point too although there may be severe damage to the safe door, the safe door remains latched and cannot be opened yet without expending considerable more time breaking into the safe. 
         [0054]    In another preferred embodiment, the active hardplate  182  has a bent flange portion  186  that acts as a hinge surface causing the activated hardplate to rotate slightly in a clockwise direction as shown in  FIG. 3  within restricted space  180 . The rotation of hardplate  182  is effective for causing the drill bit  190  to contact the hardplate at an angle that is not perpendicular to the surface of the hardplate, thereby rendering the hardplate even more difficult to be bitten into by the drill bit. 
         [0055]    In one embodiment, a light or thin hardplate is used to reduce cost. 
         [0056]    Thus in this invention, the active hardplate can be displaced upon a drill attack, which if so attacked is operable for causing an independent lockout system to move into a configuration that is effective for preventing the safe from being unlatched in the normal manner thereby providing even greater security for the contents of the safe. 
         [0057]    The principles of this invention can also be incorporated in existing safes by retrofitting an active hardplate, lockout pins and lockout recesses in such safes. 
         [0058]    While systems incorporating the active hardplates have been described and illustrated, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the principles herein illustrated, described and claimed. The present invention, as defined by the appended claims, may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics. The configurations described herein are to be considered in all respects as only illustrative, and not restrictive. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.