US1903535A - Cash drawer alarm device - Google Patents

Description

April 11, 1933. Gl TI SCOTT 1,903,535

CASH DRAWER ALARM DEVICE Filed April l5, 1929 3 4 L INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 11, 1933 UNITED STATES GEORGE T. SCOTT, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA CASH DRAWER ALARM DEVICE Application led April 15,

rlhis invention relates to and has for a principal object the provision of an improved type of alarm device incorporated in a cash drawer or money 'till and adapted to be connected electrically with an alarm positioned remotely from the drawer whereby the alarm will be sounded when money is removed from the drawer by unauthorized persons.

Another object is to provide, moreover, a cash drawer embodying a plurality of multiple contacts arranged in the several compartments of the money till so that the unauthorized removaly of money in the form of currency from either of the compartments will sound an alarm.

Other and more detailed objects of invention will appear in the description hereinafter given.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a tellers stand such as is used in a bank and having incorporated therein a cash drawer embody- 'd ing my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the drawer on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the drawer on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the drawer casing on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse section of the drawer and casing showing only the portions included in the electric circuit of the alarm.

As shown in Fig. 1, the drawer or money till A is adapted to be slidably mounted in a desk, stand, cage, or counter B, preferably within a casing C. The casing is open at the front B1 of the counter and has a top C1, a bottom C2, sides C3 and C4, and a rear end closure C5. The casing is of shallow rectangular form and is adapted to slidably receive and supportthe drawer A so that the same may be extended from the front B1 of the counter for the purpose of inserting and withdrawing currency therefrom.

The drawer A is open at the top and is provided with a bottom A1, sides A2 and A3,

v a rear end closure A4, and a cleat A5 at the 1929. Serial No. 355,256.

front, all of which members are suitably attached together and-are formed or non-conducting material such as wood. The drawer.

A may have one or more rear compartments A6 and a plurality of front compartments 55 A7, A7 etc., formed therein with a transverse partition A8 separating the front and rear compartments.

The sides C3 and C4 of the casing C are provided with longitudinal guides D and Dl which may be formed of a single piece of channeled metal or a pair of metal strips of right angular cross section, as at D1 and D2, held in the sides of the casing and attached thereto and adapted to provide channels D3, D3 for slidably receiving ribs E1, El of rails E and E attached to the sides A2 and A3 of the money till A.

The compartments A7 in which the money, as at M, is adapted to be held, are provided with an integral metallic lining A9 which forms a false bottom 1 for the money till. Asshown in Fig. 2, the false bottom A9 is inclined downwardly from the upper edge of the front member A5 of the drawer to the 75 rear of the compartments A7, and said compartments are commonly closed at their front ends by means of a transverse member A10 which is hinged at A11 to the member A5 and may be held in closed position as seen in Fig. 2 by means of a suitable latch or latches A12.

When the money box is extended for use the member A10 is unlatched at A12 and is adapted to swing downwardly so asto render the money M within the compartments A7 readily removable. Each of the compartments A7, A7 is provided with a contact member F which is pivotally mounted ron a U-shaped member F1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the contacts will rest upon the money M within the compartments.

The contact supporting members F1, F1 etc., are hingedly mounted at the inner ends F2, F2 of their legs on a transverse rod F3 which extends through the longitudinal partitions A13, A13 separating the compartments A7, A7, and also through the sides A2 and A3 of the money till. One end F4 of rod F3 is permanently attached by soldering or otherwise to a portionv of the rail E, while the other end is disassociated from the rail E at the other side of the till. The guide D, ywhich is frictionally associated with thev rail E, is electrically connected with a battery G or other source of electrical current by means of a wire G1 which may have a control switch H connected therewith. The guide D', which is frictionally .associated with the rail E, is connected by means of a wire G2 with an alarm device or bell I, and the bell is connected with battery G by means of a wire G3, as shown in Fig. 5.

Vhen the switch H is closed and all of the compartments A7 of the till are supplied with currency, the currencyV willA insulate the weighted contacts F from the false bottom A9 of the till and thus maintain an open alarm circuit. When all of the money is removed from any one of the compartments A7 the engagement of the contact F in that compartment with the metallic lining of the false bottom, will close the circuit ofthe alarm I and cause an alarm to besounded so long as the switch H is closed. In this connection it will be understood that the circuit is closed through the wire Gl from battery G, guide D, rail E, rod F3, member F1, contact F, false bottom A9, rail E', guide D', wire G2, alarm I, and wire G3 to the battery, the false bottomV A9 being permanently connected with therail E by means of a contact bar El.

As shown in Fig. 2, the drawer A may be `extended so as to expose only the comparta ments A7,-or it'may be further extended so as to expose the compartment A6.` To prevent the complete removal of the drawer from the casing C a stop bar J is provided on the top G1 of the casing, which is disposed in ther path of and is adapted toengage the rear end All ofthe drawer when the drawer is extended to a maximum extent. The transverse partition A8 of the drawer is provided with a recess A141L at the top thereof to clear the bar J. It willbe understood that the construction of my device is such that the guides D and D will be permanently connected in circuit with the battery G and alarm I.

Contact between the guides D and D- and rails E and E is byV frictional engagement of the portions E2 of said rails with the guides D and D when the portions El are slidably disposed in the channels D3. Contact supports F1 at their ends F2 make su'liicient contact with the cross bar F3 for closing'the circuit of the alarm when one or more of the contacts F engage the false bottom A9.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of my improvements that when the switch H is closed it will be quite impossibleV for anyone to remove all of the money from .either of the compartments A7 of the money till without sounding the alarm I.V In such case it requires no operation of a teller or cashier to sound the alarm and the switch H is preferably located at a Ypoint remote from the cash drawer and completely obscured so that only authorized persons may know of its existence and location. Likewise the wires Gl and G2 maybe completely Vobscured andy inaccessible to anyoneV seeking to remove the contents of the cash drawer without authority. In this manner, and by the means shown and described, the funds contained'in the cashdrawer may be safeguarded against burglary during business hours. At the close of business the switch H maybe opened sov that the alarm will be inoperative, or said switch may remain closed at all times, depending upon the presence l of money inthe till.

What I claim is:

In a cash drawer, a bottom lforming an electrical contact, conductor guides, conductor rails on thev drawerfslidable in said guides, whereby the drawer is slidably mounted, a conductor rod extending acrossl the drawer and secured at one end to one of said rails` but not to the other rail, a conductor connecting said other rail and Isaid bottom contact, and a second contact hingedly mountedon said rod for resting uponV money placed within the drawerrand for resting vupon said bottom contact when money is removed from the drawer.

y s GEORGE T. SCOTT.

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