US1681383A - Merchandising cabinet - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 2l, 1928.

R. C. WALSH MERCHANDI SING CABINE T 6 Shasta-Sheet 1 Filed April 19, 1923 Aug. 21, 1928.

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Patented Aug. 2l, 1928.

, UNITED STATES ROBERT C. WALSH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI MERCHANDISING CABINET.

Application led April 19, 1923. Serial No. 633,149.

This invention relates toy store fixtures and more particularly to merchandising cabinets such as are used in jewelry, drug and similar stores carrying stock of small articles.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means whereby the proprietor or manager may quickly and readily lock all of the doors and drawers with which the cabinet is provided, whenever it becomes desirable vto do so, as for example, 'when closing the store for the night, or during the temporary absence of the person in charge.

To this end, I contemplate combining with a cabinet of the type inquestion, a cash drawer or till, and providingmeans whereby the simple movement'of this cash drawer or till, to a certain position, serves to simultaneously lock all of the doors and drawers containing merchandise.

In view of the fact that'it is necessary to constantly open and close the cash drawer during the course of business, and that considerable inconvenience might be caused by locking the doors ofthe cabinet every time that the cash drawer is closed, I propose to provide means whereby the cash drawer may be open and shut in the usual manner, without operating the door locking device, and whereby the door locking device is actuated only by a further movement of the cash drawer beyond the normal closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby all of the doors and stock drawers of a series of cabinets, arranged side by side, as for example, along the wall of the store, may be simultaneously locked by means operated by a single cash drawer or till, mounted in one. of the cabinets.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and illustrating, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention. In the draWings:--

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of two of my improved cabinets, as they appear when arranged side by side;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with the back wall removed, showing the locking mechamsm and illustrating the iirst or master cabinet and a fragment of the adjacent cabinet shown in Fig.A 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sections, substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig.

2, the rst showing the parts in locked posi-` tion and the second illustrating the parts in unlocked or open position.

Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sections through one cabinet, taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, the cash drawer being shown in dotted lines, and being illustrated in different positions in the two views;

Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical sections through the cash drawer and associated parts, showing my improved means for locking the cash drawer in two different positions, the door locking mechanism being omitted for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear end of one of the stock drawers showing the locking mechanism therefor;

.Fig 10 is a fragmentary sectional plan view on an enlarged scale, showing one form of locking device for the sliding doors;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on an enlarged scale, showing another form of door locking device which I may employ;

Fig. 12 is a rear elevation similar to Fig.

2, but on a smaller scale, showing a modified form of locking device adapted for hinged doors;

Fig. 13 is a vertical section through the cabinet shown in Fig. 12, being similar to Fig. 3; and

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary horizontal sec- 9c tion on an enlarged scale, showng the details of the hinged door locking device.

Referring to the drawings in detail, I have illustrated in Fig. 1, two cabinets arranged side by side and designated A and B respectively. A designates what I shall call the master cabinet, containing the cash drawer.

Each cabinet comprises side walls 1, upper shelves 2 and 3, enclosed by sliding doors 4 100 of the usual construction, a top 5, a back wall 6, a drawer table 7 lower shelving 8 closed by the usual sliding doors` 9, and a base 10. Each cabinet also is provided with a series of stock drawers 11, arranged in a horizontal row and resting upon the table 7. Each of these drawers 1l is provided at its forward end with an inclined door l2, hinged at one side as indicated at 12 and having its inner edge 12 so arranged as to engage under the projecting forward edge 3" of the shelf 3, when the drawers are in closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, .so as to hold the doors l2 shut and thus prevent access to the contents of the drawers.

The cabinet A, in addition to the above features, is provided with a cash drawer or till 14, mounted to slide in ways 15, secured to the lower side of the drawer table 7. To the bottoni of this cash drawer or till is secured a guide strip 16 so shaped as to form a cam groove (see Fig. 5), such groove having a relatively long straight portion 17, a curved portion 18, and a relatively short straight portion 19. Adapted to work in this cam groove is a roller 20, mounted on the end of a lever 2l, pivoted at 22 to one of the shelves 8, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be therefore seen that as the cash drawer is moved from thc position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, or vice versa, the lever 21 will be oscillated on its pivot.

The end of lever 21, opposite the roller 20, is connected to a pivoted link 24, which in turn is pivoted to the upper end of the stem of an inverted T-shaped lever 25, pivoted at 26 and having the arms 27 and 28. EX- tendinv upwardly from the ends of these arms 2% and 28 and pivoted thereto are the rods 29 and 30, these rods working freely through notches 29a and 30, formed in the respective shelves, as shown in Fig. 5. The upper ends of the rods 29 and 30 are pivoted to the ends of a walking beam 31, pivoted at 32 to a fixed support.

Thus, as the lever 21 swings on its pivot 22, the rads 29 and 30 will be shifted vertically in opposite directions.

Carried by and rigidly secured to the rods 29 and 30, at a point adjacent the stock drawers 11, are cross arms 33 and 35, held by braces 34 and 36, respectively. These cross-arms are adapted to en age pivoted spring pressed latches 37 carrie by the rear ends of the drawers 11. These drawers are divided into two groups, the latches of one group engaging over the arm 33 and the latches of the other group engaging under the arm 35. As shown in Fig. 9, these latches 37 are pivoted at 38 and are provided with tail pieces 39, under which springs 40 are inserted. These latches have a rounded or beveled nose, so that when the drawers are closed, they will ride upon and snap over the cross-arms 33 or 35. As shown in Fig. 2, the cross-arms 33 and 35 are in locking position, in which position they engage with all of the latches 37, and it is clear that so long as these arms occupy this position, none of the drawers l1 can be with drawn or opened.

Dependine from the opposite ends of the arms 33 an( 35 are rods or links 42, 43 rcspectively, which extend downwardly to a point preferably just below one of the shelves 8, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At their lower ends, these rods are pivotally connected with the rear end of locking bars 44 and 45, respectively, such bars being pivoted near their middle to brackets 46, secured to the under side of one of the shelves 8. rlhe forward ends of the locking bars 44 and 45 are so positioned as to be capable of engaging with pivoted latches 47, secured to the inside front edge of the sliding doors 9. One of these latches is illustrated in detail in Fig. 10, and by reference to this figure, it will be seen that each latch is pivotally mounted on the door and is provided with a tail piece 48, under which is arranged a spring 49, which serves to hold the latch yieldingly in the position shown. The end of the latch is beveled, as indicated at 50, so as to ride over and snap past the locking bar 44, should such bar be in locking position when the door is moved sluit. After the door has been closed, as shown in Fig. 10, it will be seen that the latch 47, engaging the locking bar 44, prevents the door from bcing opened.

By reference to Fig. 4, however, it will be seen that the front end of the locking bars 44 and 45 rises and falls as the cross-arms 33 and 35 are moved by mechanism actuated by the cash drawer, as above described, and it will be obvious that when these locking bars are in the raised and lowered positions shown in Fig. 4, they exert no locking action on the doors 9, since they are out of the path of the latches 47. lVhen, however, the bars 45 are in locking position, as shown in Fig. 3, they both lie in the path of the latches 47 and are adapted to be engaged thereby, as shown in Fig. 10. Thus, the sliding doors 9, controlling access to the lower storage space of the cabinet, are also adapted to be locked by mechanism actuated by the cash drawer.

Formed on the front face of one of the rods, such as 30, is a rack 51, adapted to mesh with a pinion 52, secured to a shaft 53, extending through the cabinet parallel with the face thereof. and which may be journaled in the end walls, or in bearing brackets 53a (see Fig. 2) or both.

0n this shaft 53 are also rigidly mounted pinions 54, which are located near each end wall of the cabinet, and these pinions 54 mesh with racks 55, formed on sliding bolts 56, carried in guides 56, secured to the bottom of one of the shelves 2.

1,os1,sss

The forward end of these bolts, when in locking position, is adapted to engage with latches 57, carried on the rear face of the forward stiles of the upper sliding doors 4. By reference to Fig. 11, it will be seen that each of these latches 57 is arranged to slide in a casing 58, and is urged into the position shown by means of a spring 59. The end of the latch is beveled, `as indicated at 60, so as to enable it to ride over and snap past the locking bolt 56.v

From the above, it will be obvious that as the rod 30 is reciprocatedby means of the mechanisml above described, the shaft 53 will be rotated and the locking bolts 56 shifted from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, or vice versa, that is, from locking to release osition.

It will therefore be obvious that the drawers 11, the sliding doors 9, and the sliding f locking position bymeans of push rods 63,

operated by tumblers 64, controlled by pull rods 65, extending forward to the front end of the drawer where they terminate in iin er pieces 66. It will be understood that our or more of these tumblers and pull rods are used, and when the proper combination of them is simultaneously operated by means of the finger pieces, the latch 62 will be released and the drawer may be opened. This mechanism forms no part of my present invention.

Instead of having the usual keeper or catch for engaging the latch 62,-however, I rovide an improved keeper comprising a p ate 67, provided with two spaced catches or shoulders 68 and 69, and also with a depending stop 70.

In operation, it is intended that the cash drawer will be opened and closed in the usual way, and when closed, will loccupy the position shown in Fig. 8, which I shall term the first locking position. During movement of the cash drawer from open position to this first locking position, the roller 20 (see Fig. 5) travels in the straight part 17 of the slot, and therefore no movement is imparted to the lever 21 and its associated parts. In other words, during the usual courseof business, the cash drawer may be opened, and closed, and locked in closed position, in the well known way, without in any manner affecting my improved door and drawer locking mechanism. When it is desired to lock the doors and stock drawers, however, the cash drawer is pushed further-inward to its second locking position, as shown in Fig. 7, in which position the latch 62 engages .the innermost catch or notch 69. This is the second locking position, and by reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen that in moving from the first to the second locking position, the curved portion 18 of the cam groove is carried past the roller 20 or, in other words, the roller is caused to travel from the straight portion 17 to the straight portion 19 of the slot. In doing this, the lever 21 is swuno' upon its pivot 22, and the door locking mec anism operated as hereinbefore described.

Where it is desired to control additional cabinets, as, for exam le,"` the cabinet B in Figs. 1 and 2, from t e master cabinet A, this can be readily accomplished as follows.

The additional cabinet B is provided with locking mechanism similar to that with which the cabinet A is equipped, that is to say, it has the vertical rods 29, 30, 42 and 43 and associated devices, and is also provided witha shaft 53 which is arranged in alinement with the shaft 53 of the master cabinet. The shafts 53 and 53 are then united by means of a suitable coupling 71 (see Fig. 2), and it will be obvious that rotation imparted to the shaft 53 will be, given to the shaft 53 and4 that such shaft will operate the locking bolts 56 in the cabinet B and, through the up and down rods 30, will also actuate locking bars such as 44 and 45, as well as cross-arms 33 and 35. Thus, any desired number of cabinets or units may be added and the doors and stock drawers of al1 of them simultaneously controlled from the cash drawer of the master cabi net merely by extending the shaft 53 on through the series of cabinets and providing each added cabinet with its own locking mechanism. n

While the above description has been directed to cabinets having sliding doors, it will be understood that the -same general principles can be applied to cabinets having hinged doors. A cabinet of this type is shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14.

Referring to these iigures, I have illustrated doors 9', of any suitable construction, hinged at 9a to frame 1a carried by the cabinet. A locking bar 74 is pivoted to a supporting brackety76 within the cabinet and is pivotally connected at its rear end to a link 73, carried by a rigid arm 72 secured to the up-and-down rod 29 and strengthened by means of a brace 72a. The forward end of the locking bar 74 is provided with an arrow head 75, as clearly shown in Fig. 14, and adapted to cooperate withY the catch so formed are a pair of pivoted latches 77, one being carried by each door near the free edge thereof. These latches have tail pieces 78 under which are located springs 79 which urge the latches to the position shown in the drawing. The heads of these latches have beveled faces 80, adapted to ride along and snap past the inclined faces of the arrow head shaped locking bar. From the above, it will be clear that when the up-and-down rod 29 is actuated by means of the cash drawer 14, through the lever 25, as above described, the arm 72 will be raised and lowered, thus swinging the locking bar 74 from full to dotted line position, and vice versa. When the cash drawer is in its full locked position, the locking bar '.70 will be in the position shown in full lines 1n Fig. 13, thus locking the doors 9 but when the cashdrawer is moved to any other position, the forward end of the locltin r bar ift will be swung down, as shown by dotted lines, thus disengaging the arrow head from the latches 77 and making it impossible to again lock the doors until the cashdrawer is once more locked in its closed position.

In Figs. 12 and 13, I have also shown a slightly modified arrangement for transmitting the locking movement to another cabinet and to the upper doors. Instead ot' the rack and pinion arrangement 51, 52, shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I may mount an arm 8l rigidly upon the shaft 53, and connect the end of this arm by means of a link 82 with a bracket 83, carried by the up-and-down rod 29. Obviously, movement of this rod 29 will impart rotation to the shaft 58 which will then operate as described in connection with the other ligures.

IV hat I claim is:

1. The combination with a cabinet having a sliding drawer, and formed with storage spaces both above and below said drawer, ot' doors closing said storage spaces, locking mechanism Por said doors comprising pairs of levers defining a quadrilatcral pivoted at the rear of the cabmet, and an operative connection between said drawer and quadrilateral and between said doors and uadrilateral, whereby the movement of said rawer serves to oscillate said qnadrilateral and thus actuate the door locking mechanism.

2. The combination with a merchandising cabinet having a vertical rear wall, and a door closing the front of the cabinet, of a sliding drawer mounted in and o ening outwardly from the front of the ca inet, locking mechanism for said door comprising a lever pivoted at the rear of said cabinet and arranged to oscillate in a plane parallel with said vertical rear wall, a locking bolt for the door operatively connected with said lever by a plvoted and horizontally disposed bar, and means actuated by the movement of said sliding drawer for oscillating said lever and bar and thereby operating said locking bolt.

3. The combination with a merchandising cabinet having a vertical rear wall, and a door closing the front of the cabinet, of a sliding drawer mounted in and opening outwardly from the front of the cabinet, locking mechanism for said door comprising pairs of parallel levers defining a parallelogram pivoted at se arated points at the rear of said cabinet an arranged to oscillate in the same vertical plane parallel with said rear wall, door engaging means operatively connected with said parallelogram, and an operative connect-ion between said arallelogram and said drawer, whereby t e movement of said drawer serves to oscillate said parallelogram and thus actuate the door` engaging means.

4. The combination with a vertical merchandising cabinet, having a sliding drawer mounted therein, and also having a door, of a locking mechanism comprising a parallelogram of levers pivoted at separated points, a lever connected to said parallelogram and pivoted to oscillate in a vertical plane, a cam groove formed at the bottom of said sliding drawer, a lever pivotally mounted adjacent said drawer to swing in a horizontal plane and connected to the first mentioned lever, means carried by said lever engaging in said cam groove, and an operative connection between said parallelogram and the door locking mechanism, whereby said door locking mechanism is actuated by the sliding movement of said drawer.

The combination with a cabinet having a sliding drawer and a storage space both above and below said drawer, doors closing said storage spaces, a sprin catch on each door, a quadrilateral pivote at the rear of the cabinet a locking member carried by said quadrilateral disposed adjacent each door and movable into and out of position to be engaged by the spring catch thereon. and means carried by said drawer for simultaneously shifting said quadrilateral and thereby actuate all of said locking members into or ont of catch engaging or operative position, regardless of the position of the doors, whereby, when said members are thus all moved to operative position, such doors as are closed at the time will be locked closed, and the spring catch on any door subsequently closed will snap over the corresponding locking member and thus auto matically lock the door.

6. The combination with a merchandising cabinet having a series of sliding storage drawers arranged side by side in a horizontal row, a spring catch mounted at the rear end of each drawer, a locking member disposed adjacent and extending transversely of said drawers, a quadrilateral pivoted at the rear of the cabinet, said locking member being carried by said quadrilateral and movable therewith into operative position to be simultaneously engaged by the spring catches of all of said drawers, and out of such position, where it is clear of all of said catches, a master drawer, and means carried by said master drawer for thus shifting said quadrilaterai and said member at will7 regardless of the position of said drawers. whereby, when Said master drawer and member are moved to operative position, al1 drawers which are closed at the time will be locked closed, and the spring catch on any drawer Subsequently closed will snap over said locking member and thus automatically 10 lock the drawer.

In testimony whereo` I afiix my signature.

ROBERT C. VALSH.

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