Year: 1886

page_text: I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (communicated to me from abroad by Henry Gross of Chicago,
County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America) and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
"
This Invention has for its object constructing the walls of a safe in such a
manner that if an attempt be made to drill through the same the drill will be
turned and broken before the interior of the safe is reached. To this end the
present invention consists in embodying in the walls of the safe plates hereinafter
referred to as "
U-shaped plates or bars composed of laminae of combined iron
and steel said plates or bars having their sides or edges either perpendicular to or
bent at an angle to the plane of the outer walls of the safe. This invention further
consists in embodying in the walls of the safe U-shaped plates or bars formed of
laminae of combined iron and steel said plates being bent so as to present their
laminae at an angle to the walls of the safe and being interlocked so as to prevent
their separation-This invention further consists in embodying in the walls of the
safe U shaped plates or bars formed of metals of unequal hardness said plates or
bars being reversely arranged and interlocked.
A further object of this invention is to so construct the walls of the safe that the
danger of the plates whereof the walls are composed being wedged or forced
asunder by a burglar will be avoided, and to this end this invention consists in
forming the safe walls of U shaped plates or bars of suitable metal oppositély
arranged and interlocked.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a burglar-proof safe made in accordance
with this invention, parts being broken away for better illustration. Figure 2
is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the angle bars Figure 3 is
a fractional view in horizontal section at one corner of the safe.. Figure 4 is
a fractional view in vertical section at a corner of the safe. Figure 5 is a fractional
view in horizontal section at a corner of the safe showing a modified way of
rpioll
3

page_text: uniting the plates. Figure 6 is an end view and figure 7 is a plan view of one of
the U-shaped plates or bars of combined iron and steel.
A is the outer wall or sheathing and B the inner wall or lining of the improved
safe. The wall A is formed of a series of plates or sections united together as
shewn at a by dove tail joints and bent into proper shape. Each of the sections of
the sheathing A. is composed of several laminae or thicknesses of metal of relatively
unequal hardness, iron and steel being preferably employed for this purpose; in
the formation of these sections the thin plates of iron and steel are placed alter-
nately upon each other and while in heated condition are rolled together as is well
understood in the art. In the sections shewn the laminae of metal are five in
number, the central one being of iron, the two adjacent ones of steel and the two
outer ones of iron. At the several corners of the safe against the outer sheathing
are placed the angle bars C formed preferably of combined iron and steel plates
similar to the sheathing. The same angle iron that extends along the bottom is
also bent at its corners and extends upwards along the sides and across the top of
the safe. Upon the inner faces of the angle bar C are formed the grooves c and c¹
into which fit the ends of the U shaped plates or bars D these bars being cut
away as seen at d in figure 1 for this purpose. These bars D are each composed-of
laminae or thicknesses of combined iron and steel in manner similar to the sections
of the outer sheathing-that is to say with two thicknesses of steel and three of
iron and the bars are arranged in such manner that the backs of one set bear
against the inner face of the sheathing, while the backs of the opposite set bear
against the inner face of the lining and the ends of the bars interlock as is clearly
shewn by the drawings. In order to securely connect the bars D together and to
the sheathing and lining of the wall, between which they are introduced I drill
through the backs of the outer series of bars and partially through the sheathing,
threaded, holes adapted to receive the screws E which serve to firmly unite the
outer series of bars, to the sheathing, and through the backs of the inner bars D
and the abutting ends of the outer bars I also drill threaded holes to receive the
screws which serve to connect the inner and outer series of bars securely
together. The lining B is joined to the' inner series of bars by means of the
screws E that enter the threaded holes cut for that purpose in the abutting sides
of the inner bars. The bars D upon the sides of the safe extend preferably in a
vertical direction while those upon the top and bottom "walls are arranged
horizontally as shewn. As already stated the ends of the vertical bars are cut
away as shewn at d to fit into the corresponding spaces c in the angle bar C while
the side of the horizontal bar nearest the angle bar locks into the channel or
space c formed in this bar. At the vertical corners of the safe the U shaped
bars D are connected to the angle bars by having their outer ends locked into the
grooves cand c¹ formed in the faces of the angle bar, as seen in figures 1 and 3.
In the space between the corners of the angle bar C and the lining B are placed
the short filling bars F preferably of combined iron and steel plates bent as shewn.
It will be readily understood that the precise arrangement of the U shaped
plates or bars may be varied and other suitable means may be employed for
locking them together and to the lining and sheathing of the wall although in
• practice the construction shown has proved efficacious. It will be seen that by the
use of the U shaped plates or bars the space between the sheathing and lining of
the safe wall is in effect composed of many thin laminae of metal of unequal
hardness and if an attempt be made at any point to drill a hole into the safe the
drill by striking the ends of the plates or bars D will be deflected or broken
because of the unequal hardness of these plates. Moreover it will be apparent that
whether the U shaped metal plates or bars be of laminate structure or not a
decided advantage results from locking these plates together in the manner shewn,
since by such construction any attempt to force the safe by wedging the plates
asunder will be successfully resisted.
In figure 5 is illustrated a somewhat modified arrangement of the plates or
bars D and the method of uniting the same together. In this construction the

page_text: corner plates will each be formed with grooves throughout its length adapted to
receive the pins or keys H which serve to firmly hold the plates together and
instead of employing an angle-bar as in the construction above described that abuts
against the sheathing A, a small angle bar K is used the ends of which project
within and abut against the sides of the two adjoining plates D of the outer series
at the corner of the wall and are keyed to these plates by means of the pins H.
It will be readily understood that the U shaped or channelled plates may be
formed in any approved manner although I regard rolling as the preferable way of
forming such plates. By making these plates U shaped or channelled so that they
can interlock all danger of forcing the safe wall by wedging the plates asunder is
avoided In practice it has been found that the edges of the U shaped plates do
not extend at precisely right angles to the faces of the safe-walls, but this deviation
is but an incident in the rolling of the plates and is in no sense a departure from.
the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. A burglar proof safe the walls of which are formed of or comprise U-shaped
plates or bars composed of laminae of combined iron and steel said plates or bars
having their sides or edges bent so as to present the plane of their laminae at an
angle to the walls of the safe substantially as described.
2. A burglar proof safe the walls of which comprise a series of U-shaped plates
or bars formed of laminae of combined iron and steel said plates being bent at
their sides or edges so as to present the plane of their laminae at an angle to the
walls of the safe and being interlocked to prevent separation substantially as
described.
3. A burglar proof safe the walls of which comprise U shaped plates or bars
formed of metals of unequal hardness, said plates or bars being reversely or
oppositely arranged and interlocked substantially as described.
4. A burglar proof safe the walls of which comprise laminate U-shaped plates
or bars of combined iron and steel having their sides or edges extending towards
the faces of the walls and grooved angle bars to which said plates are attached
substantially as described.
5. A burglar proof safe the walls of which comprise U shaped plates or bars of
combined iron and steel having their bent sides or edges transversely grooved and
interlocked, and angle bars having their inner faces grooved to receive the ends of
the plates substantially as described.
6. A burglar proof safe the walls of which comprise U shaped metal plates or
bars reversely or oppositely arranged and interlocked to prevent their separation
substantially as described.