US425686A - Check receiver and indicator - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

E. C. MEHLBGK.

CHECK RBGEVER AND INDIGAJIOR.

No. 425,6'86. Patented Apr. 15,1890.

F191 Fly. ,z

jec'I/'on ad? /A 11, u "7 it? MWI l. #f/MM WM@ L )b mg 4 N u lll e R wg -D Q Q Q Q @Qmgmm w 0f. on?

A NORA/EY.

Afl

"top of the swingingface B.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD (l. MEHLECK, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

CHECK RECEIVER ANAD INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATIQN-frming part of Letters Patent No. 425,686, dated April 15, 1890.

Application tiled July 25, 1889. 'Serial N0.318,642. (No model.)

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWARD C. MEHLECK,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Al-A vide an automatic check receiver and indicator that will Sound van alarm, open the money-drawer, displayl .to vthe customer the amount he has-paid, and place the cheeks in separate compartments corresponding to the amount of the Sale I attain these objects by the mechanism -villustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation; lfig. 2, a section along the line (ab on Eig. l. Fig. is a section f y on Fig. 2; Fig. .4, a section f2 y2 on Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a view of the moneydrawer and cash-receiver, showing the manner of locking the same.

Similar letters refer to si milar parts throughout the several views.

A represents a cabinet, usually constructed of wood or other suitable material. To the frame h, at the upper front part of the cabin et, (see Fig. 2,) extending across the front of the cabinet, is attached by suitable hinges the The swinging face B is a flat piece of tin, glass, or other solid substance, extending downward a short distance from the top of the cabinet A and partly or quite the whole width of said cabinet. Along the lower edge of the swinging face B, l paint or inark figures, as shown in Fig. 1and separate the figures or combination of figures by mcansof narrow thin pieces of glass, or metal, or other substance, extending forward from the face B. I place a strip-of glass C across the face of the surface l, suicient in width to cover thetigures,and .attach the same by an adhesive subl -f-tance to the said narrow pieces of glass ex tending forward from the face ll. l have thus formed at the lower edge of the swingnig surface ll a series of slots, each indicated by a ligure or combination of figures readily distinguished through a transparent covering C. Immediately beneath the surface ll is placed the ledge X, extending outward a short dis tance from the face B when in its vertical position. Upon said ledge is securedby suitable fastening the metal plate Y, which extends backward from the-face of the cabinet, and is bent at rightangles to thelcdgea short distance in the rear of the face ll when that face isin a vertical plane. 'lhrough the hori- Zontal portion of the plate Y, and in the rear of the ledge X, is placed a series of slots corresponding in position to those formed by the glass divisions in front of the surfacell in such a manner that a check placed in one of the divisions at the lower edge of the surface ll, rest-ing as it would on the horizontal portion of the plate 'Y when the surface l occupies a vertical position, would fall through the corresponding slot in the plate Y when the surface B is forced backward from the front of the cabinet, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.

Extending across from one side of the cabinet to the other, in the rear of the ledge X and extendingdownward below it, I pla-ce a strip of wood lj', leaving a space between theA -front of the cabinet and said strip l and immediately beneath a series of slots W in the plate Y, through which space a check passing through slots W will fall. To the surface of the strip l, toward the front of the cabinet, l place a 4series of vertical projections, extending across the space between 'the strip l? and the front of the cabinet, corresponding to the divisions between the slots lV in the plate Y.

To the baro, secured to the sides of the cabinet A and extending across it in the rear of the face of the cabinet, is secured bysuitable hinges l the oscillating hopper l, so con- Vstructed that the forward edge of itsl lower horizontal portion will rest in contact with the interior face of the cabinet when it is in its normal position, as shown in full lines in lfig. 2; but when said hopper is moved on its hinges l its upper portion n comes into contact with the face of the cabinet and the lower portion withdraws therefrom, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The hopper'l is TOO of the hopper E, which remains unpainted and has upon it simply the figures in black,

-. corresponding tothe numerals on the divis- Vdo ion of the lower edge of the surface B, in the same vertical piane and just above it. Thus when a check is placed in one ofthe divisions on the lower edge of the swinging surface B,

and -that surface is pressed backward-,from

the front of the cabinet, the check will fall through the slot in the 'plate Y, `be conducted between the partitions along the strip P", will fall into the corresponding' compartment -in the hopper E, and will be displayed by forming a white background behind the transparent surface containing the darker painted figures, which are the-,same as those on the lower edge of the swinging surface B in the position which'the check first occupied To the rear of the swinging surface B, I attach the horizontal bar c, which extends backward from the rear of the surface B and carries the grooved stud ft', which issecured to the end of the vertical bar d4 which vertical bar (l is attachedby means of the connecting-bars c c to the horizontal portion of the hopper Il. The bar d is right angle int form, having a lower horizontal portion ex tending toward the rear lof the cabinet and connected near its horizontal end, farthest from the vertical partof the bar, with a spiral spring "S, which spiral spring S is secured to -the horizontal board S beneath the hopper E.

Said board S extends across the entire cabinet in the rear of the face of the cabinet.

To the rear of the strip P extends the horizontal guide-bar o', containing the stud 't and provided'withthe slot in the end of, the bar between the stud andl the end of the bar,

through which the vertical portion of the bar,

d passes and comes in contact with the stud t. By means of this arrangement of the horidotted lines in Fig. 2.

zontal banc, attached to the surface B, carry- .ing the stud o at4 the end of the bar tl, the

said bar d is forced upward by the movement of the surface B-backward, as shown by the Forcing the bar d upward causes the horizontal portion 7i', of said Abar t0 be forced lupward and backward from the front of the cabinet, which draws backward the lower portion of the hopper E and causes the upper portion o of said hopper to come into contact with the surface ofthe cabyinet, thus allowing the check or checks contained in the compartment or compartments of the hopper E to fall downward through a series of slots in the bottoni board S inte'the check-receiver R of the money-drawer I), and

at the same time 'the check passes through the slot \V of the plato Y, alongr the division of thedrawer upwardly.

on the strip P', rests upon the upper surface l fn. of the hopper E and is retained there until the resiliency of the spring S causes the swinging surface B and the hopper E to resume their normal position, which occurs immediately upon the force being removed from the surface B. The check then passes into t-he hopper E and is displayed.

' For the purpose of causing an alarm to be made at the time the amount of the sale is displayed, I place the battery F on the bottom board S at the rear of the cabinet and connect it by suitable wires to the elect-ric bell Il, secured to the interior rear surface of the cabinet.

To the bar c, attached to the swinging surface, I place a metal strip s, placed in such a position that when the surface B is pressed backward the strip s will come in contact with the metallic strip G.

The metallic strip G is connected by means of a wire to one of the poles of the battery F. The metallic strips isconnectcd by means of a wire to the electric bell H. Thus when the metallic strips G and s are brought in contact an electric circuit is formed through the bell and they come thus in contact, when the surface B is pressed backward to allow the checks to fall through the slots in the plate Y, and an alarm is immediately given by theririging of an electric bell.

In order to open the money-drawer, I attach to the rear of the surface B, at each end thereof, the horizontal inwardly-projecting bars Z Z, to the end of each of which is attached the chain .I J, extending downward and :toward the rear of the cabinet, and to the lower end of each chain is attached the rear endof the dog L, the dog L being secured by a bolt passing through it near its opposite end to the side of the cabinet. The end of the dog L, to which the chain J .i is attached, is in vcontact with the end of the slot N in the top of the `side` of the drawer near its rear end. By means of this arrangement, by pressing backward the surface B, the bars Z are raised, litting the dog L out of the 'slot Nin the sides of the money-drawer, and the spring O in the rear of the money-drawer forces forward the money-drawer. The money-drawer D is placed beneath the bottom board S and opens outwardly from the front of the cabinet, sliding backward and forward' in the opening made for that purpose.

lThe drawer I) is divided by a transverse partition U, separating the drawer into two sections forward and rear section. 'lfhe forward section is used for containing the money, and is divided into suitable compartments or receptacles' for that purpose. The roar section is the check-receiver, and is divided into a series of compartments by means of longitudinal partitions extending from the bottom On the interior surface of the back of thc check-receivci-I paint or mark the figures or combination of figures corresponding to those on the lower edge of IOO the swinging surface B. Each of these compartments in the check-receiver is placed immediately beneath the corresponding compartment of the hopper E in such a manner that as the check leaves the hopper and falls through the slot in the board b" it will drop into the corresponding compartment of the check-receiver R.

It is advisable not to have the check-receiver opened by the clerk or person in charge of. the business, and in order to of. that part of the money-drawer l place the locking device T T on each side of the lower ledge of the cabinet, in the forward part ofthe cabinet, which is a bolt extending through the lower ledge of the cabinet (see Fig. 5) and coming in contact with the side of the drawer. The side of the drawer D is provided with a shoulder at a sufficient distance back of the front of the drawer to allow the forward section of the drawer D to be drawn out a'sufiicient distance to use the money-receiving part of the drawer. Then it comes in contact with the bolt J, preventing its being drawn out to a greater distance when said bolt T is in the position shown in Fig. 5. By means of an ordinary look placed in the lowerledge of the cabinet, by the sideI of the bolt T, the bolt a of the lock may be caused to pass into the opening w in the sideof the bol-t T, holding the bolt T firmly and securely in position.

In order. to prove the amount of sales made, the bolts T T them, and the cheeks found in the compartments of the check-receiver counted, the number in each compartment multiplied by the figures painted upon that compartment, which is the value of each check found therein, and the total amount of the sales may be thus computed, which should correspond with the amount of cash in the drawer D.

' The checks which I usually employ in the operation of my device are made of celluloid, bone, or ivory, or other suitable substance, and are white, or nearly so, in color, and have no figures or letters upon them, that being unnecessary when the figures are painted upon the glass where the amounts are displayed. llowever, I do not intend to limit myself to thc use of blank checks, nor 'to the use of figures painted upon glass in the face of the cabinet, since it is apparent that by placing the figures on the check-s and leaving the glass unpainted the amount of the check would be displayed, although not in so satisfactory a manner, possibly, because the checks maybe turned in their passage .from the surface l'linto the hopper E in such a manner 'that the figures would not be shown inv their proper position.. v

I .do not limit myself to the glass covering C, attached to the narrow vertical projections along the lower edge of the surface B, since I could place an opaque Asubstance in the position occupied by the glass C, and paint the figures on the face of that substance.

*A very material part of myinvention is'the prevent the openingmay be taken out by unlocking,

of' said swinging surface,

arrangementof the hopper-E in such a manner that the checks-in the hopper pass outby the check into the machine, and the amount of the Second saleI is not displayed until the check denoting the first has passed from sight and an alarm'has ceased to ring, and it then remains in the hopper beyond the control of the person in charge of a place of business, and in plain sight until another sale is to be hldicated.. TIhere-is-no opportunitytotamper with the checks after they have entered the slot in the plate Y, after they have been placed in theirproper division of .the lower ledge ot the surface B, and before they have entered that slot thealarm is sounded and continues to ring until they have passed therein, calling the attention of the customer to the check and reducing to a mipimum the opportunities for defrauding.

My invention is extremely simple in its construction, inexpensive, positive in its operation, and vdoes'the work required of it in an extremely satisfactory manner.

VhatI claim 'as my invention, and desire to `secure by Letters Patent, is*v 1. In a check receiver andindrijcator, acab'y inet provided 'with-a swinging surface'secnral by hinges atitjs upper. edge' tot-heframe of the cabinet, said.- swinging 'surface forming -the upper portionof the front'of the cabinet and provided-'alongiits lower edgewith a sereS of divisionsformed by vert-'realentwardlyprojecting partitions, said partitions connected by a narrow strip, a plate secured to a horizontal ledge placed beneath-'said swingingsurface and Hush witlithe-exterior surface of said-narrow strip,sa`id plate provided with a seriesof slots placed inthe rear of said 'swinging surface,corresponding in position to the divisions contained along the edge with a receptacle placed beneath said series of slots, and provided with compartments separated by vertical parti'lihns, said compartments corre- I sponding ini-position to the slots in said hori- 'zontal plategiwith a transparent face placed vin the frontof said cabinet immediately bei fore each of said compartments contained in said receptacle, all substantially as described, and for the purpose as set forth.

2. In a check receiver and indicator, a cabinet provided with an upper Swingin g su rfacc secured by hinges at its upper edge to thc frame of the cabinet, and provided along its lower edge with a series of divisions formed by vertical outwardly-projecting partitions, said partitions connected by a narrow strip, a plate provided with a series of slots secured to the horizontal ledge placed beneath said swinging surface, said slots being placed in the rear of said swinging surface, correspondingV in position to the divisions-along the edge of said surface, with a receptacle placed beneath said series oi' slots and provided with compartments separated by vertical partitions, said '.compartmcuts corresponding in same movement which introduces another' position to the slots in said horizontal plate, an. inwardly-projecting horizontal bar attached to the interior face of said swinging surface, itsend connected by a chain to the dog, secured to the side of the cabinet and resting in a notch placed in the tcp of the side of the money-drawer, the inwardly-pio jecting bar attached to the interior face of said swinging surface carrying the stud :attached by connecting-straps to the horizontal portion of t-he receptacle, placed beneath the series of slots in the said horizontal plate, said vertical rod provided with a lower horizontal portion attached to a spiral spring, said spiral spring secured to the bottom of the cabinet, substantially as described, and for the purpose as set forth.

3. In a check receiver and indicator, a cabinet provided with an upper swinging` surface secured by hinges at its upper edge in the frame of the cabinet and provided along its lower edge with a seriescf divisions formed by vertical outwardly-projecting partitions, said partitions connected by a. narrow strip, a

J plate provided with a series of slots secured to the horizontal ledge placed beneath said swingingsurface, said slots being placed in the rear of the said swinging surface, corresponding in position to the divisions along theedge of said surface, with a receptacle placed beneath said series of slots, and provided with compartments separated by vertical partitions, said compartments corresponding in position to the slots in said horizontal plate, an inwardly-projecting horizontal bar attached to the interior face of said swinging surface, its end connected by a chain to the dog, secured to the side of the cabinet and resting n a notch placed in the top of the side of the money-drawer, the inwardly-proj ectin g bar attached to theinterior face of said swinging surface carrying the stud attached to the end of the vvertical rod, said vertical rod attached by connecting-straps to the horizontal portion of the receptacle placed beneath a series of slots in said horizontal plate, said vertical rod provided with a lower horizontal portion attached to a spiral spring, said spiral spring secured to the bottoni of the cabinet, a metallicvplate attached to said swinging surface, smid metallic plate connected by a wire to an electric bell, said electric bell secured to the rear frame of the cabinet and connected to one of the poles of the battery, the opposite pole of the battery connected with a connecting-plate placed in such a position in referen ce to the metallic plate attached to the swinging surface that when the swinging surface is forcedA backward the metallic plates come in contact, all substantially as described. l,

4. In a check receiver and indicator, a conibination of a cabinet A, providedwith a rcceptacle E, attached by hinges to the horizontal bar o, extending across the cabinet from onefside to the other, having a lower surface 'm in contact with the face of the cabinet when said'receptacle is in its normal position, when oscillated having its upper surface n in contact with said face, with atransparent plate M placed ,in the exterior face of the cabinet iinmediatey in frontof said receptacle E, all substantially as described.

5. In a check receiver and indicator, a coinbination of a cabinet A, providedwith a drawer D, containing a transverse partition U, extending across said drawer, theI rear sectionR of said drawer divided into compartments by ineans of` a series of vertical partitions, with a lock-bolt-"l passingA through the ledge Q of said cabinet and coming in contact with the top of the side of said drawer D,a nd

engaging with the shoulder in the top of the side of said drawenwith the spring O attached to the rear of the lower part of the frame 4of the cabinet A in contact with the rear portion of said drawer D when said drawer D is closed, the top of the side of said drawer being provided near its rear cnd with a shoulder N,in cont-act with the dogL when said draweris closed, all substantially as described.

EDWARD C. MEHLECK.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK W. CAMERON, LEROY L; GAMERON.

Images