Improvements in Safes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application. 2nd July, 1894-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1894
Improvements in Safes.
I LOUIS MANNSTAEDT of Kalk near Cologne, Rhenish Prussia, Germany,
Manufacturer 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 :-
The invention relates to the construction of the doors and sides of safes and has
for its object to secure an absolute closure of the door almost hermetically so that.
no heat, or air can enter and that especially no thief can open it or break it open
even by means of the best tools.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the front part of the safe, the door
shut;
Figure 2 shows a similar section, the door open.
In making the front edge or side of the right side W of the safe, that is the side
to which the door is hinged, I use a rolled iron bar A of special section, which in
the main is of channel shape, but the bottom side of which partly bent upwards,
the straight parts a a² Hanking this arch a lying at different levels, the side
edges and a' of the iron A are set back, as shown in the figure, by the thickness
of the wall plates wi and wa. The arch, to which the arched part a of the iron A
is bent, corresponds to a circle struck from the centre of the hingebolt O. Upon
the outside of the part a² I rivet an iron B having ressemblance in shape to a
sickle the bent part being also curved to a circle struck from the centre of the
hinge, but of so much a smaller radius than the arch a, that a hollow space is left
between A and B of the thickness of an other sickle shaped iron C, forming part
of the door itself, and to which I shall refer below.
At the left side to which the lock is attached I form the front edge of the
side W also by a specially rolled iron D of double channel or S section in the main,
the stay adjacent to the door being made in steps. The left stay d is set back by
the thickness of the plate wa forming the inner half of the outer side, in a similar
manner the corresponding stay at the right side of the iron D is set back by the
thickness of the inner plate wi of the left side of the safe. This has for its object
to get all joints smooth and flush so that the outside covering plates to can be well
fitted thereto.
Corresponding to the rolled irons A, B and D are shaped the irons forming the
corresponding side edges of the door. To the inner steel plate of the door T is
rivetted the T shaped iron C having legs of unequal length and shape; the left leg
being as usual; the right one being of sickle shape as mentioned above, the curved
part corresponding in thickness and form exactly to the recess formed by the two
irons A and B.
The steel plate t again and the bent part e of the iron C leaving a free space
between each other into which enters the sickle shaped part of the iron B when the
door is closed, as will be seen from Figures 1 and 2.
The irons A, B, C and the plates to, and to thus form a fourfold joint at this
side of the door, the parts of which work into each other like teeth and it will be
easily understood that this joint, good workmanship of course being used, will not
only resist the tools of burglars, but it will also prevent the entrance of heated
gases and of fire by the zigzag of the joint.
At the lock side of the door I form the side edge by means of an iron E of hook
shape; the hook e fits into the recess of the corresponding iron 1); the iron E is
rivetted to the inside of the steel plate t and its leg e' is bent to a circle struck from

page_text: the centre of the door hinge O; to the outside of the part el is rivetted the plate te
forming the left side edge of the door; the plate to rivetted to the iron C forming
the right side edge of the same and the plate tb rivetted to te and tr by angle
irons, as shown, forms the back side of the door. The groove formed between e
and te takes up the thick part of the iron D when the door is shut and from
Figure it will be seen that at this side also a complicated joint is made which
will resist all trials of opening the safe by illegal means. The rabbets R at the
inside of the safe keep the door in its proper position when closing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a safe the combination of the specially shaped rolled iron A with a sickle
shaped iron B, the sides wi and a rivetted to the iron A, and the plate w to form
the front edge of the hinge side of the safe having a sickle shaped hollow space
for a correspondingly shaped iron of the door to enter into this space when the
door is being closed so as to form a perfectly secure joint at the hinge side of the
door.
2. In a safe the combination of the specially shaped irons A, B at the right side
of the safe with a specially shaped iron C of T section in the main and having one
leg sickle shaped to form part of the right side edge of the door, so that the sickle
shaped lege enters into the corresponding hollow space between the irons A and B
when the door is closed.
3. In a safe forming the front edge of the left side of the safe (that is the side
of the lock) by means of an S shaped rolled iron D to which are rivetted the
outside plates w¹a and wand also the inside plate w'i and having a groove d' into
which enters a corresponding part e of the door when the latter is closed.
4. In a safe in combination with the iron D forming the front edge of the left
side of the safe an iron E of hook shape forming the corresponding edge of the
door to the iron D and having a projecting part e entering into the recess or
groove d' when the door being closed, for the purpose of causing an absolute safe
and sure closure against fire and burglars.
Dated this 26th der of Lune & D 1901
L. MANNSTAEDT,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.