US2345291A

US2345291A - Ticket counting machine

Info

Publication number: US2345291A
Application number: US422063A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rose Jay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-12-08
Filing date: 1941-12-08
Publication date: 1944-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 1961-03-28

Description

March 28, 1944. J. ROSE TICKET couNTrNG MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 6. 1936 ATTORNEY alle: um

Patented Mar'. 28, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 109,426, November 6, 1936.

This application December 8, 1941, Serial No. 422,063

(Cl. 23S-98) Claims.

My invention relates to ticket counting machines and has particular reference to machines -for registering admission tickets in theaters and similar establishments.

This is a substitute application for my application Serial No. 109,426, filed November 6, 1936.

The object of my invention is to provide a ticket counting machine having a plurality of rolls for propelling tickets or strips of tickets from a receiving chute into a container, operating at the same time a canceling device by the `movement of a ticket or strip of tickets between the rolls.

Another object of my invention is to provide a ticket counting machine with a mechanical device operated by moving tickets, the device being adapted to register only normal or fullsized tickets, being inoperative for shortened tickets, for instance, when they are torn in two pieces.

Another object of my invention is to provide a ticket counting machine with a plurality of canceling and propelling rolls for tickets and strips of tickets, the rolls being staggered, one set operating on the edge portions of the tickets, the other on their middle portions. In a preferred arrangement I use middle canceling rolls operating on the middle portions of the tickets, and propelling rolls engaging the edge portions. Mechanical elements, actuating a registering device, are supported between the rolls acting on the edge portions.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a ticket counting machine with a registering attachment adapted to register strip tickets by the holes or openings separating successive tickets.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a ticket registering machine which cancels tickets by cutting off their marginal sides, thereby rendering it impossible to send such canceled tickets again through the machine.

My invention is more fully described in the yac'companying specification and drawing, in

1which:

Fig. 6 is a detail view of cutting rollers.

My ticket counting machine consists of a hous ing I with a fixed cover 2 and a hinged cover 3 on hinges 4 with a lock 5. The hinged coverl has apertures or chutes 6 for tickets or ticket strips l; also pockets 8 for cards 9 indicating the value of tickets for which the particular adjacent chute is being used. A door I is provided at the rear side of the housing, the front side having a window II for an electric lamp I2.

A bracket I3 is supported inside the housing on its side walls by screws I4. The bracket supports ticket canceling units, each unit consisting of side brackets or plates I5 connected together by studs IS with spacing tubes il. A guiding block I8 for the tickets is supported between the brackets I5 and consists of two metal plates `joined together and forming a channel 20 inside for the tickets. The upper end of the channel is flared out to facilitate the entrance of tickets from the chutes 6.

The brackets I5 have apertures I9 for bearings 2l and 22, the apertures on one side of the unit extending to the edges of the brackets Where flanges 23 are formed. Inserts 24 are placed in these slotted apertures for retaining and adjusting the bearings 2I. The inserts have anges 25 secured to the flanges 23 by screws 26, permitting to adjust the position of the inserts and the bearings. Shafts 2l are journaled in the bearings for rolls 28 and 2S spaced so as to engage the edge portions of the tickets passing through the channel Z in the unit. Slots 3U are provided in the block E3 for the rolls. The upper and the lower pairs of the rolls are connected by pairs of gears 3l and 32. mounted on the ends on the shafts 2l, with a driving gear 32'. The latter is in mesh with the gears 3l and 32 on one side of the brackets and is mount# ed on a shaft 33 journaled in bearings 3G tted in the brackets i5. The shaft 33 extends across all the units. simultaneously driving all the gears. It has a sprocket 31 on the end connected by a chain 38 with a sprocket 39 on the shaft of an electric motor 40 mounted on a bracket 'li.

Intermediate rolls

42 and 43 of a relatively smaller diameter are mounted on shafts i4 midway between tlie upper and lower main rolls. The roll 42 has sharp teeth 45 in mesh with corresponding holes in the roll 43 for canceling the tickets by punching holes through their middle portion. The roll 43 has a gear 46 in mesh with the driv` ing gear 32. The distance between the upper and lower main rolls approximately corresponds to the length of the tickets. Chutes or spouts' '5I pivoted at 62.

further on its way through the slot 2B.

41 are supported under the channels 20 for guiding tickets into individual containers 48 for each kind of tickets. The containers can be removed through the rear of the housing by opening the door I0.

Brackets 49 are mounted on one side of the block I8 and are provided with forked ends or clevices for pins 5i! on which are pivoted crank levers 5I and 52. The block I8 has slots 53 for the inner ends of the levers. These ends are shaped in the form of sharp feelers reaching into shallow depressions 54 in the opposite side of the block I3, and are adapted to be deected by the edge of the ticket 1.

The end 'I0 of the upper feeler is made lwide so as to cover holes 55 separating tickets in the strips, so that this feeler becomes deflected only by the edge of a ticket. The lower feeler is sharp-pointed and can fall into the holes 55 as shown in Fig. 4. The outer ends of the levers 5I and 52 are pivotally connected with the ends of a crossbar 56, the middle point of which is pivoted at 51 to one end of a rod 58 sliding in a bearing 35. The other end of the rod has an elongated slot 59 for a pin 60 on a crank lever The end of the arm of the lever 6I has a contact point B3 opposite a point 64, forming a switch, connected with the lamp I 2. The other arm of the lever 6| is pivotally connected with a rod G5, the other end of which is connected with an operating arm 66 of an ordinary counter 51. The numbers on the face of the counter are exposed through a window in the xed cover 2 alongside the numbers of an electrically operated counter E8 connected with the ticket issuing machine (not shown) in the box oilice. Y

The operation of my apparatus is as follows:

A ticket or strip of tickets 1. is deposited for canceling into a corresponding chute 6. The motor 40 running continuously, the upper rolls 2 8 engage the lower end of the ticket and begin to pull it through the channel 25, the latter being made to suit the particular width and thickness of the tickets. The lower edge of the ticket engages the upper feeler 10 and deflects it as shown in Fig. 4. The other end of the lever 5| moves the upper end of the crossbar 55 through the link 69. The rod 58 is accordingly moved outward. The slot 5e is so arranged that in this position of the rod 58 the rear end of the slot VJ'eeler 15, the holes 55 having no eectonthe feeler.

The ticket then becomes engaged by the

central canceling rolls

42 and 43, which punch a series of holes through the central portion ofthe ticket, at the same time propelling the ticket The intermediate rolls enable, therefore, short tickets or their halves to be pulled through the device, if such shortened tickets happened to be thrown into the chute ii. The lower end of the ticket is then engaged by the lower rolls 29 and almost immediately come in contact with the lower feeler 1 I, deflecting the lever 52. The latter, through its link 69, pushes the lower end of the crossbar 56, thereby pushing the rod 58. The slotted end register the ticket. Distance between the feelers 10 and 1I is somewhat smaller than the length of an ordinary ticket, so that only full length tickets can be registered, as both feelers must be deflected in order to actuate the lever 6I. Short tickets will be pulled through but will not be registered. Each ticket in a strip will be registered whenever the lower feeler 1l falls into the hole 55 separating the successive tickets.

In a modiiied arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the canceling is eiected by

lower rolls

12 and 13. These rolls have sharp-cutting edges spaced preferably nearer the centerline of the tickets than the upper rolls. The lower rolls cut oi the side vmarginal portions of the tickets, and such mutilated narrow tickets cannot be drawn in by the upper rolls if an attempt be made to send such of the latter was already engaging thenpin 50,

-so that now it will move the lever 6I, closing the

Aswitch contacts

63 and 64 for flashing the lamp I2 and pulling the rod 65, thereby turning the between the pair of the upper rolls 28.

It is understood that my ticket counting machine may be further modified without' departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A ticket counting machine comprisinga; guide for tickets, means to pull the tickets through .the guide, a counter for the tickets having an operating arm adapted to be reciprocated vfor operating the counter, two levers rotatively supported at the guide spaced from each other having inner and `outer arms, inner arms of the levers forming feelers extending into the guide and adapted tobe deflected by the edge of a ticket moving through the guide, the feelers extending at an obtuse angle to the face of the ticket, thereby obtaining a relatively long travel of the point of feeler for a relatively small thickness of the ticket, a cross bar pivotally connected with outer arms of the levers, and operative members extending from a pivot'at the middle point of the cross bar to the operating arm, the cross bar arm being adapted to be rotated by the levers about its middle pivot, and being adapted to transmit motion to the arm Vfrom the levers only when both feelers are deflected by ya ticket of a standard length.

2. A ticket counting machine comprising 'a guide for tickets, means to pull the tickets, and strips of tickets, through the guide, a counter for the tickets havingT an operating arm adapted to be reciprocated for operating the counter, two levers rotatively supported at the guide spaced from each other, having inner and outer arms, the inner arms forming feelers extending from the levers into the guide and adapted to be de- 'ected by the edge of a ticket moving through the guide, the eelers extending at an obtuse angle to the face of the ticket, thereby obtaining a relatively long travel of the point of feeler for a 'relatively small thickness of the ticket, a bar movably supported in the machine, operative connections between one end of the movable bar-and the cperating'arm, a cross bar pivotally connected at the middle to the movable bar, and pivotal connections between the ends of the cross bar and the outer arms of the levers, the cross bar being adapted to be rotated about its pivot when one ofthe levers is rotated, and being adapted to move the movable bar for operating the counter when both levers are rotated, the feelers being so lspaced as to operate the counter only when `the ticket of standard length is being pulled through the guide. 3. A ,ticket counting machine comprisingv a `guide for tickets, means to pull the tickets, and

strips of tickets, through the guide, a counter for the tickets havin-g an operating arm adapted to be reciprocated for operating the counter, two levers rotatively supported at the guide spaced from each other, having inner and outer arms, the inner arms forming feelers extending from the levers into the guide and adapted to be deflected by the edge of a ticket moving through the guide, the feelers extending at an obtuse angle to the face of the ticket, thereby obtaining a relatively long travel of the point of feeler for a relatively small thickness of the ticket, a bar movably supported in the machine, operating connections between one end-of the movable bar and the operating arm, a cross bar pivotally .connected at the middle to the other end of the movable bar, and pivotal connections between the ends of the cross bar and outer arms of the levers, the cross bar being adapted to be rotated about its pivot when one of the levers is rotated, and being adapted to move the movable bar for operating the counter when both levers are rotated, one of the feelers having a small end for entering holes between consecutive tickets in a strip, the other feeler having a large end for straddling the hole, thereby preventing registering of a shortened ticket at the end of the strip.

4. A ticket counting machine comprising a guide for tickets, means to pull the tickets, and strips of tickets, through the guide, a counter for the tickets having an operating arm adapted to be reciprocated for operating the counter, two levers rotatively supported at the guide spaced from each other, having inner and outer arms, the inner arms forming feelers extending from the levers into the guide and adapted to be deflected by the edge of a ticket moving through the guide, the feelkers extending at an obtuse angle to the face of the ticket, thereby obtaining a relatively long travel of the point of feeler for a relatively small thickness of the ticket, a bar movably supported in the machine operating connections between one end of the bar and the operating arm, a cross bar pivotally connected at the middle to the movable bar, and pivotal connections between the ends of the cross bar and outer arms of the levers, the cross bar being adapted to be rotated about its pivot when one of the levers is rotated, and being adapted to move the sliding bar for operating the counter when both levers are rotated, the feelers being so spaced as to operate the counter only when the ticket of standard length is being pulled through the guide, the lower feeler having a small end for entering holes between consecutive tickets in a strip, the upper feeler having a large end for straddling the hole, thereby preventing registering of a shortened ticket at the end of the strip.

5. A ticket counting machine comprising a guide for tickets, means to pull the tickets, and strips of tickets through the guide, a counter for the tickets having an operating arm adapted to be reciprocated for operating the counter, two levers rotatively supported at the guide spaced from each other, having inner and outer arms, the inner arms forming feelers extending from the levers into the guide and adapted to be deflected by the edge of a ticket moving through the guide, the feelers extending at an obtuse angle to the face of the ticket, thereby obtaining a relatively long travel point of feeler for a relatively small thickness of the ticket, one of the feelers having a small end for entering holes between consecutive tickets in a strip, the other feeler having a wide end passing over the holes, but sliding ot the end of the ticket, the feelers being so spaced as to prevent registering a shortened ticket at the end of the strip, and means to transmit mechanical movement from the levers to the counter when both arms are rotated.

JAY ROSE.