Patent Publication Number: US-9842475-B2

Title: Illuminated cash drawer

Description:
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/165,041, filed 21 May 2015. 
    
    
     This invention pertains to an illuminated cash drawer with the illumination mounted on the inside surface of the top of the case in which the drawer is located. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following drawings illustrate the concepts of the present invention, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates an exploded perspective view of an embodiment. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the cash drawer closed. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a bottom front perspective view of the case with the cash drawer removed. 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a top right front perspective view of the cash drawer with a top cash tray removed. 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates a top left rear perspective view of the cash drawer with the top cash tray removed. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a logical wiring scheme of the illustrated embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a partial rear view of the case. 
         FIG. 6A  is a schematic representation of a top view of part of an exemplary latch mechanism. 
         FIG. 6B  is a schematic representation of a front view of another part of the exemplary latch mechanism. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS 
     While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described some embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated or described. 
     Cash drawers are frequently used in environments where lighting is kept dim such as in some types of restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues in the hospitality industry. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide illumination in a cash drawer when it is open. In use, cash drawers are located in cases into which they fit and in which they can be locked. A case may be stand alone or may fit into a larger component such as a cash register. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an example of a cash drawer  20  in a case  40 .  FIG. 1A  shows an exploded view of the case  40 , cash drawer  20  and upper tray  25   a , and  FIG. 1B  shows the closed drawer  20  in the case  40 .  FIG. 2  illustrates a bottom front perspective view of case  40  with cash drawer  20  removed, showing an LED light strip  44  mounted on the inside surface of the top  41  of case  40 , adjacent to and parallel to a front edge  43  of the top  41 . The LED light strip  44  is held in place by mounts  45   a  and  45   b . Wiring  46  electrically connects the LED light strip  44  to a remainder of the electrical circuit inside the rear of case  40 . Partitions in the top cash tray  25   a  are lower than the front  21  of the cash drawer  20  to allow clearance past the LED light strip  44  when the cash drawer  20  is being opened or closed. 
     The illumination source is not limited to the LED light strip  44 , but can be other means for providing illumination known in the art such as incandescent light bulbs. In the illustrated example, the mounts  45   a  and  45   b  are integral with respective parts of the metal case  40 , but other means for mounting the illumination source can be used as is known in the art. For example, various types of clips can be fastened to the case  40 , or a socket for the illumination source can be screwed, bolted, or welded to the case  40 , or such a socket can be integral with the case  40 . 
     In the illustrated example, the front  21  of the cash drawer  20  includes a key-operated lock  22 . In the example of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the top cash tray  25   a  is removed from the cash drawer  20 , and a rod  23  is seen in phantom underneath part of bottom cash tray  25   b . Rod  23  extends through the cash drawer  20  underneath the cash trays  25   a  and  25   b  from the lock  22  through the rear  24  of the cash drawer  20 . The rod  23  extends out of the rear  24  and terminates with a hook or a bent peripheral end  23   a . Rod  23  rotates when a key is able to turn in the lock  22 , and the peripheral end  23   a  releases a latch mechanism (not shown) inside the rear of case  40  that frees latch bolt  25  and allows the cash drawer  20  to slide outwardly. Pushing the cash drawer  20  all the way back into the case  40  resets the latch mechanism locking the cash drawer  20  in the case  40 . 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are schematic representations of parts of an exemplary latch mechanism.  FIG. 6A  is a top view of piece  51  that is flat and shaped with a notch  53  at one end and a cam  54  at the other end. It can rotate about a pivot point  52 .  FIG. 6B  is a front view of piece  55  that is U-shaped and can move laterally as indicated by the arrows. Piece  55  is connected by a spring to a post extending up from piece  51 . When the cash drawer  20  is closed in case  40 , latch bolt  25  engages the notch  53  and bent peripheral end  23   a  of rod  23  fits in piece  55 . 
     One way to open cash drawer  20  is when a key is able to turn in lock  22 . In that case, rod  23  rotates and peripheral end  23   a  pushes piece  55  laterally, causing piece  51  to rotate about pivot point  52  from an initial point of stability to an alternate point of stability determined by cam  54 . The rotation releases latch bolt  25 , and the cash drawer  20  is allowed to slide outwardly. When the cash drawer  20  is pushed all the way back into the case  40 , latch bolt  25  fits into notch  53  causing piece  51  to rotate back to the initial point of stability, pulling piece  55  laterally back to its initial position. 
     An alternative way to open cash drawer  20  is when solenoid  56  is powered, pulling piece  55  laterally and again causing piece  51  to rotate and release latch bolt  25 . For example, solenoid  56  can be powered from a receipt printer with a signal transmitted through an RJ Series connector jack  50  mounted in a rear  48  of case  40  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Other means for locking the cash drawer in the case can be used as is known in the art. 
     In the illustrated example, a mechanical micro-switch  46  is part of the latch mechanism, and is electrically part of the circuit for connecting power to the illumination source. The switch  46  is electrically closed when piece  55  moves laterally and the latch mechanism is released, and is electrically opened when the latch mechanism is reset. Other means for automatically connecting power to the illumination source when the cash drawer is open and disconnecting power from the illumination source when the cash drawer is locked in the case include, for example, a magnetic reed switch, electronic switching using a micro-processor, and various mechanical, magnetic, optical and infrared switching known in the art. 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG. 4 , there also is a separate on-off switch  47  in the circuit for manual deactivation of the LED light strip  44 . In the illustrated example, the separate on-off switch  47  is a mechanical rocker switch mounted in the rear  48  of the case  40 , as seen in  FIG. 5 . Other means for manually deactivating the circuit include various switches known in the art. 
     In the illustrated example, LED light strip  44  is rated for an input voltage of 12VDC and total power of 3 W. The power for the LED light strip  44  is supplied through a DC power jack  49  mounted in the rear  48  of the case  40  seen in  FIG. 5 . Other means for supplying power to the illumination source circuit can be used such as a battery, wall power in conjunction with a transformer and rectifier that are included in the illumination source circuit, or wall power in conjunction with other circuitry that is tailored to the power requirements of the particular illumination source. 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG. 5 , an RJ Series connector jack  50  also is mounted in the rear  48  of the case  40  for connections to other devices. As mentioned above, this can be used for connection with a receipt printer to power solenoid  56 . It also could be used for other purposes and, in other embodiments, there could be other types of connectors or no other connectors. 
     From the foregoing, it will be understood that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated and described is intended or should be inferred.