Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 7th Jan., 1838
Complete Accepted, 10th Feb., 1888
We, THOMAS PERRY AND SON, Limited, of Highfields Works, Bilston in the
County of Stafford, engineers and bedstead and safe manufacturers, and REUBEN
NOAKE, foreman of the safe department at the said works, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention, the dowels frequently employed in connection with
the door of a safe or strong room, and which fit within corresponding holes in the
frame when the door is closed, to prevent wedging the frame sideways, are made
capable of being turned axially and are constructed with T-headed or correspondingly-
shaped ends which pass through similarly shaped openings in the frame, as the door
is closed, and which catch or hold behind the frame when the dowel is turned a
quarter turn. The dowels are suitably geared together so that they may all be
operated by one handle at the front of the door, and a suitable lever or other lock
is fixed in position so that its bolt may gear with and securely lock the mechanism
when the dowels have been turned in the manner described. The dowels thus act as
fastenings to prevent the door being opened, in addition to their ordinary purpose as
dowels; and, for the cheaper description of safes and strong-room doors, the usual
bolt fastenings may be dispensed with.
These dowels also constitute additional security against wedging, as they prevent
the door being wedged forwards in the event of the frame being sprung out slightly
sideways.
It is preferred, however, especially for the better description of safes and strong-
room doors, to combine the dowels constructed according to this invention with the
ordinary bolts which are shot out from the edges of the door, so that such dowels
may be themselves locked by the bolts. For this purpose open-ended slots are formed
in the edges of the bolts to slide over the dowel heads when the same have been
turned as described, and thus prevent them from turning; or the bolts may slide
simply above or below flat sides of such heads to keep them from turning. A
diaphragm within the thickness of the door divides the dowel mechanism from the
bolt mechanism, and the thickness of the bolt of the lever or other suitable lock may
Price 8d.1

page_text: be carried through such diaphragm and operate to lock both the dowel and bolt
mechanism.
When the dowels and bolts are employed in combination, as described, the security
of a double lock is obtained, as to unlock the door by force the bolts must be drawn
or forced in first and then the dowels forced round a quarter turn.
To give greater security against wedging along the hinge side of the door,
quadrant bolts, which are shot out from the edge of the door in a curved direction,
are employed.
1
P
+1 1000
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastenings for Safe and Strong-room Doors.
We, THOMAS PERRY AND SON, Limited, of Highfields Works, Bilston in the
County of Stafford, engineers and bedstead and safe manufacturers, and REUBEN
NOAKE, foreman of the safe department of the said works, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
According to this invention, the dowels frequently employed in connection with
the door of a safe or strong room, and which fit within corresponding holes in the
frame when the door is closed, to prevent wedging the frame sideways, are made
capable of being turned axially and are constructed with T-headed or correspondingly-
shaped heads which pass through similarly shaped openings in the frame, as the door
is closed, and which catch or hold behind the frame when the dowels are turned
axially. The dowels are suitably geared together so that they may all be operated by
one handle at the front of the door, and a suitable lever or other lock is fixed in
position so that its bolt may gear with and securely lock the mechanism when the
dowels have been turned in the manner described. The dowels thus act as fastenings
to prevent the door being opened, in addition to their ordinary purpose as dowels;
and, for the cheaper description of safes and strong-room doors, the usual bolt
fastenings may be dispensed with.
These dowels also constitute additional security against wedging, as they prevent

page_text: the door being wedged forwards in the event of the frame being sprung out slightly
sideways.
It is preferred, however, especially for the better description of safes and strong-
room doors, to combine the dowels constructed according to this invention with the
ordinary bolts which are shot out from the edges of the door, so that such dowels may
be themselves locked by the bolts. For this purpose open-ended slots are formed in
the edges of the bolts to slide over the dowel heads when the same have been turned
as described, and thus prevent them from turning; or the bolts may slide simply
above or below flat sides of such heads to keep them from turning or be otherwise in
such position, when shot out, in relation to the heads, as to prevent them from
turning. A diaphragm within the thickness of the door divides the dowel mechanism
from the bolt mechanism, and the thickness of the bolt of the lever or other suitable
lock may be carried through such diaphragın and operate to lock both the dowel
and bolt mechanism.
When the dowels and bolts are employed in combination, as described, the security
of a double lock is obtained, as to unlock the door by force the bolts must be drawn
or forced in first and then the dowels forced to turn them axially.
This invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a safe door fitted
according to this invention, with the front or outer plate removed to shew the
interior mechanism for operating the dowels; figure 2 is a view of the inner face of
the door with the inner plate removed to shew the interior mechanism for operating
the bolts; and figure 3 is a section taken on the lines x and y y of figures 1 and 2,
but with the front and back plates shewn in place. In all the views the parts are
shewn in their fastened position, and as locked in such position. Like letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts. The door is divided into two sections by the
plate or diaphragm A, namely into the parts B and B, the latter of which is of
reduced dimensions to enter within the space surrounded by the full thickness of the
walls, or within the narrower width of the door aperture. The part B contains the
mechanism for operating the dowels, and the part B₁ the mechanism for operating
the bolts. The hinge side of the door is indicated by the letter C. The axes of the
dowels are indicated by the letter a. The dowels are carried by the plate A so as to
be capable of being turned axially therein, and each dowel has a T-head 6 (or head
of other shape which has a greater and less diameter), and a plain cylindrical part c
(shewn by broken line circles, figure 2) between the inner or back face of the
plate A and the head, of a length to allow for the thickness of the frame against
which the door closes, and to enable the head to be turned behind such frame. The
dowels are operated simultaneously from a handle or knob on a spindle d, by means
of a lever e, bell-crank f, and skeleton plate g g etc., having slotted holes h h etc.
therein engaging with studs on short arms ii etc. fixed upon projecting ends of the
dowels; and the skeleton plate may be locked in position with the heads of the
dowels turned behind the frame, by means of the bolt of the lock k which is thrown
by the key into a notch in a part of the skeleton plate, as shewn.
It will be understood that the door may be fastened by simply closing it so as to
pass the heads of the dowels through the holes formed therefor in the frame, and
then turning such heads a quarter turn so as to bring them behind the frame; and
that the door may be locked by locking the skeleton plate in the manner described.
Referring more especially to figure 2, 11 etc., are bolts of the usual character,
operated by the usual or any convenient mechanism from a handle or knob on the
spindle m,
but the outer ends of the bolts have open-ended slots formed therein, as
shewn, so as to easily embrace the dowel heads when turned into their fastened
position, or are otherwise formed and arranged so as when shot out to lock the dowel
heads in their fastened position, that is to prevent them from being turned. The
bolts may be locked when shot out by the same lock as the skeleton plate g g etc.
which operates the dowels. For this purpose the bolt head; of the lock is made to
project through an opening n in the diaphragm A, and a stud o (shewn by broken
line circle, figure 2) is fixed at the back of a bar p forming part of the mechanism by

page_text: which the bolts are operated, in position to pass, as the bar is moved inwards, over
the top of the bolt head when the same is not shot out, but so that when the bolts I
are shot out the bolt head of the lock may be shot up behind the stud and thus lock
the mechanism. The bar p stands out clear from the diaphragm A sufficiently to
pass along the outerside of the bolt head of the lock as such bar is moved to and fro.
A notch (shewn chiefly by broken lines figure 2) is formed in the edge of the bolt
tail to allow room for the stud o when the bar p is in its forward position.
To give greater security against wedging along the hinge side of the door,
quadrant bolts ss of the usual character for such purpose, and operated in the
ordinary or any convenient manner, may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In a safe or strong room door the employment of dowels having heads of the
character described and mounted and geared together by suitable mechanism so that
they may be turned axially when closed in, in combination with suitable openings
in the frame against which the door closes to receive such heads and permit of their
being turned behind the frame, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
2. The employment, in combination with dowels of the character referred to in the
preceding claim, of bolts the heads of which have open-ended slots formed therein
which when the bolts are shot out after the dowels are fastened embrace the heads of
the dowels and prevent them from being turned, or the heads of which bolts when
shot out after the dowels are fastened are in such position in relation to the heads of
the dowels as to prevent them from being turned, substantially as described for the
purpose set forth.
3. The improvements in fastenings for safe and strong room doors, substantially as
described and shewn, for the purposes set forth.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicants.