AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO DRAWERS, TO SECURE THEM, AND TO GIVE NOTICE WHEN ANY ATTEMPT IS MADE TO OPEN THE SAME BY ANY IMPROPER PERSON
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Avery, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London,
Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE
APPLIED TO DRAWERS, TO SECURE THEM, AND TO GIVE NOTICE WHEN ANY
ATTEMPT IS MADE TO OPEN THE SAME BY ANY IMPROPER PERSON."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 1st February 1856, and dated the 15th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Avery at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th August
1855.
I, JOHN AVERY, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS
TO BE APPLIED TO DRAWERS, TO SECURE THEM, AND TO GIVE NOTICE WHEN ANY
ATTEMPT IS MADE TO OPEN THE SAME BY ANY IMPROPER PERSON," a communi-
cation, to be as follows:-
This apparatus is intended principally to be applied to money drawers or
tills in shops, stores, or other places of business, its object being to give an
alarm when any attempt is made by a stranger to open the drawer or till, but
to allow it to be opened without giving an alarm by the proper attendants of
the place.
The case of the locking and alarm apparatus is secured to the front of the
drawer. At one end of the case is an alarm bell; the hammer extends across

page_text: When the
to the bell from the other part of the alarm apparatus, which is arranged at
the opposite end of the case to the bell. The alarm apparatus is such as is
commonly used in alarm clocks, and well known to clock makers.
main spring is wound up, and the whole of the alarm apparatus left free, the
spring will so set the apparatus in action that a succession of blows will be
given by the hammer to the bell. The alarm apparatus is kept inactive,
except when the drawer is improperly handled, by means of a pin, which pro-
jects from the front side of an escapement wheel, and comes in contact with a
projection on the back side of a lever, which may be termed the discharging
lever, which plays horizontally on a fulcrum secured in another lever, which may
be termed the locking lever, which plays on a fulcrum at one end of the case.
The locking lever is formed with two arms, which receive the discharging lever
between them. A spring (called the locking lever spring) is applied to the
upper arm of the locking lever to hold it back against a block or projecting
piece in the interior of the case, and a spring (called the discharging lever
spring) is applied to the discharging lever to hold it back against the same
block or projecting piece. This last-named spring serves to keep a projection
on the discharging lever in such a position as to arrest the rotation of a pin of
the escapement wheel, but at the same time it allows the discharging lever to
be easily drawn forward far enough to set the said pin free, and allow the
escapement wheel to rotate. The return movement of the discharging lever
brings its projection into the path of rotation of the pin, and when the latter
strikes against the former its further rotation will be arrested. The locking
lever spring serves to hold the end of the arm of the locking lever in such a
position as to stand in the way of a projection which is formed on the under
side of a rod, which may be termed the bolt rod, as it serves to withdraw the
spring bolt or latch of the lock, and by that means the bolt is prevented being
drawn until the locking lever is drawn forward clear of the said projection.
The spring bolt or latch is attached to a lever, to which is also connected one
end of the bolt rod, and it passes through the side of the drawer. The other
end of the bolt rod is jointed to a horizontal bent lever, which moves on a
vertical fulcrum, and which, as it serves to draw the bolt, may be termed the
upper and
unbolting lever. The bolt rod is connected to the extremity of the
longer arm of the unbolting lever, and opposite the front of the bend of the
said lever (and which bend is vertical with the drawer) stands the end of a
knob rod, which is attached to the knob of the drawer. This knob rod passes
through a suitable opening in the discharging lever, and also passes loosely
through the front of the drawer; but at the back of the discharging lever it is
furnished with a shoulder or tight collar, which prevents it being entirely

page_text: drawn through the said lever. This shoulder or collar, when any attempt is
made to open the drawer in the same way as a common drawer, by pulling the
knob, comes in contact with the back of the discharging lever, and the force
that a person would apply to open the drawer pulls the said lever forward far
enough to liberate the pin of the escapement wheel, when the alarm com-
mences to operate, and will not cease even though the handle of the drawer be
relinquished, and the discharging lever drawn back by its spring, until the
escape wheel has made a complete revolution, and its pin arrives at the propec-
tion of the discharging lever.
The drawing of the bolt to unlock the drawer is effected by pressing against
the said knob, and forcing the knob rod inwards against the bend of the
unbolting lever, and by forcing back the bend of the lever its arm is moved in
the direction to draw back the bolt rod; but before the bolt rod can be with-
drawn, the end of the locking lever must be moved out of the way of its
projection: The locking lever is operated upon for this purpose by means of
one of a number of key levers, which are all arranged side by side on the same
horizontal fulcrum, and have their ends left hanging through an opening in the
bottom of the drawer, in a convenient position to be operated upon by a
person's fingers while the palm of the same hand is against the knob.
only one of the key levers is to be employed to release the bolt lever, the
others operate the discharging lever, and give an alarm when pressed, and the
several levers being permutable, any number of these may be employed, and
the greater the number of permutations allowed.
.
As
The key levers are made to operate the discharging or locking lever in the
following manner :-In a block of the case there are two rows of holes, which
are all opposite the discharging lever, one row of holes above the fulcrum of
the key levers and the other below the said fulcrum. Each of these key
levers has one hole of each row opposite to it. Above the holes above the
fulcrum of the key levers there is another row of similar holes opposite the
upper arm of the locking lever, and below the holes below the said fulcrum
there is a row of similar holes opposite the lower arm of the locking lever, one
hole of each of the last-described rows being also opposite to each of the key
levers. The above holes are to receive six sliding pins, which serve to trans-
mit pressure and motion from the key levers to the discharging and locking
levers. All of the pins except one are placed in the inner rows of holes to
operate on the discharging lever, and the other one in a hole of one of the
outer rows to operate on the locking lever; and it will be seen that in that case
two of the key levers, whether they are pressed forward or backward, will
push forward the discharge lever and liberate the alarm apparatus, and the

page_text: other key lever, if moved in one direction, will do the same thing, in no case
operating on the locking lever; but that when the last-named key lever is
moved in the other direction, the locking lever will be thrown forward to
liberate the bolt rod without touching the discharging lever, and consequently
without sounding the alarm. To open the drawer without giving an alarm, it
is therefore necessary to move the right key lever in the right direction, and to
press in the knob, and at the same time to pull out the drawer; this may be
all done with one hand, by placing the palm of one hand upon the knob, and
the fingers of the same hand under the drawer far enough to reach the key
levers. The bolt rod after being drawn back is always thrown back again, as
soon as the knob is relieved of pressure, by means of a strong spring.
The registering apparatus, by which the number of improper. attempts to
open the drawer is registered, is by an index, attached to a small toothed wheel,
which fits loosely to a stud at the back of the apparatus. With this wheel is
geared a single toothed pinion, which is fast upon the escapement shaft.
Every revolution of the escapement wheel causes the pinion to move the small
toothed wheel the distance of one tooth; this movement is indicated by the
index upon a dial. An opening is made on the back of the said case of a size
and form and in a position to correspond with the dial, in order to enable the
dial and index to be seen from the inside of the drawer.
The locking and alarm apparatus may be made so as to nearly resemble
that already described, but having a secondary knob, by which, in connexion
with the primary knob, the drawer may be unlocked and opened; the rod of
the secondary knob is tubular, and fits easily outside the primary knob rod,
extending back as far as the shoulder or collar of the primary knob rod.
The discharging lever used in connexion with the secondary knob has an
upright slot, extending upward from the opening through which the knob rods
pass, and the upper arm of the locking lever has a projection extending down-
wards into the said slot, playing freely therein. At the back of the discharging
lever, at the left side of the said slot, there is a projection, against which, when
the secondary knob is free, there rests a tooth, which is secured to the rear end
of the secondary knob rod.
This tooth is held in an oblique position against the last-mentioned projec-
tion by a spring, which is coiled around the secondary rod, and has its end
secured to the discharging lever. The tooth when in this position stands
between the collar or shoulder of the primary knob rod and the discharging
lever, and consequently if the primary knob be pulled, the collar or shoulder
draws the tooth forward against the discharging lever, and liberates the
escapement wheel without moving the locking lever. The same result is pro-.

page_text: duced by pulling the secondary knob only, the said tooth being then drawn
against the discharging lever in the same way as before though the primary
knob rod be stationary; but by turning the-secondary knob to such a position
as to bring the said tooth opposite the said slot and then drawing it forward,
the tooth will be caused to clear the discharging lever, and to come in contact
with the tongue of the locking lever, until it throws the locking lever far
enough forward to set free the bolt rod, when by pushing the primary knob
the bolt rod is drawn back, as it is in the first described apparatus. When a
primary and secondary knob are employed, the drawer is opened by first
turning the secondary knob, then pressing in the primary knob and pulling
out the drawer. The primary knob may be pressed in by the palm of one
hand, while the secondary knob is turned and pulled by the fingers. The
secondary knob may be employed without the key levers, or as an 'additional
means of giving alarm, and of opening the drawer. Another knob may be
used to operate the locking lever to set free the bolt rod. The rod belonging
to this knob connects with a horizontal lever arranged, in the bottom of the
case, and this lever is forked at its end, which takes hold of one of the key
levers. By pushing or pulling this knob, according to the arrangement of the
before-mentioned sliding pins, the said horizontal lever may be made to
operate on the key lever to draw the locking lever to set free the bolt, or by
another arrangement of pins, this knob may be used merely as an additional
ineans of giving an alarm. This additional knob and its appendages may be
used either with or without the secondary knob, and should be so arranged
that it may be manipulated by the fingers of the same hand as is used to press
in the primary knob.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Avery in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
February 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
AVERY, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Avery, Her special licence that I, the said John Avery, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Avery, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and

page_text: no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO
DRAWERS, TO SECURE THEM, AND TO GIVE NOTICE WHEN ANY ATTEMPT IS MADE TO
OPEN THE SAME BY ANY IMPROPER PERSON," (a communication,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Avery, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Avery, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This apparatus is principally intended to be applied to money drawers or
tills in shops, stores, or other places of business, its object being to. give an
alarm when any attempt is made by a stranger to open the drawer or till,
but to allow it to be opened without giving alarm by the proper attendants of
the place.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate the Invention. Figs. 1 to 7, inclu-
sive, exhibit the simplest method of applying the Invention. The other Figs.
exhibit modifications in the application of the same.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the lock and alarm apparatus, with a section of the
money drawer A, and the counter B, said section being taken close to the front
of the drawer, which forms also the front of the case C of the lock and alarm
apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus, with the top plate of the
case C removed, showing also a horizontal section of the drawer A. Fig. 3 is
a horizontal section of the apparatus, in the line a, a, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a
vertical section of the same, in the line y, y, of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a back view
of a part of the case, showing the registering plate and index, by which the
number of improper attempts to open the drawer is registered; Fig. 6 is a plan
view, on a smaller scale than the preceding Figs., of the interior of the drawer,
and the lock and alarm apparatus, the latter being shown enclosed by its case
C; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of what is termel the unbolting lever. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all these Figures.
The case C of the locking and alarm apparatus is secured to the front D of
the drawer. At one end of the case is an alarm bell E. The hammer j

page_text: extends across to the bell from the other part of the alarm apparatus, which
is arranged at the opposite end of the case to the bell. The alarm apparatus is
such as is commonly used in alarm clocks, and well known to clock makers.
a is its key shaft; b, its spring; c, its key wheel; d, its ratchet wheel; and e,
its lantern pinion, whose shaft g carries an escapement wheel h, which operates
the hammer by means of a clutch i, to the axis j' of which the hammer j is
attached, as shown in Fig. 2. When the main spring is wound up, and the
whole of the alarm apparatus left free, the spring will so set the apparatus in
action that a succession of blows will be given by the hammer to the bell. The
alarm apparatus'is kept inactive, except when the drawer is improperly handled,
by means of a pin k, which projects from the front side of the escapement
wheel, and comes in contact with a projection on the back side of a lever F,
which may be termed the discharging lever, which plays horizontally on a
fulcrum m, m, secured in another lever G, which may be termed the locking
lever, which plays on a fulcrum n, n, at one end of the case, as shown in Figs.
1, 2, and 3. The locking lever is formed with two arms o, p, which receive
the discharging lever between them. A spring q is applied to the upper arm p
of the locking lever to hold it back against a block or projecting piece C" in
the interior of the case C, and a spring q' is applied to the discharging lever to
hold it back against the same block or projecting piece. This spring q' serves
to keep the projection in such a position as to arrest the rotation of the pin k
of the escapement wheel, but at the same time it allows the discharging lever
to be easily drawn forward far enough to set the pin k free, and allow the
escapement wheel to rotate. The return movement of the discharge lever
brings the projection into the path of rotation of the pin k, and when the
latter strikes against the former its further rotation will be arrested. The
spring serves to hold the end of the arm p of the locking lever in such a posi-
tion as to stand in the way of a projection r, which is formed on the under side
of a rod H, which may be termed the bolt rod, as it serves to withdraw the
spring bolt or latch I of the lock, and by that means the bolt is prevented
being drawn until the locking lover is drawn forward clear of the projection 1.
The spring bolt or latch I is attached to a lever I', to which is also connected
one end of the bolt rod, and it passes through the side of the drawer. The
other end of the bolt rod is jointed to a horizontal bent lever J, which moves
on a vertical fulcrum s, and which, as it serves to draw the bolt, may be termed
the unbolting lever. This lever is of a peculiar form, which is best shown in.
the perspective view, Fig. 7. The bolt rod is connected to the extremity of the
upper and longer arm s', and opposite the front of the bend s stands the end
of the knob rod K, which is attached to the knob L of the drawer: This knob

page_text: rod passes through a suitable opening in the discharging lever F, and also.
passes loosely through the front of the drawer, but at the back of the discharg-
ing lever it is furnished with a shoulder or tight collar t, which prevents its
being drawn entirely through the said lever. This shoulder or collar, when
any attempt is made to open the drawer in the same way as a common drawer,
by pulling the knob, comes in contact with the back of the discharging lever,
and the force that a person would apply to open the drawer pulls the said lever
forward far enough to liberate the pin k of the escapement wheel, when the
alarm.commences, to operate, and will not cease even though the handle of the
drawer be relinquished, and the discharging lever drawn back by the spring q¹
until the escapement wheel has made a complete revolution, and the pin k
arrives at the projection of the lever.
The drawing of the bolt to unlock the drawer is effected by pressing against
the knob L, and forcing the knob rod K inwards against the bend of the un-
bolting lever J, and, by forcing back the bend of the lever, the arm s¹ is moved
in the direction to draw back the bolt. rod, but before the bolt rod can be with-
drawn, the end of the locking lever G must be moved out of the way of its
projection r. The locking lever is operated upon for this purpose by means of
one of a number of key levers M, M, M, which are all arranged side by side
on the same horizontal fulcrum u, and have their ends left hanging through an
opening in the bottom of the drawer, in a convenient position to be operated
upon by a person's fingers, while the palm of the same hand is against the
knob L. The key levers are represented three in number, but only one is to
be employed to release the bolt lever, the others being to operate the discharge
lever and give an alarm when pressed, and the several levers being permutable,
any number of these levers may be employed, and the greater the number the
greater will be the number of permutations allowed.
The key levers are made to operate the discharging or locking lever in
the following manner:-In the block c¹ of the case C, there are two rows
of holes v, v, v, and *, *, *, which are all opposite the discharging lever F,
but the former row of holes is above the fulcrum of the key levers, and
the latter row below the said fulcrum. Each of these key levers has one
hole of each row opposite to it. Above the holes v, v, v, there is another
row of similar holes w, w, w, opposite the upper arm of the locking lever,
and below the holes *,, *, there is a row of similar holes w*, w*, w*,
opposite the lower arm of the locking lever, one hole of each of the last
described rows being also opposite to each of the key levers. The above
holes are to receive six sliding pins z, z, which serve to transmit pressure and
motion from the key levers to the discharging and locking levers. All of the

page_text: pins except one are placed in the inner rows of holes to operate on the dis-
charging lever, and the other one in a hole of one of the outer rows to operate
on the locking lever; and it will be seen that in that case two of the key levers,
whether they are pressed forward or backward, will push forward the discharge
lever F and liberate the alarm apparatus; and the other key lever, if moved
in one direction, will do the same thing, in no case operating on the locking
lever G; but that when the last-named key lever is moved in the other direc-
tion, the locking lever will be thrown forward to liberate the bolt rod without
touching the discharging lever, and consequently without sounding the alarm.
To open the drawer without giving an alarm, it is therefore necessary to move
the right key lever in the right direction, and to press in the knob, and at the
same time to pull out the drawer; this may be all done with one hand, by
placing the palm of one hand upon the knob, and the fingers of the same hand
under the drawer far enough to reach the key levers. The bolt rod after being
drawn back is always thrown back again, as soon as the knob is relieved of
pressure, by means of a strong spring q².
The registering apparatus, by which the number of improper attempts to
open the drawer is registered. The index a' of this apparatus is attached to a
small. toothed wheel 6', see Fig. 5, which is fitted loosely to a stud at the
back of the apparatus. With the wheel 6¹ is geared a single toothed pinion.c¹
which is fast upon the escapement shaft g. Every revolution of the escape-
ment wheel causes the pinion to move the wheel b¹ the distance of one tooth.
This movement is indicated by the index upon the dial d¹. An opening is made
on the back of the case C of a size and form aud in a position to correspond
with the dial, in order to enable the dial and index to be seen from the inside
of the drawer.
Figs. 8, 9, 10, exhibit some of the parts of a locking and alarm apparatus,
nearly resembling that already described, but having a secondary knob, by
which, in connection with the primary knob L, the drawer may be unlocked
and opened. Fig. 8 is an interior view, like Fig. 1, showing the different
shapes of the discharging and locking levers required when the secondary knob
is used; Fig. 9 is a top view of the discharging and locking levers and the
knob rods; and Fig. 10,.a vertical section, taken through the centres of the
knob rods, and showing all the principal parts. The rod K2 of the secondary
knob L is tubular, and fits easily outside the primary knob rod K, as is shown
in Fig. 10, extending back as far as the shoulder or collar t of the primary
knob rod. The discharging lever F, used in connection with the secondary
knob, has an upright slot e', extending upward .from the opening through
which the knob rods pass, and. the upper arm. of the locking lever has a

page_text: projection f¹, extending downwards into the slot e', playing freely therein.
At the back of the discharging lever, at the left side of the slot c', there is a
projection g', shown in Fig. 9, and dotted in Fig. 8, against which, when
the secondary knob is free, there rests, as shewn in Fig 8, a tooth h¹, which
is secured to the rear end of the secondary knob rod. This tooth is held in
the oblique position, shewn in Fig. 8, against the projection g', by a spring i,
which is coiled round the secondary rod, and has its end secured in the dis-
charging lever. The tooth h', when in this position, stands between the
shoulder or collar t of the primary knob rod and the discharging lever, and
consequently if the primary knob rod is pulled, the collar or shoulder draws
the tooth forward against the discharging lever, and liberates the escapement
wheel without moving the locking lever. The same result is produced by
pulling the secondary knob only, the tooth h¹ being then drawn against the
discharging lever, in the same way as before, though the primary knob rod is
stationary; but by turning the secondary knob to such a position as to bring
the tooth opposite the slot e¹, and then drawing it forward, the tooth will be
caused to clear the discharging lever, and to come in contact with the tongue f¹
of the locking lever, until it throws the locking lever far enough forward to set
free the bolt rod, when, by pushing the primary knob, the bolt rod is drawn
back, as it is in the first-described apparatus. When a primary and secondary
knob are employed, the drawer is opened by first turning the secondary knob,
then pressing in the primary knob, and pulling out the drawer. The primary
knob may be pressed in by the palm of one hand, while the secondary knob is
turned and pulled by the fingers. The secondary knob may be employed
without the key levers, or as an additional means of giving alarm and of
opening the drawer.
Fig. 11 is a top view, shewing the manner of applying another knob N, by
which to operate the locking lever to set free the bolt rod. The rod N¹ be-
longing to this knob connects with a horizontal lever O, arranged in the bottom
of the case, shewn also in blue colour in Fig. 1, and the lever O has its fork at
its end, which takes hold of one of the key levers. By pushing or pulling this
knob, according to the arrangement of the sliding pins,, 2, the lever O may
be made to operate on the key lever to draw the locking lever to set free the
bolt; or, by another arrangement of pins, this knob may be used merely as an
additional means of giving alarm. The knob N and its appendages may
be used either with or without the secondary knob. The knob N should be so
arranged that it may be manipulated by the fingers of the same hand as is
used to press in the knob L.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which

page_text: hat what I claim is,-
First, making the knob of a drawer movable, substantially as herein de-
cribed, and so combining it with an alarm apparatus as to cause an alarm
o be sounded whenever an attempt to open the drawer by pulling on the knob
s attempted.
Second, the combination of the spring bolt or latch I, the bolt rod H, and
the unbolting lever J, with the movable knob and the drawer, substantially
as herein described.
Third, combining the knob rod with the alarm apparatus by means of a dis-
charging lever F, arranged as described, having a projection to catch a pin
or projection k on the escapement wheel, and being operated upon by a collar
or shoulder t on the knob rod, substantially as herein described.
Fourth, combining the locking lever G and the discharging lever F with a
number of key levers M, M, M, and sliding pins z, z, x, or their equivalents,
for the purpose of serving as a permutable means of releasing the latch or
spring bolt, to enable the drawer to be unlocked, and of liberating the alarm
apparatus to give an alarm, as herein fully described.
Fifth, the combination with the primary knob L, knob rod K, locking lever
G, and discharging lever F of the secondary knob L², with its rod K¹ fitting
outside the primary knob rod, so that one can slide within or upon the other,
the said secondary knob rod carrying a tooth h³, or its equivalent, which, when
the knob is drawn out with turning, will operate the discharging lever and
give an alarm, but which, when the knob is turned to a proper position before
drawing out, will clear the discharging lever, and be caused to disengage the
locking lever by the act of drawing it out.
Sixth, combining one of the key levers when desired with a knob N, by
which it may be operated as for the purposes described.
Seventh, the combination of a registering apparatus and proper operative
mechanism with the knob rod or one of the knob rods, for the purpose of regis-
tering the number of improper attempts that may be made to open the drawer.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Avery, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JOHN AVERI.
(L.S.)