US2646153A - Vending machine mechanism - Google Patents

Description

y 21, 1953 s. L. SCHLANGER VENDING MACHINE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 25, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

y 1, 1953 s. L. SCHLANGER VENDING MACHINE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 25, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Filed Dec. 23, 1948 Patented July 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE MECHANISM Samuel L. Schlanger, Brooklyn, N. Y.

1 Application December 23, 1948, Serial No. 66,909

2 Claims.

This invention relates to coin mechanisms and relates more particularly to a novel vending machine structure wherein articles of varying prices may be vended from time to time, the change from an article of one price to that of another being quickly and easily reformed by a service man. I

One important object of the invention is to provide a structurally and functionally improved mechanism of this character arranged for actuation by single or plural coins and wherein operation by fewer than the mechanism is set for is a virtual impossibility.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved coin slide release wherein pins of varying lengths, depending upon the number of coins required, are quickly and securely mounted in a latch type of coin slide release, the uppermost coin being arranged to contact the pin to release the slide for travel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel change return means whereby single or plural coins are returned and again means are provided for making a quick changeover from a single coin to plural coins for change purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement for altering the effective length of travel of the article delivering means so that less movement is employed for a small article than a larger one.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view ofa coin mechanism embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken sideelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the mechanism and particularly of the coin platform.

Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation of the forward section of the mechanism.

Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 4 but shows a different position of the parts.

Fig. 6 is a broken vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1. I V

i Fig. 7 is a broken elevation partly in section of the latch for the coin slide.

Fig. 8 is similar to Fig. '7 but shows a different position of the parts.

Fig. 9 is a broken top plan view of this latch.

Fig. 10 is a broken vertical section taken on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is similar to Fig.1'0 but shows a different position of the parts.

Fig. 12 is a broken longitudinal section taken on line I 2-l2 of Fig. 1.

2 Fig. 13 is a broken transverse section taken on line 13-43 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 14 is similar to Fig. 12 but shows a different position of the parts.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the block forming a base support for the coins in the change coin assembly.

The operating parts of the mechanism of the present invention are mounted on an elongated, horizontal frame Ill which is provided with a front wall H, a side wall I2, and a rear wall [3. The unit may be readily inserted in a housin (not shown) which encloses the articles to be vended, such housing usually being arranged to be supported onthe floor. A main slide 14 is mounted for longitudinal, reciprocating movement by means of plural rollers l5. These rollers are journaled on bearing pins l6 which are supported by frame l0, and are provided with an-. nular slots 2|] in the sidewalls thereof which receive the edges 2 I of the slide.

Rearward movement of the slide is effected by means of a handle (not shown) mounted at the forward end 'of a shaft 22 projecting through front wall I I and connected to the forward end of the slide. It is returned to forward position by means of an inverted U shaped spring 24 secured at 25 to rear wall [3. The opposite end of the spring projects through an opening in frame Ill and contacts the rear edge 30 of the slide.

When the coin slide 14 is released as hereinafter described for rearward movement the articles are delivered, the specific article delivering means forming no part of the present invention.

If the article is relatively small a short stroke of the article delivering arm is sufiicient, whereas for a larger article a longer stroke is required.

This article delivering mechanism may include a post 3| of non-circular cross section which is journalled for rotative movement in lower frame member ID at 32. Suitable bearing means not shown) may also be provided for the upper end of post 3|. A finger 33 projects laterally from the post adjacent its lower end. The slide is provided with spaced vertical posts 35 and 36 which support a horizontal bracket 40 in spaced relation to such slide. Bracket 49 is provided with a plurality of vertical, closely spaced or interconnecting apertures 4l, each one of which is arranged to receive a pin 42 which, when the slide is moved rearwardly engages finger 33 and thus rotates the post 3| through an arc.

Suitable article delivering means such as an arm provided with a hook-like element (not shown) may be associated with the upper end of post 3 i the arm being arranged for free gravitational downward movement on the post so that as the articles are delivered one by one, the arm moves progressively downwardly on post at. After the slide has been moved rearwardly, thus rotating post 3i, the post is returned to starting position by post 36 engaging finger 33 carried by the post. Pin 42 is shown as being disposed in the aperture 4! furthest to the right when viewed as in Fig. l, which provides the maximum swing of post 3| and the article delivering arm carried thereby. Conversely, if pin 42 is positioned in the furthest aperture to the left, there is some travel of the coin slide before the pin contacts finger 33, thus making for a shorter swing of the article delivering arm. In order to insure smooth delivery of the articles, it is desirable that finger 33 does not travel rearwardly substantially in ad- Vance of pin 42 such as might be the case if the coin slide is given too vigorous a push- Thus, in order to prevent finger 33 from travelling in advance of pin 42, a bracket. 44 mounted at 45 on pin 33 is arranged to contact the upper end of pin 42 on its forward face, the rearward face of the bracket being generally parallel with finger 33, The distance between bracket 44 and finger 33 is such as to allow some free movement.

In a mechanism of this character it is desirable to insure full rearward movement of the coin slide before it commences return movement under the influence of spring 24. To insure this full travel, one edge of the coin slide is provided with plural ratchet teeth 46 which engage. a pivoted pawl 41 which is urged in a counter-clockwise direction by means of a spring (not shown).

Coins deposited in a coin slot (not shown) first pass through a slug reiector which forms no part of the present invention and may be of conventional construction. The slug rejector carries an arm 52 which is pivoted adjacent its forward end within the rejector housing and having a downwardly projecting V shaped section 53 and. a horizontal terminal section 54. A -U shaped bracket is mounted on the upper surface of the coin slide, one of the legs 55 of the bracket carrying a pivoted roller 56 at its upper end which is engaged by the V shaped section 53 on arm 52. A spring finger 6,0 carried by the V shaped section 53 also engages, the roller and aids in returning arm 52 upwardly on the return stroke.

After the coins have been inserted and the coin slide is released for rearward travel, such rearward travel also causes downward movement of arm 52 due to the camming action between the V shaped section and the roller. This downward movement of arm 52 opens, the slug rejector so that if additional coins are for any rea son inserted in the mechanism during such rearward travel they will be returned to the depositor.

After all of the articles have been vended it is also desirable to return any additional coins to the customer and this is accomplished by the means shown in Fig. 6. The articles to be vended are arranged in superimposed relationship on a platform 62, one of the articles being shown in broken lines at 63. This lowermost article rests upon one arm 64 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 65 at frame Ill. The opposite arm 66 of the bell crank lever is of greater weight than arm 64 and thus when the last article has been vended. the arm rotates in a clockwise direction and a hook-shaped upper terminal 19 of arm 66 engages terminal section 54 of arm 52 and holds the then downwardly positioned arm in such downward position pending restocking of the vending machine. Thus the slug rejector is held open and all coins are returned to the customer.

The mechanism for causing release of the coin slide upon the deposit of a predetermined number of coins will now be described. Rearward travel of the coin slide is normally prevented by means of a hook-shaped latch H which is pivotally mounted at 12 and which contacts an abutment 13 carried by the coin slide. This abutment is normally spaced a short distance from the latch, as shown in Fig. 10, to permit limited rearward travel when no coins have been inserted. Downward movement of the latch is limited by a laterally extending pin 51 which contacts a raised portion, not shown, on the coin slide i4. Acoin receptacle Hi is arranged to receive plural coins in superimposed relationship. The lower most coin rests upon a plate 15 which is hinged on the frame in at 16 and which is urged upwardly by means of spring TI.

Coins passing through the slug rejector move down a diagonally inclined plate 83 having an opening 8! therein to permit the coins to pass into the coin receptacle [4. A finger 82 associated with plate guides the coins into the coin receptacle. Since finger 82 is fixed, coin receptacle i4 is formed with a forwardly extending narrow slot 68 in which finger 82 rides during rearward travel of the coin slide. This slot also extends rearwardly of the coin receptacle as shown at 69.

The lower end of a pin 83 is arranged to be contactedby the uppermost coin, such pin being associated with latch H. A number of pins 83 of varying length are provided and are readily inserted in the latch H and removed therefrom. Thus, if the mechanism is to be operated by three coins, the pin 83 is of such length that the uppermost coin 84 is on a plane slightly above the lower end of pin 83, as shown in Fig. 10. If, for instance, only two coins have been inserted in the machine, the coin slide can be nevertheless moved rearwardly to a point wherein abutment 13 contacts latch H where it is arrested. If, however, three coins have been inserted the uppermost coin 84 contacts pin 83 before abutment 73 reaches latch H and thus causes pin 83 and the latch to rotate through an are sumciently to enable abutment 13 to clear latch 'H, as shown in Fig. 11.

Adjacent its pivoted point latch 'H is provided with an aperture 85 which receives pin 83. Means for securing the pin within the aperture comprise a channel member or keeper 86 pivotally mounted on the latch at 81. The channel member is provided with a generally oval-shaped opening through which the pin is arranged to pass. The pin is formed with a head 92 and with a collar 9| which is spaced from the head and which limits downward movement of the pin in aperture 85. Opening 90 is wide enough to permit entry of collar 9| when the pin passes downwardly through the center of such opening. To insert the pin in latch 7|, channel member 88 is first rotated in a counter-clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 7 in which position opening 90 is aligned with opening 85. The pin is now inserted in aperture 8.5 and after it reaches the position of Fig. 7, it is further moved downwardly to the position of Fig. 8, thus rotating channel member 86 through a short arc.

ber through which the pin passes moves to the left during such arcuate travel and the right hand terminal 89 of the opening, overlies collar 9I as shown in Fig. 9. The opposite end of the channel member is provided with inwardly bent spring fingers '93 which engage the upper edge of the latch at 94 to lock the channel member in the position "shown in Fig, 8. As the coin slide it is moved rearwardly the coins travel over the upper surface of horizontal plate 15 and when they move rearwardly of this plate they fall through an opening 88 in frame I into a coin hopper (not shown).

If the article to be vended bears a purchase price of four coins and the customer inserts a lesser number'and finds that he does not have the remaining coins, he could secure the return of the inserted coins by lever 95 which is arranged to be actuated by means of a plunger 96 extending through the front wall of the housing, such plunger being secured to an angular extension 99 of the lever. Movement of the lever is guided by means of a pin 91 passing through a slot 98 in the lever. The other end of the lever is pivotally connected at IOI to a plate I02 rigidly carried by coin platform '15. Thus when plunger 96 is depressed, the coin platform is moved downwardly as shown in Fig. and the coins drop into a return slot (not shown), returning them to the customer. In order to prevent downward movement of the coin platform during rearward movement of the coin slide such platform is provided with an extension I03 which is engaged by a channel I04 carried by the coin slide. The rear terminal of the channel is spaced closely adjacent the extension I03 as shown in Fig. 3 prior to the starting of rearward movement of the coin slide and thus after movement has commenced the coin platform is locked against downward movement.

In the event that the article is to be vended for an amount less than a predetermined number of coins, the following change return means may be employed. The coins I09 for the change are disposed within a tube H0, the lower end of the tube having a frame II I provided with an opening which receives an insertable block H2 forming a base member of bifurcated construction and provided with spaced legs H3. The lowermost coin H0 rests upon these legs and a coin pusher H5 is arranged to pass in the channel I00 between the legs. The upper surfaces .of legs II 3 are of stepped construction, raised portion I I6 contacting lower wall II I of frame III. The number of coins to be returned as change determine the difference in altitude between legs H3 and raised portion I I 6. If only one coin is to be returned as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the lowermost coin'l09 only is removed from the lower" end of the stack as pusher H5 movesforwardly. If two coins are to be returned the upper surface of legs H3 is cut away to permit two coins to be exposed to the action of the pusher. It will be appreciated that a number of blocks I I2 will be provided, each arranged to return a different'number of change coins.

Block H2 is retained in the slot at the lower end of the coin tube by a spring I2I. The upper surface of pusher H5 is downwardly inclined fromits forward edge as shown at I22 in order to allow this surface to ride over the lower coin as it moves rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 12. Pusher H5 is guided in its movement by means of a pin I23 passing through a slot I24 in a fixed bracketl25. A fiat spring I20 urges the pusher upwardly into contact with the lower coin.

At'its opposite end the pusher is shaped like a hook and has a slot I30 Within which a pin I3I carried atone end of a link I32 travels. The opposite end of link I32 is pivotally connected at I33 to the second leg I34 of U-shaped bracket 55 carried on'coin slide I I. I r Pin I3I has a knurled head (Fig. 1) to allow it to be lifted out of the open section of slot I30 in'pusher H5. Thus when the change mechanism is not in use link I32 may be disengaged from pusher I I 5 and the link may be maintained m1 the vertical position shown in broken lines in Fig. 12 by a suitable spring (not shown).

-When the unit price of the articles vended is suchas to require change, the free end of the link is moved downwardly to the position of Figs. 12 and 14. A proper blo'ck I I2 is now in serted in the lower end of the coin tube and the latter filled with coins which are supported on the block. Pusher I I5 is normally in the position of Fig. 12 and as the coin slide moves rearwardly pin I3I has free travel from the length of slot I30 after which it picks up the pusher and moves it to the position of Fig. 14. Forward travel of the coin slide now causes pin I3I to move to the forward end of slot I30 and then the pin picks up the pusher, moving it forward to eject the coin or coins through a front wall opening I which is covered at its upper end by a guard I36.

The operation of the coin mechanism, except for the change return which has just been described, is as follows: A pin 83 of suitable length is first placed in opening 83 and the pin locked therein by channel 86. The magazine for the article 63 is then loaded and the mechanism is ready for business. When the prescribed number of coins has passed through the slug rejector and into coin receptacle I4 the slide is manually moved rearwardly, the uppermost coin engaging the lower end of pin 83, permitting full rearward travel and ejecting the article. The coin slide is then returned to starting position by spring 24.

While one form or embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein for illustrative purposes, and the construction and arrangement incidental to a specific application thereof have been disclosed and discussed in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, nor to its specific embodiment shown herein, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated form or embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the principles thereof. I

What I claim is:

1. A vending machine mechanism comprising a frame, a coin slide mounted thereon for reciprocating travel and having a coin opening for receiving plural coins in superimposed relation, an abutment carried by the slide, a hook-shaped latch normally spaced from the abutment to limit travel of the slide and removable pins successivelycarried by the latch arranged to be contacted by the upper coin to move the latch to release the slide, the length of the pin determining the number of coins required to release the latch, a hinged plate below the slide forming a supportfor the lower coin, a push-rod operatively connected with said plate to rotate the same to return the coin thereon before travel of the s1ide,;'and a stop earriedby' the-slide arranged to lock the plate during travel of the slide.

2. A vending, machine mechanism comprising a frame, a coin slide mounted thereon for reciprocating travel and having a coin opening for receiving plural coins in superimposed relation, an abutment carried by the slide, a latch nor mally'spaced, from the abutment to limit rearward travel of the slide and removable pins successively carried by the latch arranged to be contactedv by the upper coin to move the latch to release the slide, the length of the pin determining the number of coins required to release the latch, a, movable plate below the slide forming a support for-the lower coin, a push-rod 0per-atively connected with said plate to move the same out of coin supporting position to permit return of the coin thereon before travel of the slide, and. a stop carried by the slide arranged to look the plate during-travel of the slide.

' SAMUEL L.v SCHLANGER.

References Cited in. the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Bidwell Nov. 21, 1871 Doubleday Aug. 13, 1889 Graf Feb. 24, 1891 Brauch Dec. 6, 1898 Anthony Feb. 7, 1905 Prechel May 9, 1911 Barili Feb. 16, 1915 Barili May 30, 1916 Koch July 24, 1917 Grover Oct. 9, 1923 Antoine May 10, 1927 Webber June 3, 1930 Boyer Jan. 19, 1932 Mills July 31, 1934 Gilchrist Aug. 14, 1934 Harris Jan. 13, 1942

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