Locking mechanisms for safes, such as gun safes

A safe comprising:

• a housing defining an interior portion and an opening;
• a door disposed adjacent said opening, said door being mounted to move between:
• (1) a closed position, in which said door prevents access to said interior portion;
• and (2) an open position, in which said door does not prevent access to said interior portion;
• and
• a locking mechanism for maintaining said door in said closed position, wherein:
• said locking mechanism comprises:
• a lock bar defining a plurality of elongated lock bar tabs, said lock bar being mounted to slide between:
• (1) a locked position, in which at least a particular portion of each respective one of said elongated lock bar tabs is disposed in a respective opening defined by said housing;
• and (2) an unlocked position, in which said respective particular portions of said respective lock bar tabs are not disposed in said respective openings;
• and
• an irregularly shaped cam disposed adjacent an interior portion of said door, wherein:
• said irregularly shaped cam defines:
• a lip adjacent a first lateral side of said cam;
• a protrusion adjacent a second lateral side of said cam;
• a cam perimeter surface;
• and
• said irregularly shaped cam is positioned and dimensioned so that rotating said irregularly shaped cam between a first orientation and a second orientation causes said lock bar to move between said locked position and said unlocked position;
• a first bearing mounted adjacent said lock bar and disposed adjacent said protrusion when said lock bar is in said locked position;
• a second bearing mounted adjacent said lock bar and disposed adjacent said lip when said lock bar is in said locked position;
• wherein:
• said plurality of lock bar tabs are positioned in a vertical array adjacent a first lateral side of said door, wherein each of said plurality of elongated lock bar tabs are substantially rectangular in shape;
• said irregularly shaped cam is installed in said safe so that when said irregularly shaped cam rotates in a first direction toward said first orientation, said cam perimeter surface engages with and exerts a first lateral force on said first bearing in a first lateral direction, causing said lock bar to move toward, and ultimately into, said unlocked position;
• and
• said irregularly shaped cam is installed in said safe so that when said irregularly shaped cam rotates in a second direction toward said second orientation, said cam perimeter surface engages with and exerts a second lateral force on said second bearing in a second lateral direction, causing said lock bar to move toward, and ultimately into, said locked position.

A safe comprising:

• a housing defining an interior portion and an opening;
• a door disposed adjacent said opening, said door:
• being mounted to move between:
• (1) a closed position, in which said door prevents access to said interior portion;
• and (2) an open position, in which said door does not prevent access to said interior portion;
• and
• defining a substantially circular opening in a central portion of the door;
• a handle operatively connected to a tapered spindle that extends through the opening in the central portion of the door;
• and
• a locking mechanism for maintaining said door in said closed position, wherein:
• said locking mechanism comprises:
• a lock bar, manufactured as a single piece, defining a plurality of substantially rectangular, substantially planer elongated lock bar tabs positioned in a vertical array adjacent a first lateral side of said door, said lock bar being mounted to slide between:
• (1) a locked position, in which at least a particular portion of each respective one of said substantially rectangular, substantially planer elongated lock bar tabs is disposed in a respective opening defined by said housing;
• and (2) an unlocked position, in which said respective particular portions of said respective substantially rectangular, substantially planer elongated lock bar tabs are not disposed in said respective openings;
• an irregularly shaped cam operatively attached to said tapered spindle, said cam:
• comprising a lip on one lateral side and a protrusion on the opposite lateral side so that rotating said handle rotates said irregularly shaped cam between a first orientation and a second orientation, which causes said lock bar to move between said locked position and said unlocked position;
• and
• defining a stop pin cutout;
• a first bearing mounted adjacent said lock bar and disposed adjacent said protrusion when said lock bar is in said locked position;
• a second bearing mounted adjacent said lock bar and disposed adjacent said lip when said lock bar is in said locked position;
• a stop pin that extends substantially perpendicularly from said lock bar and is disposed at least partially within said stop pin cutout;
• a vertical array of L-shaped lock tabs adjacent a second lateral side of said door, each of said L-shaped lock tabs being adapted and positioned to lockably engage said housing when said door is in said closed position;
• at least one elongated lock bar tab of the plurality of elongated lock bar tabs has a vertical length that is at least twice the length of one other elongated lock bar tab of the plurality of lock bar tabs;
• said lip and said protrusion of said cam are positioned to operatively prevent a user from moving said cam from said second orientation to said first orientation without rotating said handle;
• a cumulative vertical length of said plurality of substantially rectangular, substantially planer elongated lock bar tabs is at least about 15% of the vertical length of said first lateral of side said door;
• and
• a cumulative vertical length of said plurality of L-shaped lock tabs is at least about 15% of the vertical length of said second lateral said of said door, wherein:
• said protrusion and said lip are configured to cooperate to prevent backdrive of said lock bar;
• said lock bar is configured such that said first bearing, in response to an attempt by a user to force said lock bar into said unlocked position, exerts a lateral force on a downwardly sloped upper surface of said protrusion causing:
• said first bearing to exert a rotational force on said cam;
• and
• at least a portion of said cam that defines said stop pin cutout to exert a force that counterbalances said rotational force on at least a portion of said stop pin;
• and
• said cam is configured to prevent lateral movement of said lock bar into said unlocked position in response to said attempt by said user to force said lock bar into said unlocked position.