Wall safe and door hinging means therefor

Claim 2

A wall safe comprising a rectangular box defining a storage chamber and an access opening in a front surface of said box communicating with said chamber, said box being adapted to fit relatively closely between adjacent vertical wall studs of a building, fastening means for securing the vertical sides of said box to said wall studs, a rectangularly shaped face plate attached to said front surface and defining a door opening therein disposed in registry with said access opening, said face plate having boltless edge portions which extend beyond said box sides across at least a major portion of the front surface of said wall studs, a door hingably connected to said box for closing in close fitting relation to said door and for opening into a horizontal position in front of the lower margin of said door opening to form an article supporting platform, and a pair of L-shaped hinges fixedly attached along one leg portion thereof to a lower corner portion of said door, the other laterally projecting leg portions thereof extending beyond the lower edge of said door behind said face plate and against a wall defining a front surface of said chamber when said door is closed in said door opening, said laterally projecting leg portions extending behind and against vertical edge portions of the access opening defining front wall of said box to thus support said door in a horizontal position when said door is open to form said platform.

Claim 3

The wall safe of claim 1 wherein said L-shaped hinges are flat, said access opening being generally rectangular in shape and containing slotted openings in lower corners of said access opening adapted to receive said laterally projecting leg portions of said hinges therein when said door is closed in said door opening.

Claim 4

The wall safe of claim 2 wherein said slotted openings are tapered so that their lateral dimensions decrease moving upward from the lower to the upper ends of said slotted openings, upper portions of said slotted openings being slightly above the lower corners of said door opening, said L-shaped hinges projecting across bottom corner portions of said door opening and through said upper portions of said slotted opening when said door is in an open horizontal position, said hinges containing free ends which extend laterally in said chamber away from said upper portions behind said front surface of said box to hold said door in said horizontal position when unlocked and open, said free ends being tiltable downwardly into enlarged lower portions of said slots when door is raised into closing relation with said door opening.

Claim 5

The wall safe of claim 1 further comprising a sheet of heat resistant material applied to a floor and rear wall of said box in said chamber.

Claim 6

The wall safe of claim 1 further comprising a shelf disposed in said chamber and fixedly connected to said box sides.

Claim 7

The wall safe of claim 1 wherein said door opening is slightly larger than said access opening whereby access opening defining end portions of said box front surface form a lip which extends substantially around and behind the perimeter of said door opening to form a stop against which said door will shut when said door is placed in a closed position in said door opening.

Claim 8

The wall safe of claim 1 wherein said box comprises a pair of generally L-shaped members, each of said members forming a vertical and horizontal side of said box and a vertically and horizontally extending edge portion of said front surface, said members being joined together by means of tabs at two diagonally opposite corners of said box.

Claim 9

The wall safe of claim 7 further comprising a flat rectangular plate attached to rear edge portions of said members which are bent at right angles to the upper, lower and side surfaces of said members and mitered at the corners of the box where adjacent ends of the vertical and horizontal rear edge portions meet.

Claim 10

The wall safe of claim 1 wherein a central portion of each attached leg portion of said L-shaped hinges is bent on a central portion thereof, said other laterally projecting leg portions of said hinges fitting against a back of said front surface below the lower margin of said access opening when said door is in a closed position in said door opening, sides of said laterally projecting leg portions fitting against the back sides of said front surface beyond the side margins of said access opening when said door is in an open, horizontal position.

Claim 11

A wall safe comprising a rectangular box defining a storage chamber therein and having a generally rectangular shaped access opening formed in a front surface of said box and communicating with said chamber, said front surface also containing slots in the lower corners of said access opening whose laterally inner sides are vertical and whose laterally outer sides are slanted, said slots opening at their upper ends at the level of their least lateral dimension into lower corner portions of said access opening and extending downwardly beneath the lower lateral margin of said access opening to the level of their greatest lateral dimension at the base of said slots, a rectangular face plate attached to the access opening and slot defining front surface of said box and defining a generally rectangular door opening with rounded lower corners, said door opening being disposed in registry with said access opening and flush therewith and being of such lesser vertical and lateral dimension than that of said access opening that edge portions of the access opening defining front surface of said box form a jamb substantially around the entire perimeter of said door opening against which a door closed into and closely conforming with said door opening will rest, upper end portions of said slots at and near the level of their least lateral dimensions projecting above the lower lateral margin of said door opening above lower corner portions thereof, a door having a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners conforming to and adapted to relatively closely fit into said door opening, said a pair of relatively flat L-shaped hinges attached to lower edge portions of said door on corner edge portions thereof in line with said slots, said hinges having laterally extending free ends which project beyond the lower margins of said door across and above the lower corner portions of said door opening and through the upper end portions of said slots such that said laterally extending free ends of said hinges extend laterally away from said slots toward the outer sides of said box inside of said chamber against the back of said front surface to hold said door in a horizontal position when in an open condition, said laterally extending free end portions being tiltable downwardly into base portions of said slots for confinement therein as said door is tilted upwardly from said horizontal position into a closed position in said door opening.

Claim 12

A wall safe comprising a rectangular box defining a storage chamber therein and having a generally rectangular shaped access opening formed in a front surface of said box and communicating with said chamber, said front surface also containing slots in the lower corners of said access opening whose laterally inner sides are vertical and whose laterally outer sides are slanted, said slots opening at their upper ends at the level of their least lateral dimension into lower corner portions of said access opening and extending downwardly beneath the lower lateral margin of said access opening to the level of their greatest lateral dimension at the base of said slots, a rectangular face plate attached to the access opening and slot defining front surface of said box and defining a generally rectangular door opening with rounded lower corners, said door opening being disposed in registry with said access opening and flush therewith and being of such lesser vertical and lateral dimension than that of said access opening that edge portions of the access opening defining front surface of said box form a jamb substantially around the entire perimeter of said door opening against which a door closed into and closely conforming with said door opening will rest, upper end portions of said slots at and near the level of their least lateral dimensions projecting above the lower lateral margin of said door opening above lower corner portions thereof, a door having a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners conforming to and adapted to relatively closely fit into said door opening, said a pair of relatively flat L-shaped hinges attached to lower edge portions of said door on corner edge portions thereof in line with said slots, said hinges having laterally extending free ends which project beyond the lower margins of said door across and above the lower corner portions of said door opening and through the upper end portions of said slots such that said laterally extending free ends of said hinges extend laterally away from said slots toward the outer sides of said box inside of said chamber against the back of said front surface to hold said door in a horizontal position when in an open condition, said laterally extending free end portions being tiltable downwardly into base portions of said slots for confinement therein as said door is tilted upwardly from said horizontal position into a closed position in said door opening.

Claim 13

A wall safe comprising a box defining a storage chamber therein and having an access opening in a front surface thereof which communicates with said chamber, means for securing said box to a wall, a face plate attached to said front surface and defining a door opening therein disposed in registry with said access opening, a door tiltably connecting for closing into close fitting relation in said door opening and for opening into a horizontal position in front of a lower edge portion of said door and access opening to form an article supporting platform, and a pair of L-shaped hinges fixedly attached along one leg portion thereof to lower corner portions of said door, the other leg portions thereof being laterally extending free and portions which project below the lower edge of said door behind said face plate and against a wall when said door is closed in said door opening, said laterally extending free end portions being tiltable upwardly in said chamber against opposing vertical edge portions of the access opening defining front surface of said box to thus support said door in said horizontal position when said door is open to form said platform.

Claim 14

A wall safe comprising a box defining a storage chamber therein and having an access opening in a front surface thereof which communicates with said chamber, means for securing said box to a wall, a face plate attached to said front surface and defining a door opening therein disposed in registry with said access opening, a door tiltably connecting for closing into close fitting relation in said door opening and for opening into a horizontal position in front of a lower edge portion of said door and access opening to form an article supporting platform, and a pair of L-shaped hinges fixedly attached along one leg portion thereof to lower corner portions of said door, the other leg portions thereof being laterally extending free and portions which project below the lower edge of said door behind said face plate and against a wall when said door is closed in said door opening, said laterally extending free end portions being tiltable upwardly in said chamber against opposing vertical edge portions of the access opening defining front surface of said box to thus support said door in said horizontal position when said door is open to form said platform.

Claim 15

The wall safe of claim 11 wherein said L-shaped hinges are flat, said front surface having slots therein which open at their upper ends into the lower corners of said access opening, said laterally extending free end portions projecting downwardly into said slots and against a rear surface of said face plate when said door is closed in said door opening.

Claim 16

The wall safe of claim 11 wherein a central portion of the legs of said L-shaped hinges which are attached to said door are bent such that the lower end portions of said hinges which extend beyond the lower edge of said door are spaced above the surface of said door to extend across the corners of said access opening into said chamber when said door is in a horizontal open position and such that said laterally extending free end portions engage against a chamber defining surface of said front surface below the corners of said access opening when said door is closed in said door opening.