US1510438A - Coin-controlled vending and game device - Google Patents

Description

H. o. NOYES ET AL.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING AND GAMBDEVICE Filed April 16, 1923 5 Shams-Sheet. l

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HENRY OSGOOD NOYES AND BLAINE KITZMILLER, O'F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA; SAID KITZMILLER ASSIGNOR TO' SAID NOYES.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING AND GAME DEVICE.

Application filed April 16, 1923. Serial No. 632,309.

'1 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY Oseoon Norns and BLAINE KITZMILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Oakland, in

the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Coin-Controlled Vending and Game Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coin-controlled vending. devices; and it consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter described and later claimed.

The object of our invention is to provide a device of the above type which will stimulate sales of the commodities displayed, by coupling with the vending of such merchandise an element of entertainment and recreation. We further aim, through our inven tion, to increase the efficiency of devices of this type as silent salesmen, and to increase the volume of business transacted by such devices.

The structure herein described is suited, as a vending device, for dispensing merchandise spherical in form, such as candy marbles or licorice balls; it is suited, as a game, for play by one to five players.

In order that our invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals indicate like parts: Gt such drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of our device.

Fig. 2 is an elevation ofone side thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view, showing delivery cup and coin box.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, partly broken away, taken on a plane below the com partments.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional plan view of our device with the top removed.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail, in section, of the chaseway.

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross sectional view of the device taken through its center.

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan View, showing in- .50 terior of bowl partially broken away to disclose the baffle-board.

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross section through the turret and coinrcabinet.

In detail our construction is as follows: 55 Suitably supported below the top, 2, of a square cabinet, 3, are compartments, 4, for candy balls, 5. These compartments are filled through openings, 6. Radiating from a block, 7, in the upper central portion of the cabinet are downwardly inclined roofed sunken chaseways, 8, through which the halls are fed into the device. Thereisone such chaseway for each compartment. The bottom, 9, of each chaseway terminates on a plate, 10, supported by" cleats attached to the cabinet. Said plate, 10, below each compartment is provided with openings, 11, through which the balls at the lower ends of the chaseways may drop. Each dropped ball comes to rest on a movable shelf, 12, loosely mounted on a rod, 13,- imbedded at alternate ends in the bottom, 14, of said cabinet and said block, 7. Equidistant from their pivot point and from each other, each shelf, 12, is provided with opening, 15. Behind each such opening a portion of each shelf is turned up to form a stop, 16. This step operates to hold in check all balls in the chaseway behind the leading ball therein until after the latter has been released and the releasing mechanism has returned to its neutral position. These shelves, 12, are mounted on said rod one above the other, and are so bent that their outward portions occupy the same plane. Integral with each shelf is an arm, 17, extending outward and terminating in a turret, 18. The roof of said turret is provided with a series of slots, 19, each adapted to receive a coin, 20. Adapted to co-operate with each arm, 17, is alever,

21, also movably mounted on said rod, 13. The free end or handle, 22, of each lever is superimposed on its co-operating arm, and extends outward through a slot, 23, in the side of said turret, 18. Each lever, also, is provided with a slot, 24, coinciding with a slot, 25, in its co-operating arm. (See Flg. 9). A portion of said arm is turned up to form a stop, 26, against which the lever, 21, is held in constant contact by a spring, 27. Within the turret is a floor, 28, provided with a series of slots, 29. (lo-operating arms and levers may be locked together by the insertion of a coin, 20, in the slots, 24 and 25. The coin, when first dropped, rests on said @001, 28.

7 Below said plate, 10, is a disc, 30, movably mounted on said rod, 13, and provided with a series of bottomless cups, 31, neutrally registered with the openings, 11.. in

said plate, 10, but adapted to coincide with the openings, 32, in a plate, 33, when said disc is operated. Attached to the under surface of said disc is a downwardly projecting bracket, 34, which carries at its lower end a pawl, 35. Said plate, 33, is partially cut away to permit movement of the bracket, 34. To said disc is aflixed a suitable lever, 36, projecting outward through a slot, 37, in said cabinet. Below said disc said plate, 33, is suitably supported by cleats; it is also provided with a series of openings, 32, (one of which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4) which open into the upper end. of downwardly inclined curved chutes, 39, suspended from said plate, 33..

Rotatable. on said rod, 13, and below the lower ends of said chutes, is a bottomless bowl, 40, whose racheted rim, 41, engages the said. pawl, 35. .The pressure of the pawl is controlled by a spring, 42. Fixed to said rod below said bowl is a downwardly inclined baflie-board, 43, provided with: meandering irregular courses, 44, for said candy balls. Below said baffle-board, and suitably supported by cleats, is a downwardly inclined floor, 45, provided with. a circular opening, 46, at its center. Attached to said rod below-said floor, 45, is a tilted cup, 47, provided with a downwardly inclined runway, 48, leading into a covcrless receiver, 49, 011 the outside of the front of said cabinet.

A portion of the front, back, and one side of the cabinet is of transparent material, 50, so that. the chutes, bowl, ball'le-board, andfloor, 45, may be seen by the players. Only similarly colored candy balls are placed in the same compartment, and the handle of the lever co-operating with its respective shelf beneath each compartment is colored to correspond with the color of the balls contained therein. I

Coins passing through the slots, 29, in the floor, 28, of the turret, 18, are caught in the receptacle, 51, which is provided with a transparent front, 52, through which the. attendant may see the character of coins being used by the players. The bottom, 53, of the receptacle is. supported on trunnions, 54, and it may be. tipped by manipulating the knob, 55, on the end of. the rod, 56, attached to. said bottom. When the bottom is tipped the coins resting thereon are deposited in the removable drawer, 57, of the coin-cabinet, 58.

Our device is operated and played as follows: Each player deposits a coin in the slot in the turret above the handle similarly colored with the color of the candy ball which he desires to purchase. The dropped coin locks the lever and its co-operating arm. The player then pulls the lever to the left, which causes the. shelfv that isintegral with the arm. to radially advance. lVhen the slot, 29, in the, floor of the turret,-

thereby unlocking the lever and arm. lVhen the player releases the handle, the action of the spring 27, returns the lever to its neutral position, and, as the said lever is in constant contact with the stop,- 26, of the said arm, such action also returns the arm to its neutral position. By our con struction only one of the candy balls among those held in reserve in the. con-1- partment replaces the ball whichisdropped, but no replacement can take place until the stop, 16, on said shelf has been withdrawn when'the shelf returns to its neutral position. 7 j v After the candy balls of all the players have been deposited in their respectivecups, the lever, 36, of the said disc is pulled to the left. Such action causes the balls in. said cups to roll onthe plate, 33 it also causes the bowl, 40, to spin by reason of the engagement of the pawl with the ratcheted rim of said bowl. When the disc has been sufficiently moved each bottomless cup will register with its respective opening, 32, in said plate, 33, and all ballsin the cups will dropsimultaneously into the open up;- per ends of the chutes, down which each will course and drop into the interior of. the whirling bowl. When the lever, 36, is; released the action of the spring, 59, re turns the disc to itsneutra-l position- Eventually the balls will fall tliiroughjthe open portion of said whirling bowl and: drop on the baffle-board, 43, down which they will roll, being. retarded the while by the irregular meandering courses the-rein. From the nature of its construction, it is obvious that the battle-board may not necessarily effect any two balls in the same manner. From the bathe-board theb'a-Hs will drop on the sloping floor, 45, from which they-will roll into the cup, 47,, then; into the curved runway, 48, and finally come to rest in the outside receiver, 49.- The-players then remove their purchases; and the player whose ball comes first into the receiver wins the game. Every-ball played drops into its respective chute. synchro nously with every other ball played, but. on; account of the action of the whirling-bowl and the baffle-board, it is impossible tore We would have it understood that the construction herein illustrated and particularly described is intended to exemplify what is at present regarded to be the perferred embodiment of our invention, and that the invention may be otherwise and variously embodied without departing from its spirit or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention,

what we desire to claim and to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle divided into compartments for displaying articles of merchandise on sale, separate coincontrolled mechanisms for placing in playable position one of the number of articles contained in each compartment, actuating means for releasing into play simultaneously with each other all articles previously placed in playable position, and a baflie for irregularly retarding the delivery of the articles released in order to render it impossible to predetermine which one from among them will first emerge from the body of the device.

:2. In a device of the character described, the combination of separate compartments for storing articles of merchandise offered for sale, a coin-controlled actuating lever and co-operating arm for placing in playable position within said device one from the number of articles held in each compartment, actuating means for simultaneously releasing into play all articles previously placed in playable position, an impetus imparting bowl, and a baffle for irregularly retarding the passage of said articles through the interior of said device and their delivery therefrom.

3. "In a device of the character described, coin-controlled means for placing in playable position one from a number of articles displayed for sale, said means consisting of a movable shelf upon which said articles are received, an arm integral with said shelf, an actuating lever for said arm superimposed thereon, coincident slots in both arm and lever adapted to receive a locking-coin, an escape for said locking-coin, a coin box for used coins, and means for returning said shelf, arm, and lever to their neutral positions after said articles have been placed in playable position.

4. In a device of the character described, a compartment for storing articles of merchandise displayed for sale, a chaseway through which said articles are fed from said compartment, a movable shelf below said chaseway upon which said articles are received, an arm integral with said shelf, an actuating lever for said arm superimposed thereon, coincident slots in both arm and lever adapted to receive a locking-coin, an escape for said locking-coin, a coin box for used coins, and means for returning said shelf, arm, and lever to their neutral positions.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a compartment for storing articles of merchandise on sale, a coin controlled actuating lever and cooperating arm for placing in playable position one from the number of articles held in said compartment, a disc for releasing into play said playable article, and a baflie for irregularly retarding the downward passage of said article through said device.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a display-bin for arti cles of merchandise offered for sale, coincontrolled means for placing one of said articles in playable position within the body of said device, means for releasing said article into play, and a baflle for irregularly retarding the delivery of said article.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a plurality of coin-controlled means for placing in playable position one from a number of articles displayed for sale, means for simultaneously releasing into play all articles that have pre vlously been placed in playable position, and a baiile for irregularly retarding the de-' livery to the purchasers of said articles released in order to render it impossible to predetermine which one from among them will first emerge from the body of the de vice.

8. In a device of the character described, a display-bin for articles of merchandise ofiered for sale, a coin-controlled actuating lever and co-operating arm for placing in playable position within said device one from the number of articles held in said display-bin, a movable disc for releasing into play said playable article, an operating lever for said disc, a stationary plate below said disc, openings in said plate through which articles may drop when said disc is operated, a downwardly extending chute for each of said openings, a rotatable open-bot tomed bowl adapted to give impetus to the descending article, and a baffle for irregularly retarding the delivery of said article to the purchaser.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto afiixed our signatures.

HENRY OSGOOD NOYES. BLAINE KITZMILLER.

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