Register-gate system

• US 4,360,796 A
• Filed: 03/09/1981
• Issued: 11/23/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ronald L. Shocknesse
• Original Assignee: Ronald L. Shocknesse
• Inventors: Shocknesse, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Application Number:
  US06/242,131
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 340/45, 340/51, 340/22, 340/31 R, 49/35, 49/70, 49/357, 49/49, 49/29, 49/30, 194/DIG. 23, 194/DIG. 24, 235/22, 235/93, 200/61.61
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00

Abstract

An anti-theft system for use in an attended parking lot has a cash register and an exit gate. Upon ringing up a transaction, when the cash drawer is unlatched, a normally closed switch, held open by a portion of the drawer latch, is permitted to close thereby opening the exit gate. The latch immediately returns to its locking position reopening the switch.

Claims

1. In a system having a barrier movable by a barrier actuation apparatus in response to a selected electrical signal and a manually operable cash register with a lockable drawer, the drawer is released by a latch mechanism in the register in response to a transaction having been entered into the register, an improvement comprising:

means for sensing a selected amount of movement of a selected portion of the latch mechanism in a first direction, in response to a transaction having been entered, as the latch mechanism moves to unlock the drawer;

means for supplying the selected electrical signal to the barrier actuation apparatus in response to said means for sensing having sensed the selected amount of movement in the first direction;

means for sensing a selected amount of movement of the selected portion of the latch mechanism opposite the first direction immediately after the drawer has been unlocked; and

said means for supplying including means for interrupting the selected signal to the barrier actuation apparatus in response to said means for sensing having sensed the selected amount of movement of the selected portion of the latch mechanism opposite the first direction.

2. In a system having a barrier movable by a barrier actuation apparatus in response to a selected electrical signal and a manually operable cash register with a lockable drawer, the drawer is released by a latch mechanism in the register in response to a transaction having been entered into the register, an improvement comprising:

spring biased switching means affixed to selected region of the cash register, adjacent the latch mechanism;

said spring biased switching means includes elongated means for sensing a selected movement of a selected part of the latch mechanism as that part moves to unlock the drawer in response to a transaction having been entered;

said means for switching is adapted to switch from a first to a second state in response to said means for sensing having sensed the selected movement of the part of the latch mechanism, said means for switching thereby supplies the selected signal to the barrier actuation apparatus which moves the barrier from a blocking to a non-blocking position;

said means for switching is adapted to switch from the second to the first state in response to said means for sensing having sensed a selected opposite movement of the part of the latch mechanism shortly after the drawer has been unlocked.

3. An anti-fraud system including a cash register with a movable drawer, a barrier movable from a closed to an open position by a barrier moving apparatus in response to said apparatus receiving a selected electrical signal, means for latching the drawer closed, said means for latching is operable in response to a selected key on the register being manually depressed to release and to permit the drawer to move to an open position, means for sensing movement of a portion of said means for latching from a locking position to a non-locking position, permitting the drawer to open, in response to said selected key on the register being depressed, means for switching adapted to switch from a first to a second state in response to said means for sensing having sensed movement of said portion of said means for latching to the non-locking position, while in said second state said means for switching is adapted to transmit the selected signal to said barrier moving apparatus to cause said barrier moving apparatus to open the barrier, said means for latching is adapted to return to the locking position shortly after said drawer moves toward the open position, said means for sensing is further adapted to sense the movement of said means for latching toward the locking position and said means for switching is further adapted to switch from the second to the first state in response to said means for switching having sensed movement of said portion of said means for latching toward the latching position, thereby removing the selected signal, irrespective of the position of the drawer.

4. A method of improving quality control over receipts at an exit controlled vehicular facility having an exit lane, a movable lane-blocking barrier having a blocking and a non-blocking position, an attendant occupied booth, and a cash register with a drawer, the drawer is locked by a latch and can be opened for receiving fees for vehicular use of the facility by depressing a manually operable key, the method comprises the steps of:

moving the latch from a locking position thereby unlocking the drawer of the cash register in response to a selected key on the register being manually depressed;

sensing essentially an extreme position of a selected portion of the latch as the latch is moved to unlock the drawer;

generating a selected electrical signal in response to sensing essentially the extreme position of the selected portion of the latch;

moving the barrier from the blocking to the non-blocking position in response to the selected electrical signal simultaneously while moving the drawer from a locked toward an open position;

returning the latch to the locking position while the drawer is moving from the locked to the open position;

sensing movement of the latch toward the locking position;

interrupting the selected electrical signal while the drawer is unlocked in response to a selected amount of movement of the latch toward the locking position.

5. The method according to claim 4 including the additional steps of:

sensing movement of the drawer of the cash register from the open position toward the locked position;

moving at least a portion of the latch in response to the sensed drawer movement, to permit the drawer to assume the locked position, without moving the selected portion of the latch to essentially the extreme position thereby blocking generation of the selected electrical signal; and

moving the latch so as to lock the drawer closed.