Improvements in Tills.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Tills.
I, FRANCIS DAY, of No. 40, Loughborough Road, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey Whisky Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in money tills, more particu
larly to those fitted with cash registering and other devices for preventing theft.
The object of the invention is to prevent money placed in the receiving drawer,
that is the drawer into which it is first thrown, from remaining in that drawer,
so that when the drawer is pulled out it shall not, as at present, expose all the
money which has been placed into it, but each time the drawer is shut after
putting money in it the money will be caused to fall into a locked drawer or
receptacle beneath.
According to some modifications of my invention, the bottom of the receiving
drawer is made flexible and so arranged that it rolls up on the drawer being
closed, and unrolls on opening the drawer. In order that the money shall drop
on closing the drawer, there is a space left at the back between the rear edge of
the bottom and the back panel.
One method of carrying out the invention is to have the front edge of the flexible
bottom fixed to or near the front panel of the drawer, and its rear edge secured
to a roller mounted on a spindle fixed across the drawer near the rear thereof,
said roller being fitted preferably with a coiled spring, so that the drawer is pulled
open against the action of the spring which latter is then under tension and
tending to close the drawer.
Instead of the flexible bottom being attached to some support as above described
so that it rolls up like a roller blind, it may be an endless band stretched across
a roller at each end.
In both of the above constructions it will be understood that on closing the
drawer, the money placed therein is carried backwards on the moving bottom until
the drawer is very nearly shut, when it drops down into the locked receptacle
beneath, through the aperture or space left between the back edge of the bottom
and the back upright panel.
Instead of the above flexible bottoms the drawer may have a rigid bottom, but
inside it is pivoted a lever made in the form of a rake. This lever is so arranged
by means of a counterbalance or spring that it is raised from the surface of the
bottom of the drawer when the latter is being closed, but on opening the latter
the rake is brought down close to the surface, so that on opening the drawer the
rake will retain and scrape backwards down the opening at the back all money
that has been put in the drawer.
Again instead of the rake as above described, it may consist of a cylindrical
roller mounted across the drawer so as to be free to turn. The said roller has one
flat side, so that the transverse section of it is D-shaped and it is so mounted and
connected with the movement of the drawer that on opening the latter the flat
side of the roller becomes parallel with the bottom of the drawer, and on closing

page_text: the latter the roller rotates until one of the edges, produced by the flat side on
it, touches the bottom of the drawer, and the action of opening the drawer causes
a scraping action between the said edge and the drawer bottom, and thereby, as
above, the money is scraped backwards, or more accurately speaking, retained
whilst the drawer is pulled from under it causing the money to drop into the
locked receptacle beneath, as before.
The above constructions are only examples of the manner of carrying out my
invention, the principles of which are:-
(a) That money is carried backwards by the action of closing the drawer.
(b) That the action of opening the drawer. causes the bottom of the drawer
to be drawn from under the money.
Again, the bottom of the drawer of the till may be sloped and either hinged
or not; a slot at the end of the slope communicating with the locker receptacle
beneath, so that when the drawer is once opened and the money thrown in, it
will immediately slide down the sloped bottom and pass through the open slot
into the locked receptacle beneath, thus preventing the attendant from getting
possession of the coins again that have once been placed in the drawer, without
having to first close the drawer for the purpose of letting the bottom of the
drawer free to precipitate the coins into the locked compartment so that in the
event of a dishonest cashier or attendant omitting to register the amount of his
takings (which is often done in the present cash registers) and not shutting the
drawer, with the object in view of afterwards abstracting the money not so
registered, from the till, the attempts would be thwarted the money would
pass or slide down the slope immediately it was put into the drawer and out of
reach of the cashier or attendant, into the drawer bencath, which would be kept
locked by the proprietor.
Dated this 30th day of September 1899.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH.
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Tills.
I, FRANCIS DAY, of No. 40, Loughborough Road, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, Whisky 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 certain improvements in money tills, more particu-
larly to those fitted with cash registering and other devices for preventing theft.
The object of the invention is to prevent money placed in the receiving drawer,
that is the drawer into which it is first thrown, from remaining in that drawer,
so that whenever the drawer is pulled out it shall not, as at present, expose all
the money which has been placed in it, but each time the drawer is shut after
putting money in it the money will be caused to fall into a locked drawer or
receptacle beneath so that on again opening the first drawer it will be found
empty.
According to some modifications of my invention, the bottom of the receiving
drawer is made flexible and so arranged that it rolls up on the drawer being
closed, and unrolls on opening the drawer. In order that the money shall drop
en closing the drawer, there is a space left at the back between the rear edge of
the bottom and the back panel.
One method of carrying out the invention is to have the front edge of the flexible

page_text: bottom fixed to or near the front panel of the drawer, and its rear edge secured
to a roller mounted on a spindle fixed across the drawer near the rear thereof,
said roller being fitted preferably with a coiled spring, so that the drawer is pulled
open against the action of the spring which latter is then under tension an.1
tending to close the drawer.
Instead of the flexible bottom being attached to some support as above described
so that it rolls up like a roller blind, it may be an endless band stretched across
a roller at each end.
In both of the above constructions it will be understood that on closing the
drawer, the money placed therein is carried backwards on the moving bottom until
the drawer is very nearly shut, when it drops down into the locked receptacle
beneath, through the aperture or space left between the back edge of the bottom
and the back upright panel.
Instead of the above flexible bottoms the drawer may have a rigid bottoni, but
inside it is pivoted a lever made in the form of a rake. This lever is so arranged
by means of a counterbalance or spring that it is raised from the surface of the
bottom of the drawer when the latter is being closed, but on opening the latter
the rake is brought down close to the surface, so that on opening the drawer the
rake will retain and scrape backwards down the opening at the back all money
that has been put in the drawer.
Again instead of the rake as above described, it may consist of a cylindrical
roller mounted across the drawer so as to be free to turn. The said roller has one
flat side, so that the transverse section of it is D-shaped and it is so mounted and
connected with the movement of the drawer that on opening the latter the flat
side of the roller becomes parallel with the bottom of the drawer, and on closing
the latter the roller rotates until one of the edges produced by the flat side on
it touches the bottom of the drawer and the action of opening the drawer causes
a scraping action between the said edge and the drawer bottom, and thereby as
above the money is scraped backwards, or more accurately speaking, retained
whilst the drawer is pulled from under it causing the money to drop into the
locked receptacle beneath, as before.
The above constructions are only examples of the manner of carrying out my
invention, the principles of which are:-
(a) That the money is carried backwards by the action of closing the drawer.
(b) That the action of opening the drawer causes the bottom of the drawer
to be drawn from under the money.
Again the bottom of the drawer of the till may be a slope and either hinged
or not, a slot at the end of the slope communicating with the locked receptacle
beneath so that when the drawer is once opened and the money thrown in it
will immediately slide down the sloped bottom and pass through the open slot
into the locked receptacle beneath, thus preventing the attendant from getting
possession of the coins again that have once been placed in the drawer without
having to first close the drawer for the purpose of letting the bottom of the drawer
free to precipitate the coins into the locked compartment beneath, so that in the
event of a dishonest cashier or attendant omitting to register the amount of his
takings (which is often done in the present cash registers) and not shutting the
drawer with the object in view of afterwards abstracting the money not so
registered from the till the attempts would be thwarted as the money would
pass or slide down the slope immediately it was put into the drawer and out of
reach of the cashier or attendant into the drawer beneath which would be kept
locked by the proprietor.
The following is a detailed description of my invention reference being had
to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, all shew a similar view, namely a transverse
sectional-elevation of a cash-register till fitted with my improvements shewn in
various modifications.
Figure 1 shews the modification wherein the bottom of the till drawer consists

page_text: of a spring-influenced roll-up flexible or limp sheet, one end of which is secure
to the front of the drawer and the other to a roller; the drawer being shewn in
the closed position and all the moveable parts in their corresponding positions.
Figure 2 shews the same modification as Figure 1, but with the drawer open
and the moveable parts in the state and positions they then assume.
Figure 3 shews the modification wherein the bottom of the till drawer consists
of an endless flexible or limp band or sheet mounted taut upon and between two
rollers which are supported horizontally across the drawer.
Figure 4 shews the same modification as Figure 3, but with the drawer open
and the moveable parts in the state and positions they then assume.
Figure 5 is a detached plan view of the end of one roller and the clutch device
thereon, which ensures the rollers of Figures 3 and 4 turning only in one and the
same direction.
Figure 6 shews the modification wherein the bottom of the till drawer is of hard
and rigid material and fixed to or formed on the front panel in the usual way"
but is cut away at the back end, thus forming an aperture there, and is provided
with a hoe or rake-like scraper device which sweeps or scrapes over the entire
bottom of the drawer.
Figure 7 shews the same modification of till-drawer bottom as in Figure 6,.
but with the drawer open and containing a slot in the side panels, and wherein
the scraper device consists of a semi-cylindrical piece mounted across the drawer
on an axle.
Figures 8 and 9, illustrate the modification wherein the bottom of the till-
drawer is composed of two hinged flaps constituting a permanent incline or chute
leading into the money receptacle beneath; Figure 8 shewing the position the
parts assume when the till-drawer is closed and Figure 9 their positions when the
said drawer is open.
Like reference letters denote the same parts or pieces throughout the specifi-
cation.
B.
In the illustrations, A. denotes the casing of any ordinary cash-register;
the till-drawer, C a spring employed to thrust the drawer out, which it does on the
releasing of a catch or stop 1) connected with all of the levers E, which are de-
pressed by hand when it is desired to open the drawer to place money therein.
These devices form no part of my invention.
According to the modification of the invention shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the
bottom of the till-drawer B is composed of a sheet of limp material a, say for
example of leather or canvas, one end 6 of which is secured to the bottom of the
front panel c of the drawer, and the other end is secured to a roller d mounted
across underneath the drawer, which roller may be either influenced by a spring
tending constantly to wind up the material a on the roller in a similar manner
to a roller-blind, or instead thereof, a toothed pinion such as is mounted fast
on the roller and a toothed rack fastened to the side of the drawer, the said
rack and pinion being arranged so as to be always in engagement one with the
other, so that opening and closing the drawer causes the rack to revolve the
pinion and so roll up or unroll the limp drawer bottom a accordingly. In these
illustrations Figures 1 and 2, as will be seen, the drawer bottom rolls up on
closing the drawer, thus allowing any coins that may be resting on top to fall
into the locked receptacle e beneath, and on the drawer being again opened for
the reception of more money it will be found empty, as desired.
f and g are sloping sills or boards for the money to fall on, serving as guides
to direct the latter into the locked receptacle e beneath.
It is assumed that only the principal or manager or other responsible person
has access to the contents of this receptacle e, and therefore money when once
put into the till-drawer and the drawer closed, is inaccessible except by way of
opening the said locked receptacle e, which of course will or may be provided
with a special secret or other lock to render it as safe as possible from being
picked or otherwise tampered with.

page_text: In Figures 3 and 4 is shewn a modification wherein the single-sheet roll-up
bottom a of Figure 1 is replaced by a continuous sheet or band a stretched over
two rollers d, d. In this case it is found desirable to provide some means of
preventing the travelling band a from moving in a backward direction when
the drawer is being opened, which if it did, might possibly bring back any coins
which might still remain on it through not having been precipitated into the
drawer e beneath during the last closing movement of the till-drawer. One
suitable device for effecting this object is as shewn in these figures and detached
in Figure 5. It consists of a ratchet-wheel / fast on the spindle of the rear
roller and one half of a toothed clutch is fixed or formed on the outer side of
said ratchet; the other half j of the clutch is fixed or formed on one side of a
spur pinion k, and these two latter are mounted loosely (slidably) upon the spindle
of the roller d. The two parts of the said clutch are held normally in contact
by a small compression spring / (see Figure 5) confined between the pinion
and a head m formed on the extremity of the spindle, which constantly presses
the half against the half i. The pinion engages with a rack fixed or formed
on the side of the casing A. With this arrangement it will be seen and under-
stood that on closing the drawer the band is caused to move in the backward
direction as indicated by the arrow in Figures 3 and 4 by reason of the toothed
pinion advancing in the rack and the half clutch carrying round the other
half i, and so communicating rotary motion to the roller d and consequently
to the endless band a as desired. On opening the drawer, the band a will be
prevented from travelling in the forward direction by virtue of the spring-pressed
pawl o preventing the ratcheth rotating in this direction thereby causing the
teeth of the part of the clutch to ride over the teeth of the part i.
k
In Figures 6 and 7 is shewn a further modification wherein the bottom of
the till-drawer is stiff, as usual, but has an aperture at the rear and any money
placed in this drawer is scraped out in the backward direction into the locker e
beneath, on the till-drawer being opened. The device shewn in Figure 6 for
effecting this consists of a scraping instrument which extends right across the
till-drawer or compartment to be emptied. It is pivoted at q so as to be capable
of a turning motion on said pivot as an axis; a spring r, under tension, tending
to draw it forward and thus keep its scraping edge pl in contact with the bottom
of the drawer.
This spring, as will be seen on glancing at the drawing, is connected by one
end to the scraper and by the other to a fixed projection on the sides of the
till casing A, so that said spring is constantly under tension. On the spindle q
is mounted fasi a toothed pinion s which gears with the rack d. This spindle
also carries, on the side of the toothed pinion s, a clutch device similar to that
shewn in Figures 4 and 5, and described in reference to Figures 3 and 4; this
clutch being so arranged as to run idle when the drawer is being opened, and to
clutch when the drawer is being closed. With this arrangement, on opening
the drawer, the teeth of the rack engage in those of the pinions, but this
latter runs idly by reason of the clutch device on the same, and the only action
on the scraper is that of the spring which maintains the edge of the
scraper closely down on the bottom of the drawer so as to sweep or scrape the
same, and so cause any money that may be thereon to drop down, through the
aperture in the bottom of the till drawer, into the receptacle e on the money
reaching the rear edge of the till drawer bottom.
On again closing the drawer, the scraper will be raised by reason of the
rack engaging in and driving the pinions & and so rotating the scraper on its
axis against the resistance of the spring causing the latter to stretch and be
under greater tension. When the drawer is quite closed the rack becomes
disengaged from the pinions and the spring r then brings the scraper forward.
The dotted position of the till-drawer in this figure shows a slight modification
wherein the said drawer is simply provided with a sloping bottom, said slope
extending from the front panel to the verge of the aperture a¹ at the rear end of

page_text: the drawer. By this device, any money placed in the drawer would roll or slide
down the incline j¹ and drop into the receptacle e beneath on reaching the back
edge of the bottom of the drawer, thus dispensing with any scraping device.
In Figure 7, a modified form of the scraping device is shewn, wherein the
scraper p, consists of a semi-cylindrical piece rotatably mounted on a spindle q³,
supported in the sides of the casing. A stop t fixed in the bottom of the drawer
casing serves to prevent or limit the scraper rotating beyond the vertical or
quadrant position when the drawer is open or being opened. Another stop "
is either spring-hinged so as to yield in the backward direction only or it may
be yieldable upwards in a socket and normally spring-pressed downwards.
cord has one of its ends wound round a small pulley or the spindle 2 of the
scraper and its other end attached to the rear panel of the till drawer, and a
slot is cut in the sides of the drawer to allow of its free travel over the spindle ².
The pulley or spindle q upon which the cord is wound is further under the in-
fluence of a coiled spring (not shewn) tending to wind up or to relax the cord after
the scraper has been arrested by its stop in either of its limiting positions..
A
In this modification, when the till-drawer is being opened, the scraper 22
becomes vertical and consequently scrapes the bottom of the drawer thereby
removing any money that may be lying thereon, and simultaneously the cord u
is wound up under the influence of the spring, and closing the drawer has the
effect of unwinding the cord, off the spindle of the scraper against the action of
the spring influencing the said spindle as above stated and so drawing the scraper
round into the horizontal position shewn in dotted lines. The slot in the side
of the drawer passes over the spindle of the scraper to permit the drawer being
opened and closed. Thus when the drawer is closed the scraper is horizontal and
its front edge consequently out of the way of any money in the drawer, but on
the drawer being opened the scraper becomes vertical and its front edge scrapes
the bottom of the till-drawer.
It will be noticed that the front end of the till-drawer in this modification,
Figure 7, is, preferably rounded, as shewn at z, this is in order that the scraper
shall not by any chance miss or pass over any money whilst lowering its edge to
the till-drawer bottom, but scrape the entire surface.
In the modification shewn in Figures 8 and 9, the bottom of the till-drawer is
composed of two flaps a³, hinged at their front ends one above the other;
the upper one somewhat in advance of the lower one. The upper one a³ is at
all times a plane inclined to the horizontal, with its rear end resting on the one a
beneath. The latter at is also inclined downwards when the till-drawer is closed
(see Figure 8) and rests on a bar a supported beneath it, but when the drawer is
open this lower flap at is substantially horizontal (see Figure 9) as it is turned on
its hinge during the opening of the drawer by reason of riding on a support fixed
just beneath it. This fixed support may advantageously be an antifriction roller
as shewn at w.
One or more deflector plates ör bars such as glare or may be employed to direct
the falling coins into the lock-up drawer e.
is a stop to limit the upward movement of the drawer bottom k³, a*.
The above is a description of the invention setting forth its characteristic con-
struction as carried out in several modifications, but it is within my conception
that many other obvious modifications might still be made and yet be within the
scope of this ivention; for example, there may be three or more hinged flaps
instead of the two and at, shewn in Figures 8 and 9, so that it must be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a money till, the combination with the till-drawer of a flexible roll-up
bottom thereto one end of said bottom being attached to the front of the drawer

page_text: and the other end to a spring-influenced roller supported transversely beneath the
drawer, and a lock-up money receptacle beneath the till-drawer," substantially
as described.
2. In a money till, the combination with the till-drawer of a flexible roll-up
bottom thereto one end of said bottom being attached to the front of the drawer
and the other end to a roller supported transversely beneath the drawer, a toothed
rack fast on the side of the drawer and a pinion fast on the roller engaging in
said rack, and a lock-up money receptacle beneath the till-drawer, substantially
as described.
3. In a money till, the combination with the till-drawer of a flexible endless-
band bottom thereto, rollers carrying said band supported transversely beneath
the drawer, a ratchet fast on one of said rollers, a pawl fast on one side of the
till-drawer engaging in said ratchet, a clutch on the said roller arranged to run
idle in one direction, a toothed pinion fast on said roller, and a toothed rack fast
on the side of the drawer engaging in said pinion, and a lock-up money receptacle
beneath the till-drawer, substantially as described.
4. In a money-till, the combination with the bottom of the till-drawer having
an aperture at the rear end thereof adapted to admit of the passage of current
coins, of a scraper device pivoted beneath the drawer adapted to sweep the drawer
bottom, a toothed pinion fast on axis of the scraper, a toothed rack fast on bottom
drawer in engagement with said toothed pinion at all times except when the
drawer is quite closed, a spring one end of which is connected to the scraper above
the pivot and the other end to a fixed point in the casing adapted to hold the
scraping edge down on the bottom whilst the drawer is being opened, an aperture
in the casing beneath the drawer and a lock-up receptacle beneath and communi-
cating with said aperture, substantially as described.
5. In a money-till, the combination with the bottom of the till-drawer having
an aperture at the rear end thereof adapted to admit of the passage of current
coins, of a semi-cylindrical scraper device rotatably mounted across near the
rear of the drawer, a slot in the side of the drawer adapted to pass over the
spindle of the scraper, a cord one end of which is attached to the said spindle and
the other end to the back panel of the drawer, a spring attached to said spindle
adapted to wind up said cord, an aperture in the casing beneath the drawer, and
a lock-up receptacle beneath and communicating with said aperture, substantially
as described.
6. In a money-till, the combination with the till-drawer having an aperture t
the rear end of the bottom thereof, of a fixed inclined plate extending from the
front of the drawer to the rear edge of the bottom, an aperture in the casing
beneath the drawer and a lock-up receptacle beneath and in communication with
said aperture, substantially as described
7. In a money-till the combination with the till-drawer of a bottom thereto
composed of two flaps hinged at their front ends to the drawer one beneath the
other forming two inclined planes in extension of one another, an aperture in
the casing beneath and a lock-up receptacle beneath and communicating with
said aperture substantially as described.
Total: 01 1
R
1
1000
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings. Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.