GB1596743A

GB1596743A - Token-operated locks

Info

Publication number: GB1596743A
Application number: GB40033/76A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Randall & Sons Ltd James H
Current assignee: Randall & Sons Ltd James H
Priority date: 1977-12-23
Filing date: 1977-12-23
Publication date: 1981-08-26

Description

(54) TOKEN-OPERATED LOCKS (71) We, JAMES H. RANDALL AND SONS LIMITED, a British Company, of Paddington Green Works, North Wharf Road, London, W2 1LD, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be par ticularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to tokenoperated locks of the type having a bolt which is movable between a 'locked' and an 'unlocked' position by a key which is held cap tive in the lock except when the bolt is in its 'locked' position, and wherein insertion of a predetermined token or plurality of tokens is a prerequisite for operation of the lock to move the bolt to its 'locked' position. Such a token-operated lock will be herein referred to as a token-operated lock of the type defined.

Token-operated locks of the type defined can be arranged to retain the inserted token as a payment or to return it either as the bolt is moved to its 'locked' position or, more usually, as the bolt is returned to its 'unlocked' position. They may be used, for example, on storage lockers such as are provided at airports, railway stations and swimming pools.

According to the present invention there is provided a token-operated lock of the type defined wherein the bolt has token-locating means which when the bolt is in its 'unlocked' position define a location in the bolt for an inserted token, and first and second token-detecting means which each in the absence of a token in the said location arrest movement of the bolt from its 'unlocked' to its 'locked' position, the first token-detecting means being associated with the said location and being carried by the bolt for movement therewith, and the second token-detecting means being arranged to act independently of the first token-detecting means and being carried by a fixed part of the lock.

With this arrangement the two tokendetecting means provide separate checks for the presence of a token in the said location.

Since the second such means is not carried by the bolt it can readily be disposed in a position relative to the first which makes access difficult to anyone trying to pick the lock. Furthermore, locks in accordance with the present invention can easily be arranged to be operable only with one particular size of token. TO this end, the lock can have a token insertion slot which is dimensioned to prevent insertion of tokens greater in width/ and/or diameter than the desired size, while the first and/or second token-detecting means can be arranged to be inoperable by tokens of less than the desired diameter.

Thus, a preferred form of the second tokendetecting means comprises a latch biassed to a position where it engages with an abutment surface of the bolt to prevent movement of the bolt to the fully locked position but which is disengageable upon movement of the bolt from its 'unlocked' position by the camming action of a portion of a token in the said location in the bolt.

With this arrangement, the latch cannot be disengaged by a token of less than the desired diameter. A simple form of first token-detecting means which may conveniently be adopted with such second token-detecting means comprises a trip-lever pivotally mounted on the bolt and which in the absence of an inserted token engages a stop during locking moving of the bolt, but which is held clear of the stop by a token in the said location.

Where the lock is a coin-return lock, the token may be dislodged or discharged from the location into a token-return tray during locking movement of the bolt, or the token may be retained in the location which is posi tioned to be accessible for removal of the token therefrom when the bolt is returned to its 'unlocked' position.

Where the token is to be discharged into a receptacle or a tray, a support forming the lower surface of the location can be pivotally mounted on the bolt and arranged to be held in a position when it will support an inserted token when the bolt is in its 'unlocked' position to discharge the coin as the bolt is moved to its 'locked' position. More preferably, the support may be held in the token-retaining position by a stop. When operating the lock, the support will move with the bolt into a position in which it clears the stop, and will be free to pivot and thereby discharge the token. Where the first token-detecting means takes the preferred form described above and embodying a trip-lever and stop, the stop for the support may also be the stop for the triplever.

Furthermore, token-operated locks in accordance with the present invention can be constructed to require the insertion of a plu rality of tokens before the bolt can be moved to its 'locked' position. Thus, in a lock requiring two tokens for operation, the first token-detecting means detect the presence of a token in the said location and a second token-detecting means detects a further token in a further adjacent location. Unless two tokens have been inserted, one or the other of the tokendetecting means will prevent lock ing movement of the bolt.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the drawing accompanying the provisional specification which illustrate a lock mounted on the door of a storage locker.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of part of the outer face of the door and showing by dotted lines the position of the lock on the inner face; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an elevation partly in section of the lock on the inner face of the door, and shows the lock at the time of insertion of a first token; Figure 4 is a detail of an elevation similar to Figure 3 but showing an inserted token; Figure 5 is a horizontal cross-section taken along the lines 5-5 of Figure 4; and Figures 6a and 6b are vertical cross-sections taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 5 and illustrate stages in movement of the bolt of the lock and of the inserted token.

The token-operated lock 10 shown in the drawings is a payment lock secured to the inner face 12 of the door 14 of a storage locker. This lock 10 requires the insertion of two coins 16 of the same denomination, before it is possible to move the bolt 18 to its 'locked' position to lock the locker. Moreover, locking movement of the bolt is not possible unless a button (not shown) on the outer face of the door 14 of the locker is pressed to disengage a stop from the bolt.

chits button thus serves to minimise the risk that someone will operate the lock without first shutting the door of the locker.

As will be explained in more detail, the lock 10 is of the type wherein the bolt 18 is movable between a 'locked' position and an 'unlocked' position by rotation of a key (not shown) engaged in a lock barrel 60. The key is held captive in the barrel 60 except when the bolt 18 is in its 'locked' position. Thus the user of the locker may remove the key from the barrel lock 60 after inserting the appropriate coins and locking the locker. He may then return at a later time, reinsert the key, and unlock the locker. Thereafter, the barrel lock 60 will retain the key and the locker will be available to the next user.

The bolt 18 of the lock 10 is mounted for sliding movement in rectangular apertures 20, 22 provided in the end wall of the casing 24 of the lock. The bolt i8 comprises a main portion 26, a connecting length and a leading end 30. The leading end 30 forms a locking tongue for engagement with a slot 32 in a wall 33 of the locket. Fixed to the main portion 26 is a parallel plate 34. This plate 34 is of similar dimensions to the main portion 26 and is spaced therefrom by spacers by a width just greater than that of the prescribed tokens. The trailing ends of the main portion 26 and parallel plate 34 define, together with a spacer 35 at the trailing end, a slot 36 for the insertion of coins 16. This slot 36 is dimensioned to prevent insertion of oversize coins and is accessible only when the bolt is in its 'unlocked' position as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.

A support 38 is disposed between the main portion 26 of the bolt and the parallel plate 34 although it does not extend the full length thereof. This support is mounted on a pivot screw 39 and with the lock unlocked rests on a stop 40. Together with the main portion 26 of the bolt and the parallel plate 34, the support defines a location for reception of inserted coins received from the slot 36, the location being in the form of a seating. Inserted coins are guided onto the support 36 by the leading edge 37 of the spacer 35. Pivotally secured to the support 38, and extending into the seating, is a tripl-lever 41 which in the absence of the trailing coin of the two inserted coins 16 adopts the position shown in Figure 3 where it will engage the stop 40 duriilg locking of the bolt 18.This trip-lever 41 forms a first coin-detecting means, while second coin-detecting means are provided by two latches 42,42'.

Only that latch 42 which detects the leading coin of the two inserted coins 16 is essential to the present lock, and it is this latch which will be described in detail. The latch 42 is mounted on a pivot pin 46 and has a downwardly extending projection 48 which enters an elongate recess 50 in the upper surface of a backing plate 52 secured to the face of the main portion 26 of the bolt opposite to that to which the parallel plate 34 is secured.

As shown most clearly in Figure 6a, the projection 48 is biassed by a spring 54 towards this position where it engages with the backing plate 52 and prevents locking of the lock 10. Also provided on the latch 42 is an arm 56 which has a cam nose 58 directed into the gap between the main portion 26 and parallel plate 34. The arm 56 is dimensioned such that the prescribed coin can lift the cam nose 58 and cause the projection 48 to lift out of the recess 50.

The barrel lock 60 mentioned previously extends through the door 14 of the locker and is of the kind which holds its key captive in all positions except the one which corresponds to the 'locked' position of the bolt 18.

For movement of the bolt 18 by rotation of the key, the barrel carries a bolt-operating pin 62 on the end of a lever 64. This pin 62 engages in a vertical slot 66 provided in the backing plate 62.

A second barrel lock 68 extends through the rear wall 70 of the casing 24 of the lock. The rear wall 70 is disengageable from the rest of the casing and is secured in position by the lock 68. This lock 68 is operable by a different key to that for the barrel lock 60, and serves to permit access to the detachable receptacle 72 provided within the casing for retention of coins 16 discharged from the seating upon operation of the lock.

In operation, and with the bolt 18 in its 'unlocked' position, the user inserts the two coins 16, closes the locker door, depresses the seating button (not shown) and turns the key of the barrel lock 60. As the key is turned, the lever 64 moves the bolt 18 towards its 'locked' position. The weight of the trailing coin maintains the trip-lever 42 in the retracted position shown in Figure 4 where it will clear the stop 40, while the leading coin engages with the cam nose 58 of the latch 42 and lifts the projection 48 out of the recess 50. Thus the bolt 18 may be moved fully over to its locked position. In so moving, the support 38 of the seating clears the stop 40 and pivots about the pivot screw 39 to the position shown in Figure 6b. During this pivoting of the support, the coins 16 roll along the support and into the receptacle 72.

If, on the other hand, someone tries to turn the key to move the bolt to its fully locked position without first inserting any coins, the trip-lever 41 will abut the stop 26 and prevent such movement. Furthermore, and as an in dependent check, the projection 48 of the latch 42 will remain in the recess 50 and also prevent the bolt from being moved into its 'locked' position. Thus even if it proves possible for an unauthorised user to free the trip-lever of the stop, the latch acts indepen dently and will foil such attempts.

It is to be noted that the coin insertion slot is dimensioned to prevent insertion of oversize coins. Undersize coins are also ineffective in that the latches can only be unlatched from the bolt by coins of the least the presented diameter. In this respect, the lock shown in the drawings has the further advantage that the second of the latches 42', will check that the trailing coin of the inserted coins 16' is of the correct diameter in the same way as the check preferred by the first latch described previously. Where undersized coins are inserted these are usually retained on the support 38 until being cleared into the recep tacle by the subsequent insertion of two coins of the prescribed diameter.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: - 1. A token-operated lock of the type defined wherein the bolt has token-locating means which when the bolt is in its unlocked position define a location in the bolt for an inserted token, and first and second token-detecting means which each in the absence of a token in the said location arrest movement of the bolt from its unlocked to its locked position rhe first token-detecting means being associated with the said location and being carried by the bolt for movement therewith, and the second token-detecting means being arranged to act independently of the first tokendetecting means and being carried by a fixed part of the lock.

2. A lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock has a token insertion slot which is dimensioned to prevent insertion of tokens greater in width and/or diameter than the desired size, and the first and/or second token-detecting means are inoperable by tokens of less than rhe desired diameter.

3. A lock according to claim 2, wherein the second token-detecting means comprises a latch biased to a position where it engages with an abutment surface of the bolt to prevent movement of the bolt to the fullv locked position but which is disengageabe upon movement of the bolt from its unlocked position by the camming action of a portion of a token in the said location in the bolt.

4. A lock according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first token-detecting ceans comprises a trip-lever pivotally mounted on the bolt and which in the absence of an inserted token engages a stop during locking moving of the bolt, but which is held clear of the stopl by a token in the said location.

5. A coin-return lock according to any of the preceding claims including a token-return tray to receive a token during locking movement of the bolt 6. A coin-return lock according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the token is retained in the location which is positioned to be accessible for removal of the token therefrom when the bolt is returned to its unlocked position.

7. A lock according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein a support forming the lower surface of the location is pivotally mounted on the bolt and is arranged to be held in a position where it will support an inserted token when the bolt is in its unlocked position and pivot to discharge the coin as the bolt is moved to its locked position.

8. A lock according to claim 7 wherein, the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. that the prescribed coin can lift the cam nose 58 and cause the projection 48 to lift out of the recess 50. The barrel lock 60 mentioned previously extends through the door 14 of the locker and is of the kind which holds its key captive in all positions except the one which corresponds to the 'locked' position of the bolt 18. For movement of the bolt 18 by rotation of the key, the barrel carries a bolt-operating pin 62 on the end of a lever 64. This pin 62 engages in a vertical slot 66 provided in the backing plate 62. A second barrel lock 68 extends through the rear wall 70 of the casing 24 of the lock. The rear wall 70 is disengageable from the rest of the casing and is secured in position by the lock 68. This lock 68 is operable by a different key to that for the barrel lock 60, and serves to permit access to the detachable receptacle 72 provided within the casing for retention of coins 16 discharged from the seating upon operation of the lock. In operation, and with the bolt 18 in its 'unlocked' position, the user inserts the two coins 16, closes the locker door, depresses the seating button (not shown) and turns the key of the barrel lock 60. As the key is turned, the lever 64 moves the bolt 18 towards its 'locked' position. The weight of the trailing coin maintains the trip-lever 42 in the retracted position shown in Figure 4 where it will clear the stop 40, while the leading coin engages with the cam nose 58 of the latch 42 and lifts the projection 48 out of the recess 50. Thus the bolt 18 may be moved fully over to its locked position. In so moving, the support 38 of the seating clears the stop 40 and pivots about the pivot screw 39 to the position shown in Figure 6b. During this pivoting of the support, the coins 16 roll along the support and into the receptacle 72. If, on the other hand, someone tries to turn the key to move the bolt to its fully locked position without first inserting any coins, the trip-lever 41 will abut the stop 26 and prevent such movement. Furthermore, and as an in dependent check, the projection 48 of the latch 42 will remain in the recess 50 and also prevent the bolt from being moved into its 'locked' position. Thus even if it proves possible for an unauthorised user to free the trip-lever of the stop, the latch acts indepen dently and will foil such attempts. It is to be noted that the coin insertion slot is dimensioned to prevent insertion of oversize coins. Undersize coins are also ineffective in that the latches can only be unlatched from the bolt by coins of the least the presented diameter. In this respect, the lock shown in the drawings has the further advantage that the second of the latches 42', will check that the trailing coin of the inserted coins 16' is of the correct diameter in the same way as the check preferred by the first latch described previously. Where undersized coins are inserted these are usually retained on the support 38 until being cleared into the recep tacle by the subsequent insertion of two coins of the prescribed diameter. WHAT WE CLAIM IS: -

1. A token-operated lock of the type defined wherein the bolt has token-locating means which when the bolt is in its unlocked position define a location in the bolt for an inserted token, and first and second token-detecting means which each in the absence of a token in the said location arrest movement of the bolt from its unlocked to its locked position rhe first token-detecting means being associated with the said location and being carried by the bolt for movement therewith, and the second token-detecting means being arranged to act independently of the first tokendetecting means and being carried by a fixed part of the lock.

5. A coin-return lock according to any of the preceding claims including a token-return tray to receive a token during locking movement of the bolt

6. A coin-return lock according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the token is retained in the location which is positioned to be accessible for removal of the token therefrom when the bolt is returned to its unlocked position.

8. A lock according to claim 7 wherein, the

support is held in the token-retaining position by a stop.

9. A lock according to claims 2, 3 and 8, wherein the stop for the support is also the stop for the trip-lever.

10. A lock according to any of the preceding claims requiring two tokens for operation, the first token-detecting means being adapted to detect the presence of a token in the said location and the second token-detecting means detects a further token in a further adjacent location.

11. A token operated lock substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification.