GB2195804A

GB2195804A - Token-deposit locks

Info

Publication number: GB2195804A
Application number: GB08622574A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roger Charles Lewis
Original assignee: RANDALLS OF PADDINGTON
Current assignee: RANDALLS OF PADDINGTON
Priority date: 1986-09-19
Filing date: 1986-09-19
Publication date: 1988-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 2006-09-19
Also published as: GB8622574D0; GB2195804B

Abstract

A token-deposit lock comprises a sliding bolt (9) movable by a key between an 'unlocked' position, in which a holding portion (12) of the bolt is accessible for manual insertion or removal of a token, such as a coin, and a 'locked' position in which the holding portion is inaccessible. First and second blocking levers (17,41) are carried by the bolt, each blocking lever being responsive to the presence or absence of a token in the holding portion and being arranged to cooperate with elements (21,46) carried by the lock casing. During movement of the bolt from the unlocked towards the locked position, in the absence of a token in the holding portion, the first lever (17) is unable to lift a catch (22) which stops further movement, but if the first blocking lever is manipulated the nose (45) of the second blocking lever drops into an apertured plate (46) to stop further movement and can only be released upon return movement of the bolt sufficiently towards the unlocked position to enable the catch to become effective again. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Token-deposit locks The present invention relates to token-deposit locks which may for example be used on lockers and in which the user has to deposit a token which may be a coin, in the lock before the key can be turned to lock the locker and thereafter removed from the lock, the token being returned to the user when the key has been re-introduced into the lock and the latter unlocked. A typical requirement for such a lock arises in changing rooms associated with municipal swimming pools.

According to the invention there is provided a token-deposit lock comprising a sliding bolt having a token-holding portion for a token, the bolt being movable by a key between an 'unlocked' position, in which the holding portion is accessible for manual insertion or removal of a token, and a 'locked' position in which the holding portion is inaccessible, and first and second blocking means carried by the bolt, each blocking means being responsive to the presence or absence of a token in the holding portion and being arranged to cooperate with elements carried by the lock casing in such a manner that during movement of the bolt from the unlocked towards the locked position, in the absence of a token in the holding portion, the first blocking means is opeative to stop further movement but if the first blocking means is overridden, the second blocking means becomes effective on continued movement to stop further movement and the blocking means can only be released upon return movement of the bolt sufficiently towards the unlocked position to enable the first blocking means to become effective again.

Advantageously, the second blocking means comprises a trip lever pivotally mounted to the bolt and having a token-detecting tail extending into the holding portion and having a nose portion projecting in the direction of movement of the bolt and, cooperating with a pair of spaced bars (conveniently formed by an apertured plate) in which the nose becomes trapped in the absence of a token in the holding portion.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sectional views of a lock according to the invention respectively in the 'unlocked' and 'locked' positions and Figure 3 shows, diagrammatically, a portion of the lock, on an enlarged scale, with the bolt part way towards the locked position.

The locks shown in Figs. 1 and 2 have a casing consisting of a plate 1 having a bent up. flange 2 forming the right hand side wall of the lock casing as seen in the drawings and a rear wall 3 having flanges on three sides 4, 5, 6 to form respectively the bottom, side and top walls of the lock. The flanges 4, 5 and 6 have further extensions which are bent over to embrace the front plate 1.

A bolt 9 is mounted for sliding movement in rectangular apertures in the end walls 2 and 5. The leading end of the bolt 9 forms a locking tongue lOin the usual manner while the opposite end 11 of the bolt 9 is formed with a passage 12 for receiving a token C, typically a coin in normal circulation. When the bolt 9 is in the unlocked position as shown in Fig. 1, the passage 12 lies wholly outside the casing so that the coin C or other token can readily be inserted into and removed from the top of the passage 12.

The bolt 9 can be propelled from the unlocked position shown in Fig. 1 to a "locked" position shown in Fig. 2 in which the seating 12 is wholly within the casing while the tongue portion 10 projects a corresponding amount from the casing. For this purpose, a lock cylinder barrel 13 (which may be of any of the well known types avaiiable on the market) is secured to the front plate 1 and carries a bolt-operating lever 14 having a pin 15 engaged in a vertical slot 16 in the bolt 9. The barrel 13 is of the kind which holds its key captive in all positions except one which corresponds to the fully "locked" position of the bolt 9.

In order to prevent the key being turned to the locked position without a coin being inserted into the seating 12, the bolt 9 carries first coin detecting means formed by a lifting lever 17 which is pivoted adjacent its midpoint by means of a pivot screw 18 engaged in the bolt 9. The trailing end 19 of the lifting lever 17 projects into the passage 12 and the weight distribution of the lever 17 is such as to cause it to pivot anti-clockwise- as seen in Fig. 1 to engage a pin P. The other end 20 of the lever 17 is rounded to form a cam nose for cooperation with the underside of-a curved positions 21 of a spring loaded locking member 22 mounted on a pivot 23 secured to the casing.The member 22 is formed of two parts which are spot-welded together, one of the parts forming the portion 21 while the other engages with the pivot 23 and forms a downwardly extending projection 24 which enters a shallow elongated notch 25 in the top surface of the bolt 9. The length of the notch 25 is less than the travel of the bolt 9 between its "unlocked" and "locked" positions.

Further blocking means carried by the bolt 9 comprises a further coin detecting means in addition to the coin-iifting lever 17. These further means include a latch 41 which is pivoted on the bolt 9 and has a weight distribution such that it tends to drop to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 in which the tail 43 of the latch 41 engages the underside of the pin P and the nose 45 of the latch projects below the lower edge of the bolt 9.

Mounted inthe path of the nose 45 in this position is a stop plate 46 in the form of tab carried by or pressed out of the front plate 1.

Thus, if an attempt is made to move the bolt towards the locked position in the absence of a coin in the passage 12, the nose 45 will collide with the stop 46 as a preliminary block to further movement of the bolt 9 towards the locked position.

If a piece of wire or the like is pushed into the passage to depress the tail 43, after freeing the nose 45 from the stop plate 46, the bolt can be advanced until the edge 25a of the notch 25 abuts the projection 24 on the lever 21. Further movement of the bolt 9 is then blocked. To lift the lever 21 to disengage the projection 24 from the slot 25, it would be necessary to-depress the tail of the lifting lever 17 with the latter engaged with the lever 21 and to hold the lifting lever in this position against the action of the spring 23a while further advancing the bolt.

In accordance with the present invention, however, the stop plate 46 is formed with a slot 49 into which the nose 45 of the latch 41 can drop to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3. Continued further movement of the bolt 9 towards the locked position with the lifting lever 17 still held in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 will result in the nose 45 jamming under the trailing end 46b of the plate 46. To free the nose 45 from this portion 46b, it will be necessary to move the bolt a short distance towards the unlocked position whereupon the projection 24 will drop into the notch 25 thereby once again blocking movement of the bolt towards the locked position.

As can be seen in Fig.' 3, in the position just described above, the passage 12 is at least halfway into the lock casing so that the necessary coordinated operation of the levers 41 and 1 7 is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The arrangement described above provides three separate blocking operations hindering movement of the bolt towards the locked position in the absence of a coin C in the passage 12.

The passage 12 is formed by riveting on an extra plate 47 onto the side of the bolt 9 with spacers 48 and 50 of thickness corresponding to the maximum allowable thickness for the coin C (with clearance) interposed between the plate 47 and the bolt 9. The passage 12 is open at the bottom of the bolt so that undersized coins, unable to enage the spacer 49 and levcers 17 and 43 simultaneously can drop out of the passage.

Claims

1. A tolen-deposit lock comprising a sliding bolt having a token-holding portion for a token, the bolt being movable by a key between an 'unlocked' position, in which the holding portion is accessible for manual inser tion'or removal of a token, and a 'locked' position in which the holding portion is inaccessible, and first and second blocking means carried by the bolt, each blocking means being responsive to the presence or absence of a token in the holding portion and being arranged to cooperate with elements carried by the lock casing in such a manner that during movement of the bolt from the unlocked towards the locked position, in the absence of a token in the holding portion, the first blocking means is operative to stop further movement but if the first blocking means is overriden, the second blocking means becomes effective on continued movement to stop further movement and the second blocking means can only be released upon return movement of the bolt sufficiently towards the unlocked position to enable the first blocking means to become effective again.

2. A lock according to claim 1, wherein the second blocking means comprises a trip lever pivotally mounted to the bolt and having a token-detecting tail extending into the holding portion and having a nose portion projecting in the direction of movement of the bolt and cooperating with a pair of spaced bars in which the nose becomes trapped- in the absence of a token in the holding portion.

3. A lock according to claim 2, wherein the spaced bars are formed by an apertured plate.

4. A token - deposit lock substantially as described with reference to the drawings.