APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE SECURE STORAGE OF VALUABLES

Abstract: A cash drawer (20) for a business machine such as a point-­ of-sale terminal or cash register adapted to receive a till lid (42), a slip tray (38) and a cash till (40), whereby the cash drawer (20) can be used for providing change and receiving valuables during operation of the machine by a clerk. At the end of the clerk's shift, the cash till (40), slip tray (38) and till lid (42) are re­ moved and repositioned to form an assembly with the slip tray (38) located above the cash till (40) and the till lid (42) located above the slip tray (38). A lock (88) on the till lid (42) is then op­ erated to engage with a locking means (66) on the cash till (40) to lock the assembly together for the secure storage and transporta­ tion of valuables stored therein.

Description: Technical Field This invention relates to security containers for receiving valuables when located in a business machine cash drawer. The invention also relates to a method for securing valuables taken from a business machine cash drawer. Background Art As is well known, a number of different clerks, at different times, may operate a single point of sale terminal or cash register in a retail or other establishment. For reasons of accountability, it is important that the accounts and the funds of each clerk remain separate from those of other clerks. One way in which this may be done is for each clerk, at the end of his or her shift, to place the contents of the cash till and an associated slip tray which may hold credit card slips, large bills, receipts and the like in a bag which can be stored in a remote location. However, this is an inconvenient arrangement, since the contents of the bag must then be removed, sorted, and replaced in the cash till and slip tray at the beginning of the next shift. Another way in which this may be done is for each clerk, at the end of a shift, to remove the cash till and slip tray which he or she has used from the terminal or register and transport it to a separate safe or other secure facility, so that the clerk coming on duty can place his or her own till in the cash drawer of the terminal or cash register and use it for taking in and maintaining his or her own balance of funds during that working shift. However, it is possible that funds can be lost from an individual till or slip tray transferred improperly from one till or slip tray to another either by accident or by improper action of some person either when the till and slip tray are being transferred from the point of sale terminal to the safe or during opening and closing of the safe when other tills and slip trays are being placed therein or removed therefrom. US Patent No 4412709 discloses a cash drawer which is adapted to support a removable money tray, and which contains a plurality of compartments which communicate with respective slots at the front of the drawer through which checks, slips or coupons can be inserted. Disclosure of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for the secure storage during transportation of valuables deposited in a business machine cash drawer. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a security container for receiving valuables when located in a business machine cash drawer, characterized by a till having a configuration to enable it to be placed within said business machine cash drawer, having engaged means at one side of said till, and having locking means at a second side of said till; a slip tray adapted to be placed below said till in said cash drawer and adapted to receive documents taken in by a user of the business machine in the course of business, having first engaging means at one side adapted to engage with said engaging means of said till, having second engaging means at said one side, and having an aperture at a second side in position corresponding to said locking means of said till; and a till lid adapted to be placed below said slip tray in said cash drawer, having engaging means at one side adapted to engage with said second engaging means of said slip tray, and having locking means at a second side adapted to engage with said locking means of said till, whereby the three elements consisting of said till, said till lid and said slip tray can be removed from said cash drawer, and assembled with said slip tray between said till and said till lid, with said engaging means of said till lid engaging with said second engaging means of said slip tray and with said first engaging means of said slip tray engaging with said engaging means of said till to retain all three elements in assembled relation at said one side, and with said locking means of said till lid acting, through said aperture of said slip tray to engage said locking means of said till to retain all three elements in assembled relation at said other side, so that the contents of said till and said slip tray are safeguarded for transportation and storage. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for securing valuables taken from a business machine cash drawer for transportation and storage, said valuables being placed in a till and in a slip tray within said cash drawer during operation of said business machine, said till having engaging means at one side thereof and having locking means at a second side thereof, and said slip tray having first engaging means at one side thereof adapted to engage with said engaging means of said till, having second engaging means at said one side and having an aperture at a second side thereof in position corresponding to said locking means of said till, said till being placed during operation of said business machine in said cash drawer above said slip tray which in turn is placed above a till lid, having engaging means at one side thereof to engage with said second engaging means of said slip tray and having a lock at a second side thereof adapted to engage with said locking means of said till, including the steps of: removing said till, said slip tray and said till lid from said cash drawer, with accumulated valuables located in said till and slip tray; positioning said slip tray above and in alignment with said till; positioning said till lid above and in alignment with said slip tray; and locking said till lid to said till with said slip tray therebetween, whereby said valuables are held secured within the locked assembly. Brief Description of the Drawings One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cash drawer of a point of sale terminal having therein a cash till assembly, including a till, a till lid and a slip tray, which comprise the elements of a security container. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the various elements of the security container of the present invention in the relative positions in which they are located when positioned within a cash drawer. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the various elements of the security container of the present invention in the relative positions in which they are located for assembly as a security container. Fig. 5 is an elevation view, partly in section, of an assembled security container. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing details of the means for releasably securing together the till, the slip tray and the till lid, at one side thereof. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, shown there is a cash drawer 20 of a point of sale terminal or cash register. The cash drawer 20 includes a face plate 22, side walls 24, a floor 26, a rear wall 28 and extensions 30 of the side walls 24 on which are mounted rollers 32 which cooperate with complementary tracks or other elements (not shown) in the drawer aperture in the terminal or cash register for drawer alignment purposes. The face plate 22 is provided with a lock 34 to enable the drawer 20 to be locked in a closed position within the terminal or cash register, and is also provided with a pair of slots 36, through which documents may be inserted into a slip tray 38 which is positioned in the cash drawer 20 below a cash till 40 and above a till lid 42. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, an internal wall 44, having upward extensions 46, is provided within the cash drawer 20, and is positioned to cooperate with a rear wall 48 of the till 40 and a rear wall 50 of the slip tray 38. Cross members 52 and a curved floor 54 define a plurality of individual compartments in the cash drawer, which may be used for coin storage or other appropriate purposes. As best shown in Fig. 3, the till 40, in addition to the rear wall 48, includes side walls 56, a curved front wall 58, a floor 60, internal dividers 62, 64, and a lock keeper 66 which cooperates with a lock 88 on the till lid 42 in a manner which will subsequently be described. A bill retainer 68 may be positioned in one or more of the compartments defined by dividers 62, 64. Slots 70 are provided in the rear wall 48 for a purpose which will subsequently be described. The slip tray 38, in addition to the rear wall 50, includes a floor 72, side walls 74, a plurality of dividers 76, 78, and a cut-out portion 80 located to eliminate interference with cooperating locking elements on the till 40 and the till lid 42, as will subsequently be described. Two projections 79 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) are positioned on the outside surface of the rear wall 50 so as to be engageable with the slots 70 of the till 40. Slots 82 are provided in the rear wall 50 for a purpose which will subsequently be described. The till lid 42 includes a cover 84, a front wall 86 and a lock 88 positioned adjacent the front wall 86 and having a locking element 90 extending therefrom. A pair of projections 92 extend from the rear edge of the cover 84 and are so positioned and configured as to extend through the slots 82 of the slip tray 42 when the elements 38, 40 and 42 are in assembled relation, as shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when the elements of the security container are placed in the cash drawer 20 for use by a clerk in connection with the operation of a point of sale terminal or cash register, the till lid 42 is disposed on the floor 26 of the cash drawer 20, with the slip tray 38 placed on and above the till lid 42, and the till 40, in turn, placed on and above the slip tray 38. When a transaction is rung up on the point of sale terminal or cash register, the drawer 20 is released and moves outwardly from the terminal or register, so that the clerk can use it to deposit the funds tendered by a customer and to make change, if necessary. Coins and bills can be deposited in the compartments of the till 40, which are defined by the dividers 62, 64. Documents, such as credit card slips, can be inserted into the slots 36 of the front face 22 of the cash drawer 20 and will repose in the compartments of the slip tray 38, which are defined by the dividers 76, 78. When the clerk goes off duty, the till 40, the slip tray 38 and the till lid 42 are removed from the cash drawer 20 and are repositioned relative to each other in the relative positions shown in Fig. 4, with the till 40 at the bottom, the slip tray 38 above the till 40, and the till lid 42 above the slip tray 38. The slip tray 38 fits above and slightly within the side walls 56 and rear wall 48 of the till 40, so that the projections 79 on the rear wall 50 of the slip tray 38 engage with the slots 70 in the rear wall 48 of the till 40. The till lid 42 is then positioned over the assembled elements 38 and 40 and the projections 92 on the cover 84 of the till lid 42 are placed through the slots 82 of the slip tray 38. The locking element 90 of the lock 88 of the lid 42 is permitted by the cut-out portion 80 of the floor 72 of the slip tray 38 to engage the lock keeper 66 of the till 40. The lock 88 can then be operated by a key 94 or other suitable means to cause the locking element 90 to engage the lock keeper 66 of the till 40 to lock together the elements 38, 40 and 42. The assembled security container comprising the elements 38, 40, 42 can then be transported and stored until next required for use by the clerk with the assurance that its contents will not be readily accessible to any unauthorized person who does not have the key 94 or other means to operate the lock 88.

Claims: 1. A security container for receiving valuables when located in a business machine cash drawer (20), characterized by: a till (40) having a configuration to enable it to be placed within said business machine cash drawer (20), having engaging means (70) at one side of said till (40), and having locking means (66) at a second side of said till (40); a slip tray (38) adapted to be placed below said till (40) in said cash drawer (20) and adapted to receive documents taken in by a user of the business machine in the course of business, having first engaging means (79) at one side adapted to engage with said engaging means (70) of said till, having second engaging means (82) at said one side, and having an aperture (80) at a second side in position corresponding to said locking means (66) of said till (49); and a till lid (42) adapted to be placed below said slip tray (38) in said cash drawer (20), having engaging means (92) at one side adapted to engage with said second engaging means (82) of said slip tray (38), and having locking means (88) at a second side adapted to engage with said locking means (66) of said till (40), whereby the three elements consisting of said till (40), said till lid (42) and said slip tray (38) can be removed from said cash drawer (20), and assembled with said slip tray (38) between said till (40) and said till lid (42), with said engaging means (92) of said till lid (42) engaging with said second engaging means (82) of said slip tray (38) and with said first engaging means (79) of said slip tray (38) engaging with said engaging means (70) of said till (40) to retain all three elements in assembled relation at said one side, and with said locking means (88) of said till lid (42) acting through said aperture (80) of said slip tray (38) to engage said locking means (66) of said till (40) to retain all three elements in assembled relation at said other side, so that the content of said till (40) and said slip tray (38) are safeguarded for transportation and storage. 2. A security container according to claim 1, characterized in that said engaging means (70) of said till (40) includes at least one slot (70), in that said first engaging means (79) of said slip tray (38) includes at least one projection (79) arranged to engage said at least one slot (70) of said till (40) when the two elements are assembled, in that said second engaging means (82) of said slip tray (38) includes at least one slot (82) and in that said engaging means (92) of said till lid (42) includes at least one projection (92) arranged to extend through said at least one slot (82) of said slip tray (38) when said three elements (38, 40, 42) are assembled. 3. A security container according to claim 1, characterized in that said locking means (88) of said till lid (42) include a lock (88) having a depending member (90) which extends through said aperture (80) in said slip tray (38) and engages said locking means (66) of said till (40) when said three elements (38, 40, 42) are in assembled relation in order to secure them against unauthorized separation. 4. A security container according to claim 3, characterized in that said lock (88) is a key-operated lock. 5. A security container according to claim 1, characterized in that both said till (40) and said slip tray (38) contain a plurality of compartments adapted to hold valuable items. 6. A method for securing valuables taken from a business machine cash drawer (20) for transportation and storage, said valuables being placed in a till (40) and in a slip tray (38) within said cash drawer (20) during operation of said business machine, said till (40) having engaging means (70) at one side thereof and having locking means (66) at a second side thereof, and said slip tray (38) having first engaging means at one side thereof adapted to engage with said engaging means (70) of said till (40), having second engaging means (82) at said one side and having an aperture (80) at a second side thereof in position corresponding to said locking means (66) of said till (40), said till (40) being placed during operation of said business machine in said cash drawer (20) above said slip tray (38) which in turn is placed above a till lid (42), having engaging means (92) at one side thereof to engage with said second engaging means (82) of said slip tray (38) and having a lock (88) at a second side thereof adapted to engage with said locking means (66) of said till (40), including the steps of: removing said till (40), said slip tray (38) and said till lid (42) from said cash drawer (20), with accumulated valuables located in said till (40) and slip tray (38); positioning said slip tray (38) above and in alignment with said till (40); positioning said till lid (42) above and in alignment with said slip tray (38); and locking said till lid (42) to said till (40) with said slip tray (38) therebetween, whereby said valuables are held secured within the locked assembly. 7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that said locking step includes the steps of engaging one side of said till lid (42) with a corresponding side of said slip tray (38) and engaging said corresponding side of said slip tray (38) with a corresponding side of said till (40), and locking said lock (88) at the other side of said till lid (42) to said locking means (66) of said till, said aperture (80) of said slip tray (38) avoiding interference with said lock (88). 8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that said engaging means (92) of said till lid (42) includes projections and said second engaging means (82) of said slip tray (38) includes complementary slots, and in that said step of engaging of one side of said till lid (42) with a corresponding side of said slip tray (38) includes placing projections on one side of said till lid (42) into complementary slots (82) in said slip tray (38). 9. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that said first engaging means (79) of said slip tray (38) includes projections and said engaging means (70) of said till (40) includes complementary slots, and in which said step of engaging of one side of said slip tray (38) with a corresponding side of said till (40) includes placing said projections on said one side of said slip tray (38) into said complementary slots in said till (40).

Inventors: FELT, DENNIS, JAMES
Applicants: NCR CORPORATION
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G07G1
IPC codes: G07G1