A New or Improved Description of Safety Money Box or Receptacle.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Description of Safety Money Box or Receptacle.
THOMAS MARCUS HOUGHTON 34 New Bridge Street E.C. Quantity Surveyor
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct a receptacle for money which although
it will freely pass in will not pass out until a certain amount or number of coins
have been deposited within the same.
For this purpose I take a hollow cylindrical case or tube of metal or other
suitable material either circular or elliptical or other suitable shape in section (or
it may vary in shape in different parts of its length) of suitable diameter &
lengths and I close both ends. At or near one of the ends I form a slot or opening
either vertical or at an angle with the side of the case which then constitutes the
top of the box. On placing the coin in this slot it will fall to the bottom where
it will lay flat that is to say at an angle of 90 degrees with the sides when the case
is circular or it will lay at any angle other than a right angle with the sides when
the case is of an elliptic, or square or other regular or irregular form thus the
case may be of the size of the coin to be deposited and circular at its base reduced
to elliptic near its top and at its top about square so that the bottom coin would
lay flat the top coin at an angle the amount of its inclination with the sides
depending on the proportion of the minor axis of the ellipse with the diameter of
the circle, the object of making the ends to differ and the top square in the manner
above described is firstly that the coins may be sloping towards the outlet at the
outlet secondly that the coins may lay on or bite each other at one point only in
their circumference and free or comparatively free of each other at the corre-
sponding or opposite point of their circumference and between and enlarged square
at top that the coin may have room to turn to a vertical position next one of the
sides.
Within the case or box and near the slot for the admission of the coin I put
valves drops or catches one of which swings from about the centre of the top
either of the drops are so hung as to close or partially close or fall over the slot and
so preventing any of the coin passing ont excepting under the following conditions
viz. That the box be filled up to a certain height so that on changing it from a
vertical to a horizontal position or with the slot downwards the uppermost coin will
slide towards and enter the slot preventing the central valve or drop falling and
closing same to prevent its exit and the several remaining coins then follow in the
same manner & pass out.
If it is attempted to empt out the coins when the box is only partially filled one
The
of the drops will fall closing the slot before the top coin can reach the same.
box or case as above described may be enclosed in an ornamental outer case of suit-
able shape such as an egg, fruit, acorns or other suitable design. In either instance
the bottom of the box or its case may be made tapering or rounded and weighted
in such a manner that it will stand vertically, as the coins are added and its
stability consequently decreased it will (when set in motion) indicate by the
number and sweep of its oscillations the amount of money it contains, or an opening
or openings may be formed for that purpose.
In the place of a case or box as above described I may take a block of suitable
material such as wood and turn or form it of the required shape with a hole in its
centre and fitted up with valves stops or catches as before described.
August 17th 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Description of Safety Money Box or Receptacle.
I THOMAS MARCUS HOUGHTON, of 34 New Bridge Street, Blackfriars, in the
County of Surrey, Quantity Surveyor, 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
The object of my invention is to construct a safety money box or receptacle from
which the coins cannot be extracted until a certain amount or a definite number
of coins have been deposited within the box or receptacle, when all may be passed
out one after the other.
In order that my invention and the manner of carrying the same into practice
may be well understood I will describe the same with the aid of the accompanying
drawings. Similar letters of reference are used to indicate the same or corre-
sponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a money box or receptacle constructed in
accordance with my invention shewing the various parts in their normal position,
Figures 2 and 3 are similar views shewing the position the parts assume when a
coin is passing into the interior.
Figure 2 shews the position when the coin is entering the upper part of the
box; and
Figure 3 shews the position when the coin is passing from the upper to the lower
part of the box or receptacle.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but turned over through an angle of
90 degrees and shews how, when the box is full, the coins may be slided out one after
the other.
Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line X Y of Figure 1 looking in the
direction of the arrow Z shewn ; and
Figure 6 is a plan of Figure 1 without the outer oval case.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 shew details of construction, and
Figure 10 shews a modification of my invention.
The money box or receptacle consists of two superposed chambers in open
communication with one another. The upper chamber U contains the locking
mechanism, and the lower chamber L being provided with a bottom 13 forms the
deposit chamber in which the coins are stored as they fall by gravitation after
passing the locking mechanism in the upper chamber.
I prefer to make the lower chamber L of a cylindrical shape slightly larger in
diameter than the diameter of the coins to be deposited therein, and to place this
cylinder upright i.e.-with its longitudinal diameter vertical, so that the coins will
lie horizontally one on top of the other as shewn in Figure 1. The lower chamber L
may however be other than cylindrical in shape, for example it may be elliptical in
section or may vary in diameter and shape at different parts of its length, and the
longitudinal axis of the said chamber L may be at an angle to the vertical if so
desired. The upper chamber U is of any suitable shape and size, sufficiently large
to contain the locking mechanism and to allow the coin after passing the said
locking mechanism to fall easily into the chamber L below. A coin shoot S is
arranged in the side of the upper chamber U in such a position that coins entering
the same are directed on to the locking mechanism.
The locking mechanism consists of three hinged or pivotted open frames R M
& F. Each frame is preferably made of wire looped or formed with eyes or the
like in suitable positions, which said eyes or the like are threaded on to horizontal
transverse rods G & H secured to the sides of the upper chamber U. Figures 7,8
& 9 shew detached views of the three pivotted frames F M and R. The front
frame and the middle frame M are both pivotted on the same horizontal trans-
verse rod G, but to avoid complication in the drawings the frames F and M are

page_text: shewn separately in Figures 7 and 8. The front frame F is a double frame, that is
to say, it consists of two parts independent of each other threaded side by side on
the rod G as shewn in Figure 7. prefer to make the front frame F in two parts,
and to make each part of the shape shewn in Figure 7, as the front frame normally
hangs in front of the coin shoot S, and it is necessary to provide against tampering.
Should a tool be passed into the apparatus through the coin shoot S with the object
of holding back the front frame to allow the coins to be slided out, the tool will
probably pass through the central aperture A formed by the curved sides of the
two parts of the frame, or it will probably hold back only one half of the front
frame F and the other half will effectually block the coin shoot S and prevent the
coins from sliding out. The front frame F is kept in the position shewn in.
Figure 1, by means of the tail piece T on the rear frame R. This rear frame R is
counterweighted at its upper end C so that when the cylinder L is vertical the rear
frame R turns over on the pivot rod G into the position shewn in Figure 1. The
rear frame R is prevented from falling further over by a suitable stop or ledge (not
shewn) or by the forward edge of the front frame F being caused to abut against
the side of the upper or lower chamber beneath the coin shoot S.
The middle frame M is, as previously stated, pivotted to or on the front rod G.
It is provided with a central aperture N, to allow the tail piece T of the rear
frame R plenty of room to work through the said aperture N for the purpose of
abutting against the underside of the front frame F as previously explained. The
middle frame M is counterweighted at its upper end O, so that when in its normal
position, the lower eud abuts against the rear side of the upper or lower chamber,
i.e. against the side opposite to the side in which the coin shoot S is situated
(see Figure 1). The object of providing this independent backwardly turning
middle frame M is to prevent the fraudulent extraction of the contents of the box,
as without the middle frame it might be possible to block the mechanism by
turning the box about until a coin was lodged between the frames F and R, but
the middle frame M will effectually prevent such lodgement.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-As the coin falls down the shoot S, it
impinges against the front frame F and by its weight turns the said frame and presses
it over on the pivot rod G, the front frame F as it turns presses back the tail piece T
of the rear frame R, and the parts assume first, the intermediate position shewn in
Figure 2, and secondly, the position shewn in Figure 3 where the mechanism is
pressed back sufficiently far to allow the entering coin to pass from the upper to
the lower chamber. As soon as the coin has passed below the bottom end of
frame F, the frames R and F are returned to the normal position shewn in Figure 1,
by the action of the counterweight C on the frame R. It will be observed that
during the operation of passing a coin into the receptacle the middle frame M has
not changed its position. It works independently of the frames R and F, and
solely for the purpose of preventing the fraudulent blocking of the mechanism.
When the last coin, necessary to complete the number, has passed into the lower
chamber I, the store of coins is now so high that the top coin abuts against the
lower end of the frame F and holds same back in the position shewn in Figures 3 & 4.
To slide out all the coins one after the other, the box is turned over through an
angle of 90 degrees or thereabout as shewn in Figure 4, and the coins are then slid out
through the shoot S. As each coin passes towards the shoot S the next coin follows
it and taking up its position holds back the locking mechanism, and so on until all
have been slided out if so desired, the extraction may however be stopped at any
time by turning the box back again to the vertical position. Then no more coins
can be extracted till the box is full again.
As a modification of my invention 1 may provide two auxiliary frames F' and F
both hinged or pivotted on the same rod G² as shewn in Figure 10. The frame F1
works within the frame F2 after the manner of the frames R & M hereinbefore
referred to and shewn in Figures 9 & 8 and is counterweighted at C³ so that
normally the position of the two frames F¹ & F2 is, as shewn in Figure 10 to
extend across the bottom of the coin shoot S from front to rear. The frame F⁹

page_text: has a cross bar or projection against which the frame F1 catches and carries the
said frame F upward with it as it rises. The frame F' however works inde-
pendently of the frame F1 and is free to fall into the position which it occupies in
Figure 10 when the frame F' is not in its normal position, that is to say when
the box or receptacle is tilted or turned over.
The frames and 2 afford additional security against the fraudulent extraction
of the coins from the box or receptacle.
The mechanism hereinbefore described and shewn in the drawings is enclosed in
an outer case of any suitable design, shape or material, and provided with a coin
slit corresponding with the position of the shoot S. In one form of my invention,
the outer case is made egg-shaped, as shewn at E Figure 1, and is weighted at one
end D, so that the egg will stand on this end. The weight D may be so arranged
that when empty, the case will stand vertical as shewn in Figure 1, but as the
coins are passed into the interior, the centre of gravity being thereby raised, the
equilibrium of the egg becomes more and more unstable, until when the coin
receptacle is full, the egg will fall over into the position shewn in Figure 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a money box or receptacle constructed so as to prevent the coins from
being extracted therefrom until the said receptacle is filled or contains a definite
number of coins, the combination and arrangement of the various parts of the
mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose herein described and shewn in
Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a money box or receptacle of the class described in Claim 1 hereof, the
hinged or pivotted front frame F normally kept up under the coin shoot S by the
tail piece T of the counterweighted hinged or pivotted rear frame R, the two
frames F&R being constructed and combined so as to operate substantially in the
manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a money box or receptacle of the class described in Claim 1 hereof, wherein
a hinged or pivotted frame is normally kept up under the coin shoot S, the
counterweighted and backwardly turning frame M operating substantially as
described and shewn, and for the purpose stated.
4. In combination with a money box or receptacle of the class described in
Claim 1 hereof, the use of an outer egg or other shaped case, weighted so as to
stand upon one end and thus keep the box or receptacle vertical when empty,
substantially as described and shewn in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The modification of my invention shewn and described with reference to
Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of January 1892.
F. W. GOLBY,
36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.