Improvements in Check Tills.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Check Tills.
I, GEORGE HENRY GLEDHILL, of Trinity Works, Halifax, in the County of York
Cash Till Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to cash tills and consists, firstly, of improvements in the
method of and means for exhibiting coin for the purpose of avoiding all questions
between buyer and seller as to the denomination of the coin or coins tendered in
payment, one form of coin exhibitor being for application to and combination with
what is known as the "Lofts" till; secondly, of means for checking or preventing
irregular opening of the cash drawer, and thirdly, of simplified means for actuating
the paper winding on drum by the outward movement of the drawer and in the
method of and bearings for supporting said winding on drum.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood reference is hereafter had
to the annexed drawings forming a part of this specification, in which :-
Fig. 1 is side elevation, partly in section, of a Lofts cash till having some of my
improvements applied thereto;
Fig. 2 is plan of same.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the cash drawer fastening.
Fig. 4 is enlarged side elevation of the coin exhibitor looking in the direction of
arrow 1 Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is cross section of coin exhibitor of a modified construction.
Fig. 6 is transverse section of same looking in the direction of arrow 2.
Fig. 7 is plan of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is section of a fragment of a check till shewing my improved means for
actuating the winding on drum each time the drawer is pulled out.
Fig. 9 is transverse section of part of till shewing my improved bearings for
supporting the winding on drum ;
Fig. 10 is sectional elevation of same taken on line 3, 4.
Referring firstly to Figs. 1 to 4, letter A represents the box or casing of the till,
B the lid to same, and C the cash drawer having compartments and divisions therein
for receipt of different denominations of coin, as usual.
The action for locking the drawer and traversing the strip of paper D under the
aperture in the lid through which the salesman writes down the transactions on the
blank space presented, as applied to the till shewn in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is what is
known as the Lofts principle embraced in Patent No. 2153 of 1875 and comprises a
winding on drum E on to which the recording strip D is wound, a worm wheel E¹ on
said drum, a worm F gearing with said worm wheel and a worm shaft F¹ on which
the worm F is mounted.
The worm shaft F1 extends through an opening in the front of the till and has
secured on the end thereof a handle or wing nut F by which the worm shaft is
rotated each time the drawer is released and locked. On the front of the drawer
is secured a half circular plate G in which is a horizontal groove or recess G¹ into
which the handle or wing nut. F is adapted to enter and engage therein when
turned into a horizontal position after the drawer has been fully closed, a spring H,

page_text: acting against the rear of the drawer, forcing the drawer when released, against the
wing nut F2 which is thus registered in the groove G¹ and locks itself and the
drawer.
k
To open the drawer, it must first be forced inward a little to carry the plate G
clear of the wing nut F2 which is thereupon turned from the horizontal to a vertical
position and allows the drawer to be pulled out. The worm shaft has mounted
thereon a ratchet wheel Fs into the teeth of which take one or other of two pawls F
set half a tooth in advance of each other so that no reverse movement can be given
to said shaft and it is rigidly held in' position by the detents after each turn given
thereto. In turning the wing nut F2 from the vertical to a horizontal position to
lock the drawer when closed, and from the horizontal to vertical position to release
the drawer, motion is given through worm shaft Fi to the worm F which gives
partial rotation to the winding on drum E to the extent required to bring a blank
space of paper opposite the aperture in the lid, and take, the last record made thereon
clear of said aperture..
All the above parts are ordinary and in themselves, form no part of my inven-
tion...
improvements consist in applying to or combining with the action above
described, means for exhibiting the coins paid in on making purchases, which
exhibitor is actuated by and from the means above described and embodied in a prior
Patent granted to me No. 10247 of 1886.
I mount in bearings in the opposite side of the till to that in which the recording
paper is situated, two drums or rollers a, a, around which is placed an endless tape
or apron b.
The shaft a² of roller á extends across the box or till and has a toothed wheel e
fast thereon gearing with a carrier wheel which is driven through the medium of
pinion d and spur wheelf from the winding on drum, the motion of said drum thus
being communicated to the roller'a which consequently forms the driving roller for
traversing the tape or apron b around the rollers a, a¹; the movement of the tape
taking place at the same time as the recording paper is actuated and to á proportionate
extent as determined by the gearing.
.
.
On the shaft a of the driving roller a is mounted a cam or disc a3 having cam
surfaces or arms thereon which are adapted, when the drawer B is closed, to
engage and ride under a pin or stud 9 projecting from a swing frame h pivoted
on studs h¹ at each side of the framework supporting the coin exhibitor, and to hold
said frame in the position shewn in Fig. 1 and in dotted line in Fig. 4. At
the front end of the frame h is loosely supported a cross rail while the rear
of the frame forms a cross rail h³. When the worm shaft F1 is turned partly
round by the wing nut or handle F2 to release the drawer to open same, the
projection or arm a then, under. the pin or stud 9 moves clear of same and the
weight of the frame causes it to tilt into the position shewn in full line in
Fig. 4. This movement of frame h raises the front cross rail h² clear of the tape
or apron 6 and the coins which have been dropped through the aperture 2-in
the lid on to the portion of the tape b in front of said cross rail, can thus be
carried forward without obstruction, and on the frame being brought back to
the position shewn in Fig. 1. and in dotted line in Fig. 4,. by the engagement
of a succeeding cam surface or. arm a with the pin g, the cross rail h² shuts
off the coin from the aperture and separates it from the coins next deposited
on the travelling apron. When the cross rail 2 is raised, the cross rail h³ or
rear of the frame h falls against the 'roller a and prevents any coin, which may
slip prematurely over the roller a. from falling out of sight into the drawer below
or bottom of, till prior to the next movement taking place to deposit the coin in
the drawer.
2.
0
20
=
The coin is exhibited on the tape or apron b until the third purchase is made
and paid for, or it may remain a shorter or longer time on the apron b; each
subsequent deposit made being separated. by a space from the preceding deposit.

page_text: A glass plate is let into the lid above the coin exhibitor so that each coin on the :
apron 6 can be plainly seen by salesman and customer alike.
In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I shew a modified construction of coin exhibitor which is
especially suitable for canteens or the like where an exact amount of coin must be.
• deposited at every purchase, but it is equally applicable to any cash till. In this
case the travelling apron is dispensed with and a vertical frame is secured to the face,
of the lid B in which frame are secured sheets of glass & placed at a suitable distance
apart to leave a space into which the coins are placed. The said space is divided
into three or other number of compartments to receive different denominations of,
coins, all of which deposited in such space, can be plainly seen through the glass
sides."
In the lid of the till immediately under the space is an opening or aperture m
which is normally closed by a plate n pivoted at each end to brackets n¹ under the
lid B and held in such position by spring o attached at one end to the depending
part of the plate n and at the opposite end to a screw secured to the lid B.
l
Attached to or formed integral with the plate n.is. a handle or lever n² which
projects through a slot in the lid B. The coins to cover the purchase are deposited.
in the space and are allowed, or may be allowed to remain there until a subsequent
purchase is made, the salesman before depositing any more coins pressing the lever
or handle into the position shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 5 so as to remove the
plate n from the opening m whereupon the coins fall through said opening into.
shoots p placed opposite each division of the coin exhibitor which convey them. to
separate nests or openings in the drawer C.
On releasing the lever or handle n² the plate is drawn back by spring o to its
normal position in front of the opening m, and other coins can then be deposited in
the exhibitor. The said coin exhibitor can be applied to any till and can be;
employed in lieu of the coin exhibitor shewn in Figs. 1 to 4.
In Figs. 1 and 2 I shew my improved check action for preventing irregular opening:
of the cash drawer.
This check action is essentially of the principle described and claimed in prior
Patents granted to me No. 15075 of 1887 and No. 11908 of 1892 and comprises.
simplified mechanism which will allow the drawer to be opened to any extent and.
reversed or closed again without first being opened to the full extent, but so soon as
movement commences in the reverse or closing direction such mechanism will prevent;
the drawer being again re-opened more than the distance of a tooth on the stop rack
until it has been pushed completely home or sufficiently far for the working parts.to.
assume their normal positions, so that on next opening the drawer the proper.
functions of the till will be performed.
Previous to my application of the check action it was possible in check tills as then.
constructed, to close the drawer to within-say-about half an inch and then re-open
it again without moving the registration paper, thereby avoiding the check which
the movement of such paper should give."
With the old reversing pawl and rack arrangement it was essential each time to.
open the drawer to the full extent of the rack to allow the pawl to fall clear thereof,'
and the drawer could not be reversed until this had been done.
•
This is a great drawback to the usefulness of the till as it is often not requisite to
open the drawer to the full extent, sufficient change being brought within reich by:
opening. the drawer about a quarter or half of its length, hence considerable loss of
time is caused by having to pull the drawer out the full distance every time before it
can again be reversed.
The main object of my present improvements is. to reduce and simplify. the check
action and yet to maintain the principle embodied in my two prior patents; namely,
to allow the drawer to be closed from any point to which it has been drawn out, at
the same time preventing irregular re-opening of the drawer, after being reversed.
fraction of an inch, until it has been pushed completely home.
oT
To carry out my invention I employ a pawl 'r free to move in any direction in one
plane, said pawl being-hinged or pivoted to an arin centred on a stud r? secured to

page_text: a brackets attached to the side of the box or case of the till and free to move in one
direction only, the pawl being adapted to engage with the teeth of a rack q secured
to one side of the drawer C. When the drawer is closed, as shewn in full line in
Fig. 1, the pawl r and arm hang preferably vertical, the arm r' abutting against.
the stop s¹ on bracket s. When the drawer is opened, the pawl r rides over the teeth
of the rack, inclining in the direction of the traverse of the drawer, and when
reversed, the said pawl engages with a tooth of the rack and, by reason of being
hinged to the arm 1 free to move in a direction away from the stop piece s¹ the pivot
of the pawl is carried by the closing drawer away from the rack 4 until said pawl can
swing over to the reverse position, shewn in dotted line in Fig. 1, in which
position it is then free to ride over the teeth of the rack during the closing of the
drawer.
When in this position the arm r¹ abuts against the stop piece s¹ and prevents the
drawer being again re-opened until it has first been closed completely or sufficiently
to allow the working parts to assume the proper position for effecting a movement of
the registration paper, the end of the rack being in such a position that the pawl r
passes clear thereof and assumes the vertical position shewn in full line whereupon
the drawer can be opened again and the operation, above described, repeated.
Although I have shewn the rack applied to the drawer and the pawl r and. arm l
carried from a bracket secured to the box or case of the till, I would. have it under-
stood that the positions may be reversed, the rack being secured to the bottom or
any other part of the box or case of the till and the plate carrying the arm and pawl
attached to the drawer somewhat as shewn in Fig. 11.
In Fig. 12 I shew a modification of the check action above described, which like-
wise is applicable one part to the drawer and the other part to the box or case of the
till or reversely as in the other case.
The modification consists of a pawl. r centred on a fixed stud. 72 and a movable.
rack q carried by levers q* centred on studs q².
In reversing the movement of the drawer, the pawl forces down the rack 9 until
it has swung to the position shewn in dotted line, the rack being assisted in its return
movement by a spring 93, and being prevented from further movement in that
direction by a stop piece q'.
The pawl r thus prevents re-opening of the drawer until it has been forced home
and the pawl has swung clear of the rack.
In Fig. 8 I shew an improved simplified motion for actuating the winding on
drum to wind on a section of paper each time the cash drawer is opened. The
motion consists of two pawls t, t¹, the former of which is a holding pawl or detent for
preventing backward motion of the drum, and the latter a push. pawl for rotating the
drum as the drawer is pulled out. The pawl t is centred on a stud secured to a
bracket w attached to the side of the box or case A and the push pawl t¹ is hinged or
pivoted to a swing arm 12 centred on a stud t³. The swing arm extends below and
in the path of a tooth or projection u' on. the side of the drawer so that as the
drawer is pulled out the said tooth or projection engages with the swing arm and
forces it in the direction of the arrow until finally the arm rides over it and falls back.
to its normal position, the result of this being to carry forward in the same direction
the push pawl t¹ which, being. in engagement with a tooth of the ratchet wheel v on
the end of the winding drum moves said drum around the distance of one tooth, or
more, as may be arranged, and the necessary length of paper is taken up to carry the
last written transaction past the aperture in the lid and present a blank section of
paper thereunder.
The pawl or detent t is bell cranked and has a projection w thereon extending
under the push pawl t¹ so that by elevating the pawl t, the pawl t¹ is raised clear of
the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and allows the drum to be freely rotated in: either
direction or to be removed.
To avoid waste of time and labour. in centreing the bearings for. the drum E and
in securing the plates or brackets carrying same exactly in alignment, I. dispense with
said plates or brackets and in lieu. thereof employ short bushes or sleeves: x as the

page_text: bearings for the winding on drum, these bushes being first passed over the ends of
the drum shaft and then inserted in openings y cut exactly opposite each other in the
sides of the box or case A, which can be done in making said box or case. After being
inserted, as shewn in Figs. 9 and 10, small strips of wood y₁ are placed in the
openings y and secured by screws.
This method of journalling and supporting the winding on drum is simple,
inexpensive, and avoids all the trouble at present experienced in securing accurate
adjustment of the bearings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Firstly. In check tills the application to and combination with the means shewn
in Figs. 1 to 4 for actuating the winding on drum, of a coin exhibitor and intermediate
mechanism for operating same from the paper traversing mechanism, substantially
as herein shewn and described.
Secondly. The combination with the Lofts principle for actuating the registration
paper, of an endless band for carrying coin operated by and from the paper mechanism
substantially as herein shewn and described.
Thirdly. In check tills in which the paper is traversed by the turning of a shaft on
releasing and re-fastening the cash drawer, the application and employment of a cam
or armed disc, a swing frame with loose cross bar and a travelling endless tape band
or apron all arranged and acting in the manner and for the purposes substantially as
herein shewn and described.
Fourthly. In cash or check tills, the vertically arranged coin exhibitor and parts
connected therewith substantially as described and shewn in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.
Fifthly. The combination with check tills of the check action comprising a pawl
free to move in either direction a pivoted arm movable in one direction only and
carrying said pawl, a stop piece against which abuts one side of the arm and a rack,
or the modified check action shewn at Fig. 12, all arranged and acting in the
manner and for the purposes substantially as herein shewn and described.
Sixthly. In check or cash tills, the employment of the simplified mechanism for
actuating the winding on paper drum, substantially as described and shewn.
Seventhly. In check or cash tills, the employment of loose bushes or sleeves adapted
to enter and rest in openings cut in the side of the till and forming the bearings for
supporting the winding on drums, substantially as herein shewn and described.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1897.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Patent Agents.