AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING MONEY TILL
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Jones, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Grocer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING
MONEY TILL."
Sealed the 8th November 1864, and dated the 14th. May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
May 1864.
I, RICHARD JONES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Grocer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
SELF-ACTING MONEY TILL," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is so to construct a money till that coins received
from customers may be kept separate, and also to prevent as much as is possible
dishonesty on the part of the assistant. The frame is made drawer fashion,
and may be either of wood or metal (by preference the former), in which
three divisions are made in a longitudinal direction, the upper one being
fixed, and divided into three money compartments; the middle longitudinal
division is a sliding drawer, by means of which the necessary action is given to

page_text: the apparatus; and the lower division is the money drawer, which is to finally
receive the coins deposited. It has been mentioned that the upper longi-
tudinal division of the frame is fixed, and divided into three money compart-
ments, which are proposed to be so arranged that those on the left and right
hand are intended for silver coins, and over which is a glass top, (through
which the coins may at any time be seen and recognised,) the centre being
so divided that at the farther end a compartment is reserved for gold coins,
over which may also be placed a glass top, the remaining space being reserved
as a convenient receptacle or receptacles for copper and silver, and over
which no glass top is intended to be placed, this compartment being merely
intended as a convenient receptacle in which a certain quantity of loose
change may be held. The left and right hand divisions (which are intended
again divided vertically by means of wooden or metal
flaps, which may be of any number, but the number of which must of
course be regulated by the length of the frame. These flaps, as applied to the
silver compartments, I call the check flaps, and they are loosely hung from
their upper parts in the frame, in such a manner that their lower ends fall
upon the sliding drawer, by means of which the action is given. These flaps
are fitted with a groove of suitable shape and size to allow levers (which I
will presently describe) to be drawn through them by the action of the sliding
drawer. The levers are pieces of metal or wood of a suitable shape, which
are also hung loosely in the frame, but which are placed in the bottom parts
of the silver compartments. The use of these levers is to raise the check
flaps upon the closing of the sliding drawer, as afterwards described.
for silver coins) are
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When a customer presents a
silver coin, the middle or sliding drawer is drawn out to a proper distance,
(which distance is regulated by the position of the farthermost check flap),
and the silver coin is deposited therein, the drawer is then closed, when the
flaps having been lifted by the levers, the coin appears in the first division
formed by the check flaps, the flaps falling in to their natural position upon
the closing of the drawer, and upon the drawer being opened again to allow
another coin to be placed therein, this first coin is propelled by the action
of the check flap to the second division, and so on until it is finally acted
upon by the last of the check flaps provided, and swept into the bottom
longitudinal division or money drawer. It has been mentioned that the
farther end of the centre compartment of the upper longitudinal division of
the frame is fitted with a compartment for gold coins, this is fitted in exactly
the same manner as the side compartments, and acted upon by the slide
drawer in a similar way, except that the flap here instead of being attached

page_text: to the frame is hung loosely from the sliding drawer, and the lever is fixed
to the frame instead of following the motion of the drawer, so that the action
is precisely reversed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Jones, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
JONES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Grocer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Jones, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Jones, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard
Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and 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 SELF-ACTING MONEY TILL," upon-
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Jones, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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 Richard Jones, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is so to construct a money till that coins
received from customers may be kept separate, and also to prevent as much
as is possible dishonesty on the part of the assistant. The frame is made
drawer fashion, and may be either of wood or metal, (by preference the
former), in which three divisions are made in a longitudinal direction, the
upper one being fixed, and divided into three money compartments; the

page_text: middle longitudinal division is a sliding drawer, by means
necessary action is given to the apparatus, and the lower division is the
money drawer, which is to finally receive the coins deposited. It has been
mentioned that the upper longitudinal division of the frame is fixed, and
divided into three money compartments, which are proposed to be so arranged
that those on the left and right hand are intended for silver coins, and over
which is a glass top, (through which the coins may at any time be seen and
recognised), the centre being so divided, that at the farther end a compart-
ment is reserved for gold coins, over which may also be placed a glass top,
the remaining space being reserved as a convenient receptacle or receptacles 1
for copper and silver, and over which no glass top is intended to be placed,
this compartment being merely intended as a convenient receptacle, in which
a certain quantity of loose change may be held. The left and right hand
divisions (which are intended for silver coins) are again divided vertically by
means of wooden or metal flaps, which may be of any number, but the number
of which must of course be regulated by the length of the frame. These
flaps, as applied to the silver compartments, I call the check flaps, and they
are loosely hung from their upper parts in the frame, in such a manner that
their lower ends fall upon the sliding drawer, by means of which the action is
given. These flaps are fitted with a groove of suitable shape and size to s
allow levers (which I will presently describe) to be drawn through them by
the action of the sliding drawer. The levers are pieces of metal or wood of a
suitable shape, which are also hung loosely in the frame, but which are
placed in the bottom parts of the silver compartments. The use of these
levers is to raise the check flaps upon the closing of the sliding drawer, as
afterwards described.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When a customer presents a
silver coin, the middle or sliding drawer is drawn out to a proper distance,
(which distance is regulated by the position of the farthermost check flap),
and the silver coin is deposited therein, the drawer is then closed, when the
flaps having been lifted by the levers, the coin appears in the first division
formed by the check flaps, the flaps falling into their natural positions upon
the closing of the drawer, and upon the drawer being opened again to allow
another coin to be placed therein, this first coin is propelled by the action of
the check flap to the second division, and so on, until it is finally acted upon
by the last of the check flaps provided, and swept into the bottom longitudinal
division or money drawer. It has been mentioned that the farther end of
the centre compartment of the upper longitudinal division of the frame is
fitted with a compartment for gold coins, this is fitted in exactly the same

page_text: manner as the side compartments, and acted upon by the slide drawer in a
similar way, except that the flap here instead of being attached to the frame
is hung loosely from the sliding drawer, and the lever is fixed to the frame
instead of following the motion of the drawer, so that the action is precisely
reversed.
That my Invention may be better understood, I have annexed Drawings
thereof, which I now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section at the line A, B; Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3
is a section at the line C, D. The frame (1) is divided into three longitudinal
money compartments (2), (3), and (4); 5 is the sliding drawer, and 6 is the
money drawer. The compartments 2 and 4, to receive silver coins, are
covered by glass.tops 6, held in by metal frames 7. Those of compartment 4
are removed in the Drawing, the better to shew the interior arrangements;
8 is the compartment for gold coins, also covered with glass 9, and the com-
partments 10 and 11 are intended for the loose change, and have no glass
tops. The silver coin compartments are divided vertically by the hanging
check flaps 12, 13, and 14, any number of which may be employed, and
these are hung upon centres on their upper ends, their lower ends falling
loosely upon the bottom of the sliding drawer 5. A groovè 15 is formed at
one side of each flap, through which are drawn, when the drawer 5 is pulled
out, the levers 16, 17, and 18, which are hung loosely to the side of the
sliding drawer, and fall upon the bottom of the same. Upon the drawer
being closed the levers 16, 17, and 18 lift the flaps 12, 13, and 14, and allow
any coins which may have been placed in the drawer at E to appear upon
the other side of the flap 12. The flap then falling into its natural position
the coin is prevented from being drawn back when the drawer is next
opened, and the operation being repeated by each flap, the coins are finally
pushed off the inclined end 19 of the drawer 5 by the flap 14, and fall
into the money drawer 6 below. The centre flap 20 (Fig. 3, where the
drawer 5 is shewn nearly closed) is hung from the end bar 21 of the drawer
5, and is lifted in like manner as before by the lever 22. It is for the
purpose of pushing from the false bottom 23 into the drawer 6 any gold
coins which have been dropped in through the opening 24 in the glass
tops.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I desire it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein-before described, (as
these may be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention,)
but what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-before in

page_text: part recited Letters Patent is, the mode or manner of constructing
Improved Self-acting Money Till," substantially as. herein-before set forth and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Jones, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
RICHARD JONES. (L.S.)