Rotating Door Safe with Barbed Plate Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safe designs face issues such as pry-open vulnerabilities, limited access space, and difficulty in securing to objects like bed frames, which hinder quick and secure access to valuables, especially in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A safe with a rotatable door and energy storage mechanism that automatically opens upon proper authorization, combined with a barbed plate attachment system that secures the safe to a bed system, allowing for easy insertion between a mattress and box spring, making it difficult to remove without lifting the mattress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional hinged door safe is used, then the safe provides secure storage, but there is not enough room for the door to swing open when attached to a bed frame between the bed and furniture or wall
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the door swing outward on hinges, the patent inverts the opening mechanism by having the door rotate inward on a pivot axis. This allows the door to open without requiring external clearance space, solving the problem of attaching the safe to tight spaces like bed frames between the bed and furniture or wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the door opening from a two-dimensional swing arc to a three-dimensional rotation within the safe's internal space. The door rotates on a pivot axis located at the rear of the door, allowing it to swing inward and clear the front face of the safe, enabling operation in environments with minimal external clearance.
2Reliability
If a conventional safe with key locks and combination locks is used, then the safe provides security, but it takes time to access the contents which is not suitable when quick access is required such as when an intruder alarm sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an energy storage mechanism (such as a spring) that is pre-charged and ready to actuate. When the correct combination is entered, the stored energy immediately drives the locking mechanism to release and the door to open, eliminating the time delay associated with manual key turning or complex lock disengagement procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional manual locking mechanisms (keys, tumblers) with an automated system that uses a combination input to trigger an energy storage device. This substitution allows for quicker access while maintaining security, as the system automatically transitions from locked to unlocked state upon verifying the correct combination.
3Weight of moving object
If a lightweight safe is used, then the safe is easy to move, but it can be easily removed by unauthorized persons such as children
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the safe system. The safe body remains lightweight for ease of positioning, while the attachment mechanism (barbed plate) provides localized high-strength anchoring to the bed frame. This differentiation allows the overall system to be both mobile and secure, as the lightweight safe can be easily positioned but once attached, the barbed plate prevents removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the safe system into separable components: a lightweight safe body and a separate attachment mechanism (barbed plate). This segmentation allows the safe to be easily moved when not in use, while the attachment mechanism provides secure anchoring when installed. The barbed plate can be independently attached to the bed frame, providing anti-removal security without adding significant weight to the safe itself.
4Strength
If a safe with thick steel construction is used, then the safe resists pry-open attacks, but the gap between the door and box still allows lever insertion for prying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional hinged door design by using a pivot-mounted door that rotates inward. This inversion eliminates the gap between the door and box that exists in hinged designs, as the pivot door meets the box face-to-face when closed, preventing lever insertion while maintaining structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a pivot door design that copies the security benefits of thick steel construction (face-to-face closure eliminating gaps) while avoiding the clearance space problem of hinged doors. The pivot mechanism replicates the strength advantage without the geometric disadvantage of requiring external swing space.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides quick, silent, and secure access to contents while preventing unauthorized removal, enhancing security and ease of use by minimizing clearance requirements and deterring removal attempts, especially by children or unskilled individuals.
Implementation Method 1
An energy storage mechanism is interfaced between the safe body and the door. Energy is stored in the energy storing mechanism when the door is rotated into the first position of rotation, and, upon enabling access by the locking mechanism, the locking mechanism disengages between the door from the safe body, and the energy storing mechanism releases the energy causing the door to rotate into the second position of rotation.
Implementation Method 2
The safe/strong-box optionally attaches to a bed system by a plate that has barbs. The barbed plate readily inserts between a box spring and a mattress, but due to the barbs, is difficult to remove without lifting the mattress from the box spring
Data Source
AI summary
A safe includes a body that has an opening for receiving and holding an object. A door is rotatably interfaced to the body, whereas the door obstructs the opening in a first position of rotation, and the door provides access to the body of the safe through the opening when the door is in a second position of rotation. A locking mechanism engages between the door and the body when the door is rotated to the first position of rotation thereby holding the door in the first position of rotation until the locking mechanism is released and, upon releasing by the locking mechanism, the door is free to rotate towards the second position of rotation.