Improvements in Registering Cash Tills.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
Improvements in Registering Cash Tills.
We, GUSTAV FRENTZEN, HERMANN HOENINGHAUS and LEON MULWIDSON,
of Berlin, 125 Friedrich-Strasse, Merchants, 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in registering cash tills, and consists
principally in a novel provision whereby the opening of the till proper i.e., the
cash receptacle, must be preceded by an entry on the usual entry ribbon moving
under a transparent plate. The said till is further fitted with an automatic closing
device.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of this
Specification and read therewith :-
Figure 1 is a plan of an improved registering cash till made according to the
present invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same till after the removal of the cover of the
mechanism chamber.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section along the line - of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section along the line y-y of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section along the line x-x of Figure 1.
Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the registering cash till.
Figure 8 is a detail perspective view.
a is a box divided by a longitudinal partition into the till proper, i.e., the cash
receptacle, and the mechanism chamber.
bis the cover of the till proper. It consists of a series of parallel slats loosely
attached to each other along their sides so as to make the cover flexible
transversely, and is further adapted to slide to and fro in guiding grooves which
extend from the front of the said till to nearly the back thereof, where they
terminate in downwardly and forwardly curved extensions c, c. e is a spiral
spring adapted by its resilience to return the cover to its normal or shut
position.
The said till is opened by the cashier's pushing the cover b backwards, i.e., in
the direction indicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2. This linear motion of
the cover is converted into a rotary one in one of the ribbon rollers, by means of a
lever ga rod i and a studded disc k. The said lever is pivotted upon the top of
the longitudinal partition already mentioned, its arms 9', 92, standing over the
cover and the mechanism chamber respectively. f is a stud standing up from
the said cover and in a notch in the arm g'. This notch stands at an angle with
the direction of the motion of the cover and is open behind in order that the stud f
may rock the lever and also leave it after it has been rocked. This motion of the
lever is limited by a suitable stop.
The arm g is locked when the cover b is shut by a spring detent / adapted to
be unlocked by pressure from the outside. The detent / must therefore be unlocked
before the till above mentioned can be opened.
The rod is made fast by one end to the arm g² while its opposite ¹ acts as a
finger to engage with studs -one at a time-which are set out at equal distances
around a disck axially co-incident with and fast to the ribbon roller. The travel
of the finger i, the distance between two neighbouring studs k¹ and the distance
through which the disc k is moved each time the cover b is pushed back, are equal,
and each time that the cover is pushed back, a given length of the entry ribbon

page_text: is drawn on to the roller l. A suitable spring detent adapted to engage behind the
studs k¹ may be provided to prevent the backward motion of the disc k. Further,.
there may be provided a gong m', the striker m of which is actuated each time a
pin passes its end.
The entry ribbon is drawn by the rotation of the ribbon roller / over a slide
of
standing just below and parallel with the transparent plate n which forms part
the cover of the mechanism chamber. n' is the usual slot in the said plate, through
which access is had to the entry ribbon to make an entry thereon.
In addition to the locking detent I already mentioned, there is a further locking
mechanism adapted to prevent the cover 6 being pushed back excepting when the
cashier has made the required entry upon the entry ribbon through the slot n'.
This mechanism consists of a bolt o adapted to move to and fro in guides under-
neath the cover of the mechanism chamber and with a short reciprocating vertical
motion therein, also. Its own weight suffices, as a rule, to keep the said rod at the
bottom of its guides, when its nose will stand behind a fixed stop p. This latter
prevents the cover 6 being pushed back even when the detent has been unlocked.
This further locking mechanism is unlocked by the pressure exerted on the ribbon
whenever an entry is made on it, in the following manner. q is a roughened plate
interposed in the plane of the above mentioned plate over which the ribbon is
drawn and from which plate it is distinct. The plate q is fast upon the end of the
arm of a lever r. The end of the other arm is permanently in contact with a
spring s. This has an
angle in its length as shewn in Figure 4 in order that it
may lock the said arm in either of its terminal positions, i.e., either above or
below the said angle and also prevent its occupying an intermediate one.
arm also carries an inclined plate t which stands behind the stop p.
plate g
up, the plate t is down, the top of the stop p then projecting
latter as shewn in Figure 5. On the other hand, when the plate 9 is down,
the plate t is up and is then on a level with the top of the stop p. If the detent h
is now unlocked and the cover b pushed back through part of its travel, the free
end of the bolt o slides upwards and forwards over the stop p, so that the cover b
can be pushed quite back."
The said
When the
above the
At a certain distance from the end of the bolt o, there is a swell which presses
the plate t up again after the bolt o has passed the stop p, thereby setting the last
mentioned locking mechanism ready for the next use of the till.
The ribbon may be kept always in fair tension, by a slight spring pressure.
Further, a mechanism for holding the cover bin its open position so long as the
registering mechanism is in use, may be adopted.
The invention acts as follows.
When the cover is closed, the locking mechanisms hold it so.
When an amount
has been paid, the cashier notes it on the entry ribbon through the slot n¹; thereby
pressing the plate 7 down and the plate t up. The detent his next pressed and the
cover pushed back thereby opening the till proper and putting the returning
spring e into stress. The ribbon is moved forward for a certain distance so that
a blank place on it stands under the slot n'. If the cover b be let go, the spring e
closes the till and it cannot be opened again because a swell on the bolt o has pushed
the plate t into its normal position again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
;
1. The combination with a cash till having a sliding flexible cover; of entry
ribbon ribbon rollers; pivotted lever and intermediate mechanism adapted to
transfer the backward motion of the cover to one of the band rollers; slotted
transparent plate under which the said band is traversed, and two locking
mechanisms one of which is unlocked by pressure on a spring detent and the
other by pressure exerted on the endless band by the act of making an entry
thereon.

page_text: 2. The combination with a cash till; of the two locking mechanisms of Claim 1 ;
sliding flexible cover; its guides; curved extensions of the latter; and a returning
spring for the said cover.
3. The combination in a cash till having the two locking mechanisms of Claim 1 ;
of a pivotted lever 9 connected with the sliding cover b; a bolt o actuated by
the said pivotted lever and capable of a short up and down motion; and a fixed
stop p.
4. The combination of bolt o; plate under that portion of the endless band upon
which the next entry is to be made; a pivotted lever carrying the said plate on
one of its arms and an inclined plate at the other, the said plate held normally in
front of a fixed stop, whereby the forward motion of the bolt o is capable of leading
to its being raised by the said inclined plate above the level of the said fixed stop;
a swell on the bolt o adapted to return the said inclined plate into its normal
position; and a spring adapted to lock the said pivotted lever in either of its
terminal positions and prevent its staying in an intermediate one.
Dated this 19th day of June 1895.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.