ENTRY RESISTANT SECURITY FILE CONSTRUCTION

• US 3,637,277 A
• Filed: 01/12/1970
• Issued: 01/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James D. Shoop, Newton J. Krug, Richard B. Mcclain
• Original Assignee: James D. Shoop, Newton J. Krug, Richard B. Mcclain
• Inventors: Krug, Newton J., McClain, Richard B., Shoop, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliam, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US05/002,240
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 312/215-221 70/1.5,417,422
• US Class Current: 312/217
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/0082 with additional locking responsive to attack, e.g. to heat, explosion in general E05B17/2092
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/462 for two or more drawers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7921 Armoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7949 Yielding or frangible connections

Abstract

A security file which has a gang-lock bolt mechanism that extends vertically along and generally centrally of the drawer fronts of a plurality of drawers operated by a handle in a main drawer. The operating handle also operates horizontal bolts in the main drawer. There are mullions between the drawer fronts through which the gang-lock mechanism extends. When actuated to lock the drawers, the gang-lock bolts move a substantially greater distance vertically than the movement of the horizontal bolts in the main drawer. The other drawer heads of the plurality of drawers also have individually actuated horizontal bolts which lock their drawers automatically when the drawers are fully closed. Detents are provided which prevent horizontal bolt locking of any drawer unless such drawer is fully closed. Ganglock stop devices also are provided which prevent actuation of the gang-lock mechanism unless all drawers are fully closed. Backup pins and relocking devices also are provided in various areas of the mechanism to impede access to or actuation of the mechanism if attacked by externally applied force. Protective devices also are provided to impede drilling of the ends of the lock bolts.

Claims

1. Security file construction including cabinet means open at the front, mullion means dividing the open front into a series of drawer-receiving pigeonhole compartments one above another, a file drawer movably mounted in each compartment, each file drawer having a drawer front head, the file drawers including a main locking drawer and at least one adjacent auxiliary drawer;

ganglock mechanism extending generally centrally vertically along and within the drawer heads, the gang-lock mechanism including spaced upper and lower lock bolts movably mounted in each drawer head, the upper and lower lock bolts in the auxiliary drawer being spring biased normally to unlocked position, one of the main drawer lock bolts being aligned with and adapted movably to engage a lock bolt in an adjacent auxiliary drawer;

cam plate engaging members on the inner ends of the main drawer lock bolts, the mullion means between adjacent drawers having a boltreceiving opening, said one main drawer lock bolt when moved from unlocked to locked position moving entirely through the adjacent mullion means opening anD into the auxiliary drawer head and directly engaging and moving said auxiliary drawer lock bolt to locked position to maintain the main and auxiliary drawers locked, and said one main drawer lock bolt when moved from locked to unlocked position moving out of said mullion means opening and disengaging said auxiliary drawer lock bolt leaving the auxiliary drawer lock bolt biased to unlocked position; and

actuating means including cam plate means rotatably mounted in the main drawer head, operating handle means connected with the cam plate means for rotating the same, and members on the cam plate means operably engaged with said cam plate engaging members for moving said main drawer lock bolts upward and downward respectively from the main drawer head to locked position with said main drawer upper and lower bolts extending entirely through the boltreceiving openings of adjacent mullion means.

2. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the main drawer upper and lower lock bolts are laterally offset, and in which the auxiliary drawer upper and lower lock bolts are vertically aligned.

3. The construction defined in claim 2 in which a U-shaped saddle weaker than the upper and lower auxiliary drawer lock bolts connects the inner ends of said auxiliary lock bolts, whereby the saddle tends to collapse when one of said upper and lower bolts is driven by externally applied force in an attempt to gain unauthorized access to the file.

4. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the operating handle means is accessible exteriorly of the main drawer head, in which a drive shaft extends from the handle into the main drawer head, in which a lever drive bar connects with said shaft, in which a releaseable pin connects between the bar and cam plate, in which the drive shaft and drive bar connection is a frictional connection, and in which the pin connection between the bar and cam plate is released upon driving the drive shaft axially inwardly of the main drawer head by externally applied force in an attempt to gain unauthorized access to the file.

5. The construction defined in claim 1 in which a pair of spaced horizontally movable lock bolts is mounted in the main drawer head, in which said horizontally movable lock bolts are spring biased normally toward locked position;

in which the actuating means has lost motion link and pin connection means with the horizontally movable lock bolts for moving said horizontally movable main drawer lock bolts from locked to unlocked position;

whereby the travel of the upper and lower lock bolts between unlocked and locked positions is greater than the travel of the horizontally movable lock bolts between unlocked and locked positions.

6. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the actuating means includes gang-lock control cam plate means, in which the members on the cam plate are cam pins, and the cam plate engaging members on the upper and lower lock bolts are engaged with said cam pins, whereby rotation of the cam plate to locked position moves the upper and lower main drawer lock bolts upward and downward respectively from unlocked to locked position;

and in which a backup pin is mounted on the cam plate means located to be directly below the inner end of the main drawer upper lock bolt when the cam plate means is in locked position, whereby the backup pin prevents the upper bolt from being driven inward from locked position by externally applied force in an attempt to gain unauthorized access to the file.

7. The construction defined in claim 1 in which a pair of spaced horizontally movable lock bolts is mounted in each main and auxiliary head, in which said horizontally movable lock bolts are spring biased normally toward locked position, and each bolt has a detent engagement projection thereon, in which detent means including a spring biased plate is mounted in the drawer head, in which said detent plate engages said projection and normally holds said horizontally movable lock bolts in unlocked position, in which sTud means is provided on the cabinet means engaged by any drawer when being closed to engage said detent plate means when the drawer is fully closed to thereby release said detent plate means from said projection and permit the horizontally movable lock bolts to move to locked position;

and in which independent actuating means is provided for each drawer to move said horizontally movable lock bolts from locked to unlocked position.

8. The construction defined in claim 1 in which a pair of spaced horizontally movable lock bolts is mounted in each auxiliary drawer head;

in which stop plate means including a flange bracket with a stop plate thereon is mounted on the upper and lower lock bolts on each auxiliary drawer;

in which actuating means including a rotatable operating handle and link means connected thereto is provided for each auxiliary drawer to move said horizontally movable lock bolts from locked to unlocked position; and

in which the stop plate means when the horizontally movable and upper and lower lock bolts of said auxiliary drawer are in locked position is located behind an end of at least one of said horizontally movable lock bolts to block the horizontally movable lock bolts to block the horizontally movable bolt from being driven inward by force applied externally of said bolt.

9. The construction defined in claim 1 in which a pair of spaced horizontally movable lock bolts is mounted in each auxiliary drawer head;

in which actuating means including a rotatable operating handle and link means is provided for each auxiliary drawer to move said horizontally movable lock bolts from locked to unlocked position; and

in which means is provided interengageable between said horizontally movable lock bolts and said gang-lock mechanism whereby at least one of the vertical upper and lower lock bolts when in locked position abuts the inner end of at least one of the horizontally movable lock bolts preventing movement of said horizontally movable lock bolts to unlocked position when the gang-lock mechanism is in locked position.

10. The construction defined in claim 1 in which bracket means is mounted on at least one of the upper and lower main drawer lock bolts;

in which a relock bolt opening is formed in said bracket means;

in which combination lock means is mounted in the main drawer head having a bolt which in locked position blocks movement of said bracket means;

is mounted on the back of said combination lock means;

in which a horizontally disposed relock pin normally spring biased toward locking position is mounted in said main drawer head adjacent said combination lock means;

in which said relock cover has a release pin mounting the relock cover on the combination lock means and engaging and normally holding said relock pin in unlocked position; and

said relock pin when released being extended through said bracket relock opening;

whereby dislodging of the combination lock by an externally applied force dislodges said relock cover, thereby releasing the relock pin to move to a position engaged in the bracket opening to hold said gang-lock mechanism in locked position.

11. The construction defined in claim 10 in which the cam plate has a relock-pin-engaging member mounted thereon;

in which the combination lock bolt engages the cam plate engaging member and the bracket means when in locked position; and

in which the relock pin engages said cam-engaging member when in relocked position;

whereby release of the relocking pin to locked position not only blocks movement of the gang-lock mechanism bolts but also blocks movement of the lock bolt actuating means.

12. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the cabinet means is provided with bolt cups in each of which a lock bolt is engaged when in locked position;

and in which a rotatable disc is mounted within each bolt cup;

whereby drilling through the cabinet from the exterior toward a bolt cup in an attack attempt to drill out a lock bolt engages the drill with the disc in said bolt cup and the disc rotAtes with the drill preventing further drill penetration toward the attacked lock bolt.

13. In gang-lock mechanism for a cabinet file open at the front of the type having mullion means dividing the open front into a series of drawer-receiving pigeonhole compartments one above another, a file drawer movably mounted in each compartment having a front head and gang-lock mechanism including lock bolts movably mounted in and extending generally centrally vertically along the drawer heads and into openings formed in the mullions;

the combination of a projecting flange on each drawer, spring pressed stop means mounted on each mullion means between each pair of adjacent pigeonhole compartments;

each stop means having a blocking leg and a release leg;

the blocking leg being spring biased normally to project through a portion of the mullion means into a mullion bolt-receiving opening to prevent movement of an adjacent lock bolt through said mullion bolt-receiving opening when an associated drawer is open, and the release leg when said drawer is open also being spring biased normally to project through and beyond the mullion means with a portion located in the path of movement of the adjacent drawer flange of an associated drawer when such drawer is moved from open to closed position;

said blocking leg when in normally projected position thereby blocking any gang-lock mechanism lock bolt from being moved through a mullion opening; and

said drawer flange engaging said release leg to move said blocking leg out of blocking position when said auxiliary drawer is moved from open to closed position;

whereby the gang-lock mechanism cannot be locked unless all drawers are closed.

14. The construction defined in claim 1 in which a pair of spaced horizontally movable lock bolts is mounted in each auxiliary drawer head;

in which said horizontally movable lock bolts are spring biased normally toward locked position;

in which actuating means including a rotatable operating handle and link means connected thereto is mounted on each auxiliary drawer to move said horizontally movable lock bolts from locked to unlocked position;

in which stop plate means including a flanged bracket with a stop plate thereon is mounted on the upper and lower lock bolts on each auxiliary drawer; and

in which the auxiliary drawer horizontally movable lock bolts when in unlocked position block movement out of unlocked position of said stop plate means and the upper and lower lock bolts on which the stop plate means is mounted.