Apparatus and method for preventing unwanted opening of a locked enclosure
AssigneeLockmasters Security Institute, Inc.
InventorThomas E. Jasper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for preventing unwanted opening of a locked enclosure. The enclosure includes a lock, a door and a door bolt. The door is openable when the door bolt is retracted from a structure surrounding the enclosure. The apparatus includes a frangible guard plate, and an arm coupled to the guard plate by a spring. The arm is maintained in a first position under a bias of the spring. When the guard plate is fractured, the arm is free to move from the first position into a second position. The arm is positioned to engage the door bolt in the second position, thereby preventing retraction of the door bolt.
Claims9
An apparatus for preventing unwanted opening of a locked enclosure, the enclosure having a lock, a door and a door bolt, the door openable when the door bolt is retracted from a structure surrounding the enclosure, comprising:
- a frangible guard plate;
- and
- an arm coupled to the guard plate by a spring, thereby maintaining the arm in a first position under a bias of the spring;
- wherein when the guard plate is fractured, the arm is free to move from the first position into a second position;
- wherein the arm is positioned to engage the door bolt in the second position, thereby preventing retraction of the door bolt.
A method of preventing unwanted opening of a locked enclosure having a door and door bolt, the door openable when the door bolt is retracted from a structure surrounding the enclosure, comprising:
- maintaining an arm in a first position relative to a frangible guard plate with the arm under a bias of a spring;
- freeing the arm for movement from the first position when the frangible guard plate is fractured;
- and
- moving the arm under the bias on the arm into engagement with the door bolt in the second position, thereby preventing retraction of the door bolt.
An apparatus for preventing unwanted opening of a locked enclosure, the enclosure including a lock mechanism, comprising:
- a frangible guard plate;
- and
- an arm coupled to the guard plate by a spring, thereby maintaining the arm in a first position under a bias of the spring, the bias in a direction transverse to a surface of the frangible plate;
- wherein the arm is positioned to engage with the lock mechanism in the second position, thereby preventing the opening of the locked enclosure.
A method for preventing unwanted opening of a locked enclosure, the enclosure including a lock mechanism, comprising:
- coupling a frangible guard plate and an arm by a spring, the arm thereby being under a bias in a direction transverse to a surface of the frangible guard plate;
- freeing the arm for movement from the first position when the frangible guard plate is fractured;
- moving the arm to a second position;
- when the arm is in the second position, engaging the lock mechanism and thereby preventing opening of the locked enclosure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.