US1548831A - Liquid-vending machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 11, 1925. f $548,831

` F. l. DU PONT v LIQUID VENDING MACHINE 4 SheetsJ-Sheet 1 ug. l1, 1925.

F. l. DU PONT LIQUID VENDING MACHINE Aug. 11, 192s. 1,548,831

l F. l. DU POINT LIQUID VENDI NG MACHINE TURNE y.

State of Delaware, have invented a new and justable that the' Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

uNnEDsTATEs PATENT oFFICE.

, rItANcIs I. mi PONT, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, AssIGNoR 'ro DELAWARE CHEMI- oAL ENGINEERING courANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A coaronA'rIoNoE DELAWARE LIQUIE-v-ENDING MACHINE.

Appunti@ mea my 6,1922. serial No. 1173,11?.l

To all whom 'z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS I. DU PONT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, 'county of New Castle, and

useful Improvement in Liquid-Vending Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a-part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in coin-controlled liquid vending machines, and more particularly to machines for dispensing gasoline, oils, etc.

'I vam aware that coin-controlled liquid vending machines are old in the art, but in all such machines lmown to me the machines are designed to deliver a fixed quantity or quantities.

Theobject of my invention' is to provide a machine of this character which, while 'adapted to deliver a predetermined volume of liquid for each coin of a fixed dex nomination that may beinserted, is so adpredet'ermined volume,u

greater capacity than the maximum delivery to be vmade and a fluid displacer of ca1cu lated volume. The bucket is raised to a prdetermined position with relation to the dis.-

placer, and all of the-fluid displaced in the ucket by the displacer flows to 'a 'delivery i e through which it passes' to the point of The device isso arranged that the depth to which the displaceris movedinto the liquid when thebucket ismoved to its de-` livery position may-be readily adjustedso that-the quantity of gasoline delivered forv struction o the device. without departing-- from the spirit and sco e of my invention- 'as de nedv in theiappen ed claims.

Fig.v1 is aside elevation, partially in section, somewhat ldiagrammatlc, which shows deliverable upon the Insertion of a coin may \0I1e. f0rm of apparatus constructed in accorbe varied in accordance with variations in the customary retailmarket price of the liquid, that is, may be increased f the market price falls or decreases as the market price rises. For example, if a machine for vending gasoline is designed to receive half dollars, vit should have -a maximum capacityof (say)three gallons, and when so'desgned it would be adjustable to deliver the proper amount of gasoline for a half dollar so long as the price doesnot fall below' seventeen cents per gallon. If the price of gasoline is seventeen cents er gallon, the device would be adjusted to eliver 2.94 gallons for each half dollar inserted. If'the price is twenty cents, 2.5 gallons will be'delivered and if the price is twenty-eight cents, 1.8 gallons will be delivered.

The device is preferably provided withl a scale indicating prices, togetherl with an adjustable pointer connected to the measuring device, and so arranged that when adjustments are made, boththe measuring mechanism and indicator are simultaneously adjusted.

In the specilclform shown, this is accomplished by means of' a ybucket havingl a side elevation ofthe for receiving the 'fluid from the Fig. 3 is'avertical section through 4the bucket filling pipe. 4 Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showing the clutch mechanism 'and the coincontrol led means therefor. v

Ff 5 is a detail sectional view of Fig. 4, showing the coin delivery chute in connec tion with the levers. y

Fig.\6 is a sectional plan view of a portion of Fig. 1, showing the relation of the bucket and Wei ht in the lillin Iii Figs. and 8 are si e eevationsof the bucket in different positions.

Fig. 9 is a perspectivel view of certajnparts of the apparatus.

' In these dra-wings, the reference character- 2 designates a` gasolme. tank -and 3 a filling connection therefor. 4- is a. vertical pipe which extendsbelow and above ther tank 2 and is connected thereto by tubes 5 s'ol that the gasoline will freely flow from the tankl 2 to the pipe'4.- vMounted onthe top of the -pipe 4 is a casing 6 inwhich is housedy the mechanism for actuating the bucket for delivering the gasoline.

Connected to support 7 on the bottom of pipe 4 and similar supportsS connected to the casing 6 or a suit/able frame therein are two guide rods 9. 10 is a bucket which is provided with ears 11 which slidably engage the rods 9. This bucket 10- is provided with a spout 12 at about the center thereof.

Mounted in suitable bearings in the frame or supported by the casing is a shaft 13, hav-v lbe elevated to its discharging position by the weight as hereinafter described. v18 is a displacer which is supported by a frame or yoke 19 which is mounted for adjustment along'rods 9. This displacer is so positioned that when the bucket is elevated to its extreme position by the weight 17, the displacer will be within the bucket' 10.

rllhe yoke 19 is provided with a rack 20 which is engaged by a pinion 21 on a shaft 22, journaled .in suitable bearings in the frame. 23 is a drum on shaft 22 and 24is a cable or chain, the one end of which is connected to the drum While the other end thereof is connected to a sliding nut 25; This nut 25 is held against rotation by means of guides 26 Within a casing 27, supported on the bottom ot casing 6. One of the guides yis graduated and may be numbered to indicate different prices, sa 17 to 35.

The nut 25 is engaged y a screw rod 28, which is rotatably mounted in casing 27, and which rod is heldagainst vertical movement by its bearings..

The displacer 18 is shown positioned at its lowest point so that the device as now set will deliver the maximum amount of gasoline. i

The attendant adjusts the nut 25 by the screw 28 to place the pointer extending from the nut in the plane of the mark in'- dicating the price of gasoline. This adjustment of the nut will position the displacer 18 at the proper point to\deliverv the proper amount of asoline for the coinreceived, at the price lndicatcd by the pointer.

The casing 27 is closed by a door having a glass panel through which the purchaser can see the price charged per gallon, and the door is also provided with a lock to prevent unauthorized persons tampering with the adjustment of the displacer.

The bucket 10 is normally in its elevated position and is held in such position by the weight 17, which is then in the lower part of the pipe 4. The weight is raised and controlled by mechanism within a casing 30 and comprises a shaft 31 rotatably mounted in bearings 32 on the casing and at one end ot the shaft. .The other end of the shaft is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 33 which is in turn rotatably mounted in a bearing in the casing and is maintained against longitudinal movement by said bearing.' The shaft 31 is maintained against longitudinal movement by a collar 34 which is secured to the shaft between bearings 3 2. Connected to shaft 31 is a sprocket wheel 35, which isconnected to sprocket wheel 15 on shaft 13 by a sprocket chain 36. Connected to sleeve 33 is a crank 37, a clutch member 38 and a ratchet wheel 39. 40 is a pawl arranged to prevent the ratchet wheel and crank from rotating counter-clockwise. Splined to shaft 31 so as to rotate therewith and at the same time permit longitudinal movement thereon is a clutch member 41. Pivotally mounted at 42 in a fork 43 extending from one side ofthe casing 30 is a clutch actuating lever 44, having an arcuate U-shaped arm 45 for the purpose hereinafter described. 46 is a spring-actuated plunger connected to lever 44 for retaining the clutch member 41 in either of its extreme positions.

Clutch lever 44 is provided with an arm 44a which is connected by means of a link 47 with one arm of a bell crank 48, pivotally mounted in pipe 4. The other arm of this bell crank is in the path of a projection 49 on chain 16.

Pivotally mounted at 42 above lever 44 is a control lever 50 which is maintained in the position shown in F ig. 4 by a spring 51. This lever 50 is also provided with an arcuate eXtensio-n 52 between the legs of extension 45 of clutch lever 44. Both of these extensions are provided with coin slots and are in alignment with each other when the parts are in the posit-ions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and 53 is a coin chute leading from a coin slot 54 in casing 30 to. the coin slots in the levers when the levers 44 and 50 are in their normal positions shown in Figs. 4

j and 5.

The gasoline is discharged from the bucket 10 through spout 12 when the bucket is raised by the weight to enclose and submerge the displaccr, and the gasoline which Hows out through the spout is delivered to a llO and flexible connection. The pipe 55 is pro .vided with a T 61 tol which a rotatably connected one end of aA pipe 62, the other end thereof being closed and is provided with a lever 63. 'llhisl latter end is rotatably supported in a bracket 64 secured to .pipe 55 and forms a stop for said pipe, which engages the top of pipe 59 when the frame 56 and its parts are in their lowered positions. Conlever 63 by a link 67. rllhe other arm of this' bell crank 66 is in .the path of a pin 68 on the upper ear 11 of the bucket at the side opposite the chain 16. 68a (Fig. 1) is a spring connected to frame 56 and bell crank 66 and which holds the various levers and funnel in the position shown, clear of spout 12, when the parts are intheir lowered positions.

The weight 17 is pointed 4so vas to readily enter the 'gasoline in pipe 4 without splashing. The lower end of displacer 18 is also pointed 'to readily enter the gasoline in the bucket and gradually reduce the speed of movement thereof, which acts as a dash pot plunger during the final upward movement of the bucket.

The parts when in their normal positions are in the positions shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 with the exception that the .bucket and frame 56 are in their elevated positions and .the weight is in its lowered position.

The purchaser d\eposits the coin in slot.

54, which is delivered to the slots in levers 44 and 50 and will lock the levers to each other. Lever 50 is then moved to the'left, which will in -turn shift the clutch lever 44 in a direction to move clutch member 41 toward member ,38. Immediately. after yclutch lever 44 has passed itscentral position, spring plunger 46 will shift said lever and member 41 to 4clutching position. This movement of the'clutch lever will carry the coin free of lever 50 as the front part of l`its slot is cutaway,` and carry the coin over slot 71 in/the top'of a coin receptacle in casing` 30;'into which it will fall. rlhe operator n w releaseslever 50. which will be returned its spring 51 and position the slot in said lever under clrute 53. The extension 45, however', of lever 44, which straddles lever 50, will prevent a coin passing from chute 53 until the clutch lever 44: is again in the position shown in Fig.- 4. The oper-I ator now turns the crank 37 inra clockwise p direction until the bucket 10 has been lowered into pipe 4 and the weight 17 has been V During the rotation'of the crank 37, the bucketl 10 will fall as rapidly as the weight 17 is raised until the bucket contacts with the gasoline which will slow up the movement of the bucket unless the crank -is turned very slowly. the weightof the bucket is greater than that of. the' gasoline displaced by that portion of the bucket below the lower edge of theinlet to spout 12, the bucket will sink slowly until the spout is submer ed. As the spout is relatively large, the bucet will fill rapidly therethrough and sink to the position shown in ig. 1. J ust before the, bucket'reaches the point shown in Fig. 1, projection 49 on chain 16 will trip lever 48, which in turn through the link 47 and lever 46 will shift clutch lever 44 and disengage the clu-tch members. This dis'- engagement lof the clutch members, 'as will be seen by reference to F ig. 9, will release the weight 17 through the release of sprocket 35, which will fall and raise the bucket to its extreme upper position, Where it will be retained by theweight untilthe crank is turned after. insertion of the next coin. During the upward movement of the bucket, the surplus gasoline above spout 12 will fall back into the pipe 4 before the bucket reaches the end of such pipe. As the bucket rises, pin 68 on one of' .the ears 11 will engage the horizontal arm of bell crank 66 and said ear 11 will then. engage boss 57 on frame 56. The engagement; of bell crank 66 by pin 68 will shift the funnel 65 under vspout 12, as shown in Fig. 7, just as the point of displacer 18 is about to enter thc gasoline in the bucket, when adjusted to deliver the maximum amount of gasoline which can be delivered by the device. As the bucket raises fromthe position shown in Fig. 7, the frame 56 together with the various parts connected thereto will be car ried upwardly with. the bucket until ythe upper ear 11 to which claim 16 is connected, engages the boss 8 above it. lf the speed of the rise of the bucket is such as to cause the displacer 18 to displace the gasoline more vrapidly than it will flow through the spout 12, the gasoline will rise above the spout, but in no event will the displaced gasoline flow over the top of the bucket as the capacity of the bucket above the spout lil) is greater than the volumeof the displacer *capacity to an degree belowthe maximumv delivery capacity, whereby the quantity delivered for the coin received may readily be varied as the price of the liquid being dispensed varies. u

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: A

1. A liquid dispensing/ device having measuring means, comprising a liquid container and liquid displacer, said container having an outlet above the bottom thereof and of sufcient capacity below the outlet to hold a greater quantity of liquid ythan is dispensed at any .one time, means for filling the container for each dispensing operation, and means for moving the container and displacer relative to` each other during each dispensing operation, to cause the displacer to enter the container and force a predetermined quantity of liquid from the container through the outlet. l

2. A liquid kdispensing device having measuringmeans, comprising a liquid container and liquid displacer, said container having an outlet above the bottom thereof and of suflicient capacity below the outlet to holda greater quantity of liquid than is dispensed at any one time, means for filling the container for each dispensing operation, means formoving the container and displacer relative to each other during each dispensing operation, to cause the displacer to enter the container and force a predetermined quantity of liquid fromy the container through the outlet, and means for varying the depth to which the displacer is moved into the container, to vary the dispensing capacity ofthe measuring means.

3. A liquid dispensing device having measuring means, comprising a liquid container and a liquid displacer, there being an outletl from the .contamer above the bot tom thereof, the"volume of the liquid capable of being held by the container being greater than the volume `of the displacer and means for moving the`container into filling and discharging positions, said displacer beingv arranged toA be positioned in the container to force liquid from the container through the outlet when the container is moved into discharging position. u

4. A liquid dispensing device having measuring means, comprising a liquid container and a liquid displacer, there being an outlet from the" container above the bottom thereof, the volume of the liquid capable of being held by the container being greater than the volume of the displacer, means for moving-the-container into filling and discharging positions, said displacer being arranged to be ositiond inthe con-A tainer to force liqui from lthe container through the outlet when the'. container is moved into discharging position, and means for adjusting the position of theA displacer relative to the container when in its discharging position. U

5. A liquid dispensing device comprising a liquid reservoir, a liquid receiver, a bucket movable into and out of said reservoir, a displacer adapted to enter said bucket and thereby displace liquid therefrom into the receiver, means to operate the bucket, coincontrolled mechanism for releasing said means, and adjustablemechanism for vary ing the amount of fluid displaced by the displacer.

6. A liquid dispensing device having a liquid elevating container, mechanism for lowering the container into filling position and 'to elevate it into emptying position, coin-controlled mechanism for controlling the movement of the lowering Qand elevating mechanism, means for discharging the liquid from the container when elevated, and means for adjusting the discharging means to vary the discharge to any degree below the maximum capacity of the dispens-4 ing device.

7. A liquid dispensing4 device having a bucket for raising the liquid from a well to a point from whichit will How by gravity, a weight for raising the bucket, weightraising mechanism, a crank for actuating the weight-raising mechanism, coin-controlled mechanism for connecting the crank and weight-raising mechanism to each other, a displacer for forcin the liquid to be dispensed from the buc et, and means for ad-- justing the dislplacer to vary the quantity -liquid from the bucket, a weight for raising the bucket, mechanism for shifting the bucket and liquid-receiving device into proper re-V lation to each other to permit liquid to flow from one to the other, means controlled by the bucket for actuating said last mentioned mechanism, weight-ra1sing mechanism, a

crank for actuating the weight-raising mechfanism, com-controlled mec -anism for connecting the crank and weight-raising mechanism to each other, -a displacer for forcing the liquid to be dispensed from the bucket, and means for adjusting the displacer to vary the quantity of liquid displaced to vary the quantity delivered for the coin received in accordance with the variation in the price of the liquid being dispensed. ,In testlmony ofwhich invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Wilmington, Delaware, on this 1st day of July, 1922.

. FRANCIS I. DU PONT.

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