IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES OR DEPOSITORIES TO CONTAIN VALUABLE PROPERTY AND IN THE LOCKS THEREOF
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Augustine Fiddes and Oharles
John Curtis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents with
their Petition, on the 22nd April 1868.
We, AUGUSTINE FIDDES and OHARLES JOHN CURTIS, both of Stokes
Croft, Bristol, in the County of Somerset, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SAFES OR DEPOSITORIES TO CONTAIN VALUABLE PROPERTY AND IN THE LOCKS
THEREOF," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of novel and improved mechanical arrange-
ments and contrivances in the construction of safes and other
depositories to contain valuable property of which the following will
serve as an example, that is to say:-The frame of the safe to carry
the door and the locking bolts thereof is formed as a skeleton all in
one piece all over the safe and is fixed to strong angle plates for
connecting the back of the safe to the front thereof. The door of
the safe which is on hinges is made with an internal projecting rim
all round except at the back, which part is formed as a dead bolt and
locks into a dovetailed recess on the rebate frame as also the rim on
the door.

page_text: We propose to fix steel pins or rivets in the plates of the door at
that part thereof where the small lock is situated to prevent drilling
holes to cut out the said lock. There is no handle to the door of
the safe and the surface is all flush when the safe is locked. The case
and door of the safe are so constructed as to receive a number of
chilled iron or hardened steel rollers packed loosely side by side so as
to touch each other and are enclosed by suitable plates. The edges
all round the safe we propose to protect by angle iron bands rivetted
to the frame of the safe; and we propose to use separate chambers around
the safe to contain any fire-proof substance as commonly practised
in the construction of fire-proof safes.
We now proceed to describe- the construction of the improved lock
we propose to employ for securing the door to the frame and body
of the safe. The case of the lock is formed rectangular with a
projecting rim all round through which a number of round bolts pass,
the said bolts proceeding in a radial direction from the centre of the
case, the inner ends of the several bolts have each a pin fixed therein
at the side thereof nearest to the lock plate, and these pins take into
convolute slots formed in a disc plate capable of revolving in a hole
in the case, the pins in each bolt work in radial slots formed in the
case for ensuring their movement in a straight line; by these means
the bolts may be thrown or shot out for locking the door to the
frame of the safe or drawn back for unlocking, holes being made in
the frame of the safe to receive the ends of the several bolts. In
connection with this mechanism we employ a piece of metal notched
at its periphery to receive the inner ends of the several radial bolts, the
notches being formed dovetailed as also the ends of the bolts whichi
are to fit thereinto, this plate when the bolts are shot out is flush
with the face of the several bolts, and there is a helical spring between
this plate and the convolute plate before mentioned for allowing the
several bolts to be drawn back. For this purpose we form the notched
plate with a square stem which passes through a square hole formed
through the centre of the revolving boss of the convolute plate; the
aforesaid square stem projects beyond the outside of the case of the
lock and has a square hole made across it, into which fits a square
bolt formed in two parts hooking into each other, one portion of the
'said bolt always remains in the stem and the other part is connected
to a small unpickable lock fixed to the back of the lock case before

page_text: mentioned, the other or front side of the aforesaid notched plate has
a small stem fixed thereinto, the end thereof being formed square
to receive a key, and such square part of the stem passes through a
square hole made through the door of the safe, and is flush therewith
when the safe is locked, the lock and case being securely fixed to the
door by screws; or instead of a notched plate a solid plate, either round,
square, or any other shape may be used, the ends of the bolts pressing
against it.
We now proceed to describe the operations of the above-described
locking mechanism as follows:-Supposing the safe to be locked, in
order to unlock it the bolt of the small lock is drawn back by means
of a key, the effect of this is to pull back that half of the bolt that is in
the square stem before mentioned, and bring the ends of the bolt
flush with the sides of the stem when the helical spring will force
the notched plate away from the ends of the bolts, the small stem
of this plate will now protrude through the door of the safe, and upon
applying a key thereto with a square hole therein and turning the
key partly round the several bolts may all be drawn back and unlock
the door; a reverse movement will lock the door, after which the small
stem must be pushed back flush with the face of the door and held
there until the bolt of the small lock is shot out by its key, the effect
of which is to push the bolt through the stem of the notched plate and
thus prevent the said plate from being detached from the bolts except
by withdrawing the bolt as before stated. Even if the small lock
were destroyed the large lock would remain locked, and nothing but the
picking of the small lock could without its proper key enable any one to
open the safe.