GB2155443A - Portable cash box - Google Patents

Abstract

A cash box which is of rectangular shape comprises a top lid part 12 and a bottom receptacle part 14 of similar shape and depth hinged together at the back. The bottom part 14 supports a coin-receiving tray having an outwardly-extending flanged rim 46 which seats on the top edge or lip 32 of the bottom part and provides a seal between the two parts adapted also to cover the joint between the lid and bottom part when the cash box is closed. A lock unit 34 is fitted in a recessed portion 35 of the top panel 24 of the lid part 12 which also accommodates a pivoted carrying handle. The lock 34 has a locking plate 36 that co-operates with an abutment 38 provided by an upstanding post 39 which is secured to the bottom receptacle part 14 and which passes through an aperture 60 in the coin-receiving tray. The structure disclosed facilitates economical manufacture of a compact cash box with an efficient utilisation of storage space. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cash box This invention relates to cash boxes, especially cash boxes of a small portable kind which are commonly used for holding and segregating coins and notes.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of cash box which can be manufactured very economically and which can include various useful practical features affording a high degree of convenience and security to the user, and which can also present attractive styling features.

Many constructions of cash boxes are known, but commonly they comprise a body shell having a relatively deep receptacle part and a shallow hinged lid which closes onto a shoulder or ledge around a recessed lip portion of the receptacle part and which is lockable by means of a lock on the front wall of the body shell, while a shallow partitioned coin tray is fitted and contained wholly within the receptacle part so as to rest on internal ledges or lugs leaving space beneath for containing notes.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cash box having a body shell comprising complementary hollow top and bottom parts, a lid part and a receptacle part respectively, hinged together along rear edges and provided with locking mechanism for locking the cash box in the closed condition, and having also an internal coin tray formed with peripheral wall portions and with partition walls providing a plurality of open-topped coin- receiving compartments, said coin tray being supported in use by the bottom receptacle part so that said coin-receiving compartments extend upwardly into, and are accommodated at least partially within, said lip part when the cash box is closed, said lip part being formed by a top panel portion which has a continuous depending peripheral wall and which mounts a carrying handle while said bottom receptacle part is formed by a base portion having a continous upstanding peripheral wall, and wherein said locking mechanism is operable from the top of the cash box and comprises a lock unit fitted to said top panel of the lid part for operating an internal locking member arranged to engage and co-operate with complementary abutment means provided by the bottom receptacle part.

This structure facilitates designing the cash box so as to provide a most efficient utilisation of storage space. In preferred embodiments, the coin tray has an outwardly extending rim around its periphery adapted to seat on the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the bottom receptacle part which upper edge constitutes a lip bounding the mouth of the bottom receptacle part, said rim of the coin tray also engaging against the lower edge of the depending peripheral wall of the lid part, when the cash box is closed, which lower edge constitutes a lip bounding the mouth of the lid part, so that in such closed condition said rim provides a seal interposed between said two parts of the body shell.

The above construction permits both the lip of the bottom part and the lip of the top part to be provided by a plain free edge of respective boundary walls without any beading or recessing to form an abutment shoulder or ledge, and the dimensions of the mouth of the bottom receptacle part may be identical with those of the mouth of the top lid part. Preferably, the bottom receptacle part and the top lid part are both of substantially rectangular shape and are also of substantially the same depth; both are advantageously made as metal pressings from identical blanks.Not only does this facilitate manufacture but it also enables the cash box to be designed to open through 180 with the top and bottom parts lying substantially flat and in this condition the coin tray, even if weighted down heavily with coins, can be transferred temporarily to rest in stable relationship on the top lid part whilst access is gained to notes or other items lying within the bottom receptacle part.

Also, in preferred embodiments, the rim of the coin tray provides a vertically orientated flange which lies externally of the top and bottom parts and covers the joint therebetween, at least along the front and around the sides, when the box is closed. This may be achieved by forming the rim with a T- shaped cross-section so that the crossbar of the T section provides the vertically oriented flange.

With the lock unit fitted to the top of the lid part, the problem of arranging the complementary abutment means provided by the bottom part so that it can be accommodated without interfering with the positioning of the coin tray and without need for any interruption of the continuity of the rim of the coin tray may be conveniently overcome by designing said abutment means in the form of an elongate abutment carrying member, for example a post, which is secured within the lower section of the bottom receptacle part and which extends up wardly through an aperture in the body of the coin tray into the upper lid part for co-operative en gayement with the locking member operated by the lock unit.

Preferably, the top panel of the lid part has a sunken recessed portion in which is mounted both the lock unit and the carrying handle, the latter being conveniently of a generally wide U-shape configuration pivotally mounted by trunnion bearings in pivot holes formed in side walls of said sunken recessed portion and arranged to fold flat within said sunken recessed portion when not in use.

Also, the top lid part and the coin tray may advantageously be profiled and dimensioned so that, when the cash box is closed, the lid part covers and substantially seals at least some of said compartments of the coin tray so that coins in such closed compartments cannot be accidentally transferred to other compartments if the box should be overturned.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of a cash box, presented by way of ex ample, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the cash box in a closed condition; Figure 2 is a front elevational view; Figure 3 is a side elevational view; Figure 4 is a plan view of the cash box in an open condition with part of the internal coin tray broken away; Figures 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views on lines V-V and VI-VI respectively of Figure 4, but with the box closed; and Figure 7 is an underside plan view of the coin tray.

The cash box illustrated in the drawings is of generally rectangular shape with smooth rounded corners and comprises a body shell 10 made up of complementary top and bottom parts, 12 and 14 respectively. A tray 16 partitioned to provide a number of separate open-topped coin-receiving compartments 18a, 18b, 18c, etc forms an internal fitment of the body shell 10.

The top and bottom parts 12 and 14 are fabricated as sheet metal pressings from identical blanks, both having similar dimensions with substantially the same overall general rectangular shape and the same depth. The bottom part 14 has a base portion 19 and a continuous peripheral wall 20 comprising a front wall portion 21, a back wall portion 22, and opposite side wall portions 23a, 23b; the top part 12 has a top panel portion 24 and a continuous peripheral wall 25 comprising a front wall portion 26, a back wall portion 27, and opposite side wall portions 28a, 28b; and the two parts 12 and 14 are hingedly connected together by a pin and sleeve leaf hinge fitment 30 secured to their back wall portions.

It will be noted that the walls 20 and 25 of the top and bottom parts 12 and 14 each terminate in a plain free edge defining a lip, 31 or 32, without any beading or recessed ledge formations, thereby simplifying the manufacturing operation.

Also, it will be seen that the hinge fitment 30 permits relative movement of the top and bottom parts 12 and 14 through 180 and in the fully open condition, by virtue of both parts having the same depth, they lie substantially flat in side-by-side relationship in a common plane and each may be supported at least to some extent by an underlying flat supporting surface.

The bottom part 14 normally supports the coin tray 16, as hereinafter described, and provides the main cash receptacle, whilst the top part 12 provides a lid fitted with a carrying handle 40. When closed, the cash box can be locked by a key-operated cylinder lock 34 that is mounted in a sunken recessed portion 35 of the top panel 24 of the lid part 12, this lock 34 operating a locking plate 36 which turns in a horizontal planeto engage with a locking detent lug 38 providing abutment means carried integrally by an upstanding post 39 secured at its lower end to the interior face of the front wall portion 21 of the lower part 14. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, this abutment carrier post 39 extends upwardly through an aperture 60 in the body of the coin tray 16 and into the lid part.

The carrying handle 40 fitted to the lid part is conveniently of a wide U-shaped configuration formed as an injection moulding of hard plastics material, and it is pivotally mounted so as to fold flat in the recessed portion 35. This is conveniently arranged by providing the side limbs with outwardly directed trunnion projections 65, 65 which engage in pivot holes in side walls of the sunken recessed portion 35, as indicated in the drawings.

The base 19 of the bottom part 14 is also conveniently formed with a number of very shallow depressions 42 providing bearing pads or feet standing slightly proud from the bottom exterior surface.

The coin tray 16 is a plastics moulding and is formed with a rim 46 comprising an outwardly extending peripheral rib 47 which is adapted to seat directly on the lip 32 of the bottom part 14 of the cash box thereby to support the tray. As the rib 47 of the rim 46 extends outwardly over the lip 32 it is thus also engaged on its upper surface by the lip 31 of the upper lid part 12 when the cash box is closed forming, in effect, a seal interposed between the two parts of the body shell 10.

At the back of the tray, the rim 46 provided by the rib 47 is formed with a gap to accommodate the hinge fitment 30, but along the front and at the two opposite sides the rim 46 has a T-shaped cross- section with the rib portion 47 terminating in an outer vertically disposed flange 48. In the closed condition of the cash box, this flange 48 appears as a broad band covering the joint between the top and bottom parts, thereby providing an attractive decorative feature and, at the same time, reducing possibilities for forcing a levering tool into the joint to break open the box. In that this flange 48 projects somewhat beyond the external surface of the wall portions of the box, it also provides a convenient additional gripping element which can facilitate handling of the box.At the front, the tray 16 in this embodiment is also provided with integral depending locating lugs 59 which engage the inside face of the front wall portion 21 of the bottom receptacle part 14 to limit movement of the tray when it is properly seated in place.

The coin-receiving compartments 18a, 18b, etc.

are defined by peripheral wall portions and partition wall portions of the tray 16 which extend upwards above the level of the rim 46 so that these compartments lie above the mouth of the bottom receptacle part 14 and, when the box is closed, are accommodated substantially entirely within the hollow interior of the top lid part 12. The open tops of the coin compartments are also substantially closed or sealed by the close proximity of the underside of the top panel 24,thereby preventing or reducing the possibility of any coins escaping from the individual compartments should the box be overturned. So as to accommodate the recessed portion 35 of the top panel 24 it will be noted that some of the partitions between compartments are specially profiled along their upper edge (see, for example, upper edge portion 52 of partition 53 shown in Figure 5).

The form of coin-receiving tray in this embodiment is particularly easy to handle and since the coin compartments lie mainly within the top lid part, the bottom receptacle part requires less depth than would otherwise be the case to provide adequate space below the tray (as shown at 55 in Figure 5) for storage of notes and other items.

The coin compartments are each closed by a bottom wall forming part of a substantially flat base 62 of the tray 16 and internally this bottom wall is advantageously smoothly curved upwardly at the front, e.g. at 57, to facilitate scooping out coins.

It will be seen that in this embodiment the compartments 18a, 18b, 18c, etc are arranged in two groups of three at each side of the tray, with an intermediate rear compartment 18c in between. In front of the intermediate compartment in the centre, the tray has a pair of shallow recesses and, adjacent the front edge, as previously mentioned the aperture 60 gives clearance for the locking detent abutment carrier post 39 (see Figure 6).

Other arrangements of the coin-receiving pockets are of course possible and may be determined by the particular size and capacity of the cash box. For some larger sizes, the tray may also be provided with additional supporting legs adapted to give independent support or to contact and rest against the base of the bottom part to counter any tendency of the tray to sag under the weight of coins.

Also, as indicated in Figure 7, the coin tray may be formed on its underside with lugs or channels 70 providing guides for fitting a shallow sliding supplementary tray or drawer (72) in which notes, cheques or flat cards for example may be accommodated. Otherwise, however, notes and other loose items will usually be stored within the bottom receptacle part 14 in the space 55 below the coin tray and when access is required the tray is tilted or temporarily removed. As previously indicated, a particularly convenient feature of the construction herein described is that after opening the box out flat the coin tray 16 can be simply lifted off the bottom receptacle part 14 and rested temporarily in stable relationship on the upturned top lid part 12.

Claims (15)

1. A cash box having a body shell comprising complementary hollow top and bottom parts, a lid part and a receptacle part respectively, hinged together along rear edges and provided with locking mechannism for locking the cash box in the closed condition, and having also an internal coin tray formed with peripheral wall portions and with partition walls providing a plurality of open-topped coin-receiving compartments, said coin tray being supported in use by the bottom receptacle part so that said coin-receiving compartments extend upwardly into, and are accommodated at least partially within, said lid panel portion having a continuous depending peripheral wall and mounting a carrying handle while said bottom receptacle part is formed by a base portion having a continuous upstanding peripheral wall, and wherein said locking mechanism is operable from the top of the cash box and comprise a lock unit fitted to said top panel of the lid part for operating an internal locking member arranged to engage and cooperate with complementary abutment means provided by the bottom receptacle part.

2. A cash box as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the coin tray has an outwardly extending rim around its periphery adapted to seat on the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the bottom receptacle part which upper edge constitutes a lip bounding the mount of the bottom receptacle part, said rim of the coin tray also engaging against the lower edge of the depending peripheral wall of the lid part when the cash box is closed, which lower edge constitutes a lip bounding the mounth of th e lid part, so that in such closed condition said rim provides a seal interposed between said two parts of the body shell.

3. A cash box as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the lip of the bottom receptacle part and the lid of the lid part are both formed by a plain free edge of respective peripheral walls, and the dimensions of the mouth of the bottom receptacle part and the dimensions of the mouth of the top lid part are substantially identical

4. A cash box as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein the rim of the coin tray also provides a flange which lies externally of the lid part and bottom receptacle part and covers the joint therebetween, at least along the front and around the sides, when the cash box is closed.

5. A cash box as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the rim of the coin-receiving tray has a substantially T-shaped cross section throughout at least a major portion of its peripheral extent with the cross bar of said T" section being oriented vertically and providing said external flange.

6. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the lid part and the bottom receptacle part are each of rectangular shape with their respective peripheral walls extending in common vertical planes when the cash box is closed, both said parts being fabricated as metal pressings from identical blanks and both having substantially the same depth.

7. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said abutment means comprises an elongate lock abutment carrier member of locking post, carried by the bottom receptacle part, which extends upwardly through an aperture in the coin- receiving tray and into the upper lid part.

8. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said lock unit is mounted in a sunken recessed portion of the top panel of the lid part.

9. A cash box as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the carrying handle is also mounted in the sunken recessed portion of the top panel of the lid part and is pivoted so as to fold flat within said recessed portion when not in use.

10. A cash box as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the carrying handle is U-shaped with side limbs which terminate in outwardly directed trunion projections arranged to engage within pivot holes formed in side walls of the sunken recessed portion.

11. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which upper edges of peripheral wall portions and partition wall portions of the coin tray which define at least some of said coin-receiving compartments lie in close proximity to the underside of the top panel of the lid part when the cash box is closed so that said lid part substantially closes or seals the top of at least some of said compartments thereby to prevent or reduce accidental transfer of coins between different compartments if the box should be overturned.

12. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the coin-receiving compartments of the coin tray lie substantially entirely above the level of the bottom receptacle part when said tray is in position supported on said bottom part.

13. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the coin tray has a substantially flat under-surface provided with means for fitting a supplementary slidable tray or drawer beneath for accommodating bank notes, or cheques for example.

14. A cash box as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the coin tray is provided with additional supporting legs arranged to rest upon the base of the bottom receptacle part so as to give additional independent support to prevent or reduce any tendency of the tray to sag under the weight of coins therein.

15. A portable cash box substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.