Improvements in Safety Traps for Money Chests and other Boxes or Receptacles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 13th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Traps for Money Chests and other Boxes
or Receptacles.
We, HAROLD STEAD BALL, of Hillside. Dunstans Road, Dulwich, in the
County of Surrey, Draughtsman and HARRY WITHERS CHUBB, of 128 Queen
Victoria Street, in the City of London, Lock and Safe Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates more especially to the devices known as safety traps used
in connection with the money chests employed on railways for collecting cash and
conveying it to the central cashier's office, but it is equally applicable to any box
or receptacle into which it may be desired to place any article without unlocking
and opening the main lid, but from which it is intended that such article cannot be
taken except by unlocking and opening the said lid.
Boxes or chests, of the kind above referred to, are usually provided with a main
lid securely locked by means of a key which remains in the possession of a
responsible person. The said lid is usually provided with a smaller lid combined
with a device commonly called a "trap "which enables bags of money or other
valuables to be inserted into the box or chest by the officials at the various stations
on a line of railway for example, but it is intended to prevent their extraction
from the box or chest until the main lid is opened. The object of the present
invention is to so construct the trap that it will be impossible, apart from the
fracture by violence of some part of the trap or chest, to extract any article from
the chest or other receptacle through the said trap, that is to say in any other way
than by unlocking and opening the main lid.
For this purpose we attach to the inside of the trap lid a scoop or hopper-shaped
chamber (hereinafter called, for shortness, the "scoop") into which the money or
other article can be placed when the trap lid is open. The scoop is provided with
a hinged plate or flap which, when the lid aud scoop are open, lies on the bottom
part of the latter, but which, when the lid and scoop are closed, falls down by the
action of gravity, or of a spring, or other device, and closes the mouth of the scoop.
The flap is hinged to the mouth of the scoop and the hinge is provided with a crank
arm and guide pin which latter is guided by a rib or other suitable guide on the
side of a cheek secured to the main lid or other part of the box or receptacle to
which the trap is applied. The said rib or guide so guides the aforesaid pin as to
prevent the flap opening or closing except at or near the ends of the movements of
the scoop, and a spring catch may be provided to prevent the trap lid and scoop
from being opened if the aforesaid guide pin should happen to get to the wrong side
of the guide.
It will now be understood that if the trap lid be opened, the mouth of the scoop
beneath it will be presented outside the chest ready to receive any article that is
to be placed in the latter. In this position of the scoop the flap is lying on the
bottom thereof and the bag of money, or other article, when inserted into the scoop
will rest on the said flap. "When the trap lid is closed, the scoop carried down
into the chest with its mouth turned downward and the money or other article falls
out into the lower part of the chest. The guide pin on the hinge of the flap will
by that time have arrived at a point in the lower end of the guide which will allow
the flap to fall or to be so moved as to close the mouth of the scoop, and the guide
pin will thereby be brought to a part of the guide which will cause the flap to keep

page_text: the mouth of the scoop closed until the lid and scoop are again opened when the pin
will come to a part of the upper end of the guide which will allow the flap to again
fall to the bottom of the scoop, leaving the mouth of the latter open for the
reception of another article for insertion into the chest. If however by turning
the chest over, or by some other manipulation, an article has been reintroduced
into the scoop from the chest while the lid and scoop are closed, the flap must
necessarily have been pressed inwards from the mouth of the scoop and this will
bring the guide pin to the wrong side of the guide. If now an attempt be made
to open the trap lid, the guide pin comes in contact with the aforesaid spring catch
and prevents the trap lid from being opened and consequently the mouth of the
scoop from being brought outside the chest.
A guard plate is provided inside the chest, opposite to the scoop, of sufficient
length to prevent the mouth of the scoop from being opened partly to the outside
and partly to the inside of the chest while the trap lid is being closed which would.
if not provided against, enable the hand or a suitable instrument to be inserted
directly into the chest and more or less of the contents to be thereby extracted.
Dated this 13th day of June 1894
H. S. BALL,
H. W. CHUBB,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Traps for Money Chests and other Boxes
or Receptacles.
We, HAROLD STEAD BALL, of Hillside, Dunstan's Road, Dulwich, in the
County of Surrey, Draughtsman, and HARRY WITHERS CHUBB, of 128 Queen
Victoria Street, in the City of London, Lock and Safe Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates more especially to the devices known as safety traps used
in connection with the money chests employed on railways for collecting cash and
conveying it to the central cashier's office, but it is equally applicable to any box
or receptacle into which it may be desired to place any article without unlocking
and opening the main lid, but from which it is intended that such article cannot be
taken except by unlocking and opening the said lid.
Boxes or chests of the kind above referred to are usually provided with a main
lid securely locked by means of a key which remains in the possession of a
responsible person. The said lid is usually provided with a smaller lid combined
with a device commonly called
"
a trap "which enables bags of money or other
valuables to be inserted into the box or chest by the officials at the various station:
on a line of railway for example, but is intended to prevent their extraction from
the box or chest until the main lid is opened.
The object of the present invention is to so construct the trap that it will be
impossible, apart from the fracture by violence of some part of the trap or chest,
to extract any article from the chest or other receptacle through the said trap, that
is to say in any other way than by unlocking and opening the main lid.
And in order that the invention may be fully understood we will now proceed
to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings in
which
Figure 1 is a plan of part of the lid of a money chest or box with the improved
safety trap applied thereto.

page_text: T
Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on line 1-1 of figure I through the safety
trap with the latter in its opened position.
Figure 3 is a corresponding elevation taken at right angles to Figure 2 with the
guard plate P removed.
Figure 4 is a transverse section similar to Figure 2 but with the safety trap in
its closed position.
Figure 5 is a corresponding elevation taken at right angles to Figure 4 with the
guard plate P removed.
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation taken on line 2-2 of Figures 1, 3 and 5, and
Figures 7 and 8 are detail views of certain parts to a larger scale than
Figures 1 to 6.
A represents a portion of the lid top or other suitable part of a money chest or
other box or receptacle, the chest, box, or receptacle itself not being shown in the
drawing as it may be of any suitable construction and shape. B is the lid of the
safety trap, which lid fits, when the trap is closed, into an opening in the lid A.
The trap is formed of two side pieces C, the lid B and a scoop or hopper-shaped
chamber D (hereinafter called for shortness the scoop) formed of two plates D'
and D2 the ends of which are rivetted or otherwise secured to the side pieces C.
The trap is hinged at E to two side cheeks F rivetted or otherwise secured to the
inside of the lid A. The scoop D is provided with a flap G which is hinged at G₁
to the mouth of the scoop and which, when the lid B and scoop D are raised into
the open position shown in Figures 2 and 3, lies on the bottom part D' of the latter,
but which, when the lid B and scoop D are lowered into the closed position shown
in Figures 4 and 5, falls down, by the action of gravity or is otherwise moved, so
as to close the mouth of the scoop.
Each of the hinges G of the flap G is provided with a pin G2 which passes
through a hole in the side piece C of the trap, and through a circular segmental
slot H formed in the side cheek F concentric with the centre of the hinge pin and
is provided with a crank arm I having a guide pin J which is guided by a rib K
or other suitable guide on the side of the check F. The ribs or guides K so guide
the pins J in the crank arms I as to prevent the flap G opening or closing except
when the scoop is at or near its opened or closed positions.
It will now be understood that if the trap lid B be opened, the mouth of the
scoop. D beneath it will be presented outside the chest (as shown in Figures 2
and 3) ready to receive any article that is to be placed in the latter. In this
position of the scoop the flap G is lying on the bottom D thereof, and the bag of
money or other article when inserted into the scoop will rest on the said flap.
When the trap lid B is closed the scoop is carried down into the chest with its
mouth turned downwards as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and the money or other
article falls out into the lower part of the chest. While the trap is being closed
the guide pin J on the crank arm I of the flap G passes down outside the rib K
and this prevents the said flap from being turned on its hinge during that time;
but when the trap has reached its closed position, by which time the money or
other article will have fallen out of the scoop D, the pin J will have arrived at a
point beyond the lower end of the guide rib K and it will then allow the flap G to
fall, or to be so moved, as to close the mouth of the scoop, as shown in Figure 4,
and the guide pin J is thereby brought into such a position that it will pass inside
the guide rib K as the trap is opened, and thus prevent the flap G from being
removed from the mouth of the scoop until the lid and scoop are again brought into
or near the opened position, when the pin J will have reached a point beyond the
upper end of the guide rib K, and it will then allow the flap G to again fall to the
bottom D³ of the scoop, leaving the mouth of the latter open for the reception of
another article for insertion iuto the chest.
If however by turning the chest over, or by some other manipulation, an article
has been re-introduced into the scoop from the chest while the lid and scoop are
closed, the flap G must necessarily have been pressed inwards from the mouth of
the scoop, and this will bring the guide pin J to the outside of the guide rib K. If

page_text: now an attempt be made to open the trap lid the guide pin J comes in contact with
a spring catch L which prevents the trap lid and scoop from being opened, and
consequently the mouth of the scoop from being brought outside the chest.
The catch L turns on a fulcrum at M, and its front end is pressed against the
outside of the guide rib K by means of a spring N. It will be seen therefore that
the front end of the catch bars the passage of the pin upwards outside of the
rib K, but yields and allows the pin J to pass downwards outside of the rib K as
the lid and scoop are closed down, being returned to its normal position by the
spring N after the passage past it of the pin J.
A guard plate P is provided inside the chest, opposite the scoop D, of sufficient
length to prevent the mouth of the scoop from being opened partly to the outside
and partly to the inside of the chest while the trap lid is being closed, which
would, if not provided against, enable the hand or a suitable instrument to be
inserted directly into the chest, and more or less of the contents to be thereby
extracted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. A safety trap for money chests and other boxes or receptacles which
consists of a lid and scoop hinged to the inside of the main lid or to any other
suitable part of the chest, box, or other receptacle, a flap hinged to and adapted
to close the mouth of the said scoop after the money or other article has been
discharged therefrom, and means for preventing the safety trap from being opened
unless the said flap is closed against the mouth of the scoop, substantially as
described.
Second. The means for preventing the safety trap of a money chest or other box
or receptacle from being opened while it contains any article introduced into it
from the inside of the chest, box or receptacle, which consists of a flap hinged to
the mouth of the scoop or chamber of the trap, and connected with mechanism
which prevents the trap from being opened if the said flap has been pressed
inwards away from the mouth of the scoop or chamber, substantially as described.
Third. In a safety trap provided with a flap as and for the purpose herein
described the mechanism for preventing the opening of the trap if the said flap is
not in its proper position, which consists of the cheeks F, segmental slots H,
guide ribs K, crank arms I connected with the flap G, the guide pin J and the
spring catch L, combined and operating substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of March 1895.