IM- PROVED MEANS OF AFFORDING ADDITIONAL SECURITY TO SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND OTHER SIMILAR DEPOSITORIES
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Wilkinson Chambers at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th July 1872.
I, JOHN WELKINSON CHAMBERS, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVED MEANS OF AFFORDING ADDITIONAL SECURITY TO SAFES, STRONG ROOMS, AND
OTHER SIMILAR DEPOSITORIES," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention is designed principally for the purpose of affording
additional security to safes, bankers' strong rooms, and other similar
depositories for valuable securities or cash, but it is also equally appli-
cable to the locks or other fastenings of goldsmiths,' jewellers', and other
shops or manufactories where it is desirable that immediate notice
should be given in the event of any lock or door being surreptitiously
opened, or in case of its not having been properly locked or closed.
The Invention consists principally in so connecting the door or the
lock or fastening thereof by means of insulated wires with a visible or
audible electric signal placed at the police station (or in any other
suitable situation) that whenever the lock or door is opened, or if it has

page_text: not been properly closed the electric circuit shall be broken, and the
fact of the lock, fastening, or door being opened (or of its insecure state)
shall thus be instantly notified by electric signal at the police station or
other desirable place.
This may be effected in a variety of ways without departing from the
principal distinctive feature of my Invention, which is that the closing
of the door or the fastening of the bolt or lock completes the electric
circuit and gives the signal "all right," whilst the opening or un-
fastening of the same or the fact of its having been left open or
unfastened breaks the electric circuit or leaves it incomplete, and thus
gives the signal "danger" or vice versa.
A very simple and convenient way of doing this is to have a galvanic
battery of the requisite power at the police station in connection with
an electric bell apparatus, somewhat similar to that frequently employed
in hotels and other large establishments. The wires from any or all
of the different banks, jewellers', and goldsmiths' shops in the immediate
neighbourhood being connected thereto, it follows that whenever any
door or lock is opened it rings the electric bell and exhibits a number or
letter corresponding to the door or lock in question and keeps it in that
position till the circuit is completed by the closing or locking of the
door or fastening, when the number or letter is withdrawn from sight.
A glance at the index board would thus tell at any time which doors
or fastenings were open and which were closed, and the surreptitious
opening or closing of any door or fastening after the connections were
made for the night would sound an alarm and indicate where the circuit
was broken.
As an additional security I propose also in some instances to apply
the electric system to locks in such a way that the tumblers being raised
by the key complete an electric circuit, and a powerful magnet being
thus put in action withdraws the bolt which is entirely inaccessible from
the keyhole. The tumblers are so connected with springs attached
to the wires of the battery that the circuit is only completed when
the tumblers are all raised to their proper relative heights simul-
taneously, and this can only be effected by the proper key or a fac-simile
thereof.
It will be evident that this electric lock may be used either by itself
or in connection with the electric alarm above described.

page_text: I also propose in some cases to have an internal bolt to the door which
can only be withdrawn by a magnet on completing the electric circuit,
so that the safe or other door cannot be opened even by the proper key
till this bolt has been withdrawn, and this can only be effected by com-
pleting the circuit at the police office or other distant place.