US2763272A - Coin refunding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 18, 1956 Filed May 2'7 1954 W. A. PATZER COIN REFUNDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE TOR: J WW7 fi w a m [QM/W ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 18, 1956 w. A. PATZER 2,763,272

com REFUNDING MECHANISM Filed May 27 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ffzf' r I V IITI ITW'H 1i 3g IN VEN TOR.

BY I a 7 flr dz MM r W,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent COIN REFUNDING MECHANISM William A. Patzer, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Seth B. Atwood, Rockford, Ill.

Application May 27, 1954, Serial No. 434,249

3 Claims. (Cl. 133-2) This invention relates to a mechanism for use in combination with coin operated devices and it relates. more particularly to a mechanism for refunding a predetermined amount of coin in response to the operation of the device to compensate for the differences which exist between the purchase price of the commodities or other services rendered by the machine and the amount of coin inserted therein for operation.

For example, in the use of automatic coin operated machines for vending a package of cigarettes or the like which may cost 22 cents, it has been necessary, in the past, to package the cigarettes with three l-cent pieces contained between the cellophane wrapping and the packaged cigarettes and to set, the machine for operation to deliver a package of cigarettes upon insertion of a 25- cent piece or equivalent thereof. A number of objectionable features are to be found in a marketing system of this character.

Of minor importance is the inconvenience imposed upon the purchaser for stripping the cellophane wrapping from the package in order to remove the change and which,

ating members in a cycle of operation of the machine as a consequence of the removal of the cellophane wrapping, subjects the content material to accelerated deterioration by way of loss of ingredients or other volatile material contained therein. Also of minor importance is the increased expenditure of money, materials and labor required in the special operation for wrapping the packages with coins between the cellophane and wrapper as distinguished from the great majority of packaged cigarettes which are wrapped in the normal manner in mass production machines for distribution in normal channels of sale over the counter or the like.

Of major importance is the inflexibility for reflecting a price change in the commodity since the many thousands of packages cannot conveniently and economically be recalled from the market for rewrapping with correct change to be returned to the purchaser. While the change in price of the commodity may be reflected with added expense in the sale of commodities contained within a wrapper of the type described, price changes in commodities sold through automatic vending machines which are not contained in wrappers present a further problem. This is because proper change cannot be refunded in any amount with the commodity and therefore it is necessary to establish a common price for purchase of the commodity through vending machines, which price may be greatly in excess of that charged over the counter and, less seldom, a lower price than the over the counter price.

Where, as in many instances in the sale of beverages, the retail price in stores is 6 cents, 7 cents or 8 cents per bottle, it becomes necessary to charge 10 cents for the same commodity in an automatic vending machine since operation of the machine with coins of smaller denominations than a lO-cent piece or larger than a S-cent piece has not been made possible from an economical and from a practical standpoint.

It is an object of this invention to produce a machine especially from the standpoint of the utilization of forces available in the machine during a period of the cycle of operation wherein such forces have been wasted and wherein factors imposed by the weight of large quantities of coins stored in the machine for refunding are substantially eliminated; which operates in response to the operation of the machine during a return cycle where stored up forces are freely available thereby to reduce the load heretofore required for refunding; which is adaptable for use with coin operated machines of various types and which is operated by the insertion of coins of various denominations, with or without coin changing devices that are operated separate and apart from the refunder to make change while the refunding mechanism operates to release separate coins for making up the diflerence between the purchase price and the amount of coin retained by the machine.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an elevational view of the coin control and operating mechanism embodying features of this invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the portion of the structure shown in Figure 1 illustrating the position of the parts during an intermediate portion of the cycle of operation;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the refunding mechanism embodying features of this invention;

Figure.4 is a perspective elevational view of a slide plate forming a part of the refunding mechanism;

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line 6--6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 77 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 7, and

Figure 9 is a sectional elevational view at right angles through one of the cylindrical sections shown in Figure 6.

A coin return or refunding mechanism of the type embodying features of this invention may be used in combination with a coin operating mechanism of the type described in the Grunig Patent No. 2,321,199 and/ or in combination with coin changers of the type described in the application of Staiger, Ser. No. 170,114, filed July 24, 1950, or with any other coin operated amusement or vending machine wherein the amount of coin adapted to be retained by the machine is greater than the amount that is required to be paid for the service or the commodity dispensed by the machine.

In the drawings, illustration is made of a coin control mechanism in which coins 10, which have been inserted for the operation of the machine, are received first in a coin chute 11 which may be in the form of a U-shaped length of sheet material or the like having a bottom ;wall 12 inclined downwardly to form a runway over which the coins travel while being retained in an upright position between the side walls 13. The coins are advanced over the runway to a lower end portion of the chute having an opening 14 in the bottom wall which is downturned to form a slot 15 through which the coins drop into the inlet opening of a coin testiu device 16.

The coin testing device may be of conventional construction for use in the processing of coins through a machine to separate out the illegitimate coins from the legitimate coins and to separate the coins into their various denominations where the unit is adapted to receive more than one type of coin. When, for example, the machine is adapted to be Operated upon insertion of a dime, the testing device 16 may be designed for operation to test 10-cent pieces only delivered from one chute or to test two nickels when delivered to a separate device from another chute, as described in the aforementioned Patent No. 2,321,199. Instead, a single coin testing device may be employed for passage of legitimate coins and rejection of others for operation of the ma chine with coins of any denomination, with a changer associated therewith for return of change when denominations greater than a IO-cent piece are inserted. As previously pointed out, coin testing devices of the type described for passage of legitimate coins for use in purchase and rejection of illegitimate or counterfeit coins, form no part of the present invention, except as employed in the conventional manner in a coin control system of a coin operated machine. Therefore, any coin testing device of conventional construction may be used, whether for use with coins of a single denomination or with coins of various denominations.

Illegitimate coins rejected by the coin testing device 16 are delivered through chute 17 to a reject receiver 18 which returns the coins to an opening having access from the outside of the machine for removal by the purchaser. Legitimate coins of the desired denomination issue from an outlet opening 19 in the underside of the coin testing device adjacent an opposite end portion. Such coins are delivered directly onto a cam plate 20 having a recess 21 intermediate the edges in a peripheral portion thereof underlying the outlet opening 19 to receive the coins upon delivery therefrom.

The cam plate 20 is fixed for rotational movement with an operating shaft 22 which either mounts the sliding handle for actuation of the machine or is separately operatively connected thereto for turning movement in response to actuation of the handle from a starting position to an operating position and back in a cycle of operation. Ordinarily, rotational movement of the cam plate 29 from starting position is blocked by a stud 23 which extends laterally into the path of an arcuate extension 24 from the peripheral portion of the cam plate in which the coin receiving slot is located and which has a locking groove 25 in the forward edge portion in position to receive the stud 23 in seating relation to prevent further rotational movement of the cam plate so long as the stud is in its normal blocking position.

The stud 23 is fixed on the lower end portion of an arm 26 which is pivoted at the other end 27 upon a.

supporting shaft 28 for rocking movement between raised and blocking positions of adjustment. The rockable arm 26 is urged towards normal blocking position by its own weight and also by additional resilient means such as springs or the like (not shown). The slot 21, formed in the periphery of the cam plate 20, is dimensioned to receive only a portion of the coin 10 in fitting relation therein. When a coin of the required denominational value is received Within the slot, the peripheral edge portion 29 of the coin extends beyond the edge portion of the groove 25 and is in position to be engaged by the stud in advance of its entrance into the groove during rotational movement of the cam plate. Thus, instead of the stud 23 becoming seated within the groove 25 to block rotational movement of the cam plate, the stud is engaged by the curvilinear edge portion 29 of the coin which thereby cams the stud upwardly out of the path of the extension 24 on the cam plate, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, to permit continued rotational movement of the cam plate which enables the operating handle to be displaced from normal to operated positions of adjustment and back. As the cam plate 20 turns beyond its usual blocked position, the center of gravity of the coin 10 seated within the slot 21 is displaced beyond the periphery of the cam plate so that the coin falls from the slot in response to gravitational force into a coin receiver, which is not shown. Thus the cam plate 20 is capable of being blocked again upon return to starting position until another coin is deposited in the slot for camming the stud or stop pin 23 and its rocker arm 26 from blocking position to its upward or displaced position out of the path of the cam plate.

To the present, description has been made of a structure of conventional type for control of the operation of a coin machine. Various other means for the control of the operating member or the release thereof for operation through a cycle may be employed. The improvement embodying the features of this invention are operatively connected to the elements described for the refunding of coins for making change in purchase at a lower price.

As illustrated more specifically in Figures 2-9 of the drawings, this refunding device comprises a slide plate 30 of substantially rectangular dimension which is shiftable lengthwise within a channel 31 extending lengthwise throughout the underside of a rigid, horizontally disposed frame plate 32, secured as by means of screws 33 to a side wall of the machine. The channel in which the slide plate 30 is mounted for free shifting movement in the longitudinal direction is dimensioned to have a width corresponding to the width of the plate defined between side walls 34 and 35 depending from the underside of the frame plate for a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the slide and with washers 36 secured by screws 37 to the underside of the frame plate in overhanging relation with the side walls to provide grooves which retain the slide plate 30 within the channel. It will be understood that other means for providing grooves in the lateral walls of the channel section through which the plate may be freely slidable in the longitudinal direction may be employed.

The frame plate 32 is formed with one or more rectangular sections 38 and 39 extending upwardly from the top wall in longitudinally spaced apart relation with one or more laterally spaced circular openings 40 and 41 respectively therein extending downwardly through the frame plate to a distance short of the bottom wall 32*. In their lower portion 42, the openings are dimensioned to be slightly larger than the coins to be disposed therein while the upper portion 43 of the openings is of slightly larger dimension for receiving tubular members 44 of plastic or other relatively rigid material which rest upon the shoulders 45 formed between the openings of different dimensions and in which coins 46 are retained in stacks for dispensing in refunding operations.

The bottom wall 32 of the frame plate 32 is formed with a pair of laterally spaced grooves 47 and 43 which extend lengthwise through the underside of the plate in alignment to intersect the openings and the grooves are formed to a depth which corresponds to the distance that the lower ends of the openings are spaced from the bottom wall plus the thickness of one of the coins 46 adapted to be dispensed. Each of the grooves are formed with a crosswise dimension that is less than the diameter of the coins except for elliptical portions 49 and 50 of greater dimension than the coins which commence at about the point in alignment with the centers of the openings and extend forwardly thereof beyond the openings for a distance preferably greater than one-half but less than the diameter of the coins.

The plate 30, slidable within the channel 31 adjacent the underside of the frame plate 32, is formed with a similar number of openings 51 dimensioned to enable passage of coins therethrough and which correspond with the location and with the dimension of the enlarged slots 49 and 50 in the bottom wall of the frame plate and which are adapted to be in registry therewith when the slide plate is shifted to what will hereinafter be referred to as its starting position of adjustment. Communicating wlth each of the openings 50 in the rearward portion thereof are a pair of elongate slots 52 and 53 which are spaced apart laterally by an amount corresponding to the normal width of the elongate slots 47 and 48 in the base plate and through which pawls 54, in the form of legs depending from a bail, are shiftable between a normal and a retracted position of adjustment. In their normal position of adjustment the pawls extend through the slots to project beyond the upper surface of the slide plate, while, in their retracted position, the pawls are displaced downwardly to project a lesser distance or not at all from the surface of the slide plate. Each bail is resiliently urged towards extended position by means of a coil spring 55 which is disposed about a post 56 de pending from the underside of the slide plate rearwardly of the slots and which has one end bearing against the head 57 of the post while the other end bears against the top wall of an arm 58 extending rearwardly integrally from the bail. Thus the bail is freely shiftable in the direction toward and away from the underside of the slide plate and which fits loosely about the post 56 to permit a type of rocking movement during operation of the pawls between extended and retracted positions of adjustment.

Operation of the slide plate 30 between normal and operated positions of adjustment is effected through a stud 60 which extends laterally into the midportion of the slide plate from a vertically disposed arm 61 of a bracket which is fixed as by rivets 62 to the underside of the slide plate adjacent its forward edge portion. The stud is pivotally engaged by the lower end of a lever arm 63 which is adapted to extend through an elongate slot 64 contiguous with the forward edge of the slide plate in alignment with the stud while the other end of the lever arm is fixed as by spaced rivets 65 to a disc plate 66 which is pivotally mounted at one end 67 for rocking movement about a supporting shaft 68 rigid with the housing. A portion of the disc plate forwardly of the pivot and the leverarm 63 is formed with a vertically disposed slot 69 through which the shaft 22 extendsfor permitting relative vertical movement of the disc plate 66 during swinging movement about its pivot. Beneath the slot 69, the disc plate is formed with .a curvilinear slot 70 having its center of curvature corresponding to the upper portion of the slot to which the disc plate is displaced during operation and which has an upwardly inclined angular slot 71 contiguous with the forward end of the curvilinear slot The disc plate is operatively engaged by a stud 72 which extends outwardly from an actuating plate 73 rigid with the shaft 22 for turning movement therewith. Spring means, such as a coil spring 74, concentrically disposed about the shaft 22 with one end in engagement therewith while the other end is secured with a chain 75 to the frame of the machine, operates resiliently to urge the various plates and shafts to their starting positions of adjustment with the stud 72 located in the lower portion of the angular slot 71 and with the shaft 22 extending through the lower portion of the vertical slot 69 of the disc plate and with the slide plate 30 in position to bring the openings 51 in the plate in registry with the enlarged openings 49 and 50 of equivalent dimension in the slots that are formed in the underside of the frame plate.

A counter 76 for recording the number of operations of the machine is secured, as by means of a link 77, to an intermediate portion'of the lever arm 63 for oper- 6 ation of the counter in response to arm in a cycle of operation.

In starting position, while the unit is at rest, the openings 51 of the slide plate are in registry with the enlarged openings 49 in the slots on the underside of the frame plate and the pawls 54 of the bail are positioned to extend through the slots into communication with the. underside of the coin release openings. The pawls are depressed in opposition to the force of the spring 55 by the weight of .coins 46 contained within the cylindrical holders 44 so that the coins, 'as a result, are supported on platforms 78 for-med by the portions of the slotted bottom wall which extend into the path of the openings in the rearward portions thereof.

When a coin of proper denomination is inserted into the coin control device for operation of the machine, the coin 10 comes toerest within the slot 21 provided in the periphery ofthecam plate .20. Upon actuation of the operating handle through a cycle of operation, the stud 23 normally confronting the cam plate for blocking movement thereof is engaged by the leading edge of the coin 10 which cams the 'stud and its supporting arm out of blocking position.

-As the operating handle is actuated further tothe point wherein the coin drops from the cam plate into a coin receiver, the stud 72 is rocked with the operating plate 73 with the shaft. During initial movement of the "stud 72 while in operative engagement with the inclined portion of the slot 71, the disc plate 66 is displaced downwardly and laterally about its pivot until the stud 72 enters the curvilinear portion 70 of the slot which now has the shaft 22 in its center so that further movement of the stud conjointly with the operating handle will impart no further movement of the disc plate other than to retain the plate in its operated depressed position. v i

During displacement of the disc plate 66 by the stud 72 to operated position, the lever arm 63 is concurrently rocked in its rearward direction to cause the slide plate 30, to be displaced rearwardly to retracted posirtion. ,Ihis carries the pawls rearwardly beyond the opening in which the coins are located. Upon clearance of the coins, the pawls are free to return to normal extended position within the slots 47 and 48 in response to. spring force to the extent permitted by the adjacent wall of the disc plate but with the pawls in alignment to engage the peripheryof the lowermost of the coins in the path thereof. i

As the cycle of operation is completed, the stud 72 reenters the inclined slot 71 so that the disc plate may be returned in response to spring force to its starting position. Concurrently, the lever arm 63 rocks back to its starting position which carries the slide plate forwardly with it to starting position. As the slide plate is actuated to a forward direction, the pawls -54 engage the rearward edges of the lowermost coins to cause displacement thereof forwardly over the platforms and through the grooves that are formed between the platforms and the base of the openings so that the coin may be displaced fonwardly from the stack into the elliptical openings 49 or 50 of larger dimension to enable the coins to fall through the openings by gravitational force and through the openings 51 of the slide plate in registry therewith into the hopper 79 located beneath the slide plate and then through the inclined chute 80 for delivery to the outside of the machine for removal.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the weight of the coins 46 contained within the tubes 44 rests almost exclusively upon the platforms 78 between which the pawls are slidable. As a result, the slide plate which in the past has received the entire load, can be moved without effort from starting to retracted position of adjustment fordisplacement of coins for refund. It is during this portion of the operatoin that the greatest load requirements are imposed upon the operating handle movement of the 7 and the parts associated therewith and relief of load during this period provides a distinct advantage in the ease and efficiency of operation of the machine.

When maximum force is required to effect displacement of the lowermost coin from the stacks, utilization can be made of the energy stored up in the machine and released without other use during the end portion of the return cycle of the machine thereby to effect the desired refunding operation withoutimposing additional load upon the machine.

In the drawings, illustration is made of four containers for the delivery of :coins for refund from the machine. When all four have coins stacked therein, return movement of the plate will cause simultaneous displacement of one coin from each-stack resulting in the delivery of four from the return chute. When it is desired to return or refund only three coins, one of the columns may be removed or allowed to remain empty so that one coin from each'of the three remaining columns will be displaced for refunding. Similarly, the number of stacks may be reduced to one or two or increased to more than four in the event that greater flexibility is desired in refunding operations. It will be further understood that the depth of the slots and the lengths of the pawls may be varied to engage more than the lowermost coin where refunding of a greater number of coins is desired. For example, the pawls may be adapted to confront two or three coins in each of the containers for displacement forwardly thereof to the grooved portions of larger dimension through which the coins may be permitted to drop for refunding thereby to vary the number of coins returned in response to normal operations of the machine.

It will be apparent from the description that various modifications may 'be made in the structure Without departing from the invention, especially as defined in the following claims. For example, the platform may comprise shelves entering laterally into the path of the openings in which the coins are stacked so long as the shelves are spaced from the lower end of the openings by a distance slightly greater than the number of coins to be delivered therefrom. The shelves or platforms may extend beyond the center of the opening so iong as the length of the shelves forwardly of the openings is less than the length of travel of the slide plate so that the coins may be placed over the shelf beyond the end thereof for delivery. When such spaced shelves are employed, the elliptical openings in the bottom wall forwardly of the shelves and the grooved portions in the bottom wall rearwardly of the shelves may be eliminated, especially when the shelves constitute anelement separate and apart from the frame plate but rigid with the underside thereof.

What is claimed is:'

1. In a coin control mechanism operable through a cycle of operation, a coin refunding device comprising a frame plate having a plurality of openings spaced longitudinally and laterally one from the other therein and dimensioned to receive stacks of coins to be refunded, a slide plate common to all of said openings and longitudinally shiftable rearwardly and back between normal and retracted positions of adjustment adjacent the underside of the frame plate and having openings in alignment with but offset from each of the openings in the frame plate when the slide plate is in normal position and in which the openings are dimensioned to permit passage of coins therethrough, shelves rigid with the frame plate extending laterally into alignment with each of the openings in the frame plate and spaced from the lower ends thereof by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the coins to be dispensed and having slotted portions therebetween, said shelves being dimensioned lengthwise to be less than the distance between the retracted and normal position of the slide plate, pawls resiliently urged upwardly through the slide plate in alignment with the rearward ends of each of the openings therein and in alignment with the slot between the shelves and the frame plate and in position to be located rearwardly of the openings in the frame plate when the slide plate is in retracted position, and means for actuating the slide plate between normal and retracted positions and back whereby the pawl causes displacement of coins located between the shelves and the lower ends of the openings over the shelves for passage through the openings in the slide plate.

2. In a coin control mechanism operable through a cycle of operation, a coin refunding device comprising a frame plate having an opening therein dimensioned to receive a stack of coins to be refunded, a slide plate shiftable rearwardly and back between retracted and normal positions of adjustment adjacent the underside of the frame plate and having an opening in alignment with but offset forwardly from the opening in the frame plate when in normal position and dimensioned to permit the passage of coins therethrough, shelves extending laterally into alignment with the openings in the frame plate and spaced from the lower end thereof by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the coins to be refunded and having a slotted portion therebetween upon which the coins in the stack normally rest, said shelves, forming an integral part of the frame plate bottom wall, being dimensioned lengthwise to be less than the distance between the retracted and normal positions of the slide plate and terminating in an opening in the bottom wall of the frame plate forwardly of the coin receiving openings dimensioned to enable coins to pass therethrough upon displacement from the stack, and a pawl resiliently urged upwardly through the slide plate in alignment with the slot between the shelves and in position to be located rearwardly of the opening in the frame plate when the slide plate is in retracted position to cause the coins located between the shelves and the lower end of the opening in the frame plate to be displaced forwardly over the shelves and into alignment with the openings in the slide plate for passage therethrough as the slide plate is actuated to normal position.

3. In a coin control mechanism operable through a cycle of operation, a coin refunding device comprising a frame plate having an opening therein dimensioned to receive a stack of coins to be refunded, a slide plate shiftable rearwardly and back between retracted and normal positions of adjustment adjacent the underside of the frame plate and having an opening in the frame plate when in normal position and dimensioned to permit the passage of coins therethrough, shelves extending laterally into alignment with the opening in the frame plate and spaced from the lower end thereof by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the coins to be refunded and having a slotted portion therebetween and upon which the coins in the stack normally rest, said shelves being dimensioned lengthwise to be less than the distance between the retracted and normal positions of the slide plate, and a pawl resiliently urged upwardly through the slide plate in alignment with the slot between the shelves and in position to be located rearwardly of the opening in the frame plate when the slide plate is in retracted position to cause the coins located between the shelves and the lower end of the opening in the frame plate to be displaced forwardly over the shelves and into alignment with the openings in the slide plate for passage therethrough as the slide plate is actuated to normal position and in which the resilient force urging the pawl to extended position into engagement with the bottom wall of the frame plate is less than the force generated by the weight of coins in the stack so that the coins will rest on the shelves even when the slide is in other than retracted position.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Beck July 29, 1924 Jaskowiak Aug. 17, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Italy of 1930

Images