US2253863A - Coin collector apparatus - Google Patents
Coin collector apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US2253863A US2253863A US313329A US31332940A US2253863A US 2253863 A US2253863 A US 2253863A US 313329 A US313329 A US 313329A US 31332940 A US31332940 A US 31332940A US 2253863 A US2253863 A US 2253863A
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- coin
- armature
- vane
- trigger
- relay
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M17/00—Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems
- H04M17/02—Coin-freed or check-freed systems, e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
Definitions
- This invention relates :to coin collection apparatus in which a coin or token is deposited for use of an instrument.
- the invention is particularly suitablev for use in a telephone pay station of the general type illustrated in the O. F. Forsberg U. S. Patent 1,043,219, issued November 5, 1912, wherein a deposited coin is temporarily held upon a coin trap after the coin has actuated a trigger to close electrical contacts for the purpose of signaling the central office and for the additional purpose of establishing an energizing circuit for a coin relay. Thereafter, battery at the central olfice may be applied to the line to energize the relay whose armature serves to release the coin trap to direct the coin into a collect chute if the applied voltage is of one polarity, and to direct the coin into a refund chute if the applied voltage is of the opposite polarity.
- the operation of the relay also serves to restore the coin trigger to normal to reopen the electrical contacts controlled thereby.
- An object of this invention is to provide an improved coin handling mechanism of efficient and positive operation.
- Afurther object is an improved'electromagnet capable of being selectively operated'in accordance with the polarity of the voltage applied thereto.
- the relay moves the'vane above the refund chute to a substantiallyvertical position to permit the depositedcoin to drop into'therefund chute.
- the preferred coin. relay construction comprises a solenoidal winding having a pivoted armature at each end of the core. Mounted adjacent the winding is a rotatable member carrying a permanent magnet located between polar extensions of the core whereby the application of energizingcurrent to the winding causes a rotation of said..member in a direction dependent upon the polarity of the applied volt! age.
- the said member is biased to a normal position'where projections such as lugs on said member prevent the movement of both armatures to their attracted positions, but the rotation of said member in a given direction releases one of said armatures and prevents the operation of the other armature so that one armature is operated for applied voltage of one polarity and the other armature is operated for applied voltage of the opposite polarity.
- Each of the twoabove-mentioned vanes in the coin hopper is individuallycontrolled by one of these armatures for permitting the collection of deposited coins when one armature is operated and for refunding the deposited coins when the other armature is operated.
- the energizing circuit for the coin relay just described is preferably established by electrical contacts which are closed by the operation of a coin trigger located in the coin hopper above the coin trap. If energizing current has been applied to the relay the operated armature also serves to restore the coin trigger to normal to insure the reopening of" these contacts at the proper time.
- Fig. l is a side view of a telephone coin collector embodying the present invention.
- Fig. 2 is a wiringdiagram of a coin collector substation
- Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the coin handling mechanism of this invention.
- Fig. 4 is a front'view of the coin relay and as sociated'coin hopper of Fig. 3;
- Fig. 5 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 4;
- Fig. 6 is a rear view of the apparatus of Fig. 4;
- Fig. 7 is a side view partly insection of the apparatus of Fig. 4;
- Fig.8 is a side view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. '7 with the coin trigger in coin operated position;
- Fig. 9 is a view of. the apparatus corresponding to that of Fig. 4 except that one of the armatures of the relay is shown in attracted position;
- Fig. 10 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 9 except for the omission of the electrical spring pile-up;
- Fig. 11 is a side view of the coin trigger mechanism for the operated condition of Fig. 9;
- Fig. 12 illustrates the position of the coin trap when one of the relay armatures is operated.
- the coin hopper mechanism of this invention contains twovanes 2
- is pivotally supported from a. i l 2?: r ee i la be w en th ro t a a Walle of he pe per asiiaeent he ner d Wall 4 Wh e.
- Va e 2 i i eta l upported from a n 3 e tendin between the fr nt nd rear Wel s. oi the.
- has 512 1 51 p QifiQfiQIlfi 3. which are adapted to. fit into slots between the spaced projections 34, on the lower end of vane 22 so that normally the lower ends of the two. vanes overlap each other i 5 5 91 11 nowadays i lflxtending between the front, and rear walls of the hopper in the lower portion thereof is a vertical partition 35 for providing two separate coin hannels. channel .36 e d ng to the ca bpx the lower housing 33. of the collector of Fig. 1 and. channel 3] leading to a, refund Opening in the front wall of the lower housing 33.
- partition 35 Preferably, partition 35.
- vane 22 In order that a coin held, by these vanes may be collected, vane 22 should be held stationary and vane 2
- . moved downwardly sub stantially to the position of-Fig. 13 to enable the coin to drop into collect channel 361; while in order that, the, coins may be refunded, vane 2
- , 2 2;, may be selectively actuated will now be described particularly with reference to Figs, 3, 4, and 5..
- The. mechanism tray 40 forming the top. for the lower housing 38 supports not only the coin hopper [8. but in front of the coin hopper Supports the coin relay and associated mechanism.
- , 42 from the bottom of; the tray support a plate 43 upon which is mounted a non-magnetic frame structure comprising two vertical members 44,
- armature 4 joined. at their upper ends by a horizontal F plate 46. Suitably fastened within this framework is; a solenoidal winding 41 surrounding. a magnetic core 4.8 the ends of which project beyond the frame members 44, 45. Pivotally mounted from base. plate 4 3. near the ends of core 48 are two armatures, a refund armature 56 and a collect armature 5
- Plate 46 of the framework extends beyond both ends of coil 47 and armature 50 works in a slot 52 of one of these extensions, the walls of said slots serving as stops to determine the attracted and non-attracted positions of armature 50.
- works in a slot ⁇ )6 in the other of these plate extensions and the walls of slot 56 serve as stops to determine the attracted and pgn-attracted positions of armature 5
- upturned tab 53 of plate 46 and the armature extension are connected by the armature restoring spring 55 to bias armature 50 against the outer edge of slot 52 in the non-operated condition.
- the upturned tab 51 of plate 46 and the armature extension 58 are connected by an armature restoring spring 60 to bias armature 5
- Erame member 46 also. supports. two members 6 i, 5.2 9f ma netic material having spaced pron s, 53, s4 and 65, 66 which form. pole-pieces for the armature 10.01;, Since. these members 6
- a permanent, bar magnet 68 one end of whichv is adjacent pole-pieces. 63', 6.6 and. the other end of which is. adjacent polerpieces 6.4, 6.5.
- Rigidly mounted on. permanent. magnet. 6.8, for rotation therewith. is a plate 10' of. nonemagnetio material havin two laterally. disposed arms. or. lugs i2 which normally forman armature lock. Mag: net. as. is biased to anormal position. (Fig. 3).. by means of a spring 13 extending between the stationary cap 6] and: upturned lug 1.4.. on one end of plate. 1.0.. As. long as magnet 68 remains, in its. neutral position of Figs. 3.
- i8 wo11ldbe rotated. in av clockwise direction to. an advanced. position determined by the stop. I6. in which position lug 1.2 would; lie. outof. the path ofarmature extension 5.8: to permit the fully attracted movement. of arma-i ture while lug 'II would still be effective to hold armature 50 in its non-attracted position.-
- Plate 46 adjacent coin hopper I8 has an upturned portion I1 which supports two spaced pivots I8, 80 for two angular levers or vane I latches BI, 82.
- the normal position of these levers is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 with both levers resting on a stop 83 formed out of plate portion '11.
- normally engages a shoulder 85 on lever 8
- has a downwardly inclined U-shaped portion 88 embracing a pin 90 on armature extension 9
- vane arm extension 86 to unlock vane 2
- relay winding or windings in circuit with a pair of normally open electrical contacts which are closed upon coin deposit and reopened when the relay is operated due to either collect or refund current.
- Vertical plate portion 11 has an extension I00 supporting a pivoting pin I0
- Another extension of plate portion I 1 supports an electrical spring pile-up comprising a biasing spring I03 and,two electrical. spring contacts I04, I05. Electrical contacts I04, I05
- Trigger restoring lever I08 has a downwardly extending arm I I0 which normally rests on top of two studs III,II2 carried, respectively, by the two-arma ture. controlled levers 8
- a deposited coin upon entering coin hopper I8 operates coin trigger 20 to release spring I03 to close contacts I84, I05 (Fig. 8) to signal the central office by closing a circuit to ground through the winding of relay 41.
- coin trigger 20 After actuating coin trigger 20 the coin is held suspended on the two-part coin trap 2
- equipment at the central office supplies collect current to relay winding 41 to rotate permanent magnet 68 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3' to permit armature Eito be fully attracted.
- refund current is applied to relay winding 41 with the applied voltage of such polarity that permanent magnet 68 is rotated counter-clockwise to permit armature 50 to be moved to its fully attracted position.
- Armature 50 in pulling up will rotate lever SI counterclockwise to unlock vane 22 from lever shoulder 85 to permit vane 22 to move from its position of Fig. 6 to its position of Fig. 12 to enable the coin to be discharged into the refund channel 31.
- rotates the trigger restoring lever I98 in the same manner as described above to restore the coin trigger to normal and reopen contacts IE3, IE4.
- the above-described mechanism presents several advantages, particularly in giving protec-- tion against attempted fraudulent operationof the collector.
- the armature lock II, I2 prevents both armatures 55!, SI from moving to their fully attracted positions and the vanes 21, 22 in the coin hopper are likewise held locked by the vane latches 85, 81.
- the relay would operate at 44 milliamperes with any load on the coin vanes 2
- the spread between the operate and release values is kept small because only one armature operates at a time and there always remains the air-gap between the armature and the pole-piece on the other side.
- the biasing spring I3 serves to center the bar magnet 68 when no current is flowing through the coil 41 and also. tends to resist rotation of magnet 68 so that the locking, lugs H, I2 do not get completely out of the way of either armature until the current through coil 41 is greater than the usual talking and signaling current encountered in the field, which is normally less than 15 milliamperes.
- each vane latch 88, 92 curves around the armature pins 91!, 93 so that each vane latch 88 or 92 cannot move downwardly until its armature has been moved inwardly towards the relay winding. This prevents the coin vanes 2i, 22 from operating due to the. weight of the coins and also prevents either vane latch from being jarred open by any blows on the collector housing. Since each armature is normally prevented from moving by the armature lock II, I2 it is obvious that the vanes H, 22. inthe hopper, the vane latches 8B, 92 and the armatures 50, 5! are all locked up and canr' not be moved until operating current is applied to the relay winding 4! to release the lock for one of the armatures.
- Another desirable feature of applicants invention relates to the prevention of fraudulent operation of the electrical spring contacts.
- Fig. 8 it is evident that the cam surface of trigger shoulder I56 facing the coin hopper has a rising contour to prevent the trigger 20 from being accidentally jarred down.
- the operating voltage supplied from the central office to relay winding 4! could be for such a duration as to permit the trigger 2-2 to be restored to normal without disposing of the coins in the coin hopper, this being due to the fact that each coin vane is released at the beginning of armature travel, the coin trigger is restored at the end of armature travel and the coin vanes present a steeply inclined supporting surface from which the coins will be discharged quickly.
- a coin collector a coin hopper, a substantially vertical coin passage in said hopper, a supporting means across said passage for arresting coins deposited in said hopper, said supporting means comprising two oppositely hinged trap doors each normally downwardly inclined from the horizontal with their free ends engaging each other to form a V-shaped coin supporting surface, each of said doors being adapted to be moved downwardly to a coin discharging position more nearly approximating the vertical, means for holding said doors in coin supporting position, a collect chute beneath one of said doors but normally completely closed to coin entrance by said one door when said one door lies in its normal position and the second door is in its coin discharging position, a refund chute beneath the second of said doors but normally completely closed to coin entrance by said second door when said second door lies in its normal position and said first door is in its coin discharging position, and means for opening one of said door to a position discharging deposited coins into the chute beneath the open door while maintaining the other of said doors in its normal position guarding the entrance to the other chute.
- a coin collector a coin hopper, a substantially vertical coin passage in said hopper defined by opposed side walls, a supporting means extending across said passage for arresting coins deposited in said hopper, said supporting means comprising two oppositely hinged trap doors each normally downwardly inclined from the horizontal with their free ends engaging each other to form a V-shaped coin supporting surface, each of said doors being adapted to be moved downwardly independently of the other door to a coin dischargin position more nearly approximating the vertical, spring means for biasing said doors to cause the free ends of said doors to engage each other, means for holding said doors in coin supporting position, a stationary partition in said pas-sage below said supporting means for dividing the passage into a collect channel extending laterally from said partition to-one of said side walls and into a refund channel extending laterally from said partition to the other of said side walls, the upper end of said partition terminating beneath the intersecting axis of said doors a distance suificient to permit each door to swing freely to coin discharging position, one of said doors completely closing
- a coin collector having a main coin receiving passage leading to a collect chute and a refund chute, a pivoted vane which in its normal position completely closes the entrance to said collect chute and in an advanced position opens said collect chute for the reception of a deposited coin, a second pivoted vane adapted to be moved from a normal position to an advanced position, said second vane when in its normal position and with said first vane in its advanced position completely closing the entrance to said refund chute, said second vane in its advanced position opening said refund chute for the reception of a deposited coin, means for holding said vanes in their normal positions, said vanes in their normal positions forming a coin supporting'surface extending across said passage above said chutes, and means for moving one of said vanes to its advanced position While maintaining the other of said van-es substantially in its normal position.
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- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
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- Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
Description
Aug. 26. 1941. I J, M, MEUCK 2,253,863
COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS Filed Jan. 11, '1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2
"H 1 III /Nl/ENTOR By J M. MEL/CK ATTORNEY 1941- J. M. MELICK ,v 2,253,863
C0 IN COLLECTOR APPARATUS Filed Jan. 11,1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IN VE N TOR JMA lEL/CK A TTORNE K Aug. 26, 1941. v J. M. MELICK 2,253,863
COI N COLLECTOR APPARATUS FiledJan. 11, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 nvvnvroxv By J. M. MEL/Ck A TTORNV Aug. 26, 1941-. J. M. MELICK 2,253,863
C0 IN COLLECTOR AP1 ARATUS Filed Jan. 11, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lNl E N TOR By J. M. MEL /c/( A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1941 COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS John M. Melick, Cresski L N. J., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Yorlr Application January 11, 1940, Serial No. 313,329
3 Claims. (01. 232-575) This invention relates :to coin collection apparatus in which a coin or token is deposited for use of an instrument.
1 The invention is particularly suitablev for use in a telephone pay station of the general type illustrated in the O. F. Forsberg U. S. Patent 1,043,219, issued November 5, 1912, wherein a deposited coin is temporarily held upon a coin trap after the coin has actuated a trigger to close electrical contacts for the purpose of signaling the central office and for the additional purpose of establishing an energizing circuit for a coin relay. Thereafter, battery at the central olfice may be applied to the line to energize the relay whose armature serves to release the coin trap to direct the coin into a collect chute if the applied voltage is of one polarity, and to direct the coin into a refund chute if the applied voltage is of the opposite polarity. The operation of the relay also serves to restore the coin trigger to normal to reopen the electrical contacts controlled thereby.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved coin handling mechanism of efficient and positive operation. Afurther object is an improved'electromagnet capable of being selectively operated'in accordance with the polarity of the voltage applied thereto.
- In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the inventionas applied to coin collectors,
the relay moves the'vane above the refund chute to a substantiallyvertical position to permit the depositedcoin to drop into'therefund chute.
The preferred coin. relay construction comprises a solenoidal winding having a pivoted armature at each end of the core. Mounted adjacent the winding is a rotatable member carrying a permanent magnet located between polar extensions of the core whereby the application of energizingcurrent to the winding causes a rotation of said..member in a direction dependent upon the polarity of the applied volt! age. The said member is biased to a normal position'where projections such as lugs on said member prevent the movement of both armatures to their attracted positions, but the rotation of said member in a given direction releases one of said armatures and prevents the operation of the other armature so that one armature is operated for applied voltage of one polarity and the other armature is operated for applied voltage of the opposite polarity. Each of the twoabove-mentioned vanes in the coin hopper is individuallycontrolled by one of these armatures for permitting the collection of deposited coins when one armature is operated and for refunding the deposited coins when the other armature is operated. r r
The energizing circuit for the coin relay just described is preferably established by electrical contacts which are closed by the operation of a coin trigger located in the coin hopper above the coin trap. If energizing current has been applied to the relay the operated armature also serves to restore the coin trigger to normal to insure the reopening of" these contacts at the proper time. I
Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: I
Fig. l is a side view of a telephone coin collector embodying the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a wiringdiagram of a coin collector substation; r
Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the coin handling mechanism of this invention; 1
Fig. 4 is a front'view of the coin relay and as sociated'coin hopper of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a rear view of the apparatus of Fig. 4;
Fig. 7 is a side view partly insection of the apparatus of Fig. 4;
Fig.8 is a side view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. '7 with the coin trigger in coin operated position;
Fig. 9 is a view of. the apparatus corresponding to that of Fig. 4 except that one of the armatures of the relay is shown in attracted position;
Fig. 10 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 9 except for the omission of the electrical spring pile-up;
Fig. 11 is a side view of the coin trigger mechanism for the operated condition of Fig. 9;
Fig. 12 illustrates the position of the coin trap when one of the relay armatures is operated; and
held in suspense within the hopper for subse quent collection or refund depending upon whether or not the desired telephone connection is established.
As shown particularly in Fig. 6, the coin hopper mechanism of this invention contains twovanes 2|, 22 which together constitute a coin supporting means for all coins depositedv in the hopper. Vane 2| is pivotally supported from a. i l 2?: r ee i la be w en th ro t a a Walle of he pe per asiiaeent he ner d Wall 4 Wh e. Va e 2 i i eta l upported from a n 3 e tendin between the fr nt nd rear Wel s. oi the. bee e ad acen h Opposite Side el 2?- L ent wall o the pper as tw seated. apertu es 2- and 28 through which proiee ter ed xt nsion or rms .0.3.1 of vanes 1L 2?- Arm 1! ex ernally 0f the hopp are. jgined by a coiled spring 32 to maintain the We vanes. n a. norma po tion with their lower nds n a in ach t e Pref rab y. and as RQWI .1 55a 7, the lower end of vane 2| has 512 1 51 p QifiQfiQIlfi 3. which are adapted to. fit into slots between the spaced projections 34, on the lower end of vane 22 so that normally the lower ends of the two. vanes overlap each other i 5 5 91 11?! i lflxtending between the front, and rear walls of the hopper in the lower portion thereof is a vertical partition 35 for providing two separate coin hannels. channel .36 e d ng to the ca bpx the lower housing 33. of the collector of Fig. 1 and. channel 3] leading to a, refund Opening in the front wall of the lower housing 33. Preferably, partition 35. lies in a vertical plane. which. also, contains. the contacting. edges oi the, two vanes 2t, 22 as. will be seen from Fig. 6. In order that a coin held, by these vanes may be collected, vane 22 should be held stationary and vane 2|. moved downwardly sub= stantially to the position of-Fig. 13 to enable the coin to drop into collect channel 361; while in order that, the, coins may be refunded, vane 2| should be held stationary and vane 22 moved downwardly substantially to. the position shown in Fig. 12, to enable the coin to drop into the refl fld. ch lni el 3.1.
The relay Construction by means of which the twovanes 2|, 2 2;, may be selectively actuated will now be described particularly with reference to Figs, 3, 4, and 5.. The. mechanism tray 40 forming the top. for the lower housing 38 supports not only the coin hopper [8. but in front of the coin hopper Supports the coin relay and associated mechanism. The. bent-up. lugs 4|, 42 from the bottom of; the tray support a plate 43 upon which is mounted a non-magnetic frame structure comprising two vertical members 44,
4 5. joined. at their upper ends by a horizontal F plate 46. Suitably fastened within this framework is; a solenoidal winding 41 surrounding. a magnetic core 4.8 the ends of which project beyond the frame members 44, 45. Pivotally mounted from base. plate 4 3. near the ends of core 48 are two armatures, a refund armature 56 and a collect armature 5|. Plate 46 of the framework extends beyond both ends of coil 47 and armature 50 works in a slot 52 of one of these extensions, the walls of said slots serving as stops to determine the attracted and non-attracted positions of armature 50. Similarly, armature 5| works in a slot {)6 in the other of these plate extensions and the walls of slot 56 serve as stops to determine the attracted and pgn-attracted positions of armature 5|. The
There has just been described the selective manner inwhich armature 50 will be fully actuated when voltage of one polarity is supplied'to winding 41, while armature 5| will be fully actuated for an applied Voltage of the opposite polarity. .It will now be explained how this selective actuation of the two armatures is utilized to collect or refund any coin supported by the two vanes 2|, 22 within coin hopper I8. 1
In order that each lever 8| or 82 may be independently actuated by one of the armatures, it will be noted that lever 8| has a downwardly inclined U-shaped portion 88 embracing a pin 90 on armature extension 9| and similarlylever 82 has a downwardly inclined U-shaped portion 92 embracing a pin 93 on armature extension 94. If we assume an applied voltage to winding 41 of such a polarity as to move bar magnet 68 to a position'releasing armature 50, but not armature 5I, the resulting attraction of armature 5 will cause pin 90 to engage the innerarm of the U-shaped extension '88 to move lever 8| counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3 to an advanced position shown in Fig. 9 whereby lever shoulder 85 is dropped below vane arm extension 84 to unlock vane 22 while the positive movement of vane'22 to its coin discharging position of Fig. 12 is insured by reason of the fact that armature 50 in moving toits fully attracted position causes the horizontal arm 95 of armature 50 to positively engage vane arm 84 andv force vane 22 from its normal position of Fig. 6 to its coin discharging position of Fig. 12. That is, the full actuation of armature 50 not only unlocks vane 22 but after unlocking supplies positive means for forcing vane 22 to a substantially vertical position where vane 22 remain as long as energizing current traverses the relay winding 41. the deposited coin or coins on vanes 2|, 22, will generally be sufiicient to move'the released vane 22 to coin discharging position, so that the coin discharging operation generally begins before arm 95 of armature 50 has engaged vane arm 84. It is, therefore, obvious from Figs. 9 and 12 that any coin or coins held in suspense in the coin hopper I8 will be refunded whenever armature 50 is actuated since the consequent release of vane 22 allows the coins to drop in the refund channel 31 while the fact that vane 2| remains in itsnormal position insures that the entrance to collect channel 36 will remain closed under the assumed conditions illustrated in Fig. 12,
where the position of vane 2| is the same as in Fig. 6. The path taken by a coin when-vane 22 However the weight of is unlocked is shown by the five-cent comes of Fig. 12. V
If, on the other hand, it is assumed that the voltage applied to winding I'I is of the opposite polarity whereby armature 5| but not armature 50 is released for movement to attracted position, armature pin 93 willengage the inner arm of the U-shaped member 92 to move lever 82 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3, to an advanced position corresponding to that shown for lever 8| in'Fig. 9 whereby shoulder 81 is dropped below.
In telephone collectors of the prepay type it is preferable to have the relay winding or windings in circuit with a pair of normally open electrical contacts which are closed upon coin deposit and reopened when the relay is operated due to either collect or refund current. The manner in which these operations are performed by the mecha-. nism of this invention will now be described.
Vertical plate portion 11 has an extension I00 supporting a pivoting pin I0| for the coin trigger 20 whose counterweight I02 normally maintains the trigger in a substantially horizontal position 7 across the throat of the coin hopper I8 as shown in Fig. 7. Another extension of plate portion I 1 supports an electrical spring pile-up comprising a biasing spring I03 and,two electrical. spring contacts I04, I05. Electrical contacts I04, I05
are normally biased to open position as. shown in Fig. 2 but are adapted to be closed upon coin deposit. As shown in Fig. 7 the free end of biasing spring I03 normally engages the side edge of the trigger shoulder I06 toprevent spring I03 from closing the contacts. However, when a coin is deposited the coin operates the trigger from its normal position of Fig. 7 to its operated position of Fig. 8,v thereby dropping shoulder I06 below the end of spring I03 to permit spring|03 to force spring contacts I04, I05 together and against the vertical arm IO'I of a trigger restoring lever I08 which is pivoted on the same pin I0l as the coin trigger. It also may be noted that with the parts in the position of Fig. 8 and before the relay is energized the free end of spring I03 rests on the upper edge of trigger shoulder I06 to temporarily prevent the restoration of trigger 20 by its counterweight I62. Trigger restoring lever I08 has a downwardly extending arm I I0 which normally rests on top of two studs III,II2 carried, respectively, by the two-arma ture. controlled levers 8|, 82. 'Whenever relay winding 41 is energized to rotate either one of the levers 8|, 82 the consequent upward move: ment of either stud I II or I I2 will cause a. counter-clockwise rotation (as. viewed in Fig. 8) of the trigger restoring lever I08 to cause vertical spring pile-up will be maintained aslong as relay winding 4'! is energized. This advanced position 3 of the spring pile-up as shown in'Fig. 11, there-' fore, enables the coin trigger 20 to be restored to itsrnormal position of Fig. 7 due to its counter weight I02, so that the subsequent deenergiza tion of relay winding 41 in lowering the advanced stud II- I or H2 will permit the spring pile-upto assume its normal position of Fig. 3 with the end of spring I03 held by trigger shoulder 106 to allow contacts I04, I05 to reopen.
The operation of applicants mechanism has been described in connection with each component part but it seems advisable to briefly describe the operation in a more chronological manner. A deposited coin upon entering coin hopper I8 operates coin trigger 20 to release spring I03 to close contacts I84, I05 (Fig. 8) to signal the central office by closing a circuit to ground through the winding of relay 41. After actuating coin trigger 20 the coin is held suspended on the two-part coin trap 2|, 22 of Fig. 6. Assuming the desired telephone connection is obtained, thereby requiring the collection of the deposited coin, equipment at the central office supplies collect current to relay winding 41 to rotate permanent magnet 68 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3' to permit armature Eito be fully attracted. Armature 5| in pulling up will rotate lever 82 clockwise to unlock vane 2I- from lever shoulder 81 to permit vane 2| under the coin load to move from its position of Fig. 6 to its position of Fig. 13 to discharge the coin into collect channel 36-. The attraction of armature SI in moving upwardly stud M2 on lever 82, rotates the trigger restoring lever N38- to cause the spring pile-up to be moved as a unit towards the coin hopper from its position of Fig. 8 to its position of Fig. 11, thereby freeing coin trigger 20 from the restraining action of spring I03 to permit the trigger to be restored to normal. Hence, when relay 41 is deenergized all parts are restored to normal as in Fig. 3 with the contacts I04, I05 in open condition.
In the event that it is desired to refund thedepositedcoin, refund current is applied to relay winding 41 with the applied voltage of such polarity that permanent magnet 68 is rotated counter-clockwise to permit armature 50 to be moved to its fully attracted position. Armature 50 in pulling up will rotate lever SI counterclockwise to unlock vane 22 from lever shoulder 85 to permit vane 22 to move from its position of Fig. 6 to its position of Fig. 12 to enable the coin to be discharged into the refund channel 31. The attraction of armature Hill in moving upwardly stud III on lever 8| rotates the trigger restoring lever I98 in the same manner as described above to restore the coin trigger to normal and reopen contacts IE3, IE4.
The above-described mechanism presents several advantages, particularly in giving protec-- tion against attempted fraudulent operationof the collector. Normally, the armature lock II, I2 prevents both armatures 55!, SI from moving to their fully attracted positions and the vanes 21, 22 in the coin hopper are likewise held locked by the vane latches 85, 81. It is a customary condition for telephone coin collector relays of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned Forsberg patent that they should not operate for an applied voltage of 40 volts or less, and in the mechanism of the present invention the armature restoring springs 55 and 60 are designed to prevent the armatures from starting to operate for an applied voltage of 40 volts although permitting operation on a somewhat higher voltage. For example, in one embodiment of this invention where the restoring springs 55 and 60 were tensioned so that the relay would not operate on 41 milliamperes' the relay would operate at 44 milliamperes with any load on the coin vanes 2|, 22 from zero to eleven'nickels, would release on 33 milliamperes in the collect direction and 36 milliamperes in the refund direction. In applicants invention the spread between the operate and release values is kept small because only one armature operates at a time and there always remains the air-gap between the armature and the pole-piece on the other side. This results in less difference in the total reluctance of the magnetic circuit in the normal and operated positions so that there is not as much counteraction to the effect of any change in ampere turns with changes in amplitude of operating current applied to the relay. The difference between the operate and release values is also made less by the use of the two springs H4, H5 (Fig. 4) which are compressed near the end of armature travel, adding to the tension of springs 55, 60 at the very end of the armature stroke when the air-gap is a minimum. It should be noted that preferably small clearances are provided between the armature parts 54, 58 and the armature locking lugs II, I2 so that upon the application of collect or refund current these locking lugs II, l2 which are of non-magnetic material are free to swing to their fully operated position before the flux in either armature is built up sufficiently to overcome the tension of the armature restoring springs.
The biasing spring I3 serves to center the bar magnet 68 when no current is flowing through the coil 41 and also. tends to resist rotation of magnet 68 so that the locking, lugs H, I2 do not get completely out of the way of either armature until the current through coil 41 is greater than the usual talking and signaling current encountered in the field, which is normally less than 15 milliamperes.
It' should be noted that with the armatures in their non-operated positions each vane latch 88, 92 curves around the armature pins 91!, 93 so that each vane latch 88 or 92 cannot move downwardly until its armature has been moved inwardly towards the relay winding. This prevents the coin vanes 2i, 22 from operating due to the. weight of the coins and also prevents either vane latch from being jarred open by any blows on the collector housing. Since each armature is normally prevented from moving by the armature lock II, I2 it is obvious that the vanes H, 22. inthe hopper, the vane latches 8B, 92 and the armatures 50, 5! are all locked up and canr' not be moved until operating current is applied to the relay winding 4! to release the lock for one of the armatures.
Another desirable feature of applicants invention relates to the prevention of fraudulent operation of the electrical spring contacts. As shown in Fig. 8 it is evident that the cam surface of trigger shoulder I56 facing the coin hopper has a rising contour to prevent the trigger 20 from being accidentally jarred down. In the above mechanism there is also little chance that the operating voltage supplied from the central office to relay winding 4! could be for such a duration as to permit the trigger 2-2 to be restored to normal without disposing of the coins in the coin hopper, this being due to the fact that each coin vane is released at the beginning of armature travel, the coin trigger is restored at the end of armature travel and the coin vanes present a steeply inclined supporting surface from which the coins will be discharged quickly.
,While the preferred embodiment of applicants invention has been described above, it is to be understood that alternative arrangements are contemplated commensurate with the scope of the appended claims.
What is claimed is:
1. In a coin collector, a coin hopper, a substantially vertical coin passage in said hopper, a supporting means across said passage for arresting coins deposited in said hopper, said supporting means comprising two oppositely hinged trap doors each normally downwardly inclined from the horizontal with their free ends engaging each other to form a V-shaped coin supporting surface, each of said doors being adapted to be moved downwardly to a coin discharging position more nearly approximating the vertical, means for holding said doors in coin supporting position, a collect chute beneath one of said doors but normally completely closed to coin entrance by said one door when said one door lies in its normal position and the second door is in its coin discharging position, a refund chute beneath the second of said doors but normally completely closed to coin entrance by said second door when said second door lies in its normal position and said first door is in its coin discharging position, and means for opening one of said door to a position discharging deposited coins into the chute beneath the open door while maintaining the other of said doors in its normal position guarding the entrance to the other chute.
2. In a coin collector, a coin hopper, a substantially vertical coin passage in said hopper defined by opposed side walls, a supporting means extending across said passage for arresting coins deposited in said hopper, said supporting means comprising two oppositely hinged trap doors each normally downwardly inclined from the horizontal with their free ends engaging each other to form a V-shaped coin supporting surface, each of said doors being adapted to be moved downwardly independently of the other door to a coin dischargin position more nearly approximating the vertical, spring means for biasing said doors to cause the free ends of said doors to engage each other, means for holding said doors in coin supporting position, a stationary partition in said pas-sage below said supporting means for dividing the passage into a collect channel extending laterally from said partition to-one of said side walls and into a refund channel extending laterally from said partition to the other of said side walls, the upper end of said partition terminating beneath the intersecting axis of said doors a distance suificient to permit each door to swing freely to coin discharging position, one of said doors completely closing the entrance to said collect channel when said first door is in its normal position and the second door is in its coin discharging position, said said second door completely closing the entrance to said refund channel when said second door is in its normal position and said first door is in its coin discharging position, and means for rendering said holding means ineffective for one of said doors and for positively moving said one door to coin discharging position while maintaining the other door in its normal position.
3. In a coin collector, a coin hopper having a main coin receiving passage leading to a collect chute and a refund chute, a pivoted vane which in its normal position completely closes the entrance to said collect chute and in an advanced position opens said collect chute for the reception of a deposited coin, a second pivoted vane adapted to be moved from a normal position to an advanced position, said second vane when in its normal position and with said first vane in its advanced position completely closing the entrance to said refund chute, said second vane in its advanced position opening said refund chute for the reception of a deposited coin, means for holding said vanes in their normal positions, said vanes in their normal positions forming a coin supporting'surface extending across said passage above said chutes, and means for moving one of said vanes to its advanced position While maintaining the other of said van-es substantially in its normal position.
JOHN M. MELICK.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US313329A US2253863A (en) | 1940-01-11 | 1940-01-11 | Coin collector apparatus |
US358063A US2284755A (en) | 1940-01-11 | 1940-09-24 | Coin collector apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US313329A US2253863A (en) | 1940-01-11 | 1940-01-11 | Coin collector apparatus |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US2253863A true US2253863A (en) | 1941-08-26 |
Family
ID=23215295
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US313329A Expired - Lifetime US2253863A (en) | 1940-01-11 | 1940-01-11 | Coin collector apparatus |
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Country | Link |
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US (1) | US2253863A (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2698713A (en) * | 1955-01-04 | Coin hopper for vending machines and the like | ||
US3002602A (en) * | 1955-09-26 | 1961-10-03 | Hubert M Giepen | Vending apparatus |
US3004541A (en) * | 1954-08-10 | 1961-10-17 | Nat Rejectors Gmbh | Change coin delivery mechanism |
US3172522A (en) * | 1954-08-10 | 1965-03-09 | Nat Rejectors Gmbh | Coin separators |
US3207428A (en) * | 1962-08-15 | 1965-09-21 | Coin Acceptors Inc | Escrow cup for coin-operated vending machine and the like |
-
1940
- 1940-01-11 US US313329A patent/US2253863A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2698713A (en) * | 1955-01-04 | Coin hopper for vending machines and the like | ||
US3004541A (en) * | 1954-08-10 | 1961-10-17 | Nat Rejectors Gmbh | Change coin delivery mechanism |
US3172522A (en) * | 1954-08-10 | 1965-03-09 | Nat Rejectors Gmbh | Coin separators |
US3002602A (en) * | 1955-09-26 | 1961-10-03 | Hubert M Giepen | Vending apparatus |
US3207428A (en) * | 1962-08-15 | 1965-09-21 | Coin Acceptors Inc | Escrow cup for coin-operated vending machine and the like |
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