GB2032614A - A ventilator for a security room - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for use in a security room as a means of providing life support comprises a tube (1) for fixing into an aperture breaching a wall (2) of the room and a core (3) which is extractably located in the tube. One end of the core (3) is provided with at least one peripheral projection (16) which, on rotation of the core within the tube (1), can be located in a complementary recess or slot (17) provided in a corresponding end of the tube (1). In this way the core (3) can be locked in the tube (1) to close off the aperture from the exterior of the room but removed from the tube (1) by a person within the room to permit a life-supporting atmosphere to be maintained in the room if necessary. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A ventilator for a security room The present invention relates to a device for use in a security room such as a strongroom or vault as a means of providing life support.

Security rooms, such as strongrooms or vaults are usually provided with devices whereby a breathable atmosphere can be maintained within the room and food can be passed to a person trapped inside. Conventional devices comprise simply a plug or core which is inserted into an aperture in the wall of the room whereby the plug or core may be removed from the interior of the room to permit air flow through the aperture from outdoors or another part of a building on the other side of the wall. However, it will be appreciated that such a plug or core could be removed without undue difficulty from the exterior of the room, this breaching the room's security.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device which is an improvement over those used hitherto.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for use in a security room as a means of providing life support comprising a tube for fixing into an aperture breaching a wall of the room and a core which is extractably located in the tube, one end of the core being provided with at least one peripheral projection which, on rotation of the core within the tube, can be located in a complementary recess or slot provided in a corresponding end of the tube thereby releasably to lock the core within the tube to close off the aperture.

Preferably, a plurality of complementary projections and recesses or slots are provided, at least one of the recesses or slots being provided with a stop to limit rotation of the core within the tube and thereby to ensure engagement of the projections within the recesses or slots.

Preferably also, the core comprises nuggets of a refractory ceramic material embedded in a metallic matrix to resist attack by drills and cutting torches.

An example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device according to the present invention in sftu in a wall of a security room; and Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively end views of the device in the directions of arrows 11 and Ill in Fig. 1.

The device comprises an outer tube assembly 1, which is preferably made of a metal such as steel and is securely fixed into an aperture breaching a wall 2 of a security room, and an extractable inner core assembly 3, which can be releasably locked in the tube assembly 1 to close off the aperture. As is described below, the core assembly 3 is constructed so that it can only be removed from one side of the tube assembly 1, which would be arranged to be that side on the interior of the security room, whereby a person finding himself trapped inside the room could remove the core assembly 3 from the tube assembly 1 to permit air flow through the aperture to maintain a breathable atmosphere within the room.

The outer tube assembly 1 comprises a tube 4 which is formed at one end with an integral outwardly turned flange 5 and at the other end is externally screwthreaded as at 6. The tube 4 is grouted into the aperture formed in the wall 2 so that the flange 5 lies configuous with the exterior surface 7 of the wall 2 and the screw threaded end of the tube 4 projects inwardly into the room from the interior surface 8 of the wall 2. A rubber disc 5A is interposed between the flange 5 and the wall surface 7 to make the fixture of the outer tube assembly 1 water-tight exteriorly. To prevent rotation of the tube 4 in the aperture, the end of the tube 4 adjacent the flange is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced webs or fins 9 which project into the surrounding wall 2.In order to ensure that the tube 4 is securely fastened into the wall 2, an annular disc 10 is screwed onto the projecting end of the tube 4 to lie contiguous with the interior surface 8 of the wall 2. The tube 4 is, therefore, locked in position relative to the wall against both rotational and translational movement. A rubber disc 1 OA is interposed between the disc 10 and the wall surface 8 in a similar fashion to the disc 5A to made the assembly 1 water-tight to the interior of the vault.

Apart from the disc 10, a cylindrical cap 11 is also screwed onto the projecting end of the tube 4 in order to provide a means whereby the core assembly 3 may be locked into the tube assembly 1 as is described below.

The inner core assembly 3 comprises a filled tube 12 which is of a similar length to tube 4 but has a slightiy smaller diameter and which is provided with a first plug 1 3 at one end thereof and a locking second plug 1 4 at the other end.

The first plug 13 is of slightly tapering crosssection to provide a lead-in for the core assembly into the tube 4. When inserted in the tube 4, the second plug 14 co-operates with the cap 11 of the tube assembly 1, whereby the core assembly 3 can be releasably locked in the tube 4, and is arranged to lie partially within the cap 11 and partly projecting into the interior of the security room. Additionally, the outwardly projecting part of the locking plug 14 is provided with a ring 1 5 which provides a handle and a means of inserting, rotating and extracting the core assembly 3 into and from the tube 4. In order to seal the device when the inner core assembly 3 is inserted into tube 4, a rubber O-ring seal 4A is housed in an annular groove in the tube 4 and abuts the periphery of the first plug 1 3.It can be seen that the seal 4A is positioned close to the exterior wall surface 7 of the vault so that the travel of the inner core assembly 3 out of the tube 4 required to break the seal can be minimized.

The locking of the core assembly 3 within the tube 4 is accomplished by providing a plurality of projections or dogs 1 6 spaced circumferentially around the periphery of the locking plug 14, which projections or dogs 1 6 cooperated with a plurality of complementarily shaped recesses or slots 1 7 formed within the cap 11.As can be seen in Fig. 3 four such projections 1 6 are allowed for in the illustrated embodiment and provision is made in the cap 11 for the core assembly 3 to be inserted in a particular orientation into the tube 4 via a substantially cruciform aperture 1 8 formed in the end of the cap, each of four equally spaced projections 1 6 passing into the cap 11 through one of the four cut-away portions 1 9 forming the cruciform shape of the aperture 1 8. Once located within the cap 11, the core assembly 3 can be rotated by means of the handle 1 5 so that the projection 1 6 engage the recesses or slots 1 7 and the core assembly 3 cannot be withdrawn from or pushed further into the tube 4 because of the abutment of the projections 1 6 against the interior surfaces of the cap 11.

In order to provide an indication when the core assembly 3 has been rotated sufficiently in the tube 4 to lock same therein, a stop (not shown) is provided within the cap 11. Abutment of one of the projections 1 6 against one side of the stop prevents further rotation in that particular direction of the core assembly 3. The stop is so positioned within the cap 11 that rotation of the core assembly 3 in the opposite direction sufficient to unlock same whereby the core assembly 3 can be extracted from the tube 4 is indicated by abutment of another projection 1 6 against the other side of the stop.

An additional locking for the core assembly 3 within the tube 4 can also be provided as shown in Fig. 3. A locking pin 20 is attached to the cap 11 by a chain 21 and when the core assembly 3 has been locked into the tube 4 it can be inserted into an aperture 22 in the cap 11 and pushed down into an aligned aperture 23 in the core assembly 3. Rotation of the core assembly in either direction and withdrawal of same from the tube 4 is thereby prevented.

In order that the device as described above provides an effective safeguard against breach of a security room in which it is installed, it is important that the materials from which it is made can withstand penetration at least as well as the wall 2 of the security room. As described above, the tube assembly 1 can be made of steel but it is necessary to provide a more resistant core assembly 3. Preferably, the tube 12 of the core assembly 3 comprises an aluminium or steel tube 12 and the first plug 13 comprises a plurality of ceramic pegs spaced and supported in a ceramic hoider and embedded in a metal matrix. The matrix may be made of steel or aluminium for example. The locking second plug 1 4 preferably comprises spherical graphite or nodular iron (S.G.

iron) and between the plugs 1 3 and 14, the tube 12 is preferably filled with and secured internally to a high density concrete in which an aggregate thereof comprises nuggets of a crushed fusion-cast refractory material including for example zirconia, alumina, and silica in its composition. Such a concrete is resistant to attack both by drills and cutting torches. Additionally, the concrete may include reinforcing stand of wire or metal fibres whereby the concrete is prevented from shattering and will only crumble if sufficiently attacked.

It will be appreciated that the device can be made to any size and length appropriete for any particular application. Provision can also be made so that the device can have its own alarm system connected to it so that a warning is given when unauthorised interference takes place.

Additionally, as an aid to ventilation, the device can be used with a blower unit, whereby on withdrawal of the inner core assembly 3 from the tube 4 a flexible tube from the blower unit can be inserted into the tube 4 so that fresh air can be introduced into the vault and stale air removed.

Claims (11)

1. A device for use in a security-room as a means of providing life support comprising a tube for fixing into an aperture breaching a wall of the room and a core which is extractably located in the tube, one end of the core being provided with at least one peripheral projection which, on rotation of the core within the tube, can be located in a complementary recess or slot provided in a corresponding end of the tube thereby releasably to lock the core within the tube to close off the aperture.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which a plurality of complementary projections and recesses or slots are provided, at least one of the recesses or slots being provided with a stop to limit rotation of the core within the tube and thereby to ensure engagement of the projections within the recesses or slots.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which a removable locking pin is provided which can be located in aligned apertures formed in said one end of the core and in said corresponding end of the tube to prevent rotation of the core in the tube and removal of the core from the tube.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the tube is provided externally with a plurality of peripheral webs or fins whereby when the tube is fitted into said aperture breaching the wall of the security room rotation of the tube in the aperture is prevented.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the tube is provided with an outwardly directed peripheral projection at each end thereof whereby when the tube is fitted into said aperture breaching the wall of the security room longitudinal movement of the tube in the aperture is prevented.

6. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the core comprises nuggets of a refractory material embedded in a metallic matrix to resist attack by drills and cutting torches.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, in which the core comprises a metallic tube which is filled with a high density concrete, an aggregate of which concrete comprises the nuggets of the refractory material.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7, in which the metallic tube comprising the core is provided with a plug at each end thereof, the plug at the end of the tube opposite to said one end of the core comprising a plurality of ceramic pegs embedded in 7 metal matrix.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, in which the plug at said one end of the core comprises spherical graphite or modular iron.

10. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, in which the tube is a metallic tube.

11. A device for use in a security room as a means of providing life support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.