Im- PROVEMENTS IN SAPES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Thompson, of Manor House, No. 124,
Camberwell Road, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN SAPES."
Sealed the 8th August 1865, and dated the 16th February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Thompson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
February 1865.
I, JOSEPH THOMPSON, of Manor House, No. 124, Camberwell Road, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN SAFES,' to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in safes. Safes have
recently been forced open by driving steel wedges between the door
and frame of the safe and then when the frame is sprung back introducing
a lever, by means of which such force has been applied as to tear the front
plate of the door away from the lock. In order to prevent the separation of
the lock from the door, I cause the bolts to shoot through an inner flange
or through lugs formed solid or in one piece with the door plate; and in
order that the bolts may not tear out from the holes into which they

page_text: shoot I cause the bolts to shoot behind an internal flange formed solid or
in one piece with the casing of the safe; this flange also serves to render
it difficult to use wedges in the manner described, as it forms a stop preventing
them entering to a distance greater than the thickness of the door plate.
Further to prevent the effective application of leverage in the manner described
I apply a strong band or ring all round the safe at the front so as to overhang
or project in front of the door when closed, so that the door shuts as it were
into a recess, thus the fulcrum of the lever is thrown back to a distance from
the door, and so the obtaining sufficient leverage is rendered impracticable.
The band or ring should be shrunk on the safe, and further fixed by screws
and dowels, or otherwise, or it may be made solid with the casing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Thompson, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
THOMPSON, of Manor House, No. 124, Camberwell Road, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
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 Joseph Thompson, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Thompson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Joseph
Thompson, 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 SAFES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Thompson,
my 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 per-
formed, 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,

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Thompson, 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 safes. Safes have
recently been forced open by driving steel wedges between the door
and frame of the safe, and then when the frame is sprung back introducing
a lever, by means of which such force has been applied as to tear the
front plate of the door away from the lock. In order to prevent the separa-
tion of the lock from the door I cause the bolts to shoot through an inner
flange or through lugs formed solid or in one piece with, the door plate; and
in order that the bolts may not tear out from the holes into which they shoot,
I cause the bolts to shoot behind an internal flange formed solid or in one
piece with the casing of the safe; this flange also serves to render it difficult
to use wedges in the manner described, as it forms a stop, preventing them
entering to a distance greater than the thickness of the door plate. Further
to prevent the effective application of leverage in the manner described I
apply a strong band or ring all round the safe at the front, so as to overhang.
or project in front of the door when closed, so that the door shuts as it were
into a recess, thus the fulcrum of the lever is thrown back to a distance
from the door, and so the obtaining sufficient leverage is rendered imprac-
ticable. The band or ring should be shrunk on the safe, and further fixed
by screws and dowels, or otherwise, or it may be made solid with the
casing.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings here-
unto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a section of a portion of one of the sides of a sate, and of the
door thereof; Figure 2 is a section of one of the sides, and of the back of a
safe.
A, A, is the side of the safe made of sheet iron of suitable thickness, with
flanges a, a, formed upon it, one on each side; the four sides of the safe are
by preference all formed out of one sheet which is bent round so that there is
only one joint running from front to back of the safe, and this is made at one
of the angles by rivetting up with angle iron. Before bending the sheet
around in the manner above mentioned, the flanges a, a, are cut through at
the angles, as is shown in Figure 3, which is a plan of a part of the plate;

page_text: the flange is cut straight down at the line 1, 1, and the angular pieces 2, 2,
are notched out, the flanges will then offer no impediment to the bending of
the sheet, and the notched portions of the flanges will lap the one over the
other, and a rivet may be put through at the angle. The back B of the safe
is dropped in and rests on the back flange a, and is rivetted through the back
plate, is bevelled slightly on the edge, and the joint is caulked up as is shown
The door plate C has a flange c formed all round it near its edge, the lock is
fixed to the door in the usual manner, and its bolts shoot through bolt holes
cut in the flange c, and they enter behind the flanges a, a, at the front of the
safe. The flanges a and c may also be employed for securing the casings D, D,
which may be employed for holding any fire-proofing composition such as is
commonly employed; E, E, is a strong band or strengthening ring shrunk on
to the front of the safe, and further secured by tap screws or small rivets;
this band or ring is applied as before-mentioned to prevent the application of
a lever to force open the door. The tap screws or small rivets which assist in
holding the band or ring E to the safe should not be too strong, as it is desi-
rable that they should yield if strong screw or other power be applied to force
apart the sides of the ring or band, otherwise it is possible that by the use of
very powerful tools the side of the safe also might be bulged by this means.
If, however, the tap screws or rivets be not made too strong, all that can be
effected by such means will be the removal of the ring or band E, & a
long time will have to be expended by the burglar in this preliminary
operation.
Figure 4 is a section of a strong box, constructed in a similar manner;
this Figure shows a method of making the flanges near the door available
for giving greater security to the door on the hinge side.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Thompson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOSEPH THOMPSON. (L.S.)