Patent Application
20060032418
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to safes having electric locks for locking the safe, and in particular, to systems for use with such safes that permit manually overriding the electrical lock, such as if an electrical failure prohibits unlocking the electric lock.
2. Background Art
With the advent of new technologies, more and more safes are configured with electric locks. The electric locks are advantageous because they can be controlled remotely over networks and other communication mediums to electrically control the unlocking and locking of the safe.
One problem with electric locks is that the electric lock automatically locks if power or other electrical failures or faults occur in the system. This is a problem because the lock remains locked until the problem is fixed. As such, the contents stored within the safe are locked therein until the electrical problem is fixed or until the safe is drilled open and the lock replaced.
The inability to unlock the electric lock until the electric fault is corrected is disadvantageous for a number of reasons, and namely because the user may need to immediately secure items within the safe. In addition, drilling into the lock is also disadvantageous for a number of reasons, and namely because it requires subsequent repair of the portion of the safe drilled through.
One solution to these problems is to provide a manual override that permits the safe to be unlocked even if the electrical fault occurs. In general, such manual overrides require complex release mechanisms and integration within the electrical system of the electric locks.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a manual override system for a safe having an electric lock that is relatively simple in design and preferably one that is cost effective and requires, if any, minimal integration with an electric lock.
The present invention contemplates a number of features for the manual override system, including a slide plate mounted to the safe, an electric lock mounted on the slide plate such that the electric lock moves with movement of the slide plate, and a mechanical lock in communication with the slide plate and configured to move the slide plate to a released position in which the electric lock is unable to lock the safe door if the mechanical lock is unlocked.
The system can further include a release mechanism configured for actuation by a user to open the safe door. Preferably, the electric lock obstructs operation of the release mechanism if power is lost to the electric lock such that thereafter, the mechanical lock is operable to move the slide plate to the released position to overcome the obstruction provided by the electric lock, permitting the release mechanism can be actuated to open the door.
The locking mechanism can include a handle on an outside of the safe door and a yoke on an inside of the safe door such that the yoke is moveable by the handle for positioning a locking bolt of the door safe in a locked position to lock the door and an unlocked position to unlock the door. With this configuration, the movement of the slide plate to the released position is sufficient to prevent a swing bolt of the electric lock from obstructing the locking bolt.
The system can further include a tensioning member configured to bias against movement of the slide plate such that the tensioning member moves the slide plate from the released position to the lock position after unlocking the mechanical lock.
The mechanical lock can be a dial combination lock configured to overcome the biasing provided by the tensioning member such that the slide plate remains in the released position until a dial of the dial combination lock is released. In this manner, the released dial permits the slide plate to move back to the locked position wherein the electric lock again locks the safe such that the mechanical lock can be used to repeatedly unlock and lock the safe even if power is lost to the electric lock.
The safe 10 shown in
The electric lock 30 includes a swing bolt 48 that swings in the direction indicated by the arrow when an appropriate signals is received over an electrical cable 50, such as over a cable from a computer or from a key-pad on the outside of the door. The movement of the swing bolt 48 allows a locking mechanism 54 of the door 18 to be opened. In particular, the locking mechanism 54 preferably refers to the operation of the handle 20 with a yoke 58 connected to the handle 20 and a locking bolt 60 such that the handle 20 can be turned to cause the yoke 58 to move in the direction indicated by the arrow and the locking bolt 60 in the direction indicated by the arrow.
As shown, the locking bolt 60 is in a locked position such that it extends into a door jam 62 on the housing 14 to prevent the door 18 from being opened. If the locking bolt 60 is permitted to move in the direction of the arrow, it can be retracted laterally to remove it from the door jam 62, thereby permitting the door 18 to be opened and the items stored in the safe 10 to be accessed. Optionally, the electric lock 30 can be configured such that the swing bolt 48 is released, as opposed to swinging in the direction of the arrow, such that the lateral motion of the locking bolt 60 in the direction of the arrow causes the locking bolt 60 to move the swing bolt 48 in the direction of the arrow.
When locked, the electric lock 30 prevents movement of the swing bolt 48 such that it obstructs the locking bolt 60. In this manner, the safe 10 is locked and the locking bolt 60 is prevented from being retracted to open the door 18. If the electric lock 30 is unlocked, the swing bolt 42 is moved in the direction of the arrow, either automatically by the electric lock 30 or by the locking bolt 60, such that the locking bolt 60 can be retracted to permit opening of the safe door 18.
In the event of an electrical system failure, power loss, or other fault that prevents unlocking the electric lock 30, the electric lock 30 automatically defaults to the locked position, i.e. the swing bolt 48 is fixed in its obstructing position to prohibit retraction of the locking bolt 60. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the mechanical lock 24 can be used to override the electric lock 30 so that the safe 10 can be unlocked in the event of such an electric interrupt or failure.
The slide plate 36 is moved to the unlocked position by way of the mechanical lock 24. In particular, the mechanical lock 24 pulls on the linkage 42 connected therebetween such that the slide plate 36, and thereby the electric lock 30, is pulled upwardly away from the locking mechanism 54. In this position, which is shown in
The fasteners 38 used to secure the slide plate 36 to the door 28 include a cap portion 80 and a body portion 82. The body portion 82 is smaller in diameter than the cap portion 80 so that the slide plate 36, and in particular a number of aperture slide grooves 86 in the slide plate 36, are free to move about the fasteners 38 so as to permit the mechanical lock 24 to move the slide plate 36 from the locked position (
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the mechanical lock, as shown in
Still further, the mechanical lock 24 is preferably configured to maintain the slide plate 36 in the unlocked position so long as the dial 90 has not be released. In other words, when turning the dial 90 to dial in the appropriate combination, the user is applying force to the dial 90. In accordance with the present invention, this force, or torque on the dial 90, is used to retain the linkage 42 in the upward, or unlocked, position shown in
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
