U.S. patent number 3,858,531 [Application Number 05/381,871] was granted by the patent office on 1975-01-07 for portable security container.
Invention is credited to Morton K. Rubinstein.
United States Patent |
3,858,531 |
Rubinstein |
January 7, 1975 |
PORTABLE SECURITY CONTAINER
Abstract
A portable security container generally configured as a clothes
hanger and having a vise-type locking mechanism for securing such
container to a closet rod or other permanently installed fixture on
a premise or location, is disclosed. The configuration of the
container permits its use as a clothes hanger and thereby
facilitates covering of the container to somewhat camouflage its
presence. The vise-like locking mechanism is restricted to being
operated or otherwise manipulated from within the container so as
to protect against easy removal of the container from the closet
rod to which it may be secured. An electronic alarm is positioned
within the container to sound or trigger an alarm should the
container be tampered with or burgled.
Inventors: |
Rubinstein; Morton K. (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Family
ID: |
23506705 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/381,871 |
Filed: |
July 23, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
109/23; 109/38;
109/52 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05G
1/10 (20130101); E05G 1/005 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E05G
1/00 (20060101); E05G 1/10 (20060101); E05g
003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;109/23,24,50-58,38,39,45,46 ;223/85,90 ;340/272,280,283 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Taylor; Dennis L.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A portable container comprising:
an enclosed wall forming an interior cavity and a door hinged to
said wall for enclosing said interior cavity when said door is
closed and permitting entry into said cavity when said door is
opened;
alarm means for effecting an alarm in response to predetermined
conditions of said container, said alarm means situated within said
interior cavity; and
affixing means for securing said container to an external fixture,
said enclosed wall having an aperture for receiving said affixing
means therein, said affixing means including first and second
clamping members between which said fixture is firmly sandwiched
for securing said container, and hub means positioned in said
aperture for maintaining said affixing means positioned in said
enclosed wall such that at least one of said clamping members
extends into said cavity through said aperture to enable
manipulation only from within said interior cavity to have said
container secured to and removed from said external fixture.
2. The portable container defined by claim 1,
said first clamping member being securely attached to said hub
means;
said second clamping member having a clamping portion and an
elongate body portion extending from said clamping portion, said
elongate body portion slideably extending through said hub means;
and
said hub means further having channel means for receiving said
elongate body portion of said second clamping member and permitting
movement therein to allow said clamping portion to be moved to
fixedly sandwich said fixture between said first and second
clamping members.
3. The portable container defined by claim 2, said affixing means
further including drive means for controlling movement of said
second clamping member to fixedly sandwich said fixture between
said first and second clamping members or release said fixture.
4. The portable container defined by claim 2, said clamping portion
of said second clamping member being serrated.
5. The portable container defined by claim 3, said drive means
including a bolt for being threaded into said hub means, said hub
means including a threaded bore for receiving said bolt, said bolt
being positioned with respect to said body portion of said second
clamping member and within said interior cavity to have said second
clamping member driven towards a clamping position as said bolt is
threaded into said bore of said hub means.
6. The portable container defined by claim 5, said first clamping
member having a hook portion adapted to work in cooperation with
said clamping portion of said second clamping member to fixedly
sandwich a fixture therebetween.
7. The portable container defined by claim 2, said alarm means
including:
utilization means for effecting an alarm when operated;
switch means for enabling said utilization means to be operated in
response to preselected physical conditions of said container;
and
means for operating said utilization means to effect an alarm in
response to said preselected physical conditions of said
container.
8. The portable container defined by claim 7, said affixing means
further including drive means for controlling movement of said
second clamping member to fixedly sandwich said fixture between
said first and second clamping members or release said fixture.
9. The portable container defined by claim 8, said means for
operating said utilization means including detecting means for
sensing selected conditions of said container.
10. The portable container defined by claim 9, said drive means
including a bolt for being threaded into said hub means, said hub
means including a threaded bore for receiving said bolt, said bolt
being positioned with respect to said body portion of said second
clamping member and within said interior cavity to have said second
clamping member driven towards a clamping position as said bolt is
threaded into said bore of said hub means.
11. The portable container defined by claim 10, said first clamping
member having a hook portion adapted to work in cooperation with
said clamping portion of said second clamping member to fixedly
sandwich a fixture therebetween.
12. The portable container defined by claim 11, said hub means
being rotatably mounted in said aperture of said enclosed wall to
permit said container to be moved with respect to said affixing
means.
13. The portable container defined by claim 11, said detecting
means including a mercury switch for detecting a tilting of the
container with respect to a selected upright position.
14. The portable container defined by claim 11 wherein said door is
electrically insulated from said enclosed wall, said detecting
means including said door and said enclosed walls wherein any
electrical path completed between said door and said enclosed wall
effects operation of said utilization means when enabled by said
switch means.
15. The portable container defined by claim 11, said container
being configured to resemble a clothes hanger.
16. The portable container defined by claim 15, wherein said
affixing means is configured to receive an external fixture having
the shape of an elongate cylinder.
17. The portable container defined by claim 11 wherein said
utilization means is an audible tone generator.
18. The portable container defined by claim 11 wherein said
utilization means is a miniature transmitter.
19. The portable container defined by claim 2, said clamping
portion of said second clamping member being serrated.
20. The portable container defined by claim 1, said hub means being
rotatably mounted in said aperture of said enclosed wall to permit
said container to be moved with respect to said affixing means.
21. The portable container defined by claim 20, said first clamping
member having a hook portion adapted to work in cooperation with
said clamping portion of said second clamping member to fixedly
sandwich a fixture therebetween.
22. The portable container defined by claim 1, said container being
configured to resemble a clothes hanger.
23. The portable container defined by claim 22, wherein said
affixing means is configured to receive an external fixture having
the shape of an elongate cylinder.
24. The portable container defined by claim 1, said alarm means
including:
utilization means for effecting an alarm when operated;
switch means for enabling said utilization means to be operated in
response to preselected physical conditions of said container;
and
means for operating said utilization means to effect an alarm in
response to said preselected physical conditions of said
container.
25. The portable container defined by claim 24, said means for
operating said utilization means including detecting means for
sensing selected conditions of said container.
26. The portable container defined by claim 25, said detecting
means including a mercury switch for detecting a tilting of the
container with respect to a selected upright position.
27. The portable container defined by claim 25 wherein said door is
electrically insulated from said enclosed wall, said detecting
means including said door and said enclosed walls wherein any
electrical path completed between said door and said enclosed wall
effects operation of said utilization means when enabled by said
switch means.
28. The portable container defined by claim 24 wherein said
utilization means is an audible tone generator.
29. The portable container defined by claim 24 wherein said
utilization means is a miniature transmitter.
30. A portable container comprising:
an enclosed wall forming an interior cavity and a door hinged to
said wall for enclosing said interior cavity when said door is
closed and permitting entry into said cavity when said door is
opened, said enclosed wall having an aperture extending
therethrough; and
affixing means for securing said container to an external fixture,
said affixing means including first and second clamping members
between which said fixture is firmly sandwiched for securing said
container, said hub means positioned in said aperture for
maintaining said affixing means extended through said enclosed wall
to have at least one of said first and second clamping members
adapted to be only manipulated from within said interior
cavity.
31. The portable container defined by claim 30,
said first clamping member being securely attached to said hub
means;
said second clamping member having a clamping portion and an
elongate body portion extending from said clamping portion, said
elongate body portion slideably extending through said hub means;
and
said hub means further having channel means for receiving said
elongate body portion of said second clamping member and permitting
movement therein to allow said clamping portion to be moved to
fixedly sandwich said fixture between said first and second
clamping members.
32. The portable container defined by claim 30, said hub means
being rotatably mounted in said aperture of said enclosed wall to
permit said container to be moved with respect to said affixing
means.
33. The portable container defined by claim 30, said affixing means
further including drive means for controlling movement of said
second clamping member to fixedly sandwich said fixture between
said first and second clamping members or release said fixture.
34. The portable container defined by claim 3, said clamping
portion of said second clamping member being serrated.
35. The portable container defined by claim 33, said drive means
including a bolt for being threaded into said hub means, said hub
means including a threaded bore for receiving said bolt, said bolt
being positioned with respect to said body portion of said second
clamping member and within said interior cavity to have said second
clamping member driven towards a clamping position as said bolt is
threaded into said bore of said hub means.
36. The portable container defined by claim 30, said container
being configured to resemble a clothes hanger.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to portable security containers of
the type that are suitable for securing the personal possessions of
travelers. More specifically, the present invention concerns a
security container that is adapted to be easily carried by
travelers and readily secured to a fixture within a hotel room or
the like to provide a reasonably secure place for valuables.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The anxiety of safeguarding valuables when traveling is well known
to most travelers. Such items as passports, jewelry, currency,
traveler checks, and the like, are nearly always a problem. Many
hotels and motels, particularly the latter, have no procedure for
accepting and securing the valuables of guests. In those instances
where a hotel or motel has instituted a procedure for accepting
certain valuables from its guests, the depositing and recovery of
valuables is at best an inconvenience, and at worst a dreadful
headache, as those persons who have availed themselves of such
service will attest.
Available statistics seem to indicate that thefts from hotel and
motel rooms are usually performed by amateurs who somehow have
obtained a passkey to the room and who may or may not be employed
by the establishment. Such persons, although amateurs, are usually
totally familiar with the typical hiding places used by guests in
an effort to hide their valuables within the room. Such typical
hiding places which include the inside pockets of suits, locked
valises or suitcases, under bedding pillows and/or mattresses,
within drawers covered by clothing, etc., are obviously well known
to thieves who have abundantly demonstrated their ability to
quickly search a room and find whatever is hidden.
The alternative to hiding valuables in a hotel room, where no other
means of safekeeping is available, is to continually carry the
valuables. As anyone who has been the victim of a pickpocket knows
from first hand experience, carrying valuables is not a totally
acceptable solution. For those travelers who venture to the
seashore, carrying valuables is totally unsatisfactory if there is
a desire to go swimming or become involved in some other physical
activity that would require a temporary abandonment of
possessions.
There are numerous other analogous situations in which some means
for securing one's valuables would be desirable. As an example,
vacationers in mobile homes frequently require some means for
securing their valuables within the mobile homes. Traveling
salesmen who carry items of exceptional value in their cars may
also require some means for securing such items within their cars.
Students may also require a means for safekeeping valuables in
their dormitory and/or lockers at school. Workers in factories may
also require some means for safekeeping their valuables in their
lockers as would persons who frequent golf and/or tennis clubs at
which lockers are used to contain their clothing or the like.
Finally, secretaries and other such persons who may have their
personal place of employment within large open offices may require
a means for safekeeping their valuables in the course of a day.
It is accordingly the intention of the subject invention to provide
a highly secure, electronically armed, portable security container
that is adapted to be securely affixed to an appropriate fixture at
various locations to provide a means for safekeeping valuables at
such locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention involves a portable
security container.
More particularly, the subject portable security container includes
a vise-like locking mechanism which may be operated only from
within the container to have the container affixed to or removed
from fixtures or the like at a location selected by the owner of
the container. An electronic alarm mechanism is mounted within the
container to provide an audible alarm or the like whenever the
container is improperly tampered with or removed from its location.
The container may be configured to generally resemble a clothes
hanger and thereby facilitate its being cloaked for partial
concealment.
The objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will be
more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by
reference to the following detailed description which is to be
considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein
like reference symbols designate like parts throughout the figures
thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a perspective, partially
fragmented view of a portable security container in accordance with
the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a frontal
cross-sectional view of a latching mechanism in accordance with the
present invention wherein the vise jaw thereof is illustraded in a
lowered position.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional
view of the latching mechanism shown in FIG. 2 wherein the vise jaw
is illustrated in a raised position.
FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary
electronic circuit that may be used to provide an alarm.
FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating another
exemplary electronic circuit that may be used in conjunction with
an alarm.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a portable security container
in accordance with the present invention may be generally
configured to resemble a clothes hanger as is illustrated. The
container essentially includes a body portion 10, a vise-like
latching mechanism 12, and an electronic alarm circuit 14.
The body portion 10 of the container is formed by integrally formed
walls 16 and a door 18 which is hinged to the container walls along
a lower portion 20 which essentially forms a floor of the
container. A hinge 22 extending for the length of the door 18 may
be used. A single lock or pair of locks 24 of any standard type may
be used to secure the door 18 when the container is to be locked.
The clothes hanger configuration of the container makes it
particularly capable of being easily covered by an article of
clothing when the container is affixed to a clothes rod in a closet
or the like.
The latching mechanism 12 generally includes a vise-like mechanism
including a jaw 26 which is adapted to be raised to clamp a fixture
at a selected location, i.e., a clothes rod in a closet, against an
upper hook member 28 to secure the container to the fixture. The
jaw 26 is maintained in a desired raised position by a bolt 30
which is received by a center bore of a rotatable hub 32 in a
manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter. As shown, the
manipulation of the bolt 30 is accomplished from within the
container and thus requires unlocking and opening of the container
door 18 to have the jaw 26 raised or lowered. Obviously, once the
jaw 26 is bolted in a raised condition to grip a fixture between
the jaw 26 and the hook member 28, removal of the container would
first require entry into the container.
The electronic alarm circuit 14 may essentially include a manually
operated switching mechanism 33 for activating the alarm circuit, a
power source 35, an alarm device 37 such as a horn, siren,
transmitter or the like, detector switches for sensing certain
physical conditions of the container that may be present whenever
the container is being improperly tampered with, and an electronic
circuit for energizing the alarm device 37 in response to operation
of the detector switches. The alarm 14 is to be described in
greater detail hereinafter in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5.
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the latching mechanism 12 is
retained at an upper portion of the container generally
corresponding to its neck by having a hub 32 maintained in movable
confinement within an aperture 33 in the container wall provided
for this purpose. The hub 32 may be formed to have a cylindrically
shaped lower portion 34 and a somewhat flattened upper guard
portion 36 extending generally upward from one end of the
cylindrical lower portion 34. The cylindrical lower portion 34 of
the hub 32 is retained within the aperture 33 by a continuous
shoulder 38 that extends around the rim or periphery of the
aperture 33. A ring-like plate 40 may be appropriately attached to
the abutting inner surface 42 of the container wall to confine the
cylindrical lower portion 34 of the hub 32 between the plate 40 and
the shoulder 38. The central opening of the ring-like plate 40
allows downwardly extending leg portions 44 of the jaw 26 to extend
through the hub 32 and the plate 40. A pair of channels 45 are
provided in the hub 32 to accommodate free longitudinal movement of
the leg portions 44 therethrough.
The lower portion 34 of the hub 32 is sized relative to the area in
which it is confined by the shoulder 38 and the plate 40 so as to
be rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof. Such rotation
permits the container to be conveniently rotated by a user to be
facing in the proper direction for opening of the door 18 and
operation of the bolt 30 when the latching mechanism is being
manipulated to affix a container to a clothes rod, or the like.
Upon being affixed, the container can then be rotated to be in
general alignment with other clothes hangers in a closet.
The upper hook member 28 is secured to the cylindrical lower
portion 34 of the hub 32 by having an end 46 of the hook member 28
appropriately screwed with a threaded bore provided in the
cylindrical lower portion 34 for this purpose.
The jaw 26 is formed to have a serrated upper surface 48 that is
slightly depressed to accommodate the generally cylindrical
configuration of a clothes rod to which the latching mechanism is
particularly designed for attachment. Any appropriate configuration
might be used for the jaw 26, but it has been found that a
generally T-shape, as shown, is suitable wherein the serrated
portion 48 is centrally situated between the arm portions of the
T-shaped jaw. One arm of the jaw 26 may be generally solid and
provided with a bore 50 which is adapted to receive an end 52 of
the hook member 28 when the jaw 26 is in a raised position, as
shown by FIG. 3, so as to prevent the hook member 28 from being
pried in an effort to deform the hook member 28 and thereby remove
the container from a clothes rod or other fixture to which it may
be attached.
The body portion of the T-shaped jaw 26 essentially includes the
pair of downwardly extending legs 44 between which may be attached
a plate 54. The plate 54 is provided with a central aperture to
permit the extension therethrough of the bolt 30 which, as shown,
extends upward through the plate 54 and between the legs 44 to be
received in a threaded central bore 56 of the hub 32. A lower
tubular guide 58 having a generally cylindrical shape may extend
downwardly from the lower surface of the cylindrical lower portion
34 of the hub 32. The tubular guide 58 may be countersunk to permit
the threaded portion 60 of the bolt 30 to be raised towards the
threaded control bore 56 in the hub 32. Any appropriate means such
as a nut 62 may be used to movably retain the bolt 30 with respect
to the plate 54.
The bolt 30, as shown, is provided with an enlarged head portion 64
so as to be readily manually turned in the process of securing the
jaw 26 in a raised position by having the threaded portion 60 of
the bolt 30 threaded within the bore 56 of the hub 32. Clearly, as
the threaded portion 60 of the bolt 30 is threaded in the bore 56
the jaw 26 is driven towards a raised position until a fixture is
securely clamped between the hook member 28 and the serrated upper
surface 48 of the jaw 26.
The upper guard portion 36 of the hub 32 serves to extend the
threaded bore 56 beyond the thickness of the cylindrical lower
portion 34 to provide added strength for the latching mechanism.
Further, the guard portion 36 includes a channel formed by a pair
of side walls 66 which partially extend around the portion of the
hook member 28 near the hub 32 to partially protect the end thereof
against destruction.
Any suitable alarm electronic circuit may be used to provide an
alarm. For example, the circuit shown in FIG. 4 illustrates that a
simple battery may be used as the power source 35. The manually
operated switch 33 used for activating the alarm circuit may be
connected in series with the battery 35 to have power applied to
the alarm device 37 whenever either or both of a pair of detector
switches 68 or 70 are closed in response to a container being
tampered with. For example, the switch 68 may be a mercury switch
of a common type that would be closed whenever a container is
tilted beyond a predetermined angle from an upright position. Any
conventional type of mercury switch may be used. A suitable example
is mercury switch Model HJ244LO manufactured by the Gordos
Corporation of Bloomfield, New Jersey. The switch 70 may simply
represent some other condition of the container which would be
electronically closed in the process of having the container
tampered with. For example, the container door 18 may be
electronically isolated from the body walls 16. Such isolation may
be attained in any convenient manner such as by emplacing a plastic
insulation material between peripheral portions of the door 18 and
corresponding portions of the walls 16 at which contact would
otherwise be made. Any attempt to pry the door 18 open with a
metallic object would then serve to represent closure of the switch
70. It is, of course, clear that other switches may be used to
effectively sense other conditions attendant to the container being
burgled or otherwise improperly tampered with.
As is obvious to any person skilled in the art, closure of either
or both of the switches 68 or 70 whenever the circuit is activated
by manual closure of the switch 33 will render a SCR 72 conductive.
An SCR 72 is particularly useful for the purpose of maintaining the
alarm device 37 in operation irrespective of the switches 68 and/or
70 being later opened after having been closed. Accordingly, the
alarm device 37 once turned on will remain operative until the
manual switch 33 is reopened.
A more complex latching circuit is equally an useful for a
container in accordance with the present invention. An alternate
alarm circuit is shown by FIG. 5. The closure of the manual switch
33 permits power to be applied from the battery 35 to the alarm
device 37 whenever a transistor Q1 is rendered conductive by
closure of either or both of the detector switches 68 and 70. A
transistor Q2 which is connected to Q1 in the configuration of a
conventional latching circuit operates to maintain the transistor
Q1 conductive irrespective of the switches 68 and/or 70 being
reopened after having been closed.
It is to be understood that the alarm device 37 may be any
appropriate alarm device or utilization means. As an example, a
horn or siren may be used. As an alternative, a miniature
transmitter may be used to activate an external alarm mechanism or
other responsive utilization device situated within transmission
range. Such utilization devices are well known as is exemplified by
the system disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,111. It is to be
further understood that although the illustrated circuits are
suitable for use with the subject invention that other circuits
also may be used to control an electronic alarm mechanism. For
example, an electronic timer may be used to automatically turn the
alarm device off after a predetermined length of time rather than
requiring that the manual switch 33 be opened to stop the sounding
of the alarm device 37.
It is now clear that the subject invention provides a security
container which includes an electronically armed alarm mechanism
and a latching mechanism that operates to securely affix the
container to a clothes rod or other suitable fixture that may be
found in a hotel room, or the like, Hence, the subject container is
capable of providing a significant degree of security for the
valuable possessions of a user. It is to be understood that
although the foregoing discussion has been presented with a clothes
rod being the fixture to which the subject container may be
affixed, suitable portions of lockers, automobiles, campers, etc.
will serve the intended purpose of such clothes rods and the
like.
While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been
described hereinabove, it is intended that all matter contained in
the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense and that
all modifications, constructions and arrangements which fall within
the scope and spirit of the invention may be made.
* * * * *