IMPROVEMENTS IN MONEY TILLS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Kay, of Islington, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MONEY TILLS."
the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st March 1876.
THOMAS KAY, of Islington, in the County of Middlesex. * IMPROVEMENTS IN
MONEY TILLS."
My improvements in money tills have for their object to prevent and detect
dishonesty on the part of the attendants who receive money paid over the
counter.
According to my Invention the till is constructed in the following manner :-
At the centre of the front, or in any convenient position in the case of the till,
there is a rotating wheel or drum provided with compartments, each containing
say I worth of silver to be exchanged for gold as may be required for giving
change, the gold being put in the place of the silver, so that the amount of money
in the drum is always the same.
Towards either side at the front of the till there
is a slit leading to a shoot, one for half-crowns and the other for florins, the shoots
communicating with separate locked compartiments, it not being intended to return
ns change for gold half-crowns and florins taken in payment. Each slit or shoot
has a glazed opening, at which the coin is visible after being dropped in, it being
retained opposite this opening by a spring stop, so that any doubt or dispute as to
the value of the coin paid can be conclusively settled at once, after which the coin
is released by pushing back the stop. A bell is so disposed that it shall be struck
by the coin as it passes down the shoot to notify that it has actually been dropped
into the till. There are two other openings, one for shillings, and the other for
sixpences, over tubular shoots provided with bells for the coins to strike in passing
down the shoots, which are vertical and correspond in diameter to the size of the
coin, so that a number of the latter dropped in will form a regular pile at the bottom
of the tube. The latter is closed by a spring slide fitted to move in guides, and
so constructed that each time it is drawn forward it will withdraw the bottom coin
of the pile, which drops into a bowl placed to receive it. This slide strikes a bell each
time it is operated, and as one coin only can be delivered at a time the bell sounds
once for each coin taken for the purpose of giving change. A counting or registrating
apparatus of the ordinary kind may be combined with the slide to indicate exactly
how many coins have been withdrawn. If dishonesty be suspected, the shillings
I Daian 11

page_text: and sixpences taken in payment are not allowed to be returned again as change,
but are conveyed by a branch shoot into a separate locked receptacle. This is
done by an adjustable deflector placed in the vertical shoot opposite an opening at
one side leading to the branch shoot, which is some distance above the slide, so as
to leave room for sufficient coin to be placed in the bottom of the tube for the
purpose of giving change. The money received in this case does not fall on to the
pile, but is diverted into the locked receptacle, where any marked money paid in
should be received..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Kay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th September
1876.
THOMAS KAY, of Islington, in the County of Middlesex.
"MONEY TILLS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
My improvements in money tills have for their object to detect dishonesty on
the part of the attendants who receive money paid over the counter.
According to my Invention the till is constructed in the following manner:-
At the centre of the front or in any convenient position in the case of the till there
is a rotating wheel or drum provided with compartments (say 20) cach containing
say worth of silver to be exchanged for gold as may be required for giving
change, the gold being put in the place of the silver so that the amount of money
in the drum is always the same.
Towards either side at the front of the till there
is a slit leading to a shoot, one for half-crowns, and the other for florins, the shoots
communicating with a locked drawer or compartment, it not being intended to
return as change for gold the half-crowns and florins taken in payment. Each slit
or shoot has a glazed opening at which the coin is visible after being dropped in,
it being retained opposite this opening by a spring stop, so that any doubt or dis-
pute as to the value of the coin paid can be conclusively settled at once, after which
the coin is released by pushing back the stop. A bell is so disposed that it shall be
struck by the coin as it passes into the drawer to notify that it has actually been
dropped into the till. There are two other openings one for shillings and the other
for sixpences over tubular shoots provided with bells for the coins to strike in
passing down the shoots, which are vertical and correspond in diameter to the size
of the coin, so that a number of the latter dropped in will form a regular pile at the
bottom of the tube. The latter is closed by a spring slide fitted to move in guides,
and so constructed that each time it is drawn forward it will withdraw the bottom
coin of the pile which drops into a bowl placed to receive it. This slide strikes a
bell each time it is operated, and as one coin only can be delivered at a time the
bell sounds once for each coin taken for the purpose of giving change.
A counting or registering apparatus of the ordinary kind may, if desired, be com-
bined with the slide and be operated thereby, as will be readily understood, to
indicate exactly how many coins have been withdrawn.
If dishonesty be suspected the shillings and sixpences taken in payment are not
allowed to be returned again as change, but are conveyed by a branch shoot into
a separate locked receptacle. This is done by an adjustable deflector placed in
the vertical shoot opposite an opening at one side leading to the branch shoot, which
is some distance above the slide, so as to leave room for sufficient coin to be placed
in the lower part of the tube for the purpose of giving change. The money received
does not now fall on to the pile, but is diverted into the locked receptacle where any
marked money paid in should be received.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

page_text: A is the wooden case of the till provided with a locked door at the back for
giving access to the interior; B is a wheel or drum mounted to rotate on a vertical
axis, and constructed of sheet metal with recesses B' or shelves around its periphery
for silver change. This drum is enclosed within the case A, and in front of it
there is an opening in the case A, and by turning the drum either of the
recesses B' may be brought opposite the opening b; C, D, are openings in the front
of the case A for half-crowns and florins respectively. They communicate with
vertical shoots C, D, leading to inclined flat shoots C, D, down which the coins
roll into a common receptacle or drawer E contained at the bottom of the till. In
the vertical shoots C, D, there are spring stops c, d, operated by knobs c, d,
projecting from the front of the till, the said spring stops serving to detain the
coins when dropped in the openings C, D, opposite glazed apertures C3, D3, where
they remain visible until allowed to fall into the drawer E, by pushing back the
stops c, d, by means of the knobs c, d. F is a bell against which the coins strike
in falling into E; G, H, are funnel-shaped apertures leading to vertical tubes G', H³,
for sixpences and shillings respectively. The said tubes are of circular form in
cross section and are just large enough for the coins, so that the latter when dropped
in are piled upon one another in the tubes and rest upon horizontal sliding plates g,
fitted to work in guides beneath the lower ends of the tubes G, H, G, H, are
bells mounted beside tubes G, H, and partly projecting through apertures in said
tubes so as to be struck by the coins passing down them. The slides g, h, have
openings corresponding to the size of the coins, and are provided with pull
handles, projecting from the front of the till. To the other ends of the slides
are connected springs, which serve to draw back the slides g, h, to their normal
position, when released after being pulled forward by the handles g, ²; g are
flexible hammers fixed on the slides g, h, in such a position as to strike the bells g³,
when the slides g, h, are released after being drawn forward as above-mentioned.
The whole of these parts are contained within the till case A, as shown.
In the ordinary course, change for lesser amounts than £1 is taken from the
shillings and sixpences, paid in and contained in the tubes G, H, and from a supply
of coppers contained in an open bowl I in front of the till. In order to take change
from either of the tubes G, H, the corresponding slide is pulled forward until the
opening therein passes under the tube and allows the bottoin coin only of the pile to
fall through it. The coins are delivered by shoots g, h, into two open bowls G³, H³,
in front of the till. In order to test the honesty of the attendant the arrangement of
the till is secretly modified in the following way-The shillings and sixpences taken
in payment are not allowed to fall to the bottom of the tubes G, H, to be given out
as change, but are conveyed by branch shoots K, L, into the closed receptacle E,
along with the half-crowns and florins, where any marked or test money paid in
ought to be found. This is effected in the following way--A supply of shillings and
sixpences to a known amount is placed in the tubes G, H, so that change may be
given when required as though no alteration had been made in the till, and the coins
dropped into the tubes G', H', are unknown to the attendant diverted through
openings in said tubes into the branch shoots by placing deflecting plates in the
tubes G, H, in a line with the branch shoots K, L. This will be readily understood
by reference to Figure 4, which shews in part section one of the tubes and branch
shoots L, with the plate M, fitted in place and forming a continuation of the branch
shoot into the vertical tube. N is an opening communicating with a tubular passage
N', passing through the centre of drum B, by which payments made for large
purchases may be dropped into a special receptacle O, apart from the rest of the
takings if desired.
R is a slit through which 3d. or 4d. pieces are dropped into the
drawer E.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Inventien to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is-
1st. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved
money till, substantially as and for the purposes specified and illustrated in the
Drawings

page_text: 2nd. In a money till the shoots C', D', provided with glazed apertures C3, D3,
and spring stops c, d, as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. In a money till the combination with tubular shoots G, H, of spring slides
g, h, having apertures g, h, and fitted to work beneath said tubes G', H', in such
manner that one coin can only be withdrawn at a time, substantially as shown and
described.
4th. In a money till the combination with the tubes G, H, and slides g, h, as
aforesaid of the branch shoots and deflectors in communication with the tubes
G', H, as and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Kay, have hereunto set my hand and
scal, this Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
THOMAS KAY. (L.S.)