and of their Internal Fittings.
Year: 1886

page_text: and of their Internal Fittings.
We JOHN MATTHIAS HART of 127 Arlington Street, Manufacturer, and JOHN
WILLIAM SWANN of 74 Dame Street, Engineer, both in the Parish of Islington and
County of Middlesex 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 object of the first part of our invention is to improve the manufacture of
cast metal safes by constructing their bodies in two or more parts, a part of each
side, top and bottom being cast in one piece with the back of the safe, and the
other portion of each side and top and bottom being cast in one piece with
the front or door frame.
By these means we are enabled to obtain any desired definite thickness which
may be unform, or variable throughout, with more certainty than is possible when
the body of the safe is cast in one piece, and we are enabled to attach internal
linings and fittings more advantageously and with more facility than would be
possible in the interior of a safe body cast solid and in one piece as by its being in
two or more parts we are enabled readily to plane the interior of the safe and
thereby to obtain a perfect fit for the lining whilst we are also enabled to drill the,
necessary holes and to tap those required for screws.
The manner in which we connect the two halves or parts of the safe is by
making an interior and exterior parallel spliced joint along the sides top and
bottom, the abutting and interlocking edges of which are bevelled, and the depth
of which is made to suit the necessities of the long keys of double dovetail or other
sections, screws or rivets with which the parts of the splice joint are rigidly and,
permanently connected.
Another method of connecting the two halves of the safe is by forming mortise
and tenon joint or a groove and tongue, or a rabbeted joint secured by similar
interlocking keys, screws or rivets, or if it is necessary to construct the safe body
in more than two parts we employ as many sections and joints as are required by
the increased dimensions of the safe,..
L

page_text: The manner in which we interlock and fix either of these forms of joint is by
pouring molten metal such as cast iron, cast steel or gun metal into keyways or
channels of regular or irregular form, cut or otherwise formed partly in one half
and partly in the other half of the said joint an irregular form being used by
preference in order to prevent the keys being driven out: we also sometimes use
keys of steel, iron or other metal planed and fitted into keyways made for their
reception.
We likewise use screws or rivets placed at suitable distances along the joint to
add to the security already obtained by the said keys.
In order to give increased security to the walls and doors of safes constructed
upon this principle, we cut or cast channels or grooves in any direction and
number, into which we insert bars of hard metal or manganese or other steel,
which bars are held in their places by the turning down of the edges of the
casting along both sides of the grooves made therein and by the backing of hard
metal or steel which forms the lining of the safe.
In some instances we form such security bars and lining together in hard metal,
manganese or other steel, in order to prevent drilling or fracture from impact, or
we drill holes either vertically or horizontally within the thickness of the walls
and insert bars of hard metal in such holes.
The third part of our invention relates to the manner in which we form the
meeting edges of safe or strong room doors and of their corresponding abutments
in the walls or door frames. We cast the shutting edges all round the said doors
in the shape of an exaggerated ogee moulding or in zig-zag form, or in simple or
double parallel or other projections placed at any convenient angle, which fit into
corresponding recesses or mouldings cast in the solid metal of the door frame.
By this means we obtain joints consisting of ridges and furrows all round the
door the one set fitting within the other and we are thus able to provide, greater
security against the introduction of wedges than has hitherto been the case where
plates, bars or angles forming the door or framing are screwed or rivetted together,
and we moreover obtain greatly increased strength for the bolts which pass through.
the solid metal in the locking edges of the door and into the solid metal of the safe
walls.
.
We also cast with the door the internal flanges which form the lock and bolting
chamber.
The fourth part of our invention relates to the joints of the lining plates of
strong rooms and the coverings or connection of such joints.
In instances where the plates forming the lining of strong rooms make "butt",
joints with each other, we cut a groove in their external sides near the edges of
each plate, and form corresponding projections upon the inside edges of the
covering or connecting plates, giving them a section similar in shape to a shallow
channel iron these covering or connecting plates we sometimes weld together
either at their four corners or at any other convenient part, or we connect their
ends either by "lap" or "butt" joints in order to form a solid rectangle or other
form to which the walls are either screwed or rivetted or we use a connecting or
covering plate having a Tee iron section the web of which extends inwards, and
against which web the wall plates make their joints.
In this as in the latter case we prevent the insertion of wedges by returning the
edges of the outside plate or table of the Tee iron into corresponding grooves in
the walls, roof and floor; and we afterwards secure the Tee iron web to the wall
plates by the addition of angle irons rivetted or screwed thereto and to the interior
of the lining plates according to requirements.
Where connecting or covering plates cannot be admitted we make the wall plates.
floor and roof to form rabbeted or groove and tongue joints and provide internal
flanges at right or other angles which we secure by bolts or screws.
J
The fifth part of our invention relates to an easy and secure method of support
and adjustment for shelves and bearing rails in the interior of safes and strong
rooms which is facilitated by the aforesaid Improved construction of safes and

page_text: strong rooms in two or more parts, and it also provides that any desired alteration
of capacity or arrangement of such shelves may be made without the aid of a
mechanic being necessary and at the same time the said adjustable shelves or rails
shall as heretofore be of sufficient strength to resist the concussion produced by any
weight as of strong or bullion boxes which may be thrown upon them in the
ordinary way.
The manner in which we support the said moveable shelves or rails is in the first
instance by providing standards of solid or hollow columns of flat, square, round
channel, tee, cross or angle or other form which are supported above and below in
sockets or recesses prepared in or upon the walls of the safe or by any other
equivalent and suitable method, so that they may be independent and separated
from the walls of the safe or strong room.
The said columns or standards are arranged at convenient distances near to the
walls of the safe or room as may be necessary to provide the required number of
supports for the rails forming the shelves.
Upon each of these columns or standards we place moveable or sliding collars
connected transversely, either by being made in one piece with a transverse bearing
bar or by being attached to a transverse bearing bar to which they may be rigidly
screwed or bolted. Upon these collars are made projecting bearings for supporting
the longitudinal rails of the shelves.
These bearings are formed with openings or recesses upon their upper side, and
into these openings or recesses the said longitudinal rails are placed, the rails.
sometimes being left free to revolve, or if desired they may be secured in their
bearings by bolts or other fastenings.
The rails may be of round iron, of tubing or of other applicable sections, such as
square, channel, tee, cross, or angle iron form.
These transverse bearing bars supporting the intermediate rails are by preference
made of teé iron section with the web turned upwards, but they may be of the
section mentioned for the rails, the intermediate longitudinal rails of the shelves
are notched at suitable distances to fit the said transverse bars.
The vertical standards are provided with either screw or pin holes at short
distances throughout their height corresponding with similar holes in the adjustable
collars into which screws or metallic pins or keys are inserted for the purpose of
supporting the said moveable collars.
By these means each set of rails is held in any desired position and hence when
it is necessary to raise or lower the collars in order to give the space between any
two shelves a greater or lesser height it is only necessary to remove the pins or
screws and after making the necessary alterations they are as easily replaced.
In some instances we cut holes notches or recesses similar in shape to the teeth of
ratchet racks into the sides of the vertical standards at short intervals throughout
their height into which holes, notches or recesses a short lever or pawl is dropped,
the said lever moving freely upon a pin carried by the adjustable collar.
Another method of providing adjustable supporting means for the shelves is by
forming at the ends of the longitudinal rails a groove.
Holes are provided in the vertical standards for the reception of the grooved
ends of the said rails which upon being inserted within the holes in the standards
fall into small slots or on to a supporting web cut to fit the said grooves, or we
cast cavities in the solid walls of the safe or in the internal lining thereof which
shall admit of the insertion of the ends of rails and which shall have slots or
supporting webs into or on which the grooved ends of the said rails may fall.
We sometimes provide holes drilled in the solid metal of the walls or in the
lining thereof, into which pins carried upon transverse bearing bars are inserted,
the said bearing bars being held in their places by shelves having rabbeted ends
fitting thereon.
And in order that our said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect we will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more
fully to describe the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 represent sections of safe bodies constructed according to our
invention Figure 1 being a view of a safe made in two parts and Figure 2 being a
view of parts of a safe made upon the same principle but in more than two parts;
A, A are the parts of each side which are cast in one piece with the back and part
of the top and bottom of the safe and B, B, are the other portions connected to
or carrying the front or door frame.
At C, C, we show the manner in which we connect the separate parts of the safe,
by making a spliced joint; D, D, being the abutting and interlocking bevelled
edges. E, E, represent sections of different forms of long keys which according to
one plan are formed by pouring into cavities molten metal, or we sometimes use
keys of steel iron or other hard metal planed and fitted into key-ways made for
their reception, and which keys are the means we use for permanently connecting
the two parts of the spliced joint D. D. Figure 3 represents a method of con-
nection by mortise and tenon or groove and tongue, and at F, F, is indicated the
position of the holes in the walls of a safe wherein we insert security bars of hard.
metal. G, G, are hard metal bars secured within grooves cut horizontally, vertically
or angularly in the walls of the safe or strong room, and H, H, are hard metal bars
cast or rolled in one with the inside lining plate J fitted into similar channels,
By forming cast metal safes in two or more parts as above described we are
enabled readily to plane the interior of the safe and thereby to obtain a perfect fit
for the lining whilst we are also enabled readily to drill the necessary holes and to
tap those required for screws.
At Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6 are representations of our improved methods of forming
or moulding the shutting edges of safe or strong room doors, and their corre-
sponding mouldings or abutments, K being the door and L the abutment
respectively, whilst M is the surrounding flange or rim enclosing the lock and
bolting chamber. Figure 7 is an interior view of a safe door showing the ogee
moulding upon the shutting edges.
We would here remark that although we have shown the door to be of rect-
angular shape it may be of any other desired and convenient form.
Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 represent the several methods we adopt for the more
successful covering and connecting of the wall plates of strong rooms.
Referring to Figure 8 N, N, are the wall plates and O, Ŏ, are the covering or
connecting plates rivetted or screwed over the plate joints, P, P, being the pro-
jections made upon the covering or connecting plates and which projections are
inserted into grooves which have been formed for their reception.
The covering or connecting plates O, O, Figure 8 we sometimes weld together,
either at their four corners or at any other convenient part or we connect their
ends by "lap" or "butt" joints in order to form a solid rectangle or other form to
which the walls are either screwed or rivetted or we use a covering and connecting
plate as shown at Figure 9 having a Tee iron section, the web of which extends
inwards and against which web the wall plates N, N, make their joints. In this
case as in that shown at Figure 8 we prevent the insertion of wedges by returning
the edges of the outside plate or table of the Tee iron into corresponding grooves
in the walls, roof and floor and we afterwards secure the Tee iron web to the lining
plates by the addition of angle irons P¹ rivetted or screwed thereto and to the
interior of the lining plates N, N, according to requirements.
Figures 12 and 13 show the manner in which we sometimes cut away the web
of Tee iron covering or connecting plates at S in order to bend the table of the Tee
iron round the corners of strong rooms at T the extremities of such covering and
connecting plates being sometimes welded, or they may be connected by "butt."
or "lap" joints as at Ū.
Where connecting and covering plates O cannot be employed we make the wall,
floor and roof plates N with rabbetted joints as shown at Figure 10 or with groove
and tongue joints as shown at Figure 11. Figure 14 represents one of the vertical

page_text: standards already referred to supported in sockets secured to the body of the safe
or strong room, and Figure 15 represents a similar standard supported in recesses
cut or cast in the solid metal of the safe or strong room the recess in the roof being
made deeper than that in the floor to admit of the standard being inserted for the
purpose of being elevated and dropped into the recess made in the floor.
The aforesaid standards are pierced with holes for adjusting the before mentioned
sliding collars.
Figure 16 is a sectional plan of one pair of corner columns or standards around
which are shown the sliding collars carrying the rails which form a shelf. Figure 17
is a sectional plan of one pair of intermediate columns also shown carrying sliding
collars. Figures 18 and 19 are portions of standards in elevation with side views
of the said collar.
In Figure 16, a is a transverse bearer cast in one piece with a sliding collar a¹
at each end and b Figure 17 shows the manner in which we connect the collars a¹
with a separate transverse bearer. cc are the bearings which support longitudinal
Tails d one 'forming the front edge and the other forming the back edge of a shelf.
ee are intermediate longitudinal rails notched to fit over the transverse
bearers a or b. f. f. are screw or pin holes in the vertical standards, and 9 g are
corresponding holes in the sliding collars a¹. h. h. represent notches or holes
cut in the vertical standards and jj are pawls which fall into the said notches or
holes to secure the collars a¹ in any desired position.
As, each pawl or short lever ; must be held in its corresponding notch or hole it
is provided with a pink the position of which is vertical at the time the pawl or
lever is lying in its respective notch or hole, the pin extending through the bearing
in which the longitudinal rail d has its seat, and in order to secure the pawl or
lever ; when in position the pin k is made use of as a dowel which is held in a hole
corresponding with it in the longitudinal rail d.
When it is desired to make any alteration in the position of the shelf rails, the
longitudinal rails d are first lifted out of their bearings, after which the pawl is
free to be thrown out of the notch or hole. Figure 20 is a view of another vertical
standard provided with holes having slots / cut to fit the grooves m made in the
ends of rails or bars which form a shelf.
Figure 20 shows a slight modification. Figure 21 shows a section through
cavities cast either in the walls of the safe or lining, into which are inserted rails
or bars with grooves m which fall into slots made for their reception.
Figures 22 and 23 show another section through the walls or linings of a safe
in which we provide holes n n into which pins or studs of carried by transverse
bars o are inserted, and p represents a shelf which is formed with its ends rabbeted
so as to fit upon and lock the transverse bars o in their desired position.
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. Making the bodies of safes in two or more parts, which are put together
inter-locked and secured, substantially as herein shown and described with respect
to Figures 1, 2 and 3.
2. The insertion of hard metal bars into the metal walls of safes, strong rooms
and their doors substantially as described and shown with respect to Figure 1.
3. The application of an internal lining of hard metal which has cast or rolled
upon it hard metal bars or projections which are inserted into grooves or cavities
in the said solid metal walls substantially as described and shown with respect to
Figure 1.
'
4. The introduction of hard metal bars inserted into holes drilled in the said
walls of safes substantially as described and shown with respect to Figures 2 and 3.
5. The construction of door jambs or seats and the corresponding door frames
substantially as herein described and shown with reference to Figures 1, 4, 5, 6
and 7.

page_text: 6. The use of external "butt" joint covering or connecting plates of the form,
character and method of attachment substantially as shown with reference to
Figures 8, 9, 12 and 13.
7. Forming the joints of the wall plates of strong rooms substantially as herein
shown and described with respect to Figures 10 and 11.
8. Fitting the interior of safes or strong rooms with vertical standards supported
between the floor and roof and independent of the walls upon which adjustable
collars, supporting rails or shelves, may be secured at any desired point substan-
tially as herein described and shown with respect to Figures 14, 15, 16 and 18.
9. Providing moveable collars with short radiating levers which fall into notches
or holes cut or drilled in the sides of vertical standards for the purpose of
supporting rails or shelves substantially as described and shown with reference to
Figures 17 and 19.
10. Providing vertical standards with holes or cavities cut therein and with
slots or webs to receive and hold the grooved ends of the longitudinal rails of
shelves substantially as herein shown and described with respect to Figures 20
and 20%.
:
11. Providing recessed cavities in the walls of safes or strong rooms for the
purpose of supporting rails, substantially as described and shown with reference to
Figure 21.
12. Rabbeting or so forming the ends of shelves that when in position they shall
with the aid of adjustable supports lock the same in their desired position so that
they shall effectually carry or support the said shelves substantially as herein
described and shown with reference to Figures 22 and 23.
13. The construction and use of solid plate or sectional grid shelves adjustably
supported in strong rooms and safes substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated the orth don of u 1000