On this day in 1897 the patent for Safe or Vault was granted. U.S. Patent No. 593,200.
The Safe or Vault was invented by George L. Damon, of Boston Massachusetts. This patent application was granted on November 9, 1897 as U.S. Patent No. 593,200.
The Safe or Vault has for its object to provide a burglar-proof closure for receptacles, such as safe-deposit vaults or safes, the same being applicable to vestibule closures employing an additional or inner door or to serve as a single door for closing the receptacle.
In carrying out the invention Mr. Damon employed a housing for the door, which will protect its bearings and other working parts, formed with a hood or pocket of sufficiently strong construction to withstand attack from the outside and which may also accommodate suitable elevating mechanism above the door.
The original purpose of the Safe or Vault was to keep burglars away from people’s intimate valuables, documents, and information. It has now advanced so much that almost anyone can own a Safe or Vault to keep their personal items safe with them at home.
Since Mr. Damon’s invention in 1897 we have moved from wooden vaults with a simple lock and key to modern metallurgy vaults with intricate locking mechanisms. These intricate locking mechanisms have become computerized and have become so advanced they can work based off a DNA imprint or even voice recognition. You see safes and vaults everywhere now; they are in schools, casinos, small businesses, even houses. Some safes have become so advanced they have been able to withstand nuclear blasts as well as nuclear testing.
People have even taken the Vault or Safe to an entirely different level creating “safe rooms” in their houses. These rooms are designed to protect homeowners by withstanding almost every element imaginable. They are able to maintain their own power source, their own air filtration system and I’m sure in the most advanced systems maintain their own plumbing.
