Improvements in or appertaining to Safes or the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
Improvements in or appertaining to Safes or the like.
We, EDWARD GREATBATCH WOOD, and MILNER'S SAFE COMPANY LIMITED.
both of Phoenix Safe Works, Smithdown Lane, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer and Safe Makers, respectively, d hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to safes, strong rooms or the like and has for its object to
render a safe more secure and better able to resist the attacks of burglars and
thieves.
It is well known that, in safes in which the lock spindle passes straight through
the door, there is a danger of the burglar removing this spindle, boring a hole into
the safe, and, after inserting through the hole an explosive substance, to ignite the
same, thus bursting open the safe by the force of the explosion.
Now our invention is designed to avoid these defects, and in order that it may be
clearly understood we will describe the same in connection with a safe having a
permutation lock or one in which the moving parts are capable of transposition, so
that, being arranged in a concerted order, it becomes necessary, before shooting the
bolt, to arrange the tumblers by rotating the knob spindle back and forth according
to a preconcerted series.
In carrying out the invention we form the knob spindle of the permutation lock
and the spindle which works the bolt bars in two or more separate lengths or
sections, these several sections being geared together by means of toothed pinions
and their axes located in different planes. At those parts of the safe where the
respective spindles terminate we provide shields or discs of hardened steel adapted
to prevent holes being drilled in the safe walls, should one of the spindles be
renioved. In this manner it will be seen that there is no direct hole through the
safe for the spindle to pass through and that therefore it is absolutely impossible
for the burglar to bore a hole.
In those cases in which the safe is provided with ordinary safe locks for locking
the bolt bars, in addition to the permutation lock aforesaid, we propose to protect
the former also from being tampered with, by providing a sliding shield or holt
which will cover over and protect the key holes or expose them as required. This
sliding shield is operated by the permutation lock alone, by means of a small
quadrant gearing into one end of the sliding shield so that when the safe is locked
up this quadrant will slide the shield along, to cover the key holes of the other
locks, or when unlocked this shield will be slid back again so that the keys can be
inserted. This arrangement not only prevents a burglar picking a lock but also
prevents the possibility of an explosive substance being inserted into the key hole
to blow up the safe.
The mode of action is as follows:-
To unlock the safe it is first necessary to rotate the knob spindle of the permu
tation lock forwards and backwards according to the preconcerted series. This
action while removing the stop which controls the shooting of the bolt bars of the
afe, also operates the quadrant, sliding the shield into a position which will uncover
the key holes of the safe locks and enable access to be had thereto. The keys can
now be inserted, the bolt bars unlocked, the latter shot asi le, by rotating the
spindle that works them, and the safe opened. The sliding shield may be provided
with a spring, if desired, to prevent it sliding back by its own weight.

page_text: We have described one way in which our invention may be carried into effect,
but it is obvious that the invention is capable of application to safes and strong
rooms generally whether fitted with permutation locks or whether fitted with locks
of any other kind. The above description however will serve sufficiently to
indicate the nature of the invention and manner of carrying it into effect.
Dated this 30th day of June 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or appertaining to Sales or the like.
We, EDWARD GREATBATCH WOOD, and MILNER'S SAFE COMPANY LIMITED,
both of Phoenix Safe Works, Smithdown Lane, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer and Safe Makers, respectively, 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:-
This invention relates to safes, strong rooms or the like and has for its object to
render a safe more secure and better able to resist the attacks of burglars and
thieves.
It is well known that, in safes in which the lock spindle passes straight through
the door, there is a danger of the burglar removing this spindle, boring a hole into
the safe, and, after inserting through the hole an explosive substance, to ignite the
same, thus bursting open the safe by the force of the explosion.
Now our invention is designed to avoid these defects, and in order that it may
be
clearly understood, we will describe the same in connection with a safe having a
permutation lock or one in which the moving parts are capable of transposition, so
that, being arranged in a concerted order, becomes necessary, before shooting the
bolt, to arrange the tumblers by rotating the knob spindle back and forth according
to a preconcerted series.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a sectional plan of a portion of a safe or a strong room door formed
of three thicknesses or plates of metal a be, one of which e is shown detached from
the others merely for the sake of clearness.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the middle plate as seen from the inside;
Figure 3, an elevation of the plate looking in the reverse direction; and
Figure 4, the reverse view of the same plate with the moving parts in an altered
position.
In carrying out the invention, we form the knob spindle A of the permutation
lock B, and the spindle C which works the bolt bars in two or more separate
Jengths or sections, these several sections being geared together, the spindles A A¹
by means of toothed pinions D and D' and the spindles C C₁ by the toothed
wheels E and E' and their axes located in different planes. At those parts of the
safe, strong room or the like where the spindles A and C terminate, we provide
shields or discs of hardened steel adapted to prevent holes being drilled in the
safe walls, should one of the spindles be removed. In this manner it will be seen
that there is no direct hole through the safe for the spindles to pass through and
that therefore it is absolutely impossible for the burglar to bore a hole.
In those cases in which the safe is provided with ordinary safe locks for locking
the bolt hars, in addition to the permutation lock aforesaid, we propose to protect
the former also from being tampered with, by providing a sliding shield or bolt G
which will cover over and protect the key holes H or expose them as required.
This sliding shield is operated by the permutation or any suitable lock by means of

page_text: a small toothed quadrant 1 gearing into one end J of the sliding shield G so that
when the safe is locked up this quadrant will slide the shield along, to cover the
key holes of all the locks, as shown in Figure 4, or when unlocked this shield will
be slid back again, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that the keys can be inserted.
This arrangement not only prevents a burglar making an attempt upon a lock but
also prevents the possibility of an explosive substance being inserted into the key
hole to blow up the safe.
¡ is a stop fixed to and moving with the quadrant I, and K one of the bolt bars
for locking the door of the safe. It will be seen that when this bolt bar is shot
out, and the quadrant is raised, the stop i will come in line with the bolt bar and
lock it and prevent it being moved back until the stop is removed by operating the
quadrant I. The shield G is prevented from being tampered with by being entirely
embedded or enclosed in the plates of metal forming the door of the safe.
The mode of action is as follows:-
To unlock the safe, it is first necessary to rotate the spindle knob a of the
permutation lock B forwards and backwards according to the preconcerted series.
This action while removing the stop i which controls the shooting of the bolt bars K
of the safe, also operates the quadrant I sliding the shiell G into a position which
will uncover the key holes II of the safe locks and enable access to be had thereto.
The keys can now be inserted, the bolt bars unlocked, the latter shot aside, by
rotating the spindle knob e' that works them, and the safe opened. The sliding
shield G may be provided with a spring L, if desired, to prevent it sliding back by
its own weight.
We have described one way in which our invention may be carried into effect,
but it is obvious that the invention is capable of application to safes and strong
rooms generally, whether fitted with permutation locks, or whether fitted with locks
of any other kind. The above description however will serve sufficiently to
indicate the nature of the invention and manner of carrying it into effect.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. The improvement in or appertaining to safes or other structures requiring to be
locked securely or secured against the attacks of burglars, which consists in forming
the spindles which work the locks and bolt bars in two or more separate lengths or
sections, and arranging them in different planes, said spindles being geared together
by toothed pinions or the like, whereby there is no direct hole through the safe for
the spindles to pass through substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The improvements in or appertaining to safes or the like, namely, arranging
the spindles which work the locks and bolt bars in two or more separate lengths or
sections and in different planes, the said spindles being geared together by toothed
pinions or the like, in combination with shields or discs of hardened steel located at
those parts of the safe where the spindles terminate and so arranged as to prevent a
burglar drilling holes in the safe wall should any one of the spindles aforesaid be
removed.
3. The arrangement for covering over and protecting the key holes of a safe or
the like when it is locked, or exposing them when it is desired to open the safe
namely, providing in proximity to the key-holes a sliding shield or bolt operated by
means of a quadrant from the permutation or other suitable lock, said shield or bolt
being so forined that when the safe is locked up, the quadrant will slide the shield
along to cover the key holes of the locks, or when unlocked the shield will slide
back again, so as to expose the key holes and enable the keys to be inserted
substantially as described.
4. In sales or the like, the combination of the sliding shield, the quadrant for
working the same and the stop i formed of one piece or working synchronously with
the said quadrant, said stop being so arranged in relation to the bolt bar that when
the bolt bar is shot out and the quadrant raised, the stop i will come in line

page_text: with the bolt bar and prevent it being shot back until the stop is again removed by
operating the quadrant substantially as described.
5. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts whereby a safe
or the like is rendered inore secure and better able to resist the attacks of burglars
substantially as set forth.
.
11002
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.