Improvements in Automatic Coin-sorting and other Tills.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Coin-sorting and other Tills.
I, JAMES COOK, of the Liberal Club, Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows,
that is to say :-
My said invention comprises improved constructive details in or connected with
automatic coin-sorting tills, parts being also applicable to other tills.
An important feature of my improved apparatus is the providing of an inlet or
feeding-in hopper into which a quantity of change or a number of coius may be
simultaneously swept off a counter or table or be otherwise put. This inlet hopper
is, by preference, let or sunk into the counter or table with the top of its frame or
border flush with the surface of counter or table; and it may communicate with
automatic coin-sorting apparatus hereinafter described or with a simple till drawer
or receptacle; or there may be in the same counter or table two or more inlets or
hoppers communicating with separate receptacles.
An example of my improved combined apparatus is represented on an accom-
panying sheet of explanatory drawings hereinafter referred to in describing the
constructive details.
Figure, 1, of the drawings is a plan, Figure, 2, is an inner-side elevation, and
Figure, 3, is a transverse vertical section of the apparatus. The remaining figures,
are enlarged views of parts, Figure, 4, being a plan, and Figure, 5, a longitudinal
vertical section of the inlet or feeding-in hopper.
Figures, 6, and, 7, are transverse vertical sections as taken across the middle
of the hopper, and showing slight variations of a detail.
Figure, 8, is a cross section of an inclined shoot down which the coins pass on
leaving the hopper; and
Figure, 9, is an inner-side elevation showing the hopper and the upper end of
the inclined shoot.
In these drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The apparatus is fitted to a rectangular box, A, which may be of wood or other
suitable material, and is designed to be fixed immediately beneath a counter or table
top, B. At the upper left-hand corner as viewed by the cashier, teller, or person
stationed at the inner side of the counter or table top, B, there is situated the inlet or
feeding-in hopper, C, the shape of which is fully shown in the drawings. This
hopper, C, which is preferably made of metal is inserted in an opening made for it
in the counter or table top, B, a flange forming the top frame of the hopper being
let in so as to be flush with the surface of the counter or table top. The apparatus
shown is designed for sorting silver, and copper, or bronze coins, and the operator
after separating from a quantity of cash the gold and notes if any, draws or sweeps
the silver and copper or bronze coins into the hopper, C. At the side of the
hopper, C, nearest the edge of the counter there is a corrugated apron, D, consisting
either of sufficiently elastic metal fixed at the top as shown in Figure, 6, or loosely
hinged and resting against a separate spring as shown in Figure, 7; and coins
entering the hopper and coming into contact with the apron, D, are by it made to
lean against the other side of the hopper, this other side being inclined and
continuous with the inner side, E, of the shoot. An opening is formed in the top of
the apron, D, to allow of the space behind it being examined; and the lower part
of the apron extends a short distance into the shoot. The bottom of the hopper, C,
is also inclined and continuous with the bottom, F, of the shoot; and the bottom of

page_text: the hopper and shoot is at right angles to the inner side, E, of the shoot. The
lower part of the inner side, E, of the shoot projects slightly as shown in Figure, 8,
so that a coin, G, will touch the side of the shoot only at its lower part and at its
highest point, instead of its whole surface being in contact so that the frictional
resistance due to contact may be a minimum. The difference between the lower
and upper part of the inner side, E, of the shoot commences just beyond the
hopper, C, the entire surface of the inner side of the hopper being flush with the
lower part of the shoot side, E, the upper part of that side being as it were slightly
recessed relatively to the inner side of the hopper.
The inner side, E, of the shoot is made with a series of openings, H, (shown
black in Figures, 2, and 9) which are of graduated sizes as regards their vertical
(or nearly vertical) widths, these widths being made to suit the series of coins to be
sorted and such that when each coin reaches its proper opening it finds the top of
that opening slightly higher than to support its top part, and the coin consequently
topples over and falls through the opening. The openings, H, are long enough to
ensure the coins toppling over before getting beyond their proper openings. Along
the outer side of the shoot, E, F, there is fixed a guard, J, which is preferably of
perforated or open-worked thin sheet metal, to prevent coins from falling outwards
if through striking each other or the edges of the openings, H, any should tend to
topple outwards. Behind the openings, H, the box, A, is made with vertical
partitions, indicated by dotted lines, K, in Figures, 1, and, 2, the spaces between the
partitions receiving the coins falling through the several openings and guiding them
down to separate compartments, L, in a drawer, M, below. This drawer, M, which
is shown as partly drawn out in Figures, 1, and, 3, has the outer ends of its
compartments, L, concavely shaped in a manner to facilitate the withdrawal of the
coins by hand when required.
The box, A, is shown as fitted with two drawers, N, P, which may be used as
receptacles for gold and notes; and a turning down door, Q, is hinged to the
bottom of the box, and can be turned up and locked to cover and secure the
drawers, M, N, P, and the shoot. The part of the face of the box, between
the shoot, E, F, and the drawer, M, may be open and covered with wire gauze, R,
as shown, or it might be with glass. This enables a person to see at a glance if there
are coins in any of the compartments under the shoot.
The apparatus may, of course, be
constructed to suit any series of coins.
-1 1000
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Coin-sorting and other Tills.
I, JAMES COOK, of the Liberal Club, Paisley, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Merchant, 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, that is to say :-
My said invention comprises improved constructive details in or connected with
automatic coin-sorting tills, parts being also applicable to other tills.
An important feature of my improved apparatus is the providing of an inlet or
feeding-in hopper into which a quantity of change or a number of coins may be
simultaneously swept off a counter or table or be otherwise put. This inlet or
hopper is, by preference, let or sunk into the counter or table with the top of its
frame or border flush with the surface of counter or table; and it may communicate
with automatic coin-sorting apparatus hereinafter described or with a simple till
drawer or receptacle; or there may be in the same counter or table two or more
inlets or hoppers communicating with separate receptacles.

page_text: An example of my improved combined apparatus is represented on a sheet of
explanatory drawings accompanying my application and Provisional Specification
and these drawings are hereinafter referred to in describing the constructive
details.
Figure, 1, of the drawings is a plan, Figure, 2, is an inner-side elevation, and
Figure, 3, is a transverse vertical section of the apparatus. The remaining figures
are enlarged views of parts, Figure, 4, being a plan and Figure, 5, a longitudinal
vertical section of the inlet or feeding-in hopper.
Figures, 6, and, 7, are transverse vertical sections as taken across the middle of
the hopper, and showing slight variations of a detail.
Figure, 8, is a cross section of an inclined shoot down which the coins pass on
leaving the hopper; and
Figure, 9, is an inner-side elevation showing the hopper and the upper end of the
inclined shoot.
In these drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
•
The apparatus is fitted to a rectangular box, A, which may be of wood or other
suitable material, and is designed to be fixed immediately beneath a counter or
table top, B. At the upper left-hand corner as viewed by the cashier, teller, or
person stationed at the inner side of the counter or table top, B, there is situated
the inlet or feeding-in hopper, C, the shape of which is fully shown in the drawings.
This hopper, C, which is preferably made of metal is inserted in an opening made
for it in the counter or table top, B, a flange forming the top frame of the hopper
being let in so as to be flush with the surface of the counter or table top. The
apparatus shown is designed for sorting silver and copper or bronze coins, and the
operator after separating from a quantity of cash the gold and notes if any, draws
or sweeps the silver and copper or bronze coins into the hopper, C. At the side
of the hopper, C, nearest the edge of the counter there is a corrugated apron, D,
consisting either of sufficiently elastic metal fixed at the top as shown in Figure, 6,
or loosely hinged and resting against a separate spring as shown in Figure, 7,
and coins entering the hopper and coming into contact with the apron, D, are
by it made to lean against the other side of the hopper, this other side being
An opening is
inclined and continuous with the inner side, E, of the shoot.
formed in the top of the apron, D, to allow of the space behind it being
examined; and the lower part of the apron extends a short distance into the
shoot. The bottom of the hopper, C, is also inclined and continuous with the
bottom, F, of the shoot; and the bottom of the hopper and shoot is at right
angles to the inner side, E, of the shoot. The lower part of the inner side, E,
of the shoot projects slightly as shown in Figure, 8, so that a coin, G, will
touch the side of the shoot only at its lower part and at its highest point;
instead of its whole surface being in contact so that the frictional resistance
due to contact may be a minimum. The difference between the lower and upper
part of the inner side, E, of the shoot commences just beyond the hopper, C, the
entire surface of the inner side of the hopper being flush with the lower part of
5 the shoot side, E, the upper part of that side being as it were slightly recessed
relatively to the inner side of the hopper.
The inner side, E, of the shoot is made with a series of openings, H, (shown
black in Figures, 2, and, 9) which are of graduated sizes as regards their vertical
(or nearly vertical) widths, these widths being made to suit the series of coins to
0 be sorted and such that when each coin reaches its proper opening it finds the top
of that opening slightly higher than to support its top part, and the coin con-
sequently topples over and falls through the opening. The openings, H, are long
enough to insure the coins toppling over before getting beyond their proper
openings. Along the outer side of the shoot, E F, there is fixed a guard, J, which
5 is preferably of perforated or openworked thin sheet metal, to prevent coins from
falling outwards if through striking each other or the edges of the openings, H, any
should tend to topple outwards. Behind the openings, H, the box, A, is made

page_text: with vertical partitions, indicated by dotted lines, K, in Figures, 1, and, 2, the
spaces between the partitions receiving the coins falling through the several
openings and guiding them down to separate compartments, L, in a drawer, M,
below. This drawer, M, which is shown as partly drawn out in Figures, 1, and, 3,
has the outer ends of its compartments, L, concavely shaped in a
facilitate the withdrawal of the coins by hand when required.
manner to
The box, A is shown as fitted with two drawers, N, P, which may be used as
receptacles for gold and notes; and a turning down door, Q, is hinged to the
bottom of the box, and can be turned up and locked to cover and secure the
drawers M, N, P, and the shoot. The part of the face of the box, between
the shoot, E, F, and the drawer, M, may be open and covered with wire gauze, R,.
as shown, or it might be with glass. This enables a person to see at a glance if-
there are coins in any of the compartments under the shoot.
The apparatus may of course, be constructed to suit any series of coins.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of parts constituting, as a whole, the automatic coin-sorting
till substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings.
2. The feeding-in hopper constructed substantially, as herein before described and
shown in the drawings, and as applicable to automatic coin-sorting or other tills.
Dated this Twenty-third day of January 1894.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent,
Per pro David Ferguson.