US1640605A - Coin-controlled lock - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 30, 1927. ,640,605

H. L. JOHNSON COIN CONTROLLED LOCK Original Filed Aug. 15, 1923 2 sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 30,1927. 1,640,605

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Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

ENT orl-"ics.

HARVEY L. JOHNSON, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION ASSIGNOR '10 AMERICAN LOCKER COM- OF DELAWARE.

. COIN-CONTROLLED LOCK.

Application filed August-15, 1023,

This invention pertains to coin controlled apparatus, and the principles of the invention are illustrated in the present instance as embodied in a coin controlled lock adapted for use on public parcel checking cabinets, and the like.

One of the prlmary purposes of this invention is the provision of improved mechanism for controlling the operation of the look through the instrumentality of a coin, and

the invention aims to provide mechanism of this character which will be positive and reliable in operation, and not apt to getout of order, and which can be economically manufactured and readily assembled, the lock disclosed in this application being an improvement upon that disclosed in my pending application, Serial No. 652,472, filed July 19,1923.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a lock in which the coin receiving slot will be entirely closed, when in locked position, to thereby prevent the insertion of objects therein, and to preclude tampering with the lock structure. This feature, furthermore, is-so designed that should any objectbe inserted in the slot to prevent'the closure thereof upon locking movement of the lock, such object will, through .the instrumentality of the slot closure, which is held in abnormal position thereby, serve to prevent locking movement of the lock, with the result that the slot must be entirely covered by the closure, or otherwise the lock cannot be locked.

For the purpose of facilitating an under- I standing of this invention, I have illustrated on the accompanying drawings a'preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the invention and many of its attendant advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings:

' Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a lock em-:

bodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front viewwith the front plate removed;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the position of the slot closure when the lock is' locked;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View through the coin receiver;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the lock .proper is disposed a lip'15 engaging the inner Serial No. 657,480. Renewed July 14, 1927.

mechanism showing the parts in normal un- I looked Fig.

osition is'a simllar view showing the cylinder locked against rotation when no coin is deposited in the receiver; and

Fig. 8 1s a similar view showing the position of the parts when the lock has been locked and a coin discharged from the receiver.

Referring now to the drawings'more in detail, reference character 9 indicates generally a key cylinder equi ped with theusu'al locking tumblers adapted to be manipulated by a key 11, which in the trated serves as an identifying check by which the customer may recover or obtain access to the belongings which he has deposited in a parcel locker.

The key cylinder is provided near its outer end with a locking -bolt 12, adapted to be moved with the cylinder from the untype of lock illuslocked position shown in Fig. 3 to the locked position shown in Fig. 4. Other types of bolts and other modes of connection with the key cylinder may obviously be employed, if found preferable. A fragment of the front plate of the locker cabinet frame is shown in Fig. l, and indicated by reference character 13. The front plate 14 of the lock over an opening in the end being' provided with ace of the plate 14, and its upper end-being equipped with a lock 16, by which the plate 14 and the parts assembled thereon are detachably located in position in the cabinet. A recorder 17 may be connected to the lock so as to be operated by each'actuation of the lock, and whereby the number of lock actuations, and conse-- quently the number of coins deposited, "is recorded.

The front plate 14 is provided beneath the key cylinder with a coin slot 18, through plate 13, its lower which a coin may be inserted edgewise into the coin receiver 19 at the back of the plate. The coin is retained in this receiver, as will A beexplained, until the look has been moved box or coin chute 21.

Upon the rear face of the lock plate 14 i there is pivotally mounted upon a fulcrum pin 22 a coin closure 23, which is normally urgedin a counter-clockwise direction by a tractile spring 24 connected at 25 to one arm of the closure, and at its other end to a projection from a coin controlling lever, which will be later described. When the lock is in unlocked position, as shown in Fig. 3, a lateral projection 26 of the closure is engaged and held by a cam shaped portion 27 of the locking bolt, whereby the closure is heldin the position shown in Fig. 3, keeping the slot 18 open for the reception of a coin. \Vhen a coin has been deposited and the key cylinder is turned in a clockwise direction, the locking bolt is carried away from the projection 26 and the closure member 23 will move upon its fulcrum pin into the closed position shown in Fig. 4, to there by entirely close the slot 18, provided no foreign substance or article is inserted into the slot to prevent such closing movement. Should the closure be prevented from fully closing by a pin, knife blade, or other arti- 'cle inserted in the slot 18, the tail 28 at the upper end'of the closure will not move far enough to the left, viewing Figs. 3 and 4, to clear the path of travel of a shoulder 29 on the key cylinder, and engagement of this shoulder with the tail will preclude turning movement of the cylinder so as to completely lock the look. When the coin slot, however, is entirely unobstructed, thereby permitting complete closing movement of the closure, the tail 28 will clear the path of the shoulder 29, which will pass beneath the end of the tail into the position shown in Fig, 4. The flange 31 upon the key cylinder, of

f which one end forms the shoulder 29, serves ,When the lock is fully locked, to prevent movement of the closure toward the right, so as to uncover the coin slot, and by reason of this construction, the coin slot is entirely closed and locked when the lock is in locked position, thereby precluding the insertion of unauthorized articles in the slot, and also preventing one from tampering with the look through the slot.

Upon a screw stud or pin 32 rearwardly of the closure member 23, there is pivotally mounted a locking member, comprising a projection 33, to which the upper end of a spring is attached; an arm 34 provided at its lower end with a finger 35, adapted to project into the coin receiver 19 through an opening 36 in the rear wall thereof; and an arm' 37 equipped at its upper end' with a tooth 38, adapted to engage in a notch 39,

' formed in the'perimeter of a; late 41carried by and forming a part of t e key cylinder 9. The cylinder, when the lockis un locked position, is displosed in the position shown in Fig. 6, with t e tooth 38 just above the notch 39. When the cylinder is turned in a clockwise direction, in an endeavor to lock the lock, this tooth rides into the notch 39 and locks the cylinder against rotation as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig; 7. The lever is normally urged in a er end at 42 to astationary member 43 of the lock casing. This action takes place,

however, only in the event that no coin is" present in the receiver 19, when the finger is permitted to enter the receiver, as illustrated in Fig. 7 If a coin 44 has been deposited in' the receiver through the slot 18 prior to turning the key cylinder, this coin will prevent the entrance of the finger 35 into the receiver, thereby preventing the tooth 38 from entering the notch 39, with the result that the key cylinder is free to turn to fully locked position.

The coin is retained in the receiver 19 by the tail 45 of a lever 46, also fulcrumed upon the stud 32, this-tail being adapted to enter the receiver through an aperture 47 in the rear wall thereof. The upper end of the spring 24 is attached to a lateral extension 48 of this lever, whereby the lever is urged in a clockwise direction about its fulcrum. The upper arm 49 of the lever is adapted to engage the perimeter of the cylinder plate 41, which is shaped to provide a cam depression 51 into which the arm 49 falls when the lock is in unlocked position, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. -When, however, the cylinder has been turned in a clockwise direction nearly to completely locked position, the high portion of the cam will engage the arm 49, swinging the lever in a counter-clockwise direction ;to withdraw the finger 45 from the coinreceiver, thereby permitting the coin to drop from thereceiver into the coin box beneath, this-position of the parts being shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. Upon return movement of the key cylinder to'unlocked position, the finger 45 will again enter the receiver in position to hold the next coin deposited therein until the lock approaches fully locked position.

The operation of my improved lock is therefore briefly as follows. Assuming the parts to be in the unlocked position illus- 'the receiver, lockin movement of the lock will be prevented y the entrance of the tooth 38 into the notch 39, it being understood that the lock must be fully unlocked, or in other words in full unlocked position before a coin may be deposited. in the coin slot. If, however, a coin has been deposited in the receiver. through the slot 18, such coin will prevent entrance of the finger 35 into the slot, and consequently the entrance of the tooth 38 into the notch 39; the key cylinder is therefore free to turn to locked position. The locking of the. lock is however dependent also upon the absence of any foreign article from the slot 18, or otherwise the presence or such article will preventthe.

- As the lock approaches locked position, the

lever 46 will be rocked in a counter-clockwise direction, withdrawing the tail 45 from the receiver so as to permit the discharge of the coin therefrom into the coin box. Upon unlocking movement of the lock, the parts are all restored to the normal position previonsly described.

The details of construction illustrated and described may obviously be varied within considerable limits without departing from the essence of the invention, as defined 1n the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a rotatable key cylinder, a coin re ceiver, a cylinder locking member comprising a portion adapted to enter said receiver and a portion adapted to lockingly engage said cylinder, and means for yieldingly urging said member into lockingposition, the

' presence of, a coin in said receiver being adapted to render said member inoperative.

2. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a rotatable key cylinder, a coin receiver, a lever provided with a finger adapted to enter said receiver and a tooth adapted to engage a notch in said cylinder to lock the cylinder against rotation, a spring for urging said lever into locking position, and means for releasably retaining a coin in said receiver whereby said locking lever is rendered inoperative.

3. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a rotatable key cylinder, a coin receiver, a pivotally mounted lever having a portion adapted to enter said receiver and.

a portion adapted to lockingl engage said cylinder, said lever being ren ered inoperative by a coin in the receiver, a lever comprising a portion projecting into the receiver to retain a coin in position therein, and means carried by the cylinder for actuating said last mentioned lever as the lock ap-. proaches locked position whereby said coin is released from the receiver.

4. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a key cylinder, 9. coin receiver, and

- against rotation upon entrance-of'said lever into the receiver and-the other lever being actuated by the cylinder whereby it is withdrawn from said receiver to permit the discharge of a coin therefrom.

5. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of'a key cylinder provided with a locking notch and an actuating cam, a coin receiver, a lever rovided with a finger adapted to enter said receiver and a tooth adapted to enter said notch whereby the cylinder is locked against rotation, said lever being rendered inoperative by a coin in the receiver, and a second lever having a portion normally extending into said receiver, said second lever being operable by said cam to withdraw said portion from the receiver, thereby permitting the discharge of a coin therefrom.

6. In a coincontrolled lock, the combination of a rotatable key cylinder, a coin receiver into which a coin may be introduced through a slot, a slot closure provided with means for preventing locking movement of the cylinder when said closure is in partially opened position, and means inaccessible from the exterior except through a key in said cylinder for holding said closure against opening movement when the cylinder is in locked position.

7. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a rotatable key cylinder, a stationary coin receiver to which access is obtained through a slot, a pivoted closure for said slot provided with a tail disposed in the path of a shoulder carried by the cylinder so as to prevent locking movement of the cylinder when-the closure is in abnormal position, and means carried by the cylinder forprventlng independent opening movement of said closure when the cylinder is in locked position.

8. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a rotatable key cylinder, a coin re-, ceiver, means for preventing access to said receiver when thecylinder is in locked position, said means being adapted to prevent locking movement of said cylinder if obstruction'is offered to the closing movement of said means, means for preventing locking movement of the cylinder during the absence of a coin from said receiver, and means for retaining a coin in said receiver until said cylinder approaches fully locked position,

said last mentioned means being operable by the cylinder during its finallocking move-- ment to release said'coin from the receiver. 9. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a key cylinder provided with a locking notch and a cam, acoin receiver, a cylinder locking member constructed to engage said notch and enter said receiver and adapted to be held in inoperative position by a'coin in the receiver, means for retaining a coin in the receiver, said means being operable by said cam to .release the coin when. said cylinder approaches locked position, and a closure for said receiver adapted to revent access. to the receiver when the cylinder is in-locked position and adapted to prevent locking movement of the cylinder when obstruction to closing movement of said closure is presented.

10. In a coin controlled lock, the combination of a ke cylinder, 2. coin receiver, a. closure for sai receiver, cooperable means III respectively, for preventing locking movement of the cylinder when obstruction is 4 between fully opened and full 'ofl'ered to closing movement of the closure and for preventing Opening movement of the closure when the cylinder is iii locked posi- 'tion, coin controlled means for preventing locking movement of the cylinder, and cylinder actuated means'for releasing a coin from said receiver, 7

11. In a coin controlled lock in combina "tion, a rotatable key cylinder, a coin slot and receiver, a slot closure member movable closed slot positions, means connected wit said memher for lockin engagement with said cylinder upon fai are of said member to fully close said slot, and means for preventing slot opening movement of said member indeper dently of operation of said cylinder when said cylinder 1? in looking position.

12. n acoin controlled lock in combination, a rotatable key cylinder provided with a locking notch and an actuating cam, a coin slot, a coin receiver, a slot closure member to open and close, said slot, means for rendering said cylinder inoperative upon" failure of said member to fully close said slot, and means for preventing opening movement of said member independently of movement-0f cylinder when thelater is in looking posit-ion.

- HARVEY L. JOHNSON.

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