IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON SAFES AND STRONG ROOms
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Chubb, of St. Paul's Churchyard, in the City
of London, and William Henry Chalk, of Alpha Street, Peckham, in the
...County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON SAFES
AND STRONG ROOms."
Sealed the 25th January 1867, and dated the 3rd November 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Chubb and William
Henry Chalk at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd November 1866.
We, JOHN CHUBB, of. St. Paul's Churchyard, in the City of London, and
WILLIAM HENRY CHALK, of Alpha Street, Peckham, in the County of Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON
SAFES AND STRONG Rooms," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in iron safes and strong
rooms.
In constructing the door of an iron safe or of a strong room several bolts
are used, each of which is moved in a diagonal or inclined direction, and they
enter holes or recesses with inclined sides corresponding in respect to each
bolt with the inclined directions in which the bolts are respectively moved;
the several bolts will thus by reason of their inclined positions in respect to
the sides and ends of the door and the door frames tend to prevent the door
frames being bent outwards so as to admit. of the door being opened. In
carrying out this part of the. Invention it is preferred to employ a circular

page_text: plate on the spindle of the handle of the door, such circular plate being formed
with curved grooves or slots in order that when the handle is turned in one
direction all the carriers of the bolts and consequently the bolts themselves
will be moved outwards in diagonal directions, and when the handle is turned
in the reverse direction the carriers and bolts will be moved in the opposite
directions, and in all cases each bolt will be moved in an inclined or diagonal
direction in respect to the sides and ends of the door. The form of the
carriers of the bolts and of the bolts also may be varied; the number of bolts
employed may also be varied. Each of the carriers has generally affixed to
or formed on it two or more inclined bolts which pass through passages with
inclined sides corresponding with the inclined positions of the bolts, and the
outer ends of the bolts enter holes or recesses formed to receive them in the
door frame; and in some cases it is desirable that the edges of the bolts should
be inclined and enter similar openings with undercut sides coinciding with the
form of the bolts. The framing of the door may be strengthened by bridge or
trough or other forms or sections of iron or steel, and for such door frames it
is preferred in many cases to employ strong angle iron or steel L all round
the door in such manner that the longer limb or part of the angle may have the
side and end plates or panels fixed against them, whilst the edges of such plates
are covered by the shorter limb or part of the angle, which may be inclined or
grooved to receive them. This arrangement is peculiarly applicable in con-
structing strong door frames for iron chests and strong rooms where each side
or end panel is composed of several thicknesses of iron or steel plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Chubb and William Henry Chalk in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 3rd May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM' THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
CHUBB, of St. Paul's Churchyard, in the City of London, and WILLIAM HENRY
CHALK, of Alpha Street, Peckham, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said John
Chubb and William Henry Chalk, Her special licence that we, the said John
Chubb and William Henry Chalk, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Chubb and William Henry Chalk; our

page_text: 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 IRON SAFES AND STRONG
Rooms," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Chubb
and William Henry Chalk, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our or their hands and seals, or.under the hands and seals of
one of us or them, 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 we, the said John Chubb and William Henry
Chalk, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in iron safes and strong
rooms.
'
In constructing the door of an iron safe or. of a strong room the bolts by
which it is secured are arranged to move in a diagonal or inclined direction,
and they enter holes or recesses with inclined sides corresponding in respect
to each bolt with the inclined direction in which the bolt is moved. The
several bolts will thus by reason of their inclined positions in respect to the
sides and ends of the door and the door frame tend to prevent the door frame
being bent outwards, and the door being. thus forced open. In carrying out
this part of the Invention it is preferred to employ a circular, plate on the
spindle of the handle of the door, such circular plate being formed with curved
grooves. or slots in order that when the handle is turned in one direction all
the carriers of the bolts and consequently the bolts themselves will be moved
outwards in diagonal directions, and when the handle is turned in the reverse
direction the carriers and bolts will be moved in the opposite directions, and
in all cases each bolt will be moved in an inclined or diagonal direction in
respect to the sides, and ends of the door. The form of the carriers of the
bolts and of the bolts also may be varied; the number of bolts employed may
also be varied. Each of the carriers has generally affixed to or formed on it
two or more inclined bolts which pass through passages with inclined sides
corresponding with the inclined positions of the bolts, and the outer ends of
the bolts enter holes or recesses formed to receive them in the door frame;
and in some cases it is desirable that the edges of the bolts should be inclined

page_text: and enter similar openings with undercut sides coinciding with the form of
the bolts.
:
Figure 1 is a front view of a safe with its bolts thus arranged; the front or
door plate being removed; Figure 2 is a transverse section taken at the
line 1, 1, Figure 1, but also shewing the door plate; Figure 8. is an edge view
of the door complete.
:
a, a, is the door frame, in which a series of inclined notches or holes are
formed to receive the bolts; b, b; are the bolts passing in inclined directions
through these notches or holes; c, c, are the carriers to which the bolts b, b,
are fixed, as is shown at c¹; in the end of each carrier a pin or stud is fixed
which enters an inclined slot in the disc d on its axis, which is fixed in an
inner lock case; a handle is placed on the front side by which: it can be
turned, and thus the bolts can be drawn back or protruded simultáneously;
e, e, are locks which shoot bolts into notches in the periphery of the disc d
and so prevent it turning. In Figure 3f, f, is the front plate of the door;
and 9, 9, a casing to contain fireproofing material, as is usual. Figure 4 also
shows the edge of the door, and is similar to Figure 3 except that the bolts
are here shown inclined on their edges, a construction which is advantageous
where it is not convenient to have a considerable thickness in the frame into
which the bolts shoot; it is not essential that the inclined bolts should be
shot from all four sides of the door. Figure 5 is the front view of a safe with
the door plate removed, in which the inclined bolts are shot from two sides ;
Figure 6 is a transverse section of the same taken at the line 2, 2, Figure 5.
In this case the bolt carriers have slots in them at the back through which
studs on the back plate of the lock case project, and the bolts are worked by
a lever on the same axis as the handle, entering recesses in the bolt carriers,
as is shown; the bolt of the lock is arranged to shoot into one of the main
bolt carriers. The diagonal action of the bolts, as herein described for iron
safes, is equally applicable to iron doors for strong rooms.
According to another part of this Invention the frame which receives the
door is strengthened by bridge or trough iron or steel, so as to afford a firm
hold for the diagonal bolts.
In Figures 5 and 6 the door frame is thus constructed :-h, h, is a framing
of flat iron to which the outer plates i, i, of the safe are fixed, the inner casing
for the fireproofing material is fixed to the trough or bridge iron or steel k,
which is secured to the frame h by rivets passing through it and through both
the frame h and the plating of the safe. The door bolts lock into holes cut for
them in the trough or bridge-iron k. It is not essential that the trough or
bridge iron k, k, should be mitred at the corners, as at 1, 1; the two side pieces

page_text: may be carried straight to the top and bottom, as at m, m, and the end pieces
may be filled in between them; or, in some cases, the end pieces may be
omitted, and their places supplied by the usual flat bar iron.
According to another part of our Invention we construct the frame to
receive the door of iron or steel of L form in section, and we arrange it in such
manner that the longer limb or part of the angle may have the side and end
plates or panels fixed against it, whilst the edges of such plates are covered
by the shorter limb or part of the angle which may be inclined or grooved to
receive them. This arrangement is peculiarly applicable in constructing
strong door frames for iron safes where each side or end panel is composed of
several thicknesses of iron or steel plate. In the horizontal section, Figure 2,
are shown portions of the sides of a safe thus constructed :-a, a, is the L iron
frame passing all around the door, and welded or dovetailed at the corners.
The iron and steel plates of all four sides are rivetted and screwed to the
frame, and their edges are inclined and housed under corresponding inclines
on the L frame, as is shown.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the exact details described; but what we claim is,-
First, the arranging the bolts by which the door is secured to move in a
diagonal or inclined direction, whereby the bolts are caused to hold the door
frame to the door, as described.
Second, the use of iron of an L form in section for the door frames of safes,
in such manner that one limb of the Liron is caused to overlap the edges
of the plating of the safe as described."
Third, the use of bridge or trough iron to strengthen the door frames of
safes, and to receive the diagonal bolts, as described.
In witness whereof we, the said John Chubb and William Henry Chalk,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN CHUDD.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HENRY CHALK. (L.S.)
JOHN CHUDĎ.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HENRY CHALK. (L.S.)