WO2001025579A2

WO2001025579A2 - Travel safe

Info

Publication number: WO2001025579A2
Application number: PCT/NO2000/000331
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terje Ellingsen
Original assignee: Terje Ellingsen
Priority date: 1999-10-06
Filing date: 2000-10-06
Publication date: 2001-04-12
Also published as: NO994872L; WO2001025579A3; NO994872D0; AU7818100A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a travel safe substantially consisting of a housing with a lid, which lid can be locked to the housing by a commonly known lock device of a rigid or flexible type, such as a cycle lock or the like. The invention especially relates to an adaptation of the safe's lid to the safe's housing in addition to the design of the lid and the housing which permit the use of a generally known lock device to connect housing and lid. The safe consists substantially of a housing (1) with an opening surrounded by a boundary edge (8) and two or more openings (6) formed in the housing's outer walls at a distance from the boundary edge (8), together with a lid (2), which lid (2) can be lockingly connected with the housing (1) at the housing's opening by means of a separate lock device (3) with a lock (4). The lid (2) is designed with a part (7, 7'), which part (7, 7') projects into the housing (1) past the openings (6) in the housing's outer walls when the lid is placed substantially in the opening in the housing (1). The housing is designed with two openings (6) in the housing's outer walls and when the lid is in position to lockably connect the housing (1) and the lid (2), the through-going opening (5) in the lid's (2) part (7, 7') is arranged in such a manner that the openings (6) in the housing (1) together with the opening (5) in the lid (2) form a through-going opening for accommodating the lock device (3).

Description

Travel safe

The present invention relates to a travel safe substantially consisting of a housing with a lid, which lid can be locked to the housing by a commonly known lock device of a rigid or flexible type, such as a cycle lock or the like. The invention especially relates to an adaptation of the safe's lid to the safe's housing in addition to the design of the lid and the housing, permitting the use of a generally known lock device for locking connection of housing and lid.

When travelling and staying for short or long periods away from home, there is often a need to secure valuables, keys, etc. and for this purpose there is a need for a travel safe of a size and shape which permit the travel safe to be easily installed at a desired location. Furthermore, there is often a need to securely lock a travel safe to a heavy and cumbersome or fixed object, thus making it impossible for an unauthorised person to take away the whole travel safe. Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a travel safe which in a secure and simple manner offers safe-keeping of valuables, keys, etc. preferably when travelling and staying away from home, but which can also be used in the home, at the workplace or the like. A travel safe according to the present invention can also be used in cars, boats or other means of transport. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a travel safe which in a preferred embodiment does not include a permanently mounted lock device, thus making the travel safe suitable for use with a separate, external lock device of a fixed or flexible type, such as cycle locks, loop locks or the like. The design of the travel safe, however, is such that those parts of the travel safe which are locked together are given a fixed locked position relative to each other regardless of which type of lock device is used, even in those cases where the lock device is of a flexible type.

By using a separate external lock device as mentioned above, moreover, a further object is achieved with the travel safe according to the present invention, since the travel safe can be securely locked to an external fixed structure or a loose object with substantial mass, thus preventing the travel safe from being removed in a locked state.

Previously known technical solutions include the British patent application GB 23272329-A which describes a personal portable safe consisting substantially of two parts, a housing and a lid, where the housing and lid are designed in such a manner that they have an opening, which, when the housing and the lid are aligned, is located in such a way that it is possible to insert a lock bolt through the aligned openings. It is also possible to install a flexible connecting device in the transition between lid and housing which permits the travel safe to be securely mounted to an external, preferably fixed object as illustrated in fig. 3.

Moreover, in British patent application GB 2036857-A a portable safe is described substantially consisting of a housing with an internal and an external lid where the external lid is rotatably arranged relative to the internal lid or the housing about a horizontal axis. If the safe is placed in a drawer the safe's external lid can be rotated in such a manner that the external lid wedges the safe between the bottom and top of the drawer. The internal lid is further provided with a combination lock which appears when the external lid is rotated into a locked position.

Furthermore, in US patent 4457240 a water-tight portable travel safe is described substantially consisting of a housing and a lid, which housing has an opening in the bottom which makes it possible to secure the housing to an external structure when the lid is released. When the lid is then locked it is no longer possible to reach the fastening device which secures the housing to the external structure, thus making it impossible to remove the travel safe. The travel safe is further provided with a lock device which lockably connects housing and lid.

In US patent 44741 16 there is further described a travel safe substantially consisting of a housing and a lid, where the housing is provided with slit- shaped openings for insertion of a rigid or flexible lock device, such as a chain or the like and where the lid is further provided with elongated pinlike locking bodies which on the inside of the slit-shaped openings in the housing engage with the lock device when the lid is in a locked position. It will thereby be possible to provide the travel safe with a flexible or rigid lock device which enables the travel safe to be securely connected to an external structure, thus making it impossible to remove the travel safe from its original position. The travel safe is further provided with a lock device which lockably connects housing and lid in the closed position. Moreover, in US patent 4577563 a travel safe is described consisting of a housing with a hinged end piece where the end piece is provided with a lock device which lockably connects the housing and the rotatably connected end piece of the housing. In connection with the travel safe there is further provided a fastening device which can be secured to a base or a fixed structure, which fastening device is designed in such a manner that the lock device which lockably connects the housing and the housing's hinged end piece also connects the housing and the housing's hinged end piece with the fastening device. Thus it is possible to secure the fastening device to a base and subsequently lockably connect the travel safe's housing and the hinged end piece to the fastening device while at the same time lockably connecting the hinged end piece with the housing in a closed state.

Of the previously known solutions it is only GB 2327239 which discloses a travel safe which can be locked by a separate external lock device of a type which is generally available, such as a cycle lock, padlock or the like. The solution described in the publication, however, only achieves a securing to an external structure when the flexible device 3 is lockingly provided between the lid and the housing in the travel safe, while the lock bolt 8 holds the housing and the lid together, and the external lock device is lockingly provided. This introduces a number of elements of uncertainty, particularly in connection with securing of the travel safe to an external structure, where, e.g., the flexible loop 3 is not completely lockingly engaged between the safe's housing and lid, there is no locking pin or the lock device has not been completely brought into position so that it blocks and locks the locking pin 8. Nor is it stated how the housing is designed and arranged relative to the lid so that the opening in the housing and the lid are in alignment in order for the lock bolt to be disposed in such a manner that the housing and the lid are locked.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a travel safe consisting of a housing and a lid where the housing and the lid can be locked to each other by an external separate lock device of a generally known type while at the same time the lock device forms the connection between the travel safe and the external structure to which the safe is secured. It is a further object of the present invention that the travel safe consists of as low a number of different parts as possible, and in the preferred embodiment the travel safe consists only of a housing and a lid, together with an external separate lock device which lockably connects the housing and the lid. Yet another object of the present invention is that the travel safe's housing and lid are so designed relative to each other that a lockable connection is formed and that the lockable connection is particularly suitable for use with a separate external lock device of a generally known type, such as a cycle lock or the like. In the preferred embodiment, furthermore, a flexible lock device such as a wire cycle lock is employed, since this provides ample opportunity for securely locking the travel safe to an external structure. In the preferred embodiment, moreover, the external separate lock device is provided with a combination lock which does not require the use of keys or other separate means.

In order to meet with the above-mentioned objects, a travel safe according to the present invention is designed as indicated in the introductory part of following patent claim 1 , with characterising features as indicated in the characterising part of following claim 1 , and further embodiments as indicated in the following dependent claims.

The travel safe according to the present invention consists substantially of a housing and a lid, which housing is designed with an opening surrounded by an external boundary edge for the opening, where at a relatively short distance below the upper boundary edge the housing's outer wall is provided with two through-going holes formed on a common centre axis. Furthermore, the lid is provided in such a manner that its shape is adapted to the shape of the opening in the travel safe's housing preferably with a collar along the lid's outer edge, which collar rests on the boundary edge round the opening in the travel safe's housing. The adaptation of the lid to the interior of the opening in the housing may be formed in a whole piece or several segments which together constitute the contour of the opening in such a manner that when it is located in the housing's opening the lid forms a connection where the lid has very little freedom of movement other than in the direction straight out of and straight into the opening in the housing. Moreover, the lid is designed in such a way that the part of the lid which is adapted to the opening in the housing at least partially projects down into the housing to a distance inside the holes in the housing's outer edge. The part of the lid which projects into the housing past the openings in the housing's outer edge is further provided with a through-going opening, or a plurality of openings which together form a through-going opening, with the result that when the lid is placed in the housing a through-going opening is formed through the housing's outer edges and the part of the lid which projects into the opening in the housing. Thus it is possible to pass a separate lock device through the opening formed in the travel safe's housing and lid, in order thereby lockably to connect the housing and the lid. The through-going opening in the part of the lid which projects into the housing's opening is further located in such a manner that it is aligned with the openings in the housing's outer edge when the lid is resting on the upper boundary edge surrounding the housing's opening.

In different embodiments the housing and the lid may have any circumferential shape whatsoever, as long as the lid is designed substantially complementarily to the opening in the housing, thus enabling the lid to be placed with a part projecting into the opening in the housing and that the housing's outer edge and the part of the lid which projects into the housing are designed with aligned openings which form a through-going opening through the housing and the lid.

In an alternative embodiment the lid is designed with two or more lugs which project into the opening in the housing, and through which lugs there are provided openings which together form a through-going opening, and which through-going opening is aligned at its entrance and its exit with the openings in the housing's outer edge.

The safe may in yet another embodiment be prepared for fastening to an external structure such as a wall. To facilitate this the housing of the safe may have one or more through-going openings on one of the housings sides to enable the housing of the safe to be mounted on an external structure with a bolt or similar fastening means from the inside of the housing. This fastening structure may again be combined with the lock device which interlocks the housing and the lid, where the fastening means is a bolt or similar means protruding from the external structure. Hence the lid is placed in the opening of the housing and the through-going opening in the housing and lid is placed on the protruding fastening means whereafter the safe is secured with a lock of the above mentioned type. In this case the safe may be locked to an external structure and can be removed after unlocking and may be used with a separate locking device. Furthermore the safe can be formed with a slit or narrow opening in the lid or housing, for insertion of money, checks and the like, for use as a "drop safe".

In a further embodiment the lid is designed with an alarm device which, if activated, reacts to the movement or removal of the lock device holding the housing and the lid in a locked state relative to each other. Moreover, the alarm device may react to movement, impact or the like. In a further embodiment the alarm device is provided with a combination lock.

The safe may be manufactured in a number of different materials and in the preferred embodiment it is made of a relatively light material such as aluminium or the like. Alternatively, the safe may be made from different steel alloys in order to secure the safe against break-in. It is also possible to manufacture the safe from suitable composite materials.

A travel safe according to the present invention is further illustrated in the attached figures, in which:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a travel safe according to the present invention; figs. 2a-c are perspective views of different embodiments of the travel safe's lid;

fig. 3 is a perspective view of the travel safe's housing and external lock device.

A travel safe according to the present invention is illustrated in fig. 1 , substantially consisting of a housing 1 , with a lid 2, which housing 1 and lid 2 are held together in a locked state by a lock device with a flexible part 3 and a lock 4. Figures 2a-c further illustrate different embodiments of the lid 2, where the lid is designed with a part 7, 7' which projects into the opening in the housing 1 , as illustrated in fig. 3, surrounded by the boundary edge 8. The part 7, 7' of the lid 2 which projects into the opening in the housing 1 surrounded by the boundary edge 8 may consist of one or more sections which together have a circumference which is adapted to the shape of the opening in the housing 1 surrounded by the boundary edge 8. As illustrated in fig. 2a, the lid is designed with two longitudinal profiles 7' and a central profile 7, all of which project into the opening in the housing 1, and help to limit the lid's 2 freedom of movement inside the opening in the housing 1. The part 7 of the lid 2 which projects into the opening in the housing 1 is further provided with a through-going opening 5 which, when the lid 2 is placed in connection with the housing, is aligned with the openings 6 in the housing's 1 outer edge. In the preferred embodiment as illustrated in figs. 2 and 3, the openings 6 and 5 form a rectilinear joint opening where a lock device 3 can be disposed, which lock device 3 is provided with a lock 4, preferably a combination lock as illustrated in fig. 3. Furthermore, in an embodiment as illustrated in fig. 2c the lid 2 is provided with an alarm device 9 with code key-in facilities 10 for activating and deactivating the alarm device 9.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A safe, preferably a travel safe, substantially consisting of a housing ( 1 ) with an opening surrounded by a boundary edge (8) and two or more openings (6) provided in the housing's outer walls at a distance from the boundary edge (8), together with a lid (2), which lid (2) can be lockingly connected with the housing ( 1 ) at the housing's opening by means of a separate lock device (3) with a lock (4), characterized in that the lid (2) is designed with a part (7,7'), which part (7,7') projects into the housing (1 ) past the openings (6) in the housing's outer walls when the lid is placed substantially in the opening in the housing ( 1 ), that the housing is designed with two openings (6) in the housing's outer walls and that, when the lid is in position to lockably connect the housing (1 ) and the lid (2), the through-going opening (5) in the lid's (2) part (7,7') is arranged in such a manner that the openings (6) in the housing ( 1 ) together with the opening (5) in the lid (2) form a through-going opening for accommodating the lock device (3).

2. A safe according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lid is provided with an alarm device.

3. A safe according to claims 1 -2, characterized in that the lid's part (7,7') which projects into the opening in the housing is designed as one or more parts with openings (5) which form a through-going opening.