US2629349A - Underground fireproof vault - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 24, 1953 F. w. DEAN UNDERGROUND FIREPROOF' VAULT Filed July 7, 1949 F ay W. Dean JNVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in vaults and more particu larly to a vault to be buried in the ground for use in connection with homes or other buildings.

An important obect of the invention is to provide a vault completely buried in the ground at the outside of a building to insure the contents or the vault against loss by fire or other destructive forces, and embedding the opening of the vault in a basement wall to provide ready access to the contents of the vault from within the basement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vault composed of a cylindrical metal casing of a capacity for holding one or more containers within which various types of valuables may be placed and mounting the containers on a rack or carrier to facilitate removal of the containers from the vault.

Another object is to provide a vault of this character provided with a closure locked in position in the outer end of the casing and also providing a moisture-proof plug held in position by the closure to exclude moisture from the interior of the casing.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a building wall showing the vault embedded therein and extending into the earth at the outside of the wall;

Figure 2. is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view;

Figures 3 and. 4 are transverse sectional views taken respectively on the lines 33 and 4- 1 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a front elevational view.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a cylindrical metal casing which is closed at its inner end by an end Wall 6 welded or otherwise suitably secured in position.

A plug l is threaded in the outer end of the casing 5 to provide a closure therefor and is locked in position by a suitable key controlled look 8 having a sliding bolt 9 which projects radially through an opening Ill in the plug 1 into a recess. l! formed in the wall of the casing adjacent its outer end.

A hollow extension or chamber it is suitably secured to the inner side of plug 1 and is packed with asbestos or other suitable insulation material M.

The casing 5 is suitable for holding one or more cylindrical containers l5 supported in a wire rack or carrier l6 slidably positioned in the casing to facilitate placing of the containers therein and removing the containers therefrom.

A wad or disk ll of suitable insulation mate rial is tightly fitted in casing 5 between plug extension 53 and container l 5 to further protect the interior of the casing from the entrance of mois= ture, said disk being slidably removable out of said casing for access to said rack and container.

The outer surface of plug 1 is provided with a plurality of wrench engaging lugs E8 to enable the plug to be tightened in the outer end of the casing and to facilitate removal of the plug therefrom.

The casing 5 may be recessed in an opening it in the wall 213 of a building and the casing maybe embedded in a concrete housing 2| which extends out from the wall into the earth 22, or the casing may be embedded directly in the earth.

The fire-proof and insulation packed extension i 3 at the inner side of plug 1 will prevent the transmission of heat to the containers l5, even should the plug '5 become heated to a high degree by the burning of the building and the provision of insulation disk ll behind plug extension l3 and the embedding of the casing 5 in the manner indicated also protects the contents thereof from damage by fire, water or other destructive forces.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

An underground vault comprising a cylindrical casing having a closed rear end and an open front end, a cylindrical container in said casing, a plug threaded into and closing the front end of the casing, a rack slidably positioned in the casing for supporting the container thereon for movement of the container into and out of the casing with the rack, and a disk of insulation material siidably fitted tightly in the casing between said plug and rack, said disk being pressed by said plug into engagement with said rack to confine the rack between said disk and the rear end of the casing, and said disk being slidably removable out of said casing for access to said rack and container.

/ FAY W. DEAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

4 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Thomson Oct. 14, 1930 Schuknecht Oct. 30, 1888 Lowrie Aug. 30, 1910 Casserly Aug. 29, 1911 Wiedeman et a1. Mar. 30, 1915 Ehrlich May 16, 1922 Carlson Dec. 29, 1925 Gaskill Jan. 19, 1926 Werner et a1 May 28, 1929

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