US2283542A - Antiholdup cashier's cage - Google Patents

Description

y 1942- B. L. DORSEY 2,283,542

ANTIHOLDUR CASHIERS CAGE Filed June 12, 1940 I INVENTOR. //v 4. 00/2857.-

Patented May 19, 1942 l UNHTED TEJs OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a safety device particularly designed for use in banks, cashiers ofiices, or wherever money is handled and exchanged,

and said device being designed for the effective protection against holdups and robbery.

The principal objects of my invention are, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of anti-holdup apparatus or devices and further, to provide a device of the character referred to that will be effective in trapping the person attempting to hold up and rob a cashier and the construction of the device being such as to insure maximum protection for the cashier against being shot or otherwise assaulted by the robber.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a robber proof construction for use in connection with cashiers windows that will afford a maximum degree of privacy for the patrons or persons who have legitimate dealings with the cashier located at the wicket with which the safety appliance is associated.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section taken through the wicket of a cashiers cage and showing my improved robber proof structure associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section showing the means for locking the revolving door of the safety structure against movement in both directions.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, l designates a permanent wall that separates the space II in a bank or other financial institution and which is occupied by cashiers or like employees, from the space I2 that is provided for the patrons or persons having business with the cashiers.

Formed in wall II] are openings such as l3 which function as wickets through which business with the patrons is carried on and located immediately below each wicket is a small counter or shelf 14 used by the casher or other employee. Immediately adjacent the end of the shelf l4 and to the right hand of the cashier stationed behind said shelf and the wicket immediately above said shelf is a wall that is arranged at right angles to the wall l0, and located in said wall a short distance rearwardly from said wall I0 is a door way l6 that permits the cashier or other employee to readily pass from his position adjacent shelf l4 into the space to the right of wall [5. Located in wall l5 between wall I 0 and the opening I6 is a panel l'l of bullet proof glass, preferably of the type composed of woven wire embedded in shatter-proof glass.

Rotatably mounted in the space or chamber 12 a short distance in front of the cashiers wicket I3 is an upright post-like member I8, the lower end of which has a point bearing [9 on a hardened metal block 20 that is anchored in the floor 2|, and the upper end of this rotating member is supported by an antifriction bearing 22 that is arranged in an overhead support 23.

Rigidly secured to the upper portion of this rotating member I8 is a circular disc 24 of bullet proof material, preferably steel plate, and depending from the marginal edge thereof is a circular wall 25 of bullet proof material, preferably steel plate.

Formed in the wall 25 are diametrically opposite openings 26 which provide entrance and exit openings for persons doing business with the cashier, and formed in said wall adjacent and immediately to the right of the openings 26 are diametrically opposite openings 21 that provide wickets which are adapted to coincide with the cashiers wicket I3.

Secured to'upright rotary member l8 and to -the wall 25 immediately to the right of each opening 21 are walls or panels 28 and the upper portions of these walls may include panels 29 of glass, preferably of the shatter-proof type that is reinforced with embedded sections of wire netting.

Arranged between the sides of the circular wall 25 and wall I!) are vertically disposed walls or panels 30 and located between the outer end of that one of the walls 30 thatis positioned to the right of the cashiers wicket l3 and the right hand end of said wicket is a curved wall 3|, preferably of metal such as steel and which occupies a position immediately adjacent the outer face of the circular wall 25.

Secured to the outer portions of the walls 28 and disposed immediately below the openings 21 therein are small counters 32 for the use of the patrons or customers and formed in the outer face of the circular wall 25 immediately beneath each opening 21 is a series of ratchet teeth 33.

Formed through the wall 25 at the outer end of each rowof ratchet teeth 33 or at the end opposite the end that is adjacent the outer edge of door 28 is an aperture 34.

These apertures are for the reception of the beveled outer end 35 of a plunger 36, the latter being mounted for sliding movement in a housing 31 that is secured to curved wall 3| adjacent the point where wall joins wall [8. The outer end of plunger 36 is provided with a handle 38 and an expansive spring 39 is arranged on plunger 36 between the end portion 35 thereof and the end of housing 31 (see Fig. 2).

When the end portion 35 of the plunger is positioned in aperture 34, the circular wall and post i8 upon which the same is mounted can not rotate in either direction and when the parts are so positioned, one of the openings 2'! coincides with the cashiers wicket 13 as illustrated in Fig. 1 and the adjacent opening 26 in wall 25 is closed by the curved wall 31 while the opposite opening 26 is unobstructed so as to permit the entrance of a patron or customer into that portion of the cage that is not in communication with the cashiers wicket l3.

In the use of my improved safety structure, the patron adjacent the counter 32 that is positioned beneath the opening 2'! having communication with the cashiers wicket l3 may transact his business with the cashier and while the transactions between cashier. and customer are being carried out, another patron may enter the door 25 in wall 25 that is open and use the counter 32 that is positioned within the compartment having the open door, for the making out of deposit slips, checks, and the like.

When the transactions between the cashier and patron have been concluded, the cashier steps through door I6, engages handle 38 of plunger 38 and pulls said plunger rearwardly to disengage the end of said plunger from the opening 34. The cage comprising the circular wall 25 and partition doors 28 may now be rotated on the vertical axis provided by the upright member l8, during which time the beveled end portion 35 of the plunger rides on the external face of the circular wall 25.

As the cage is thus rotated, the patron or person who has just entered the cage moves around with said cage until the corresponding opening 21 and counter 32 register with the cashiers wicket l3 and counter l4.

Inasmuch as the ratchet teeth 33 are formed in wall 25 immediately beneath the openings 21, the beveled end of plunger 36 will engage in the first one of the row of teeth 33 at the time said first tooth coincides with the end of the plunger, at which time the end of the opening 21 immediately adjacent the door or panel 28 begins to register with the cashiers wicket l3 and thus, until the opening 21 is in full registration with the cashiers wicket l3, the cage comprising the wall 25 and walls 28 can not be reversely rotated. When the opening is in full registration with the cashiers wicket I3, the end of plunger 35 passes into opening 34, thereby positively locking the cage against both forward and rearward rotary motion.

At this time the door 28 in wall 25 of the compartment occupied by the person positioned in front of the cashiers wicket I3 is closed by the fixed curved wall 3| and thus, it is impossible for the person confronting the cashier to escape from the compartment in which he is .positioned.

Thus, if the person confronting the cashier is bent on robbery and covers the cashier with a pistol or the like, he may rob the cashier, but such action would be of no avail :by reason of the fact that the robber cannot escape from the com partment in which he is located.

The only way to obtain release from the compartment is for the cashier or some other bank employee to withdraw plunger 35 so as to permit the cage to be rotated and should the robber order the cashier to pull the plunger, it will of course be necessary for the cashier to move away from his counter M and pass through the door If in the wall having the bullet proof panel H. In such event, the cashier after passing through the door l6 may safely call for assistance in capturing the trapped robber. v

Obviously, a robber desiring or intending to hold up a cashier whose wicket is protected by my improved device and having knowledge of the positive locking of the cage will be deterred from making such attempt inasmuch as it will be impossible for him to escapeafter the holdup and even though the robber should shoot and wound the cashier, such action would not permit escape.

In the regular order of business or while transacting business with patrons of the bank or other institution, the cashier after closing transactions with one customer steps through door 16, withdraws plunger 36, thereby permitting the cage comprising wall 25 and Walls 28 to rotate onehalf a complete turn, thereby permitting the customer who has just transacted his business with the cashier to pass out through the open door 26 and the patron who previously entered the other chamber in the cage moves around with the counter 32 until he is positioned directly in front of the cashiers wicket.

Thus, the customer or patron who is positioned in front of the cashiers wicket has ample privacy in making out checks, deposit slips, and the like, and such privacy is particularly desirable especially where the customers are withdrawing considerable sums of money from the bank or other institution in which the safety cage is installed.

The cage including the circular wall 25 and partition panels 28 are mounted so that they may be freely rotated, either by slight pressure on the panels by the patron or customer entering the cage or said cage may be rotated by suitably arranged mechanical means, for instance, an electric motor, an air motor, or by gearing and levers under control of the cashier or other employee stationed behind the walls H] and I6.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an anti-holdup cashiers cage that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacfrom the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1, In an anti-holdup cashiers cage, the combination'with a wall in which is formed a cashiers wicket, an upright member mounted for rotation in front .of said wicket, oppositely arranged walls carried by said upright member, a circular wall carried by said upright member and said oppositely disposed walls, said circular wall being provided with oppositely arranged entrance and exit openings and with oppositely arranged openings adapted to register with the cashiers wicket and a fixed curved wall positioned so as to close one of the entrance and exit openings in said curved wall when an adjacent one of the openings in the curved wall is in registration with the cashiers wicket.

2. An anti-holdup cashiers cage as set forth in claim 1, with a bullet proof partition arranged behind the first mentioned wall to the right of the cashiers wicket, there being a series of ratchet teeth formed in said circular wall below the openings therein that register with the cashiers wicket and a manually operable detent located in said first mentioned wall behind said bullet proof wall for engaging said ratchet teeth to hold said upright member against reverse rotary motion.

BENJAMIN L. DORSEY.

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