US1050268A - Vending-machine. - Google Patents

Description

C. FORTH.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1am RENEWED JUNE 6, 1912.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

l/V/r/vsssrs CHARLES FORTH, 0F WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

Application filed March'29, 1909, Serial No. 486,422. Renewed June 6, 1912. Serial No. 702,108.

To all whom if m (13 concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Winthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State of h-Iassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to coin operated vending machines of the type'in which the articles to be vended are discharged by means of a manually operated ejecting mechanism retained normally locked against action and adapted to be unlocked by the insertion of a coin of the proper dimensions, and the invention consists in various improvements in mechanism of this type having in view economy, durability and simplicity in construction, compactness in the arrangement of the parts, and effectiveness in operation.

In its essential features, my invention embodies a suitable casing adapted to hold the articles to be vended in storage, an ejecting mechanism adapted by its action to forcibly eject the articles from the casing, a coin receiving slide or plunger having operative connection with the ejecting mechanism and serving by its operation to actuate said ejecting mechanism, and a locking mechanism normally locking said coin receiving slide against action and adapted to be operated to release the slide on the insertion of a coinof the proper dimensions; whereby the slide will be free to be moved by hand, and through its connection with the ejecting mechanism will act to operate the same and effect the discharge of the articles from the casing.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the machine from front to rear on line 1-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with portions of the casingbroken away to expose other parts to View. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but with the parts in the position they occupy when the ejecting mechanism is operated to discharge one of the articles. Fig. 4: is a horizontal sectional plan view on line 4% of Figs. 1 and 2, showing the coin receiving-slide and the locking mechanism therefor. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown in the preceding figure.

Referring to the drawings: 1 represents a I suitable casing, consisting of the front, side and rear walls, within which the operative mechanism is mounted and inclosed. In the upper part of the casing is situated an upright chute or reservoir 6, in which the articles 7 to be vended are stored, one upon the other in column, the lower one resting on a horizontal plate 8, fixed within the casing and constituting the bottom of the chute. The lowermost article is adapted to be delivered through an opening in the front wall of the chute, which opening is normally closed by means of a gravitating door 14, hinged at its upper edge, as at 15, to the front wall of the chute above the discharge opening, which door will, when the lowermost article is pushed from the chute, be swung by the same outwardly, and when the article has passed through the opening, the door will swing back automatically to its former position covering said openin The discharge of the articles is e ected by means of anejecting mechanism, comprisingan upright arm 12, pivoted near its lower end on a transverse horizontal axis 13 to the back wall of the casing, so that its upper end may be swung back and forth. Near its upper end, the arm extends through a fore and aft slot 8 in the plate 8, before alluded to, and on its upper extremity is provided with a horizontal transversely arranged roller 11, which when the arm is in its normal retracted position extends at the back of the lowermost article, as shown in Fig. 1, and which when the upper end of the arm swings forwardly through the slot 8 engages said article and pushes the same positively from the chute through the discharge opening therein.-

The articles as they are pushed from the chute are received on a receiving plate 17 pivotally mounted on a horizontal transverse pin 16, fixed between the side walls of the casing, the said plate being acted on by a torsional spring 18, encircling the pin and actmg to hold the plate yieldingly in a horizontal receivin position, as shown in Fig. 1, the tension of t e spring being such that it will be overcome by the weight of the article, with the result that the plate when the article falls thereon will be swung down to an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position the article will slide by gravity therefrom and be'received on a delivery trough 9, in the form of a plate fixed between the side walls of the casing and leading to an opening 1 in the front of the casing, from which trough the article may be withdrawn by the purchaser. The purpose of the receiving plate 17 is to prevent the deposit of the article onto the delivery trough by means other than the proper operation of the ejecting mechanism through the medium of the proper coin, and to this end the arm 12 is adapted to cooperate with the plate in such manner that the latter will be held by the arm locking in-its horizontal receiving position, in which position it will prevent the deposit of the article onto the delivery trough and will only release said plate to permit the article to be dropped when the arm is moved by means controlled by the insertion of the proper coin. To edect this locking of the plate, I prefer to form in the rear edge of the ejecting arm a slot or notch 19, which when the arm is in its retracted position receives a pin 26 on a finger 20 depending from the rear end of the plate and thus holds the forward receiving end of the plate in a horizontal position. l Vhen the arm is swung -forwardly, the slot being removed away from the pin and free of the same unlocks the plate and. permits it to he swung down under the influence of the weight of the article discharged thereon, thereby depositing the article onto the delivery trough.

As a result of the construction descril'icd, it an attempt to efiect the discharge of tlut articles from the chute without operating l springs 36.

the ejecting mechanism were successful, the ejecting arm remaining in its retracted posi tion would hold the receiving plate locked in its receiving position, and the article would be retained thereon, as shown by dolted lines in Fig. 3, consequently it could not be withdrawn from the machine. Furthermore, by normally maintaining the plate in locked position, in which position it extends across the passage leading to the mouth of the chute, it efiectu ally prevents any tampering with the chute or the insertion of an instrument from the outside through the discharge opening in the chute. The upper wall of the notch 19 extends some distance horizontally, so that it will maintain a locking engagement with the pin for a consider able period of the forward movement of the arm, thereby insuring that the plate will remain locked until the arm has been properly operated to discharge the articles, and there by preventing any slight or imperfect movement of the arm from releasing the plate. As the article slides oil the plate in the position shown in Fig. 3, the torsional spring 18 will restore the plate to its former horizontal position, and when the arm 12 returns to its retracted position, the notch 20 will again engage over the pin and efl'ect the locking of the plate. The operation of the ejecting arm 12 is ellected through the mediuni of a horizontal movable coin receiving slide or plunger 2?, which is operatively connected with the arm in such manner that when pushed back. the upper ejecting end of the arm will be swung forward and will the same yieldingly in its forward position,

as shown in Figs. 1 and At its rear end, the plunger has projecting upwardly from its upper side two ears 3 between which the lower end of the ejecting arm 12 extends, and is connected to said ears by means of a pin 32 extending through the. ears and through a slot in the arm, by which means the movement of the plunger back and forth will impart corresponding movements to the ejecting arm.

The outward movement of the plunger under the influence of s, ring 28 is limited by dreams of two stops 35, in X form of dogs mounted slidingly in openings in the block 25, at opposite sides of the plunger opening and. urged inward hy means of The inner ends the dogs at their rear sides are adapted when the plunger is in its forward positi shown in Fig. 1., to engage in front of s 'lders 27 on the plunger, whereby the outward move men; of the plunger is limited. The inner ends of the dogs are beveled or sloped forwardly and outwardly, as shown, so that they will not interfere with the mo ement oi. the plunger inward or to the. rear, in which movement the sides of the plunger engaging the sloping ends of the dogs will move the same automatically outward, so that the plunger will. be free to he moved rearward.

The plunger is formed with a central vertical coin receiving slot 34 extending longitudinally therein. ilroin the front end and terminating at its rear end in a downwardly and iaarwardly inclined wall 34. This slot in its vertical and transverse dimensions is of the exact (an-responding dimensions of the coin, which it is intended shall operate the machine. Cooperating with the coin slot is a locking i'nechanism of such form and construction that it acts normally to hold the plunger locked against rearward movement but is adapted to be operated to release the plunger when the proper coin inserted in the slot. As shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, this locking mechanism comtoo llfi

prises a horizontal pin 37 mounted to slide transversely of the movement of the plunger in a guiding opening therein, the inner end of the pin extending into the coin slot in the path of the incoming coin. The outer end of the pin extends through a horizontal slot 25 extending in a fore and aft direction in the block 25, and the pin is formed with a vertical cross-head 39 extending on opposite sides of said slot and adapted at its inner edge to interlock with notches 40 formed in the sides of the block, the cross-head being acted on by a leaf spring 41 fixed at its rear end by means of a screw 42 t0 the block and bearing at its opposite end on the cross-head. This spring acts to yieldingly hold the cross-head in one of the notches in the block and thereby hold the plunger carrying the pin in locked posi tion, the position of the notches being such that the plunger will be held locked when in its forward position. In this position the inner end of the pin will extend in the coin slot in the path of the incoming coin. When, now, a coin is inserted in the coin slot, its edge will impinge against the end of the pin and on the coin being forced back farther in the slot it will thrust the pin outward against the restraining influence of spring 41, thereby disengaging the inner edge of the cross-head from the notch in the block and leaving the plunger free to be moved back in its guiding opening, as shown in Fig. 3. This rearward movement of the plunger will, through the connection of the same with'the lower end of the ejecting arm, swing the upper end of said arm forward and push the lowermost article from the chute. During this rearward movement of the plunger, the coin held in the slot by pin 37 bearing on its side face will be carried bodily to the rear until it is brought over a vertical slot 51 in the top of a coin receptacle 52, whereupon the inner edge of the cross-head. will ride up an incline 4O at the side ofthe slot 25 and by this incline the pin 37 will be moved slightly outward, and the coin being thus freed of pressure will drop from the slot in the plunger down through slot 51 and into the coin receptacle. The plunger being now released by the purchaser, spring 28, which had by the rearward movement of the plunger been compressed, will expand and urge the plunger forward to its original position, the inner edge of the cross-head clicking over the teeth between the notches 40, and the plunger finally coming to rest with its shoulders 36 engaging therear faces of the pins 35. During this forward return movement of the plunger, the upper end of the rejecting arm is retracted, and by the time the plunger comes to rest, the roller on said arm stands behind the next article to be delivered. The purpose of connecting the lower end of the ejecting arm to the plunger by means of a pin and slot connection is to admit of a certain amount of lost motion between the plunger and the arm, so that a considerable movement of the plunger is necessary before the arm is actuated to eject the articles.

In order that the insertion of an instrument, such as a knife blade, into the coin slot for the purpose of retracting the pin 37 and thereby effecting the operation of the mechanism without the use of a coin may be prevented, I provide means whereby when the plunger is .moved to the rear, the forward end of the coin slot will be automatically covered, said means embodying a device which will act to restrain the plunger against rearward movement while the slot remains uncovered. This mechanism is shown particularly in Fig. 4, where it will be seen that there is arranged in a guiding opening at the side of the coin slot entrance a vertical plate 48 adapted to be moved back and forth in said opening and by its inward movement to move across and co ver the coin slot. The outer edge of this plate is provided with a pin 45, sliding 1n an opening in the plunger and adapted to extend at its outer end in an opening 47 in the block, a spring 49 acting on the plate and tending to normally hold the same in its outward posit-ion, in which position the pin 45 will extend in the opening in the block and the plate 48 will uncover the coin slot. The outer end of the pin is rounded, with the result that when, after the proper coin has been placed in the slot and the plunger has been unlocked, the latter is pushed inward, the rounded surface of the pin coming in contact with the block, the pin will be pushed inward and will thereby project the plate 48 over the coin slot and effectually cover the same. If a knife-blade is inserted in the coin slot in order to retract pin 37, it will not be pos sible to push the plunger rearward, because the knife blade will act as a stop for plate 48, preventing it from sliding inward to cover the coin slot, and the pin 45being by this means held outward in the opening 47 in the block, will act as a lock for the plunger and prevent it from being moved.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. l, the purchaser inserts a coin in the coin slot in the plunger, and with the finger thrusts the coin back as faras it will go. The rear edge of the coin as it is pushed back engages the end 38 of looking pin 37 and forces said pin laterally against the pressure of its spring 41, thereby disengaging cross-head 39 from the locking notches 40 in the block 25. The plunger now being free to be moved back is pushed by the finger, which action will urge the reac es spring pressed dogs 35 outward and will at the same time cause the end of pin 45 to engage the front end of the block 25, thereby forcing said pin inward and pushing plate 48 over the entrance end of the coin slot. By the same rearward movement of the. plunger, pin 82 thereon engages the rear end of slot 33 in the ejecting arm 12, and the continued movement of the plunger swings the upper end of said arm forward, the roller 11 thereon pushing the lowermost article 7 from the chute, which article is re ceived on the receiving plate 17, the latter being, as the ejecting arm swings forward, automatically unlocked, with the result that it will be tipped downward by the weight of the article which will be delivered onto the trough 9, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, whence it may be withdrawn by the purchaser through the opening in the front of the casing. By the time the plunger has reached the end of its rearward movement, the coin therein has arrived over the slot 51 in the top of the coin receptacle, and the inner edge of cross-head 39 on the locking pin 37 has by this time ridden up the incline 40 by which means the locking pin is forced outward slightly and relieves the coin which was held thereby of pressure. The coin then drops through slot 51 into the coin receptacle. The delivery of the article having been effected, the purchaser removes his finger from the plunger and the spring 28. which had been compressed by the inward motion of the plunger, resumes its former expanded condition and thrusts the plunger forward again to its previous position. This action retracts ejector arm 12 and effects the locking of the receiving plate 7 in its horizontal position, which plate had, when the article slid therefrom, been restored to its horizontal receiving position'by the torsional spring 18. As the plunger moves forward in this manner to resumeits forward position, the

inner edge of cross-head 39 clicksover the teeth between the locking notches 40, and by the time that the plunger is arrested in its forward motion by the spring pressed dogs 35, cross-head 39 arrives at the last notch,

and being seated therein, projects the end of pin 37 in the coin receiving slot in the path of the next incoming coin, in which position the parts are locked as before. As the plunger completes its forward movement as described, pin 45 on covering plate -28 arrives opposite opening 47 in the block 25 and entering said opening the covering plat-e a8 is withdrawn from over the entrance end of the coin slot. The parts are now in position to be operated as before by the insertion of a second coin, the column of articles in the chute having, when the lowermost article was discharged therefrom, 'icended in said chute, causing the next article to be seated on the bottom plate 8 as the ejecting roller on the ejecting arm was retracted to take its position behind the lowermost article in readiness for the next operation.

The spring pressed dogs 35, before alluded to, possess the additional function to that described of forcibly pushing the coin which has been inserted by the purchaser inward in the coin slot beyond the guiding opening 4:4: in which the covering plate moves, so that there will be nothing to obstruct the inward movement of the covering plate over the coin receiving opening when the plunger is pushed inward. When the coin is inserted by the purchaser, its upper and lower edges first come in contact with the inner ends of the dogs 35, which, as shown in Fig. l, normally stand yieldingly in the coin path in notches in the plunger. As-tlie coin is pushed farther back by the finger, these spring pressed dogs are spread apart by the edges of the coin, thereby moving them out of'the coin path and placing their springs under tension.- The limit of the thrust of the coin by the purchasers finger having been reached, the spring dogs now come into play and being forced inward by the expansion of their springs, they act on the curved edges of the coin and automatically push it farther in the slot and beyond the guiding opening 4-4 in which the covering plate moves, the coin at the same time, as heretofore described, pushing the releasing pin 37 outward and thereby freeing the plunger so that it may be moved in ward. It is seen, therefore, that the spring pressed dogs 35 are brought into play by the initial thrust of the coin by the purchasers finger, whereupon they take up the movement of the coin'and complete it, thereby seating the same in its proper position for the operations of the parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim i; t

1. in a vending machine, the combination of a frame or casing, an ejecting mechanism, a slide or plunger operatively connected therewith and provided with a coin receiving slot, a locking mechanism carried by said plunger and cooperating with the easing to hold the plunger locked against action, said locking mechanism having a re leasing part projecting into the coin slot in the path of the incoming eoin; whereby on the insertion of the coin the releasing part will be actuated and the plunger unlocked.

In a vending machine, the combination of a frame or casing, an ejecting mechanism, a plunger operatively connected therewith and provided with a coin receiving slot, a pin mounted in the plunger and movable therein transversely of the movement of the plunger and having its inner end projecting in the coin slot in the path of the incoming coin, a locking head carried by the outer end of the pin and adapted to cooperate with the casing in holding the plunger locked against action, and a spring bearing on the pin and acting to hold it yieldingly in the path of the coin.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of a frame or casing, an ejecting mechanism, a plunger operatively connected with the ejecting mechanism and provided with a coin slot, a pin movably mounted in the plunger with its inner end projecting in the coin slot in the path of the incoming coin, a cross head on the outer end of the pin adapted to enter a locking notch in the casing, and a spring acting on the pin and serving to hold the parts yieldingly in locked position.

at. In a vending machine, the combination of an ejecting mechanism, a movable slide or plunger operatively connected therewith and providedwith a coin receiving slot, a locking mechanism carried by the plunger and having a movable releasing member projecting into the coin slot in the path of the incoming coin, a spring acting on said releasing member, whereby when the member is moved out of the coin path by the inserted coin it will maintain yielding engagement with the side of the same, and means controlled by the movement of the plunger for disengaging the releasing member from the coin.

5. In a vending machine, the combination of an ejecting mechanism, a movable slide or plunger operatively connected therewith and provided with a coin receiving slot, a-

movable pin mounted in said plunger with its inner end projecting into the slot, a locking head carried by the pin and adapted to cooperate with the casing in holding the plunger locked, a "spring acting on the pin and serving to hold the same yieldingly in its inward position, whereby when the pin is moved outward by the coin its inner end will maintain engagement therewith, and a surface on the casing adapted to' be engaged by the locking head on the rearward movement of the plunger and thereby disengage the pin from the coin.

6. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing provided with a guiding opening and a locking notch, an ejecting mechanism, a plunger operatively connected therewith and mounted in said guiding opening to move back and forth, a coin receiving slot extending longitudinally in said plunger, a transversely movable pin mounted in said plunger with its inner end projccting in the coin slot, a cross-head on the outer end of the pin adapted to cooperate with the notch in the casing to hold the plunger locked against action, a spring acting on the cross-head and serving to hold the same yieldingly in locked position, and a cam surface on the casing in position to be engaged by the cross-head when the plunger is moved rearwardly, and thereby disengage the pin from the coin.

7. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing, an ejecting'mechanism, a coin controlled operating plunger movable back and forth and operatively connected with the ejecting mechanism, a spring acting on said plunger and tending to project it forwardly, a movable stop mounted in the casing with its inner end extending in the path of the plunger and thereby acting to limit. its outward movement, and means controlled by the inward movement of the plunger forautomatically moving said stop out of the plungers path.

8. In a vending machine, the combination of the casing, the ejecting mechanism,

the coin controlled operating plunger operatively connected with the ejectingmechanism and movable back and forth in the casing, said plunger being provided with a notch and stop shoulder, a spring acting to urge the plunger normally forward, a movable stop dog mounted in the casing with its inner end beveled and seated in the notch in the plunger and its rear face engaging the shoulder thereon, and a spring actingon the dog to hold it in this position; whereby said dog will act to limit the outward movement of the plunger and will be automatically moved outward when the plunger is moved inward.

9. In a vending machine, the combination of an ejecting mechanism, a plunger operatively connected therewith and provided with a coin receiving slot, a covering plate movable across the coin slot entrance, means controlled by said covering plate for locking the plunger against action in the event of the movement of the plate to cover the opening being obstructed, and means acting on the inserted coin for positively moving the same rearward in the slot beyond the pathof the covering'plate after the coin has been entered in the slot by the purchaser.

10. In a vending machine, the combination of an ejecting mechanism, a plunger operatively connected therewith and provided with a coin receiving slot, said plunger being movable back and forth in the casing to actuate the ejecting mechanism, a covering plate carried by the plunger and movable over the entrance to the coin slot, and means controlled by the inward movement of the plunger for shifting said plate over said opening.

11. In a vending machine, the combina-- tion of an ejecting mechanism, a plunger operatively connected therewith and provided with a coin slot, a cover plate carried by the plunger and movable over the entrance end of the coin slot, and means carried by said cover plate for obstructing the a emme movement of the plunger when the cover slot and said pinbeing so formed that on the plate is free of the slot. movement of the plunger rearwardly it will 12. In a vending machine, the combinaengage the casing and autonmtically thrust tion of an ejecting mechanistic a plunger the cover plate over the slot.

5 operatively connected therewith and pro- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 15 vided with a coin slot,- 21 plate carried by in presence of two witnesses. said plunger and movable across said slot CHARLES FORTH. to cover it, a pin carried by the plate and Witnesses: normally extending in an opening in the EDMUND H. PARRY,

i0 casing with the covering plate tree of the ERNEST D. CONDIT.

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