US2629438A

US2629438A - Parking meter

Info

Publication number: US2629438A
Application number: US231370A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles H Martin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-06-13
Filing date: 1951-06-13
Publication date: 1953-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1970-02-24

Description

Feb. 24, 1953 c, H. MARTIN 2,629,438

PARKING METER Filed June 15, 1951 Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in parking meters.

. .The principal objects ,of the invention are directed to the provision of .parking meter apparatus which is adapted for timing the parking of vehicles in adjacent parking areas and is accomplished by a meter having dual timing means on opposite sides which means are visible to enforcement authorities from either side of the apparatus.

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 are front elevational and plan views of timing means embodying the novel features of the invention; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are front and side elevational views showing the housing for the timing means.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

The timing means of the parking meter i has a clock mechanism represented by 2 which will be of any well known form that is wound up periodically for continuous operation. The mechanism may be arranged for say eight day operation.

A shaft represents the output of the clock mechanism which may be arranged to rotate the shaft through one revolution during a predetermined period of time. For instance, the shaft i may rotate through one revolution in three hours.

Plates 5 are secured. to the clock mechanism on opposite sides thereof by spacers and said plates carry peripheral flanges t.

Circular inner discs iii preferablyformed from transparent material are secured in some suitable manner to outer faces of the plates 6.

Hubs i2 arecarried by shafts and have vanes 14 fixed thereto which extend radially therefrom.

Outer discs it are secured to outer ends of the hubs it. and outer radial edges of thevanes 14 so as to rotate therewith. Said discs 15 will be 2 formed from transparent material. The hub, vanes and outer disc [6 form a coin carrier or rotor, so that there are similar rotors on opposite sides of the clock mechanism.

For purposes of description it will be assumed that the shaft 4 is rotated continuously in a counter-clockwise direction.

The hubs l2 frictionally engage the shafts 4 so that said hubs i2, vanes l4 and outer discs l6 are rotated thereby, but therotors may be moved relative to the shaft as will appear,

The flanges 8 are provided with entrance slots 29 for coins and should a coin inserted in a slot 28 engage an outer edge of one of the vanes, ;pressure on the end of the vane by the coin will move the rotor up or down, it being frictionally engaged with shaft 4, so that thecoin may enter between adjacent vanes l4.

The discs Ill carry division lines 22 and indicia which, as shown, are 0, "12, 24, 36, 48 and 60.

With a coin between adjacent vanes and the rotor being rotated counter-clockwise, the elapsed time or the parking time expires when the upper one or leading vane IA of adjacent vanes arrives at a line 22.

As an example, the parking time for a coin of certain denomination may be sixty minutes so that with a coin between vanes 14 and [4", the parking time expires when the leading vane l4 arrives at the line 22for numeral 60.

The discs .6 may have any arrangement of, lines desired as well as any desired time designations and the vanes may be arranged in any desired manner, all depending onregulations controlling the parking time with reference to the rent therefor.

As the rotors are continuously rotated, the coins between adjacent vanes thereof arrive at a coin discharge Slot 24 in the lower portion of the flanges 8 through which they are discharged.

The mechanism described is supported in a housing 26 which is provided with a removable plate 28. .Said plate 28 and an opposite side of the housing are provided with windows 30 through which the sid s 91' faces of the mechanism is visible.

h p a e 26 i movable f m he ho s ng for access to the clockmechanism for removal of coins in the housing as well as for winding the time mechanism. Lock means indicated by 32 looks the plate in place on the housing.

11 51 5 3 in a sid o t hous ng coinide with the slots 29 of the m cha sm 91' E a l an .2 o t a ins m y be in e ted etween adjacent vanes of the rotors and the housing may take any desired form and be supported by a post or the like located between adjacent parking areas so that parking at either side of the parking meter may be timed.

The vanes of the rotors and indicia of the members I may be arranged so that various periods of elapsed time may be indicated with reference to a coin in the pockets formed by the vanes of the rotors.

Instructions may be applied to spaces or plates 3! on opposite faces of the housing.

The discs l0 and the discs 16 being transparent as they are, the position of coins in the pockets of either rotor will be visible through the windows of the housing from either side thereof so that looking at either window it is possible to determine whether a vehicle in either parking space is overparked.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Parking meter apparatus having dual time indicating means on opposite sides which are visible from said sides comprising in combination, clock mechanism and inner vertically disposed plates secured to opposite sides thereof, said clock mechanism having a rotatable shaft provided with end portions extending on a horizontal axis from opposite sides thereof through said inner plates, inner transparent discs adjacent and secured to said inner plates, rotors outwardly of said inner discs each including secured together hubs frictionally engaging said end portions of said shafts and outer transparent discs on outer ends of said hubs and circumferentially spaced radially extending vanes, said rotors cooperating with said inner discs to provide a series of coin pockets, and upper portions of said inner discs provided with time designations, upper edges of said plates being disposed below the planes of upper edges of said inner and outer discs whereby said time designations are exposed to view from opposite sides of the apparatus.

2. Parking meter apparatus having dual time indicating means on opposite sides which are visible from said sides comprising in combination, clock mechanism and inner vertically disposed plates secured to opposite sides thereof, said clock mechanism having a rotatable shaft provided with end portions extending on a horizontal axis from opposite sides thereof through said inner plates, inner transparent discs adjacent and secured to said inner plates, rotors outwardly of said inner discs each including secured together hubs frictionally engaging said end portions of said shafts and outer transparent discs on outer ends of said hubs and circumferentially spaced radially extendin vanes, said rotors cooperating with said inner discs to provide a series of coin pockets, and upper portions of said inner discs provided with time designations, upper edges of said plates being disposed below the planes of upper edges of said inner and outer discs whereby said time designations are exposed to view from opposite sides of the apparatus, said plates provided with flanges extending outwardly around said inner and outer discs closing outer ends of said coin pockets below upper edges thereof, said flanges having circumferentially spaced coin receiving and discharge openings therethrough.

3. Parking meter apparatus having dual time indicating means on opposite sides which are visible from said sides comprising in combination, clock mechanism and inner vertically disposed plates secured to opposite sides thereof, said clock mechanism having a rotatable shaft provided with end portions extending on a horizontal axis from opposite sides thereof through said inner plates, inner transparent discs adjacent and secured to said inner plates, rotors outwardly of said inner discs each including secured together hubs frictionally engaging said end portions of said shafts and outer transparent discs on outer ends of said hubs and circumferentially spaced radially extending vanes, said rotors cooperating with said inner discs to provide a series of coin pockets, and upper portions of said inner discs provided with time designations, upper edges of said plates being disposed below the planes of upper edges of said inner and outer discs whereby said time designations are exposed to view from opposite sides of the apparatus, said plates provided. with flanges extending outwardly around said inner and outer discs closing outer ends of said coin pockets below upper edges thereof, said flanges having circumferentially spaced coin receiving and discharge openings therethrough, and a casing supporting and enclosing said apparatus having transparent Willdows on opposite sides thereof in register with said discs.

4. Parking meter apparatus having time indicating means on opposite sides thereof, clock mechanism having inner vertically disposed plate members secured to opposite sides thereof and time indications circumferentially spaced on outer sides thereof, said clock mechanism including a rotatable shaft disposed on a horizontal axis and having end extensions extending outwardly from opposite sides thereof and through and outwardly of said plate members, rotors on said end extensions outwardly of said plate members including hubs frictionally engaging said shaft extensions carrying outer transparent discs on outer sides of said vanes and circumferentially spaced vanes extending radially from said hubs cooperating with said discs to provide circumferentially spaced coin pockets, and flange means relative to which the peripheries of said discs and outer ends of said vanes are rotatable closing the spaces between certain of said vanes and being provided with coin slots for insertion of coins between said vanes.

5. Parking meter apparatus having time indicating means on opposite sides thereof, clock mechanism having inner vertically disposed plate members secured to opposite sides thereof and time indications circumferentially spaced on outer sides thereof, said clock mechanism including a rotatable shaft disposed on a horizontal axis and having end extensions extending outwardly from opposite sides thereof and through and outwardly of said plate members, rotors on said end extensions outwardly of said plate members including hubs frictionally engaging said shaft extensions carrying outer transparent discs on outer sides of said vanes and circumferentially spaced vanes extending radially from said hubs cooperating with said discs to provide circumferentially spaced coin pockets, and flange means relative to which REFERENCES CITED the peripheries of Said discs and Outer ends 0f The following references are of record in the said vanes are rotatable closing the spaces befile f this t;

tween certainof said vanes and being provided with coin slots for insertion of coins between 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS said vanes; and a casing supporting and closing Number Name Date said apparatus having transparent windows on 2,065,075 Johns Dec. 22, 1936 opposite sides in register with said outer discs. 2,173,326 Bauie Sept. 19, 1939 2,323,402 Jones July 6, 1943 CHARLES H. MARTIN. 10 2,369,717 Compton Feb. 20, 1945