IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON SAFES, STRONG BOXES, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Matthias Hart, of 70, 'Cheapside, in the City
of London, Lock Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON SAFES, STRONG BOXES, AND OTHER
RECEPTACLES."
Sealed the 23rd February 1866, and dated the 7th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Matthias Hart
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th September 1865.
I, JOHN MATTHIAS HART, of 76, Cheapside, in the City of London, Lock
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON SAFES, STRONG BOXES, AND OTHER
RECEPTACLES," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means for connecting together parts of iron
safes, strong boxes, and other receptacles so as to obtain increased security.
combined with economy of construction in substitution of the rivetting or
welding processes now generally adopted for such purposes.
In carrying out my improvements the edges of the side, top, and bottom,
and back or other plates to be connected to other parts of the safe, strong
box, or other receptacle, are formed with tenons to pass into corresponding

page_text: mortises in tubes or chambers to act as such, by which the plates are to be
connected together, and by preference I form the tenons and mortises of
adjoining plates to overlap or interlace one with the other in such tubes or
chambers, and when the parts are thus combined I pour fluid metal or it
may be iron or other cement into the tubes or chambers, by which the parts
become firmly united or held together. In order that the metal or cement
thus poured or forced in may have a more secure holding I also prefer to bore
holes through the tenons, through which the fluid metal or the cement may
also pass.
I also form the connecting tubes or chambers with flanges to cover the
abutting edges of the plates connected to them, which flanges may also serve
as means of temporary connection of those parts. The ends of adjoining or
abutting surfaces of the tubes may in some cases be held together by passing
them into square or other suitable blocks prepared to receive them, and which
may then be made fast by fluid metal or cement flowing or being forced
therein.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Matthias Hart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MATTHIAS HART, of 76, Cheapside, in the City of London, Lock Manufacturer,
send greeting.,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Matthias Hart, Her spécial licence that I, the said John Matthias
Hart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Matthias Hart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON SAFES, STRONG BOXES, AND OTHER RECEPTACLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Matthias Hart, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,

page_text: or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said.
3 Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Matthias Hart,. do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner: the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in. and. by the
following statement thereof,, that is to-say :-
The improvements relate to means for connecting together parts of iron
safes, strong boxes, and other receptacles so as to obtain increased security.
combined with economy of construction.
In carrying out my improvements the edges of the side, top, and bottom,.
and back or other plates to be connected to other parts of the safe, strong
box, or other receptacle, are formed with tenons to pass into corresponding.
mortises in tubes or chambers to act as such, by which the plates are to be
connected together. By preference I form the tenons and mortises of
adjoining plates to overlap or interlace one with the other in such tubes or:
chambers, and when the parts are thus combined I pour fluid metal, or it
may be iron cement or other cement,. into the tubes or chambers, by which
the parts become firmly united or held together. In order that the metal or
cement thus poured or forced in may have a more secure holding I also prefer
to bore holes through the tenons, through which the fluid metal or the cement
may also pass.
The ends of adjoining or abutting surfaces of the tubes may in some cases.
be held together by passing them into square or other suitable blocks prepared
to receive them, and which may then be made fast by fluid metal or cement
flowing or being forced therein..
But that my Invention may be fully understood, I will, by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, proceed to describe means pursued by me in carrying:
the same into effect...
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
TL

page_text: tenons a¹, and each of the tubes or chambers 6 is formed with corresponding
holes to receive the projections along one edge of one or more of such
plates which are to be connected together. The projections or tenons of
adjoining edges of plates secured into the same tube or chamber 6, and the
holes in such tube to receive these tenons are by preference interspaced so
that the projections of one of such plates may overlap or interlace with those
of the other in each tube or chamber b. Each tenon may also be formed with
a hole or holes as through it in order that any matter filling the tube or
chamber b may by passing into these holes tend more securely to hold the
parts together.
I also form each tube or chamber b with grooves &², the edges of which
act as flanges to receive and cover the edge a³ of each plate a between the
projections a' thereof. c, c, are hollow blocks for connecting the ends of
adjoining tubes or chambers &; these blocks c are formed at c¹ to receive the
ends of the tubes or chambers b, and when all the parts, as, say, the top,
bottom, sides, and back of a safe, strong box, or other receptacle, or it may
be other parts thereof, have been formed as stated, and fitted together in the
positions it is desired that they should permanently occupy in relation to each
other, such parts are temporarily but securely clamped or screwed or rivetted
together, and by preference with the bottom side uppermost, when molten
fron or other metal is poured in at the angles through the blocks c, c, at the
bottom of the receptacle so as to flow into all of the tubes or chambers b, b,
and the hollow blocks or chambers c, and, according to the size of the
receptacle, there may be two or more pourings of metal at the same time.
For some purposes in place of molten metal iron cement or other cement
may be poured or rammed into the tubes or chambers and blocks to hold the
parts together. Flanges may be applied to or formed on the tubes or
chambers, when screws or rivets may be passed through them into the plates
to serve as the first or temporary means of connecting the parts together.
In some cases the tubes or chambers may be made use of as means of
uniting together in manner such as described sheets or surfaces of iron in
the formation of safes, strong boxes, and other receptacles otherwise than at
the angles thereof.
Figure 14 shows by sectional view how plates d, d, forming the framing of
the door or doors may be in like manner connected to tubes or chambers b, b,
and other of the plates. In this case the front edge of the plate, or of at
least one of the plates d (when such framing is made up of several plates) is
formed with tenons or projections d, which pass into recesses formed for them
in a tube or chamber b, and there are other tenons a' applied to other of the

page_text: plates a, whilst the plate d, or one of them, is formed with recesses d³, so that
when molten metal is caused to flow through the tubes or chambers b it may
flow therefrom through passages 6 formed for that purpose, or by other
suitable passages into the cavity between the plates d and a, and by filling
up the recesses in that plate d, and surrounding the tenons or projections a*,
the plates & and a and tube or chamber 6 will be simultaneously connected
together. The plate or plates d are formed as described in the Specification
of Letters Patent granted to me, bearing date the 28th of February 1865,
No. 559, or in other suitable way.
Figure 15 shows a section of the angle of a safe, strong box, or other
receptacle with a chamber f formed by the application thereto of the plate g,
which may be screwed or rivetted to plates a, a, at g', 9'. The surface of this
plate g, forming one side or portion of the chamber fis formed with recesses
or projections, and the parts of the plates a within the chamber have pro-
jections a', within or around which recesses and projections the fluid metal or
cement may freely flow, and when cold such metal will also aid in holding the
parts together. The fluid metal may be poured into these chambers of just
before or simultaneously with the pouring into the tubes b.
Fig. 16 shows a modification in which the chamber for the reception of the
molten metal or cement is continued along the side or other plates a.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in carrying
the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details shown and described, as these may be varied, and in
place of the chambers used for connecting plates together in the manner
described being of a cylindrical form they may be of other form adapted to
the ornamental or other circumstances of the safe, strong box, or other
receptacle desired to be obtained; but what I claim is, the connecting together
plates of iron safes, strong boxes, and other receptacles in manner substantially
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Matthias Hart, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.