US3497991A - Toy cash register - Google Patents

Description

Mar c h 3, 1970 Filed NOV. 28, 1967 M; H. LEWIS TOY CASH REGISTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MARTIN LEW/I8 INVENTOR.

March 3, 1970 M. H. LEWIS 3,497,

' TOY CASH REGISTER Flled Nov. 28, 19s? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MAR TIN H- [-6015 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,497,991 TOY CASH REGISTER Martin H. Lewis, 94 Brentwood Lane, Valley Stream, N.Y. 11581 Filed Nov. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 686,190

Int. Cl. A63h 33/30 US. Cl. 46--2 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy bank or cash register shaped to resemble a conventional cash register and having a coin opening and a window through which a rotative money-designating cylinder is visible. A plunger located at one side of the body operates through a ratchet mechanism to rotate the cylinder with a step-by-step movement to thereby present different moneydesignations on the cylinder in registry with the window. A bell is provided and a clapper therefor is caused to ring the bell each time that the plunger is depressed and the ratchet mechanism is thus actuated.

The invention relates to toys and more particularly to a type of toy bank that is constructed to resemble a cash register and simulate the operation thereof.

It is an object of the invention to provide an article of this character which can be inexpensively made, and with its parts composed of a plastic material; which is constructed to resemble a cash register in both appearance and operation; which can be easily operated by a child and which can be used educationally and if desired, for the promotion of saving.

With these and other objects hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a toy cash register constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a view of the plunger looking at the back side thereof;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the plunger, taken substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a face view of the rotor and plunger hous- 8;

FIG. 6 is a view from the rear of the housing of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a face view of the rotor, showing the ratchet wheel thereon;

FIG. 8 is a view of the opposite side of the rotor;

FIG. 9 is a scetional view, taken substantially on the line 99 of FIP. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 1010 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows and with the rotor shown in position, and

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but with the front wall of the housing broken away to disclose construction.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be therein noted that the simulated or toy cash register and bank includes a casing 11 which can, if desired, be composed of plastic material and it has the general shape of the body of the known type of cash register. On the front wall 12 of the casing is provided simulated keys 13 and other printing or indicia or decorations may be provided to further secure the aspect of a cash register. Near the top of the casing 11 is a coin slot 14 through 'which coins may be passed to enter into and be passed to enter into and be collected within the casing to thereby enable the same to function as a bank.

The casing 11 is provided near its upper end with a window opening 14a through which a cylinder or drum 15 is visible. The cylinder bears peripheral money-designations or numerals or perhaps other markings. The cylin der or drum is adapted to be rotatively moved by plunger operation with a step-bystep movement as will be herein described.

The mechanism for actuating or rotating the cylinder 15 is contained in a partly cylindrical, relatively flat housing 16. Said housing can be composed of plastic material and it includes a front wall or face plate 17 and an integral peripheral side wall or skirt 18. Projecting laterally from the side wall 18 are a number of lugs 19 which receive screws 20 (FIG. 1) by means of which the housing 16 is securely fastened to the side wall 21 of the casing 11. The construction of the housing 16 is disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6. It will be therein seen that the front wall or face plate 17 has a stud 22 projecting inwardly toward the wall 21 and on which a rotor 23 is rotatively mounted. The casing 16 is also provided with a stud 24 on its outer face and on which a bell 25 is secured by means of the screw shown at 26 which enters the stud 24.

At 27 is shown an arcuately shaped springy strip, having one end fixedly attached to at 29, or formed integrally with the outside face of the housing 16, said strip being provided at its opposite end with a cylindrical cross member or head 28. A portion of the head 28 is located on the outside of the face plate 17 and on the inside of the bell 25, while the remainder of the head is located inside of the housing 16 for contact with lugs 33 provided on the rotor 23. The strip 27 and its attached head constitutes a bell clapper and it is disposed adjacent to an arcuate slot 30 that is enlarged at one end as shown at 31 to permit passage of the head 28 through it and to also permit the required movement of the clapper when it is flexed and then released to cause it to strike the bell 25.

The rotor 23 is shown in detail in FIGS. 7 to 11 and It will be there noted that the same is in the form of a disk provided on one of its faces with an undulated flange shaped to form a ratchet wheel 32. The same face of the rotor is provided with a plurality of projecting angular lugs 33 corresponding in number to the number of teeth on the ratchet wheel, each of the lugs 33 being disposed adjacent to one of the teeth. The rotor is provided with a central hole 34 which fits over the stud 22 on the inside of the housing to permit the rotative movement of the rotor relatively to the housing 16. A suitable washer or other retaining means may be used to hold the rotor in place on the stud 22. The opposite face of the rotor is provided with an annular wall or flange 35 and also with four projecting pins 36 over which the cylinder 15 is fitted and which can be cemented or otherwise attached to the pins 36 in order to thereby arrange the cylinder axially of the rotor.

The rotor is actuated or rotated with a step-by-step movement by means of a plunger 36a which can also be made of plastic material. Said plunger is guided in its up and down movements by guide walls 37 and 38 formed as an integral part of the housing 16 and said plunger is confined behind the lugs shown at 39 respectively formed on the walls 37 and 38. A compression coil spring 40, located behind the plunger serves to normally bias the plunger to its raised or elevated position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

Projecting from one of the side walls of the plunger is a downwardly-directed finger or blade 42, the same being so disposed that upon the downward depression of the plunger the finger or blade 42 engages one of the teeth on the ratchet wheel 32 and rotates it in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 11, and consequently the cylinder 15 attached to the rotor, for a portion of a turn. As the drum or cylinder 15 turns under the depression of the plunger, one or the other of the lugs 33 will engage against thepart of the head 28 of the bell clapper that is located on the inside of the housing 16, and as such lug seeks to move past the clapper, it will flex the clapper strip 27 in a direction away from the bell 25. When the lug 33 passes the head 28 of the clapper, the clapper will spring back and will strike the bell to cause it to ring. The plunger is provided with a curved top or handle 55 by means of which it can be easily depressed.

Projecting inwardly from the side wall 18 of the housing 16 is a springy finger 50, constituting a dog or pawl for the ratchet wheel 32, the same engaging against the teeth and holding the ratchet wheel against backward rotation.

From the foregoing, the operation of'the toy will be readily apparent. Each time that the plunger 36a is depressed, the rotor 23 and hence the cylinder or drum 15 attached to it, will be rotated for a portion of a turn. This will bring the difierent arbitrary money-designations borne by the drum 15 into register with the window 14a to simulate the ringing up of money deposited. When the rotor moves past the tongue or pawl 50 it flexes the same slightly with an audible snap action which causes a slight noise that simulates the opening of a cash drawer of a conventional cash register. At the same time one of the lugs 33, passing the clapper head 28, will flex the body 27 of the clapper and will cause the head 28 to strike the bell and create a ringing sound.

The article is so constructed that the same may be fabricated inexpensively since all of the major parts namely, the casing, the housing, the plunger and the rotor may be composed of plastic. The drum or cylinder 15 can also be made of plastic or it can be a simple cardboard tube. The eflect obtained when used by a child is realistic and the device is not only useful as an interesting and amusing toy, but will be found to serve as a bank and possibly promote saving habits by children.

What I claim is:

1. A toy simulating a cash register comprising, a casing adapted to resemble that of a cash register, said casing having a window opening, a drum rotative within the casing and having money-designations on its periphery for successive presentation at the window opening by the rotative movement of the drum, a ratchet wheel coupled to the drum, a plunger for engaging and turning the ratchet wheel with a step-by-step movement, a bell and a clapper therefor operative by turning of the ratchet wheel to ring the bell and means for preventing counter rotation of the ratchet wheel.

2. A toy according to claim 1, wherein the ratchet wheel consists of a disk having ratchet teeth at one face, said disk carrying lugs which successively engage the clapper and cause the same to contact with the bell when the disk is rotated.

3. A toy according to claim 2, wherein the ratchet wheel and the lugs are both on one side of the disk and the money-designating drum is attached at the opposite side of the disk.

4. A toy according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a coin slot in a front wall, a housing disposed on the outside of one of the side walls of the casing, the ratchet wheel being contained in said housing, the bell being at tached to the outside of the housing, and the plunger b 1 ing contained in the housing and on the outside of the casing.

5. A toy according to claim 1, wherein the plunger is spring-biased to a raised position, the plunger having a finger for engaging the ratchet wheel and causing the rotation of the same for a part of a turn upon each depres sion of the plunger.

6. A toy according to claim 1, wherein the ratchet wheel is contained in a housing attached alongside the casing, said housing being provided with an integrally formed pawl engaging the ratchet wheel, the ball clapper being formed integrally with the housing and the plunger having an integrally formed finger for engaging and rotating the ratchet wheel on each depression of said plunger.

7. A toy simulating a cash register comprising, a plastic casing shaped to resemble the body of a cash register, said casing having a side wall, a flat, partly-cylindrical housing secured against the side wall, a rotor rotatively mounted within the housing, said casing having a window opening, a drum rotative within the casing and having money-designations on its periphery for successive representation at the window opening by the rotative moveside of the housing and a part disposed at the inside of the housing, the device including a ratchet wheel portion on the rotor and a plurality of projecting clapper-actuating lugs on the rotor, a spring-biased plunger operative in the housing on the ratchet wheel for rotatively moving the rotor and causing the lugs thereon to contact with and springably flex the clapper strip and cause the same by its reaction, to ring the bell and means for preventing counter rotation of the ratchet wheel.

8. A toy according to claim 5, wherein the lugs are located within the ratchet wheel and which lugs engage the part of the clapper strip head that is located Within the housing and cause the part of the same outside of the housing to ring the bell, the plunger being provided with a finger for engaging the ratchet wheel.

9. A toy according to claim 4, in which the finger is made of springy material, and the means for preventing counter rotation of the ratchet wheel comprising a spring finger carried by the housing.

10. A toy according to claim 7, in which the plunger carries a spring finger for engaging the ratchet wheel, and the means for preventing counter rotation comprising a spring finger carried by the housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RUSSELL R. KINSEY, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US, X.

Images