EP0258624B1 - Device for the latched setting aside of shopping or luggage trolleys at a compulsory deposit - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for the locked parking of trolleys, comprising a rod (2, 014, 202) consisting of a horizontal locking line, to which the pawns (3, 101 ', 201) which are attached to each trolley are connected each deposit device (3, 101 ', 201) has a money entry system to separate a device (3, 101, 201) from the closure line by inserting a deposit - such as a coin (5, 111, 203) - into the Device (3, 101, 201).

To use these trolleys, it is necessary to line them up in a queue so that they are available to the user in very specific places. For this purpose usually hired personnel to return parked wagons to the collection points after use. This method is costly and results in the trolleys being left in places for a while after use, particularly in parking lots and garages where there is a risk of damage or accidents.

In order to remedy these disadvantages, it was proposed to subject the use of such cars to a deposit. This means that a car is only available after the introduction of a deposit, generally a coin, which is only refundable when the car is returned to a designated collection point.

French patent FR-A-2582605 provides a device for the locked parking of trolleys, with a bar consisting of a horizontal connecting line, along which the trolleys are pushed into each other and with which the deposit devices attached to each trolley are connected each deposit device having a cash entry system to accomplish the separation of a device from the closure line by inserting a deposit - such as a coin - into the device. The FR-A-2582605 has a complicated locking mechanism with locking means attached at regular intervals to which the deposit devices are coupled. The locking means have the function and shape of a key.

For example, US Pat. No. 2,753,970 and WO-A-8 404 835 provide for this purpose a device with individual parking spaces for the cars, which can be locked by inserting a coin. Such a device is very expensive and has the major disadvantage that it requires a lot of space because the carriages are kept separate.

French patent 2 257 96 provides a system which is provided with a lock which is released by the entry of money and thus releases the car and a reimbursement system for at least part of the deposit with a protruding device which is actuated during the reimbursement. Such a facility is also expensive and, moreover, smooth operation is not guaranteed, since - as in the previous case - deposit entry remains at the collection point, where it can be easily retrieved without a car. Furthermore, from EP-A-0161 960 and EP-A-0 141 285 boxes for shopping carts are known which require a relatively large amount of space when empty.

French patent no. 76.36704, published under no. 2333687, proposed a deposit device with which every carriage is provided, which works according to a plug-in principle, in which one of the plug devices is connected to the deposit device of another carriage and interlocked them. It was also proposed that the nested carriages, which would be lined up in a queue, be fitted from the first carriage with a plug device for the intermediate part of the deposit device of the preceding carriage. Although this deposit device has undergone significant industrial development, it still has numerous disadvantages. If the deposit device consists of only one part, it becomes difficult to position and usually has a lateral displacement compared to the carriage, which increases the space requirement. If, on the other hand, the plug device consists of two parts and one part is movably attached to the carriage - for example with the aid of a chain - space and positioning problems can be simplified, but the handling of the deposit device is complicated and costly. In both cases, the deposit device has the advantage that the deposit part is attached to the car, but also has the significant disadvantage that it is - in a simple manner not possible - to limit the length of the car queue.

The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the already known device thanks to a new method in which the deposit remains in the car and the length of the car queues can thus be limited. In this case, the cost price is not too high, the installation can be carried out in a simple and flexible manner, safe operation is guaranteed and only as much space is required as the number of cars that are parked.

The device according to the invention is characterized in that the deposit device (101) is mounted so as to be longitudinally displaceable on the profile rod, the device (3, 101, 201) belonging to the closure line at the end of the rod (2, 104, 202 ) attached decoding system (7, 129, 204) passes in order to enable the deposit (5, 111, 203) to be redeemed.

The capacity of the device is limited by the length of the closure line, the mobility of the deposit devices on the rod allowing an orderly and space-saving storage of the car.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are listed in the subclaims.

Figur 1

eine schematische Ansicht eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels der Erfindung;

Figur 2

einen Schnitt durch ein Pfandgerät mit auf einem Dekodierungssystem nach dem Ausführungsbeispiel von Figur 1;

Figur 3

einen Schnitt gemäß der Linie III in Figur 2 in entriegelter Position des Pfandgerätes;

Figur 4

analog zu Figur 3 die verriegelte Position;

Figur 5

eine Draufsicht des Pfandgerätes der Figuren 3 und 4;

Figur 6

eine Vorderansicht des Dekodierungspfostens mit dem Pfandgerät in Schnittdarstellung;

Figur 7

eine Vorderansicht, teilweise in Schnittdarstellung eines Pfandgerätes, das auf einer Stange nach einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung verschiebbar angebracht ist;

Figur 8

eine Ansicht der Vorrichtung von Figur 7 im Grundriß und teilweise in Schnittdarstellung, die oben ein Gerät zeigt, in das eine Münze
eingeführt worden ist, in der Mitte ein Gerät darstellt, das unter einen Kontrollkopf eingeführt wurde und unten ein Gerät, das fest auf der Schiene angebracht ist;

Figur 9

eine seitliche Ansicht der Vorrichtung von Figur 8, die im oberen Teil ein Pfandgerät mit eingeführter Münze und im unteren Teil, teilweise in Schnittdarstellung das Gerät unter dem Kontrollkopf darstellt;

Figur 10

einen Grundriß eines Gerätes unter dem Kontrollkopf;

Figur 11

eine seitliche Ansicht einer Vorrichtung nach einem dritten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung, wobei der Wagen in der Zeichnung nicht dargestellt ist;

Figur 12

eine Vorderansicht von Figur 11;

Figur 13

einen Längsschnitt, teilweise im Grundriß eines Pfandgerätes, das durch eine Pfandmünze verriegelt ist;

Figur 14

eine Draufsicht auf das Gerät nach der Figur 13,

Figuren 15 und 16

Schnittdarstellungen jeweils bezüglich der Linien XV und XVI von Figur 13;

Figur 17

einen Längsschnitt durch einen leeren Parkkopf;

Figur 18

analog zu Figur 17 einen Längsschnitt mit einem leeren Pfandgerät im Anschlag;

Figur 19

einen Teilschnitt gemäß der Linie XIX von Figur 18, wobei das Pfandgerät voll ist;

Figur 20

analog zu Figur 18 einen Längsschnitt während der Einlösung einer Pfandmünze und

Figur 21

analog zu Figur 19 ein Teilschnitt entlang der Linie XXI von Figur 20.

The invention will become apparent upon reading the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it

Figure 1

is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2

a section through a pawn with on a decoding system according to the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3

a section along the line III in Figure 2 in the unlocked position of the pawn;

Figure 4

analogous to Figure 3, the locked position;

Figure 5

a plan view of the deposit machine of Figures 3 and 4;

Figure 6

a front view of the decoding post with the Deposit device in sectional view;

Figure 7

a front view, partly in section of a pawn, which is slidably mounted on a rod according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8

a view of the device of Figure 7 in plan and partially in section, showing a device above, into which a coin
has been introduced, in the middle is a device that has been inserted under a control head and below is a device that is firmly attached to the rail;

Figure 9

a side view of the device of Figure 8, in the upper part of a deposit device with an inserted coin and in the lower part, partly in section, the device under the control head;

Figure 10

a floor plan of a device under the control head;

Figure 11

a side view of a device according to a third embodiment of the invention, wherein the carriage is not shown in the drawing;

Figure 12

a front view of Figure 11;

Figure 13

a longitudinal section, partly in the plan of a pawn, which is locked by a coin;

Figure 14

3 shows a plan view of the device according to FIG. 13,

Figures 15 and 16

Sectional representations with respect to lines XV and XVI of Figure 13;

Figure 17

a longitudinal section through an empty parking head;

Figure 18

analogous to FIG. 17, a longitudinal section with an empty deposit device in the stop;

Figure 19

a partial section along the line XIX of Figure 18, the deposit device is full;

Figure 20

analogous to FIG. 18, a longitudinal section during the redemption of a deposit coin and

Figure 21

analogous to FIG. 19, a partial section along the line XXI of FIG. 20.

At the beginning, reference is made to FIGS. 1 to 6, which represent a first embodiment of a device according to the invention.
At the parking space, two posts 1 are attached to the floor and connected by a rod 2. The pawns 3, which are connected to the car via a chain 4, are attached to this rod. The introduction of the valid coin 5 into the device makes it possible to turn the knob 6, as a result of which the pawn device is detached from the bar and the vehicle can thus be used. The button is locked in this position, which means that the coin can no longer be stolen. Only after use, when the device is attached to a coding device (key 7), can the rotation be carried out (in the opposite direction), after which the coin can be removed again.

The deposit device 3 is composed of a fuselage 8, on which a connecting chain 4 with the car is attached. A knob 6 is mounted on the fuselage 8 and is fastened to the fuselage 8 by the elements 11 and 12. The rotary knob 6 is composed of pistons 13, on which an axial pressure is exerted via the coin 5 and which are connected via plungers 10, which in turn are moved by springs 14. The button 6 is rotatably connected to a rotor 17 which, in turn - is composed of a plunger 15 by a profile, which are actuated by springs 15 '. The plungers 15, which operate via pistons, either ensure the fixation or the rotation of the rotor 17. The rotor 17 is provided at its end with a cam 20, which enables the device to be locked on the rod.

If the device is not in use and thus locked on the rod 2, the plungers 10 located in the fuselage 8 ensure the rotatable locking of the button 6, i.e. thanks to the spring devices 14. of the rotor 17. The tappets 15 are thus in a kind of "waiting state" (see FIG. 3). The introduction of the valid coin 5 enables the pistons 13 to be aligned with respect to the plane 19 (fuselage button). The rotation can thus be carried out so that the cam 20, which is fixedly connected to the rotor 17, enables the device to be withdrawn from the rod 2.

In this position, the pistons 15 - thanks to the spring devices 15 '- lock the rotor 17, i.e. the knob 6 by entering the fuselage 8 (see Figure 4). The device is thus detached from the rod 2, the cart can be used by the customer. The coin sits immovably in the button 6 and the pistons cannot go down because they are supported on the surface 19.

So that the user can take back his coin after use, he must attach the pawn to an encoder 7, which is attached to a post so that if the knob 6 can be turned in the opposite direction, the device is reattached to the rod.

The encoder 7 has a part with a key function, which makes it possible to align the pistons 16 (which may be of different lengths) with respect to the diameter of the rotor 17, which enables the rotor, that is to say the knob 6, to rotate. After the spin has been carried out, the coin can be withdrawn.

After the coin has been removed, the rotary knob 6 is fixed again.

The device can be aligned so that it can be connected to a C-shaped hollow profile (instead of a cylindrical rod as shown in the drawing). In this case, the device would have a rectangular shape on the fuselage, which allows displacement but no rotation (with respect to the profile). Likewise, the rotor end would have a right-angled shape, which would be supported over the fuselage shape, whereby - after rotation - (unlocking with the help of a coin) the superimposition of the two shapes allowed the device to be withdrawn from the section steel. The end of the decoding system would be such that the rotor can only rotate if its rectangular shape were inside the profile.

It is noted that the rotary knob 6 has two bearings of different sizes, which can be supplied with coins of different sizes. Because they overlap, only one coin at a time can be inserted.

We now move on to Figures 7 to 10, the one represent another embodiment of the invention.

The deposit system with coin 101 is firmly connected to the car via a movable connection 102. The device is composed of two T-shaped elements which enable it to be moved on a C-shaped profile 104 without, however, being able to be detached therefrom, except at one of the two ends, in the event that a valid coin is inserted has been. The profile 104 is in turn supported by small posts that are firmly anchored in the ground.

The device 101 is composed of a body and an exchangeable element 107, which can hold two different coins 110 or 111 (or just one) in its two coin spaces 108 and 109, which may have different dimensions in thickness and diameter. This interchangeable element has a lever 112 which can swing about the axis 113. The end 114 of the lever 112 is subjected to permanent pressure on the inserted coins via spring devices 115, which prevents the coins from falling out, which could possibly happen when the device 101 is moved on the profile 104.

A latch 116 is slidably mounted in the fuselage and moved over a rotor 117, which has a 180 ° rotatable eccentric disc, the rotor 117 on its periphery having two opposite shapes - hollow and V-shaped - which are connected by a leaf spring 118 to ensure the indexing of the rotor 117 in each individual position. An increase on the bolt 116 prevents the swinging movement of the latch 112 in the "device outside rail" position (trolley in use, coin clamped) (see FIG. 8 below).

Profile 104 carries a control head 129 which is attached near one of the two ends. This control head has a hollow part through which the device body 101 can be pushed.

Figure 8 shows a device into which a valid coin (or other) has been inserted. This device can penetrate under the control head 129 until the end of the bolt 116 hits the stop 119 of the head 129. A fork, which is provided with a roller and swings about the axis 121, is pressurized via the coin, which is clamped in the device 101 via a spring device 191. If the coin in the device 101 has the correct diameter, the temple end 103 aligns with the cylindrical end with the button 124 mounted on the control head 129. This cylindrical end of the button is provided with a groove into which the bow end 123 engages if there is no coin or the coin is too small in diameter. The button end 124 also has an elliptical hollow shape which can be fitted into an identical shape, but which due to its elevation is part of the rotor 117. The button 124 will be continuously pushed up by means of devices 125, the tapered ends of which are connected to the V-shapes and the hollow shapes which are recessed on the head 129. These devices ensure that the button 124 is indexed every half turn, a pin 127 being connected to two grooves which are connected to a round groove 128 to ensure that the button does not stop rotating when the button cannot be pressed (no coin in the device 101 available or coin too small).

When the correct coin has been inserted into the device, the button 124 can be pressed. At the same time, the elliptical depressions of the button end 124 and the rotor 117 interlock and the pin 127 aligns with the round throat 128 of the button 124. The button now has to 180 °, with the button 124 going up when the devices 125 indicate this again and when at the same time one of the grooves of the button 124 aligns with the pin 127, which is firmly connected to the head 129. When the rotor 117 has been rotated through 180 °, the other locking end 116 comes out of the device in a recess in the head. The rotation of the bolt thus allows the device 101 to be pulled out, which can thus be withdrawn from the profile 104, since the coin is blocked by the lever 112. When the car is returned, this process is carried out in reverse, ie the device 101 is mounted on the profile 104. By pushing the trolley, the device 101 is placed under the control head 129 (the bolt hits the end of the groove 30); pressure is applied to the button and the button 124 is rotated; the control head appears and the coin can be removed.

With the device according to the invention not only wagons of the same size but also wagons of different sizes can be strung together, provided that the code of the deposit devices is the same.

We now refer to Figures 11 to 21, which describe a third embodiment of the invention.

The deposit devices 201 are slidably mounted in a C-shaped rod or rail 202. Their opening is at the bottom and they are attached to the car via chains (see Figure 11).

FIGS. 13 and 16 show the money input device with the coin inserted and the wagons already pulled away from the bar.

A parking head 204 (Figure 17), located on the Bar extension is located, receives the deposit devices. It is equipped with a key which, when a lever which forms a cap (see FIGS. 20 and 21) is lifted, penetrates into the device. First, the key straightens scale 207, causing a sensor deflection, which is also caused by the key and is retrieved via a spring. The sensor is placed in a position that allows the coin entry to be opened completely. The inserted coin (if it has the correct diameter) is retained inside the money entry device. If it is too small, it will fall out. The cap 206 is retrieved via a tension spring 206 '. If the sensor 208 is released when the key is lifted, it goes down so far that it touches the coin 203. A latch 209 is brought into position by the sensor 208, which enables it to be placed under the stop 210, which is firmly connected to the body 211 of the parking head; the device can be withdrawn.

The scales retracted via spring devices again lock the sensor 208, the tip 213 of which ensures that the coin piece remains in the coin input. When the car is returned to the parking lot, the pawn is inserted into the body 211 of the parking head. The locking parts which protrude from the deposit device press on the stop 212 which is returned to the trunk 211, so that the deposit device can be positioned in the parking head. After the flap 216 has been lifted, the coin can be removed from the deposit device and if the flap is pressed down again, the sensor 218 moves the bolt 209 upwards, ie behind the stops 210 (see FIGS. 18, 19), in the absence of a coin Parking head so that it is not possible to pull out the deposit device again (without a coin).

It is noted that the stops 210 of the parking heads can be removed using a special tool provided for this purpose. This may be necessary if all deposit devices must be quickly removed from the parking lot without entering coins.

Claims (10)

1. An apparatus for the interlocked parking of goods trolleys, comprising a rod (2, 14, 202) consisting of a horizontal line of locks and along which the trolleys can be pushed into one another and to which are connected the cash deposit units (3, 101', 201) which are mounted on each trolley, each cash deposit unit (3, 101, 201) having a cash insertion system in order to achieve separation of a unit (3, 101, 201) from the line of locks by the insertion of a cash deposit - such as for example a coin (5, 111, 203) - into the unit (3, 101, 201), characterised in that the cash deposit unit (101) is mounted for longitudinal displacement on the profiled rod, the unit (3, 101, 201) passing through a decoding system (7, 129, 204) fixed at the end of the rod (2, 104, 202) and belonging to the line of locks, in order to allow return of the cash deposit (5, 111, 203).
2. An apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the cash deposit unit (3) contains a rotor (17) which is rigidly connected to a control knob and an interlocking projection (20), the rotor (17) containing at least one longitudinal piston (13) for the interlocking process and which is so positioned that via an insertion of a cash deposit (5) and counteracting the action of the spring (14), it can be moved into an unlocking position the rotation of the unlocked rotor (17) arresting the piston which retains the inserted cash deposit (5).
3. An apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that the cash deposit unit (3) comprises a plurality of pistons (15) which are retracted via a spring device (15'), the pistons locking the rotor (17) which is connected to matching pistons (16) mounted for displacement in the housing (8) of the unit (3), the opposite end of the matching pistons (16) cooperating with a profile of the decoding system (7) in order to unlock the rotor (17).
4. An apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the decoding head (129) contains a displaceable and rotatably mounted knob (124) which is adapted to engage a rotor of the unit (117), this rotor controlling a bolt (117) adapted for transverse displacement, a displacement of the knob (124) being possible only when a coin has been inserted into the unit (101).
5. An apparatus according to Claim 4, characterised in that the knob (124) controls release of the coin by an oppositely directed rotation.
6. An apparatus according to one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the substantially horizontal rod has a C-shaped profile (202) of which the opening points downwards and in that the deposit units (201) are in each case connected to a trolley via a flexible strip such as for example a chain which is displaceably mounted in the profile (202) together with the flexible strip which passes through the aperture.
7. An apparatus according to Claim 6, characterised in that the decoding system (204) is equipped with a lever (206) which in the open position exposes an aperture in the interior of the C-shaped profile (202) which permits the insertion and withdrawal of the coin (203) into or out of the cash deposit unit (201) which is mounted on the decoding system (204).
8. An apparatus according to Claim 7, characterised in that the lever (206) actuates a key which is connected to a sensor (208), and in that this sensor controls against a fixed abutment (210, 212) a stop bolt (209) which is disposed in the C-shaped profile (202).
9. An apparatus according to Claim 8, characterised in that the key (205) is connected to the locking blade (207) of the sensor (108).
10. An apparatus according to Claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the sensor has a tip for arresting coins (202) in the coin channel of the cash deposit unit (201).

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