US3380567A - Parking meter with time rental voiding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

April 30, 1968 c. s. BOWER 3,380,567

PARKING METER WITH TIME RENTAL VOIDING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v/yAw fi/A jNl ENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS C. S- BOWER April 30, 1968 PARKING METER WITH TIME RENTAL VOIDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1966 INVENTOR. ax/yd? a. flax a2 ATTORN EYS United tates atrlt 3,380,567 PARKING METER WITH TIME RENTAL VOIDING MECHANISM Clyde S. Bower, 820 W. Cobbs Creek Parkway, Yeadon, Pa. 19050 Filed Aug. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 571,544 7 Claims. (Cl. 19484) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a parking meter which has rental time voiding mechanism and includes a clock having an operating shaft, a time indicator plate mounted on the shaft having an arcuate coin opening, a release plate between the time indicator plate and the clock for guiding a coin and having a coin discharge slot, at violation flag mounted rotatably on the side of the indicator plate remote from the clock, the flag being biased toward a void position, release means for holding the flag in an .operating position, the flag having a coin opening, rotatable Winding means including an operating plate adjacent the flag, the operating plate having a coin slot aligned with the coin opening in the flag and the coin opening in the same indicator plate at zero position, and rental time voiding means controlled by a departing automobile for activating the release means.

Description of Invention This invention relates to parking meters and more particularly to an improved and simplified parking meter adapted to be used in combination with a suitable automobile activated time rental voiding mechanism.

In order to provide a maximum amount of revenue to the authority controlling the parking of automobiles in city streets and also to provide a maximum amount of available space for parking vehicles, it has been desirable in recent years to provide mechanisms in combination with parking meters that automatically return the meter to zero time when a vehicle departs from a parking space before the actual expiration of his allotted time. In this way, the payment which starts the operation of the parking meter cannot be appropriated by a subsequent vehicle which occupies the same parking space, but it is required that an additional sum be paid in order to activate the parking meter again for the specific parking time allotted.

Many parking meters having time release mechanisms have been provided in the prior art but these have the disadvantage of having complex timing and gear mechanisms highly susceptible to damage and destruction by vandalism that also require a great deal of servicing in order to maintain them in proper operating condition.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a parking meter that is simplified in construction and in operation, that is foolproof and rugged, that is inexpensive to manufacture and to maintain and that is capable of operating in combination with a rental time voiding mechanism.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a parking meter having a minimum number of operating parts wherein the payment of the parking fee by means of a coin interlocks the operating parts of the meter into operating relationship thereby permitting activation of the timing mechanism of the meter.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a parking meter wherein the rental time voiding mechanism activated by a departing vehicle can operate mechanically independent of the parking meter timing mechanism, but in combination with it by obscuring from the embedded within the curbing 12 view of the patron any time period which may be left on the meter without actually resetting the meter to a zero position. Insertion of a new coin removes the voiding mechanism and only permits rewinding of the meter to maximum time regardless of the actual time that is left on the meter when the coin is inserted.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a parking meter wherein the rental time voiding mechanism may also be activated upon expiration of time on the meter when the actual time period on the meter has expired.

Further objects and advantages will become more apparent from the following description of the drawings wherein an embodiment of the invention has been set forth.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic elevation of the parking meter of this invention showing its relationship with respect to a vehicle shown parked in a head-on position.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front view of the meter in a time expired position partially broken away.

FIGURE 3 is a right side sectional view taken along the lines 33 of FIGURE 2 and including the relationship of the meter to the parking space.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the operating parts of the meter shown in a maximum time position.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of the operating parts of the meter wherein the void flag has been released by a departing automobile prior to expiration of the time period.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view showing the operating relationship of the individual parts of the meter of this invention.

With respect to the drawings, there is generally shown in FIGURE 1, a parking meter 10 secured to a post 11 of a street for controlling a parking space occupied by vehicle 13. The parking meter is operatively connected with a structure generally indicated at 14 that is placed in the street and activated by a movement of the vehicle for controlling the operation of the parking meter.

The simplified parking meter 10 of this invention, and as is shown in more detail in the following figures, comprises a housing 15 having a relatively small Window 16 through which the time remaining on the meter can be read and a coin slot 17 on the face of the housing. Protruding from the housing, and intended to be activated by the patron of the parking space, is a winding element 18 that initiates the operation of the parking meter. The housing preferably is in two pieces hinged at 19 in order to provide access to the interior of the meter for repairs if necessary. Any suitable means not shown for locking the housing at this parting may be provided in order to prevent unauthorized tampering with the meter mechanism.

Interiorly of the housing, there is provided a frame 20 anchored to the housing upon which is mounted a clock mechanism 21. This clock may be any conventional timing mechanism adapted to be spring wound which returns to a zero position as the clock unwinds. The winding shaft of the clock 22 extends through opening 23' in a release plate 23 that is secured at 24 by bolts 24' to the face of the clock. At the bottom of this plate is a slot 25 through which a coin 26 may pass, the function of the slot being described below in connection with the operation of this meter.

Rigidly secured to the shaft 22 plate 23 is a time indicator plate arcuate opening 28 which extends around the plate between zero and the maximum time positions indicated on the face of the plate. These time indications are adapted to be read through the window 16 on the face of the housing. The plate is keyed to the shaft and prevented from adjacent the release 27 having therein an rotating with respect to it by flat 29 on the surface of the shaft 22, engaging in an opening 29' having a flat portion.

The opening 28 in the plate extends half way around the plate and is adapted to pass a coin 26 through it, the coin being held within the opening by the far end of the coin resting against the face of the release plate 23 as shown in FIGURE 3. On the end of the time indicator plate there is a bump or detent 30 which is used to activate a release mechanism generally indicated at 31 which indicates that the rental time on the meter has expired.

Loosely mounted for independent rotary motion about the shaft 22 of the clock, is a void or time expired flag plate 35, having a shaft opening 35', operable between an operating position as shown in FIGURE 4 and a void position as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5. In the void position, the flag obscures the time indicator plate and permits one to only see the flag through the window 16 in the face of the housing. The void flag 35 is biased in the void position and in a counterclockwise direction by means of a torsion spring 36 secured about the shaft 22 between the flag 35 and the housing, having one end 36 engaging in spring anchorage 36 in void flag 35 and another end 36 engaging in a spring anchorage 36 in a sleeve 45 to be described.

The flag has an opening 37 of the same width and in alignment with the arcuate opening 28 in the time indicator plate 27. The opening extends on an are through one side of the flag to the middle of the flag wherein it terminates, providing an edge 38. This edge is aligned with the edge 39 at one end of the arcuate opening 28 when the time indicator plate is at a zero position. The flag has a shoulder 40 adapted to be engaged by the release mechanism 31 when the flag is in an operating position as shown in FIGURE 4.

Rotatably mounted about the end of the shaft 22 is a winding mechanism consisting of a sleeve having a shaft 46 extending through an opening 47 in the housing 15, to which shaft is rigidly attached the winder 18. The sleeve includes an antifriction bearing 48 for rotary motion with respect to the shaft 22 of the clock. It can readily be seen from the drawings that the shaft 46 of the winder sleeve is aligned with but rotates independently of the shaft of the clock. Mounted about the shaft 46 and secured to the sleeve 45 by opening 51 engaging a flattened portion of shaft 46 is a control plate 51 having a slot 52 adapted to pass a coin. When the winder is at a rest position, this slot is aligned with slot 17 in the housing 15, the opening 37 in the void flag 35 and the arcuate opening 28 in the time indicator plate 27 when the meter is at a zero time position.

The winding mechanism includes a torsion spring 53 secured about the shaft 46, suitably attached to the housing by an end 53 engaging in a spring abutment 53 in the housing, and suitably connected to control plate 51 by an end 53 engaging in spring abutment 53 The spring 53 urges return of the winder 18 and the control plate 51 to the at-rest position after the parking meter has been activated by the patron of the parking space.

The rental time voiding mechanism may be of any type compatible with the above-described simplified parking meter of this invention which upon activation will release the void flag 35 from an operating position to a void position to indicate expiration of the time rental period. The releasing means must also be capable of being activated independently of the voiding mechanism upon actual expiration of the time period if the vehicle has not previously left the parking area.

By way of example, the voiding mechanism is based on a hydraulic system operated by the pressure of the wheels of the vehicle passing over a hydraulic tube 54 lying in the street perpendicular to the parking space. The tube is suitably constructed of rubber and preferably lies below the surface of the street in a cavity 55 with its top surface exposed to the wheels of the vehicle. By placing the tube in a suitable cavity, false activations can be avoided and furthermore, it is substantially protected from intentional or unintentional forces tending to remove it from its proper position. The tube or treadle 54 has an interior cylinder 56 operatively connected through hydraulic liquid in pressure line 57 to a hydraulic system generally indicated at 58 secured within the housing of the parking meter, all lines being filled with a hydraulic liquid such as, for example, oil or antifreeze.

The hydraulic system is composed of a cylinder 60 into which is mounted a piston 61 having an O-ring 62 sealing the edge of the piston with respect to the cylinder and an adjustable cap 63 screwed onto the top of the cylinder through which protrudes the rod 64 of the p ston. A helical compression spring 65 is provided seated between the cap 63 and the piston 61 to prevent accidental tripping of the voiding mechanism by people walking over the treadle 54, the spring requiring a high hydraulic pressure before the release means is activated. Adjustment of the cap 63 with respect to the cylinder 60 adjusts the tension of this spring. The spring also returns the piston to its initial position after the car releases pressure on the treadle 54.

The piston rod is pivotally connected to a lever 70 which pivots about a fixed pivot point 71 secured to the body of the housing. A return spring 72, acting from an anchorage not shown, is provided which returns the lever to its initial position after the car releases pressure on the treadle 54. At the far end of the lever 70 is a roller 73 which extends across and is operatively engaged by the shoulder 40 on the void fiag 35 and the bump or detent 30 on the time indicator plate 27.

Having described the various operating parts of the parking meter of this invention, their relationship in operation will be better understood by reference to FIGURES 2 to 6 and the following brief description of the operation of the meter. Assuming that the meter is at a zero time position, with the void flag 35 showing through the window of the meter, a patron of the parking space inserts a coin 26 through the slot 17 in the housing of the meter. By reference to FIGURE 3, it can be seen that the plates have been arranged adjacent one another so that the coin extends through the slot in the control plate 51, the void flag plate 35, and the time indicator plate 27, with the far edge of the coin resting against the release plate 23. Hence, the coin must be of the proper diameter to fit through the slots and between the housing and the release plate. The coin in this way locks all the plates in operating relationship. By turning the winder 18 through in a clockwise direction, against the action of the springs, the three above identified plates are also rotated the same amount because of the coin interlocking them in operating relationship. When the coin reaches its lowermost position and is aligned with the slot 25 in the release plate 23, it falls out and into a suitable collection box not shown, provided within the interior of the housing of the parking meter.

At this time, the time indicating plate will have rotated 180 being in the position shown in FIGURE 4 and will have wound the clock mechanism and started the operation of the time period, the maximum amount of time now showing through the window of the parking meter. Simultaneously with this, the void flag 35 has also rotated 180 and is now in operating position with the shoulder 40 being held by the roller 73 of the release mechanism as also shown in FIGURE 4. As soon as the hand releases the winder 18 and the coin has dropped through the slot 24, torsion spring 53 causes the winder to return to its initial or at-rest position permitting insertion of a new coin.

It can be seen that insertion of a new coin at this time would have no effect on the meter for it would pass through the length of the arcuate opening 28 in the time indicator plate as the winder was rotated until it reached the slot 25 in the release plate and fell out into the collection box.

As the timing mechanism gradually unwinds, the time indicator plate 35 returns toward zero time, indicating the time left on the meter through the opening 16 in the face of the housing of the parking meter. When it reaches zero time position, the detent 30 rides over the roller 73 of the releasing means, pushing it down away from the shoulder 40 of the flag 35, releasing the flag so that it snaps back to a void position by reason of the torsion spring 36. This returns all operating mechanisms of the meter to the initial position, permitting insertion of a new coin and reactivation of the meter for a new time period, the spring 72 returning the lever 70 and roller 73 to their initial positions.

If, however, a vehicle in the parking space leaves before the expiration of the time period, its wheels will run over the treadle 54 creating pressure in the system causing upward movement of the hydraulic piston 61. This pivots the lever 70 about its axis, causing the roller 73 to move downward out of engagement with the shoulder 40 of the void flag. In this alternative manner, as shown in FIG- URE 5, the void flag is also returned to a void position by reason of the torsion spring 36 and since it is placed in front of the time indicator plate, obscures the actual time that is remaining on the meter when it is viewed through the window of the housing.

Thus, if a new vehicle moves into the parking space, the patron will be unable to tell the amount of time remaining on the meter since only the void flag shows and will have to insert a new coin in order to obtain the time period allotted to him. Insertion of a new coin and turning of the winder, will give the patron the maximum time permitted. It can be seen that regardless of the location of the time indicator plate 27, for example, suppose it had run for half of the time period as shown in FIG- URE 5, insertion of a new coin would pass through the arcuate opening 28 as the winder was rotated until it reached the edge 39 of the opening and would then wind the clock and turn the indicator plate the remaining distance until it had again reached the maximum time position. This is a protection against overwinding of the clock springs. This would also place the void flag in an operating position again thereby activating the meter for the maximum time period allotted.

It can thus be seen that a parking meter has been provided in combination with a time voiding mechanism that is constructed with a number of simplified parts, that is simple in operation and effective for all purposes intended. All complex gearing has been eliminated by utilizing the coin itself as the interlocking element permitting operation of the parking meter. The parking meter of this invention is intended for use in combination with the void time release mechanism which preferably is hydraulically operated as described above, but may additionally be electrically or mechanically operated without departing from the scope of this invention.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A parking meter having a rental time voiding mechanism, comprising in combination, a housing having a coin insertion slot, a clock mechanism enclosed therein having an operating shaft, a time indicator plate mounted on the shaft having an arcuate opening therein between zero and maximum time, aligned with the coin insertion slot in one position and adapted to pass a coin, a release plate between the time indicator plate and the clock, having an opening through which the shaft passes, having a surface adapted to retain the coin entering through the coin insertion slot and having a coin discharge slot opposite the maximum time position of the indicator plate, a violation flag rotatably mounted adjacent the indicator plate on the side remote from the clock and movable between a void position and an operating position, means for biasing said flag toward the void position, release means for holding said flag in an operating position, said flag having a coin opening therein aligned with the coin opening in the time indicator plate, winding means comprising a Winder exterior of the housing and an operating plate interior of the housing rotatably mounted on a common axis extending through the housing and aligned with the shaft of the clock but independent thereof, said operating plate having a coin slot therein aligned with the coin insertion slot in one position, with the coin opening in the violation flag in the void position and with the coin opening in the time indicator at zero time position, wherein insertion of the coin in the meter operatively connects the winding means with the void flag and the time indicator plate, while the coin is retained by the release plate, and rental time voiding means controlled by a departing automobile for activating the release means to return the void flag to the void position.

2. A parking meter according to claim 1, including rental time expiration means activating said release means to return the violation flag to void position when the indicator plate reaches zero time.

3. A parking meter according to claim 2, wherein said rental time expiration means comprises a detent on ,the edge of the time indicator plate and the release means comprises a spring biased lever engaging the void flag, said detent riding against the lever as the indicator plate reaches zero time position moving the lever out of engagement with the void flag permitting it to return to void position.

4. A parking meter according to claim 1, wherein said rental time voiding means comprises a hydraulically operated cylinder activated by the pressure of the wheels of the departing auto-mobile, the operation of the cylinder activating the release means for releasing the flag to void position.

5. A parking meter according to claim 1, wherein said release means comprises a spring biased lever engaging the void flag holding it in operating position in opposition to the biasing means.

6. A parking meter according to claim 1, wherein the violation flag obscures any time remaining on the meter when in a void position.

7. A parking meter having a rental time voiding mechanism comprising in combination, a housing having a coin insertion slot, a clock mechanism enclosed therein having an operating shaft, coin release means, a time indicator plate mounted onto the shaft and rotatable therewith having an arcuate opening therein between zero and maximum time, which is in line with the coin insertion slot and adapted to pass a coin, a release plate between the time indicator plate and the clock, having an opening through which the shaft passes, having a surface adapted to retain the coin entering through the coin insertion slot and having a coin discharge slot opposite the maximum time position of the time indicator plate, a violation flag rotatably mounted adjacent the time indicator plate and movable between a void position and an operating position, having an arcuate opening therein aligned with the coin opening in the time indicator plate, means for biasing said flag toward a void position, flag release means holding said flag in operating position, winding means comprising a winder exterior of the housing and a coin operating plate interior of the housing having a slot aligned with the openings in the flag and time indicator plate, wherein insertion of a coin into the slot and through the openings interlocks the flag and time indicator plate with the operating plate of the winder so that activation of the winder rotates the flag and time indicator plate to operating and maximum time positions respectively and also winds the clock, said coin release 7 8 means permitting the coin to pass completely through the References Cited openings and out of interlocking arrangement permitting UNITED STATES PATENTS return of the winding means to its initial position, spring bias means urging return of the winding means to its 1538090 5/1925 Clements 194*84 initial position, means on the time indicator plate activat- 5 2'039544 5/1936 'Magee 194-84 ing the release means and returning the flag to void posi- 10/1937 Breedention when the time indicator plate reaches zero time and 2462610 2/1949 t g voiding means controlled by a departing vehicle also 215 4643 3 3/1951 activating the release means to return the flag to a void I l position. 10 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Przmar y Exammer.

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