GB2333126A - Night safe depositor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drawer type night/deposit safe depositor (1) suitable for use in a bank wall (4) or the like. The depositor (1) comprises a casing (2) for housing a drawer (6), the drawer (6) being mounted on a guide in the casing (2) and the guide and the casing (2) being formed and arranged to allow the drawer (6) to travel in use of from a first closed position to a second open position for receiving a deposit (11). The drawer (6) has a carriage portion (10) for carrying the deposit (11) in use of the safe depositor (1) between the open position of the drawer (6) and a depositing position of the carriage portion (10) with the drawer (6) in the closed position. The carriage portion (10) is mounted in the drawer via a gearing-up drive transmission arrangement (12) so that the movement of the carriage portion (10) of the drawer (6) is amplified relatively to the movement of the main body of the drawer (6). The arrangement (12) is such that the carriage portion (10) can convey a deposit, in use of the safe depositor, a greater distance than the travel of the drawer.

Description

DEPOSIT SAFE DEPOSITOR The present invention relates to a deposit safe depositor, sometimes referred to as a night safe depositor.

By installing night safes banks and the like are able to offer their customers a valuable and round-the-clock service by which money and other valuable items can be deposited at any time in a safe and secure manner.

Night safe depositors generally fall into three different categories - hopper type night safes, rotating drum or tube and drawer type night safe depositors. The present invention is particularly directed to the drawer type of night safe depositor.

Night safe depositors have been known for many years, such as for example the well known Chubb (Trade Mark) type of drawer safe, used by banks to allow their customers to make deposits when the bank is shut. Such drawer safes ccoprise a more or less substantial drawer mounted in the wall of the bank. In use a customer uses a key supplied by the bank to unlock the drawer and the customer can then pull open the drawer so as to be able to place a wallet containing the item to be deposited into the drawer. The drawer has an arrangement whereby as the awer is closed by the user, the wallet is deposited down through a chute into a strong room or receiving safe or directly into a receiving safe. It is customary for persons making deposits in this manner to open the drawer again to ensure that their wallet has been received by the night safe and then to close the drawer and locking it so that it is available for use by the next customer.

Such known types of night safe depositor have the disadvantage that the mechanism, for example a scissor action type mechanism, designed for displacing the wallet or deposit from the drawer into the chute into the safe is directly in contact with the wallet or item to be deposited and the wallet or the like can become caught in the mechanism. It is for this reason that it is required to use a more or less substantial wallet, usually of leather or strong plastic material so as to ensure so far as is reasonably possible that the deposit contained within the wallet does not become damaged by the drawer mechanism. Such drawer arrangements are therefore not suitable for depositing comparatively fragile items such as paper envelopes. A further disadvantage of such known systems is that the drawer, for security reasons, is of a more or less substantial nature and generally quite heavy. Users having limited strength therefore find the use of such drawer deposit E es troublesome. Furthermore such deposit safe depositors are mounted into the wall of a bank which for obvious security reasons is generally of a more or less substantial and thick nature and it will be appreciated therefore that the length of drawer for use in such locations must be at least as long as the depth of wall in which it is installed. A larger drawer is therefore a heavier drawer and the problems mentioned above are therefore exacerbated.

Existing designs of night safe drawers do not allow the easy and convenient deposition of a diverse range of objects that customers wish to deposit whilst at the same time ensuring the high levels of security required by a bank or the like and expected by their customers.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.

The present invention provides a drawer type night/deposit safe depositor suitable for use in a bank wall or the like which comprises a casing for housing a drawer, said drawer being mounted on guide means in said casing, said guide means and said casing being formed and arranged to allow said drawer to travel in use from a first closed position to a second open sition for receiving a deposit, said drawer having a carriage portion for carrying a said deposit in use of the safe depositor between said open position of the drawer and a depositing position of the carriage portion with said drawer in said closed position, said carriage portion being mounted in said drawer via gearing-up drive transmission means formed and arranged so that the movement of said carriage portion of the drawer is amplified relative to the movement of the main body of the drawer whereby said carriage portion conveys a said deposit, in use of the safe depositor, a greater distance than the travel of said drawer.

Thus with a deposit safe depositor according to the present invention a deposit may be simply and conveniently made in a bank or the like in a manner not previously possible with existing designs of deposit safe depositor.

Any suitable form of gearing-up drive transmission means may be used, though preferably there is used a rack and pinion arrangement because of the very high efficiency of such arrangements which may be typically in excess of 95% efficient. In such an arrangement there is provided a rack means on the inside lower surface of the casing and a rack means on the underside of said carriage portion, said spective rack means being interconnected by a pinion means mounted on said drawer. Preferably there is used one rack and pinion arrangement mounted centrally on said drawer to move in the longitudinal axis of the deposit safe depositor though alternatively there may be used two or more rack and pinion arrangements arranged side by side, preferably at each side of said drawer. Most preferably though and to make the safe depositor as compact as possible the rack and pinion arrangement is on its side in such a way that the axis of rotation of the pinion is substantially vertical. Other suitable forms of gearing-up drive transmission means could include a pulley system arranged to amplify the relative movement of the carriage portion with respect to the drawer.

Preferably there is used a pulley and belt arrangement for reduced mechanical noise in use of the depositor.

Said gearing-up transmission means for amplifying the relative movement of the carriage portion relative to the main body of the drawer is such that said carriage portion moves at least 10% further than the distance moved by said drawer preferably 50% greater than the movement of said drawer and desirably in the range of from 75 to 150% or more of the movement of the drawer. Most preferably though said carriage portion is formed and arranged to move twice the distance said drawer ves from said first closed position to said second open position.

Preferably said guide means are in the form of elongate slides on which may be mounted bearings connected respectively to the carriage portion, the drawer and to the casing. Preferably there is provided a lubricating wiper or other means of lubricating the slides and bearings so as to facilitate the easy movement of the drawer within the casing by a user in use of the deposit safe depositor.

Preferably there is provided a first bearing support on the top of said drawer and supported from the underside of the top of the casing and a second bearing support mounted on the base of the casing for supporting the underside of the drawer.

Preferably said bearing supports are in the form of an elongate "V" shaped rail on which there is a bearing mounted inverted "V" shaped wheel.

Preferably said carriage means is in the form of a closed top container having a hinged top panel, a base - preferably at least a portion of which is partially inclined - and four side walls and formed and arranged such that a deposit deposited therein is isolated completely from the gearing-up drive ansmission means and guide means of the deposit safe depositor according to the invention. Preferably said base or at least a portion thereof is formed and arranged to pivot or hinge downwardly with said drawer in said closed position so as to deposit a deposit into a strong room or receiving safe in use of the invention. Preferably said hinged top panel is formed and arrayed to hinge into an open position automatically as said drawer is opened and to close as said drawer closes. Most preferably the drawer top panel opens by 15-25 automatically to prevent a user's fingers being caught by the top panel. Alternatively, said hinged top panel may be opened and closed manually by a user.

Said carriage portion is preferably provided with discharge means formed and arranged for discharging a said deposit in use of the depositor with said carriage portion in said depositing position. One example of a discharge mechanism is a hinged panel on the base of the carriage portion which is formed and arranged to drop uown when the drawer is in the closed position and the carriage in said depositing condition.

Alternatively the base of the carriage may be open and formed and arranged with the sliding carriage base which retains a said deposit thereon when in an open position of the drawer and when in said closed position of the drawer allows a posit to fall through the open base of the carriage into a safe or strong room in use of the depositor.

Preferably there is provided an end stop means to limit the extent of travel of the drawer and the carriage.

A handle means is provided on the front of said drawer to facilitate opening and closing of said drawer by a person in use thereof.

Lock means are provided on the front panel of said drawer so that said drawer may be locked in said first closed position in said casing. Suitable lock means will be known to those skilled in the art though preferably there is used a seven lever type lock.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of a preferred embodiment illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a section and side view of a drawer safe depositor according to the invention in an open position; Fig. 2 is a section and side view of the drawer safe depositor shown in Fig. 1 in a closed position; g. 3 is a sectioned end view in the direction of line A - A of the drawer safe depositor shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the facia of the drawer safe depositor shown in figure 1; and Figs. 5 to 7 show a second embodiment of a drawer safe depositor according to the invention.

A drawer safe depositor, generally indicated by reference number 1, is shown in Figure 1. The depositor 1 comprises a casing 2 mounted in a wall 4. The casing 2 houses a drawer 6 mounted on guideways 8 so that the drawer 6 may move on the guideways 8 from an open condition, as shown in Fig. 1 to a closed position (as shown in Figure 2). The drawer 6 has a carriage portion 10 arranged on runners 9 for carrying a deposit 11 in use of the depositor 1 between an open receiving condition of the drawer 6 and a second depositing position of the carriage portion in the drawer 6 (as shown in Fig.2). The carriage portion 10 is mounted in the drawer 6 via a lack and pinion arrangement 12 so that the movement of the carriage portion 10 of the drawer 6 is amplified relative to the movement of the main body of the drawer 6 so that the carriage 10 can move the deposit 11, in use of the safe 1, twice the distance the travel of the drawer 6. more detail and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 the rack and pinion arrangement 12 comprises a first rack portion 14 provided on the underside 16 of the carriage 10 and a second rack portion 18 provided on the base 20 of the casing 2 of the depositor 1. The pinion portion 22 of the rack and pinion arrangement 12 is mounted on bearings 24 (see Fig. 3) on the underside 16 of the drawer 6. The gearing of the rack and pinion arrangement 12 is such that the carriage 10 travels twice the distance the drawer 6 travels as it is opened and closed.

The carriage 10 is provided with a hinged 26 floor portion 28 (see Fig.2) which is arranged to drop open when the drawer 6 is in a closed position. The deposit 11 contained within the carriage 10 is then released into a chute 30 connected to a safe room (not shown) for the safe and secure collection of the deposit 11. The carriage may have an optional hinged top panel formed and arranged to enclose fully a deposit.

It will be appreciated that as a deposit is contained within the carriage and that the four side walls of the carriage form a barrier around the deposit access cannot be gained to the deposit or indeed into the safe room by cutting off the drawer facia 32.

The drawer facia 32 has a handle 34 to allow a user to readily open and close the drawer 6 and a lock 36 releasable by a key is provided on the front of the drawer (see Fig. 4).

Figs. 5 to 7 show a second embodiment of drawer safe depositor generally similar to that described above and indicated by like reference numerals. As shown in Fig. 5 a drawer safe depositor, indicated by reference number 1, comprises a casing 2 mounted into a wall 4. The casing 2 houses a drawer 6 mounted on guideways 8 on the top and bottom of the drawer so that the drawer may move on the guideways from an open condition, as shown in Fig. 5 to a closed position (as shown in Fig. 6). The drawer 6 has a carriage portion 10 arranged on carriage runner slides 9 (see Fig. 7) for carrying a deposit 11 in use of the depositor 1 between an open receiving condition of the drawer 6 and a second depositing position of the carriage portion in the drawer (as shown in Fig. 6). The carriage portion 10 is mounted 'n the drawer 6 via a belt and pulley arrangement 12 so that the movement of the carriage portion 10 of the drawer 6 is amplified relative to the movement of the main body of the drawer 6 so that the carriage can move the deposit 11, in use of the safe 1, twice the distance the travel of the drawer 6.

In more detail and with reference to Figs. 5 to 7 the belt and pulley arrangement 12 comprises two pulleys 14 inter-connected by an elongate toothed belt 18 to which is anchored via a belt clamping plate 19 the carriage portion 10 of the drawer 6.

The belt and pulley arrangement is generally similar to the rack and pinion arrangement described above and is arranged such that the carriage 10 travels twice the distance the drawer 6 travels as it is opened and closed.

The carriage 10 is provided with a base portion 28 a portion 28a of which is inclined at an angle to direct a deposit towards an open portion of the carriage 10 base. When the drawer and carriage is in the closed position the deposit 11 contained within the carriage may then fall through the open base portion of the carriage into a shoot connected to a safe room (not shown) for the safe and secure collection of the deposit.

The carriage has a hinged top panel 29 formed and arranged to enclose fully the deposit in the carriage. The hinged panel 29 is formed and arranged 31 so that when the drawer is opened the top panel automatically opens slightly (as shown in Fig.

5) thereby facilitating a user to lift up the top panel to sert a deposit into the carriage.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus for example instead of there being provided a hinged floor which drops open when the drawer is in the closed position the carriage could be formed and arranged to rotate hingedly within the casing so that a deposit drops out through the back of the carriage into the chute.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS 1. A drawer type night/deposit safe depositor suitable for use in a bank wall or the like which comprises a casing for housing a drawer, said drawer being mounted on guide means in said casing, said guide means and said casing being formed and arranged to allow said drawer to travel in use from a first closed position to a second open position for receiving a deposit, said drawer having a carriage portion for carrying a said deposit in use of the safe depositor between said open position of the drawer and a depositing position of the carriage portion with said drawer in said closed position, said carriage portion being mounted in said drawer via gearing-up drive transmission means formed and arranged so that the movement of said carriage portion of the drawer is amplified relative to the movement of the main body of the drawer whereby said carriage portion conveys a said deposit, in use of the safe depositor, a greater distance than the travel of said drawer.
2. 2. A depositor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said gearing-up drive transmission means is in the form of a rack and pinion arrangement.
3. 3. A depositor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said gearing-up ive transmission means is in the form of a pulley and belt system arranged to amplify the relative movement of the carriage portion with respect to the drawer.
4. 4. A depositor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said carriage portion is formed and arranged to move twice the distance said drawer moves from said first closed position to said second open position.
5. 5. A depositor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said guide means are on the form of elongate slides on which are mounted bearings connected respectively to the carriage portion, the drawer and to the casing.
6. 6. A depositor as claimed in claim 5 wherein there is provided means of lubricating the slides and bearings so as to facilitate the easy movement of the drawer within the casing by a user in use of the safe depositor.
7. 7. A depositor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said carriage means is in the form of a closed top container having a hinged top panel, a base and four side walls.
8. 8. A depositor as claimed in claim 7 wherein said hinged top iel is formed and arranged to hinge into an open position automatically as said drawer is opened and to close as said drawer closes.
9. 9. A depositor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein there is provided end stop means to limit the travel of the drawer and the carriage.
10. 10. A drawer safe depositor substantially as described herein before and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and Figs. 5 to 7.