Patent Publication Number: US-2007095885-A1

Title: Pilfer-proof cash register

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to cash registers and more particularly relates to a cash register construction having means for preventing pilfering of cash by the operator.  
      2. Background Art  
      A common problem for a store owner is the pilfering of cash by the untrustworthy employee operating the cash register. This is particularly prevalent in small size general stores in which the owner is unable to operate the cash register all the time and only a few employees would have to be employed in order to minimize the overhead expenses. For example, in a convenient general store or gas station, only one employee runs the store as well as operates the cash register. In such working condition, a dishonest employee could easily and unscrupulously steal a portion of the money from the sales by either entering only a much smaller amount of each sale into the cash register or not at all. Normally, a cash register serves only as a temporary storage of cash. It is not intended to store a large amount of money, and money in the cash register drawer must be removed and transfer to other safe storage such as a safe or safety deposit box for subsequent tallying and depositing to the bank. Only sufficient amount of money remains in the cash register for normal transaction in sale, and it would also reduce loss in case of robbery particularly during night shift. It is during the transfer of the money to the safe storage that the amount of money equal to the difference between the actual cash received from sales and the false amount of cash register entries is stolen by the employee. In this manner, the amount of money stolen is unknown since the amount of money in the safe deposit would agree with the records in the cash register. It has been estimated that loss of revenue from such prevalent pilfering and stealing by a dishonest employee may often amount to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in this way. Such loss of revenue is particularly detrimental to a small general store owner. Video devices employed for monitoring the cash register can not detect the stealing since the actual stealing act is carried out away from the cash register. Common cash registers have security constructions for preventing the register itself from being stolen in robbery or preventing unauthorized operation thereof but they do not have any provision from preventing pilfering of cash by the operator.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The above problem is obviated in the present invention by eliminating the necessity of having physically removing money from the cash register and transferring it to the safe storage locating away from the cash register. Money is removed and transfer to the safe storage directly without requiring the employee to remove and transfer the money physically from the cash register thus eliminating the opportunity for a dishonest employee to steal any money. Any attempt to remove money from the cash register apart from making change to the customer would be readily caught by the video monitoring system of the cash register.  
      Furthermore, the direct transfer of money to the safe storage would also drastically reduce the loss in case of robbery.  
      It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a cash register having a unique construction for reducing or preventing cash from being pilfered by the operator.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a cash register which automatically transfers money from the cash tray to a safe storage.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a cash register having an effective pilfering prevention means which is simple in structure. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective top and side elevation view of the cash register according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective bottom elevation view of the cash register showing a cash discharge opening formed in its bottom panel.  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective top elevation view of the cash tray of the cash register according to the present invention showing a release opening formed in a designated cash slot therein.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective bottom elevation view of the cash tray thereof.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective bottom elevation view of the cash register with the bottom panel removed showing the provision of a hinge-mounted covering door located at a transfer opening formed in the bottom panel of the sliding drawer.  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective bottom elevation view of the cash register of  FIG. 5  with the covering door unlatched in the opened position.  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective bottom elevation view of the bottom panel of the cash register showing the covering door swung open through the discharge opening of the bottom panel.  
       FIG. 8  is an enlarged isolated rear elevation view showing the latching construction of the covering door.  
       FIG. 9  is a partially sectional side elevation showing the placement of the cash register on a counter top having a safe deposit box located the counter top for receiving the money discharged from the cash register.  
       FIG. 10  is a sectional side elevation view of the enclosure showing the sliding drawer positioned completely within the enclosure and at which the latch may be operated to open the transfer door panel.  
       FIG. 11  is a sectional side elevation view of  FIG. 10  with the transfer door panel unlatched and swung open downwards when the sliding drawer lies completely within the enclosure of the cash register.  
       FIG. 12  is a sectional side elevation view of the enclosure showing the transfer door panel being automatically closed by abutting the wheel when the sliding drawer moves outwards.  
       FIG. 13  is a sectional side elevation view of  FIG. 12  showing the complete closing of the transfer door panel by the wheel such that its rear edge is again engaged with latch when the sliding drawer moves further outwards. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      With reference to the drawings in which same reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the different views, a cash register  10  has a sliding drawer  11  and a removable cash tray  12  in a convention manner. The cash tray  12  is located in the sliding drawer  11 , and which has divided compartments  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  and  19  for holding bills and coins of various different denominations. According to the present invention, a rectangular release opening  20  is formed in the bottom panel  21  of a selected compartment of the cash tray  14 . The rectangular release opening  20  is larger than the size of the paper money. A rectangular transfer opening  22  is formed in the bottom panel  24  of the sliding drawer  11 . The transfer opening  22  is larger than the size of the release opening  20  of the cash tray  12  and located directly below the release opening  20  of the cash tray  12  when the latter is completely located inside the cash register. A rectangular transfer door panel  23  is located over the transfer opening  22 . The transfer door panel  23  is slightly larger than the size of the transfer opening  22  with its front edge hingedly mounted to the bottom panel  24  of the sliding drawer  11  by a hinge  25  and its rear edge extends slightly beyond the rear edge of the bottom panel of the sliding drawer  11 . A rectangular panel member  26  is made of the same material of the bottom panel of the cash tray  12  and having dimensions equal to the release opening  20  and it is affixed on the top surface of the transfer door panel  23 . The rectangular panel member  26  may be provided by the rectangular portion removed from the bottom panel of the cash tray  12  to form the release opening such that when the transfer door  23  is in the closed position covering over the transfer opening  22 , the rectangular panel member  26  will snugly locate within the release opening  20  of the cash tray  12  so that when viewed from top of the cash tray  12  the bottom panel  21  of the cash tray  12  will appear intact without any portion therein having been removed from its bottom panel  21 . A spacer layer  26 A such as a foam sponge may be provided between the transfer door  23  and the rectangular panel member  26  in order to ensure the rectangular panel member  26  will firmly and snugly locate within the rectangular release opening  20  of the cash tray  12 .  
      A latch  27  is pivotally mounted at the rear panel  28  of the sliding drawer  11  by a supporting bracket  29 . The latch  27  has a latching hook  30  facing the rear edge of the transfer door  23 . The latch  27  is spring-biassed such that the latching hook  30  is normally engaged with the rear edge of the transfer door  23  to hold the latter in the closed position. The latch  27  has a horizontal arm  31  extending rearwards such that the latching hook  30  may be operated to disengage from the rear edge of the transfer door  23  by pivoting the horizontal arm  31  upwards against the biassing spring force.  
      A rocker arm  32  is pivotally mounted on a support bracket  33  which is fixedly mounted within the rear compartment  34  located between the sliding drawer  11  and the rear panel  35  of the enclosure of the cash register  10 . The rear compartment  34  houses the control mechanism  36  for operating the sliding drawer  11 . The control mechanism  36  will retain the sliding drawer  11  in the pushed-in position to locate within the cash register normally, and it will push the sliding drawer  11  outwards with a compression spring  37  when an electronic control (not shown) is operated by entering the sale through the control keyboard  38  in a conventional manner for exposing the cash tray  12  in order that money may be deposited into the cash tray or may be retrieved therefrom to provide change to the customer. A free end  39  of the rocker arm  32  abuts the lower surface of the horizontal arm  31  of the latch  27 . The other end of the rocker arm  32  is coupled to an extensible shaft  40  of an electrically operative spring-biassed solenoid  41  which may be also mounted to the support bracket  33 . The solenoid  41  may be operated to pivot the rocker arm  32  to turn the horizontal arm  31  upwards so as to release the engagement of the latching hook  30  from the rear edge of the transfer door  23 . The electrical power for operating the solenoid  41  may be provided through a step-down transformer  42  mounted to the support bracket  33 . As best shown in the enlarged isolated view of  FIG. 8  the rocker arm  32  is positioned perpendicular to the horizontal arm  31 . Alternatively, the rocker arm  32  may be positioned in parallel and aligned with the horizontal arm  31  as shown in  FIGS. 9 through 13 .  
      As best shown in  FIGS. 7 and 9 , a large rectangular discharge opening  43  is formed at the bottom panel  44  of the cash register  10  and located directly below the transfer door  23  when the sliding drawer  11  is located completely within the cash register  10 .  
      The cash register  10  of the present invention can be placed on a counter top  45  having a large rectangular dispensing opening  46  formed therein with the transfer opening  22  aligned with the large rectangular dispensing opening  46  of the counter top  45 . An open top cash receiving safety deposit box  47  is mounted under the counter top  45  directly below the dispensing opening  46 . The safety deposit box  47  is provided with a safe locking door in the conventional manner for accessing the money therefrom.  
      As shown in  FIG. 10 , normally the transfer door  23  is maintained closed with its rear edge engaged with the latching hook  30 . When the operator makes a sale entry, the sliding drawer  11  with the cash tray  12  located therein will slide outwards of the register to allow the operator to place the money into the drawer and to provide change to the customer. The money may be placed in different compartments  13  through  19 , while the bills of large denominations may be placed in the designated compartment  14 . When the designated compartment  14  is almost full, the operator, after the sliding drawer  11  has been pushed back completely into the enclosure of the cash register  10 , would depress a control button  48  located on the enclosure to actuate the solenoid  41  for disengaging the latch such that the transfer door  23  would swing open downwardly by gravity relative to the hinge  25  to release the money from the designated compartment  14  into the safe deposit box  47 . The operator may also perform this operation to empty the money in the designated compartment  14  into the safe deposit box  47  and leaving just sufficient money in the other compartments for making change so as to reduce the amount of money in the cash register  10  in the night shift in which time there is higher potential of robbery occurring. The cash register operator is instructed to place all paper money as well as the coins in the designated compartment  14  at the completion of a work shift and from time to time, and to operated the control button  48  so as to transfer all money in the designated compartment  14  to the safety deposit box  47  leaving the cash tray  12  completely empty.  
      A rotary wheel  49  is mounted on the bottom panel  44  of the cash register  10 . The opened transfer door  23  will abut this rotary wheel  49  when the sliding drawer  11  slides outwards to expose the cash tray  12  for depositing money therein and to provide change to the customer. The rotary wheel  49  will cause the transfer door  23  to swing upwards with the outward sliding movement of the sliding drawer  12  until it is again completely latched in place by the latching hook  30 . Thus, whenever the sliding drawer  11  is opened, the transfer door  23  will be closed automatically and tightly to the bottom panel of the cash tray  12  to provide an integral appearance of the cash tray bottom panel when viewed from top.  
      The cash register of the present invention alleviates the necessity for the cash register operator to remove and transfer money from the cash register to another location remote from the cash register. Thus, it eliminates the opportunity as described above that the operator can pilfer any money.  
      While the present invention has been shown and described in the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the essential attributes thereof, it is desired therefore that only such limitations be placed thereon as are imposed by the following appended claims.