US142012A - Improvement in till-alarms - Google Patents

Description

1G. L. GEI-GER.

Till-Alarms.

Patented August 19, 1873.

NNrrrin STATES Tirion.

GEORGE L. GIGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TILL-ALARMS. v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,0!2, dated August 19, 1873; application tiled May 13,1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. GEIGER, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a Combination Till Lock and Alarm, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient combination lock for a drawer or till, which, without permitting the opening ofthe drawer, will sound an alarm if tampered with by unauthorized persons.

I attain this object in the manner best observed .inthe sectional view, Figure l, plan view, Flg. 2, and enlarged section, Fig. 3, of the accompanying drawing, by the use of a lock in which a series of tnmblers, A, carried by independent slides B, are combined with a locking plate or lever, D, adapted to notches a and a in the counter or table to which the drawer is fitted, and having a projection, b, Figs. 2 and 4, arranged to strike the operating-lever b of' an alarm-bell, E,.the tumblers being so adjusted that if the whole number, or any of them, at random, are pulled forward by and with their slides, in attempting to open the drawer, the plate or lever D shall be sustained by the same in its elevated position, and thus sound an alarm and prevent the opening of the drawer, while, if the proper slides and tumblers are drawn forward, the obstruction will be removed from the plate or lever D, which will then drop sufliciently to permit the opening of the drawer without sounding an alarm.

My invention' will be fully understood from the following detailed description of its construction and operation.

The drawer or till F is provided with any` suitable arrangement of internal receptacles c, and has grooves in its opposite edges, to which are adapted guiding-ribs d, secured to the under side of the table or counter G, to which the drawer is fitted. Within and at the rear end of the drawer is fitted a lock-case, H, having in the present instance a hinged front, H', Figs. 1 and 3, which can be thrown back or lowered for the purpose of obtaining access to the interior of the lock.` A series of suitably-guided parallel slides, B--iive, in the present instance-are arranged across the bottom of the lock-case, and extend almost to the iront of the drawer, as shown in Fig. 1, cach Y of the said slides being bent downward at its its front end so as to form a handle, c; To each of the slides within the lock! case is secured a standard, f, and to each of the latter is pivoted a reversible tumbler, A, formed with parallel edges g g and beveled edges h h, as shown in Fig. 3, and having at its opposite endsy notches i t1, into one of which enters a, retaining-arm, i2, held within the notch by a spring, y, secured to the back of the lock-case, and which is of sufficient strength to serve also as a medium for drawing and holding back the entire slide and tumbler. Upon the series of tumblers, which extend transversely across the lock-case, as shown in Fig. 2, rests the projection lc of a locking plate or lever, D, which has pivots l l atL its rear end adapted to slots in the lock-oase, and is acted on by a spring or springs, m, arranged between the said pivots and projection, so as to draw both downward to their full extent.

When the said plate or lever D is elevated, as shown by full lines in Fig. 3, its front end enters the notch a formed for its reception in the under side ot' the counter or table, and a projection7 b, and one side of the same, is directly in the path of the operating'lever b ot' the alarm-bell E, as shown in the detached View, Fig. 4; but when depressed, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the said plate Aor lever will clear the notches under the counter or table as well as the bell, 4and the drawer may then be opened, and without sounding any alarm.

The receptacles c slide upon the lower receptacles c, and have a projection, n, at each side (see Fig. 5) adapted to grooves p cut in the under side ofthe table or counter, so that if pushed inward when the drawer is opened the said receptacles will be returned to their proper position at the front oi' the drawer when the latter is closed by their said projections n, which strike shoulders p' at the ends of grooves p.

posite side of the drawers, near the front ot. the same, strike shoulders r at the ends of the guidingstrips d when the drawer is pushed inward to its full extent, and tend to force itv outward slightly, so as to bring the projection b of the lockingplatc in contact with the belllever b', so that the slightest outward move-l Springs q q, Fig. 2, at the opment of the drawer, suoli as would be caused by tampering with the same, will cause an alarm to be sounded.

It will be observed, on reference to Fig. 3, that some of the tumblers A are turned in one direction and some in the opposite direction7 those whose parallel edges g are at the front holding` up the locking-plate D when the said tumblers are in the position shown by full lines, while those whose parallel edges are at the rear sustain the said locking-plate when drawn forward to the position indicated by dotted lines.

It follows, therefore, that as long as any one of the tumblers is reversed the plate D cannot be lowered and the drawer unlocked by pulling forward the whole number of tumblers simultaneously by means of their handled slides.

If, however, those tumblers only whose parallel edges g are at the'front are drawn forward to the position indicated by dotted lines, the beveled edges h of the two sets of tumblers will be brought into line beneath the projection 7c of the plate D, which will permit the latter, acted on by its spring m, to drop or turn upon its pivots sufficiently to clear the notch a of the counter, as shown by dotted lines, when the drawer may be opened without further obstruction, and without sounding any alarm, as the projection b of the plate will also, when lowered, clear the bell-lever.

If the slides B of those tumblers which were drawn forward be released after passing the notch a., the end of locking-plate will enter the notch al, Fi g. 1, and prevent the drawer from being fully withdrawn 5 but by again pulling forward the same tumblers, or by retaining them in their forward position, the locking-plate may be dropped or permitted to remain depressed until the said notch al has been passed.

In pushing the drawer back to its original position, the front end of the locking-plate or lever will be pressed downward by the under side of the counter, and elevated at its rear end, the projection kin such case resting upon the tumblers, and serving as a fulcrum for the said plate-lever.

By simply drawing out the retainers i2 and reversing any of the tumblers, the combination by which the drawer is opened may be changed, as desired. In the present instance the first and fourth tumblers of the series, indicated by the numbers 1 and 4 in Fig. 2, are Ithe ones which require to be drawn forward by means of the slides before the drawer can be opened, the drawing forward of any of the remainder of the tumblers, in addition to these two, or separately, presenting an obstruction to the dropping of the locking-plate, and therefore preventing the unlocking of the drawer.

If desired, a table of combinations of numbers by which the lock can be opened may be l side, and adapted to an opening, s, in the rear l of the lock-case.

In Fig. 6 a modified form of tumbler, capable of rocking in one direction or the other, instead of being entirely reversed, is illustrated. This tumbler, F, is pivoted t0 the standard f, and is cut away on its under edge, so as to form front and rear shoulders, against either of which, as desired, a retainer, 113, is caused to bear. If against the front shoulder, as shown, the tumbler can be depressed by the pressure of the projection 7c of the lookin gplate upon the rear portion of its upper edge, while if the retainer is caused to bear upon its rear shoulder, the said tumbler can only be depressed or rocked by the pressure of the projection h upon the front portion of its upper edge.

In this way, it will be evident, an equivalent is obtained for the tumblers A, with their parallel and beveled edges g and h.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with a drawer, of a series of tumblers, each secured to and sliding with a slide, and a locking-plate or lever, D, as set forth.

2. The locking-plate or lever D, having pivots Z adapted to slots in the lock-case, a projection, k, bearing upon the tumblers, and a spring or springs, m, arranged between the said pivots and projection, upon either of which the said plate may be turned as a fulcrum, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the said lockingplate or lever D, of a sliding bolt, s, adapted to an opening in the lock-case or drawer, as set forth.

4. The combination, with each of the slides B, of a reversible tumbler, A, adjustable, as set forth.

5. The tumblers A, constructed, substantially as described, with parallel edges g g and beveled edges h h, and pivoted to standards f of the slides so as to be capable of reversal thereon, as set forth.

6. The combination, with the reversible tumblers, of spring-retaining arms i2, adapted to notches in the opposite ends of the said tumblers, as specified. Q i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE L. GEIGER.

Witnesses:

WM. A. STEEL, HUBERT HowsoN.

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