AU607056B2 - Cash security container/safe - Google Patents

Description

R.S. CATT

TO:

THE COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS, CANBERRA, A.C.T.

-aPL- LC -C 37 5a6 Form COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-62 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Prforlty: Relate Related Art: I t c t Class Int. Class *ar. r. .c undr Sci.;min 4e) ;.iaJ is corect for printing.

PATENT, TRADE MARKS DESIGNS SU--O ICE -6 MAR 1989 SOUTH AUSTRALIA Namu of Applicant: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT PETER THOMAS CLARKE I c Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: 21 Ridgefield Avenue, Paradise, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Peter Thomas CLARKE care of R.K. MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "CASH SECURITY CONTAINER/SAFE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

Ii ~vl To: The Commissioner of Patents, Commonwealth of Australia.

R. K. MADDERN and ASSOCIATES, Citicorp House 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000.

FM G410-0 I M 905 This invention relates to a cash security container It or safe for temporarily storing cash notes (of any denomination), and is particularly suitable for use in a multiple cash flow retail outlet.

The incidence of robberies is growing alarmingly and, notwithstanding security measures which business houses have taken, the robberies, especially those involving large amounts of cash, are still occurring.

In multiple cash flow retail outlets, e.g. supermarkets andthe like, it is normal practice to utilise a number of check-out operators each of whom is responsible for C operating a cash register to receive cash from customers passing through the various check-outs. Of course, large amounts of cash are taken by th check-out operators and C C it is normal practice for money to be transferred from the individual cash registers to a more secure safe at various times during the day.jt ICIt will be appreciated that a check-obt operator 1cc attending a standard cash register is extremely vlnerable to a potential robber i.e. where cash can be very quickly and readily removed from a cash register.

4 Despite various prior safety measures which have been adopted in the past for the purpose of protecting large amounts of cash holdings collected in retail outlets such as supermarkets, and for foiling would-be robbers, the need remains for an inexpensive, easilyI installed, sturdy cash security box or container into which cash can be "floated" at various times during the -2- ~ur day from the standard cash registers. In this way the cash holding can be spread over a larger number of locations on the business premises.

It is the main object of the present invention therefore to provide a cash security box or container which meets the above-stated criteria, and which is t portable in construction.

It is a further object of the present invention ji to provide a cash security box or container which, when j 10. installed and locked, is essentially tamper-resistant with the cash notes stored inside being inaccessible to prying fingers.

I a=y Rccording to this invention, a portable cash security box comprises a box-like receptacle having 1C c T, 15. side and end walls, the receptacle being divided IJ vertically into two compartments by a transverse division wall, the first of said compartments being relatively C VCE small and constituting a note receiving compartment into which notes can be inserted edge-on, the second compartment being relatively large and constituting a 4 ,storage compartment into which notes are transferred S" from the first compartment, removable closure means i associated with said second compartment which, when in a closed position closes off the interior of the second compartment, whilst when in an open position, enables the interior of the second compartment to be accessed, i manually operable mechanical note transfer means i f for transferring notes from 3 7~

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060 0 0 00 00 00 0* 00 4 0( 0 #000 0 0 C 006 0* C *0 00 0 0 0 00 the first to the second compartment, said transfer means comprising a pusher arm movable bodily across the interior of the first compartment, through an opening in the division wall and into the interior of the second compartment, said pusher arm when in its retracted position within the first compartment permitting notes to be inserted within the first compartment so as to lie between the pusher arm and the division wall, the note (or notes) passing through said opening upon being transferred by said pusher arm from the first compartment to the second compartment, and lock means adapted to lockingly secure the closure means with respect to the receptacle.

L ee fiall~-f, yn t\this invention, 15. a portable cash security box or container comprises a box-like receptacle having side and end walls, a bottom wall and an open top, the receptacle being divided into two compartments by a vertical divider wall extending between the side walls of the receptacle, the first 20. of said compartments being relatively small and constituting a note-receiving compartment into which notes can be inserted edge-on, the second compartment being relatively large and constituting a storage compartment into which notes are transferred from the first compartment, an inner lid removably located over the open top end of the second compartment so as to enclose its interior, a rigid outer lid removably engageable with said inner lid and which fits thereover, 4 -I i i said outer lid being attachable to a support surface, e.g. the underside of a counter, manually operable mechanical note transfer means carried by said first compartment for transferring notes from the first to the second compartment, said transfer means comprising a pusher arm movable bodily across the interior of the first compartment, through an opening in the divider wall and into the interior of the second compartment, said pusher arm when in its retracted position within the °i first compartment permitting notes to be inserted within the first compartment so as to lie between the pusher arm and the divider wall, wherein said opening in the divider c c wall is shaped and dimensioned so that a note (or notes) being moved by said pusher arm from the first compartment i Qri\ \I SI 15. to the second compartment is (or are)Abent on passing therethrough, and further comprising lock means adapted to lockingly secure the outer lid with respect to the 'i i receptacle, the outer lid when in its locked position bdrring access to the inner lid and in turn the interior U c of the second compartment.

Preferably, the transfer means comprises a pivotal .I lever arm carried by the receptacle and depending thereinto, the upper end of the lever arm projecting upwardly from the open top end of the first compartment, said lever arm being operatively connected to said pusher arm to effect movement thereof.

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the second compartment is provided with a free floating backing plate carried at one end of a coil spring extending horizontally through the second compartment and having its other end abutting against an end wall 5. of the receptacle, so arranged that a note inserted into the first compartment is held against the backing plate by the pusher arm as it is being transferred into the second compartment with the movement of the pusher arm being resisted by said spring-loaded backing plate, the spring-loaded backing plate being effective to maintain ,the notes transferred into the second compartment in a relatively neat stack. It will of course be appreciated "that with the lever arm in its retracted position, the backing plate is biased in the direction of the divider wall and thereby presses the stack of notes thereagainst, the notes thus being stored in an upright "flat" Scondition.

In another preferred arrangement, the inner lid slidably engages over the open upper end of the c receptacle so as to close off same, and in turn the outer lid slidably engages over the inner lid.

cC In yet another preferred arrangement of this invention, both the lever arm and its associated pusher arm are spring-biased towards their retracted positions.

In order to more fully explain the present invention, an embodiment is described hereunder, in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:i (j

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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cash security 6 I I I .1 1 -11-11-- 11 11 11 "I I I I -MMMOd container or safe 10, partly cut away to show the interior, FIG. 2 is a section side elevational view of the cash security container or safe 10, showing the pusher arm 11 in an extended position, and FIG. 3 is a sectional side elevational view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the pusher arm 11 in its retracted position.

In this embodiment, a portable cash security box or container comprises a rigid metal receptacle 10 formed with a pair of side walls 16', a pair of end walls 16, I C a bottom 16" and an open top end 21, the receptacle c cc c C having an internal division wall 18 extending between ca'* the side walls, the height of which approximates to the 15. height of the container, the division wall 18 being securely fixed along its vertical margins to the side walls 16'.

c C S (C C C. The internal divisional wall 18 divides the interior of the receptacle into a relatively small first C C 20. compartment 12 and a relatively large second compartment 13, the first compartment 12 being arranged to have cash Ic c (in the form of notes) inserted edge-on thereinto, the notes being subsequently transferred by a note transfer mechanism into the second compartment 13 where the notes are securely stored.

The open upper end 21 of the receptacle is closed by a removable inner lid 20 which slidingly engages along the upper margins of the receptacle 10 and closes off the I top of the second compartment 13. A rigid metal outer 7 lid 22 also fits over the top of the receptacle and the inner lid 20, the outer lid 22 having depending Ushaped flange formations 23 along its margins which the margins of the inner lid The rigid outer lid 22 is arranged to be fixedly secured, e.g. by bolting, to the undersurface of a counter, bench, desk, table or the like (in nearby location to an existing cash register) and the receptacle along with the inner lid 20 is slidably fitted to the l ti outer lid 22. A key operated lock 25 which, in this embodiment, is carried on the outer lid 22 serves to j CCe lock together the outer and inner lids and also the I receptacle. When in the locked condition, the receptacle S di"1. is securely installed beneath the operator's counter and cannot, under normal circumstances, be tampered with C r or removed without the assistance of the lock key 26.

S'C The note transfer mechanism within the first compartment 12 comprises a pivoted lever arm 17, the upper end 27 of which projects through the open top end of the first compartment, the upper end 27 of the lever arm 17, in this embodiment, having a width which approximates the width of the first compartment 12, i 1"2 and having a chamfered portion 28 to facilitate its pivotal movement by an operator's fingers. The lever arm 17 depends into the first compartment 12 and co-acts with a vertically disposed elongate metal pusher plate member 11 which is arranged to move bodily across the 8 A I rY~~ I1 9C CC C

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0 Ct interior of the first compartment 12, through an opening formed in the internal division wall 18 and into the interior of the second compartment 13, such movement being effected upon inward pivotal movement of the lever arm 17.

In this embodiment, the pusher arm 11 has a first planar portion 29 approximately contiguous with an inner surface portion of the lever arm 17, and a second planar portion 30 which depends from the lower end of the lever arm 17, the planar portions 29, 30 being joined by an approximately centrally located transverse V-shaped rib formation 31 which is arranged to engage a similar shaped transverse channel formation 35 adjacent the lower end of the lever arm 17.

An elongate U-shaped wire mounting spring 32 resiliently connects the pusher arm 11 to the lever arm 17 with the bridging portion 36 of the U-shaped spring 32 engaging within the rib formation 31 formed in the pusher arm 11, the ends of the legs 37 of the spring 32 hookingly engaging around the pivot pin or axle 38 of the lever arm 17 and being arranged to bias the same towards its retracted position. The lower end of the pusher arm 11 is constrained for movement by means of a metal wire connector 33 which has its lower end pivotally connected to a rearwardly extending lug 34 on the pusher arm 11 and its upper end pivotally retained by means of a bracket 39 fixed to the front wall of the first compartment 12. The pusher arm 11 is mounted so

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that it is maintained in an approximately vertical disposition as it moves between its retracted and extended positions (see FIGs. 2 and 3, respectively).

When the lever arm 17 and its associated pusher arm 11 are in their retracted positions, a vertical opening 35 is formed between the pusher arm 11 and the divider wall 18, the opening 35 being of sufficient width to permit one or more notes to be inserted edge-on into the first compartment 12 (with the smaller margin 10. leading).

With one or more notes inserted into the first compartment 12 between the note transfer mechanism and the intermediate divider wall 18, such notes are then transferred into the second compartment 13 simply by effecting inward pivotal movement of the lever arm 17, such movement in turn causing the pusher arm 11 to push the notes through the opening in the divider wall 18 and into the second compartment 13 where they are securely stored and cannot be removed (under normal circumstances) without removing the inner and outer lids 20 and 22.

The opening formed in the divider wall 18 is dimensioned so as to have a smaller transverse dimension than the width of the notes being handled. Being of paper-like material, the notes readily bend, fold or deform as they are pushed through the divider wall opening, but once having passed through the opening, return to their substantially planar form.

A a 1, 10 1 To assist in maintaining the notes located in the second compartment 13 in an orderly, "flat" stack, the second compartment 13 is provided with a "free floating" spring-loaded backing plate 14 which, when the second compartment 13 is empty, is biased against the inner vertical marginal surfaces 41 of the receptacle divider wall 18. Upon the pusher arm 11 entering the second compartment 13, the backing plate 14 is moved bodily away from the divider wall 18 to permit the entry of the notes being transferred. Upon the pusher arm 11 returning to its retracted position, the backing plate 14 presses the transferred notes against the marginal surfaces 41 of the divider plate 18 which surround the opening therein and thereby ensures that the notes are stored in an I I 15. undeformed state. As more and more notes are transferred into the second compartment 13, the backing plate 14 moves progressively further away from the divider wall 18.

When it is desired to empty the contents of the security box or container, an operator must first unlock the key lock 25 which locks the receptacle to the fixed outer lid 22, and the container or box, together with its inner lid 20, is slidingly removed from the outer lid 22, and in turn the inner lid 20 slid open to enable the operator to remove the cash contained therein.

The second compartment 13 is substantially tamperresistant (at least to the normal "grab and run" would-be robber) and furthermore is designed so that the cash ;i 7 i 11 :i

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stored therein cannot be removed by prying fingers via the note-receiving opening 35 which extends into the first compartment 12. Thus, the receptacle is designed so that (when in a locked condition), it cannot be penetrated (by any appreciable extent) by one's fingers.

A brief consideration of the above-described embodiment will indicate that the invention provides for a relatively inexpensive, sturdily constructed, easily installed security box or container which is particularly suited for use in a multi-cash flow retail et T outlet such as supermarkets, in such a way that it allows ttt cash to be spread over a larger number of storage locations rather than being held in a small number of cash registers in large amounts.

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Claims (8)

1. A portable cash security box or container comprising a box-like receptacle having side and end walls, the receptacle being divided vertically into two compartments by a transverse division wall, the first of said compartments being relatively small and constituting a note receiving compartment into which notes can be inserted edge-on, the second compartment being relatively large and constituting a storage compartment into which notes are transferred from the first compartment, removable closure means associated with C CecC 171 said second compartment which, when in a closed position closes off the interior of the second compartment, whilst when in an open position, enables the interior of the second c. compartment to be accessed, op 5 re ha th CqE Cr c (C CC Cc' c manually operable mechanical note transfer means for c transferring notes from the first to the second compartment, said transfer means comprising a pusher arm movable bodily C C CC across the interior of the first compartment, through an opening in the division wall and into the interior of the c. second compartment, said pusher arm when in its retracted c20,1 position within the first compartment permitting notes to be C cc inserted within the first compartment so as to lie between t C C the pusher arm and the division wall, the note (or notes) S c passing through said opening upon being transferred by said pusher arm from the first compartment to the second compartment, and lock means for locking said closure means in its said closed position. f' of pr co 5 5 col en thi agi tr tr; Li -13- V Is "I The following statement is a ful description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me. i i i }ij

2. A cash security box or container according to claim 1 wherein said note transfer means is actuated by a pivotal lever arm which extends into said first dompartment and is operatively connected to said pusher arm to effect rectilinear bodily movement thereof, said pivoted lever arm having an upper end which projects through an open top end of the first compartment.

3. A cash security box or container according to claim 2 wherein said lever arm and its associated pusher arm are IC. spring biased towards their retracted positions. cct

4. A cash security box or container according to any preceding claim wherein said opening is dimensioned and shaped so that the note(s) is or are temporarily bent on c I passing therethrough. C C C C V A cash security box or container according to claim 4 wherein the opening in the division wall has a transverse S width less than the width of a note or notes being transferred therethrough. C6. A cash security box or container according to any one rtc it of the preceding claims wherein said second compartment is provided with a movable backing plate carried at one end of a coil spring extending horizontally through said second compartment, the other end of said coil spring abuttingly engaging against an end wall of the receptacle, so arranged that a note inserted into the first compartment is held against said backing plate by the pusher arm as it is transferred into the second compartment, whereby the notes transferred into the second compartment in a stack with their cr o -14- ~L i- 2 longer margin disposed approximately vertically and their shorter margin disposed approximately horizontally.

7. A cash security box or container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second compartment has an open top end, said closure means comprising an inner lid removably located over the open top end of the second compartment, and a rigid outer lid removably engageable with said inner lid in superposed relationship, said outer lid being attachable to a support surface. cC, 8. A cash security box or container according to claim 7 wherein said inner lid slidably engages the open upper end of the receptacle and, in turn, said outer lid slidably engages S' over said inner lid.

9. A cash security box or container according to claim 8 C wherein said outer lid has depending U-shaped flange formations along its margins which slidably engage similar shaped flange formations along the margins of said inner lid. A cash security box or container according to any r I one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the outer lid is attachable by C C r I r I S bolting to the undersurface of a counter, bench, desk, table CC or the like.

11. A cash security box or container according to claim :CC 7 wherein said lock means comprises a key operated lock affixed to said outer lid, the outer lid when in the lock "s position barring access to the inner lid and in turn the interior of said second compartment.

12. A portable cash security box or container 1 substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to 3 and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 16th aay of November 1990 PETER THOMAS CLARKE, By his Patent Attorneys, R.K. MADDERN ASSOCIATES C C -16-