IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR LOCKING OR SECURELY CONNECTING THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND OTHER LIKE DEPOSITORIES TO THE FRAMES THEREOF
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Royall Minns, of Stapleton Road, in the
City and County of Bristol, Lock Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR LOCKING OR SECURELY CONNECTING THE DOORS
OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND OTHER LIKE DEPOSITORIES TO THE FRAMES
THEREOF."
Sealed the 27th January 1871, and dated the 29th July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Royall Minns
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th July 1870..
I, HENRY ROYALL MINNS, of Stapleton Road, in the City and County
of Bristol, Lock Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR LOCKING OR SECURELY CONNECTING
THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND OTHER LIKE DEPOSITORIES
FRAMES THEREOF," to be as follows:-
TO THE
This Invention consists of the following improved mechanical arrange-
ments for more securely connecting the doors of safes, and other like
depositories to the frames thereof, that is to say, instead of the bolts

page_text: of the lock of the safe taking into holes in the sides, top, and bottom
of the frame as commonly practised, I propose to arrange the bolts and
connect them to the frame as follows:-I enclose the several bolts,
eight, ten, or more, or less in number, according to the size of the safe,
in a box fixed to the back of the door of the safe in the usual way, and
operate upon all the bolts at the same time for shooting them backward
and forward, but instead of the ends of the several bolts passing through
holes in the edge of the box that contains them the said bolts do not
pass out of or through the said box, but always remain therein, and
the means by which I propose to connect them with the frame of
the safe are as follows:-Into the front or face of the said frame, or the
four faces thereof, I securely fix strong iron or steel staples, and in the
lock plate of the box of the door of the safe, and opposite to each
of the said staples, I form a hole of corresponding size and shape to
the said staple, so that when the door of the safe is shut to, each hole
passes over its respective staple, and I so arrange the several bolts inside
of the box as that each bolt shall come across each of the aforesaid holes.
in the box, thus it will appear evident that when the bolts are drawn
back and the door of the safe shut to, the staples before mentioned will
enter the holes in the box, and by shooting the bolts forward they will
pass through the eye of each staple and thus clinch as it were the several
staples in the box of the safe, and by thus insulating the bolts in the
box prevent the possibility of their being got at by any picking or other
instrument or tool to destroy them. A small unpickable lock is to be
employed to secure the bolts in position when. the safe is locked, as
usually practised.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Royal Minns in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th January 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY 30
ROYALL MINNS, of Stapleton Road, in the City and County of Bristol,
Lock Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty- 35

page_text: fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Royall Minns, Her special licence.
that I, the said Henry Royall Minns, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Royall Minns, 'my execu-.
tors, 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 " IMPROVED MECHANISM
FOR LOCKING OR SECURELY CONNECTING THE DOORS OF SAFES, STRONG ROOMS,
AND OTHER LIKE DEPOSITORIES TO THE FRAMES THEREOF," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Royall Minns, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their;
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 I, the said Henry Royall Minns, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention consists of the following improved mechanical arrange-
ments for more securely connecting the doors of safes and other like
depositories to the frames thereof, that is to say, instead of the bolts
of the lock of the safe shooting into holes in the sides, top and bottom
of the frame, as commonly practised, I propose to arrange the bolts, and
connect them to the frame as follows:-I enclose the several bolts,
eight, ten, or more or less in number, according to the size of the safe,
in a box fixed to the back of the door of the safe in the usual way, and
operate upon all the bolts at the same time for shooting them backwards
and forwards, but instead of the ends of the several bolts passing through
holes in the edge of the box that contains them the said bolts do not
pass out of or through the said box but always remain therein, and the
3 means by which I propose to connect them with the frame of the safe
are as follows:-Into the front or face of the said frame, or the four
faces. thereof, I securely fix strong iron or steel staples, and in the back
plate of the box of the door of the safe and opposite to each of the said

page_text: by a flat rod I and screws c to a revolving centre piece K connected to
the box in any suitable manner, and the parallel movement of the
bolts H is ensured by the slots d in each bolt passing over screws L
screwed into holes in the box E so that by inserting a square pointed
key or instrument into the square hole e in the piece K and turning
the said piece partly round in the direction of the arrow's flight at
Figure 2, the several bolts will be moved or shot outwards as at Figure 3,
so that supposing the several bolts to be drawn back as at Figure 2, in
which position they would be when the door of the safe was open, the
effect of closing the door will be to pass the slits G over the staples B
and the shooting out of the bolts as above stated will clinch and thus
securely connect the door of the safe to the frame thereof as before
stated. And by the application of a small unpickable lock to one or
other of the said bolts or to the centre piece K the bolts can be securely
held in their locked position, as commonly practised in safes; M is a
fire-proof chamber formed in the box E.
'
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of
my said Invention for "Improved Mechanism for Locking or Securely
Connecting the Doors of Safes, Strong Rooms, and other like Depositories
to the Frames thereof," together with the means by which it may be
accomplished, I would remark in conclusion that I hereby declare my
Invention to consist in and I claim connecting a door of a safe to the
frame thereof by passing the bolts H through the staples B after the
slits G in the box have been passed over the said staples when the door
of the safe has been closed, as above described and represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Royall Minns, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
onc.
HENRY ROYALL MINNS. (L.S.)