IMPROVEMENTS IN TILLS AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR CHECKING AND RECORDING CASH TRANSACTIONS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Robert Geldard, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Grocer, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN TILLS AND IN
APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR CHECKING AND RECORDING
CASH TRANSACTIONS.”
Sealed the 22nd January 1878, and dated the 30th July 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Robert Geldard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th July 1877.
GEORGE ROBERT GELDARD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Grocer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TILLS AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR
CHECKING AND RECORDING CASH TRANSACTIONS."
My Invention relates to the tills in which cash is kept, and to such tills as are
fitted with checking and recording apparatus, the cash receipts being recorded upon
a travelling band or strip of paper.
According to the first part of my Invention I employ two bands of paper, which
are drawn forwards together, and pass one above and one below a strip of carbon
prepared material.
When a transaction is recorded it appears on both bands; but if altered after the
bands have been moved forwards, the alteration does not affect the lower band, to
which the person inaking the record may not have access, and which thus checks
the records upon the upper band.
I prefer to draw the two bands forwards by means of a pair of gripping rollers,
which are actuated by a wheel and ratchet, the ratchet being mounted on a forked
lever which is actuated by the opening or closing of the drawers, till, or slide.
The two bands pass into a drawer, chamber, or space, to which access may be had
by the employer to remove portions of the bands bearing the record.
I may provide for the portion of the upper band containing the record being
given to the customer, in which case the said band may be perforated for

page_text: convenience of division into tickets or account slips, and may bear any required
printed matter.
In the second place, I employ a sliding cover to enclose the till in which the cash
is placed, the said cover by preference sliding in a direction away from the back
edge of the counter.
The said cover may be opened and closed by hand, or by means of weights and
cords, chains, or bands actuated or controlled by means of a treddle, the said cover
actuating the band or bands of paper.
In the third place, I employ a rotatory wheel divided by partitions, and provided
with a glass cover to receive the cash in the first instance in connection with the
recording apparatus, the said wheel being similar to wheels previously employed
in connection with tills. The said sliding cover actuates the said wheel by an
arrangement similar to the one employed to feed forwards the bands of paper.
When the complete apparatus is applied to a counter, I prefer that the till shall
be sunk below the level of the top of the counter, the aforesaid sliding cover being
about level with the counter, and sliding under a raised part bearing the wheel
which first receives the cash.
Access to the upper band of paper is had through a slot, which is by preference
sufficiently long to shew a number of the recorded transactions. The cash received
also remains in sight within the said wheel until its intermittent rotation causes
the said cash to be discharged into the till.
I may print consecutive numbers on the band or bands of paper.
When using an upper band divisable into tickets, I may arrange for such band
to be drawn forwards by a separate pair of rollers or feeding apparatus worked by
means of a handle outside of the case, and I may cause the lower band to pass
between two strips of carbon prepared material, and I may use a catch or locking
árrangement operated by hand in connection with the treddle arrangement.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Robert Geldard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
January 1878.
GEORGE ROBERT GELDARD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Grocer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TILLS AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR
CHECKING AND RECORDING CASH TRANSACTIONS."
My Invention relates to the tills in which cash is kept, and to such tills as are
fitted with checking and recording apparatus, the cash receipts being recorded upon
a travelling band or strip of paper.
According to the first part of my Invention I employ two bands of paper, which
are caused to travel and pass one above and one below a strip of carbon prepared
material.
When a transaction is recorded it appears on both bands; but if altered after the
bands have been moved forwards, the alteration does not effect the lower band, to
which the person making the record may not have access, and which thus checks
the records upon the upper band.
I prefer to provide for the portion of the upper band containing the record being
given to the customer, in which case the said band may be arranged for division
into tickets or account slips, and may bear any required printed matter.
In the second place, I employ a sliding cover to enclose the till in which the cash
is placed, the said cover by preference sliding in a direction away from the back
edge of the counter.
In the third place, I in some cases employ a rotating wheel divided by par-
titions, and provided with a glass cover to receive the cash in the first instance in
connection with the recording apparatus, the said wheel being similar to wheels
previously employed in connection with tills. The said sliding cover actuates the
said wheel when the till is opened or closed.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I have appended
hereunto two Sheets of Drawings marked with letters of reference, corresponding
marks indicating the same parts in the various Figures.
Referring in this place to the said Drawings,---
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, represents a plan of a portion of a shop counter fitted with my
said Invention.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section taken on the line A in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a vertical section on the line B; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section
on the line C in Fig. 1, all the said Figures being made to a scale of about three
inches to the foot.
In the said Figures D represents a portion of the top of an ordinary counter.
A rectangular opening is formed in the said counter top, and below this opening a
till E is mounted.
In the example the said till is formed with concave cavities to hold the cash as is
customary in ordinary tills, but the form of the compartment or compartments for
holding the cash may be varied.
The said opening is partly closed by a fixed cover a, which is secured to the
counter.
A door or shutter b is arranged to slide in grooves formed in the sides of the
said opening, or is otherwise arranged to slide to and fro. The said opening is
made larger than the till, in order that the said shutter may be completely with-
drawn from over the till, the shutter when so withdrawn sliding under the cover a.
The said shutter is connected by means of straps or bands c, c', which pass over
pulleys & with a treddle F', consisting of two levers f hinged to fulcra e, e, and
connected by a foot board. The bands c, c¹, are arranged to be adjustable in
length, and are attached by one end to the said shutter, and by the other end to
one of the said levers, as seen in Fig. 4; or a single band attached by the ends' to
the shutter, and by an intermediate part to the said lever may be employed. The

page_text: arrangement is such as that when the treddle is pressed downwards by the foot
the end of the treddle lever rises, and by pulling (the band c¹ causes the shutter
to slide under the cover a, and thereby to uncover the till.
When the foot is removed from the treddle the said end f falls, and by pulling
the band c causes the shutter to slide from under the cover a, and to close the
opening through which access is had to the till. The end f of the lever in the
example is weighted to assist the action of the lever when closing the shutter.
When the shutter is drawn from under the cover a, so as to entirely close the said
opening, the top of the said shutter is flush with the top of the counter, and prac-
tically constitutes a part of the said top.
I prefer to fix a cushion of caoutchouc at g for the shutter to close against,
whereby noise and concussion are lessened when the shutter closes.
To prevent unauthorized persons standing at the front of the counter from sliding
back the said shutter I may employ a bolt or fastening.
Fig. 5 illustrates a method of unlocking the said shutter when locked by means
of a catch or bolt when the till is closed.
The treddle board F is attached to short levers h, which are jointed to the levers f
which actuate the sliding shutter. One of the levers h is connected by means of a
rod with the said bolt or catch.
When the foot is pressed upon the treddle the said treddle moves to some extent
before acting upon the levers f, and in such movement draws down the rod i, and
thereby unlocks the shutter.
A corresponding effect may be obtained by having an amount of slackness in the
bands, so that the treddle may effect the unlocking before the band c¹ begins to act
upon the shutter.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a rotatory wheel G is attached to the cover a; this wheel is
formed with compartments to receive the cash which can be seen through the glass
cover, as is usual in this class of apparatus. The wheel is rotated to some extent
each time that the shutter b is moved to and fro. A finger on the said shutter
engages with a forked lever which carries a pawl, which engages with a ratchet
wheel fixed to the wheel G, the arrangement being indicated by dotted lines in
Fig. 1.
The wheel G is not a necessary part of my apparatus, and might not be considered
to be necessary in all cases, or in any case.
The cash transactions are recorded by the means which I will now proceed to
describe, reference being made to all the Figures in the Drawings, with the exception
of Fig. 5.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a portion of Fig. 3 drawn to a larger scale.
Fig. 7 is a plan of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a section on the line H in Fig. 7.
A reel I, provided with gudgeons, is arranged to revolve in bearings in a suitable
bracket attached to the framework. A spring brake j presses upon the periphery
of one of the ends of the said reel, in order to prevent over winding, and to
regulate the tension of the paper riband which is coiled upon the said reel.
Any suitable arrangement for brakeing the reel may be employed.
The riband of paper J passes upwards from the reel between the parts of a guide 4
and through a slit in the top of the counter, or preferably in a door 1, hinged
thereto, and arranged to open to obtain access to the apparatus below. The said
riband passes over the said door to a pair of rollers K, which nip the said riband
and draw it forwards. The said rollers are formed with axles which are arranged
to revolve in a suitable frame, and are pressed together by means of a spring, the 5
pressure of which spring can be adjusted by means of a screw m. Upon the axle of
the lower roller is fixed a spur pinion, which gears with a spur wheel which is
fixed upon a shaft n, which is arranged to revolve in bearings. Upon the same
shaft is fixed a ratchet wheel o, with which engages a pawl which is mounted on a
lever p; a rod q is jointed by one end to the said lever, and by the other end to one 5
of the treddle levers.
When the treddle is pressed down by means of the foot, as herein-before men-

page_text: tioned, the rod q is pushed upwards, and the lever p is thereby caused to rock upon
the shaft n, and the said pawl turns the ratchet wheel a part of a revolution.
This revolving motion is transmitted by the spur gearing to the rollers K, and the
riband J is thereby drawn forwards. A second riband of paper L is wound upon a
reel M, which is mounted in a bracket, and provided with a brake as in the case of
the reel I. The second riband also ascends and passes over the door 7, and between
the said door and the riband J, and is led downwards to a pair of nipping rollers N.
The gudgeons of these rollors revolve in a suitable framing, and the rollers are
pressed together as in the case of the rollers K. On the axle of one of the rollers
is mounted a forked lever r, which carries a pawl which gears with a ratchet wheel
fixed on the said axle. A finger s, fixed to the sliding shutter b, engages with the
said forked lever as the said shutter is moved to and fro. When the said -shutter
is drawn back to open the till the said finger pulls over the said lever, and thereby
effects the rotation of the rollers, whereby the riband L is drawn forwards. When
the said shutter returns to close the till the said finger re-enters the fork in the
lever, and moves back the said lever and pawl, the rollers remaining stationary.
It will be seen that the two ribands J and L move at right angles the one to the
other.
Between the two ribands, at the point of intersection, is interposed a sheet or
riband of prepared carbon material.
In the example the said material is passed around the door 1, and is secured by
clamping the two ends at t.
Any suitable arrangement may be employed for securing the said material, and
if preferred a riband of the material may be caused to travel between the two
ribands J and L, so as to change the portions of material used. The riband J
is by preference printed with repititions of matter, as, for example, with repititions
of a ticket containing a name and address with spaces for the insertion of a record
of the transaction. When so printed it is of importance that the rollers K. shall
draw forward a length of riband corresponding as nearly as may be to the size of
the ticket.
To facilitate the adjustment of the action of the rollers I find it to be of advantage
to cover the lower roller with vulcanized caoutchouc.
The length of riband drawn forwards by each movement of the rollers may
in such a case be adjusted by regulating the pressure upon the rollers.
The riband J may be perforated so that the length fed forwards by the rollers at
each opening of the till can be readily detached, but in the example illustrated the
ticket is severed by self-acting means.
The riband of paper issuing from the rollers passes through a frame O, in which
a guillotine knife is arranged to slide. The said knife is connected by a rod u with
the rod 9, the consequence being that when the treddle is acted upon to open the
till the said knife is raised; and when the till is permitted to close the knife
descends, and severs the riband J.
The apparatus is used somewhat as follows:-A. transaction having been effected
the cash amount is written upon the riband J, that is to say, upon the ticket which
at the time is above the riband L, and is exposed to view through an aperture in a
covering plate not represented in the Drawings, but the said aperture is indicated
by dotted lines in Fig. 7. A duplicate record of the cash amount of the transaction
is transferred to the under riband by means of the interposed carbon material, as
will be well understood. The attendant recording the transaction now presses upon
the treddle, whereby the shutter b is caused to slide back so as to open the till, and
at the same time the rollers K are caused to rotate to the extent required to pass
forwards the said ticket until the line of division between it and the next ticket is
below the knife. The rollers N are also caused to rotate sufficiently to present a
blank space to receive a record of the next transaction.
When the cash has been placed in the till, and change given, if required, the
attendant removes his foot from the treddle, which permits the shutter to slide over
the till, and the knife to descend and to sever the ticket from the riband J. The

page_text: said ticket, being a receipt for cash, can then be given to the customer. Each
movement of the riband L need only be sufficient to furnish room for the separately
recorded transactions, as, for example, it might travel three-eighths of an inch,
more or less, at each movement. The length of riband delivered from the rollers N
is received into a space P below the counter.
Access to this space may be had through a door v, which is fitted with a lock
and key.
When it is desirable to balance the cash in the till the length of riband con-
taining the recorded transactions is cut or torn off, and the record can then be
compared with the amount of cash in the till.
The riband L may be quite plain, or be ruled or printed with cash columns, and
be otherwise made suitable to the required purpose.
Consecutive numbers may be printed on the tickets on the riband J, in order
that any ticket may be compared with the corresponding record on the riband L.
Although I prefer to give a ticket to the customer I do not confine myself to so
doing, as the riband J may not be severed into tickets, but may descend into the
receptacle P, and be kept for comparison with the riband L.
In such a case the two ribands may travel in the same direction instead of
at right angles one to another, or may travel in opposite directions, but in the same
line.
The rollers for drawing forwards the upper riband may be actuated by hand, but
I prefer to actuate them by the means employed to open the till.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said Invention, and
means whereby the same may be carried into effect, I would have it to understood
that I claim,
First. The combination and arrangements of parts, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth and indicated herein-before, and in and by the accompanying
Drawings.
Secondly. The employment of two travelling bands or ribands of paper, sub-
stantially as and for the pnrposes set forth and indicated.
Thirdly. Arranging for the upper band or riband to be divided into tickets or
receipts for presentation to the customer, the lower band bearing duplicate records
of such tickets, substantially as set forth and indicated.
Fourthly. Closing the till by means of a sliding shutter or door, substantially as
set forth and indicated.
Fifthly. Opening the till by means of a treddle actuated by the foot.
And, lastly. The application of revolving cash wheels to tills provided with
recording apparatus, substantially as set forth and indicated.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Robert Geldard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Signed and sealed by the said
George Robert Geldard, in
the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentee,
3, Princess Street,
Manchester.
GEO. K. GELDARD. (L.S.)