US2827996A - Coin separators - Google Patents

Description

March 25,1958 M. P. HAvERsTlcK y 2,827,996

- COIN SEPARATORS Filed July 27, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORAEV March 25, 1958 M. P. HAvERsTlcK 2,827,996

' com sEPARAToRs Filed July 27, 1953 3 Sheeacs--Sheei'l 2 INVENTQR. Mefra/ Havenrzcl( yATTORNEY March 25, 1958 M. P. HAvERsTicK COIN SEPARATORS s sheets-sheet s Filed` July y27, 1953 FIG 7 INVENTOR Merval Have r; {7c/f ATTORNEY 2,827,996 com vsurnamons Merral P.`Haverstick, St. Louis, Mo., assgnor to N atiouai Rejectors, Inc., St. souri Application tulyz7,19s3, senat No. siones 6 claims'. (01.' 1am-4u)l This in vention relates to' improvementsyin coin sep-5 arators. More particularly this invention. relatesyto im-l provements in 'coin' separators which can separate coins ofcloselysimilar diameters; 1, `It is therefore an object ofV the present closely similar diameters. y

To `be commercially acceptable and operative, a coin separator mustrbe able toseparate coins of closely simi` Y lar diameters and yet must be able to release unaccept ablecoins which it must intercept. VInthe absenceof such a release, or scavenging as it is known, the coin' separator would have its coin passageways blocked. Accordingly, most commercially acceptable coin separators have agate which 'can be moved away from thefrarne of the coin separator to release coins for movement to a rejected coin chute; audit` is customary tornount one Louis, Mo., a corporation ofMis.-

invention 1to-v provide a coin separator which can separate coins of r 2,827,996 Patented Mar. 25, 1958 ice ` come all, variations in the path of movement of the gate coin-intercepting surface onthe gate and another coop?l Y erating coin-intercepting surfacejonthe frame?A Such a'construction enablesfthe two ysurfaces to intercept coins` that Vshould not be accepted bythe lcoin separator,`

butpermits the subsequent-ready. release ofsuchtcoins as by separating thetwo Vc0in-intero'eptin'gfsurfaces andthus removing the support forthe intercepted coins.V The gates of most commercially acceptablearidopera#v tivecoin Vseparators arefcustomarily mounted on' hinges 'and their paths of movement arels'ubject to certain 'vari-l ations because `of manufacturing'tolerances in the hinges.

These variations in the paths of movementof the gates can vary the spacing between the coin-intercepting sur-` faces that are to intercept the undesired coing'and such variations can lead toi-the" rejection ,of desired coins or to the acceptance of undesired coins. Such variationsf` are, therefore, objectionable.y The present `invention obviates `this objection by making one of `the coin-inter` cepting surfaces'movable relative to the frame and relative to the gate, and `by providinga device that 'positivelf ly centers that coin-intercepting surface whenever Vthe gate and frame 'are in normal position.` WithsuchV af construction, variations inzthe path of movement offthe gate are compensated for 4by theV centering device and the distance between thetwo coin-interceptingsurfacesi is always the same; and `thus precise coin separation is` possible. It is therefore an object of the, present. in-` ventionfto provide a coinseparator with a coin intercepting surface which is movable relative tothe frame and the gate and which has a centering device to precisely center it `relative tothe other coin-intercepting surv` face.

The movable coin-intercepting surface provided by the' present invention is preferably pivoted tothegate or` the frame and has a 'pointed projection on it. This` projection willcoact `with a recess in the frame or the gate to move the movable coin-intercept'ing surface ,to

a/position that=isprecisely spaced from the vtilted coinintercepting surface. The movemencofthe movable" coinLinterccpting surface will be great enoughto over-v due to manufacturing'tolerances and wear. As the gatev is t opened, the weight of the movable coin-intercepting surface will tend to move it downwardly, but as the gate is` closed `the pointed projection will engage the recess and raise the coin-intercepting' surface upwardly intol precisely spaced relation with the iixed coin-intercepting` surface.

vThe coin-intercepting surfaces provided by the present invention can be disposed adjacent an opening through1which under-sized coins can pass. Thus, those y,coin-intercepting surfaces can.l assist in directing undersized coins to the opening while they also stand ready to gage the diameter of coins ofthe proper size.

The movable coin-intercepting surface provided by i the present invention is of particularY value where 'it is mounted; adjacent an `opening for under-sized coins. That movablecoin-intercepting surface can have a. specially hardened face which" will be strongly resistant 'to wear'whereas.it might beimpractical to harden the periphery of the opening through which the under-sized coins must pass. With such a construction, the ability of the coin separator to pass under-sized coins of a predetermined diameterrthrough the opening, will be pre= Y served indefinitely becausewear will be at a minimum. It isfrequently desirable to equip coin separators withmag/nets fwhich will halt the movement of magnetic coins or slugs. Inmany instances the magnets are disposed adjacent portions ofthe coin passageway where the coins arelfalling freely or are rolling along a runway, andwhile such an arrangement is workable `and operative, it-4 requires. a powerful magnet. `In some in-` stances, the fcost and size ofsuch magnets are prohibi-A tive, vand the provision of a structure that will intercept and holdmagnetic coins or slugswith only a small magnet is'zessential.A The present invention Iprovides such a' structure by mounting .a coin-intercepting device and a` maghetlin close` proximity. `:The coin-intercepting Idevicewill intercept and hold the coinand thus greatly-reduce therspeed ofthe coin; `in somecases completely halting)Y i that coin; `That coin-intercepting device will lthereafterrelease` the coin it" the coin is of the type which is to be" accepted by thecoin'separator. Ifthe coin is spurious,

as by being. ofl magnetic material, the magnet which is` .adjacent the coin-intercepting device will holdv the coin and keep the lcoin-intercepting-device from releasing it. This magnet can be small because the coin is partially supported by the coin-intercepting device, and the coin intercepting device has largely absorbed the kinetic forces which the coin possessed before it engaged the coin-intercepting' device. It is therefore an object of the present inventionto provide a coin separator withy afcoin-intercepting` device and a magnet which is ad? jacent that coin-intercepting device and will coact with that coin-intercepting device to hold magnetic coins or slugs.

The rcoin-intercepting device provided by the present` invention can bea pivoted cradle which will receive a coin 'and will thereafter rotate to transfer the coin toa runway. Y Sucha cradle will largely halt the movement of the coin and will thereafter rotate under the weighty of 'the coin to let thecoin roll onto the runway. During its rotation, the cradlewill move the coin at a moderate speedand the magnet will act upon that coin while itisbeiug'moved atfthat speed by thevcradle. This speedy is sufficiently slow that the magnet 'will be able to'jstopA the rotation of thecoin-carrying cradle, 'as' by applying" `suicient magne'ticlforce to the coin to `over,

coniethe gravitational forces on that coin. AThe magnet j, ,will be assisted in holding the coin by the supporting. 1action of the cradle.` l

Y fname Y coin; separatorrthat'ismaderini accordancewithf the prin-- ciplessandneachings.ofthe presentliinvention; Fig..2fis f. a. partially, broken: away.- endwevw off the; coin separator:offlig` l; Y A

Eig; 3-:is aipartially brokenI away. endyievw offa=por= tion.V ofthe. coin separatorarofFig': 1;' andi-it is-takenrlalong the ;.pla11e. indicated .bye the :line 3-'-3."in. Fig. 1,'

Fig. 4 is a partially broken away end View of' the structure.'- ofFigt 3;/ and it-'shows .thatistrnctur'elin an ntefmediatezscavenging; position7V j y Fig. `Seis. .a partallysbrokenz-faway; endf viewloff'thesst'rue tureffof Eiga 3'; andf. it? showssthat: structurer irr sfull'y-l scavenged position; i v

Fig. 6 is.a perspective-Miewofia portion:offitljles.coinE Eig: 7:istatsectionalendgview of a'portionrtofthe/struc bntf it@ shows-1 the@ gate movedf slightly. away from r1 the! frame, and Y Pig.. 9-is'.a1front:.elevationalsviem on-'anV enlarged scale,

E 1a, portion.V oiiithecoin: separator' ot`1Fi^g. l'.V

Referringrtothe drawing. ina` detail, the.: numeral 'v denotes '.therframez-of the; coin sepanator providedliby the presentV invention; That-i frame; is.;.essentalilyfa.- atf. plate` provided with `i a: projecting:l mange-.22 iat the.:.rigl1thand;VV Sidenthereof:4 andiwitlr a ange -74:: at :the .left-handside; thereof. Twaearsltareprovidedon Vthetright-hanwdangmv those. earsV preferably: being: pnnched;out ot that.'

and advantagesaofthe pres- Y @827,996 Y y Y- Y 1 Y A sllot 48 i`s formed in the movable wa1l'38;and` thatY sloLaccommodates a. runway. 50.011- the. gate 30, .andperf mits that runway to move'into engagement with the center wall of the frame 20. The gate carries a second run- Yway 52 which extends to and engages the center wall of the frame 20. The runway 52 stops short of the ear 44 on the bottom of the movable wall 38, and a recess 51 is provided in the bottom of theV gate 30 to accommodate that ear. Coins rollingalongfthe' runway 52 will pass between. the ear 44 and-thecenterl wallof theV frame 20.-

A A pivot'54'is provided on th'e'gatel; ancthat'pivot"V rotatably supports a cradle 56. This cradle has lingers which extend into slots 58 and 60 which are formed in the l awayfpnrtionaofthe gate?iihwillLlbe.A generally similari. to and will register with'the slotvtflirrutlle center Swallofr of the cradle will be similar t'ofraridl.will'iregisterwiththe slottG-.inntlieicenten wall'of theiframe 20g-*andthe cut- Hngen. The. ears. 261support .aupivotpim 28.r andithattpin: Y

rotatably supports;aamovabletgatef. Theigate canarof tatezabout the pin: l-fromata positionf'in.l parallel Withtlre;y Center Walkv of the.; frame:21byte.zapositinrangularlyt dis-'.- P5 Sd:rlative;- to -,that; zwalls, spring .zencircles the i, Pivot; .pilla` ZSLrandibearsaagainst the.l frighIf-handeange. :22, all .againstttlrefgate:3Q:f vThis spring;:rbiases:thefgaterinto:v parallel. relation withithe-;center;wa1rior;theffframe 2my Af: Spacer;-341fisgformedc,onnthe gate-130; and thata spacer.T engagehe.: Center: wfallnotheyframe 20 to 'limit the.;- mov-ement@onthe:egatefll-ftowardsthexcenter.walt orsthet This; :space @will befdimensionedz'to zenahleiithel. gaie `1 3.0, rtO: -QQOperate with;.the:fcenterf; wall!` .ofntheaframeg 2.0;'.to provide,theentering;portiomoha coin` passageazvayfs Y Apermanent; magnet istmounted onta movabletwall; 38;;5y1ndfthat movable wallfisnrotatablefabouti thepivot pin; 28;;- Nol zspringtis.necessary-,tor bias@V the` movable-walk 3&:QWardlhe1-,Center wall.'` 10i :.the..` frame. :2.0; because fthe'. magnet 436 f.willprov-ide :a force.. that .biases `the.fwallatS'f towardthe centerwalltofrthe frame.; A-.second'permaf,-

nent magnetlv 40 1s mountedon` the movable: wallrand that magnet ,willalsotprovide a..biasinggforceffthat will. urge. ,the movable? walll 38 toward. thefcenter. wallgolfthe.

Vfr am e-:20. A yspacer 442 is. mountedtontthe centerwall' Vof the frame 20 in register with an upwardly extending; `eanon the. movahlewall, 38.-; Thisspacer, lwill befdimensionedjo. hold the: freeredgeftoilhemovable wal1.=38; away from the center .Y walls .ofI .the`A` framef 20g av distance iustlightly greater thal1 .;the thickness. of. Aacceptalzvle coins., Antear. 44 is providedon.thebottom-ofthemovable.

relationf'with.- the .centerr'wallmf .theaframe `20,1.thev lingers ofthefcradle: V56':will.abe^ free to. move in: the slots? and cutawaygportionsof thergaref and i tha-center" wall;4 of

theirame 20.". Y t .A

A pivot166 .fisvmountedsomthe gate .60, .and-twoV levers 68 andnfm arrearotatablynmounted on .the-.pivot 66.. Alis movidedadjaeent the levers' 68.1andf70 and. 'pivotsfzin; asslotfofla plate 731 securedato-'the gate 3. The-wiref:72-is identical tothe wire .161.1 dis-` closedY ing'sB W;- 'Frya Patent; Number 2-,292628 which. issued August; lla-194,2;and'it serves the samelpurposel tl1atthesaidwireY 161 serves., The .leven 70 is substantially idnticalto thebellkcrankflSSfin the said Bi W: 1-"ry.patentl andait servestheJsame purpose-that. the saidbellv vcranlri serves, lflgelever.- 68-:is1a substitute'ifor the-Wire spring.V 1691in. thesaid-B'. W. VFry patente, and*v it performs the samei functiont-t-hat.-.the= said wire rspring performs. Ars'top 76 is,mounted ionf-the-gate 30gand that stop limits rotation` Qf.`thelever..68 in sa. clockwise direction. An 'opening 78.,is.provided.;i ,.-theagatetoireceive: theend of they lever..A 7.0; and ..an.ope11ing= 80S .isl providedA in: theA centerwall-.bfathexframe...20.totreceive;:the endof the lever '70.

leyerjtawithout being intercepted! by thatuppenend.

A generally .U-kshapedbracket -82 .is secured to `the freeedgeioi the, ,gate :30; andathatabracket carries` a`l generally y-shaped. .deiectc-Jr.. 84.. which .is provided with va @weight on oneffthelegsthereof. Y 'lfherdeector 84willf be freev to .pivot relative .to ther bracket 82. and` thus willy bef free to pivotfrela'tive to.. the.. gate-30-and-..the-.eenter wallofl the fname 20.?. Theweight Omtheone.legsofthefdeector the frame 20.

Af stud Z86'is`. formednonlhe. loweredge-of f the gatev` 3`0',',. and that. stud projects outwardly. K from that gate.v

Afplter8i8` i's` securedl'to .the stud" 86 andiinclinest down-f wardlyand to tlfeV left from the stud 86'.A An adjusting` .screw is. mounted in aiA threaded. .hole incthe.. lower end' of theJplatel 88: The-endlofLth sc1:ew..90 can.,be setat va'ris-divstancesfrom. thecenter'wall of the-frame- 20L" by rotating .the .screw relative-to` the threads ofthe*- hole intheplate .88..-

` Arrr lgfrshapedtbae 92 A slot 64 Y is. mounted; tof. thefleft of .the-r: magnet, .40,.albale.94..is1nounted to ther: left andtsomee' j Y 75 what-.above-.themagllet40 andaebale y96a.,isvmountecll.`

` above-ianditoithe left ofV the magnet 36; `.These "bafes wall 38. A spacer98`is mounted on the bafe 96, and

that spacer extends outwardly from that bailie.

A stripping plate 100 is pivoted on the pivot pin 23, and a spring 101 is provided to urge the stripping plate toward the center wall of the frame 20. The spring 101 encircles the pivotpin28 and has one end bearing against the flange 22 of the frame and has the other vend bearing against'the stripper plate 100. An opening 102 is provided in the stripper plate 100 to accommodate the magnet 36. The stripper plate 100 has stripping projections 104 and 106 formed at the free edge of that plate, and the stripping projection 104 extends through an opening 108 in the gate 30 While the stripping projection 106 extends through an opening 110 in the gate 30. The stripping projections 104 and 106 are normally spaced outwardly of the openings S and 110 in the gate 30; being heldaway from those openings by the spacer 98. However, whenever the gate'30 is moved outwardly and away from the center wall of the frame 20, the openings 108 and 110 will be telescoped over the stripping projections 104 and 106 respectively and thus theprojections 104 and 106 will strip away any coins which tend to ymove with the gate adjacent the openings 108 and 110. A rollerV 112 is pivoted tothe upper edge of the gate 30 and a pressure plate 114 is mounted on a pivot 116 which is secured to the center wall of the frame 20. The pressure plate is normally biased to the position shown in Figs. ly andu 6 by a spring 118 that surrounds the pivot 116 and has one end bearing against the pressure plate 114 and has the other end bearing against the guide 21. A wiper blade 120 is secured to and moves with the pressure plate 114, and a cam 122 is secured to and moves `withj the pressure plate 114. The wiper blade will be movable into the coin passageway formed by the movable wall 38 and the center Wall of the frame 20, and will wipe ont any coins which are held in that passageway by the magnets 36 and 40. As the pressure plate 114 rotates about the pivot 116 to move the wiper blade 120 through the said passageway, the cam 122 will engage the roller 112 on the gate 30 and rotate the gate outwardly and away from the center wall of the frame 20. This rotation of the gate 30 will clear the way for the wiper blade 120, as by moving the runways 50 and 52 away from the center wall of the frame 20.

vThe numeral 124 generally denotes a subframe which is secured tothe frame 'and extends rearwardly of that frame. Thissubframe supports testing mechanisms for coins, such as the United States dimes. These testing mechanisms are not directly partof the present invention and may be ofthe type used to test United States dimes in the saidBj W. Fry patent.

An opening 126 is provided in the center wall of the frame 20 to permit coins, such as.United States dimes, to pass from the passageway between the gate 30 and the center wall of the frame 20 to the testing mechanisms mounted on the subframe 124. This opening will be just large enough to accommodate those coins,V but will be too small to accommodate coins such as United States l pennies, which are to be `tested by mechanisms on, the

front side of the center plate of the frame 20. Included .V

narrow -and will retlect the difference in diameter `be-4 assayed coin-intercepting element 132 is mounted on the gate 30 in register with the opening 130Y in the center wall ofthe frame20. The element 132 is provided with a pivot 134 that loosely secures that element to the gate 30. AV centering pin 136 inthe form of a cone is carried Yby the free end of the element 132, and that pin is in register with the opening in the center wall of the frame 20. The pin 136 extends through an opening 137` in the gate 30, and that opening is large enough to permit theft-ree end of thepelement 132 to move vertically a slight distance. When the gate 30 is spaced Vfrom the centerwall of the frame 20, as shown in Fig. 8, the f reeV end of the element 132 will move downwardly under the inuence of gravity until the shoulder that surrounds the Y pin 136 rests on the bottom edge of the opening 137. i At this time, the pin V136 will stillbe ,in register withthe` conical face on the pin 136 will coact with the edge of the opening 130 to raise the free end of the element 132 and thus place the upper surface of that element in precisely spaced relation to the stationary coin-intercepting element 128. Variations in the position of the free edge of the gate 30, due to manufacturing tolerances and wear, will be less than the centering made possible by the openingV 137, the pin 136 and the opening 130. As a result, the coin-intercepting element 132 will always be restored to a precisely spaced relation with the coinintercepting element 128 whenever the gate 30 is parallel to and adjacent the center wall of the frame 20.

A subframe 138 is suitablysecured in rigidlyV spaced relatin to the front of the center wall of the frame 20..

That 'subframe 138 has a ilange 140 at the left-hand side thereof and it has an ear 142 that is disposed to the right of the ange 140. A pivot pin 14d extends between the ear 142 and anopening in the ange 14@ at the left-hand side of the subframe 138. A movable'wall 146 is provided with ears 148, and those ears telescope over the pivot pin 144 and permit the rotation of the Wall 146l relative to the center wall of the frame 20. A tab is provided on the movable wail 146 adjacent the lower end of that wall, and that tab extends into an opening 152 in the ilange 140. The tab 150 will limit movement of the wall 146`relative to the flange 140 and thus relative to the center wall of the frame 20. A support 154 is provided with ears 156; and the ears 156 are spaced sothey can lit between the ears 148 on the movable wall 146. The ears 1,56 of the support 154 will receive the pivot pin 144 and the support 154 is thus movable` about that pivot pin. The support 154 is movable relative to themovable wall 146 as well as movable relative to the subframe 138 and the frame 20. The ears 156 on the movable support 154 normally hold the upper end of that support spaced from the upper end of the movable wall 146. However, rotation of the support 154 about the pivot pin 144, while the movable wall 146 remains stationary, will place the upper end of the support 154 in engagement with the upper end of the movable wall 146. Thus, rotation of the movable support 154 relative to the movable wall 146 is not unlimited. A spring 158 encircles the pivot pin 144, and one end of that spring bears against the movable support 154 adjacent the top thereof and the other end of the spring bears against the subframe 138, as by engaging an ear 141 punched out of the ange 140. The spring .158 will bias the movable support 154 for rotation in acounter clockwise direction about the pivot pin 144, as that support and that pin are viewed in Figs. 3-5. This biasing action of the spring 158 will be assisted by the gravitational forces on the movable supportl154 and by the gravitational forces on the movable wall 146. lt will be noted vthat theears on thec movablewall 146 and the earsr-on-.the movable support-- I'Stetend'title rightof those elements, asthoselelejv ments are viewed'in Figs.\35- and thusfth'e centerA gravity of those'elernents Vis to theleftnfthe pin 144: This causes those elements Yto tend torotateina counter clockwise direction about the pin144. Under normal conditions of operation, however, thefspacer 90i carried byth'e plate 88, whichin turnis mounted'on the stud 8640i the gate 39', willpress against the movable support 154 at fa ploint'below thelevel of the pivot pin ldfandww'ill hold the movable support 154 andthe movable-wall 146V ini the positionv shown in Fig-3. VWhen the spacer 90 ismoved, away from the subfrarne 138; asindicated particularly in Fig.' 4, the action of gravityand the action offthespring' 15S" Willcause the movablegwallf 146` and the movable support 1 54 to move togethenin a counter- Vclockwise direction. YHowever, whenjthetab 150` engages the rightihandV edge ofthe opening1152 in-theiange140,V

further' counter clockwise rotation of the movable Vwall 1'46 will`be halted, and thereafter themovable support 1524 willV continue to rotate a counter tionto the position shown'in Fig..5.' Y* j A pivot 161B is mounted on themovablesupport 154', and` that pivot rotatably supports a cradle 162;- As1ot 15'4 is provided in the movable supportj154 `1go-accomc lo'ckwise direc# modate one of the fingers of the'cradle 1112,'j and theA movable wall 146 is correspondingly cutaway. in register with the slot 164. A second slot 16`6Yvis provided in themovable wall 154, anda corresponding slort,:nontA shown, is provided in the wall 146 to accommodatetheother-linger of the cradle 162. The slots and cut away. portions-of the movable wall 146 and movable support-154 permitfree and' ready rotation of the cradle 162 byva--coinWhich-it intercepts.

A sleeve 16S is mounted on the movable. support 154 adjacent Vthe cradle`162, and the center'- of2thattsleeve` i'sin register with a point on the path whichhay coininterof y.the cradle 162 will also extend. into that-space and will' intercept coins passing downwardly. in that; space; andthe cradle 162l will rotate under` the weight'offauthentic coinsyand will deposit those coins on thel runwayl 1721 is mounted on and'is a part of the movable-'support 154L` The coin whichis transferred to therunway 172- willfb'e able to roll into the accepted coin chute 174V and from there toa discharge pointwhere it can drop into the coin boX. y l

A" deflec'tor plate 176 is provid'edewith pivotslf/S, and those pivots extend into openingsV in ears: 180 on'the subframe 13S. The upper end of the'deflectorplate 176 canrotate between the upper edge` ofv the `subiranno-13:8V

andthe center wall of the frame 20. A leafspring 184 is suitably riveted to the subframe 138 by rivets 186, and that spring biases the deector 176 for rotation against the upper edge of the subframe 138. Howevernaneafr 182011 the -deiiector Y176 is in'registerwith thegateti()` and will normally be held adjacent the -center Wa-llfof:

the framelZ by the gate 30: When the ear 182 on the deflector plate 175 is` held adjacent the centenwall ,ofthe frameV 20. by gate StL-the upper end of the-deecto'r plate182 will lodge ina notch 127 inthe bottom edge ot the opening 126. Thusfthe deflector plate i1776t will receive all`coins which are presented to theopening'126k but which do not pass through that opening althoughthey, pass V"between, the coin-intercepting elements 128 .-afnd- 132.

The deflectorvY plate -1/76u will. deliverV those .coins-` to the' between the subfr'ame 138 and. the.: movable.

faceoff'the cen-ter'w'all of the frame 2U. andit'tends toV Y edgethereof,,and'that'incliued portion coacts with the their" roll, along, the runway 52v andfpast the magnet 40 Nickels' will have an. electric-ahconductivity, that will enable tli'ern to follow a path com-parabletothe path E` Y in the said Bl W. Frypatent. Spurious `coins thathaveY too low an.electricaLconductivity will strike anlanvil, not' n shown,r comparablel to..I the anvil; 157]:A inthe4 said;y B.-W

center wallfof` frame Ztl' and with' twoV spaced guides 19 a'rid'21 on that center wall to define an entrance for coins. This entrance is in register withrrthecoin-mterceptmgl Vsurfaces or' l theVV cradle 56, and each com rntroduced through the-coin entrance will pass toward the cradle 56.

This` cradley vis dirnensioned' to intercept Vand' hold allV UnitedStatesrquarters and coins or slugs of'that or larger.

.15T and 21.. If the coins are of the` proper size and ght,Y they willfcause the cradle 56to rotate in a clockwisef directiongandto transfer the coins tothe runwayStl.

The runway, Stltwill conductthe conductcoins throughthema'gnetic iieldprovided by the magnet'o. That mag,

'neticfleld willgenerate eddy currents inthe coins; the

Fry'patent andwill thusV be directed tothe rejected coin.

chute. If the coins have too lwanvelectricalconductivity,- th'ey will strikean anvil,4not shown, and rebound.- to

l the rejected coin chute. A' coin which has. been interfcepted'by the cradle 55 andwhich has been placed on `the runway S9 for movement through the magneticv lieldvof.f themagnet 36' isgenerally indicatedby the numeral 19t) inr Fig'r l. Unduly thick coins willlbe tooV thick totpass betweenthe movable wall 3S' and the center wallofthe frame 211, and thus they willbe kept from passing'Y to the` accepted'ceincliute.

' Coins, such asUnited States nickelsgtpennieslanddimes will pass between thecoin` intercepting iingers` of the c ra'dle'l 56 and willfalldownwardly towardsthe lever 70. The right'hand'nnger ofthe cradle 56 willact to deflect coins,v which pass'tlrough the cradle S5; toftheleftofthe.

lever 70. Th'eupper'endof the lever. 7l.) will` normally be's'paced from a guiding flange 35 on the freefedgeof theV gate 30 Va distance lessthanthediameter? of a United,k A`s aV result,A nickels which. pass between States nickel. j th'ehngei's ofthe cradlefSlS willbe forcedintoengagement" with the lever 70 andwillforcethat leverttofrotate in a clockwise direction.,V The rotationof.y the lever'7 will force thev wire V72`to rotateabout itsfvertical axis inu the slot in the plate 73`.,and"thus withdraw the bottom end offth'at-wire from the coin passageway. The lever 70 has suicient mass andmomentumthat when a nickel strikes lit'and-causes it to move the wire 721 out of the' passageway, that lever will momentarily hold the` wire? 72 out ofthe passageway-g thus enabling the nickel toV raclirthze runway 52 and theVcoin-intercep'tingv element- 132.` Atsucha timethe element 132A acts merely as.an1 extension ofV theV upper end` of the runway 52l There'- after,-tlie lever 6b" will movetle lever 70-and the wire 721b`ack to the position shown in Fig. l', whereupon theAV lower end` of! the wire 72 will feel lthe surfaceV ofi theV nickel..` It" the nickel doesl not have aholethrough it.or does'not have a serious surface cavity,V the nickel -willI Fry patent. and will t rebound.v with'` auch: force; tlrlat4 they;

188 s provided adjacent the.

, v 'ich are smalllenough toA pass'` between the spaced will strike a stop and fall toward the'rejected coin chute. If the electrical conductivityfor" the spurious coins is too high, the coins will fall short and thusl fall into the rejected coin chute. A nickel that` has passed the magnet 40'is denoted generally by the numeral 192 in Fig. l. The structure for testing and separating quarters and nickels is not a part of the present invention, but is described here to illustrate the operation of the coin separater of the present invention.

A United States dirne, and coins of comparable size, will fall through the space between the .fingers of the cradle 56 and will move toward lever 70. However those coins will not have sufficient weight to move the lever 70.y Instead, that lever will deflect those coins toward the upper end of thecoin-intercepting element 132. As those coins reach the upper endo element 132, they will be in register with the opening 126; and they will also be in engagement with the rear leg of the -deectcr S4. The deliector 84 will urge those coins toward the opening 126;.and if they are no larger thanla dime they will fall through that opening. The deilector 138 will guide those coins to the testing mechanisms, not shown, on subframe 124 Where dimes will be accepted and spurious coins will be rejected. Those testing mechanisms will test coins for weight, diameter, thickness 4and electrical conductivity. Any coins which are llarger than a dime will be unable to pass through the opening 126 because the distance betweentthe upper left hand portion of that opening andV the upper surface of the element 132 is carefully, gaged to be just larger than the diameter of a UnitedStates dirne. A dirne which has passed through the cradle 56, has been deilectedgthrough the opening126 by the ldeilector 84, and has passed into the testing mechanism on the' subframe 124vis generally denoted by the numeral 194 in Fig. 1.

United States pennies, `and coins ofthe same size will fall between the fingers of the cradle 56 and will strike the lever 70. The weight of such coins is less than that of the nickel, and the diameter of such coins is less than that of a nickel, and therefore the lever 70 is not rotated far enough to rnove the wire 72 out of the `coin passageway. `Consequently, the wire4 V72 detlects those coins to the left, as viewed in Fig. l, until those coins engage the upper surfa-ce of the element 132. l Those coins will simultaneously engage the element`128 and will be gaged by those two elements. If the coins are slightly larger in diameter than a penny, they will be intercepted by the elements 128 and 132'. Those coins can be freed from those elements by pressing on the pressure plate 114, thus causing the gate 30 to move away from the center wall of the frame 20 and `laterally separate the surfaces 128 and 132. Thereupon the coins will be insuilciently supported and will fall directly downwardly to the reject coin chute, not shown, below and in register with the elements 128 and 132. If the coins are not oversized, they will roll between the elements 128 and 132 and fall downwardly until they strike the coin-intercepting fingers of the cradle 162. Coins that are thicker than Va penny will be too thick to pass between subframe 13,8 and movable wall 146 and will be held. The ear 15h on wall 146 engages the rear edge of opening 152 in flange 140 to set the depth of the coin passageway. If thecoins are of the required thickness and are large enough to be held by the lingers of the cradle 162, and if they have the proper weight, they will causethe cradle to rotate in a clockwise direction and deliver'the coins to the runway 172. One such coin which has been so delivered is denoted generally by the numeral 196.

If a coin is of the proper size and of the proper weight but is of magnetic material, that coin will be held on the fingers of the cradle by the magnetic lines rof flux from the magnet 170. This magnet need not be strong enough to support `the coin by itself because the fingers of the cradle will assist in supporting that coin; the magnet need merely be powerful enough to coact with the lingers of the cradle 162 to hold the coin. The fact that the coin will virtually come to a stop as it strikes the cradle 162 further reduces the required size and strength of the magnet 170 because the coin will' be virtually motionless when the magnetic lines of llux act upon it. Moreover, the cradle 162 is so weighted that the unbalance due to the presence of the coinis not great, and is readily compensated for by the magnetic lines of force of the magnet. It will be noted that the magnet 170 is` above a line which extends between the normalpositions Vof the lingers of the cradle 162; and therefore that magnet applies a holding force which tends to hold the coin up and thus relieve the cradle of the gravitational force of the coin. The magnet 170 is also above the level of the -pivot 160 for the cradle, and this further assists the magnet in holding the coin up rather than in pulling the ,coin down.

In the event coins which strike the cradle `162 are oversized, they will strike the oversized pin 163 adjacent the cradle 162, and further rotation ofthe cradle will be halted.` If the coin is too light in weight, it will not be able to rotate the cradle 162; and if the coin is of magnetic material it will be held inv the cradle 162 by magnet plate 88 with its spacer 90 will be moved away from the movable support 154. The spring 158 will then coact with the action of gravity to rotate the movable Wall 148 and the movable support 154 away from the subframe 138. Thisl movement is shown particularly in Figs. 35;

' and this movement will enlarge the depth of the coinv passageway, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, and will subsequently withdraw the fingers of the cradle 162 from that passageway. Moreover,` that movement will introduce a sizable air gap between the magnet 17@ and the passageway, as emphasized in Fig. 5. The coin will fall directly downwardly to the coin vreject chute. As the movable wall 146 and the movable support 154 move, the deector plate 176 also moves,`thus permitting any coins which might have been held by the surface 132 and 123 Vto fall directly downwardly through the space between the center wall of the frame 20 and the subfrarne 13S to the coin rejectchute therebelow.

The coin separator provided by the present invention will accept and test four United States coins, namely pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Each coin will be tested for size, weight, thickness and metallic property. The present invention separates these tour coins from each other and from spurious coins with a high degree of accuracy. The dirne and penny are separated with an unusual degree of accuracy because the spacing between the element 128 and the element 132 is always maintained precisely the sarne by the'centering arrangement of the present invention. Heretofore, where coins were separated by one element on the gate and another element on the frame, variations in'the'path of the free edge of the gate would affect the sizing of the coin. However, this is completely overcome by the present invention.

Whereas a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described in the drawing and accompanying description, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that `various changes may be made in the form of the invention without aiecting the scope thereof:

What I claim is:

l. A coin separator that. has a stationary wall, a movable wall that normally coacts with said stationary wall to deine a coin passageway, a coin-intercepting element supported by said stationary wall, a Vsecond coin-intercepting element supported by said movable wall, one of said coin-intercepting elements being movable relative to said aszmaef Y coin-intercepting element relative to the other coin-inter- Y Y i cepting element Whenever said;movable wallvis adjacent said stationary wall; t

,2,Inalcoin separator that .has a pair. of spacedjrel'a-4 tively niovabl'walls to dene a coin-receiving passage# way, the improvement that' comprises a coin-intercepting vfaces being aconirca'ltprojection and the other of'said/ surfaces defining.k a recess to receive said? projection; K

` 4. A coin separator that has a stationary'wallgta Inlov# able wall thatnormally coacts with. said' stationary wall' to dene a coin passageway-,zacon-intercepting elementV supported by said' stationary, wall;A a,secondl'coin'inter ceptingrelement supported by said'v movable wall; oneof said' Acoin-intercepting elements being movable Vrelative to said stationary wall'and'saidimovable wall; and'centering surfaces on.said walls that precisely position the said one coin-intercepting element relative to the other coin-intercepting element whenever said movable'walllis adjacent saidstatioriar'ywall, a coinfreceivingopening in.

one of said walls adjacentisaidV coin-interceptingnelements, the said one coin-intercepting element beingfcontiguouswith said coin-receiving opleninggrand the: other *ofl said.-

coinintercepting elements being spaced from. saidoperr f Y ing, whereby the said oner-coin-intercepting; elernerrtand` said opening can passia4 coin ofta predetermined'adiameter` but can reject coins of larger diameter andfwhereby said coin-intercepting elements can gauge such larger CliaIItl-= eter coins. Y

5.Y A coin separator that hasastationary 'walhja movable wall that normallycoactswithA said stationarywalll to define a coin passageway,`a coin-interceptingjelernent' supported by Vsaid stationary wall, a seconderin-inter.` cepting element supported by said movable walh'one', ofv said coin-intercepting elements being movable relati'yeuto' said'stationary wall and said movablewall; and'centering surfaces that precisely position the'saidf on`e,"coir`1inter' ceptingv element whenever said movable WallpisV adjacent said stationary wall. t A

6. A coin separator that'has a stationary Wallga mov-Y able wall that normally coacts with said :stationary wall'A todene a coin passageway,V a coin-interceptingjelement supported by said stationarywall, aY second'V coin-inter;- cepting element supported`by saidfmovablewall, oneof. said coin-intercepting elements being movablef relative to;

said stationary wallV andsaid movable Wall,V andi centerf ing surfaces that preciselyrposition thesaid'onegcoiir-int'er? ceptirig element Wheneverv said' movable wall is' adjacent said stationary wall, a coinreceiving openingjin one" of Y saidl walls Y' adj acent- 'said' coineinterceptingv elements, tlie said one coin-intercepting element` being contiguousWitli said coin-receiving opening andtheotherofsaidicoii1=l intercepting elements being VVspaced* from said opening,V

Vwhereby Vthe said one coineintercepting elementVj and said*` opening can passl acoin of al pre#determinedL dia'n'leter` but can reject coins'offlarger diameter and wherebysaidJ coin-intercepting elements cangage such-larger diameter coins; 5

References- Citedlin the -le of' this "patent Y, UNITED STATES PATENTS .Y

17,701,875 DuGrenier 'Febf` 12;19.295

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