IMPROVEMENTS IN REGISTERING AND ALARM LOCKS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR PREVENTING THE FRAUDULENT ABSTRACTION OF MONEY FROM THE FARE BOXES OF TRAMWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES."
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Francis Marley at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 7th January 1880.
FRANCIS MARLEY, of Horsley Street, in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN REGISTERING AND ALARM LOCKS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR PREVENTING THE
FRAUDULENT ABSTRACTION OF MONEY FROM THE FARE BOXES OF TRAMWAY AND
OTHER VEHICLES."
My Invention relates to locks for receptacles containing money and other valuables,
and is designed to afford the means for detecting any unauthorized or improper
attempt to open the same. The said Invention is chiefly designed to afford the
means for preventing the fraudulent abstraction of money contained at the close of
each day in the fare-boxes now commonly used in tramway cars.
The said Invention comprises the novel construction of a lock in which the bolt
or bolts are combined with registering wheels or counters, and in some instances
with a bell or bells or similar alarm devices. I construct the lock with a strong
case or box of any desired or convenient size. Inside the said case I fit the locking
mechanism consisting of a bolt or bolts, and a tumbler or similar device for moving
the same inward and outward. When the lock is provided with two bolts they
are preferably fitted to slide through the opposite ends of the lock. Each bolt has
on its inner end a small tongue or projection, which engages in a recess or notch in
the tumbler, in such a position that when the latter is turned on its axis the bolt
will be forced outward or drawn inward to lock or unlock the box or receptacle.
The turning of the said tumbler is effected by a key inserted through a key-hole
into the tumbler. It is designed to provide a special key for each lock.
In combination with this locking mechanism I arrange a series of dials or
counters geared together by suitable toothed wheels, so that the first will indicate
units, the second tens, the third hundreds, and so on. One of the aforesaid lock-
bolts is connected with a lever or arm, whose fulcrum is preferably coincident with
the centre of the first counter; I prefer to fix in the side of the bolt a pin or stud,
which projects into a slot in the said lever. On the said dial or counter is placed
a ratchet-wheel, and the said lever carries a pawl arranged to engage with the said
ratchet-wheel, and move the same in one direction when the said bolt is either
locked or unlocked. A second pawl pivotted to the case prevents the return or
backward movement of the said ratchet-wheel and counter. The arrangement of
this mechanism within a strong case to which no access can be had prevents any

page_text: possibility of setting back or re-adjusting the registering mechanism after opening
the fare box or other receptacle.
The result of this contrivance is that the unlocking of the said box or receptacle
at any time will be registered by a movement of the registering apparatus, so that
the clerk or other person in charge of the same, and whose duty it is to collect the
money therefrom will be infallibly apprised of the opening of the said box by any
unauthorized person.
In some instances I combine with the said locking and registering mechanism an
alarm-bell or two of such bells or other sounders, which will ring when the key is
turned in the lock or when the box or receptacle is opened, so that attention would
be attracted to any attempt to open the said box or receptacle.