US1280539A - Coin-selecting device. - Google Patents

Description

R. H. POLLOCK.

COIN SELECTING DEVICE.

APPucATLoN man JuNszs. |911.

R. HPOLLOCK.

com sELEcIII'IG nEvrcE. I APPLICATION FILED IuIIi z8; I9I'7 I. II I II I I I I I I I I I I III IIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIII.

m IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Coin-Selecting Devices; andI do; declare the ivo vlili ROBERT H. '.POLLOCK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

/ COIN-SELECTING DEVICE.

' Specication 'of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 28, 1917. Serial No. 177,533.

To all whom it may concern.'

. Be it known that I, ROBERT I-I. PoLLoCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in following to be a full, clear, and exact ldescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to `make and use the same.

My invention has for its principal vobject to provide means for so selecting diderent coins as to permit any one of a plurality of coins of differentsizes to operate a vending machine or the like, and at the same time ,to ldiscard all coinsnwhich lthe machine is not intended to receive.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the class described having a single inlet chute or throat into which any coin which is intended to operateY the machine may be deposited.

A further object ofv he present .embodiment of the invention is to devise a machine which may be effectively used for vending purposes, either when a United States five-A cent piece or a Canadian live-cent piece 1s inserted, it belng intended that the device shall be employed along the border between the United States and Canada and in adjacent territory in which. coins of both the Canadian and the United States Governments are used. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is not restricted to the use of nickels and Canadian five-cent pieces, as it could well be constructed for utilizing coins of numerous other kinds and denominations. have hereinafter set forth that dimes and pennies are discarded, here again it-is to kbe understood that the discarding means could well be so constructed as to cause it to operate upon other coins.

With the foregoing general objects in View, the invention resides in the novell features of construction and unique combinations of parts to` be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying proved coin selecting means;

Furthermore, although I.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the upper end portion of the coin chutes;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with th front plate removed;

Figl is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

' Figs. 5 and. 6 are horizontal sections taken respectively on the planesof the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 7 8 and 9 are detail transverse sec-- tions@ on the planes indicated by the lines 8 8 and 9--9 respectively of Fig. 3; an

` Patented oet. 1, 191s.

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view showing 'more particularly the two cams which select the coins and either discard themor direct them to the proper chutes.

In the drawings above brieiy described,

the numeral 1 designates' a housing in the lower end of which a coin controlled vendin mechanism 2 is located, this mechanism being of any suitable type 4such as that shown and described in my U. S. Patent 1161334 of Nov. 23, 1915. Since this particular vending mechanism forms no part fof the present invention it will not be illustrated or described in detail. It may be stated,l however, that a chamber 3 is provided, this chamber havingtherein an anvil 4 from which coins of proper characteristics are adapted to rebound so as lto be vdischarged through the outlet A5 of the chamber 3 into the vending mechanism 2. Coins which will not rebound to the proper extent will fall from the chamber 3 to the outlet 6 thereof and may either be returned to the operator or may be collected in the machine. Such details as these,however, do not affect the present invention in any marmer,

"and are shown only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiment ofthe lat.-

ter. Leading upwardly from the anvil 4 are two parallel chutes 7 and 8'respectively, said chutes/being separated by a` partition 9 and having their outer sides closed by side plates 10 and 11', both of said side plates and'said f' partition beingpreferably formed with slots 12ywhich render it easy to locate and remove any'obstruction which may be placed in the coin chute and vlodge therein. The

loweredges of the partition 9 and the side plates 10 and 11,-are 'spaced apart by metallicv strips 13 and the upper edge of plate- 11 is similarly spaced from the partition by an additional strip 14. A strip 15 is interposed between the upper edges of the partition 9 and the plate 10, which strip will be hereinafter referred to.

It will be observed that the upper ends of the two chutes turn laterally in a'horizontally, though slightly inclined direction, and that the chute 7 opens through one side of the casing 1 to form a common inlet throat for both chutes, whereby coins of both sizes, intended toy operate the device, may be inserted. By the means now to be described, however, the Canadian five cent pieces are permitted to drop down the chute 7, whereas the Il. S. nickels are shifted into the chute 8, the coin, in either case, being dropped upon the anvil 4l so that `it will rebound and be discharged through the outlet 5 into the vending mechanism It is further intended that such coins as the U. S. dime and penny, shall be discarded, since the machine is not intended to operate by the use of such coins and the latter might therefore interfere with the proper operation of the device.

In carrying out the ends above set forth, the inlet throat 16 is provided with an outlet 17 which is formed through the partition 9 and communicates With the chute 8, it being intended that U. S. nickels shall pass through the outlet 17 into said chute 8. For so Adirecting the nickels through the outlet 17 an obliquely disposed cam 18 .is formed on the lower edge of the strip 15 and is located at the upper edge of the outlet as will be clear from the drawings. The nickels are of such height, that when they roll down the inlet throat 16, their upper edges will strike the cam 18 so that the latter will turn the coins from their course and 40 .will deposit them in the chute 8, from which they will drop to the anvil 4 as above described. The Canadian five cent pieces, however, are of considerably less diameter than the U. S. nickels the cam 18 being of such size as to permit said five cent pieces to freely pass thereunder so that they continue to the anvil -l through the chute 7. It will thus be obviousthat either the Canadian tive cent piece or the U. S. nickels will operate the machine and that the latter could well be constructed so that any two coins of similar denomination, could be made to actuate the same.

vA second outlet 19 is provided from the inlet throat 16, this outlet being formed through the front plate 10 in order that dimes, pennies, and similar coins of asize intermediate the sizes of the Canadian and U. S. five cent pieces, shall be discarded through said outlet. In order to direct coins through the outlet 19 as stated, a second obliquely'disl-)osed cam 20 is formed on the lower edge of the strip 15, this cam being also so positioned as to prevent the same from interferingwith the downward travel of a Canadian tive cent piece or the like down the chute 7. The caln 2O is so located, however, that a penny, a dime, or other coins ot' a similar size, will strike said cam so that they are turned from their course and discharged through the outlet 19. suitable chute such as that indicated at 2l in Fig. l), may be employed for receiving the discards and cariving them to a coin box or the like.

In,y order to prevent any possibility of the Canadian live cent pieces passing through the outlet 19, a spring is secured. at one,

end to the outer side of the. front plate l0,

Vsaid spring extending across the outlet opening lll as most clearly shown in Figs. L) and The spring will thus perform its intended function` butl this spring is suficientl)Y sensitive to prevent interference thereof with the coins which are discharged through the outlet 19 by the cam 20.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, itwill be obvious that although the improved coin selecting device is simple and inexpensive, it will be highlw7 etiicient for the purposes intended. Since actual operation has shown that the specific construction shown and described will produee the required results, such construction constitutes the preferred form of the device. It is to be understood, however, that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes ma)7 be made without sacrificing the principal advantages.

I claim:

1. A' coin selecting device comprising a chute having a discharge opening and a sensitive outwardly movable spring extending across said opening to prevent the proper coins from passing therethrough= in combination with means for forcing improper coins laterally through said opening against the tension of said spring.

Q. A coin selecting device comprising a coin chute having an inclined top and an inclined bottom, the sides of said chute being disposed in parallel planes and each having an opening, and a stepped lug depending from the top of said clmte between said openings and having oppositely directed cam surfaces extending obliquely across said chute to strike the upper edge of different sized coins and deiect them laterallyv through said openings.

3. A coin selecting device comprising a coin chute down which the coins roll on edge, the sides of said chute being disposed in parallel vertical planes. one of said sides having an opening, an inclined bar positioned between the upper edges of said sides and forming the top of the chute, said bar having longitudinal slots, fasteners passing through said sides and slots, and a Vlng integral with the lower edge of said "bar adware.

5. As an article of manufacture, a `barl 15 adapted to be placed between the :upper .between the upper` edges-of tw'o side'plates of an inclined coin c I i chute, v said `bar having vlongitudinal slots to receive fasteners, and a stepped lug formed integrally with the lower-'edge o fy, said bar,-thegvertca1 portions of said lug 20 extending obliquelygof said bar to form coin deiecting'cams.. I Y.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand in the presence of twosubscribing wltnesses. f :1 v ROBERT H. POLLOCK.-

' Witnesses:

. WALTER'C. PoLLocK,

` CHARLES C. Looxwoon.

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