Safe door latch deformation actuated interlock
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorPamela K. Jones
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lockable enclosure is disclosed which may be installed at locations accessible to customers for vending merchandise, dispensing money or receiving deposits, and where a potential attacker would have only a limited period of time to break into the enclosure before the police or security personnel would be able to arrive and intervene against the attacker. The latches and latch bolts of the enclosure have apertures or projections which interlock with mating projections or apertures upon deformation of the sheet metal door or the sheet metal walls of the enclosure when an attacker deforms the enclosure sufficiently to cause damage to the lock or latches. Such interlocking prevents retraction of the latches or latch bolts holding the door closed even if the lock mechanism is completely destroyed or removed by force.
Claims11
An enclosure having sheet metal walls and a lockable sheet metal access door, said door having a latch which engages a wall of said enclosure to prevent opening said door, said latch being mounted for rotation on a lock mechanism for opening said door, the improvement comprising:
- an interlock in said enclosure at an edge of said door;
- said latch having a mating interlock at its wall engaging end which is engaged by said interlock to prevent retraction of said latch when said lock mechanism and said latch mounted thereon are moved inwardly during an attack upon said enclosure.
An enclosure having sheet metal walls and a lockable sheet metal access door, said door having at least one latch which engages a wall of said enclosure to prevent opening said door, said latch being retractable by a lock mechanism for opening said door, the improvement comprising:
- an interlock in said enclosure at an edge of said door;
- said latch having a mating interlock at its wall engaging end which is engaged by said interlock to prevent retraction of said latch when said sheet metal is deformed near said interlock during an attack upon said enclosure;
- wherein said interlock is a projection on a bracket mounted to said wall of said enclosure so as not to interfere with movement of said latch prior to deformation of said enclosure;
- and wherein said mating interlock is an aperture in said latch which interferes with motion of said latch after deformation of said enclosure at said edge of said door.
An enclosure having sheet metal walls and a lockable sheet metal access door, said door having at least one latch which engages a wall of said enclosure to prevent opening said door, said latch being retractable by a lock mechanism for opening said door, the improvement comprising:
- an interlock in the form of a projection on a bracket mounted to said door between said wall and said lock, said bracket surrounding said latch;
- bracket support means mounted separate from said door in said enclosure for contacting and supporting said bracket against inward movement when said door is forced inwardly, said bracket thereby being deformed so as to cause said projection on said bracket to interfere with said latch and prevent retraction of said latch after deformation of said bracket.
An enclosure having sheet metal walls and a lockable sheet metal access door, said door having at least one latch which engages a wall of said enclosure to prevent opening said door, said latch being retractable by a lock mechanism for opening said door, the improvement comprising:
- an interlock in said enclosure at an edge of said door;
- said latch having a mating interlock at its wall engaging end which is engaged by said interlock to prevent retraction of said latch when said sheet metal is deformed near said interlock during an attack upon said enclosure;
- wherein said interlock is a projection formed into a web spanning an opening in an edge of said door, said latch operating through said opening;
- support means, mounted to a wall adjacent said opening, preventing substantial inward motion of said web in response to inward force on the outside of said door;
- said mating interlock of said latch interfering with said projection to prevent retraction of said latch after deformation of said web at least partially closing said opening by said inward force on said outside of said door.
An enclosure having sheet metal walls and a lockable sheet metal access door, said door having at least one latch which engages a wall of said enclosure to prevent opening said door, said latch being retractable by a lock mechanism for opening said door, the improvement comprising:
- an interlock in said enclosure at an edge of said door;
- said latch having a mating interlock at its wall engaging end which is engaged by said interlock to prevent retraction of said latch when said sheet metal is deformed near said interlock during an attack upon said enclosure;
- wherein said interlock is a pair of projections in said enclosure and wherein said mating interlock is an aperture in said latch which interferes with one of said projections to prevent retraction of said latch after deformation of said enclosure.
A door having a locking mechanism including a lock and a movable latch mounted thereon for rotation between a locked position in engagement with a door jamb and an unlatched position out of engagement said said door jamb, the improvement comprising:
- means carried on said door jamb and positioned adjacent said latch in its latched position for interlocking with said latch when said lock is moved inwardly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.