US1566446A - Coin-controlled liquid-vending machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22 1925- 1,566,446

M. T. TANNER $018 I)II1.IIM.J.J"JDv LIQUID VBNDING IACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1.924 2 Sheets-Shen 1 :monos (n. r. TANNER g comcomonnsn Lfoy'xp minne@ nenni;

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Patented Dec. 22, 1925i.

UNITED STATES MATTHIAS T.VTAIll'lI'IjIRV,v OF RllCH SQUARE, NORTH CAROLINA.

coIN-'ooN'rRoLLED LIQUID-veniamo MACHINE.

Application filed October 28, 1924. Serial No. `746,389.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHIAS THOMAS TANNEP., a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Rich Square, in the county of Northampton and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Liquid- Vending Machines, of, which the following is a specification. v'

This invention relates to improvements in coin controlled liquid vending machines, and has for its principal objectto provide a simple and efficient means whereby the liquid dispensed from the pump may be obtained by the insertion of the proper coin, Without necessitating the loss of any considerable length of time or labor.

ne of the important objects of the pres ent invention is to provide a coin controlled liquid vending machine for use principally in the vending of gasoline, whereby the employment of an attendant is eliminated, the liquid being adapted to be obtained by the purchaser upon the deposit of-the proper coin in the machine, the 'amount of gasoline which is dispensed depending upon the denomination of the coin inserted.

A further object of the invention is to.

coin controlled liquid vending vmachine of the above mentioned character, wherein means is provided for preventing or enabling the dispensing apparatus to be operated, without thenecessity of depositingv a coin, a device of this character being especially adapted for use in garages whereat` tendants are employed during the day, `to take care of the gasoline vending machines.

Other objects 'and advantagesfof `this inl vention will become apparent during the course ef the following description.

In the @e9-miennes drawing forming a part of this specification, and inV which like numerals designate like parts throughout the' same:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation,-

and partlyin'section of a gasolinedispensing apparatus, showing my invention associated therewith. j

Figure 2`is afront elevation of the casing` and plunger mounted therein, with the cover plate for the casing removed.

Figure 3 1s a vertical sectional view v through the casing and cover showing the plunger in side elevation.`

Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlargedrear elevation of the plunger and the pump rod engaging means.

Figure y5 is a Adetail perspective View, of

the forked lever.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the locking pawls..

vFigure 7 is a detail view of the upper portion of the pump rod, and

Figure 8 isl a sectional view, taken approximately on the line 8-8 ofFigure 2.

In the drawings, l wherein for the purpose ofillustration is shownfthe preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral l designates generally a gasoline dispensing pump of the well known constructiom and a pump rod lthereof is designated by the numeral 2. The upper portion of the pump rod is provided with a series of notches 3, the construction ofy which is Vmore clearly illustrated in Figure 7 of thel drawings. Arranged within the pump 1 is the stationaryy casing 4, the front face thereof being 4open and adapted toy be covered by the cover plate y5. The lower portion of the casing is adapted to extend over the upper notched end of the pump rod 2, as is clearly illustrated in FigureiS.

Adapt-ed .for reciprocatory movement within the casing 4, is the plunger 6, the lower `portion thereof vbeing cut away as illustrated at 7,for the purposes hereinafter to be morefullydescribed.l The rear face of the plunger 6 is provided with the rack teeth 8, the same being arranged betweenv the reduced portion of the plunger and theY upper end thereof. -A pinion9 mounted on ing the plunger, Yand the Vshaft 10VV extends laterally of the outer casing ofthe pumps.

and has mounted on the outer end thereofl 'the ,transversev shaft 10 rmeshes with' the o' rack teeth 8, for "the'purpose of reciprocat-V the clutch 11. An operating handle 12 is loosely supported on the outer end of the shaft 10 and carries thereon the clutch 13 for engagement with the clutch 11, whereby the shaft 10 may be rotated for causing the plunger to be raised upwardly within the casing 4, when the liquid is being dispensed from the pump.

Supported on the reduced lower portion 7 of the plunger 6 is the Jfork shaped lever designated generally at 14, in Figure 5 of the drawings. The arms 15 and 16 of the fork shaped lever are disposed on the opposite sides of the reduced portion 7 of the plunger 6, and the upper ends of these arms are provided with upwardly disposed and forwardly inclined extensions, such as are shown at 17 and l18 respectively in the drawings. rhese extensions attord a means for pivotally supporting the fork shaped levers on the reduced portion 11, by providing the openings 19 in the extensions, for re ceiving the pivotal supportingpins 20.

The front face of the plunger 6 is also cut away as is illustrated at 21, and the purpose of this construction will be presently described. The upper portions of the extensions 17 and 18 have their forward edges 22 yand 23 4substantially parallel with the front cut away tace 21 of the plunger 6, as is clearly illustrated in Figure The shank portion 24 of the `fork shaped lever 14 is provide-d on its forward edge with the rack teeth 25, the same being adapted to come into locking engagement with the notches 3 formed in the upper end of the pump rod 2. The lower portion of the casing 4 is provided on its inner rear wall with the abutment or cam 26 for cooperation with the rear edge of the shank 24 of the fork shaped lever, whereby the rack teeth are interloclred in engagement with the notches 3 in the upper end of the pump rod 2, when the plunger is in its lower-most position within the casing, as is illustrated in Figure 3.

For the purpose of normally holding the fork shaped lever out of interloclred engagement with the upper end of the pump rod, so that the liquid in the pump will be prevented from being dispensed therefrom, the spring element 27 is secured to the opposite side faces of the reduced portion 7 oi the plungerl G and engages the rear edges ot' the upper portions of the extensions 17 and 18. The cut away face 21 arranged in the front of the lower portion oitV the plunger 6 provides a channel between the lower portion of the plunger and the cover plate 5 of the casing, for receiving a coin of a predetermined denomination, whichis deposited therein through the coin. chute 28, the latter being inclined upwardly and extending into an opening provided in the outer casieeef .the pump ,.1-

The inner face of the cover plate 1 is provided with the rack teeth 29 and cooperating therewith are the pivoted pawls 30 and 31 respectively, the same being swivelly supported at their upper ends on the pins 20 which support the lever 14. Each of the pawls is provided with a laterally extending projection or pin 32, which is adapted for cooperation with a slot 33 provided in each ot the extensions of the arms of the forl shaped members. A spring, such as is shown at 34 is associated with the lower free end of each of the pawls and the adjacent arni of the fork shaped lever for normally urging the pawls into engagement with the ratchet teeth 29, formed on the inner tace ot the cover plate The purpose of the provision of the pawl and ratchet arrangement will also be hereinafter more ltully described.

A ledge or shoulner 34 is formed on the :front face of the cut away portion of the plunger 6, for receiving and supporting the coins when the same has been deposited into the space between the front portion of the plunger and the cover plate as is clearly illustrated in Figure 2. in opening 35 is formed in the cover plate 5 adjacent the coin seat 34, for the purpose of enabling` coins of a denomination less than that necessary to operate the device may be discharged, each spring 35 being arranged in a suitable pocket 37 formed in;v the front face of the plunger 6 to facilitate the forcing of the improper coin or slugV out through the opening The upper portion of the cover plate ot the casing has provided therein, in a predetermined position, the opening 38, the purpose of which will be presently apparent.

lVhen a locking screw 39 is threaded through a suitable opening provided therefor in the lower portion 7 of the plunger` 6 and engages the notched upper end oi the pump rod 2 in the manner as shown in Figure 8. The rack teeth 25 of the shank 24 of the lever 14 will. at all times be neld in locked engagement with the notched up per end of the pump rod and by operating the handle 12, the pinion 9 will engage the rack teeth 8 of the plunger 6, and enable the saine to be raised upwardly in the casing 4, thereby enabling a. person to obte. a predetermined quantity of gasoline. Vily disengaging the clutch 1B :from the clutch 11, the weight of the plunger will cause the same to return to its normal position, together with the return of the pump rod. and againY enable the pump rods to be raised when the clutch elements are in engagement. with each other for further dispensing gasoline. The locking screw 89 is employed, only when an attendant for the vending-inachine operates the same, and no coin is necessary, vbut when there is no attendant for the machine, the screw 39 is removed from vengagement with the upper end of the pump rod.

The operation of the vending machine after the screw 39 has been removed, may be briefly stated as follows: A coin f the proper denomination is inserted in the coin chute 2S, where by gravity the same will fall between the front cut away space 21 of the lower portion of the plunger and the cover plate 5, until the same is supported on the seat 34 and in .cngagementwith the forward edges lof the upper portions of the extensions of the arms of the fork shaped lever 14. This locks the rack teeth and the shank of the fork shaped 4lever into engagement with the notched upper end of the pump rod, and by operating the shaft in the manner as above set forth, the plunger is raised inthe casing simultaneously raising the pump rod 2 laterally therein to cause the dispensing of the gasoline from the pump. Las soon as the coin reaches the opening 38, a spring 27 will urge the upper end of the extensions on the'arms of the fork shaped lever, causing the coin to be discharged out through the opening 38, and deposited into the outer casing` of the pump.

its soon as the upper forward edges of the extensions are out of engagement with the coin, due to the action of the springs 27, the ratchet teeth on the shank 24 will be moved out of engagement with the pump rod, causing the latter' to return to its normal position and by gravity the plunger will also return to its normal position within the lower portion of the casing.

The cam 26 formed on the inner face of the rea-r wall of the casing will force the rack teeth of the shank 24 of the lever 14 Ainto engagement with the notched upper end of the pump rod. so that the latter may be again operated when the proper coin is inserted. rI`he amount of gasoline which is dispensed from the pump depends upon the location of the openings 38 in the upper portion of the cover' plate 5 and the location of the opening in the cover plate de'- pends upon the denomination of the coin which is to be inserted. Thus, if acoin of a large denomination is inserted, the opening in the cover plate will naturally be in the cover Vplate adjacent the upper end thereof, while should a coin of small denomination be deposited, the opening in the cover plate would necessarily be inthe intermediate yportion Vef the cover plate. Therefore, the cover pl'atemay be removed from the casing, and interchanged, depending upon the value ofthe liquidV contents which are te be sold. f

The provision of the pawl and ratchet arrangement will prevent rany possibility of the opening inthe cover plate, permit-y ting the same to be discharged from the coin seat 84, so as not to interfere with the proper operation ofthe dispensing apparatus.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description,that alcoin controlled liquid dispensing apparatus has been provided, which will save considerable time and labor, and will enable the purchaserto obtain his own tendant of the gasoline vending apparatus to serve him.

Furthermore, the simplicity in which the present device is constructed enables the same to be easily and efficiently operated.v

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit yof the invention and the scope of the appended claims. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with the pump rod of a liquid vending machine, a casing.l a plunger adapted to reciprocate therein, a fork shaped lever pivotally supported on the lowerend of the plunger, means associated with the lower portion of the fork shaped leverl adapted for -interlocking engagement with the upper end of the pump rod, means in the casing for moving the aforementioned means into locked engagement with the pump rod, coin engaging means for holding the. lever in locked engagement with the pump rod, means for operating the plunger, and meansV for facilitating the releasing of the lever from engagement with said plunger upon the plunger reaching a predetermined position. ,v

2. In combination with the pump rod of a liquid vending machine, a casing, a plunger adapted for reciprocatory movement. in the casing, a lever pivotally mounted on the lower end of the plunger, means for moving the lever' into locked engagement with the pump rod, a coin controlled device for holdring the-means in an engaged 'posit-ion, meansy for normally holding the lever out of locked` engagement with the pump rod, and means for actuating the plunger.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

MATTHIAS T. TANNER.

gasoline, without having to wait for the at

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