Laminate and use of the same

(54) (56)

PATENT HOLDER Kjell Lindskog, Floravägen 27 931 39 Skellefteå SE

INVENTOR'S OFFICE

Kjell Lindskog, Skellefteå SE Patent Consultant Alf Hedlund AB

NAME Laminate board and use of such CALLED PUBLICATIONS:

(57)

SUMMARY:

US A 4 523 528, DK B 159 586, US A 880 020, US A 4 681 591

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a laminate board (10), especially intended for providing intrusion-protected containers and spaces, which laminate board (10) is made up of a plurality of layers (1-5) and a binder. The laminate board (10) comprises an alarm layer (4) in the form of a fine mesh knitted, crocheted or woven mat of one or more electrically conductive wires (8). The laminate board (10) also includes a guide layer (2) in the form of an electrically conductive fiber mat. Further, the laminate sheet (10) comprises an intermediate layer (3) of an electrically insulating material as well as a first surface layer (1) and a second surface layer (5). The binder is a plastic resin. The inventive laminate board (10) is especially intended for use as a housing in containers (20) and spaces (30) which are arranged for storing theft-resistant objects or the like.

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The numbers in brackets indicate international identification code, INID code. Letters in clamps indicate international document code.

501 675

The present invention relates to a laminate board according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to the use of the laminate board as a casing in a container or in a space intended for storing theft-resistant objects and the like.

Due to, among other things, increasing crime in various contexts, there is a very great need to provide safer transport and storage of valuables and theft-desirable objects of various kinds.

As a non-limiting example of a particular problem area can be mentioned, for example, money transfers between different places. In such contexts, large and costly security measures must be taken to keep the security against attacks in the form of theft and robbery at an acceptable level. This costs a lot of money at the same time as transport becomes cumbersome and difficult to carry out.

One way of addressing the aforementioned problems is to provide, within the present transport container in the form of, for example, a bag, one or more destructive means which are activated to destroy the contents of the transport container if an unauthorized person tries to open the transport container and remove the contents from it. As the contents of the transport container are thereby destroyed and unusable during the unauthorized attempted intrusion, the risk of crime of course is eliminated until some creative person devises a method to prevent the activation of the destroying agent.

As a concrete example of a transport container can be mentioned a bag in which, for example, you transport money in the form of banknotes. The banknotes can thereby be rendered useless and unusable by activating color cartridges stored in the bag to discolour the banknotes in the unauthorized attempt to open the bag.

Of course, in the light of the above reasoning, it is understood the importance of providing a hard-pressed container, while at the same time dealing with a

501 675 transport containers naturally strive for the lowest possible weight on the container.

At the same time, of course, the container must be provided with a reliable alarm or security system which is located at least in some parts inside the container, this system being so constructed that it always activates the destructive agent before the safety system or destructive means is put into operation by unauthorized intervention and stored in the container may be removed unauthorized from the container.

A number of such security systems and destroyers have already been developed and are available in the market, so these should not be further described in this context. However, it should be mentioned that the security system can of course be designed so that the intruder has only a limited time at his disposal to try to force the container before the destroyer is activated despite the fact that the security system was not triggered due to an actual intrusion attempt.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a specially designed laminate sheet which is very advantageous to use as a wall or enclosure of a security container or of a safe space. This object is achieved in that the device and the use have the characteristics specified in the claims.

Among the many advantages of the invention, it can be mentioned that the laminate sheet can be made thin-walled and lightweight, which, of course, brings about weight advantages of, for example, the transport container in which the laminate sheet is used.

The laminate board can be manufactured with such rigidity that a self-supporting container can be constructed of the same. The laminate sheet can be manufactured in desired shapes, which means that even formally complicated containers can be provided by the laminate sheet.

If, for example, it is desired to supplement an already existing building with a shell cover, this is extremely easy to achieve by means of

501 675 laminate boards according to the invention. In this case, for example, specially angled corner panels can be prefabricated.

By providing the inventive laminate sheet with an alarm layer in the form of a mat of at least one electrically conductive member in the form of a wire or a strip, the electrically conductive member being provided with an insulating surface layer and finely intertwined with a mat exhibiting meshes. or loops of the type obtained by a knitting or crocheting operation allow a rapid attenuation of external disturbances from, for example, magnetic fields, static electricity and the like. Thus, the risk of disintegrant release due to false alarms due to external disturbances can be limited when the inventive laminate is used in security containers and the like.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of an inventive laminate sheet; shows an embodiment of an overlap joint between the laminate parts of the container shown in Figure 2; and Fig. 4 in a perspective view exemplifies a space made up of inventive laminate boards.

The laminate sheet 10 according to the invention preferably comprises five different layers, namely a first surface layer 1, a joint layer 2, an intermediate layer or insulating layer 3, an alarm layer 4 and a second surface layer 5 (see Figure 1).

The first surface layer 1 is, for example, a glass fiber mat or a textile mat, but other types of mats, tablecloths or sheets are of course possible to use. Also paint or gel pothole can be used as a surface layer 1.

The guide layer 2 is, for example, an electrically conductive fiber mat in which aluminum or other conductive

501 675 materials are included as an essential component. It is also possible to build this layer of, for example, an electrically conductive paint or other electrically conductive material. The purpose of the guide layer 2 is to prevent interference, for example, with electronics and computer equipment which is inside the container which is built up by the laminate 10.

The intermediate layer 3 is arranged mainly to provide distance and electrical insulation between the joint layer 2 and the alarm layer 4. The intermediate layer 3 is, for example, a fiberglass or textile mat, but it should be understood that mats, sheets or sheets of other electrically insulating material can also be used in this layer.

The alarm layer 4 is arranged to provide indication or detection of attempts to punch holes in the laminate sheet 10. The alarm layer 4 consists, for example, of fine mesh wire mats made by, for example, knitting, crocheting or weaving. An electrically conductive member is used in the form of, for example, wire or strip of, for example, metal or conductive plastic material. The wire 8 should be provided with an insulating layer and, for example, a copper wire with an insulating lacquer layer of the type usually used in small electric motors can be used. As a non-limiting example, mention can be made of lacquered copper wire of 0.3 mm diameter and a mask density of about 1 mm. If the alarm layer / alarm mat 4 is knitted by a single wire, then only two wire ends of the mat are obtained and thus a single circuit. If double wires are used, double circuits etc. are obtained. The current technical requirement for the alarm layer 4, such as mask density, number of circuits, flexibility, etc., constitutes control factors in choosing the appropriate manufacturing method. One or more electrical signals are sent through the alarm mat 4 and when attempting to punch in the laminate board 10, the electrical signal in the alarm mat is broken due to wire breakage, whereby alarm is initiated.

501 675

The second surface layer 5 is suitably constructed in the same or similar manner as the first surface layer 1.

In most cases, the laminate 10 is used so that the surface layer 1 constitutes the exterior of the container and the surface layer 5 constitutes the interior of the container, so variations of the finish and structure of the surface layer can of course occur.

In the manufacture of the laminate 10, the layers 1-5 are joined by, for example, a bonding, injection or pressing process. A variety of binders can be used, for example polyester resins or other plastic resins, which results in the formation of a stable laminate sheet. In this case, of course, it is possible in the manufacture to impart a variety of shapes to the laminate sheet in addition to the flat basic variant, which means, for example, that a container or bag of only two curved laminate parts can be formed which overlap in the joint. An example of a transport container or bag thus constructed is shown in Figure 2.

The case 20 shown in Fig. 2 is thus made up of two specially shaped laminate parts 10a and 10b according to the invention, these laminate parts being designed so that, when closed, they are closed together so that an overlap zone 21 with the smallest possible gap 22 exists. The bag 20 is suitably provided in the usual manner with a handle 23, hinges, locking means, etc. Immediately within the overlap portion 21, a plurality of contact or detection means 24,25 are provided, the means 24 being supported by a strip 26 provided at the laminate portion 10a and the members 25 supported by a strip 27. The strips 26 and 27 preferably extend around the entire circumference of the container 20 and a suitable number of contact means 24,25 are arranged around the circumference of the container. A safety cage is formed by the alarm mats 4 of the laminate sheets 10a and 10b and the contact means 24 and 25 being so interconnected that they are included in one or more signal circuits.

501 675

The signal circuit is interrupted if a wire 8 of the alarm mat 4 is cut off by hole punching attempts, and in this context it should be understood that the alarm mat 4 is present everywhere around the entire surface of the container 20. Of course, in the overlap portion 21 there is also an overlap of the alarm mat 4. The signal circuit is also interrupted if by attempting to widen the slot 22 and thereby inadvertently attempt to penetrate into the container 20, the breaking of the circuit being effected by disconnecting the electrical contact between the means 24 and 25 by altering their mutual distance in connection with the firing attempt.

Inside the transport container 20 is also provided an electronics unit and one or more ampoules or cartridges for a destructive agent, for example color cartridges. The electronics unit is so arranged that upon breaking the signal circuit it immediately activates the destroyer cartridges to effect destruction of the value contents stored in the case 20. Activation and deactivation of the alarm system / electronics unit is effected by any suitable high level security code system. Of course, a power source located inside the bag also exists. In this way, it can also be arranged to preset a release time for the destructive agent in order to provide an additional stress factor for possible criminals.

It will thus be appreciated that many different possibilities exist to provide a refined security system based on the use of the inventive laminate board 10.

Thus, the bag 20 described above is extremely suitable for use in various types of value transport.

Fig. 4 exemplifies a security space 30 constructed by means of the laminate boards 10 according to the invention, whereby the splice areas of the laminate boards are suitably arranged with overlapping zones so that

501 The 675 alarm mat 4 becomes continuous as described above in connection with the bag 20. Conveniently, the indication indicating contact means is also provided at all overlap joints in a similar manner as shown in connection with the bag 20. Some overlap joints can also be glued. It is convenient to provide special laminate edge strips 10c to simplify the laminate overlap in the corner portions of the space. Laminate overlap and tape indication are also provided at the access opening or door 31 of the space 30.

The laminate sheets 10 according to the invention can thus be used to build containers, rooms or other spaces where one wishes to prevent access, for example, by hole punching. If hole punching is performed, activation of any destructive agent is achieved so that the material stored in the space becomes useless or useless. In the case of joints and doors, an overlapping drill cover and contacts located inside the joint, which break the signal circuit during disassembly attempts, are arranged. These contacts are preferably connected in series with the alarm mat so that the number of circuits is kept down.

Examples of areas of use for the inventive laminate board include the following: Containers or bags for valuables such as money transfers, security containers for vehicles and aircraft, weapons storage, cheap bank vaults etc.

Thus, by means of the inventive laminate board, various containers, rooms and spaces can be provided with a shell which makes unauthorized access impossible without activating an alarm equipment or destruction equipment.

It will be appreciated that many variations exist in the structure of the laminate board according to the invention, and in a simpler version certain layers can be omitted. The order of the layers can also be varied. In its simplest form, the laminate board can consist of only one alarm layer and one surface layer.

501 675

Thus, the invention is not limited to what is shown and described, but changes and modifications thereof are conceivable within the scope of the following claims.

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