US1826464A - Safety elevated bank and vault protector - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 6, 1931. w. GILLIS SAFETY ELEVATED BANK AND VAULT PROTECTOR Filed June 5. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. Wilham Guns d A TTO EY.

Oct. 6,1931. w. GILLIS SAFETY ELEVATED BANK AND VAULT PROTECTOR Filed June 5. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. Z iZZi am GiZZ'z'a I J ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 6, 1 931 LSZGAG-a pw 'IIaIiIAM GIL'LIS, or FORT WORTH, TEXAS .7 sA n'rrniiEvArnn BANK AND VAULT rno'rnc'ron Application filed June 5, 1929. Serial No. 368,703.

This invention relates to a device for bank protection against robbery and more particularly 'to an elevated structure with a stair- Tf'way which can be raised out of reach and thereby shut ofi the access to the bank vault.

' J In brief the device consists of an elevated cage to accommodate several clerks. This cage is placedadjacent'the door .of the bank f' 'vault sothat entrance to the vault door can only be had through theelevated cage. Pivotally attachedto the cage is a stairway which can be raised when any danger due to a holdup arises so that the exit to the bank vault '7 will be shut off.- The walls of the cage are preferably made of armored steel and provided with openings so the crew within the 1 cage can fireupon the hold-up men when any such emergency arises. Placed within the cage is a winch to which 2 is attached the end of the cable for raising or lowering the stairway. A system of sig- "naling is provided operable from the main floor to indicate to the crew of the cage when i to raise or lower the stairway and when to be cautious. 7

Other objects of the invention will appear as the disclosure progresses. The drawings areintended merely to indicate a possible i W embodiment of the invention. It is therefore not intended to'limit the invention to the embodiment illustratedbutrather'to define such limits in the appended claims. For a more general understanding of the invention attention is now called to the drawings. In these drawings like reference characters denote like parts throughout the sepecification.

In thedrawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Figure 2 is a front elevation. Figure 3 is a top view thereof. I Figure 4 is a detail view of the the cable removed and Figure 5 is a wiring diagram. Referring now tothe drawings in detail numeral 1 designates the cage large enough to accommodate several clerks supported on I the pedestal 2 high enough to be out of the reach of any person. a v, Pivoted to the brackets 3 at the bottom of the cage is a stairway 4. At the bottom of winch with the stairway is attached one end of a cable 5 which leads to a manually operated winch 6 placed within the cage. 2

The cage 1 is preferably placed against the wall 7 of the bank'vault entrance door. Cut in the floor 9 and side 10 of the cage are lookout slots 11 through which the men in the cage can fire their pistols or guns. Inaddition to these slots lookout doors 12 placed waist high are provided in the walls of the eage The winch 6 comprises a drum' '13 keyed tothe shaft 14 and is supported in the bearings 15which are fastened to the wall of the cage. At the end of the shaft 14 is a crank handle 16 for manually operating the winch. Attached to the drum 13 is the end of the cable 5. Cut in the fiange'17 of the winch drum is a ratchet 18 which engages with the pawl 19. The pawl is pivoted on the shaft 20 which is partly threaded as at 21 and is supported by the internally threaded bearing 22 attached to the wall of the cag Keyed to the shaft 20 on both sides of the pawl 19 are collars 23. At the opposite end of the shaft is a handle 24. The operation of the winch is as follows When it is desired to raise thestair the handle 16 of thewinch is revolved anti-clockwise. This will cause the cable 5 to wind up on the drum 6 and lift the stair on the pivoting support 3. The pawl 19 will'successively come in contact with the teeth of the ratchet and prevent theback windingofthe cable. ,When it is desired to lower the stair it will not be necessary to give same a preliminary lift so as to disengagethe pawl from the ratchet as is the practice in the usual form of winches but all that would be required would be to revolve the handle 24 and the pawl will move to the left out of engagement with the ratchet as indicated in Figure 4. The stairway could then be lowered.

easier manner. In addition means are proenergy. Thisfmeans'consists of a balance to raise or lower the s tairwayQThesail cage as shown in Flgure h v the electric bulbs are-s i1ita]qle conductors 33; 34and *which-connect' toelectric switches 3.6, 37-and 38 placed convenientlyfon theliilain .floor 055 the bank. The electric b u'lb area-1 ored""'whit e, red and yellow respectively. p I

' When fihes'witch 36 is closed the red c olo'liie'da'counterbalance attached vided to balance thev stair on itsv pivoting points so as to operate the stair without much weight 26 supported by the arm 27 which is attached to the sta1rway4. The arm is long I enough in order to bring the weight to the left I of the stair pivots as shown in Figure 1 and counterbalance the weight of the sta rway At the head ofthe stairway is a door 28 V which provides egress and ingressto and from w the cage. The walls of thecagefareiprefer ablymade of armour plate and held together bythe angle irons 29 at the'corners.

Signaling means are provided to indicate a to the crew of the cage operable from the onsis .of a Ser es f a e "s or- hulhs 30, 31 and 32' placed'vv g Y Leading from biilb' a2'wiiii ht up aria "indicate ,"danger' tawks beeiiaedamm 'diately. When "the switch 37 is closed thel white colored bums-1 wi l light up andind'ithecage havin h-in the i it saidstairway pivotedwh'ere joins the cage, a winch including a pawl and'ratchet w thin g a cable attached'thereto, the

opposite end of the cable attached to the lower end of the said stairway, a roller attached to the outside of said cage overwhich V cate that ale ammy s e-111a be flowered.

"It will thusheseenthatTI have p rbvided a" simple and efficient means protect the funds iof a ban]; from-theft In thlvht of aihold-up the stairway can he raised yvhh the-signal indicatessuc'h action mattin shut oil-the access tothelvault; Also jthep orthdles b Mme ih a aan me w e 1 suchactionbecomesnecessary. M i

- 'jl-Iaving described im'ren tion',LI claim 2 1. "In "a device" of the cla sgs descrihe d in v Thefw'lnchiis in the interiorof thecage so the st 1r l' t o erated in pared-satay." The stai r' is terbal-anqe d tor, ease'of'oper ationf V Whenfthesvvitch SS isflclosed the yel'lo w 'cl ored 8O "will light upand indicatecau- "tion. -N11Ineral'c39indicates"theljatteryf a; pedestal, a 3 stairway leading 'tofsaid f cage, said stairway pivoted where it oins'the V an" elongated armaasteaeu te said; ay, llFlQ Q T gated arm, ithe vertical axis or stairway, a ewinch withintheicageihaving a in 1;so -a ip vpapea aare cable z tttat':hedithereto; the oppiesitg'ender f said'cable attachedto' the lower end oit the said stairway, said winch including a pawl :1 a amchet-anafmeans todisengageithegpawl from the-ratchet'hy'moving said pawl-side- Ways 'outotengagement with said ratchet; 2. In a device of the class described in con' r-hinati-on,-:an elevated cagesupported on Y Y iazpefdestal, a.stairwayuleadingito;saldtz g

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