US2672968A - Coin collecting device with short and long time operation - Google Patents

Description

March 23, 1954 GREENWALD 2,672,968

COIN COLLECTING DEVICE WITH SHORT AND LONG TIME OPERATION Filed Jan. 25, 1951 INVENTOR HARRY GREENWALD ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 23, 1954 QQLN QQLLEQ'EIN G D EVIQ WITH SHORT su L N T ME creamer" Ha r Qreenwa d, B a velt, 1L, ass guor t9 l to ce Q o ation ration of: new lied:

Application January 23, 1951, Serial No, 203 390 Qlaii This invention relates to new and useful improvements in coin collecting devices for electrical appliances, particularly automatic washing machines employing electric timers. I

It is customary to operate washing machines so as to give a long or short wash, as desired. Heretofore, coin collecting devices have been so constructednthat a person could select a long or short wash operation of the washing machines. These prior constructions generally were characterized by forming the discharge openings through which the deposited coins fell into the coin receiving boxes extra long. Persons were then instructed that if a long wash was desired itwould be necessary to. turn the knob of the A coin collecting device slowly so that the coin would fall through the front portion of the coin dischargeopening and therefore the timer would he .set to its starting position and .give a long wash. If .a short wash was desired theinstructions were to turn theknoh of the coin collecting device rapidly so that the coins were discharged through the back ends of the coin discharge openings, and in this may cause the timers to he turned past their startingzpositions. A short wash therefore results. However, it is natural for people to do things quickly and invariably they would turn the knobs of the coin collecting devices too rapidly so that they-would always receive the short wash. Naturally the washing operatiqn-was then unsatisfactory and complaints would esult.

This. invention particularly p p a ew construction of coin collecting device which will give a long wash or a short wash independent of the speed with which the operating knob of the coin collectingdevice is operated. It is pro..- posed that the coin collecting devicebe so con, structed that the knob .of the coin collecting device must be turned its 'full distance for .a long wash. If a short wash is, desired it must then be turned back and the. forwa again-t0 o the electric timer forwardtto. diminish the wash period.

More particularly, the invention proposes the use of a pawl mounted on the manual turnable means of the coin collectingdevice for moving forward when the turnab'le means is moved forwardsand for moving rearwar'dswhen the turnable means ismoved rearwards. A ratchet element is associated with the-means for turning the electric timer and is engageable by the pawl when positioned'to the front of the pawl and the pawl is moved forwards. It is contemplated ts soarra-nge these p'arts that the pawl may be used on per ods. s required for o once will he ha while the coin is being discharged through the coin discharge opening. With this construction ity is possible to move the manual turnable means back after a coin has been discharged through the discharge opening in order to move the pawl behind the ratchet element so that said manual turnable means may now hemoved forwards for further turning the electric timer past its starting position to shorten its time of operation.

While the newcoin collecting device is particularly intended for the timer of an automatic washing machineit must be understood that it other appliances and devices where a selection of long time. or short time once.

Anotherobject. of the. invention is the constructiqnof a device as mentioned which is simple and durable and which may be manufactured and soldat a reasonable c st F r iurther comprehension of the invention, nd of th objects and dvanta s thereof, refer- ,tQ following description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims in which the. various novel features of the intention aremere particularly set forth.

the acc m anyin draw ng formin a material part of this disclosu .i ii 1318.3. plan'YiQW 9f a coin collecting device constructed .1! ac ordance with this invention.

Fig. 2, is a sectional view taken on the line 2*? of Fi 1:

Eie- 3 ice cl n iew similar t Fig. 1 but illustr tine he device with th he d hereof re lllQYfiFL Fi 4 is a bo tom coin reflecting device.

view of the head of the ,5 a free n err en arged horizon cal view when 92 :.--e lineteet of Fi 2.

7 i .iraseiente y sectional view taken on theline 1.7 .9: Elia The co lect ng device, acco dan e w th his invention, i.;: fi. .1 fi1iQ be used with an electric timer, not illustrated on they drawing, havinga com or control shaft schematically illustrated on the drawing with the dot and dash lines 1 0 Fig. 2. This timer may be used to control an electrical appliance such as a washing machine-er other device. It isessential that the through timer be of a design in which the cam or control shaft it moves in one direction only and has a starting position and a stop position which is less than 360 from the starting position. More specifically, the coin collecting device illustrated on the drawing is intended to be used with a timer having a starting position, indicated in Figs. 1 and 3 by the letter S, and having a stop position indicated by the position in which the radial pin H is illustrated.

The cam or control shaft I extends through an opening M in a base or casing 15 of the coin collecting device. This base or casing l5 may be of any suitable shape by which it is adapted to be mounted on a washing machine or other electrical appliance. The base or casing 65 is provided with a coin supporting surface It extending around said opening 14. This coin supporting surface I6 is provided with a coin discharge opening H at one point, which point corresponds with the starting position S of the timer. A head 18 is mounted on the base or casing [5 over said coin supporting surface l6 and is held in position wi h fastening elements 19. In the particular design of the coin collecting device illustrated, the base or casing I5 is provided with two openings 29 for two fastening elements E9 to engage two complementary openings 2| formed in the head it. The head it is. provided with a coin intake slot 23 through which a coin may be deposited upon said coin supporting surface IS. A small plate 2d is attached upon the top of the head l8 and is provided with a coin slot 25 aligned with the coin slot 23. This coin slot 25 may be of a limited size so as to accommodate either a dime, a nickel or a quarter, or other size coin, to which the coin collecting device is adjusted.

Manual turna'ble means is provided, turnable forwards for moving a coin inserted in said slot 25 to said discharge aperture 51, and said means is turnable back to said slot 25. Said manual turnable means includes a knob 26 positioned outside of the head 18 centrally thereof and provided with a stem portion 21 extending through the head l8. This stem portion 21 connects with and supports a coin supporting means within the head Hi. This coin supporting means is for the purpose of supporting a coin dropped the slot 25 edgewise upon the coin supporting surface it. This coin supporting means includes a disc 23 fixedly attached to the stem 21 and at one point provided with a radial slot 29 alignable with the coin opening 25. A plurality of laminated strips 3| and 32 are mounted upon the bottom of the disc 28 to the sides of the slot 29. The laminated group of strips 31 have a bottom strip provided with a downwardly bent edge or flange 33 opposed to a pointed strip 34 located upon the bottom of the group of strips 32. The pointed strip 34 is adapted to engage through the center hole of a slug, in which case the slug will not be properly supported and will topple over. If a genuine coin is inserted in the collecting device the flange 33 and pointed strip 34 will engage the opposite faces and properly support it upon the coin supporting surface IS. A stop 35 is mounted on the bottom of the disc 28 radially aligned with the slot 29 for further assisting in supporting the coin and preventing it from rolling radially of the coin supporting surface It.

It is pointed out that laminated strips 35 tion with fastening the stop 35 and the and 32 are secured in posiel m nt 9 1 that it along the coin supporting surface i6.

is possible to select the position of the stop 35 and the depth of the laminated strips 3| and 32 to adapt the coin collecting device for a specific coin such as a dime, or nickel, or quarter. The knob 26 may be turned for turning the disc 28 in order to move a properly supported coin The disc 28 is mounted on the stem 21 with a fastening element 38 in order that the disc 28 may be adjusted upwards and downwards on the stem 21. Washers 39 are mounted on the stem 21 between the disc 23 and the bottom face of the head E8. The purpose of the washers 39 and the adjustability of the disc 23 is to assist in better adapting the coin collecting device to coins of particular dimensions, in order to reject slugs and smaller coins. Washers 33 may be removed or added, as needed.

Means is provided for turning said electric timer to its starting position when said manual turnable means is operated forwards to discharge a coin through said discharge opening l1. This means includes a clutch i l for fixed attachment on the cam or control shaft it. More particularly, this clutch A l has a bottom section 45 adapted to be fixed on the cam or control shaft it. The clutch M is also provided with a top section at which is movable forwards (clockwise) in a contact position on the bottom section for turning said bottom section forwards (clockwise) and which may idle rearwards (counterclockwise) from and back again to said contact position. The contact position of the clutch M is determined by a pin d1 mounted upon the top section 48 and extending downwards into a groove 63 formed in the top of the bottom section d5. This pin 41 contacts against the side of a pin &9 which is fixedly mounted in the groove it on the bottom section d5. A spring 50 is mounted around the groove ,8 and acts between the pins 41 and 49. The top section 46 is turnably mounted on the bottom section 45 with a stud 5|. When the top section 46 is turned clockwise the pin 41 engaging the pin 49 turns the bottom section 45 clockwise. The spring 53 normally urges the sections 25 and 46 into a position in which the pins 31 and 49 contact each other. This is the contact position of the clutch 4d. The pin ll previously referred to, is mounted radially on the top section :36 of the clutch M. and extends across the coin supporting surface it in order to be moved by a coin moved along said coin supporting surface IS.

A stop 52 is mounted on said head it and extends into the path of motion of the laminated strips 32 for limiting turning of the coin supporting means in one direction from a position beneath said slot 25. A stop 53 projects from the base i5 and is positioned in the path of motion of the laminated strips 3| for limiting turning of said coin supporting means to a position over said coin discharge hole l1. As illustrated on the drawing, the laminated strips 32 are now engaging the stop 52. A coin may now be dropped through the slot 25 into a position in the coin supporting means. The knob 28 may now be turned clockwise in relation to Fig. 1 to a position in which the laminated Strips 3| will strike the stop 53 and in this position the coin will be dropped through the coin discharge opening l1 and the pin H will now be at the starting position of the timer, namely at position S.

ath e ded cnnegtor. 5.8. ispoaxiany con ected with said clutch 44 and is aligned with a coaxial opening 53 formed "through said knob 25 in order that a tool, not shown, may be passed through the opening 59 .and engaged with the threaded connector 58 for manually moving .said clutch it. his is necessary for axially moving the cam shaft iii of the timer under certain conditions of operation of the timer.

A leaf spring .55 is mounted within the head 18' adjacent the coin slot 25 and above the coin supporting surface It for preventing reclaiming of a coin moved along said surface I6 past said leaf spring '68. Specifically, when a coin is .dropped through the slot 25 it rests on the coin supporting surface I5 and when the .knob 255 is turned, the coin :flex'es the end of the leaf spring 6i) as it passes, Onc the coin passes the end of the leaf spring can cannot be reclaimed because it cannot be moved back to a position beheath the coin slot 25. An arrow 64 is imprinted on' the top of the knob 25 to indicate the position of the slot :29 inthe disc 28.

A pawl 55 is mounted on said manual turnab'le means are attached to the bottom face of the disc The pawl 65 is pivotally supported upon the brackets tt'by a pintle ipin iii. The pintle pin 67 is located-near thetaii end of the pawl so that the front end of the pawl 65 naturally seeks a down position. "The tail end of the pawl 65 engagesthe bottom face of the discs 2d. The front endof the pawl 55 is free to move upwards. A 'ratchetelement 5B is-mounted on the means for turning the electric timer and is engageable by said pawl 65 when positioned to the front of the pawl Hand the pawl 6-5 is moved forwards. This ratchet element '68 comprises a pin t8 which is radial-1y mounted on the top section of the clutch 44. The ratchet element 58 is mounted ata higher elevation than the radial pin "M and the front end of the pawl -65 extends downwards a distance sufiicient to engage the ratchet element 68, but a distance "insu-iiicient to engage the radial pix-1 It. The reason for this arrangement is to prevent the pawl 55 from engaging the pin I "E and moving the electric timer unwarrantly. It may be well topoin-t out at this time that the particular coin. collecting device illustrated on the drawing shows but one pin H, but it is customary to add additional pins to the top section when it is desired to convert the coin collecting device to one requiring more than one coin for its operation, as for example, like the coin collecting device disclosed in my patent application Serial [No 133,350, filed December 16, 1949. The front end of the pawl 65 has a vertical front 69 which when located behind the ratchet element 68 is capable of moving the ratchet element 68 forwards.

The front end portion of the pawl 65 also has a curved bottom section I0 which will ride over the ratchet element 68 and cause the pawl 65 to lift when the pawl 65 is moved rearwards in relation to the ratchet element 68. The ratchet element 68 is normally behind the front end of the pawl 65, as illustrated on the drawing, while the coin is being discharged through the discharge opening II. However, the manual turnable means is capable of being moved backwards after a coin has been discharged through the discharge opening I! in order to move the pawl t5 behind the ratchetelement at so;

7 that the manual means maynow he moved forwards for turningsaid electric timer. past its startin posi tion to shorten the-time of its operation.-

The operation and use of the coin collecting device may be understood fromv the tollowing; now be dropped through the coin 'it comes to rest on the coin sup porting surface I6 edgewise, and is he-ld in this position by the coin supporting meam including the flange 33,, 35. The knob .25 may now be turned clockwise so that the coin will engage pin It. By this time the coin has moved past the leaf springs-0 and 26 is turned clockwise so that the coin strikes pin I I and then turns the clutch "44 clockwise. The clutch M in turnturns the cam shat-till. The clutch M is continued to be turned clockwise until the coin reaches the coin discharge opening ill and drops downwards. At this time the pin 11 will have reached the starting position S and the timer starts. The/timer keeps operating until the cam shaft II) 'has turned around to a position in which the pin I I is in the position as illustrated on the drawing. This is the stop position of the timer.

The coin collecting device may be operated to ive a long wash .or short washwhen it -.controls an automatic electric washingmachine, or give a long operation or .shortopemtion when controlling some other appliance. The long operation is obtained by merely dropping the coin through the slot 25 while the manual turnable means is in the start position as illustrated 'on the drawing. The 'knob .26 'is .now turned clockwise hi order to move the coin .clookwiseonthe coin supporting surface I16. .Soon (the coin engages the radial pin H and starts turning the electric timer towards its starting position. Up to this point the pawl .65 merelymoved .a little further ahead of the ratchet element 58 but .as soon as the pin I I is engaged by the coin and starts turning the means for turning theelectric the pawl 65 will Lidle over th ra'tchet element =58 and get behind it. Now the knob "26 may be turned forwards again until the laminated strips 3| again strike the stop 53. By doing this the pawl 65 will engage the ratchet element 68 and move the electric timer forwards from its starting position, and in this way out down its time of operation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

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

1. A coin collecting device having a control shaft with for an electric timer a starting position the pointed strip 34, and the stop means including a pin engaged by a coin moved by said manual turnable means for turning forwards and turning said control shaft to its starting position when said manual turnable means is operated forwards and moves a coin from said intake slot to said discharge opening, a pawl mounted on said manual turnable means for moving forwards when said turnable means is moved forwards and rearwards when said turnable means is moved rearwards, a ratchet element on said means for turning said control shaft, said ratchet element moving forwards when said means for turning said control shaft moved forwards, said ratchet element being engageable by said pawl when positioned to the front of said pawl and said pawl is moved forwards, said pawl idling over said ratchet element when to the front of said ratchet element and said pawl is moved rearwards, said ratchet element being normally behind said pawl while said coin is engaging said pin and is being moved forwards to be discharged through said discharge opening, and said manual turnable means being movable each towards said coin slot after a coin has been discharged through said discharge opening in order to move said pawl behind said ratchet element so that said manual turnable means may now be moved forwards for further turning said control shaft past its starting position to shorten the time of its operation.

2. A coin collecting device as defined in claim 1, in which said pawl comprises a member pivotally mounted on said manual turnable means and having a front end normally urged towards said ratchet element.

3. A coin collecting device as defined in claim 2, in which said ratchet element comprises a pin engageable by the front end of said member when said pawl is moved forwards.

4. A coin collecting device for an electric timer having a cam shaft and having a starting position and a stop position less than 360 from said starting position, said cam shaft being rotated by the timer in a forward direction from the starting position to the stop position, comprising a casing having an opening and also having a coin supporting surface around said opening and a coin discharge opening at one point of said coin supporting surface, said point corresponding with the starting position of said timer, a head mounted on said casing and enclosing said coin supporting surface and having a coin slot through which a coin may be deposited upon said coin supporting surface, coin supporting means positioned under said head for supporting a coin dropped through said slot edgewise upon said coin supporting surface, a knob outside of said head and connected with said coin supporting means by which said coin supporting means may be moved along said coin supporting surface, a clutch mounted through said opening in said casing for connection with said cam shaft and having a bottom section fixed on said cam shaft and a top action which is movable forwardly and also relative to the bottom section, said bottom section being provided with an upwardly projecting pin fixed therein and the top section being provided with a downwardly projecting pin fixed therein for engagement with said upwardly projecting pin when the top section is moved forwardly in order to move the bottom section forwardly, a pin radially projecting from said top section and extending across said coin supporting surface in order to be moved by a coin moved along said coin supporting surface, said radially projecting pin being located slightly in advance of the supported coin when the cam shaft is in stop position, a stop for limiting turning of said coin supporting means in one direction to a position beneath said coin slot, a stop for limiting turning of said coin supporting means in the other direction to a position over said coin discharge opening in order that said coin supporting means may be first positioned beneath said coin slot and a coin deposited into said slot and then said coin supporting means moved over said coin supporting surface to turn said cam shaft to its starting position, a pawl mounted on said coin supporting means, and a ratchet element projecting from said top section of said clutch and normally behind said pawl while said coin is being deposited in said slot, and said coin supporting means being movable back towards said coin slot in order to move said pawl behind said ratchet element in order that now said coin support means may again be moved forward to coin discharging position for further turning said cam shaft past its starting position to shorten the time of its operation.

5. A coin collecting device as defined in claim 4, in which said ratchet element comprises another pin projecting from said top section of said clutch.

HARRY GREENWALD.

No references cited.

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