US1496864A - Burglar alarm - Google Patents

Description

Uhl? FTF@ FREEMAN C. ROBINSON AND JOHN F. J'COBY, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, l.

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SIGNORS TO 0. IB. MCCLNTOCK GOMJFANY, .OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A. @QE- PTION F MINNESGTA.

Application filedDecember 22, 1919. Serial No. 846,5.

T 0 all whom t lmay concern.'

Be it known that we, FREEMAN C. ROBIN- soN and JOHN F. JAooBY, citizens of the United States, residents of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota,

have invented certainA new .and useful Improvements ii'B'iiglar Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

In banks and business houses where daylight robberies orholdups are apt to occur, i

devices have been provided to be operated by the foot of a bank teller or cashier or other person for the purpose o closing an electric circuit and sounding a distant alarm Y1&3 to warn police officials or others than a robbery is taking place in the building where the alarm mechanism is located. This alarm device actuated usually by the downward movement of a button has been objection 39 able, as it is likely to be operatedvunintentionally, as when a person might accidentally press the foot upon the alarm pedal or. button connected with the alarm. Sometimes alarms o this kind have vbeen put in operation by a dog lying down on the alarm button or pedal and actuating it sufficiently to closethe electric' circuit. The danger of thus inadvertently sounding the valarm in a bank or other building so equipped has led to the discontinuance of the use of such devices on the part of the owner.

The object of our invention is to provide a device to be actuated by the foot of a teller,

clerk or other person and so arranged or constructed that resting the foot on the same or a downward pressure or'a blow will have no effect whatever on the closing mechanism.

@ther objects of the invention will appearv from .the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings'torming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the alarm device showing the manner of operating it with the foot to close the circuit,

Figure 2 isa sectional/ view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the device in its operative position with the circuit broken,

Figure 3 is a view showing the device its inoperative position, with the, circuit open,

, Y Figure 4 is a similarview with the device operated and the circuit closed,

Figure 5 is a sectional view online 5-5 of Figure 3.

In the drawing, 2 represents the floor of a room where the device is installed. 3 represents posts havin a flanged base 4 adapted to rest upon the oor and secured thereto by suitable means, such as screws 5. The

pin 7 is lnsulating bushing 6.- A conducting vpro'ec'ts mounted in the wall of the post an through the insulation 6 and is presse inposts 3 are hollow and are provided with an is inactive. The stud vhas a flange 11 at its 'lower end and a sound-deadening washer 12 is seated on this flange in position to siliently stop theupward movement of the-stud 9 and the parts attached thereto when the ,stud is raised. A pin 13 is tapped into the 'lower end of the stud, securing the insulation 10 and the flange 11 in place and is slidable in the hole 14 in the floor and forms an electrical connection between the stud 9, flange 11 and electrical circuit A15 leading toa suitable signalling device 16 located at any suitable point, preferably at a distance from the room to be arded.

16 is a' 'similar conductor which We have shown preferablyconnected to the base of the post. The upper end of the stud 9 projects into the cylindrical foot rail 17 and is secured thereto by suitable means, such as a screw 18. The post at the other end of the rail is equipped in a similar manner and its Studis connectedto the rail in the same manner as described with reference to Figure 2. Normally, the circuit will be broken at the point where the pin 7 contacts with `the insulation 10 and the rail being in its deness house wishes to sound the alarm, the en *being inserted -iinder the rail, as shown in that there'will he sucient clearance het/Ween it and the top of the shoe to allow the clerk.,

cashier, or other person standing or seated at the counter to easily slip the toot under the rail and it such person is ordered to throw up his Ahands hy a robher he can in the act of straightening up, `While standing or it' seated in a chair, at the same time that his hands are thrown up, tilt his Jyfoot slightly on the heel, suciently to raise the rail and close the circuit vvhile no movement to produce such result could he noticed hy the rohher. The action ot the. toot `would he so slight that the only movement ot the leg noticeable would loe that incidental to the straightening up ot the body hr the throwing up of the hands in compliance with the command oif`the robber. Devices that ref nire pressure ot the toot or are operated hy t e knee demand a forward or lifting movement or a hand action of such a nature and extent that it is likely to he instantly detected b" the robber., who of course would immediately shoot the person so attempting to operate the alarm. @ur invention is so contrived that the mere act o2? tilting the hotly hack or throwing up the hands allows or provides `lor the simultaneous tilting ot the foot snhficient to raise the rail and close the circuit. lt is ohviouslyoi3 great importance that the alarm should he easily and silently operated 'with no extra movement or ettort messes on the part ot the person in the bank, and our experiments have demonstrated that this rail can he raised with a slight movement ot the toot and such a movement that can not he detected hy the erson attempting to commit the rohhery. 'lll e alarm, of course, would he sounded at a distance so that the robber would not in any Way connect the act of the person throwing up his hands with the sounding the alarm.

A feature of importance in this device is that when the rail is raised and the circuit closed, the alarm will besounded continuously until the current is broken by the mannal return of the rail to its normal position.

We claim as our invention:

l. A device of the class described comprising a foot rail, guides supporting said ioot rail a Suiicient'distance from `the Hoor to allow the insertion of the toe of the loot between the tloor and the rail, tilting oi the foot on the heel engaging the toevvith and lifting said rail, said rail and. guides having opposing contact surfaces and said rail in its normal position orming a non-depressible :toot rest.

2. A circuit closer comprising a toot rail and a stud thereoma guide wherein said stud is vertically slidalole, said rail losing normally supported a suitable distance :from the door to allow the insertion of the toe ot the foot between the rail and the floor, tilting of the toot on the heel engagging` the toe with and lifting saidy rail and sliding said stud in its guide, said stud and guide having opposing contact surfaces and said rail in its normal position forming a non-depressilole toot rest.

ln Witness whereof9 we have hereunto set our hands this i6 day ont December, 1919.

FREEMAN C. RGBNSUN. JUHN JACBY.

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