US2028788A - Coin controlled apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 28, 1936. D LANE COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS 2 Shets$heet 1 Filed y 2, 193

I N VEN TOR Jan. 28, 1936. D 5 E 2,028,788

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS Filed May 2 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR flan 440 A. 14/; BY

WWAWM ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE com CONTROLLED APPARATUS Application May 2, 1933, Serial No. 668,907

ZClaims.

This invention relates to coin-controlled dispensing devices and more particularly to the coin-slot arrangement thereof. Among its objects are the prevention of entry or the diversion of a coin in the coin-slot when the dispenser is empty of articles to be dispensed, or when the dispensing mechanism is out of order. Another object is to devise a simple and efiicient mechanism for accomplishing these results. And still another object is to devise such an arrangement operable upon a dispenser capable of dispensing cigarettes, cigars or other cylindrical articles.

One feature of the invention resides in the arrangement of a mechanism wherein a plug gate or obstruction is automatically applied to a coinslot of a coin-controlled dispenser under either of two circumstances, one in which no more articles to be dispensed remain in the dispenser. And the other in which the dispenser apparatus becomes inoperative, as by jamming of the movable parts therein, or the like. In such a mechanism, there are provided finger, lever or other such means normally pressed against an article to be dispensed while the article is in its last stage or step of being dispensed. While so pressed, the means are repressed or restrained from closing an electrical circuit which includes coin-slot plug or closure extendable or impellable into the coin-slot. When no article is present to restrain the lever means, spring or other pressure moves the lever means to an abnormal position whereupon they bring about the closing of the electrical circuit which causes the closure to be impelled into the coin-slot to close it to prevent entry therein of a coin. The closure with its electrical circuit and its mechanisms can be reset or restored to initial position in any suitable manner.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description. In the accompanying drawings, there has been illustrated the best embodiment of my invention known to me, but such embodiment is to be regarded as typical only oi many possible embodiments and my invention is not to be limited thereto.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a partial side elevation of a cigarette dispenser having my invention incorporated therein, with parts broken away. Figure 2 is a back elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 1 with parts broken away. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit controlling the coin-entry prohibiting mechanism, and Figure 4 is an assembly view like Figure 1 but more complete.

This invention for governing the entry of coins in the coin slot in coin-controlled dispensers is applicable to many types of such dispensers but for the purpose of clearly illustrating it, I have shown it embodied in a cigarette dispenser of the kind disclosed in my patent application Serial Number 566,674.

In the cigarette dispenser shown, the insertion of a coin in the coin-slot ll closes an electrical circuit (not shown) which energizes a motor [2 which through a train of gearing including a multilated gear l3 intermittently rotates a cigarette discharging conveyor or drum It provided with cigarette holding grooves l5 and 16, for removing one cigarette at a time from the reservoir. A cigarette ll from cigarette reservoir or container 18 drops into groove l5 from a throat l9 extending from the reservoir [8 when groove l5 registers therewith. Rotation of the drum l4 carries its cigarettes into alignment with a glowing igniter element and pauses an instant when such alignment is reached to permit the cigarette to become lighted. These features are not shown herein. Then movement of the drum begins again and finally a lighted cigarette is expelled into discharge tray 20. The device is neatly housed in casing 2|.

When the dispenser is empty of cigarettes or the mechanism thereof is out of order, it is desirable that a would-be purchaser of a cigarette be prevented from inserting a coin in the coinslot of the device, so to that end there is provided means for closing the coin-slot ll against coin entry thereinto. These means comprise a reciprocable or impellable closure or plug 22 operating in a slot 23 in the coin-slot II to enter and close the same. The plug 22 is provided with shoulders 24 and 25, the latter having a bevelled face 26. The closure plug 22 has a stem 21 and by a spring 28 is normally pressed inwardly into the coin-slot ll into coin entry prohibiting position. But a spring finger or pawl 29 engages shoulder of the plug to hold the plug out of coin entry prohibiting position, as shown in Figure 3. Associated with spring finger 29 and with a contact point 30, is a solenoid or electro-magnet 3|. Also with shoulder 24 of the closure plug 22 is associated aspring fingered switch or circuit closer 32. Solenoid 3| and switch 32 are in an electrical circuit 33 which includes contact points 34 and 35. Cooperating with the points 34 and 35 respectively, are contact points 36 and 31. Point 31 is carried by a policing or sentinel swinging lever 38 pivoted at 39 with an upset or bent arm 40. The opposite arm has a doubled back portion or shoe 4|.

Arm enters a slot 42 in the wall 43 of the throat IQ of the cigarette reservoir, and is substantially aligned with said wall. When there is a cigarette in the throat 19, which is the last stage of passage of a cigarette from the reservoir to concurrent lighting and delivery, the arm 40 of the lever by pressing inwardly against the cigarette causes the other arm 38 to be tilted upwardly whereby the contact 36 is kept away from the contact 34 so that the circuit 33 is thus maintained open. So long as the circuit is maintained open, the coin slot closure 22 is held retracted and coins can pass freely down the coin slot II.

The lever 38 has a duplicate thereof spaced therefrom whose corresponding-arm 38', pivot 39, short vertical arm 48 and shoe 4! correspond to the same unprimed numbers associated with the lever 38. The second lever 38 and the first lever 38 are pivoted preferably on a pivot rod 44 which is in the electrical circuit 33. The vertical arm 48 of the lever 38' enters a slot 42 in the wall 43 of the cigarette reservoir.

In order to relieve the pressure of the lever arms 40 and 40 during the passage of the cigarette past the same in the throat ill of the reservoir, there are provided cam means actuated by a timing mechanism controlled or driven from the cigarette conveyer or delivery mechanism, causing the cam means to effect a periodical relief of the pressure in synchronism with the period of removal of an article by the delivery mechanism. In other words a cam having a detent or recess'46 therein is arranged to be rotated and timed preferably from the mutilated gear l3. The surface of the cam 45 and its detent 46, against which rides the shoe 4| is so arranged that during the passage of a cigarette out of the throat l9 of the cigarette reservoir into the groove of the drum l4, pressure of the lever arm 40 thereon is relieved enough so that no restriction or impediment because of undue pressure thereon will be offered to the next succeeding cigarette passing down the throat l9 into position ready I plug 22 extends into and closes the coin-slot ll.

It is necessary to have two spaced apart levers 38 and 38' in order to operate the closing of the coin-slot if a cigarette jams in the throat l8. It is possible that instead of an orderly descent of the cigarettes through the throat, as indicated in the drawings, for some reason such as an accumulation of tobacco crumbs, or misalignment, a cigarette may get tilted out of horizontal position. In such a case whereas one lever may have its short arm 40 pressing against the cigarette to keep the circuit 33 open and the machine in operative condition, the other lever, by means of its short arm 48', will have no cigarette to bear against, so that it will pivotally turn or swing until contacts 31, 35 touch whereupon the circuit 33 is closed and the plug 22 will be projected into the coin-slot to prevent the entry thereinto of the coin.

When circuit 33 is closed, solenoid 3| isenergized which pulls pawl 29 away from shoulder 25 of the coin-slot plug or gate 22 whereupon the spring 28 forces the plug into coin prohibiting position. Thus, the machine is rendered inoperative by a would-be purchaser of cigarettes in which condition it remains until an attendant restores the plug to coin-operating position as shown in Figure 3. As soon as the plug 22 is released by action of the solenoid 3|, and the spring 28 forces the plug or obstruction into the coinslot, the spring switch 32 is opened which breaks the circuit 33 so that the solenoid 3| is no longer energized whereby no current will be consumed during that interval of inoperability of the machine until an attendant comes to restore the parts to operative condition.

In operation, the parts are normally as shown whereby a purchaser is free to drop a coin down the coin-slot II which operates the vending machine to discharge a lighted cigarette or other article to be dispensed thereby. This particular type of vending machine forms no part of this invention but is disclosed to show one form of application of my coin-slot policing device. The coin in this particular vending machine closes the circuit to motor I2 which by means of a gearing including mutilated gear 13 rotates the drum or conveyor l4, with its cigarette I! in groove 13, past the igniting device and discharges a lighted cigarette into tray 20.

As soon as groove l6 comes around into alignment with throat l9 from the cigarette container or reservoir 18, the cigarette then at the exit of the throat 19 drops into the groove 16 and is ready to be discharged or delivered to the next operator of the machine. But rotation of the mutilated gear l3 to cause rotation of the drum I 4, rotates cams 45 of which there is one for each lever 38 and 38', so that the levers 38 and 38 are tilted or swung clockwise on their pivots to relieve pressure on the cigarettes in the throat l9 just enough to permit without any retardation the necessary displacement of each cigarette therein one step toward its position for delivery to the drum.

If no cigarette is present, the levers 38 and 38 will fall counter-clockwise and close the circuit 33 to project the plug 22 into the coin slot II. If the cigarette has become misplaced, one or the other of levers 38 and 38' will fall counter-clockwise and close the circuit to extend the plug 22 to prohibit or prevent entry of coins in the slot.

It will thus be seen that I have devised a sentinel or policing means associated with the feed of cigarettes or other cylindrical devices to be fed to a dispensing or discharging conveyor whereby in the event of absence of suchdevices to be vended or the misplacement of such devices, the policing or sentinel means will automatically operate to prevent the entry of coins in the coinslot by any would-be purchaser of. an article sold by the machine. Obviously, the policing means could be used to divert a coin in the coin-slot back to the would-be purchaser, if such function was desired.

I claim:

1. In a coin-controlled dispenser having a. coinslot, a container having a throat from which articles pass to be dispensed, a delivery mechanism for removing one article at a time from said container throat, a coin obstruction extendable into said slot, a lever normally pressed against articles in said throat, means for controlling the pressure of said lever against said articles. and means operable by the swinging of said lever for causing said obstruction to obstruct the passage of a coin through said slot.

2. In a coin-controlled dispenser having a coinslot, 9. container having a throat through which articles pass to be dispensed, a delivery mechanism for removing one article at a time from said container throat including a discharging conveyor, means for driving said conveyor, a coin obstruction extendable into said slot, an element normally pressed against an article in said throat and thus by the presence of an article in said throat is kept from entering said throat, said element consequently being free to move with respect to said throat when the latter is free from articles normally passing therethrough, electric contact means associated with said element and operable to be opened and closed respectively incident to the movement of said element, an electric circuit controlled by said contact means, solenoid controlled means in said circuit operable by the energizing of the solenoid to render said extendable coin obstruction effective in said slot, means for controlling the period of pressure of said element against said articles, which last mentioned means comprise a timing mechanism driven from said driving means so as to effect a periodical relief of said pressure in synchronism with the period of removal of an article by said delivery mechanism.

DONALD B. LANE.

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