US2125058A - Change making machine - Google Patents

Description

July 26, 1938.

s. J. BACHARDY 2,125,058

CHANGE MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 "mi. F

Filed March 18, 1932 LI Ll HHHH I o9maW ATTORNEYS y 1938. 5. J. BACHARDY 3 CHANGE MAKING MACHINE Filed March 18, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 501? P 1.514 I f3 46 b g dl 9a 10 INVENTOR 09m w 4 I ATTORNEYS July 6, 1938- i 4 i s. J. BACHARDY ,1

CHANGE MAKING MACHINE Filed March 18, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 f2 39 aw 39 39 INVENTOR E l" I Ve a/Fen Jflaelazgy I 9;,5MM2Lw 4% ATTORNEYS July26,1938. SJ, ACHARDY 2,125,058

CHANGE MAKING MACHINE Fiied March 18, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 26, 1938 PATENT OFFI'CE CHANGE MAKING MACHINE Stephen J. Bachardy, Allentown, Pa., assignor to Monex Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 18, 1932, Serial No. 599,659

Claims.

My'present invention is concerned with apparatus for discharging coins in selectednumbers or change -in selected'amounts'and is especially adapted for embodiment in a change making 5- apparatusof the key operated type.

'An objectof the invention is to provide'a machine of this character involving a minimum number-of moving parts, requiring but a light touch "for operation, devoid of complex motion transmitting'links or leversor wearing orhinging parts apt to cause looseness, noise or unreliabilit'yin operation, and a machine in which the energy required for operating any of the selector keys is substantially the same'regardless of the number and/or denominations of the coins to be discharged. I

Another object is-toprovide a machine of this character unlikely to get out of order even under severe conditions of use or abuse, of simple, rugged-practical and durable construction, allof the elements of which may be readily manufactured from inexpensive parts such as die castings, metal stampings andsprings, and the parts of which may be rapidly and conveniently assembled. I 7

Another object is to provide an apparatus characterized by compactness, by a minimum number of coin receptacles for the range of change selection available and affording-choice in the denominations of the coins deliveredin a change making manipulationas well a's'afiording choice in thedischarge of one or more coins from-one and the same stack.

Anotherobjectis to provide a machine of this character which will eliminate the using of separate keys foreach amount or even for each-multiple of five and yet capable of delivering any amount of change from one cent to one dollarby thesimultaneous or successive operation of not more than twofseparate'keys. Another objectis'toprovide a change making apparatus having banks of decimal keys and unit-'keys-of distinctively contrasting-"color or appearance and capable of single or dual actuation in accordance with whether th e'desired change required represents decimals or digits or a combihation' thereof.

Another object is'to provide'a machine of-this character-of such compact and diminutive size that'it may be conveniently "embodied in the drawers-oi even the smallest. models of cash register.

Another object is to supplement (the regular digit and decimal keys by certain further distinctively coloredspecial purpose keys, certain of which may afford a visible field of separation between the banks of unit and decimal keys. Other advantages of the individual special purpose keys will appear from the specification.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of r the invention the depression of a key is not effective to discharge a coin so that if the operator realizes that he has pressed the wrong key or started to depressthe wrong key he will be aware of his'error before the change reaches the customer. The coins are ejected as an incident of key release rather than key depression With a consequent better opportunity for an operator to recognize an error before the coins have actually been delivered. The liability to err is further reduced by the fact that the coins are passed to discharge into the hand of the clerk rather than directly to the customer.

"Preferably a plurality of coin stack holders'are arranged side by side and the lowermost coin of each stack rests in untrapped position upon a coin trapping slide. The keys are arranged at the front of the machine for movement in a horizontal plane and are each fixed to'aflat horizontally movable selector'bar. The sets of'bars may thusbe stacked to occupy a minimum of space and are arranged to straddle the coin magazine. Each selector bar is suitably shaped to engage and actuate one or more of the's'lides as'the bar is thrust rearwardly by pressure on' the key. Springs normally tend to hold the keys in projected position withthe selector bars inoperative and other springs normally :tend to hold-the trapping slides in aposition where they serve as false bottoms forthe coin stacks. As a key is pushed inwardly, however, the selector bar moves rearwardly carrying withit the coin trapping slides and moving them to a position where one or more of the lowermost coins of the selected stacks are .trapped in the slides. Asa-key is released the key with its selectorisreturnedto inactiveposition by the associated spring and the coin trapping slide returned by its spring to-a position Where it will again support the coin stack and where the entrapped coins are gravitationally discharged.

Preferably the key board and selector unit are assembled independently of the coin magazine and coin trapping slide unit and the two units may be assembled or disassembled with respect to each other without requiring theuse of tools or the release of securing devices of any character. In order to economize in the total'height of the stacked selector bars, the selector bars of the unit'keys and those of the decimalkeys are separate and independent. Each set of bars is of general U-shape, one set straddling one side of the coin magazine and the other set stradding the opposite side. The frame structure may be extremely simple consisting merely of a base plate afiording front and rear guides for for- I Wardly and rearwardly extending guide projections on the legs of the selector bars. The magazine and slide assemblage may also be of simple construction; the magazine proper consisting of a die casting having a plate secured in spaced relationship to the bottom thereof with the coin trapping slides movable over the plate and having their movement limited by the devices which secure the plate to the casting.

The invention may be more fully understood by the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a cash register drawer with my improved change-making mechanism mounted in the forward end thereof,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the changemaking machine,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View thereof taken approximately on the line 3-43 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the change-maker on the staggered line 4-4 of Fig.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4, but showing one of the keys thrust inwardly to cause one of the coins to be entrapped by its correlated slide,

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the machine on the staggered line 6-6 of Fig. 1, this View showing a single coin being trapped at the bottom of one of the stacks which are provided with double slides for single or multiple coin ejection,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the machine taken approximately on the line l-l of Fig. 5,

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional View on the line 88 of Fig. 4,

- Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional View on the line 9-9 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 10 isv a bottom plan view of the magazine and slide unit removed from the machine,

Fig. 11 is a disassembled perspective view of the double slides used under certain of the coin stacks, and

Fig. 12 is a. perspective view of one of the single slides.

General assembly The machine illustrated is adapted to be used in conjunction, with the drawer D (Fig. 1) of a cash register. The drawer is cut away at its central forward portion to receive the machine. The latter is mounted upon a flat skeleton base plate I havinglateral projections H underlying the drawer and secured thereto by seciu'ing devices (not shown) passed through openings I la in said projections.

Vertically disposed front and rear guide plates l2 and [3 rise from the forward and rear .edges of the base plate being attached thereto in any suitable manner. The plates I 2'and I3 serve to support and guide the selector bars which are arranged in two sets. Each. selector bar preferably comprises a horizontally disposed metal stamping of generally U-shape with its intermediate portion 14 lying adjacent or over one lateral edge of the base plate I 0 and with its front leg l and its rear leg l6 straddling the coin magazine and associated mechanism, which will be later described. A forward extension |5a of the leg l5 projects. through a corresponding guide opening [5b in the front plate i2, terminating in a bent tongue 50 which carries a key K and a rearward extension lta of the leg i6 is provided with a reduced portion 16b extending through a corresponding opening 960 in the rear plate l3 whereby the selector bars are guided for fore and aft movement. Springs ll encircling portions [6b and reacting against the rear guide plate l3 urge the selector bars and keys forwardly toward their normal inoperative position. Two sets of these bars are provided, for instance where there is a twenty-two key board, eleven bars are stacked at each side of the base, two sets of bars straddling opposite ends of the coin magazine.

The stacks of selector bars are further prevented from riding upwardly by flange F integral with the front guide plate [2 and overlying the stacks at the forward portion of the machine and also by bracket members G rising from the rear of the base plate and overlying the rear legs of the stacked selector bars. The flange F and the brackets G of course merely supplement the front and rear guide plates in preventing upward movement and also aid in preventing undue flexing of the selector bars which may be of relatively thin stock.

The coin magazine M comprises a casting affording a plurality of generally three-quarter circular receptacles R to receive the various stacks of coins. Coin trapping slide members S are movable back and forth under the receptacles R by actuation of the selector bars as will be more fully hereinafter described. The coins are delivered into a chute C at the lower forward end of the machine.

Preferably the coin magazine and its coin trapping slides are formed as a unit, a bottom plan View of which is shown in Fig. and this unit is removably held in position on the base plate by a pair of bracket members B integral with the base plate and latching in notches in integral rearward extensions E at the ends of the coin magazine casting.

I shall now describe in detail the construction of the individual units which go to make up the machine and then explain the operation thereof.

Coin magazine and coin trapping slides The open front sides of all of the various coin receptacles are covered by a transparent plate P slidably engaged in grooves H in forward extensions 2!! at the ends of the magazine casting. Between each pair of coin receptacles the casting includes an integral rearwardly extending heel piece 2| the outermost of these heel pieces constituting the notched members or extensions E which arelocked under the brackets B. A cross bar 22 is screwed or otherwise secured to the rear ends of the heel pieces 2| and a retainer plate 23 for the coin trapping slide members S is secured to the underface of the heel pieces 2| by screws 24.

With particular reference to Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive, it will be observed that the coin magazine is provided at the left with a receptacle 30 forhalf dollars. To the right of this receptacle is a stack holder 3| for quarters, after which follows the receptacle 32 for nickels', 33 for dimes, another nickel receptacle 34 and two penny receptacles 35 and 36.

Under the quarter receptacle 3|, the dime receptacle 33 and the penny receptacle 36, there are a pair of super-imposed coin trapping slide memwith a rearwardly extending tailpiece '39. At

itsfront end, the'slide carries o'ris integral with an upstanding finger Ml lying'in the plane of the front legs of one'stack of selector bars. Immediately beneath each coin receptacle the' 'coin magazine is undercut, as at "4|, these undercuts cooperating with the retainer plate 23 -to define guidewaysin which-thejslidesare movable. The tail piece 39 0f each'slide 31 's'lides in the cross bar22. H

Each slidemember "is normally spring urged forwardly by a coiled' expansion spring "42 encircling the tail piece 391 and' reactin'g against the cross bar 22. Theforward spring impelled movement of each slide as well as the rearward selector bar impelled movement thereof 'islimited'by the engagement of theends of slots 43 in the edges of the selectorbars with the shanks of the screws 24" which hold the'base plate23 in position.

Where double slides are used as under the dime magazine, the superimposed slide members 31a and 311) are provided with-alined coin trapping apertures 3811 and 38b. The upstanding fingers a and 401) which correspond with thefinger '48 are disposed atopposite sides of the front edges of the two slideplates, fingerdllbbeing'accommodated in a. notch 44 in the superposed slide 'plate'3'la. Thus as the finger 40b is pushed rearwardly by one of the selector bars, both of the slide plates 3la and 311) will 'be actuated. If, however, the finger 40a of the plate31a is pushed rearwardly this slide member will travel alone.

In order to prevent interference between the actuating spring 420, and 42b of the double slide members the tail pieces 39a and 39b are laterally displaced with respect to each other. Furthermore, slide 31a is provided with a notch 45 therein of greater width than the diameter of the spring which encircles the tailpiece-39b-of the companion slide, to "the end that the slide 31a may be thrust rearwardly without engaging the spring "4219. This notch 'has nofunctionwhen the two slides are simultaneously thrust rearwardly. 3 v

The retainer plate '2 3'is provided with aplurality of semi-circular notches 4e registering with the circular openings 38, 38a, "etc/of the coin trapping slides when the slides are'in their normal forward position. Thus the slides define false bottoms for the stacks of coins in the receptacles 3!), 35, etc. and the basep-late123 defines a true bottom for these stacks of coins. g,

After the slides have been thrust rearwardly so that one or more coins from the, stackhave gravitationally descended into the coin trapping openings of the slides, the retainer plate 23 .prevents the coins from droppingiurther until such timeas the. slides are released and spring foras false bottoms for the remaining coins of the various-coin stacks.

Keyboard andse'lectors The arrangement of the selector bars is such as to present two rows of eleven key-carrying extensions 15a at the front of the machine. These rows are arranged one above the other and each row of extensions ifia is of an exceedingly obtuse angularioontour, in the present instance, defining an angle of one hundred and sixty-five degrees as best "shown in Fig. 2. The stacking of the selector'bars in the manner previously described necessarily causes the members l5ato be disposed at different levels. .This would not necessarily throwthe two rowsof keys into the angular conformation shown since if desired the 'keyc'arrying tongues 50 of each extension 'l'5a might be made of a differentlen'gthto present two'truly horizontal rows of keys. ,In order 'toavoid'the additional manufacturing expense of making the lie-y carrying part of each selector of adifferent length I prefer to use key carrying shanks of uniform'length merely bending the shanks 5d of the upper row of keys slightly upwardly and the corresponding shank'fiiia of the lower row'of keys slightly downwardly, whereby to space'the two key rows a sufficient distance apart.

I also prefer to mount each key with its axis atan angle of about thirty degrees to the horizontal. This arrangement makes the keyboard visible to an operator standing above, and'in front of the machine. The use of carrying key shanks of uniform nature also obviates any possibility of unequal 'leverages'being applied upon the selectorswhen operating the keysthus practically eliminating thedanger of breaking oil a key shank 5E3 in'the event that one of. the selector bars was temporarily blocked against rearward movement by some foreign article which had found its way into the machine.

7 illustrates two selector bar constructions, it being readily understood thatto design the requisite'selector bar for any key it is merely necessary that the bar be provided with portions iiiiarranged in proper position'to actuate the fingers of the desired slide members and with one or more notches-3! to clear the other "fingers and prevent actuation thereof.

Of the two selector bars shown in'pl'an, one

bar T63 clears the decimal '50 key and includes,

portion "till to actuateboth fingers of the double quarter slides. The other bar "64 is attached to the units key!) and arr'anged to engage the double slide member of one .penny magazine, the single slide member of the other penny magazine and the slide member of one of the nickel magazines. It will be observed in this conection that the coin trapping slide of the magazine 35 is suificiently thick to entrap two pennies, whereas the'double slide arrangement of the other penny magazine permits the selective discharge of "either one or two pennies.

In the absence of some means to prevent it, the presence of any coin in themachina'of slightly less than a normal thickness would tend to block operation as soon as a slide was shifted rear wardly. The thin coin and the one above'it would both drop down with the upper coin projecting slightly into the trapping openingthus blocking forward movement of the slide and jamming the machine. Thisis taken'care of by providing an arcuate c'arnming recess at the'rear upper edge of each of the cointrapping 'openings. Thus where a slide is designed to discharge only one coin andthat 'coin is thin'and is 'followedbya second superimposed coin which partially enters the opening, the latter coin *will'be'camnied out of the opening as the slide moves forwardly due to the action of the camming portion 10 under the rear edge of the undesired coin.

Noting the key board in Fig. 2 it will be seen that in addition to regular white decimal keys and black digit keys I have shown four red special purpose keys, two of which serve to divide the decimal key bank from the digit key bank and two others of which are located at the left hand side of the key board at the end of the decimal key blank.

These special purpose keys are marked respectively .10, .25, .50 and 1.00. The dollar key is simply for convenience in making change for a dollar where a patron desires it. The dime key serves to make change for a dime, that is, deliver two nickels instead of the ten cent piece delivered by the regular ten cent key of the unit key bank. The fifty cent special purpose key delivers a fifty cent piece in contra-distinction to the two quarters delivered by the regular fifty cent decimal key. The twenty-five cent key when depressed delivers a single quarter and is of advantage principally because of the great number of times where the twenty-five cents in change is required and such change may be supplied by a single United States coin.

The right hand bank of selector bars looking at the machine from the front mounts all of the digit keys and the dime and dollar special purpose keys. The special dime and dollar keys, each being colored red, afford a prominent line of color demarcation between the units keys and the decimal keys. The other bank of eleven keys contains all of the decimal keys and the special purpose twenty-five cent and fifty cent keys.

The operation of the machine will be in large part obvious from the foregoing description but "it may be briefly summarized as follows:

Assume it is desired to discharge the sum of fifty-nine cents; the operator while holding one hand under the mouth of the chute C simply depresses the decimal key 5! and the unit key 9.

' By this depression the cent key selector bar shifts both twenty-five cent slides rearwardly entrapping two quarters. The 9 cent key thrusting its selector bar rearwardly pushes back the other nickel slide and the double thickness two penny slide and both slides of other penny stack thereby entrapping a nickel and four pennies. By releasing the buttons the entrapped coins are carried forwardly by the expansion of springs 42 of their slide members 31, drop into the chute C and slide gravitationally through the outlet opening in the chute into the waiting hand of. the operator. Simultaneously the selector bars are returned to normal position by their springs I1.

It is worthy of note that each key is directly rigidly connected to a single selective device, i. e., selector bar and that a thrust on the key is transmitted directly and as a straight rectilinear motion of the selector bar, there being no motion translating device, no hinges and no intermediate linkage or leverage of any kind. There is no danger of cooking, jamming or binding, but little operative effort is needed and that effort is substantially uniform for each of the keys. While the key board is small and compact, coins in any desired denominations in amounts up to a dollar and over may be selectively delivered by the actuation of at most two selector keys.

The speed of the machine is not retarded by the provision of long gravity chutes or by the necessity'of the operator having to wait for one customer to remove his change before making change for another.

In use of the machine there is no danger of the coin magazine and slide unit becoming disassembled from the associated selector bar mechanism since with the slides held in their normal forwardly projecting position it is impossible'to rock the members E out of engagement with their latches. In order to effect disengagement of the coin mechanism and slide unit from the rest of the machine all of the slides must be thrust rearwardly against the action of their springs in order to permit them to clear the front legs of the selector bars as the coin magazine unit is rocked out of its latched position. Similarly, when applying the coin magazine all of the slides must be pushed to their released position and the members E slid under their latches with the coin magazine canted.

While the'apparatus has been shown as applied to a cash register drawer it will be apparent that it might be mounted on the edge of a table or in any other suitable location without any change in its operation and with but minor changes in its mounting arrangement.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a machine of the class described a coin magazine presenting a series of coin stack receptacles, coin trapping slides arranged under said receptacles and having coin receiving openings therein normally out of registration with the stack and in advanced position whereby said I slides normally serve as supports for the stacks,

a plurality of selector bars mounted for horizontal sliding movement and including means directly to engage the slides and force them into coin trapping position, a key bank comprising a plurality of keys, each mounted on one of said selector bars and serving as an actuating means therefor, springs acting on the selector bars to normally hold them out of engagement with the slides and means under the slides for supporting coins trapped therein while the slide is moving from its trapping to its discharging position.

2. In a machine of the class described, a coin magazine to retain arplurality of stacks of coins, a plurality of flat superimposed horizontal selector bars, means mounting the bars and guiding them for sliding movement, each bar being of general U-shape to straddle one end of the coin magazine, keys connected to the legs of the bars for actuating them, coin trapping slides arranged under the coin magazine and actuated by said selector bars to entrap a coin as the bars are forced rearwardly by their keys and means for moving the coin trapping slides to coin 3. In a machine of the class described, an elongated coin magazine including a plurality of laterally adjacent coin stack holders, a plurality of flat superimposed horizontal selector bars, means mounting the bars and guiding them for sliding movement, each bar being of general U- shape to straddle one end of the coin magazine, keys connected to the bars for actuating them, coin trapping slides arranged under the coin stacks of the magazine and actuatable by said selector bars into coin trapping position as the bars are forced rearwardly by their keys and means for moving the coin trapping slides to coin ejecting position upon the release of said keys, each slide including a finger extending upwardly therefrom at its forward end, the forward legs of the selector bars being suitably shaped to engage one or more predetermined fingers and thereby simultaneously operate the proper slides.

4. A change making machine including a frame structure, an elongated coil magazine mounted on said frame structure and providing receptacles for supporting a plurality of generally vertical coin stacks, two sets of selector bars each of generally U-shape each set straddling one end of the coin magazine, each set of bars comprising a plurality of fiat superimposed members guided for sliding movement at the front and rear of the coin magazine, key supporting means projecting from the front legs of the selectors, coin trapping slide mechanism moved into position by the selectors for entrapping coins from one or more stacks of the magazine as a selector is actuated by its key, said slides being automatically returnable to coin discharging position when the actuating selector is released.

5. A change making machine including a frame structure, an elongated coin magazine mounted on said frame structure and providing receptacles for supporting a plurality of generally vertical coin stacks, two sets of selector bars each of generally U-shape each set straddling one end of the coin magazine, each set of bars comprising a plurality of fiat superimposed members guided for sliding movement at the front and rear of the coin magazine, key supporting means projecting from the front legs of the selectors, coin trapping slide mechanism engaged and moved into position by the selectors for entrapping coins from one or more stacks of the magazine as a selector is actuated by its key, each of said slides having an upstanding operating arm and being automatically returnable to coin discharging position when the actuating selector is released, the coin trapping slide members for certain stacks including a plurality of individual superimposed slides operable singly or in unison by the cooperation of the upstanding arm of the lower slide member with the slide superimposed member to discharge one or more coins from the stack as the selectors are actuated.

STEPHEN J. BACHARDY.

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