US2292965A - Coin operated electric switch - Google Patents

Description

A118- 111942 F. H. osBoRNE COIN OPERATED ELECTRIC SWITCH 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec) 22, 1959 Aug. 11, 1 942. F. H. osBoRNE COIN OPERATEDELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Dec. 22. 1939 :sheets-sheer :s

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. Patented Aug. 11, 1942 com ornrwrnp ELncrnrc swl'rcn Fred II. Osborne, Snyder, N. Y., assignor to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio,

Aa corporationl Application December zz, 1939, serial No. 310,524

` s claims. This invention relates to a lcoin operated `elec tric switch particularly adapted to the control of automatic musical instruments and the like.-

This application is'a continuation in part oi my prior application Serial No. 301,359, tiled October 26, 1939. A

In apparatus of ,this general type it is common practice to provide an electromagnetically operated register which is actuated one or more times whenever a coin is deposited inV a receiving device, the number of actuations by each coin being determined by the valueI of the coin. Usually in coin receiving units now used for this purpose. a coin drops or rolls by gravity through a restrained path in which it actuates successively a plurality of electric switches or other means for actuating the electromagnetic register. Since the weight of a coin is relatively small, the moving parts used to actuate the switches must be correspondingly light and delicate and as free as possible from friction. The 'force available for making electrical contact is correspondingly small so that contact points must be maintained in perfect condition if positive contact is to be secured. The weight of coins of the same denomination vary greatly with age, so the counterweights or springs used to oppose the action of the coin must be calibrated to respond to the action of coins of different weights. Such calibration is diiiicult to obtain. Switches suiiicient- One object of Vthe present invention is to in,-

crease the energy available tor operating coin controlled electric switches over that available with gravity operation. This is accomplished by providing power means for operating said switches, the operation of said power meansbeing preferably initiated by a manual operation which also delivers the coin to the apparatus. By this means the switch parts maybe made much heavier and more durable, springs or counter-V weights need not be so closely calibrated and positive operation of the desired number of contacts is insured.

Another object of the yinvention is to provide means by which the speed of multiple operations with a single coin may be increased 'and the time spacing 'of multiple contacts may be made uniform. This is accomplished by the use of the power operated means for operating the switches under control of the coins.

Another object of the invention is to prevent cheating by tampering with the power supply. In a switch of this type. power for operating the coin register is most advantageously ysupplied from 'a common attachment plug inserted in the f usual wall socket, and it is desirable that the ly light for gravity operation are subject to vibrations which are Vapt to produce multiple operation where only single operation is desired.A The poor `electrical' conductivity inherent in such switches, on the other hand, may cause complete failure to operate, especially as the age' of the switch increases, moving parts become worn and contact points become fouled. In short, a switch construction adapted for gravity operation is too light to be either durable or positive in operation.

Another diiiiculty encountered with gravity op` erated switches is the excessive4 time consumed in making multiple contacts with a single coin. If a quarter dollar is Ato 'make flve contacts, for example, it is important that all ilvecontacts be completed before another coin can be received.

Otherwise, the rst contact of the second coin may occur simultaneously with one of the contacts of the first coin and the two simultaneous contacts then produce only a singleactuation of the register. In gravity operation, some of the momentum of the coin is lost at each actuation of a switch. *Time must be permitted for this momentum to be regained before another switch power for moving the coin be obtained from the same source. the switch element for an appreciable length of time it is possible to pull the plug during that instant, stop the travel or the coin and then reinsert the plug. Such manipulation would re` sult in registering a false coin value unless means are provided to prevent it. In the present invention, interlocking means are provided preventing operation of the coin register after the tion of the device shown in Fig. 1 illustrating t the parts in more detail. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the opposite side thereof. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-440! Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a detail oithe apparatus. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another detail. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in elevation oi parts shown in Fig. 2 shown in a diierent operating `position. Fig. 8 is a diagram of electrical connections. Fig. 9 is an elevational view with parts in section, showing arrangement of parts by means of which the number of switch actuations for coins of different value is determined. Fig.

Since the coin is in contact with is an elevational view showing an arrangement of parts used when a plurality of coin re'- ceiving devices are used for coins ofrdifferent values.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is illustrated a wall Il which may be the wall of the cabinet of a phonograph or of a wall box remotely positioned from the phonograph or other unit to be controlled by the apparatus. A coin slide II is mounted on the wall I0 and projects outside of said wall for the receipt of coins. Said slide may be of the common commercial form which is pressed inwardly when a coin has been deposited therein and which delivers the coin to a hopper or other reeiver on the innerY side of the wall. In the present case the slide II delivers the coin to a hopper I2 of the coin controlled switch mechanismproper. In the drawings, the slide is placed suiliciently far above said hopper so thatl the usual electing mechanism for eliminating slugs or lcounterfeit coins may, be

inserted therebetween. 'I'his mechanism is omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness since it forms no part of the invention and may kbe of any common commercial form. In the case of apparatus adapted to receive coins of several denominations, one of the slides II is furnished for each denomination and the hopper I2 is pro- I3 to 21 and carries a-bushing 33 secured thereto and in turn carrying a rotor consisting of a series of discs 34 to 40, inclusive, which are held in position on the bushing 33 by means of a nut 4I T'he outlines of the several plates I3 to 21, in-

elusive, lare such as to provide constrained guideways for the coins received from the hopper I2, to guide said coins downwardly into engagement with the rotor, about a portion of the periphery of the rotor and then downwardly therefrom to a discharge point. The plates I9 and 22, the outlines of which are indicated in Fig. 3, provide the path of a 25 piece and guide the same into engagement with rotor plate 35. Plates I1 and 24, shaped respectively like plates I9 and 22, guide the 10 coins into engagement with rotor plate 31. Plates I5 and 26, similarly shaped, guide the 5coin into engagement with rotor plate 35. Plate 2li, the shape of which can also be determined from Fig. 3, forms a partial closure for the 25 path. Plates I1 and I6, shaped substantially like plate 20, provide partial partitions between the 25 path and the 10 path and between the 10 path and the 5 path respectively. Plate 23, aligned with plate I8, projects beyond the surface of plate -22 as seen in Fig. 3 and forms a more complete closure between the 25 and 10, paths. 'Plate.25, shaped like plate 23, performs the same function rbetween the 10 and 5 paths.4 Plates I4 and 21, shaped like plates 20 and 23 respectively, form an outer restraining face for the 5 path. Plate 2| has the same shape as plate 22 since the size of the 25 coin makes it unnecessary to provide other restraining means than plate 20.

The outer diameters of the rotor discs 35, 31 and 33 are such that the coin paths between said discs and the plates I9, I1' and I5 are slightly narrower than the diameters of the coins for which said paths are intended. Said rotor discs vare preferably formed of live rubber adapted to yield suiiiciently to pass the coins through said .Y

paths and to press the coins firmly against the opposing stationary plates. Slippage between the outer edges of the coins and the stationary plates is prevented thereby and the power driven movement of the rotor 'discs hereinafter described imparts a positively driven rolling movement to the coins throughout that part of .their travel in which they are in contact with the rotor.

A switch operating lever 42 is pivotally mounted on a pivot screw 43 secured to the plate 20 and is provided with fingers 44 and 45 inwardly turned and projecting through suitable openings in the plates. A similar switch operating lever 46 is pivotally mounted on the plate 2U by means of a pivot screw 41 and is provided with inturned lingers 48, 49 and 50. The fingers 48, 49 and 50, as bestl seen in Fig. 4,. project into the path of travel .of a 25 piece and thus are engaged by the coin in its travel about the rotor. 'I'he :lnger 45 as shown in Fig. 9 may project through the path Vof the 25 piece and into the path of the 10 piece so that it may be engaged by a coin of either denomination. The finger 44 preferablyprojects through the path of all three coins and is thus engaged by coins of .any of the three denominations. The lever 42 has mounted thereon a roller 52 of insulating material adapted to engage one of the leaves of a switch 53 mounted on plate 20 and suitably insulated therefrom. The lever 46 carries a similar roller 54 engaging one of the leaves of a smiliar switch 55.

The coins received in the several compartments of the hopper I2 are guided thereby into the proper path leading into contact with the rotor discs 35, 31 or 39. The rotor is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 by power means to be described hereinafter. strikes the linger 44, the frictional force exerted thereon by the rotor positively rolls the coin beneath the finger and thus forces the lever 42 outwardly. The roller 52 then engages the switch 53 and momentarily closes the same. In the case of a 25 or a 10 piece the operation is repeated when the coin strikes the finger 45. The position of a 25 piece at the instant of contact with the finger 45 is indicated at 56 in Fig. 3. Similarly,` a 25 piece successively engages the lingers 48, 49 and 50 and produces three additional momentary closures of the switch 55.

In the operation just described, the frictional force exerted on the coin and tending to roll the same beneath the several fingers, exerts a wedging action which forces the fingers outwardly with a much greater force than could be applied by the weight or impact of a coin. The leaves of the switches 53 and 55 may therefore be made much stiier than with gravity-operated switches and the moving parts may be correspondingly heavier and more durable. The increased stiffness of the leaves prevents vibration tendencies and reduces arcing at the contact tips, thus prolonging the life of said tips.

As the coin` The speed of operation A projecting lever 1|.

The switches 58 ,and 58y are preferably connected in parallel in the circuit of the usual coin recording device vand provide the usual successive actuations. thereof. The recording device may be of a well known commercial form and forms no part of the present invention. For

that reason it is not shown in the drawings nor described in dtail.

The power mechanism for operating the rotor shaft 82 is shown in Figs. 2 and'4 and includes an electricl motor 51 having a rotor shaft 58 which is journaled in side plates 58 and 80 secured to the plate I8 by suitable fastenings. The plates 58 and 80 serve as journals for the rot-ar shaft 82 and the latter is driven by the thus permits the switch 11 to be closed to start the motor. The action of the member 88 is only'momentary so thepin 14. is immediately permitted to reenter the` guideway `88. The

movement of the pin 14 travelling vin the guide-l wayV 88 as the disc 81 rotates, returns the lever 1| to its initial position. ,'At the end of the re-` turn movement the lever strikes the block 18,

opens switch 11 and stops the motor. The rotor thus makes several revolutions each time a coin motor shaft 58 through a train of gears 8|, 82,

. 88, 84, 85 and 88.` The shaft 82 projects to the pin 10. The lever 1| carries at its upper end.

a pin 14 engaging the spiral guideway 88. The

spring 12 normally holds the lever 1| flushV against the face of the bracket 88 in which position the-pin 14 engages the guidew'ay 88. The

lever 1I may, however, be pressed backwardly against the pressure of the spring 12 to disengage the pin 14 from the guideway.4 sionspring 15 secured to the lever 1| and to an anchorage 18 normally urges the lever 1| in the counterclockwise direction, referring to Fig. 2. An electric switch 11 is mounted on the plate 58 and suitably insulated therefrom and is conis received in one'of the slides and is stopped at the end of a predetermined time after such Y receipt unless another coin is previously deposited.' During the operation of the rotor the coin engages the same and is forced by the movement of the rotor to operate the appropriate switches 58 and 55, as previously described. The time of operation of the rotor is determined by 'the pitch of the spiral guideway 88 and is made suiliciently long for thel coin to pass through any slug ejector' which may be used between the slide Il and hopper I2 and to complete its travel around the rotor and past the switches. If a second coin is received before 'a previous coin completes its operation, the mechanism operates to'return the pin 14 to its inner position immediately and to start its outward travel again from that position. Thus ample time is provided for the complete travel of the last of several A tencoins without interfering with the operation of coins previously received.

In orderto prevent cheating by manipulation of the power supply the apparatus now to be described is provided. A bracket |00 is secured to nected in series' with the windings 18 of the.

motor 51. One of the leaves of said switch carries an insulation piece.18 engageable by the lever 1|.

The coin receiving slide is provided with a pin 80 adapted to engage a lever 8| as the slide is pressedinwardly to ydeliver a coin to the hopper I2. The lever 8| is mounted on a horizontal shaft 82 which is journaled on suitable bearings. If more than 4one of the slides are used, a corresponding pin 80 is mounted on each and a corresponding lever 8l, is placed on the shaft 82 (see Fig. 10). cam 08 engageable with the upper end of a, rod 84 slidably mounted in bearings 85 and 88.- A compression spring 81 abutting against a washer 88 held in place by a pin 88 on the rod 84 normally urges said rod upwardly. The lower endscribed, the lever 1| is in engagement with the a block 18. The switch 11 is open and the motor 51 is idle. Upon the deposit of a coin the slide I| isy pressed' inwardly,.the pin 80 engages the The shaft 82 carries a the plate 58. A lever I0|.` the shape of which is best seen in Fig. 6, is pivotally mounted on said bracketlby means of a vertical pivot screw |02. 'Ihe lever l0| has an armature portion |03 extending into the space between the motor winding 18 and the pole -pieces |04 of the motor. When said pole pieces arer magnetized in the operation of the motor, the `armature |08 is at- 'posite side of said lever and adapted to engage tracted toward said pole pieces and the lever 0l -is moved about the pivot screw |02. A lever |05 s a leaf switch ||0 which is mounted on and suitpin 8| and the cam 88 forces the rod 84 downway 88. -The spring 15 vthen draws the lever 1| inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the spring 12 to free the pin 14 from the guide-V ably insulated from the plate 58. The inner face of the disc '81 is provided with a plurality of grooves arranged tangentially to a circle of slightly less than half the diameter of the disc 81 and engageable by the nger |08 onthe lever |85.

Referring now to the wiring diagram Fig. 8, power for operating the device may be supplied through an attachment plug ||2 having power lines ||8 and ||4 attached thereto and insertable in the usual wall receptacle` not shown. `The switch 11 and motorwinding 18 are connected in series across the power lines and the motor, therefore, is operated whenever switch 11 is closed. The switch l|0 is connected between power line H8 and `the parallel connected switches 58 and 54, the opposite terminals of which are connected to a magnet coil ||5 representing the coin register unit to be operated by the invention. The opposite terminal of said magnet is connected to power line ||4. If it is desired to operate the motor 18 or magnet ||5 on other than the 110 volts usually available, a suitable transformer may be included in the circuit in the usual manner.

In the operation of the portion of the appara.- tus just described, the mechanical parts are held in the position shown in Fig. 'I by the spring |01 as long as the motor is not in operation. In this position the finger |08 is located in rear of the disc 61 and is held out of contact with said disc. When a coin is received and the motor is energized, the armature |03 is attracted to the pole pieces |04 to rock levers |0| and |05 about pivot screws |02 and bring said finger into engagement with the rotating disc 61. T he finger |08 enters one of the grooves and is forced downwardly thereby, carrying the lever |05 about pivot screw |06 in opposition to spring |01. At the end of this downward movement the pin |09 has engaged and closed switch l| and the finger |08 rides on the outer edge of disc 61, and continues to ride in that position as long as the motor operates. The time required for closure of Iswitch H0 is much less than that required for the coin to reach the finger 44 so that the circuit for the coil is in readiness for the operation of switch 53.

If the plug ||2 is pulled while a coin is in engagement with one of the switch operating fingers, the motor is immediately deenergized and spring |01 returns the parts to the position of Fig. '7 in which switch ||0 is open. When the plug ||2 is reinserted in its socket, no circuit can be completed for the magnet ||5 even though one of the switches 53 or 54 is closed. The pitch of the grooves is so chosen that switch ||0 can not again be closed until the motor has.

moved the coin to clear the switch operating finger and reopen the corresponding switch 53 or 54. The time delay in operation of switch ||0 thus provided after the power supply has been reestablished makes cheating by manipulation of the power supply impossible. Other forms of time delay mechanisms are well known and may be employed for the purpose.

The foregoing specification describes the invention in one of its preferred forms, the details of which may be variedvwithout departing from v the scope of th'e invention as defined by the appended claims. l

The invention claimed is:

l. In a coin controlled switch mechanism, a rotary member having a resilient outer face, guide means concentric with said rotary member and spaced therefrom to form an arcuate coin path with said rotary member, said path being slightly narrower than the diameter of a coin and the resilient face of said rotary member engaging an edge of said coin and yieldingly holding the same with its opposite edge pressed against said guide means, power means for rotating said rotary member to roll said coin through said path, and a switch operating member engageable by the coin in said rolling movement.

2. In a coin controlled switch mechanism, a rotary member, guide means constraining a coin to follow an arcuate path about said rotary member and with an edge of said coin in contact therewith, a motor for rotating said rotary member to roll a coin through said path, a switch operating member engageable by said coin in its rolling movement, a member having a spiral guidewayrotatable with said rotary member, a

follower engaging said guideway and movable by manually controlled means for moving said follower from said normal position to engage said guideway, a motor circuit, and a limit switch Aasguideway.

3. In a coin controlled switchunit for operating a coin registry device, a coin register circuit adapted to operate said registry unit e'ach time current flow is established in said circuit, a coin operated switch in said circuit, motor operated means for moving a coin into and out of operative relation with said coin operated switch, a motor and motor circuit for operating said means, power lines supplying power for said register circuit and said motor circuit, a second switch controlling current fiow in said register circuit, switch operating mechanism for said second switch movable by said motor from an initial position to a final position and operating said second switch to permit current flow in said register circuit in said nal position only, and means controlled by current fiow in said motor circuit adapted to return said mechanism to initial position each time current iiow in said motor circuit ceases, the time required for said motor to move said mechanism from initial to final position being'suiiicient for said motor to move a coin which may have been in operative relation to said coin operated switch out of such relation,

whereby cheating by opening and closing said power lines while a coin is in operative relation to said coin operated switch is prevented.

4. In a coin controlled switch mechanism, an nular rotatable member, an arcuate wall member concentric with said annular member and forming with said annular member a guide slot, one of said members being resilient and a switch operating member extending into said guide slot through said arcuate wall, said guide slot being of a width slightly less than the diameter of a coin of predetermined denomination, whereby said coin will be caused to roll throughout its travel in said guide slot while in engagement with both said wall and said annular member.

5. In a coin. controlled switch mechanism, a rotary member, guide means constraining a coin to follow an arcuate path about said rotary member and with an edge of said coin in contact therewith, a motor for rotating said rotary member to roll a coin through said path, a switch operating member engageable by said coin in its rolling movement, manual means for starting said motor, a limit switch in the circuit of said motor, and means operable upon a predetermined number of revolutions of said rotary member to open-said limit switch.

6. In a coin controlled switch mechanism, a rotary member, a guide arranged adjacent to said member and concentric therewith to constrain a coin to follow an arcuate path about said rotary member with an edge of said coin in contact therewith, a motor for rotating said rotary member, a switch operating member in the path of said coin, manual means for starting said motor, a limit switch in the circuit of said motor, a lever adapted to open said limit switch, and means operable upon a predetermined number of revolutions of said rotary member for moving said arm to switch opening position.

FRED H. OSBORNE.

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