IMPROVE- MENTS IN SAFES AND STRONG ROOMS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles John Curtis and Augustine Fiddes, both
of the City and County of Bristol, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAFES AND STRONG ROOMS."
Sealed the 2nd February 1869, and dated the 7th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles John Curtis and
Augustine Fiddes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition; on the 7th August 1868.
We, CHARLES JOHN CURTIS and AUGUSTINE FIDDES, both of the
City and County of Bristol, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SAPES AND STRONG Rooms," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is rendering safes burglar proof.
To this end we adopt the following arrangements:- In the first place
we construct a skeleton frame for the top, bottom, back, and front of
the safe, forming with the door frame one structure. This frame is
coustructed of angled iron or metal, and provision is made for the
Price 8d1
"

page_text: reception of drill-proof rollers which are to cover the whole surface of
the safe, and these we cover with bands of iron, shrunk on over which
are the outside plates of the safe. It will be desireable that the rollers
be made of chilled iron with wrought-iron cases. By the above means
both wedging and drilling are provided against.
In the second place we provide a rebated and grooved frame for the
door, and correspondingly rebated and rimmed door, so that when shut
a dovetail will be thereby formed. A groove is provided in the frame
for the reception of the back of the door when shut. The door is made
with a chamber or space between its inner and outer plates for the
reception of drill-proof rollers such as before described.
The locking arrangements are as follows:-A frame of somewhat less
dimensions than the door is provided and secured to the door in the
ordinary or any convenient manner, such frame having orifices around
its edges for bolts to pass through. These bolts are constructed with T
or enlarged heads and have dovetails formed near their inner ends for
the purpose hereafter described, these ends being circular and provided
with pins or studs to work in curved or circular grooves in a circular
plate secured to the inside of the door in the position where the spindle
of the handle of ordinary safes is situate. Instead of an orifice for the
ordinary handle spindle the centre of this circular plate has an orifice
for receiving a square spindle provided with a small bolt to work in
connection with a small lock secured on the inside of the door. The
square spindle is secured to and forms part of a locking block which is
provided with dovetail openings for the reception of the said dovetails
on the bolts. Spring arrangements are provided to act on this locking
block. In practice it will be unnecessary to connect each bolt direct
with the circular plate as several may be connected and act together by
means of lever, rack, or other similar arrangement. On the inside plate
of the door there will be numerous small rivets to prevent drilling over
the small lock. Spaces for fire-proof composition are provided as in other
safes, or any usual and convenient means of fireproofing may be resorted
to. When locked, the extreme end of the central spindle is "flush" with
the door. Upon the small key being introduced into the small lock and
turned the bolt is released from the square spindle, whereupon the said
locking block by the action of the springs aforesaid is thrown forwards,
thus disengaging the dovetails of the bolts; then upon a key being
applied to the said central spindle, which has been thrown out by the

page_text: same action, the bolts will be turned so as to disengage their heads and
drawn back. In locking, by applying the key to the central spindle and
turning the same the bolts will be shot, and by the action of the circular
plate aforesaid their T heads secured in the safe frame. The thumb is
then pressed on the projecting spindle so as to bring its end flush with
the door and the key of the small lock turned, whereby the lock is
securely locked and fastened and the door will be rendered incapable of
being opened except by the application of the proper key in manner
aforesaid. Should it be thought desireable to apply the above arrange-
ments to radial bolts the same will not require that their inner ends have
any circular portion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles John Curtis and Augustine Fiddes in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
JOHN CURTIS and AUGUSTINE FIDDES, both of the City and County of
Bristol, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Charles John Curtis and Augustine
Fiddes, Her special licence that we, the said Charles John Curtis and
Augustine Fiddes, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Charles John Curtis and Augustine Fiddes, our
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: SAFES AND STRONG ROOMS;" upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the. said Charles. John Curtis and Augustine, Fiddes, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and

page_text: 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 Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles John Curtis and
Augustine Fiddes, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this Invention is rendering safes burglar proof.
To this end in the first place we construct a skeleton frame for the
top, bottom, back, and front of the safe, forming with the door frame one
structure. This frame is constructed of angled iron or metal, and
provision is made for the reception of drill-proof rollers, which are to
cover the whole surface of the safe. Such rollers are inserted in grooved
iron plates irregularly, as shown in Drawings, and such grooved plates to
be covered with bands of iron shrunk on, and over which are the outside
plates of the safe. It will be desirable that the rollers be made of
chilled iron with wrought-iron cases. By the above means drilling is
entirely provided against.
In the second place we provide a rebated and grooved frame for the
door and correspondingly rebated and rimmed door, so that when shut
a dovetail will be thereby formed, thus entirely preventing wedging. A
groove is provided in the frame for the reception of the back of the door
when shut, a chamber or space being made in the door between its
inner and outer plates for the reception of drill-proof rollers such as
before described.
The locking arrangements are as follows:-A frame of somewhat less
dimensions than the door is provided and secured to the door in the
ordinary or any convenient manner, such frame having orifices around
its edges for bolts to pass through. These bolts are constructed with T or
enlarged heads, and have dovetails formed near their inner ends for the
purpose hereafter described, these ends being circular and provided with
a pinion to work in curved and circular grooves in a circular plate
secured to the inside of the door in the position where the spindle of the
handle of ordinary safes is situate. Instead of an orifice for the ordinary
handle spindle the centre of this circular plate has an orifice for
receiving a square spindle provided with a small bolt to work in con-

page_text: nection with a small lock secured on the inside of the large lock. The
square spindle is secured to and forins part of a locking block, which is
provided with dovetail openings for the reception of the said dovetails on
the bolts, and spring arrangements are provided to act on this locking
block. In practice it will be unnecessary to connect each bolt direct
with the circular plate, as several may be connected and act together by
means of lever, rack, and pinion or other similar arrangement. In the
outside plate of the door there will be numerous small rivets to prevent
drilling over the small lock. Spaces for fireproof composition are
provided as in other safes, or any usual and convenient means of fire-
proofing may be resorted to. When locked the extreme end of the
central spindle is flush with the door. Upon the small key being
introduced into the small lock and turned the bolt is disconnected from
the hooked bolt of square spindle, whereupon the said locking block by
the action of the springs aforesaid is thrown forwards, thus disengaging
the dovetails of the bolts; then upon a key being applied to the said
central spindle, which has been thrown out by the same action, the bolts
will be turned so as to disengage their T heads and drawn back. In
locking, by applying the key to the central spindle and turning the same
the bolts will be shut, and by the action of the circular plate aforesaid
their heads secured in the safe frame. The thumb is then pressed on
the projecting spindle so as to bring its end flush with the door and the
key of the small lock turned, whereby the lock is securely locked and
fastened, and the door will be rendered incapable of being opened except
by the application of the proper key in manner aforesaid. On the inner
portion of square spindle a hole is provided for the reception of a bolt
with hooked end, connected by such end with the bolt of the small lock,
and which disconnects itself with the corresponding hook of the bolt of
the small lock when the same is unlocked, the disconnected part of
which remains in the spindle when the spindle and locking plate is
thrown forward.
Should it be thought desirable to apply the above arrangements to
radial bolts the same can be so applied, and will not require that their
inner ends have any circular portion.
Having thus particularly described the nature of the said Invention,
we now proceed to particularly describe and ascertain in what manner
the same is to be performed or put in practice, which we shall do by
reference to the accompanying Drawings, as follows:

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
T bolt
Fig. 1, view of skeleton frame; Fig. 2, part section of safe; Fig. 3,
view of frame containing locking mechanism shewing the bolts unlocked
and the locking block removed; Fig. 4, transverse section of same
shewing bolts unlocked and the locking block raised; Fig. 5, view of
locking block shewing the dovetail springs; Fig. 6, view of a
taken when in the position shewn in Figs. 4 and 9; Fig. 7, view of a
Tbolt taken when in the position shewn in Figs. 3 and 10; Fig. 8, view
shewing rack and pinion arrangement for turning bolts; Fig. 9, view of
frame containing the locking mechanism shewing the bolts shot and
the locking block pressed in and locked by the small lock; Fig. 10,
section of same; Fig. 11, section of safe and door in which the rebates
and grooves in the frame and door, the drill-proof rollers in irregular
grooved plates, shrunk bands, outer plates, and fireproofing chamber
or spaces are shewn. Where similar letters are used in the Figures they
refer to like parts.
a, a, drill-proof rollers; b, b, shrunk bands; c, c, fireproofing spaces or
chambers; d, d, outside plates of safe; e, e, grooved plates for enclosing
rollers, as shown; f, f, rebates; g, g, grooves; g¹, g¹, groove in frame
or the reception of the back of door when shut ;. h, h, lock frame; i, i,
Tbolts j, dovetails on bolts; k, k, pinion on bolts to work in grooves
of circular plate; 1, 1, circular grooved plate; m, square spindle; n,
small bolt; o, small lock; p, p, locking plate provided with dovetail
opening corresponding to dovetails (i, j,) on bolts; q, q, spring arrange-
ment acting on locking block; r, r, rack arrangement by which several
bolts are connected together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put
in practice, we hereby declare that we claim, the "Improvements in Safes
and Strong Rooms consisting in constructing the same according to the
above-described arrangements as follows:-
First. The skeleton frame herein described.
Second. The rollers enclosed in the grooved plates, as herein-before
etated

page_text: And as regards the locking arrangements herein-before described,―
Fifth. The T-headed bolts with dovetail ends.
Sixth. The locking block or plate (of any shape that may be used)
to form a solid centre of large lock, thereby preventing the bolts being
withdrawn or forced in.
Seventh. The disconnecting action for small bólt.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles John Curtis and Augustine
Fiddes, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second day
of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE GARDNER,
21, North St.,
Bristol.
FREDERICK LEWIS,
2, Devonshire Terrace,
Grosvenor Road,
Bristol.
CHARLES JOHN CURTIS. (L.B.)
AUGUSTIN FIDDES.
(L.S.)