IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF SAFES FOR SECURING VALUABLE ARTICLES FROM THIEVES AND FIRE
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Dorman Hodgson, of No. 5, Paper
Buildings, Temple, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF SAFES FOR SECURING VALUABLE ARTICLES FROM THIEVES AND
FIRE."
Sealed the 8th September 1865, and dated the 14th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th March 1865.
I, EDMUND DORMAN HODGSON, of No. 5, Paper Buildings, Temple, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES FOR SECURING VALUABLE ARTICLES FROM THIEVES AND
FIRE," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of safes
for securing valuable articles from thieves and fire. In constructing safes, in
place of making the door to turn on hinges as is usual, I employ sliding doors
arranged in the following manner:-The front of the safe is not left entirely
open as when a hinged door is used, but is enclosed with a front panel in
which there are two openings or doorways, one on each side, and between the
two openings for a distance somewhat greater than the width of one of the
openings the front of the safe is enclosed by the front panel. On the inner

page_text: side of the front panel of the safe strong guides are fixed at the top and
bottom, and in these guides two doors or slabs slide to close the openings in
the panel; or if the doors are heavy they are fitted with friction pulleys, on
which they run in their guides. To uncover one of the doorways or openings
its door is slidden back behind the centre portion of the front panel; thus
both the doorways or openings cannot be uncovered or opened at the same
time. In order to secure the sliding doors opposite the doorways or openings
blocks are employed to come in between them, so that on pressure being
applied to one of the doors to slide it in its guides, these blocks take the
pressure, for they occupy the space provided at the centre of the front of
the safe for the doors to slide in. A convenient way of working these blocks
is by means of a right and left-handed screw, on turning which one block is
raised and the other lowered; by turning the screw in one direction the
blocks are brought into position to securè the sliding doors, and by turning it
in the opposite direction the blocks are moved clear of the top and bottom of
the doors. The right and left-handed, serew may be actuated by bevilled gear
and a convenient handle. The lock may be arranged to secure the right and
left-handed screw by shooting its bolt through a slot in the screw. This slot
I form at a point between that at which power is applied to the screw to
rotate and where it acts to move the blocks, so that if strong force is applied
to turn the screw when locked the head may break off and injury to the lock
will thus be prevented. It is not essential. that. there should be two doors to
the safe, one door occupying about half the front may be similarly arranged,
but except for small sizes it is not so convenient. Very large safes also may
be made with more than two doors.
A similar arrangement may be applied to secure the doors of ordinary safes.
When the door is closed the rising and falling bars, actuated by a screw or
in other similar manner, are caused to enter behind lugs on the back of
the door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 30
filed by the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
DORMAN HODGSON, of No. 5, Paper Buildings, Temple, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson, Her special licence that I, the
said Edmund Dorman Hodgson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson, 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
SAPES FOR SECURING VALUABLE ARTICLES FROM THIEVES AND FIRE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson, iny
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
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
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of safes
for securing valuable articles from thieves and fire. In constructing safes, in
place of making the door to turn on hinges as is usual, I employ sliding doors
arranged in the following manner :-The front of the safe is not left entirely
open, as when a hinged door is used, but is enclosed with a front panel, in
which there are two openings or doorways, one on each side, and between the
two openings for a distance somewhat greater than the width of one of the
openings the front of the safe is enclosed by the front panel. On the inner
side of the front panel of the safe strong guides are fixed at the top and
bottom, and in thèse guides two doors or slabs slide to close the openings in
the panel; or if the doors are heavy they are fitted with friction pullies, on
which they run in their guides. To uncover one of the doorways or openings
its door is slidden back behind the centre portion of the front panel. In order
to secure the sliding doors opposite the doorways or openings blocks are
employed to come in between them, so that on pressure being applied to one
of the doors to slide it in its guides these blocks take the pressure, for they
occupy the space provided at the centre of the front of the safe for the doors to

page_text: slide in. A convenient way of working these blocks is by means of a right
and left-handed screw, on turning which one block is raised and the other
Jowered by turning the screw in one direction the blocks are brought into
position to secure the sliding doors, and by turning it in the opposite direction
the blocks are moved clear of the top and bottom of the doors. The right
and left-handed screw may be actuated by bevilled gear and a convenient
handle. The lock may be arranged to secure the right and left-handed screw
by shooting its bolt through a slot in the screw.
Figure 1 is a front view of a safe thus arranged; Figure 2 is a horizontal
section taken at the line A, A, Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a vertical section
taken at the line B, B, Figure 1.
a, a, is a strong frame, it may be of cast iron, introduced into the front of
the safe, and securely fixed to the sides, top, and bottom of the safe. On
each side of this frame is an open panel to receive a sliding door b, and in the
centre of the frame is a panel, which is closed by the fixed plate c. The
frame a has at each side grooves a¹, a¹, formed in it to receive the edges of
the doors, and there are similar grooves at the top and bottom of the frame
for the doors to slide in. If the doors are heavy, friction rollers should be
mounted in these grooves at the bottom and top, so that the doors may run
easily. There are also in the frame a grooves at a², a², and into these the
turnover pieces or lugs b', b, on the doors catch when the doors are shut, so
that the doors may not be bulged back by pressure. d, d, are sliding blocks;
when they are out of use they lie in recesses formed to fit them in the
frame a, and they then do not interfere with the opening and shutting of the
doors, as the doors are then able to pass between them. When the doors
have been shut, however, and it is desired to secure them, the sliding blocks
are drawn inwards towards each other by turning the spindle e, which is
carried in bearings fixed to the plate c; on the ends of this spindle screws are
cut, the one right and the other left-handed, and these work through nuts
fixed or formed in the sliding blocks d, d. The spindle e is turned by means
of the handle fon an axis f¹, on which is also a bevilled pinion f², gearing
with a pinion e on the spindle e. When the blocks d, d, are thus raised and
lowered they come in between the doors b, b, and so prevent them sliding in
their grooves. When the doors are blocked the spindle e is secured by the
lock the bolt of which is cranked, so that it will shoot through the slot hole
ecut in the spindle e, which at this point is thickened, so that it may be as
strong at this point as elsewhere. It will be seen that the axis f¹ is made.
comparatively light, so that if it be attempted to force the spindle e when it is
locked the driving gear will break down before the lock is overcome.

page_text: Figure 4 is a front view of a similar arrangement, differing only in the
method of actuating and securing the blocks d; Figure 5 is a horizontal
section taken at the line A, A, Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a vertical section
taken at the line B, B, Figure 4. In this case there is a handle h in the
centre of the plate c; it is fixed on an axis h', turning in suitable bearings
fixed to the plate c, and when turned it gives motion to the cross head i,
which by the connecting rods k, k, is linked with the blocks d, and thus on
turning the handle h the blocks are raised or lowered. In this case the bolt
of the lock is cranked, so as to shoot through a hole formed in the axis h'.
It is not essential that there should be two doors to the safe, one door
occupying about half the front may be similarly arranged, but except for small
sizes it is not so convenient. Very large safes also may be made with more
than two doors.
Figure 7 is a front view of another slightly different arrangement. There
are as before three panels in the front frame, and the two outer ones are
fitted with sliding doors as in the arrangements already described; but in this
case the plate c, which closes the central panel, is also made to slide as a door,
in order to give a freer access to the interior of the safe. There is also a
modification in the method of blocking the doors, a block being caused to
project forward between them in place of the blocks being moved upwards
and downwards as already explained.
Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken at the line A, A, Figure 7, and
Figure 9 is a vertical section taken at the line B, B, Figure 7.
The doors b, b, work in the manner already described, but the plate c
is in this case placed inside the frame a, and becomes a third door; it slides
in grooves in the frame a, in the same way as the doors b, and when closed
its right-hand edge enters a recess in the frame, so that it may not be forced
back. At its left-hand edge a T-head c¹ is fixed, and on this Lead are, as is
shewn, turnover pieces or lugs catching corresponding parts, on the one side
on the frame a, and on the other on the left-hand door b. In this arrangement
the blocking bar is mounted on arms ",, which turn on centres carried by
projections from the door c; the lock is also carried by the door c, and on its
bolt is a cross head m, which by connecting rods n, n, is linked with the
arms, so that when the bolt is shot these arms are turned on their centres
and the blocking bar is thrown forwards between the doors so as to prevent
their movement.
A similar arrangement may be applied to secure the doors of ordinary safes;
when the door is closed the rising and falling bars, actuated by a screw or in

page_text: other similar manner, are caused to enter behind lugs on the back of the
door.
The improvements above described are very applicable to safes of large size,
such as are termed strong rooms, when the top, bottom, back, and sides of the
safe are built in masonry.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the exact details described; but what I claim is, the constructing safes
with sliding doors as above explained, and also the securing such doors
when closed by introducing blocks between or behind them, as herein
described.
I also claim the use of such blocks or bars for securing hinged doors of
safes, by rising and falling so as to enter behind lugs on the back of the door,
as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Dorman Hodgson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
EDMUND DORMAN HODGSON. (L.S.)