US1496127A - Coin-operated telephone - Google Patents

Description

M. S. MATHERS com OPERATED TELEPHONE Filed March 2 1923 Patented .lune 3, 1924.

Y UNITED STTEQS l,496,l2l

OFFIC.

COIN-OPERATED TELEPHONE.

Application filed March 2, 1923. Serial No. 622,247.

Be it known that I, MARTIN S. Marinus, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and. State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Coin- Operated Telephones.

In connection with coin operated telephones, particularly where the coin box is emptied only on infrequent occasions, such as a residence telephone and other places where the box is cleared only once every month, considerable trouble and annoyance is encountered due to the coins piling' up or pyramiding in one portion of the 'boxor coin receptacle to such an extent as to prevent the coins from passing through the slot mechanism, thus throwing the telephone entirely out of operation. lhen this happens, and it occurs Jfrequently, it becomes necessary to make complaint to the telephone company and then await the repair man to come and unlock the box and distribute or remove the coins. Thus it results in trouble, annoyance and expense, not only to the customer or user, but the company as well.

Therefore, it is an object of my inven tion to provide a box for coin operated tele phones in. which these disadvantages are entirely eliminated.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a coin operated telephone box in which the coins can be easily and quickly distributed throughout the coin receptacle from the outside, by the ordinary customer and use by simply turning a crank or button.

The above and other features of novelty, advantages and capabilties,will become apparent from a detailed description of the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated one form of my invention, but the construction there shown will be understood as illustrative only and not as defining the limits of my invention.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a box for coin operated telephones, partially broken away, showing one embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the same, partially broken away, for sake of clearness, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational. view of a box for coin operated telephones partially in section and broken away showing' an embodiment of a modified form of my invention.

The coin box 10, which may be of any well known construction, is provided with a door 11 which is equipped with a suitable lock 12, the keys for which lock, in prac tice, are carried only by an authorized representative of the telephone company and' not by the customer. This box also has the usual coin intake 18 and coin return 14.

By inserting' the proper coin which passes down 'through the usual slot mechanism, which is well understood in the art and not deemed. necessary to here explain, service is lgiven or rendered. These coins in operation pass through the slot mechanism into the coin receptacle 15 inthe coin box, where they pile up or pyramid in one end portion of the coin receptacle to such an extent as to prevent subsequent coins from passing through the slot mechanism, thus throwingthe telephone out of order. In most instances the user is not aware of the condition which thus renders the service inoperative, but if he were, he would not be in a position to rem-edv it, as he is not provided with a key for unlocking the door to the box to give him access to the interior, so that it is necessary to notify the company and await the coming of its representative, which results in Lgreat annoyance and delay to the customer and expense and trouble to the telephone company. To overcome this disadvantage and solve this problem, I rotatably mount in the ends of the coin receptacle a shaft 1G which extends outward through an opening in one end of the coin box and is provided with a turn button 17 or the like. Fixed to theshaft within the coin receptacle is a screw or worm propeller 18 which, when the shaft is rotated by the button or otherwise, moves the coins from one end of the receptacle to the other, so as to prevent them from piling` up or pyramiding at one end. In other words, by the operation of the means de-` scribed, the coins within the receptacle are readily and quickly distributed from the outside by the customer.

Referring` to the modification shown in F ig. 3 I rotatably mount a shaft 2O in the front and back side of the coin box substantially in the center near the lower portion, on which shaft is non-rotatably mounted within the coin'box a paddle or linger 21, so that when the shaft 20 yis r0- tated from the outside-ot the box by means ot the handle 22 the paddle or linger distributes or kicks the coins from one side o'lE the box to the other.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope ot my invention. For instance, the shaft may be mounted trai'isversely, that is, inthe sides of the coin receptacle instead ot' the ends, and pro vided with one or more blades for kicking the coins from one end oit the receptacle to thel other, but the illustration shown is my preferred form.

Having' thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. ln a coin operated telephone, the combination ot a coin box, a coin receptacle in the lower portion of said box, a coin Chute having an intake near theupper end of said box and discharge into said coin receptacle. a rotatable member mounted in said box and operable from the exterior and means mounted on said rotatable member for engaging; and moving the accumulated coins awayv from the mouth of said chute when said rotatable member is rotated, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a coin operated telephone, the combination of a coin box, a coin receptacle in the lower portion of said box, a coin chute having' an intake near the upper end of Said box and discharge into said coin receptacle and means mounted in said boX for engagingr and moving the accumulated coins away from the discharge oit said chute, said means comprising` a shaft rotatably mounted in said box and adapted to be rotated from the exterior, a finger non-rotatably mounted on said shaft and adapted to engage and move the accumulated coins away from the discharge of the coin chute, substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof. l have hereunto subscribed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN S. NIATHERS. Witnesses z H. N. SMITH, K. A. HARGADEN.

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