IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFES OR STRONG BOXES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFES OR STRONG BOXES " to be as follows:—
This invention consists of improvements in safes or strong boxes.
The box or chest of the improved safe or strong box is enclosed by a cylindrical
casing which can be raised or lowered within a column that supports the safe. The
raising and lowering movement of the casing is effected by rotating it; rollers on
the casing following a spiral way formed in the column. When the casing is raised,
that is to say when it surrounds the box or chest it is locked in position, and the
invention includes a special arrangement of permutation or combination mechanism
for this purpose.
As has been already stated the column supports the safe or box and this can be
closed by a door fitted with any suitable lock such as a lock with 3 bolts actuated
simultaneously by the key. Above the safe or box is a cap or cover in which the
top of the cylindrical casing lodges. The rotation and therefore the descent of the
casing are prevented by bolts (3 more or less) in the cap entering holes or notches
in the casing. These bolts are operated by the key of a lock the arbor of which
transmits rotation through the intermediation of bevel gearing to pinions which
gear into racks on the bolts so as to draw and shoot the bolts as required. The
bolts are guided by screws which take into grooves therein. Two of the bolts
(more or less) are fitted with counting (or it may be letter or figure) permutation
or combination mechanism, operated by handles or knobs. The mechanism in
connection with each bolt is formed of 2 pairs of wheels or discs which I will call
circular tumblers, each pair being carried by an arbor or spindle fitted outside the
cap with a handle. One tumbler of each pair is fast on its arbor while the other
is loose thereon but is capable of being connected to the fast tumbler by a clutch.
The fast tumblers have on the whole of their periphery notches which form them
into a sort of toothed wheels. Each of these tumblers has one notch wider and
deeper than the others. A spring paul enables the number of teeth which each
tumbler turns to be counted the counting to commence from the deep notch
beyond which the paul prevents the tumbler rotating to the left. The bolts have
at their sides projections which pass freely into notches in the loose tumblers when
these have been moved into proper position by the handles. At a normal time the
loose tumblers are connected to the fast tumblers so that by turning one of the
handles the fast and loose tumblers on the corresponding arbor turn also. This
connection of the 2 tumblers is effected by a "clarinet" clutch at the periphery of

page_text: the fast tumbler. The clutch comprises a spring piece which keeps a stud or
spur between 2 teeth of the fast tumbler. By varying the respective positions
of the wide notch of the fast tumblers relatively to the notches in the loose
tumblers as many different combinations or changes of each fast tumbler can be
effected as there are notches therein. The loose tumblers have also false notches
of varying depths which allow the bolts partial play without ever permitting their
complete passage. These false notches exist all round the loose tumblers on each
side of the true notches. They deceive and defeat thieves and prevent displace-
ment of the tumblers when the bolt enters a false notch.
The following is the way of opening the safe:-
By turning one of the handles to the left as far as it will go the paul corre-
sponding thereto enters the wide notch of the fast tumbler. The same handle
is then turned in the reverso direction until the notch in the loose tumbler
corresponds with the projection on the bolt. During this turn the number of teeth
the fast tumbler is turned should be counted, this number having been arranged
before-hand. All the other handles are operated in like manner, care being taken
to count the numbers of teeth that the corresponding fast tumbler should turn.
The key is then turned and the bolts thereby freed.
When it is desired to vary the combinations, that is, to say, the relative positions
of the notches in the loose tumblers with respect to the wide notches, a plate is
moved up by means of a button so that 2 studs on this plate lift the spring. pieces
before described and thus disengage the studs or spurs on these pieces from the
teeth of the fast tumblers and disconnect the loose tumblers therefrom. Then by
turning the handles the fast tumblers only are moved; and while this is being
effected the spring pieces are held up by means of a screw which fixes the lifting
plate.
The combination or permutation mechanism can be applied to all the bolts or to
only some of them as may be desired.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFES OR STRONG BOXES and in what manner the same is to 3
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFES OR STRONG BOXES and in what manner the same is to 3
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
•
This invention consists of improvements in safes or strong boxes.
The box or chest of the improved safe or strong box is enclosed by a cylindrical |
casing, which can be raised or lowered within a column that supports the safe..

page_text: The raising and lowering movement of the casing is effected by rotating it, rollers
on the casing following a spiral way formed in the column. When the casing is
raised, that is to say, when it surrounds the box or chest, it is locked in position,
and the invention includes a special arrangement of permutation or combination
mechanism for this purpose.
The annexed drawings illustrate the invention. Figure 1 is a vertical section of
the safe the cylindrical casing being raised. Figure 2 is an elevation with the
cylindrical casing lowered and the door open. Figure 3 is a horizontal section
of the upper part of the safe shewing in plan the mechanism for locking the casing.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the cylindrical casing and the interior safe
or box. Figure 5 is a front view and Figure 6 a. plan of the permutation or
combination mechanism of one of the bolts. Figure 7 is a front view of one of the
wheels, discs or "tumblers" of this mechanism. Figure 8 is a transverse section
of the same wheel connected to the adjacent wheel disc or tumbler, and Figure 9
is a plan of the clutch for connecting these two tumblers or wheels.
The central column A supports the safe or box B and this can be closed by a
door C fitted with any suitable lock such as a lock with three bolts DDD (as
shown) actuated simultaneously by the key. Above the safe or box is a cap or
cover E in which the top of the cylindrical casing F lodges. This casing has at
its lower part rollers a a which travel on a spiral way formed in the column A.
It follows that according to the direction in which the casing is rotated by the
handles Y Y it rises or descends.
I will now describe the mechanism which retains the casing in the raised position
when the safe is closed, it being understood that it is only necessary to prevent the
casing being rotated. The rotation and therefore the descent of the casing are
prevented by bolts HHH (three more or less) in the cap entering holes or
notches K in the casing. These bolts are operated by the key of a lock M the
arbor L of which transmits rotation through the intermediation of bevel gearing JI
and a toothed wheel N to pinions 000 which gear into racks PPP on the
bolts HHH' so as to draw and shoot the bolts as required. The bolts are guided
by screws which take into grooves therein. Two of the bolts (more or less)
viz those marked H H are fitted with counting (or it may be letter or figure)
permutation or combination mechanism, operated by handles or knobs S S. "The
mechanism in connection with each bolt is formed of two pairs of wheels or
discs TU, TU, which I will call circular tumblers, each pair being carried by an
arbor or spindle fitted outside the cap with a handle S. One tumbler T of cach
pair is fast on its arbor V while the other U is loose thereon but is capable of being
connected to the fast tumbler T by a clutch. The fast tumblers T have on the
whole of their periphery notches mm which form them into a sort of toothed.
wheels. Each of these tumblers has one notch m¹ wider and deeper than the
others. A spring paul X enables the number of teeth which each tumbler T turns
to be counted, the counting to commence from the deep notch m¹ beyond which
the paul prevents the tumbler T rotating to the left. The bolts HH have at their
sides projections 6b which pass freely into notches cc in the tumblers U U when
theso have been moved into proper position by the handles SS. Normally the
tumblers UU are connected to the tumblers TT so that by turning one of the
handles S the two tumblers TU on the corresponding arbor V turn also. This
connection of the two tumblers is effected by a "clarinet" clutch at the periphery
of the tumbler T. The clutch is shown in Figures 8 and 9 and comprises a spring
piece & which keeps a stud or spur e between two teeth of the tumbler T. By
varying the respective positions of the wide notches m' of the tumblers T
relatively to the notches c in the tumblers U as many different combinations or
changes of each tumbler T can be effected as there are notches therein. The
tumblers U have also false notches ff of varying depths which allow the bolts
partial play without ever permitting their complete passage. These falso notches
exist all round the tumblers U on each side of the true notches o. They deceive
"

page_text: and defeat thieves and prevent displacement of the tumblers when the bolt enters
a false notch.
The following is the way of opening the safe:-
By turning one of the handles S to the left as far as it will go, the paul cor-
responding thereto enters the wide notch m² of the tumbler T. The same handle
is then turned in the reverse direction until the notch c in the tumbler U
corresponds with the projection on the bolt H. During this turn the number of
teeth the tumbler T is turned should be counted, this number having been arranged
beforehand. All the other handles are operated in like manner, care being taken
to count the numbers of teeth that the corresponding tumbler T should turn. The
key of the lock M is then turned and the bolts HHH¹ thereby freed.
When it is desired to vary the combinations that is to say, the relative positions
of the notches c in the tumblers U with respect to the wide notches m³, a plate h
is moved up by means of a button g so that two studs ii on this plate come
respectively against the spring pieces d of the two tumblers UU and push these
spring pieces inside the periphery of the tumblers together with the studs or
spurs & e thereon and thus these studs ee are disengaged from the teeth of the
tumblers T T and the tumblers U U are disconnected therefrom. Then by turning
the handles S S the tumblers TT only are moved; and while this is being effected
the spring pieces d are held up by means of a screw k which fixes the lifting
plate.
The combination or permutation mechanism can be applied to all the bolts or to
only some of them as may be desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me, I declare that what I claim in respect of safes or strong boxes is
1. A casing which can be raised above or lowered into a supporting column by
a rotary spiral movement so as when raised to enclose the safe or box and when
lowered to leave the safe or box free, the said casing being provided with mechanisin
for locking it when in the raised position, as hereinbefore described.
2. The arrangement of counting permutation or combination mechanism herein-
before described for locking the casing.
3. As a special featuro of such mechanism, the formation of each of the
tumblers U with a notch to give passage to the bolt and with a set of false notches
of varying depths, as and for the purpose described.
4. As another special feature of such mechanism, a plate fitted with studs to
effect the disconnection of the fast and loose tumblers when it is desired to vary
the combinations, as described.