US2511907A - Coin-controlled movable trap cham - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1950 J. P. FLEM Y 2,511,907

COIN CONTROLLED MOVABLE TRAP CHAMBER WITHIN SUPPLY CHAMBER FOR MEASURING AND DISPENSING LIQUIDS Filed April 22, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/G.i. z M f June 20 E95@ J. P. FLEM 2511,90?

COIN CONTROLLED MOVABLE TRAP CHAMBER WITHIN SUPPLY CHAMBER FOR MEASURING AND DISPENSING LIQUIDS Filed April 22, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 63 M) FIG. 4.

swam Wu JAMES .2 FL EM,

l atenteci june 20,

UNITED STATES PATENT omce COIN-CONTROLLED MOVABLE TRAP oIiAM- BER. WITHIN SUPPLY CHAMBER FOR MEASURING AND DISPENSING LIQUIDS This invention relates to improvements in coin controlled liquid dispensing devices and more particularly to devices for dispensing liquid such as fuel for cigarette lighters. The device is not limited however to the dispensing of any particular liquid and may be used for dispensing any type of liquid as may be desired without in an way exceeding the scope of the invention.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a coin controlled liquid dispensing device which is attractive in appearance and simple and economical to manufacture, which is coin controlled in a manner to dispense only a predetermined quantity of liquid for each coin inserted therein, which is operative to dispense liquid i therefrom by gravity flow rather than by pump action so that the rate of flow of liquid from the device can be manually controlled, which is positive and uniform in operation, and which does not require frequent servicing or repair while in use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a liquid dispensing device illustrative of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of one of the disks of the coin controlled mechanism; and,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an intermediate disk of the coin controlled mechanism.

With continued reference to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 2, the device comprises, in general, an outer receptacle or casing I0, a liquid tank I I seated in the casing Ill, a metering device I2 disposed in the tank, a tap or spigot I3 leading from the metering device to the exterior of the casing in the front face thereof, and a coin controlled mechanism I4 mounted on the front face of the casing I and operatively connected with the metering device I2.

Continuing the description in greater detail,

the casing or receptacle I0 comprises a hollow.

body, preferably of rectangular cross sectional shape, having four vertical walls including a front wall 5, a rear wall I5 and associated side walls. The upper end of the casing is open while the bottom end rests upon a base portion l I having a flat bottom wall I8 and downwardly inclined front and side walls. The base I! may be formed integrally with the casing or may be provided as a separate component in which case it preferably includes an upstanding flange around the upper edges thereof which receives the lower edges of the casing walls and accurately positions the casing walls relative to the base. The rear wall It of the casin is preferably made shorter than the front wall to expose the upper portion of the liquid containing tank II and the side walls have their top edges faired between the front. wall and the rear wall.

The liquid containing tank I I fits into the rearward portion of the casing and rests at its bottom upon the base I Ileaving a space between the frontwall of the tank and the front wall of the casing. The upper end wall of the tank is provided with a flanged filler opening I9 closed by a screw threaded plu and has an upwardly extending open top portion 2| positioned above the highest level of the liquid in the tank.

The metering device I2 comprises a cylinder 22 whichis vertically disposed and has a base plate portion 23 positioned against the inner surface of the front wall 24 of the tank. This cylinder is secured in position by having the end of the tubular stem portion 25 of the spigot. I3 threaded into an aperture in the base plate 23.

; This stem portion 25 extends through the front wall 22 i of the tank, across the space between the tank and the front wall of the casing,

through the front wall I5 of the casing where it device is in the inoperative position shown, the

bottom piston 23 is positiond adjacent to or resting, upon the bottom end wall 32 of the cylinder and the upper piston is positioned so that its top edge is slightly below an aperture 33 provided in the cylinder wall near the top end of the cylinder.

When thehollow shaft 29 is raised to its upper limiting position thepiston 3|] will be positioned so that its lower edge is slightly above the aperture 33 and the piston 30 overlies. the inner end of the tubular stem 25 of the spigot I3. Under .these conditions liquid in the tank II may flow .through the aperture 30 to fill the space between the pistons 30 and 3|, any air trapped in this space escaping through an aperture 34 in the tubular shaft 29 just below the piston 30 and 3 upwardly through the tubular shaft to an exit aperture 35 positioned near the top end of the shaft.

When the shaft is returned from its uppermost to its lowermost position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the liquid trapped between the two pistons 30 and 3| may then flow out of the cylinder through the spigot l3 the rate of flow being controlled by the manual valve 28. A spring biased check valve 36 i operatively associated with an aperture provided in the bottom wall 32 of the cylinder so that any fluid trapped between the lower piston 3| and the end wall of the cylinder may flow out of the cylinder through this check valve and will not interfere with the operation of the metering device. As the liquid is withdrawn from the 'c'ylinder through the spigot I3 air replacing the fluid withdrawn may fiow through the upper aperture 35 in the tubular shaft 29 downwardly through the shaft and out of the lower aperture 34 into the upper end of the space within the cylinder between the'pistons 3i and-3| thus avoiding any vacuum lock of the fluid in the metering device.

A lever 31 extends through an aperture 38 in the upper end portion of the tank front wall 24 and is fulcrumed intermediate its length on a pivot 39 secured to the front wall at one side of the aperture 38. The inner end of this lever is pivotally connected at 40 to the upper end of the tubular shaft 29 and the outer end is pivotally connected at 4| to the upper end of a link 42 the lower end of which is connected to the pin of a crank 43 positioned in the space between the tank front Wall 24 and the casing front wall and formed on the end of a shaft 44 which extends through an aperture 45 in the front wall of the casing.

A coiled tension spring 46 -is connected at its lower end to the link 42 and at its upper end to the tank front wall 24 adjacent the aperture 38 and imposes a resilient upwardly directed force on'the link 42 which tends to resiliently urge the tubular shaft 29 downwardly to move thepistons 30 and 3| to their lower-limiting position, as illust'rated in Fig. 3.

A disk 4'! having a peripheral flange 48 and a central aperture is secured to the casing front wall |'5 so that the shaft 44 extendsthrough the aperture in the disk and an outer or front disk "49 having a peripheral flange 5D and a central aperture is secured in position so that the flange 50 abuts the edge of the flange 48 and the shaft 44 extends through the central aperture of the disk '49. These outer and inner disksare secured together and to the front wall 15 of the casing by noncircular central aperture by means of which the disk is fixed 'upon the squared or non-circular intermediate portionof the shaft 44. A handle or turning bar 53 is secured upon'the outer end of the shaft beyond the disk 52 in a, manner "such that the shaft 44 may be manually rotated "by this handle or turning bar.

The intermediate disk 52 is provided in one "edge portion thereof with a coin receiving notch or recess 54 and the outer disk 49 is provided with an aperture 55 through which a coin may be inserted into the coin receiving recess in the intermediate disk.

A spring finger 56 is secured to the inner surface of the back plate 41 in a manner 'such that closed by the lower valve 33 at this time.

its free end enters the coin slot in the intermediate disk and locks the intermediate disk against rotation except when a coin is carried in the slot. When a coin is disposed in the coin receiving slot of the intermediate disk this spring finger or dog member is held out of engagement with the intermediate disk and the handle 53 can then be turned to rotate the shaft 44 and crank 43.

A second spring finger or detent 51 carried by the rear disk engages at its free end a circular series of ratchet teeth 58 provided on one face of the intermediate disk surrounding the central aperture therein so that the intermediate disk cannot be rotated backwardly but once a coin has been inserted and rotation of the handle 53 initiated the handle must be turned through a complete revolution before the metering device becomes operative, and cannot be reversed in direction to cause the metering device to deliver more than one measure of liquid for each coin inserted.

The rear or back disk 41 is provided in the lower edge portion thereof with a coin discharging notch or recess 59 which registers with an aperture E30 provided in the front wall of the casing.

A 'spring'finger 6| carried by the front disk is so positioned that when a coin is brought by the intermediate disk into registry with the recess 59 in the rear disk this finger will press the coin out of the intermediate disk and through the recess 59 and aperture 60 so that'it will fall into the space between the casing front wall and the tank front wall. -A-coin receiving drawer 62 is provided in the base I! and underlies'the space between the front walls of the casing and tank so that the coins will fall into this drawer and may be removed from the apparatus by an authorized person having a key to the drawer lock 63.

The-outwardly projecting portion 2| of the tank and the adjacent portion of the casing is closed by a top cover plate or cap 64 which provides-a neat and ornamental closure for the upper end of the device-and retards the escape of fluid from the tank by evaporation.

The operation of the device 'is believed to be clearly apparent from the drawings and the above' description. When it is desired to withdraw liquid from the device a coin, of small dimensions in the case 'of cigarette lighter fuel, is inserted through the aperture 55 into the coin receiving recess 54 in the intermediate disk 52. The handle 53 is then rotated, turning the crank 43. The first half revolution of the handle moves the link 42 downwardly thereby raising the tubular-shaft 29 and the two spaced pistons St and 3| to a position such that liquid will flow from the tank through the aperture 33 in the cylinder 22 into the space within the cylinder between the two pistons, theinner ends of the spigot It being Continued rotation of the handle '53 through the remaining'hali revolution will return the pistons 30 and 3| to their lower position, as "illustrated in Fig. 2, in which position of the pistons the liquid in the metering device may flow out through the spigot I 3 when the valve 28 is open, the rate of flow of fluid from the metering device being controlled by operation of the valve 28.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquid dispensing device, a, casing, a liquid-containing tank supported in said casing, a conduit leading from the interior of said tank to the exterior of said casing, a valve in said conduit exteriorly of said casing for manually controlling the discharge of liquid through said conduit, a metering device operatively connected to said tank and said conduit for controlling the entry of liquid from said tank into said conduit, and manually-operated means carried by said casing and operatively connected with said metering device for actuating the latter, said metering device comprising a vertically-disposed cylinder connected near its lower end with said conduit and having near its upper end an aperture connecting the interior of said cylinder with the interior of said tank, a tubular rod extending from above the level of liquid in said tank into said cylinder, and a pair of spaced-apart pistons mounted on said rod for reciprocation in said cylinder between two operative positions in one of which the lower piston closes said conduit and the upper piston is positioned above said aperture for filling the space in said cylinder between said pistons from the interior of said tank and in the other of which the upper piston closes said aperture and the lower piston is disposed below said conduit for gravitational flow of the liquid content of said space through said conduit, said tubular rod having an aperture therein above the liquid in said tank and an aperture therein between 2. In a liquid dispensing device, a casing, a liquid-containing tank supported in said casing, a conduit leading from the interior of said tank to the exterior of said casing, a valve in said conduit exteriorly of said casing for manually controlling the discharge of liquid through said conduit, a metering device operatively connected to said tank and said conduit for controlling the entry of liquid from said tank into said conduit, and manually-operative means carried by said casing and operatively connected with said metering device for actuating the latter, said manuallyoperative means comprising a shaft extending through and rotatably mounted in the wall of said casing, a handle on the outer end and a crank on the inner end of said shaft, a lever pivoted intermediate its length in the wall of said tank above said shaft, a link connecting the outer end of said lever with said crank, and a rod connecting the inner end of said lever with said metering device to actuate the latter upon manual rotation of said shaft.

JAMES P. FLEM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 65,897 Fickett et a1 June 18, 1867 934,634 Terrell Sept. 21, 1909 1,645,475 Cohen Oct. 11, 1927 1,651,731 Schatz Dec. 6, 1927 1,653,460 Henderson Dec. 20, 1927 1,725,497 Webber Aug. 20, 1929 2,039,624 Bigelow May 5,1936 2,069,673 Lima Feb. 2, 1937 2,101,020 Coleman Dec. 7, 1937

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