Cross-Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application 2010900893 the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Introduction to the Invention

This invention relates to protection of safes and other security enclosures and in particular relates to improvements to safes and automatic teller machines which are subject to gas attack and similar assault which are perpetrated with a view to blowing up a safe to gain unauthorised access.

Background to the Invention

The vulnerability of safes, automatic teller machines and the like to unauthorised entry and attack is a constant problem where the security of such safes is compromised by their physical exposure and position in the public domain.

In addition to an array of physical attack, including drilling, angle grinders and the like, a recent development is an attack based on explosives where a combustible gas is injected into the interior of the safe or automatic teller machine and the gas filled interior subsequently ignited by remote electrical activation or other types of fusing.

The generally sealed or air tight nature of such safes results in an explosive build-up of pressure from the ignition and the weakest point in the safe generally blows away giving access to the safe contents.

The incident of gas attack has become prevalent due to the relative ease of injecting LPG or other forms of volatile explosive gas including oxygen and acetylene into the card dispenser or insert slot of the automatic teller machine. The slot also provides access for inserting a fuse or other ignition device and the closed, sealed nature of the automatic teller machine provides a favourable environment to effect a substantial blast resulting in the destruction, of the safe or at least, the blowing off of the door or other component of the safe, thereby providing access to the contents thereof to the perpetrator.

In order to address the incident of gas attack, efforts have been made to provide protective panels including surround cages and the like to prevent the doors from being completely blasted off. Such protective panels are highly bulky and only partially effective. In another protection strategy, inert gas has been provided to off-set and counteract the provision of combustible gas. However, the provision of inert gas within the interior of a safe or other device provides a one-off solution only as the perpetrator can attempt one blast, thereby rendering the inert gas inactive and immediately introduce a second blast, thereby destroying the safe.

In yet another attempt to counteract gas attack, exhaust gas fans and the like have been incorporated into ATM's with a view to drawing away a potentially combustible gas from the interior of a safe prior to ignition. However, such exhausting systems have potential to move potentially explosive gasses into the interior of buildings to which automatic teller machines are fitted and/or the movement of highly combustible gasses to other regions which can result in highly dangerous situations with the inadvertent ignition of such a highly combustible fuel source in an uncontrolled manner.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved means of protecting safes, automatic teller machines and the like from combustible gas attack.

Statement of the Invention

In a first aspect the invention provides a blast resistant and dispersement accessory adapted for retro-fitting to an existing safe or similar security device, said accessory comprising an auxiliary casing formed of blast resistant materials adapted for retro-fitting to the body of said safe, said casing including an interior chamber to receive the explosive gasses generated by said blast, one or a plurality of vent holes communicating with said interior chamber and a sacrificial exterior vent' door or the like, adapted to deploy open or to dissipate said explosive gasses applied to the interior of said safe and conduited to the said interior chamber wherein said exterior vent door is positioned remote from said vent holes so as to prevent direct access to said safe upon deployment.

The interior of said auxiliary casing may include one or a plurality of baffles.

The sacrificial vent door may be secure and lockable with said lock being adapted to open in response to said blast.

The vent holes may incorporate a fan means or the like, adapted to draw gasses from the interior of said safe to the interior chamber of said auxiliary casing.

In a particularly preferred form, the accessory may include an explosive gas detector for positioning within said safe and an ignition device positioned within said ^• interior chamber. A spark arresting filter may be incorporated between the safe and the auxiliary casing to prevent flashback.

The lock may include a burst gate positioned between interior chamber and said door to act as a throw bolt in the event of a blast conduited to said chamber. The blast gate can move between a resting closed position blocking the pathway between said chamber and said vent door to an open position providing a pathway between said chamber and said vent door. The vent door is preferably held in a closed position by a sliding bolt wherein the sliding bolt is moved by said blast gate responsive to a blast.

In another aspect the invention provides a blast resistant safe or similar device comprising a safe body having one or a plurality of vent holes providing a pathway between the interior of said safe body and the exterior and a blast resistant accessory as • previously described wherein said vent holes in said safe body align with the vent holes of said accessor and provide a pathway to divert said blast from the interior of said safe to the exterior via said accessory.

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Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a phantom view of a first embodiment of the blast accessory fitted to a safe.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment in side view.

Figure 3 shows a side perspective view in phantom.

Figure 4 shows an exterior perspective view.

Figure 5 shows a side view.

Figure 6 shows a third embodiment.

Legend

1. Safe

2. Auxiliary casing

3. Vent hole

4. Interior chamber

5. Sacrificial exterior vent/exhaust cover

6. Baffles

7. Burst gate

8. Sliding bolt

9. Safe vent

10: Lock tabs

1 1 . Guide slot

12. Intermediate platform

13. Pivot edge

14. Fan

1 5. Gas sensor

16. Ignition device 1 7. Spark filter

Referring firstly to Figure 1 , a simplified embodiment of the invention is shown where the blast resistant accessory is detailed as fitted to a safe body 1. The blast resistant accessory comprises an auxiliary vent casing 2 which is sized and configured to be fitted to the side of the safe body 1 , with the vent casing being made up of robust materials commensurate with the make-up of the safe body 1. The auxiliary vent casing is primarily a cuboid construction adapted to provide an avenue for redirecting explosive gasses, introduced into and ignited from the safe body 1. The auxiliary vent casing provides security to the safe body 1 in terms of extending the interior of the safe body, whilst preventing physical access to the interior of the safe from the auxiliary vent casing itself.

The auxiliary vent casing is provided with one or a plurality of vent holes 3, which are adapted to communicate with the interior of the safe by way of corresponding vents 9, provided in the side of the safe body 1 . In this manner, the corresponding vent holes of the vent casing and the safe body, provide a pathway to conduit the explosive gasses from the otherwise sealed interior of the safe body 1 through to the interior chamber 4, provided by the auxiliary vent casing 2. The auxiliary vent casing is provided with a sacrificial exterior vent door or the like 5, which in the case of the embodiment detailed in Figure 1 , is a lightweight sealed top 5, which is adapted to prevent ready access into the interior chamber 4 of the auxiliary vent casing 2 and subsequently access into the safe via the vent holes, but of sufficient strength to preferentially burst upon application of a blast to the interior of the safe body, before damage can be done to the safe body 1 or the door of the safe.

The interior chamber 4 of the auxiliary vent casing 2, is provided with a plurality of baffles 6, which serve to disperse and control the exit of combusted gasses, during their travel through the pathway from the- safe body 1 through the mating vents into the interior chamber 4, via the baffles 6 to finally burst the lightweight top vent 5 and therein escape so as to disperse the potentially damaging explosion that would otherwise occur within the safe body 1 .

Referring to Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, a second embodiment of the invention is shown where the auxiliary casing 2 is fitted in an analogous manner to a safe body 1 as shown in the previous embodiment. In this particular embodiment, the auxiliary casing sacrificial exterior vent is provided by way of a highly secure locking vent arrangement with the sacrificial exterior vent 5, being provided in the manner of a heavyweight door provided in the side of the auxiliary vent casing 2. The exterior vent door includes a pair of locking tabs 10, which protrude from the back of the door and cooperate with a sliding bolt 8. The sliding bolt 8 is adapted to move vertically between a first locking position, engaging the lock tabs and by virtue of the sliding bolt being captive within the auxiliary vent casing, thereby prevent the exterior vent door from deploying. The sliding bolt can move to a second position; in a vertical upward direction by virtue of the guide slots 1 1 , which allow the sliding bolt to move between a first and second position. Once the sliding bolt has moved vertically upward to the second position, the lock tabs are disengaged, thereby allowing the exterior vent door to be opened or deployed. The sliding bolt is caused to move in the upward, unlocking orientation by the action of a burst gate 7, positioned between a sliding bolt and the lower portion of the interior chamber 4, communicating directly with the vent holes 3. The burst gate rests on an intermediary platform 12, traversing the interior chamber 4. The burst gate is effectively hinged by cooperation of a pivot edge 1 3, with the interior edge of the auxiliary casing, with a lower portion of the sliding bolt resting on the surface of the burst gate. In this manner, once an explosive incident occurs within the safe and is relayed to the interior chamber 4 of the auxiliary casing 2, the pressure of the blast causes the burst gate to readily rotate about the. pivot edge, thereby instantaneously lifting the sliding bolt and subsequently deploying the exterior vent door or at least allowing the exterior vent door to open, with the passage of explosive gasses immediately deploying the exterior vent door and dissipating the blast.

In a particularly preferred embodiment shown in Figure 6, the accessory of the invention includes a fan system 14 positioned at one of the vent holes communicating the interior of said safe with the interior chamber of the auxiliary casing so as to draw explosive gasses from the interior of the safe into the interior chamber of the auxiliary casing. Such explosive gasses are sometimes introduced with the aim of detonating the safe and generating the blast required to enter the safe without the use of solid explosives.

The preferred gas disbursement features may also include a gas sensor 15 adapted for positioning within the safe to detect the introduction of gas into the safe. The gas sensor communicates with the fan and immediately any explosive gasses are detected within the safe interior, the fan is switched on to draw such gasses from the interior of the safe into the interior chamber of the auxiliary casing. The invention may also include an ignition means 16 positioned within the auxiliary casing so as to provide a means of safely detonating such explosive gasses which are then disbursed in a controlled manner via the baffles and out to the exterior via the vent door. A suitable control means may be incorporated to receive the gas detection signal, switch on the fan to exhaust the gasses and then activate the ignition device to explode the gasses in a controlled manner within the auxiliary casing.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 6, a spark arresting filter 17 in the form of a stainless steel mesh is incorporated between the safe and the auxiliary casing and in particular, forms a filter over the vent hole 3, such that once the ignition of gas by the ignition device occurs, the filter prevents the return of any explosive gasses or any form of flashback into the body of the safe or automatic - teller machine and thereby ensures that any residual gas- remaining in the body of the safe is not inadvertently ignited by the ignition device. The mesh is preferably formed of flame resistant stainless steel but can be manufactured from a wide range of nonflammable materials.

In this manner, the accessory of the invention also provides a means of protecting safe from blasts generated either by solid explosives or the introduction of explosive gasses.

The auxiliary vent casing and provision of lockable exterior vent door provides the blast resistant accessory of this embodiment with a high level of security equal or greater than that of the safe itself. Accordingly without access to the interior of the blast resistance accessory, the exterior vent door remains locked and closed preventing potential access to the safe.

In use, the blast resistant accessory of the invention provides a ready and cost effective means of -retro-fitting a protective device to a safe where the auxiliary vent casing and internals can be fitted to the side of a safe body 1 , once the safe vents 9 have been formed in the side of a safe. The blast resistant accessory of the invention, occupies minimal additional space to the safe and is effectively tamper proof in its own right but allows a dissipating pathway for explosive gasses in the event that the safe in question is attacked with an ignited gas salt.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the . specific embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.