GB2062450A - Safe deposit locker system - Google Patents

Abstract

A security storage system comprises safe deposit lockers 2 housed in travelling units 1, 11 which can either be closed up into a grouped condition to prevent access to the lockers or else shifted to create free spaces between pairs of successive units. Each side face of each unit which is accessible when in the grouped condition is provided with penetration-resistant panelling 9, and the accessible major face of the end unit 11 is provided with similar panelling 12. The end unit 11, and optionally each of the other units, is furthermore provided with means whereby the whole set can be locked in the grouped condition. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Safe deposit locker system The present invention relates to a security storage system comprising so-called safe deposit lockers or strongboxes.

More particularly the invention is concerned with a security storage system comprising a set of travelling units of generally rectangular plan form housing a plurality of safe deposit lockeis adapted to be opened from a major face of the respective unit, the units being disposed one behind the other with their major faces in parallel relationship and being displaceable in succession in a direction perpendicular to said major faces from a grouped condition in which no access is provided between the facing major faces of successive units to positions in which pairs of successive units can be spaced apart to provide access between the respective facing major faces thereof.Storage systems of this nature have been known in the banking field for some time, the basic advantage of such a system being that it is possible to utilise for storage purposes practically all of the internal volume of the vault or other room in which it is installed, whilst at the same time allowing access to each one of the safe deposit lockers by appropriately displacing the units to create a free space between the respective major face of the relevant unit and the facing major face of the unit which is adjacent.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a security storage system of the nature indicated above which provides an improved degree of sec urityagainst burglarious attack.

Accordingly the invention resides in a security storage system of the stated type in which each side face of each travelling unit which is accessible when the units are in the grouped condition is provided as a penetration-resistant barrier; at each end ofthe set of units which is accessible when the units are in the grouped condition the external major face of the respective end unit is provided as a penetrationresistant barrier; and at least each said acessible end unit is provided with locking means for locking that unit in position when the units are in the grouped condition, thereby to resist the displacement of any travelling unit from the grouped condition.

Such end unit or units may be provided solely for the purpose of providing a penetration-resistant barrier at the end of the grouped set and locking the set in its grouped condition. Preferably, however, such units will also house a number of safe deposit lockers which in this case can be opened only from the respective internal major face of the unit. Furthermore each travelling unit may if desired be provided with an individual locking means for locking that unit in position when in the grouped condition, and there may also be means for locking successive units one to another when in the grouped condition.

As will be appreciated, a storage system in accordance with the invention has all of its accessible vertical surfaces provided as penetration-resistant barriers when the units are in the grouped condition.

Preferably the units will extend substantially from the floor to the ceiling of the vault or other room in which they are installed so that there is no access available for an attack to be made on the safe deposit lockers from above. However if the units do not reach to the full height of the room their accessible top surfaces will also be provided as penetrationresistant barriers. The number of side and end faces of the units which need to be made as penetrationresistant barriers will also depend upon the available access to the units when they are in the grouped condition. For example if the grouped set occupies a central area of a room with access on all four sides then both side surfaces of each unit and the accessible major faces at both ends of the set must be penetration-resistant.On the other hand if, as will more usually be the case, one end of the grouped set comes up against a wall of the room or some other appropriate fixed obstruction (such as a fixed locker unit) and one side of the set is likewise located against a wall or other fixed obstruction, then only one side face of each unit and the external major face at the accessible one end of the set need be penetration-resistant.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a security storage system in accordance with the invention, in an "access" condition; Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the storage system of Figure 1 when in a grouped condition; Figure 3 is a section, to an enlarged scale, on the line Ill-Ill of Figure 2, illustrating a locking arrangement; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspeciveviewofa second embodiment of a security storage system in accordance with the invention, in an "access" condition; Figure 6 is a horizontal section through the storage system of Figure 5 when in a grouped condition;; Figure 7 is a side elevation, to an enlarged scale, of units of the storage system of Figures 5 and 6, illustrating a locking arrangement; and Figure 8 shows a detail, to a further enlarged scale, of an arrangement for locking successive units together, as viewed in the sense of arrow F in Figure 7.

The security storage system shown in Figures 1 to 4 comprises a set of travelling units 1 of rectangular plan form each one of which houses two sets of safe deposit lockers 2 arranged back-to-back in the unit, the lockers in the two sets in each unit being adapted to be opened from the opposite major faces of the respective unit. The units 1 are disposed one behind the other with their major faces in parallel relationship and at the front end of the set of units 1 there is similarly disposed a further travelling unit 11 of rectangular plan form which houses a single set of safe deposit lockers 2 which can be opened only from the internal (rear) major face of the unit 11.At the rear end of the set of units 1 there is a unit 11' which is fixed in position against a wall 6 ofthe vault or other room in which the storage system is installed and which again houses a single set of safe deposit lockers 2 which can be opened from the internal (front) major face of the unit 11'.

As shown in Figure 2, the units 1,11 and 11' can be closed together in a condition, referred to herein as the "grouped" condition, in which no access is provided between the facing major faces of successive units in the set. Alternatively, each of the units 1 and 11 can be displaced in succession in the longitudinal direction of the set (ie perpendicular to the major face of the units), to "access" positions in which a free space is created between a desired successive pair of units to provide access to selected lockers 2.

A displacement of the end unit 11 to provide access to its lockers and to the front set of lockers in the first unit 1 is shown in Figure 1, successive units 1 being displaced to provide access to the lockers further back in the set. The units are guided in this movement by floor rails 5 and may be driven electrically, for example, or shifted manually.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4 the units 1, 11 and 11' extend substantially to the full height of the room in which they are installed. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2 one side face of each unit is disposed against the wall 3 of the room and in the grouped condition the rear face of the set of travelling units 1 comes up against the fixed unit 11'which in turn is located against the room wall 6. In the grouped condition, therefore, the only faces of the set of units 1,11 and 11'which are accessible are the external (front) major face of the end travelling unit 11 and the one side face of each unit which faces the wall 4 of the room.Consequently, all of the units are provided on their accessible side faces with penetration-resistant (armoured) panels 9-each unit 1 having two such panels connected together sideby-side by butt straps 10 - and the end unit 11 is provided on its accessible front face with similar panels 12 connected together by butt straps 13. The panels 9 and 12 are designed to be resistant to attack by, for example, drilling or flame cutting tools and may comprise an outer sheet of steel with an inner lining of an aluminium matrix containing nuggets of Aloxite (Registered Trade Mark) or the like hard, refractory material.

The end unit 11 also has two locking mechanisms 14 (Figure 2) interposed between its safe deposit lockers 2 and which are operable from the front major face of that unit to lock the unit in position when the set is in its grouped condition, thereby retaining the whole set in the grouped condition. The locking arrangement is shown in more detail in Figures 3 and 4.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, each locking mechanism 14 comprises a set of upper and lower bolts 15 which are adapted to engage in appropriately placed sockets in the floor 7 of the room and in a transverse channel member 17 which is firmly anchored to the ceiling 8. The bolts in each set are connected together by a respective strap 16 and caused to translate in the vertical direction by means of respective operating rods 20 which are pinned at their other ends between a pair of rotatable discs 18 fast on a shaft 19. The shaft 19 can be rotated by an external handwheel 24 to throw or withdraw the bolts 15 as required. Two locks 22 provided respectively with hollow shafts 23 extending to key entrances 25 at the front face of the unit 11 enable the rods 20, and consequentlythe bolts 15, to be locked in the thrown condition.Further barriers 21 interposed between the locking mechanisms 14 and the respective panels 12 give added resistance to penetration in this important area. The barriers 21 may comprise eg concrete matrices reinforced with polypropylene fibres and containing Aloxite (Registered Trade Marks nuggets or the like.

From the above it will be seen that the various units 1,11, when locked in their grouped condi- tion constitute in effect a single block protected at each accessible side by penetration-resistant barriers. Additionally, successive units may be provided with fixed stud bolts 26 (Figure 1) along their margins which locate in the adjacent unit to resist any relative lateral displacement between the units. The safe deposit lockers 2 are therefore well protected from burglarious attack while at the same time authorised access to any particular locker can be readily provided by unlocking and withdrawing the bolts 15 on the end unit 11 and shifting the travelling units to an appropriate"access" position.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 5 to 8 is similar in its general structure to that described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 and like reference characters are used to denote like parts in the two embodiments. The essential difference is that in the embodiment of Figures 5 to 8 retention of the units in their grouped condition is not entrusted solely to locking mechanisms in the end unit 11, but rather each one of the travelling units 1 and 11 has an individual locking mechanism, operable from the accessible side face ofthe unit facing the room wall 4.

Details of one ofthese locking mechanisms are shown in Figure 7. It comprises an external handwheel 51 which rotates, through a shaft 52, a pair of discs 53. Pinned between these discs are a pair of vertically translatable operating rods 54 which carry at their opposite ends bolts 55 connected to bolt straps 56. The bolts 55 are arranged to engage in appropriately placed sockets in the floor 7 and in a longitudinal channel member 65 which is firmly anchored to the ceiling 8. Translation of the rods 54 by the handwheel 51 to throw orwithdraw the bolts 55 also causes corresponding translational movement of two additional rods 57 to which respective rods 54 are linked. The rods 57 are formed with shaped apertures as indicated at 58 in Figure 8, these apertures having a circular portion 59 joining a rectangular portion 60 of reduced width, and facing rearwardly in the longitudinal direction of the set of units, along the margin of the respective unit adjacent to its accessible side face. When the units are closed up into their grouped condition after use, with the bolts 55 in their withdrawn positions, the circular portions 60 of the apertures 58 of each unit 1 and 11 are aligned with respective fixed stud bolts 62 (Fig ures 1 and 8) provided along the facing margin of the next unit in the set. The bolts 62 have ball-shaped heads on rectangular cross-sectioned necks and when the units are closed together the bolt heads pass through the corresponding aperture portions 60 in the adjacent unit. When the respective handwheel 51 is then operated to throw the bolts 55 the rods 57 are also moved so that the rectangular aperture portions 60 move over the necks ofthe corresponding bolts 62 and the bolt heads cannot then be withdrawn from the apertures. In other words operation of the locking mechanism of each unit is effective not only to lock the respective unit in place in the grouped condition but also to lock together that unit and the next adjacent unit in the set. Two locks 63 having key entrances 64 are provided in each unit for locking the respective bolts 55 and rods 57 in the thrown condition.

Claims (8)

1. A security storage system comprising a set of travelling units of generally rectangular plan form housing a plurality of safe deposit lockes adapted to housing a plurality of safe lockers adapted to the units being disposed one behind the other with their major faces in parallel relationship and being displaceable in succession in a direction perpendicu largo said major faces from a grouped condition in which no access is provided between the facing major faces of successive units to positions in which pairs of successive units can be spaced apart to provide access between the respective facing major faces thereof; wherein each side face of each travelling unit which is accessible when the units are in said grouped condition is provided asa penetration-resistant barrier; at each end of the set of units which is accessible when the units are in said grouped condition the external major face of the respective end unit is provided as a penetrationresistant barrier; and at least each said accessible end unit is provided with locking means for locking that unit in position when the units are in said grouped condition, thereby to resist the displacement of any travelling unit from the grouped condition.

2. A storage system according to claim 1 wherein each said accessible end unit is provided with locking means comprising movable bolts adapted to cooperate with the floor and/or ceiling of a room in which the storage system is installed, a mechanism operable from the external major face of the respective unit for throwing and withdrawing said bolts, and means operable from the external major face of the respective unit for selectively locking said bolts in their thrown condition.

3. A storage system according to claim 1 wherein each travelling unit is provided with an individual locking means for locking that unit in position when the units are in said grouped condition.

4. A storage system according to claim 3 wherein each travelling unit is provided with locking means comprising movable bolts adapted to cooperate with the floor and/or ceiling of a room in which the storage system is installed, a mechanism operable from an accessible side face of the respective unit for throwing and withdrawing said bolts, and means operable from said accessible side face for selectively locking said bolts in their thrown condition.

5. A storage system according to any preceding claim further comprising means for locking successive units one to another when in said grouped condition.

6. A storage system according to claims 4 and 5 wherein successive units are provided with fixed bolts which engage in the next adjacent unit when in the grouped condition; and each said next adjacent unit comprises means operable together with the throwing of its own said movable bolts to retain such fixed bolts against withdrawal therefrom.

7. A storage system according to any preceding claim when installed such that in the grouped condition the top surface, one end and one side of the set of travelling units are located against fixed obstuctions, and wherein only the accessible side face of each unit and the external major face of the one accessible end unit are provided as penetrationresistant barriers.

8. A security storage system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.