US2364544A - Coin actuated mechanism for prepayment mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 5, 1944. P. Moos 2,364,544

COIN ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR PREPAYMENT MECHANISMS Filed Aug. 18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N EYS.

' 1 ENTdR:

W I wa Dec. 5, 1944. p, Moos 2,364,544

com ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR PREPAYMENT MECHANISMS "Filed Aug. 18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ////A LI- l z\\\\\\\\ Mmmmw JNVENTOR: PAUL MOOS ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1944 COIN ACTUATED MECHANISM FOR PBEPAYMENT MECHANISM Paul Moos, Neugasse, Zug, Switzerland,assignor to Landis & Gyr, A-G zug, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application August 18, 1941, Serial No. 407,284 In Switzerland August 20, 1940 4. Claims. ol. 194 72) The invention relates to coin actuated mechanism for prepayment meters, especially to electricity meters, gas meters etc., for dispensing varied amounts of electricity, gas or other commodities.

Two different kinds of such mechanisms are known. The coin actuated mechanism of one type is operated by a motor switched on automatically by the insertion of a coin in the mechanism. In the coin actuating mechanism of the other type a manually operated-member, for instance a lever, a knob or the like is used to perform at least part of the working function of the coin controlled mechanism.

The mechanisms of both types have drawbacks. They are expensive in manufacture, they occupy much space, and if manually operated can only be set with considerable exertion on the part of the operator.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved coin actuated mechanism of the second named type, adapted to be operated manually.

It isa further object of the present invention to provide a novel construction of prepayment mechanism, which is free from the drawbacks mentioned above and whereby the mechanism may be set with great ease on the part of the operator, who has one motion only to perform after inserting a coin.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which is inexpensive of manufacture. The invention also comprises many features which will be apparent from the following description and which are detailed-more specifically in the accompanying claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the prepayment mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the frame thereof and looking toward the drum casing.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

On a shaft I rotatably mounted in a frame I partially shown in the drawings, a knob 2 is suitably fixed. A ratchet wheel 3 is keyed on the shaft l, with whicha'pawl 4 mounted on a coin chute 4| hereinafter described, is inv engagement, allowing the shaft I to be turned in a clockwise direction only, as indicated by an arrow on the face of knob 2. A bevel gear 5 is able or rocker member If).

and to thereby open the switch ll.

loosely mounted on the shaft l and is connected to the ratchet wheel 3 by a coupling and motor or energy storing coiled spring 6 which encircles said shaft I. when the gear 5 is held from rotation or retarded in its rotation to wind up the spring 6 for an energy storing action, and is operative when the gear 5 is free to rotate to transmit motion thereto through the spring. On the ratchet wheel 3 is an arm 7 which projects through a segmental slot 8 in the bevel gear 5 and provides a stopand motion transmitting connection between the ratchet wheel and bevel gear. The angular displacement of the gears 3 and 5 is limited by the length of the slot 8. A cam 9 is loosely mounted on the shaft I which is actuable by an oscillat- The member I U is mounted on an eccentric ll keyed to shaft l and is held in normal position by one end of a torsional spring l2, the other end of which is fastened to the shaft l. Two stops i3, I4 are provided to limit the rocking movements of the member ID, a blade spring l0 attached to said member Ill being provided to engage the stops l3, [4 at the limits of the reverse movements of said member. The cam 9 is engageable with a roller 15 one slide I i, which controls the switch I! of the prepayment meter, to lift said slide to allow theswitch to close. A spring l8 attached at one end to said slide it and at its other end to the frame l tends to draw the slide l6 downwardly The slide l 6 is provided with a nose IS with which a detent 28 cooperates, said detent being rigidly fixed on a shaft forming part of the metering mechanism of the prepayment meter andbeing suitably controlled thereby. This detent is operated at the end of a dispensing operation to release the slide 16, whereupon the spring l8 depresses the slide Hi to open the switch ll.

The bevel gear 5 projects through a slot 2! of a camplate 22 rigidly fixed to the frame l The bevel gear 5 engages the gear 23 keyed to a shaft 25 journaled in a casing l which may be fastened to or form a complemental part of the frame l A coin drum 24 fixed on said shaft 25 and rotatable in-said casing is provided with two slides 26, 21 movable in guideways 25, 21 therein. The slide 26 is normally horizontally arranged and movable transversely of the drum and its guideway communicates at its outer end with a coin insertion slot 25 This slide is retractable after each operation by a spring 26 and is formed in its lower edge with two notches 28, 29 of different depths. Near its upper edge The ratchet wheel 3 is operativethe slide 26 carries a stop pin 36 normally arranged to bear against the underside of. a fixed stop bar 3| on the casing I The slide 21 is arranged at right angles to the slide 26 and is normally movable vertically in its guideway and it is provided with two arcuate rows of gear pins or teeth 32, 33 arranged at different distances from the shaft or axis 25 of the drum, and which are adapted by adjustments of the slide to two different working positions to be so disposed that, on a rotary movement of the drum, the pins of row 32 or successively the pins of rows 32, 33 may be brought into engagement with a pinion 34 of the metering mechanism of the meter. The pinion 34 forms part of or drives a control device which sets or adjusts the meter for the desired dispensing action according to the value of the prepayment coin, and this device may include an indicator dial 35 fastened to the frame and a hand 36 movable over the dial, said dial and hand serving to. indicate the amount of the commodity to be dispensed in return for the deposited coin. The slide 21 is provided at its base with two oppositely projecting arms 31, 38. The arm 31 normally engages a cam surface I on the circumference of the cam member or plate 22, while the arm 38 engages the lower edge of the slide 28 and is adapted through movements of said slide 26 to engage either of the notches 28, 29. The slide 21 is normally held in a depressed position by the engagement of the arms 31 and 38 with the cam surface of plate 22 and lower edge of slide 26 and a spring 21 mounted on the casing is provided to lift said slide 21 when it is free for such movement. The drum 24 is provided with a toothed rim 24' with which meshes a pinion carried by a shaft 40' journaled in casing I which shaft also carries a disk 39 of lead or other weighty material. The drum rotates in a. counterclockwise direction only and is adapted to have a full rotation in its casing during the first half of which the coin, inserted into the slot 26 under pressure to force the slide 26 inwardly to initiate a dispensing action, is held between the outer end edge of the slide and periphery of the casing and is carried around by the drum until it is brought into registry with a coin discharge slot 4| in the casing through which it passes outwardly into the chute and thence into a coin collection box 42. During this part of the rotation of the drum the pinion 34 is operated to set the meter for action to dispense the amount of current paid for by the coin. During the remainder or second half of rotation of the drum the prepayment mechanism is reset for a succeeding dispensing operation, as hereinafter described.

The coin mechanism shown in the drawings is constructed for use with two coins of preselected values and of different diameters. The insertion of a coin of lesser diameter into slot 26* will force the slide 26 inwardly to bring the notch 29 into registry with arm 38 to allow the arm to seat in said notch and the slide 21 to be moved upwardly, when arm 31 is freed by the cam 22, to bring the row of teeth into position to engage the pinion 34. The insertion of the coin of larger diameter into slot 26*- will force the slide 26 inwardly to a greater extent so as to bring the notch 28 into registry with arm 38 to allow the arm to seat in said notch and the slide 21, when freed by the cam 22, to be moved upwardly to a greater extent to bring the two rows of teeth 32, 33 into position to successively engage the pinion 34. The slide 26 is thus a selector slide which controls the extent of movement or setting of slide 21, which is an actuating slide or mutilated gear element which communicates motion to the meter control gear 34. The slide 21 is movable upwardly to the aforesaid actuating positions by the spring 21- after slide 26 has been moved to a selective setting position and after the arm 31 has been moved out of engagement with the cam 22 on a predetermined portion of the first half of revolution of drum 24. Pin 30 by engagement with stop 3| holds the drum from rotation by spring 6 until a selective movement of the slide 26 has been completed and pin 3|! has moved inwardly beyond and cleared stop 3|. The pinion 34 is rotated a lesser or greater number of times according to whether it is actuated by the pins 32 only or by the pins 32, 33 successively, to adjust the meter for dispensing a lesser or greater amount of the commodity, the amount being shown by the indicator 35, 36.

The construction and operation of the elements shown to set the dispensing device for dispensing a predetermined amount of current, to wit, the drum 24, slides 26, 21 and controller 34, as well as the switch operating elements 9 to 20, are well known per se in prepayment mechanism and are not specifically or generically claimed herein except in combination with other novel parts with which they cooperate. Such elements may be of the general construction shown in my copending applications, Serial Number 401,836 and 448,561, or of any other suitable construction.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

Assuming the parts as shown in Fig. 1 to be in position for a prepayment setting of the dispensing device for operation to dispense a predetermined amount of the commodity, it is to be understood that spring 6 has been wound up or energized for action to rotate the drum 24 and therewith the slides 26 and 21 upon the release of the drum for rotation, the drum being locked from rotation by engagement of pin 3|) with bar 3| and.the slide 21 being held in its normal position and against upward movement by engagement of arms 31 and 38, respectively, with the cam 22 and the slide 26. In this position of the parts the arm 1 is at the right hand end of slot 8 in the gear 5 so that gear 5, which is held from rotation by gear 23 fixed to shaft 25 which is fixed to the drum, will be free to rotate and transmit rotary motion through gear 23 to the drum when the drum is released for rotation. When a coin of the smaller diameter is inserted into slot 26 and pushed inwardly, the slide 26 will be moved inwardly thereby to bring notch 29 into registry with arm 38 so that when arm 31 is disengaged from cam 22 the slide 21 will be moved upward to seat the arm 38 in the notch 29 and lock the slides 26 and 21 together and bring pins 32 into position to engage gear pinion 34. The inward movement of slide 26 to the position above described causes movement of locking pin 30 inwardly out of engagement with bar 3|, whereby the drum 24 is unlocked or freed for rotation by the unwinding action of spring 6 which transmits motion through gears 5 and 23 to impart a half rotation in a counterclockwise direction to the drum 24. On a slight movement of the drum from normal position in its direction of rotation the cam surface of cam member 22 passes beyond the arm 31. allowing slide 21 to be moved upward by its spring 21 to seat the arm 38 in the notch 29 and bring the pins 32 into position to engage thegear pinion 34 as the drum rotates, whereby the meter controller is actuated to set or adjust the meter to dispense the amount of the commodity for which payment has been made by the deposited coin. The same operation occurs when a coin of the larger denomination is inserted in slot 26 and pushed inward to impart motion to the slide 26, except that the slide is moved inward to a greater extent and so as to bring notch 28 into registry with the arm 38, which adapts the slide 21 to be moved upward to a greater degree by its spring 2'! when released by the cam 22, such movement of slide 21 bringing the pins 33 as well as the pins 32 into position to engage the gear pinion 34, the sets of pins operating successively on the pinion as the drum is rotated to set or adjust the meter to dispense a greater amount of the commodity for which payment is made by the coin of greater denomination.

The proportion of spring 6 is such that on its expansive reaction it will impart a quarter turn to gear in a clockwise direction, during which, through gear 23, the drum will be turned a half revolution in a counterclockwise direction, the

force of the spring in overcoming the resistance of the drum and friction of the moving parts being spent when the drum has made a complete half revolution. In such movement of gear 5 the position or angular relation of the arm I and gear 5 will be shifted so that the arm 1 will be disposed at the left hand end of slot 8. The parts when so arranged at the end of a prepayment meter setting are adapted by actuation of knob 2 and shaft l to be moved to rewind or reenergize the spring and to reset or return the drum and coacting parts to the normal position shown in Fig. 1. In this rewinding and resetting action knob 2 is turned to rotate shaft l to the right and as arm I is free to move in slot 8 from the left hand end to the right hand end thereof, and as gear 5 will be retarded in rota tion by the resistance of the drum and parts carried thereby during such travel of the arm I in the slot, which will occur on a quarter revolution of the shaft, the spring will be rewound for an energy storing action and the drum partly turned on the second half of its revolution back to normal position. When this movement is completed and the arm 1 reaches the right hand end of the slot, the shaft i will be coupled by the arm to the gear 5 for directly transmitting motion thereto, and thereupon by continued rotation of the shaft gear 5 will be directly rotated therewith to rotate gear 23 and turn the drum throughout the remainder of its second half of revolution back to normal position, during which arm 31 engages cam 22 so as to retract slide 21 and release slide 26 for retraction by its spring 26", whereupon the parts will again assume the working relationship shown in Fig. 1, ready for a repetition of the above described operation of the meter controlling device when a coin is again inserted in slot 23 detent 20 to lock the slide against switch opening movement. When the amount of current paid for has been passed by the meter the meter mechanism will retract the detent and allow slide 16 to be actuated by its spring It to close the switch. If, however, the switch should be closed and the slide be held in an elevated position at a time when the drum is set into operation by the deposit of a coin, owing to the fact that the current paid for on a previous operation has not been fully consumed, the switch will not be interferred with by the working operation of the parts, but will remain closed until the total amount of current paid for by both operations has been consumed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construction and mode of operation of my improved prepayment mechanism will be readily understood without a further and extended description, and it will be seen that it provides a mechanism of this character which is simple of construction and in operation and which comprises a comparatively small number of working parts of a character not liable to get out of order. While the construction disclosed is preferred, it is to be understood that changes in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

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

1. In a coin controlled prepayment mechanism of the character described, a control device movable i'or variable control actions, a rotary drum, a coin operated selector slide, an actuator slide adapted to beset by coin controlled movements of the selector slide for variably operating the control device and movable by the drum for a control action on said control device, locking means for locking the drum and actuator slide from movement and releasing them for movement on the actuation of the setting slide, an energy storing device adapted to be energized for the storage of mechanical energy when the drum is locked from movement for the utilization of such energy to operate the drum when released for movement by the inserted coin, manually operable means including a rotary shaft for energizing the energy storing device after each operating action thereof and resetting the drum and slides for a succeeding operation, a power control switch, a slide governing the opening and closing movements of the switch, and rocker means actuated by the shaft for controlling said slide.

2. In a coin controlled prepayment mechanism of the character described, a control device movable for variable control actions, a rotary drum, a coin operated selector slide, an actuator slide adapted to be set by coin controlled movements of the selector slide for variably operating the control device and movable by the drum for a control action on said control device,

- locking means for locking the drum and actuator slide from movement and releasing them for movement on the actuation of the setting slide, an energy storing device adapted to be energized for the storage of mechanical energy when the drum is locked from movement for the utilization of such energy to operate the drum when released for movement by the inserted coin, manually operable means including a rotary shaft for energizing the energy storing device after each operating action thereof and resetting the drum and slides for a succeeding action, a power control switch, a switch controlling slide movable in one direction to open the switch and hold it open and in the opposite direction to allow the switch to close, a cam loose on the shaft for controlling said slide and means operated by the shaft to rock the cam to cause it to move the slide to switch opening position and to thereafter release the slide to permit the switch to close.

3. In a coin controlled prepayment mechanism of the character described, a control device movable for variable control actions, a rotary drum, a coin operated selector slide, an actuator slide adapted to be set by coin controlled movements of the selector slide for variably operating the control device and movable by the drum for a control action on said control device, locking means for locking the drum and actuator slide from movement and releasing them for movement on the actuation of the setting slide, an energy storing device adapted to be energized for the storage of mechanical energy when the drum is locked for movement for the utilization of such energy to operate the drum when released for movement by the inserted coin, manually operable means including a rotary shaft for energizing the energy storing device after each operating action thereof and resetting the drum and slides for a succeeding action, a power con trol switch, a switch control slide for normally holding the switch open and movable in one direction to open the switch and in the opposite direction to permit the switch to close, a cam loose on the shaft and rockable thereon to move the slide to switch opening position and thereafter release it to permit closing movement of the switch, a rocker member for actuating the cam, and an eccentric on the shaft for actuating the rocker member.

4. In a coin controlled prepayment mechanism of the character described, a control device movable for variable control actions, a rotary drum, a coin operated selector slide, an actuator slide adapted to be set by coin controlled movements of the selector slide for variably operating the control device and movable by the drum for a control action on said control device, locking means for locking the drum and actuator slide from movement and releasing them for movement on the actuation of the setting slide, an energy storing device adapted to be energized for the storage of mechanical energy when the drum is locked from movement for the utilization of such energy to operate the drum when released for movement by the inserted coin, manually operable means including a rotary shaft for energizing the energy storing device after each operating action thereof and resetting the drum and slides for a succeeding action, a power control switch, a switch controlling slide movable in opposite directions to effect closing and opening movements of the switch, a cam loose on the shaft for controlling the movements of the switch controlling slide, a rocker member operable by the shaft for rocking the cam to efiect opening and closing movements of the switch, and means for limiting the movements of the rocker member.

PAUL MOOS.

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