Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Shops and other Places for Conveying Cash, and which is also Applicable for Conveying other Articles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 8th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Shops and other Places for
Conveying Cash, and which is also Applicable for Conveying
other Articles.
I, ROBERT TENNANT SMITH, 22 Hope Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Commission Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in overhead Apparatus for conveying Cash
from the Counter to the Cashier and has for its object to enable shops, for example, to
obtain the advantage of what are known as "Cash Railways" in a simpler manner
and at less cost and without taking up the amount of space that is required for the
working of the ordinary Railways.
In accordance with my Invention I provide a brass rod or a rod of other suitable
material, from the Cashier's desk to a position above the counter of the shop for
example. The rod at the Cashier's desk is pivoted to any conveniently arranged cross
arm at about the level of the Cashier's head and the other extremity of the rod is
suspended from the roof or ceiling by a cord and pulley, in such a manner that the
attendant pulling down the cord elevates that end of the rod in order to give a
necessary incline for a carriage on the rod to run down by gravity from the one end
of the rod to the other, that is to say to and from the Cashier.
The Carriage to convey the Cash is hung from the axle of a grooved wheel which
runs upon the top of the rod. The receptacle for the Cash is capable of being
pulled down from the Carriage against the tension of a spring so that the rod is
always at a convenient height and out of the way.
Stops in the form of balls or rings are provided on the pulley cord and in such a
position that when the Attendant pulls down the cord to elevate the end of the rod,
the proper elevation of the rod is checked and the same with regard to the normal
position of the rod when the apparatus is not working.
The springs used for the purpose of bringing down the Cash box, and allowing it to
return to its position automatically, under the carriage, are preferably arranged at

page_text: each side of the Carriage framing and are provided with tapes or cords which are
caused to be wound round the axle of a wheel mounted immediately below the
carrying wheel, a cord being wound round the under wheel and which causes the
said wheel to rotate and the spiral springs to be distended by the winding of their
tapes, in the action of pulling down the Cash box.
In order to lessen the concussions of the carriage at the ends of the rod, I prefer to
mount the extremity of the rod at the Cashier's desk, to the cross bar through the
medium of a link which has the effect of giving the rod a slight swinging motion
and both ends of the rod may have stops of India rubber or other cushioning
material.
In order to retain the Carriage at the Cashier's desk when the attendant releases the
pulley cord, a catch is provided with which the Carriage engages when it strikes the
pivoted end of the rod, the catch being released from engagement with the Carriage,
by the Cashier in any convenient manner.
In order that the free end of the rod may be as high above the counter as possible,
I prefer to provide the pulley cord with one of the stops in the form of a weight
which can be drawn up against a weight immediately above it-The said upper weight
is suspended by two side cords from any fixed place in the neighbourhood of the pulley
and the cord is allowed to run freely through a hole in this said hanging weight-The
lower or cord weight is preferably only slightly overbalanced by the rod so that the
independent weight above it is the regulating stop for the rod when its free end has
not the carriage upon it, when however the carriage has almost completed its return
run from the Cashier, its weight only brings the rod down to its lowest position
when the carriage is immediately above the counter so that the hanging cord for
pulling down the Cash box is not allowed to be in the way of the Customers.
Dated this 20th day of January 1888
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Petitioner's Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Shops and other Places for
Conveying Cash, and which is also Applicable for Conveying
other Articles.
I, ROBERT TENNANT SMITH, 22 Hope Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Commission Merchant, 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 an overhead Apparatus for conveying Cash from the
Counter to the Cash Desk in,shops, Warehouses and other places and it is also suitable
for conveying small parcels, Letters. Documents and such like.
The method of carrying out my Invention is shown on the accompanying sheets of
Drawings.
Referring to figure 1, 1 employ a Rail A, preferably of wood upon which a
Carriage B, for conveying Cash, runs to and fro.
The Rail A, is supported by pulley cords or wires, indicated by the heavy black
lines, the said cords running in pulleys, which are mounted at the lower extremities
of fixed rods, C, which are secured to the ceiling D, or other part of the shop or
Warehouse. The connection of the Rail A with the pulley cord is conveniently
effected by hangers a* of hooked, or equivalent shape, for the purpose of allowing
the carriage to run past.
As shown in full lines in the Drawing the Cash Carriage is in position for inserting
the Cash for delivery to the opposite end of the rail; the position of the carriage
when it reaches the Cashier's Desk is shown in dotted lines.
Upon inserting the Cash into the carriage, the carriage itself being hereinafter
more particularly described, the cord E, is pulled down and the rail is thereby raised
into the position shown in dotted lines; by the arrangement however of the two
pulleys c, the opposite end of the rail is caused to assume the decline towards the
Cash Desk, this being a simple and convenient method for obtaining the alternate
inclinations of the rail and the latteral movement as shown by the dotted lines
also retains the Rail in position, automatically; when returning the Carriage from
the Cash Desk the cord E¹, is pulled down and the rail raised precisely as described
with reference to the opposite end.
For the purpose of retaining the carrier untii the rail is elevated to its. full height
and also to retain the Carrier when it has arrived at its destination, I prefer to employ
a strip of India Rubber a, at the ends of the Rail and I also prefer to provide a
stop a¹, of India Rubber or similar material immediately below the said ends of
the Rail.
In order to obviate the unnecessary impetus of the Carrier as it is reaching its
destination I may make a bend at about the centre of the rails length, so as to render
the rail level, or approximately so, at the latter half of the Carrier's run, or I may so
mount the pulleys as to obtain this level with a straight rail or with one of the sections
of Figure 4.

page_text: The supporting rods C, are preferably steadied, as shown on the Drawing, by
wires c¹.
The Cash Carriage is shown more particularly on sheet 2 of the Drawings, figure 2,
being a side elevation, and figure 3, an end elevation. The Carriage is supported upon
the Rail A, by the grooved wheel 6, mounted on the stud b'. The receptacle for the
Cash consists of a cup 62, which in figure 2, is shown in its normal or closed position,
but in figure 3, it is shown open for the deposit of the cash. The cup is connected to
its carriage by a tape 63, which is wound upon a reel 64, and the said reel contains
within it a clock spring 65, or its equivalent; on pulling down the cup 6², by means
of the handle piece 66, the tape is unwound and against the spring so that upon
releasing the cup it is automatically sprung up to the bottom of the carriage portion
to the position shown in figure 2; 67, is a small antifriction roller for the tape. The
cup, the cap cover 68, and the standard portion 6, also the grooved wheel b, may all
be of wood, the reel being preferably of thin metal.
Figure 4, sheet 1 of the Drawings, shows a modification in the method of carrying
out my Invention. The arrangement shown is more especially applicable when a
longer distance is required to be travelled by the carrier than can be conveniently
effected by a single rail. The Rail F, is a central stationery piece supported by
hangers as in Figure 1. ; F1, F2, are hinged sections supported from two pulleys G, G,
which are suspended into fixed position by the wires g. Upon pulling down, the
cord H, the section rod F1, is inclined into the position shown in dotted lines and
simultaneously through the medium of the cord g¹, and pulleys G, the section F2, is
declined to the position shown in dotted lines. The wires f, are braces for the sup-
porting of the fixed section F; but I may employ similar rods for this purpose and
also for supporting the pulleys G. G. as are shown in Figure 1.
The buffers at the extremities of the sections F1, F2, are shown at f and consist of
wedged arrangements of India Rubber or similar material for the purpose of arresting
and steadying the carrier. Although not shown on the Drawings, the buffer pieces
may be caused to automatically disengage themselves from friction with the Carrier
by a crank piece on a small rod f2; when the cord H, is pulled down the small rod f
is brought to the verticle and in so doing draws up the India Rubber piece out of
frictional contact with the carriage, that is to say, with a stud 610, figure 3, but I may
employ any other device for automatically releasing the carriage from the buffer.
In order to further reduce the concussion of the Carrier I may employ an India-
rubber ring within the small of the grooved wheel.
Any length of Rail may be used as required and if it is desired or necessary for the
Rail to be out of the straight, the necessary bend or angle may be given to any
section of its length.
As a modification of my improvements I may employ one or more intermediate
cords such as E. H. figures 1 and 4 so that the cash Carrier may be used at any point
along the length of the rail and thus save the necessity for an attendant at the counter
having to walk to the extreme end of the rail. In order to effect this I employ any
convenient intermediate pulley cord or pulley cords for the purpose of actuating the
cords E. H. as if the attendant was immediately below the said cords E. H.
In accordance with my said improvements I may employ any number of sets of
rails for the purpose of enabling a cash Carrier to be used by several attendants
simultaneously..
As a further modification of my improvements I may run the Carrier upon two
grooved wheels, or more than two, this arrangement being more especially applicable
to the carrying of heavy articles such as parcels, in order to reduce the friction and
to keep the Carrier steady.
In applying my improvements to a shop or warehouse or other place where the
cash desk is at a considerably higher level than the Counter, I may fix the one end of
the rail at the Cashier's desk, the rail being pivotted to any convenient arrangement
of cross arm at about the level of the Cashier's head and the other extremity of the
rail may be suspended from the roof or ceiling by a similar arrangement of cord and
pulley to that herein before described, except that it is of course a single pulley, and in

page_text: order that the rail may automatically remain in the elevated position when it has been
pulled up for the dispatch of the carrier I counterbalance the weight of the rail by a
weight. In order that the Cashier at his desk may lower the rail for the return of the
carrier, I may employ a cord passing over overhead pulleys, and communicating with the
balancing weight, so that the Cashier may thereby assist in pulling up the weight, and
thus cause the counter end of the rail to drop. Or I may employ any other equivalent
arrangement of pulleys for raising and lowering the rail when the one extremity is
fixed as a pivot.
'
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In apparatus for conveying cash, parcels or other articles, the track or rail con-
sisting of a rail A, so supported by cords and pulleys, or the equivalent of such means,
as to be capable of being tilted out of the horizontal as required for the purpose of
giving the necessary impetus to propel the Carrier to the required direction and
distance, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in figure 1, of the
Drawings or any modification of said arrangement as shown in figure 4 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
2. The Carrier B, consisting essentially of a cup 62, spring 65, and travelling wheel b,
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in sheet 2, of the accompanying
Drawings.