Patent Application
20220341250
The present invention generally relates to a way to protect valuables, and more specifically to a safe disguised as a home water heater tank. Accordingly, the present specification makes specific reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally amenable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.
People may lack proper secure storage areas for their valuables in a home, such as jewelry, firearms, money, documents, and the like. A standard safe or vault may stick out and be easily visible to intruders leading to the safe being broken into or stolen. This can put people at risk during a burglary as people could be forced to open a safe at gunpoint if it was openly obvious. As an alternative, people may store their valuables in seemingly inconspicuous areas of the home only to have them stolen regardless if an unauthorized individual enters the home.
A safe is a secure lockable container that is used for securing valuable objects against theft and/or damage from fire. A safe is typically constructed as a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of hardened plastic. Bank teller safes typically are secured to the counter, have a slit opening for dropping valuables into the safe without opening it, and a time-delay combination lock to deter robbers. One significant distinction between types of safes is whether the safe is secured to a wall or structure or if it can be moved around. A less secure smaller version of a safe is called a cash-box.
Common types of safes include burglar-resistant, fire-resistant, environmental resistant, type of lock (e.g. key, combination, electronic, time lock), location, and smart safes. Fire resistant record protection safes are self-contained containers constructed with insulated bodies, doors, drawers or lids, or non-rated multi-drawer devices housing individually rated containers that contain one or more inner compartments for storage of important documents. In addition, these types of enclosures may be rated for impact resistance, should the safe fall to a lower level or have debris fall upon it during a fire. Burglary resistant safes are generally rated by their resistance to the type of tools to be used in an attempted breach and also the duration of the attack.
Most home safes are smaller and less protective than commercial safes. As such, they are often designed to be hidden or concealed. For example, it is common for a home safe to be built into a wall or part of the house structure. These may also be hidden by a hanging picture or furniture. Home safes that are not built into structure are generally placed in concealed areas such as closets, basements, attics, or similar less visible area as they would otherwise be easily removable by a burglar for later breach in a safer area.
Accordingly, there is a great need for a better way to protect one's valuables in the home. There is also a need for a way for conceal or disguise a home safe in a way that is not easily apparent to an intruder. Similarly, there is a need for a securing container that is camouflaged to look like an ordinary home appliance. Further, there is a need for an inconspicuous option to a standard ordinary home safe.
In this manner, the improved home safe of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, thereby providing an easy solution for protecting valuables in the home. A primary feature of the present invention is a concealed safe that blends in with a common home appliance that is not readily discoverable by a thief. The present invention allows the user to protect valuables in the home from a variety of hazards. Finally, the improved concealed safe of the present invention is capable of disguising and protecting a wide variety of items from theft, fire, and environmental hazards while in plain sight.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a concealed safe apparatus. The concealed safe apparatus is configured to retain and protect a variety of valuables that can be housed in a safe. The concealed safe apparatus is configured to resemble an appliance, such as a water tank or hot water heater, that can be placed in plain sight without an obvious indication that it is protecting valuable contents.
The concealed safe apparatus comprises a vault component, a locking component, and at least one external disguising component. The vault component is cylindrical in construction and comprises an exterior shell and a secure storage container. The exterior shell comprises a cylindrical sidewall connected by a top and a base. A door is cut into the cylindrical sidewall with and a disguised seam conceals the door edges. The exterior shell encapsulates the secure storage container.
The secure storage container similarly comprises a cylindrical sidewall connected by a top and a base defining an interior cavity. The interior cavity is accessible via a door in the cylindrical sidewall of the secure storage container. The door of the secure storage container aligns with the door in the exterior shell to function as a single unit. The secure storage container seals and is water-proof when the door is secured.
The vault component may further comprise an insulating layer. The insulating layer is sandwiched between the exterior shell and the secure storage container. The insulating layer provides fireproofing and insulation for temperature regulation within the interior cavity of the secure storage container.
The vault component may further comprise a valuables retaining module. The valuables retaining module is positional within the interior cavity of the secure storage container. The valuables retaining module comprises a circular base and at least one shelf connected by a shaft. The valuables retaining module is rotatable within the interior cavity. The circular base and the at least one shelf are configured to retain and secure valuables within the secure storage container.
The locking component locks and unlocks the doors to access the interior cavity of the secure storage container. The locking component may have a disguised external access with a locking mechanism housed between the door of the exterior shell and the door of the secure storage container. The locking component may comprise a magnetic, biometric, or traditional lock system.
The at least one external disguising component is attached to the exterior shell. The at least one external disguising component may comprise a plurality of external elements. The plurality of external elements are designed to resemble external fittings and components of a traditional hot water heater.
The concealed safe apparatus may further comprise an environmental control component. The environmental control component is used to condition or regulate the air inside the interior cavity of the secure storage container. The concealed safe apparatus may further comprise a lighting component. The lighting component is positional within the interior cavity of the secure storage container.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They do not intend as an exhaustive description of the invention or do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, provides users with an improved safe resembling a water tank of a water heater. The safe features an interior volume with a rotating cylindrical base and a plurality of storage shelves for storing a variety of valuables. Additional features include automatic LED lighting, a dehumidifier to control interior air quality and conditions, and fireproofing to maximize protection and offer convenience while using the safe. The safe is configured to prevent valuable items from being noticed and stolen during unauthorized access to the home. The present invention replaces standard safes and offers a more inconspicuous option for protecting valuables.
The concealed safe is a multifunctional, secure safe system for disguising the location of valuables in a home. The safe if configured to resemble a home appliance and can be installed in a basement area, a garage, a pool house, an attic, or any other area that would typically house a water heater tank. A plurality of deadbolt locks and a magnetic latch are integrated into a metal, fireproof cylindrical body. The internal vault is accessible via a swinging door openable by the magnetic latch and locks.
An interior feature comprises a rotating shelf and base for firearms, jewelry, money, and much more. There can be additional shelves installed as desired. An internal dehumidifier may be used to keep the air quality at optimal levels. Other features comprise a cabinet metal thickness of typically 10-gauge or 8-gauge, LED interior lighting that can automatically activate upon opening of the door, and fireproofing materials. The system can be powered via an electrical connection or other power means. Users can open the system and store items inside for safe keeping while the inconspicuous nature of a water tank prevents intruders from easily noticing where valuables are stored.
Referring initially to the drawings,
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The valuables retaining module 142 is configured to store a variety of valuables, such as, but not limited to firearms, weapons, cash, jewelry, important documents, electronic storage media, art, and the like. The circular base 162 may comprise a plurality of base engaging elements 164 and the shaft 166 may comprise a plurality of shaft engaging elements 168. The plurality of base engaging elements 164 and the plurality of shaft engaging elements 168 may be configured to retain and secure a plurality of firearms in an upright orientation. The valuables retaining module 142 may further comprise a plurality of hangers or brackets 172 and a plurality of door pockets 174. The hangers or brackets 172 and door pockets 174 are usable to separate and retain valuables throughout the interior cavity 142.
As illustrated in
The at least one external disguising component 190 is attached to the exterior shell 122. The at least one external disguising component 190 may comprise a plurality of external elements 192. The plurality of external elements 192 are designed to resemble external fittings and components of a traditional hot water heater, such as drain valves, pressure relief valves, piping, control boxes, thermostats, or the like.
As illustrated in
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the concealed safe apparatus 100 can be any suitable size, shape, and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the shape and size of the concealed safe apparatus 100 and its various components, as show in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other shapes and sizes of the concealed safe apparatus 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although dimensions of the concealed safe apparatus 100 and its components (i.e., length, width, and height) are important design parameters for good performance, the concealed safe apparatus 100 and its various components may be any shape or size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits user need and/or preference. As such, the concealed safe apparatus 100 may be comprised of sizing/shaping that is appropriate and specific in regard to whatever the concealed safe apparatus 100 is designed to be applied.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/180,152, which was filed on Apr. 27, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63180152 | Apr 2021 | US |
