Year: 1886

page_text: I ALGERNON JASPER LYON of 53 St Andrew's Street Cambridge in the County
of Cambridge Solicitor 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved apparatus and till which indicates to the
payor and then automatically registers the several amounts of money received by
shopmen cashiers or other person so that by comparing the total of the register
with the amount of money in the till it can at any time be ascertained if theft has
been committed and if so what amount has been stolen.
This apparatus and till I prefer to construct in the following manner:—the
mechanism is enclosed in a box having a lid which may be either desk shaped or
flat and should be kept locked. In the lower part of the box is a drawer or till in
which are any desired number of receptacles in which to place the monies. The
box should be placed on a shop counter or other convenient place with the till
drawer to the cashier and the front in which is a small glazed window towards the
payors or customers.
At the upper part of the back of the box next the cashier
are four index fingers or regulators with a dial around each on which are denoted
numbers viz on that representing farthings nought to three on that representing
pence nought to eleven on that representing shillings nought to nineteen and on
that representing pounds nought to twenty or more. The index fingers or
regulators are fixed to spindles on the other ends of which opposite the window
in front of the box are discs or indicators having numbers thereon corresponding
with the dials and the operation of moving the regulators causes the discs to
revolve so that numbers similar to those to which the regulators point appear at
the window near which may be an inscription "Cash received or other words
similar. Each disc is cut in steps or notches at the edge so as not to come before
the figures of the other discs where these are opposite the window and the arrange-
ment is such that all the necessary figures are exhibited at the window in one
line. On each of the spindles is a cog wheel geared by another cog wheel' with a
roller on which is engraved numeral type corresponding with the numbers on its
indicating disc and dial. The type roller is in each case so fixed that the operation
D
"

page_text: of moving the index finger or regulator to a number causes the type roller to
revolve until a similar number is opposite a printing lever over which a tape or
slip of paper travels by steps. On the same axis with the printing lever is an arm
carrying a roller which rests on a guiding surface on the till or drawer and is so
held by a spiral spring. When the till is open the printing end of the lever is
against the type rollers and when the till is shut the guiding surface keeps the
printing end of the lever away from the same.
Besides providing mechanism as above mentioned for setting the indicators and
type roller and obtaining an impression from the latter when the till is opened it
is further necessary to provide means to prevent the type rollers from being moved
in the interval between the commencement of the opening of the till drawer and
the completion of the recording operation. To accomplish this the following
arrangements are made; a lever is mounted upon the side of the box and a spring
holds the lower end of this lever up to a guide surface on the side of the till. The
lever controls a plate having pins upon it and when the till commences to open
the lever rotates the plate so as to bring the pins between the teeth of wheels
provided for the purpose upon the spindles carrying the index fingers or regulators.
The pins also in entering between these teeth which are pointed and have inclined
cam like surfaces-bring the type rollers to proper positions for printing if they
have not previously been set with precision. When the till is fully open the guide
surface passes beyond the lever and its extremity (which is jointed) then stands in
front of the lever. On closing the till the lever strikes this projecting end of the
guide surface which causes the lever to rock and the unlocking movement is
thereby imparted to the plate. The lever as the till closes enters upon the guide
surface and passes along it until finally in closing the lever passes into a notch at
the other end of the guide surface into position ready to operate in the reverse
direction when the till next opens.
To prevent the cashier shutting the till before the printing is fully completed a
pawl is placed on the inside of the box to engage with a rack placed on the edge
of the till or drawer when the till is opened. The pawl is so fixed that when the
till has been opened to the full extent the pawl drops off the rack and it allows
the till to be shut. On the till commencing to shut the pawl reverses its position
and engages with the rack but in the opposite direction and so prevents the till
being again opened until it has been completely shut. The pawl then again drops
off the rack ready to again reverse its position when the till is opened. The
operation of opening the till also by means of a stud fixed on the side of the till
rings a bell which is intended to call the attention of the payor or customer to the
numbers at the window in front of the box and to the said words thereon.
The apparatus is to be worked in the following manner:―
The cashier having received money from the payor or customer sets the indicator
to indicate the amount to be taken-he then opens the till thereby ringing the bell
and calling attention. The type rollers and indicators have now become locked
and no change can be made and the till cannot be closed until the record has been
printed that is to say until the till has been fully opened. The cashier places the
money received in the till, gives change if necessary and finally again closes the till
ready for another transaction.
If the lid of the box be kept locked the cashier is unable to tamper with the
slip of paper or register and if he has not been guilty of theft or carelessness in
working the apparatus the amount of money in the till will tally with the total of
the amounts registered on the slip of paper. If the operator through carelessness
or desiring to thieve places the regulators opposite wrong figures the payor or
customer discovers it when his attention is called to the discs by the ringing of
the bell and the apparatus is so adjusted that when the bell rings all the regulators
have become locked so that the cashier or operator has then no means of preventing
his carelessness or attempted theft being detected.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed,

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation of a till and apparatus constructed in accordance with
my invention; the part here shown is that which faces the cashier.
Figure 2 is an elevation; the part shown being that which faces the payor or
customer.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 1. 1. in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan with some of the parts removed.
Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 2. 2. in Figure 3 and looking from
right to left in the direction of the arrow placed on this line.
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line 3. 3 in Figure 3 and looking from
left to right as indicated by the arrow placed on the line.
:
a. a. is the case of the apparatus-it is convenient to make it of desk like form,
and the mechanism is locked up within it. 6 is the till or drawer-it has a number
of cavities b 61 in which the money is to be placed-this drawer can be opened
and closed by the cashier at his pleasure, but whenever it is opened it operates the
recording mechanism. c¹ c³ ³ care axes carried in bearings in a suitable frame-
work d and projecting through at the front of the apparatus where the cashier is
posted; here also each axis carries a regulator or index finger c*. It is intended
that the cashier before opening the drawer of the till should set these index fingers
to the figures upon the dials e. e. e. e. in such manner as to indicate the sum in
pounds shillings, pence and farthings which is paid to him by a purchaser and
which should be deposited in the till. The axes cl cc at their further ends
carry serrated discs fi f f f on which figures are written. g is a glass window
at the back of the case and behind this window there is a shield plate in which is
a slit h and some of the figures upon the discs f¹ f f f can be be seen through
this slit by the payor or customer who is paying the cashier. The figures so seen
through the slit h will correspond to those on the dials to which the index
fingers c* have been placed by the cashier.
The axes c¹ c³ ³ carry toothed wheels i. i. i. i. and these gear with four other
toothed wheels j. j. j. j. which are fast to corresponding rollers k. k. which have
printing type engraved on their peripheries and which are adapted to print figures
indicating pounds, shillings, pence and farthings each axis by means of its wheel i,
thus controls one of the type rollers k and it so places it that the figures which are
directly under the axis , on which all these type rollers can turn freely correspond
with the figures to which the index fingers c* point and to the figures which the
corresponding disc brings into view through the slit h. m is a roller on which a
long tape or paper is wound-the paper is drawn from the roller m to be wound
upon a second roller n, and whilst it passes from the one roller to the other it is
brought into contact with type rollers and is printed. There is a door in the side
of the case giving access to the paper rolls-o is a printing pad carried by a printing
lever o¹ which has its fulcrum at o'-a spring p connected with this lever tends at
all times to raise the pad o up to the type rollers and to bring the paper which, as
will be seen lays over the pad o into contact with these rollers to be printed; but
when the till drawer is closed the printing pad is kept away from the type rollers
by means of a lever arm q also fixed upon the axis o* this lever carries a roller q¹
which is supported by a guide course 6³ upon the till drawer-when the till drawer
is opened the roller passes along this course and down the incline 63, and the printing
is then effected, and when the till drawer is again closed the roller q' passes up the
incline 63 and again on to the guide track 6. The lever o¹ which carries the
printing pad also projects through a slotted hole r¹ in a rocking frame r and so
the movement of the lever o' causes the frame r to rock about its axis at ris
an inking roller carried by the frame r and pressed upwards by light springs-the
lever o¹ when it passes up along the slot r' causes this inking roller to pass over
the type at the lower parts of the type rollers and then immediately afterwards it
brings up the paper into contact with these type and an impression is taken from
them.

page_text: All this takes place during the opening of the till drawer-as it is closed the
rocking frame returns to its original position and then, by means of the pawl
upon it engaging with a ratchet wheel n¹ on the roller n it gives motion to this
roller and winds the paper forward, so that the next impression taken may be at a
suitable distance from the preceding-s is a bell which by the operation of an
ordinary trigger finger 8', on the drawer, is caused to be struck as the till drawer
commences to open-this is to warn the person making the payment to look at the
figures then presented opposite the slit h and to see that they correspond accurately
with the payment he has to make-t is a stop pawl turning on a centre on the side
of the case-it engages with the teeth of a rack b* on the side of the till drawer,
so that when the cashier has commenced to open the drawer he cannot close it
again until it has been fully opened and until the type rollers have printed the
paper in the manner already described when the drawer is entirely open the last of
the teeth 6 has passed the end of the stop pawl t so that the drawer then can
freely close the pawl swinging over to the other side and during the closing of
the drawer the stop pawl operates in the reverse direction so that after the closing
has been commenced the drawer cannot be opened again until it has been completely
closed and the paper has consequently been moved forward so that the impression
upon it cannot be blurred by any subsequent impression. u is a lever which is
intended to prevent the type wheels being shifted at improper times-it is mounted
on a centre at u¹ and the spring u tends constantly to draw its lower end forward,
but this when the till drawer is closed is prevented by the surface 6° fixed to
the till drawer and which then supports the end of the finger-u³ is an arm
upon the lever which enters a slot vt in a frame v which is able to rotate about
a central axis * this frame carries projections ³ ³ on which are pins intended
to engage with teeth on wheels w¹ w³ ³ w fixed upon the axes c¹ c² c³ c. When
the lower end of the lever u passes forward as it does when the till opens the
slotted arm v raises the pins v³ and they enter between the teeth of the wheels. If
the wheels are not already quite correctly in position the pins bring them to such
a position by operating against one or other of the inclined cam like sides of the
teeth extending from the point to the contracted locking notch near the root of
the tooth. When each wheel is thus accurately set it is locked by the pin v³
sinking into the locking notch and then the wheels w¹ w³ w³ w' and consequently
also the type rollers k cannot be moved until the pins are again withdrawn from
the teeth. When the till drawer commences to open the lower end of the lever u,
passes down in the notch b* in the surface 65 and during the further movement of
the drawer the lever mounts upon this guide surface but then inclined in the
opposite direction; the lower end of the lever u now being directed towards the
cashier. By these movements the locking of the type rollers is effected in the
manner already described. The type rollers continue locked in consequence of the
lever being supported by the surface 6 until the drawer is fully opened and until
the type rollers have already printed upon the paper and recorded the position in
which the type rollers have been placed. When the till drawer is fully open the
guide surface b' has passed beyond the lever u and so also bas a continuation 6º of
the surface b. This part be is mounted on a joint 67 so as to be capable of a slight
movement, and it is sustained by the spring 68, which throws the end of the piece b
slightly upwards so that in the closing of the till drawer the end catches the
extremity of the lever u and the lever as the drawer closes mounts upon the
surface 6, in the position in which it is shown in Figure 3.
This reversal of the position of the lever u removes the pins v³ from the
teeth w¹ w w³ w₁ and the type rollers may then be again set to record a fresh
transaction.
oc. c. c. c. are pawls which are held by springs against the teeth of the
wheels w¹ www-they aid the cashier in setting the index fingers or regulators
to the correct positions, giving the wheels a tendency to rotate by steps of suitable
lengths

page_text: When the till drawer is open the cashier is free to give change from it; but
there will be automatically recorded upon the paper figures corresponding to the
positions of the type wheels at the time when the till drawer is opened, and if in
each case the payor sees that these figures accurately correspond with the payment
he makes no fraud is possible without detection.
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.) The combination with a till of indicators type rollers printing mechanism
and locking parts; the whole so arranged that when the till is closed the indicators
and type wheels can be set as required and then the opening of the till causes a
record to be printed and also a locking of the parts until this operation has been
effected substantially as described.
(2.) The indicating arrangement consisting of discs having serrated edges and
figures thereon which are read in line through a narrow slit or window substantially
as described,
(3.) The mechanism for adjusting and locking the indicators and type rollers
consisting of wheels with pointed cam like teeth and with locking notches fixed on
the spindles controlling the indicators, and pins or studs which on opening the till
drawer enter between the cam like teeth first setting them to a correct position and
then sinking into the locking notches substantially as described.
(4.) The combination with the said adjusting and locking mechanism of a lever
controlled by a guide surface on the till drawer and operating to move a plate on
which the locking pins or studs are carried substantially as described.
(5.) The mechanism for effecting the printing operation consisting of a printing
lever controlled by an inclined and a guide surface on the till drawer so that the
printing lever is retained until the drawer is opened and is then released, in order
that by the aid of a spring the printing operation may be effected substantially as
described.
(6.) The mechanism for inking the type consisting of a rocking frame carrying
an inking roller and having an inclined slot receiving the extremity of the printing
lever substantially as described.
(7.) The locking mechanism in connection with the till drawer consisting of a
reversible pawl and rack of appropriate length which compels the completion of
each opening and closing movement of the till drawer substantially as described.
(8.) My improved till with indicating and registering apparatus substantially as
described.