US3036298A - Robbery alarm system for protecting cash drawer - Google Patents

Description

May 22, 1962 P. D. SCHILLER 3,036,298

ROBBERY ALARM SYSTEM FOR PROTECTING CASH DRAWER Filed March 30, 1960 5 70 IN VENTOR 35 PAUL D. Scumuaz.

B EQEMMAEMW ATTORNEYS EVE I IEI [j United States Patent 3,036,298 ROBBERY ALARM SYSTEM FGR PROTECTING CASH DRAWER Paul D. Schiller, 1 .0. Box 65, Raleigh, N.C. Filed Mar. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 18,626 3 Claims. (Cl. 34)274) of the electrical alarm circuit to actuate the alarm device.

The switch mechanism takes the form of a push-button contact adapted to be depressed into engagement with an opposed contact by the foot or hand of a person to close the switch and sound the alarm device. Past experience with this type of alarm system has shown that anyone attempting to actuate the alarm device by depressing the push-button switch contact places himself in great danger of being seriously injured or even killed by a criminal perpetrating the robbery. This can be explained when it is understood that a criminal engaged in the robbery, knowing of the usual robbery alarm system, is likely to be highly suspicious of any movement on the part of persons in the establishment being robbed. Most often, a

criminal will be in an unstable emotional state during the robbery and may inflict serious injury or even death on a person who makesany movement leading the criminal to believe that an alarm has been set off. In fact, many bank olficials have urged their employees to do nothing to upset a criminal taking part in a robbery, preferring to lose the money rather than risk the possibility that a serious injury might be inflicted upon an employee who attempts to set off the alarm system.

Another form of robbery alarm system which has been proposed utilizes a spring-biased push-button as one contact member for a switch in an electrical alarm circuit 7 having an alarm device disposed therein. The switch is normally maintained in open position by placing money atop the push-button contact member to depress it against the biasing force of a spring. Upon removal of the money from the push-button contact member by a robber or by a person instructed to do so by the robber, the spring biases the push-button contact member into engagement with an opposed contact member to close the switch and actuate the alarm device. However, a criminal taking part in a robbery is apt to be in a position where he will notice the movement of the push-button contact member caused by the biasing force of the spring when the money is removed therefrom. It being common for the criminal to be in a highly excited and nervous state when involved in a criminal act, the belief by him that an alarm device has been actuated may result in serious injuries being inflicted upon innocent persons standing nearby. e

In both types of robbery alarm systems described above,

' the inherent danger that a criminal may notice some unusual movement, either on the part of a person in the establishment being robbed or of a part of the alarm system itself, creates a real possibility that the criminal in his anxiety may wound or even kill a person suspected of setting oil the alarm.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved robbery alarm system wherein an electrical alarm circuit is held open by a holding circuit having a pair of fixed spaced electrical contacts therein, the holdice currency which engages the contacts when the stack of paper currency is disposed atop the contacts. Removal of the stack of paper currency bearing the band wrapper having the electrically conductive means thereon from atop the spaced electrical contacts breaks the holding circuit, allowing the electrical alarm circuit to be completed for actuating an alarm device, even though no movement of a part of the robbery alarm system is visible to a criminal, nor is any movement of an innocent person which is unauthorized by the criminal required.

It is another object of this invention to provide a switch for actuating a robbery alarm device when opened, wherein the switch comprises a pair of fixed spaced electrical contacts disposed on a surface adapted to receive money and a band wrapper for a stack of paper currency having electrically conductive means thereon bridging the space between the electrical contacts and engaging the contacts to close the switch. Removal of the stack of paper currency together with its band wrapper will displace the e1ectrically conductive means on the band wrapper from engagement with the contacts to open the switch and actuate the alarm device.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a schematic view illustrating the robbery alarm system embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of an open cash drawer, illustrating a portion of a robbery alarm system associated therewith;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of a cash drawer shown in FIGURE 2 taken along the line 31-3 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view of the alarm actuating switch as it appears in FIGURE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and to FIGURE 1 in particular, the improved robbery alarm system embodying the present invention is illustrated in schematic form. The robbery alarm system relies upon electric power for its operation which may be supplied from an existing source of electrical current in a business establishment, such as a bank or the like. In FIGURE 1, this source of electrical current is shown in the form of an electrical connector or plug 10. From the plug 10, a pair of electrical conductors or wires 11, 12 extend to respective terminals for the primary coil of a transformer 13 to supply electrical current thereto. The transformer 13 is of a conventional step-down type, designed to supply 12 volts to an alarm device 14 through wires 15, '16 extending between the terminals for the secondary coil of the transformer 13 and the alarm device 14.

A switch means 20 is interposed in one of the wires 15, 16 extending between the transformer 13 and the alarm device 14, FIGURE 1 illustrating the switch means 20- as being interposed in the wire :15. The switch means 20 is adapted to be opened and closed for rendering the alarm device 14- inoperative and actuating the alarm device 14 as will be subsequently described. Together, the wires 15, 16, the alarm device 14 and the switch means 20 comprise an electrical alarm circuit.

The robbery alarm system in addition to the electrical alarm circuit above described also includes a holding circuit which maintains the electrical alarm circuit open when completed. The holding circuit comprises a pair of electrical conductors or wires 21, 22 extending to opposite terminals of an alarm control means in the form of an electromagnet 23 having a magnetizable core 24 therein.

It will be observed that the wire 21 comprises several segments, a segment 21a being connected at one end to a terminal for the secondary coil of the transformer 13 and at its other end to a roller 30 positioned in slidable engagement with an angle bar 31 forming a portion of a cash drawer 32 (FIGURE 2). Wire segment 21b is joined to the angle bar 31 at one end and to an electrical contact 33 at its opposite end. A second electrical contact 34 spaced from contact 33 is connected to a terminal end of wire segment 21c whose opposite end is connected to an angle bar 35 receiving a roller 36 in slidable engagement therewith in the same manner described with respect to the angle bar 31 and the roller 30. A final segment 21d of the wire 21 extends between the roller 36 and one terminal of the electromagnet 23. The wire 22 is connected at one end to the opposite terminal for the secondary coil of the transformer 13 and at its other end to the opposite terminal of the electromagnet 23. It will be appreciated that the pairs of rollers and angle bars 30, 31 and 36, 35 are made from electrically conductive material so as to insure the passage of electric current between the wire segments 21a, 21b and 21c, 21d, respectively. It is also contemplated that wire 21 may comprise a wire segment leading directly to the contact 33 from the terminal of the transformer 13 and a wire segment leading directly from the contact 34 to the terminal of the electromagnet 23, in which case the rollers 30, 36' and the angle bars 31, 35 would not be included as parts of the holding circuit.

To bridge the gap between the pair of spaced electrical contacts 33, 34 for completing the holding circuit to maintain the electrical alarm circuit open, electrically conductivemeans adapted to be positioned in engagement with the contacts 33, 34 is provided. This means purpose.

the robbery alarm system, being illustrated as interposed in one of the primary wire conductors 12 leading to the transformer 13. Normally, the switch 69 will remain closed except in instances where it may become necessary to repair part of the robbery alarm system.

Also, it is contemplated that a motion picture camera 61 be incorporated in the electrical alarm circuit to be actuated upon closing of the electrical alarm circuit and actuation of the alarm device 14. In this respect, the motion picture camera 61 is connected in the electrical alarm circuit in parallel with the alarm device 14, electrical conductors or wires 62, 63 being provided for this Wire 62 branches oif from wire 15, while wire 63 branches ofi from wire 16 of the electrical alarm circuit. The opposite ends of the wires 62, 63 are connected to actuating means for the motion picture camera 61, such actuating means being shown as a solenoid 64 having a plunger 65 movable upon energization of the solenoid 64 to start the motion picture camera 61.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, it will be observed that the pair of spaced electrical contacts 33, 34 in the holding circuit of the robbery alarm system are located on a non-electrically conductive money receiving surface, such as provided by a cash drawer 32. The cash drawer 32 includes a plurality of money receiving receptacles 70 of substantially uniform size with the electrical contacts 33, 34 being located in one of the receptacles 70. In FIGURE 4, the electrical contacts 33, 34 are illustrated as the heads ona pair of screws 71, 72 extending through the bottom wall of the cash drawer 32. The threaded ends of the screws 71, 72 receive terminal ends 7 of the wire segments 21b and 21c, respectively, to intakes the form of a band 40 wrapped about a stack of I paper currency C which is positioned to overlie the contacts 33, 34. The band 40 is made from non electricallyconductive material, there being a strip of electrically conductive metallic foil 41 (FIGURE 4) suitably secured to the undersurface of the band 4t for engagement with the contacts 33, 34 to complete the holding circuit. It is contemplated that the band 46 itself may be electrically conductive, such as by painting electrically conductive material thereon for example, in which case the metallic foil strip 41 may be omitted. I

As will be understood, under normal circumstances the holding circuit is completed by the positioning of the stack of paper currency C with its encircling wrapping band 40 and the metallic foil strip 41 secured thereto atop the electrical contacts 33, 34 to dispose the metallic foil strip 41 in engagement with the contacts 33, 34.

Completion of the holding circuit energizes the electromagnet 23 to m'agnetize the core 24, thereby opening the switch means 20 in the electrical alarm circuit to break the electrical alarm circuit and render the alarm device 14 inoperative.

In this connection, the switch means 20 comprises a pair of plate members 50, 51 carrying opposed contacts 52, 53, respectively. As shown, the plate member 51 is attached to a magnetically attractive bar '54 by an arm 55 so as to be movable away from the plate member 50 to dispose the contacts 52, 53 in spaced relationship for the electromagnet 23 is deenergized by breaking of the holding circuit as will be subsequently described, a compression spring 57 is preferably connected between the L- shaped lever arm 56 and the bar-54 to bias the bar 54 ping band 40 is disposed in the receptacle containing the electrical contacts 33, 34, the metallic toil strip 41 on the undersurface of the wrapping band 40 bridging the space between the contacts and engaging the contacts to complete the holding circuit for maintaining the electrical alarm circuit open and rendering the alarm device 14 inoperative.

From all outward appearances, the stack of paper currency C bound together by the wrapping band 40 is in every respect identical with other stacks of paper currency contained in the other receptacles 70 provided in the cash drawer 32. When the particular stack of paper currency C having the wrapping band 40 thereabout is removed from the receptacle 70 either by a criminal .bent upon robbery or by an employee placed under duress by the criminal, the holding circuit is broken when the metallic foil strip 41 on the wrapping band 40 is removed from engagement with the contacts 33, 34. Thereupon, the electromagnet 23 is deenergized permitting the spring 57 to bias contact 53 into engagement with contact 52 of switch means 20 to close the electrical alarm circuit for actuating the alarm device 14 and simultaneously actuating the motion picture camera 61 as subsequently described.

The present robbery alarm system involves no visible moving parts likely to make a criminal suspicions that an alarm has been set 011. It will be apparent that the removal of the paper currency C together with its wrapping band 40 having the metallic foil strip 41 thereon and its attached plate member 51 toward the plate member 50.

If desired, a master switch 60 may be provided for from engagement with the electrical contacts 33, 34 is either done by the criminalhimself or at his direction and exposes nothing more than harmless appearing fixed screw heads in the bottom of the receptacle 7 0 of the cash drawer 32.

It is contemplated that the alarm device 14 will preferably be located in a nearby establishment so as to appraise persons therein that a robbery is taking place at a petrating the robbery will have no knowledge that an alarm has, in fact, been actuated by the removal of the stack of paper currency C having the band 40 with the metallic foil strip 41 thereon from its position atop the contacts 33, 34, information about the robbery can be relayed from the nearby vantage point to law enforcement groups in time to permit the apprehension of the criminals. The present improved robbery alarm system would also allow persons at the near-by vantage point to safely observe the get-a-way of the criminals for noting down possible clues, such as a license number of the car taken by the criminals or various physical characteristics of the criminals themselves, which would prove valuable in assisting law enforcement groups in their efforts to apprehend the criminals.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination in a robbery alarm system, a cash drawer having a plurality of money receiving receptacles therein, a pair of spaced electrical contacts fixedly located in one of said plurality of money receiving receptacles, an alarm device, electrically conductive money wrapping means disposed in said one money receiving receptacle, said electrically conductive money wrapping means bridging the space between said pair of fixed contacts and engaging said contacts, alarm control means electrically connected to said contacts in series and energized for rendering said alarm device inoperative, and said alarm device being actuated in response to removal of said electrically conductive money wrapping means from engagement with at least one of said pair of fixed contacts in said one money receiving receptacle which deenergizes said alarm control means.

2. In combination in a robbery alarm system, a cash drawer having a plurality of money receiving receptacles therein, a pair of spaced electrical contacts fixedly located in the bottom of one of said plurality of money receiving receptacles, an alarm device, a wrapping band for encircling a stack of paper currency, said wrapping band being disposed in said one money receiving receptacle, a metallic foil strip of electrically conductive material secured to the lowermost surface of said band, said foil strip being concealed from view and bridging the space between said pair of fixed contacts in engagement with said contacts, alarm control means electrically connected to said contacts in series and energized for rendering said alarm device inoperative, and said alarm device being actuated in response to movement of said band removing said foil strip from engagement with at least one of said pair of fixed contacts in said one money receiving receptacle which deenergizes said alarm control means.

3. In combination in a robbery alarm system, an electrical alarm circuit, an alarm device disposed in said electrical alarm circuit, a cash drawer having a plurality of money receiving receptacles therein, a framework for receiving said cash drawer therein, said cash drawer being mounted in said framework for sliding movement inwardly and outwardly with respect to said framework between closed and open positions; a holding circuit comprising a pair of spaced electrical contacts fixedly located in one of said plurality of money receiving receptacles, electrically conductive money Wrapping means disposed in said one money receiving receptacle, said electrically conductive money wrapping means bridging the space between said pair of fixed contacts and engaging said contacts, means providing slidable electrical contacts between said framework and said cash drawer respectively electrically connected to the fixed contact of said pair of fixed contacts in said one money receiving receptacle corresponding thereto and maintained in sliding engagement as said cash drawer is moved between closed and open positions, and alarm control means electrically connected to said slidable and fixed contacts in series and energized when said electrically conductive money Wrapping means is in engagement with said fixed contacts to close the holding circuit for maintaining said electrical alarm circuit open to render said alarm device inoperative; and said alarm device being actuated in response to removal of said electrically conductive money Wrapping means from engagement with at least one of said pair of fixed contacts in said one money receiving receptacle which breaks said holding circuit to deenergize said alarm control means and close said electrical alarm circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 215,120 Hall May 6, 1879 1,818,162 Robbins et al. Aug. 11, 1931

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