US2923165A

US2923165A - Coin control device

Info

Publication number: US2923165A
Application number: US695445A
Authority: US
Inventors: William A Patzer
Original assignee: PATTEN Co
Current assignee: PATTEN Co
Priority date: 1957-11-08
Filing date: 1957-11-08
Publication date: 1960-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 1977-02-02

Description

Feb. 2, 1960 w. A. PATZER com CONTROL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-.2

Filed Nov. 8, 1957 Fig, 1

s i vnu ri Feb. 2, 1960 w. A; PATZER 2,923,165

com CONTROL DEVICE Filed Nov. 8. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 firs. ,4 fig 5 INV BN1 OR.

aifor'nez/s 'COIN CONTROLDEVICE "William A. Patzer, Chicago, 111., assignor, by mesne as- "signmentsyto The Patten Company, Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 8,1957, Serial No. 695,445

11 Claims. (Cl.'74'126) This invention relates to a ratchet driven accumulator, and more particularly to a device for positively restoring an accumulator to itszeroposition whenever the accumulator reset mechanism is actuated.

Accumulators asused in vending machines are essen .tiallyrotarysswitches wherein the angular position of the rotatablytmounted switch blade depends uponthe amount of.money inserted in the machine. Apluralityof hot contactpointsare angularly spaced around the .axis .of .the switch blade .andeach of these hot contactpointsmay be connected to one or more vending machines soihat .whenthe required sum of money is inserted,tthe rotatably .mountedswitch blade inthe accumulator will rotate into Yengagement.withtheproper hot contactpoint, and this en- :gagement willclose -a. circuit which will .permit the vending machine to dispenseorsell its products.

:Typically, the .accumulator.comprises a ratchet wheel .which isrigidlymounted on the same shaftas the ,ro- .tatably.mounted switch.blade or .else' is otherwise con- .nected when -.used asa tcoin changer and/or dispenser .onforother purposes. Thisratchet wheel is adapted to tbetrotated by a,,plurality of coin-actuated .and solenoidtd'riven push rods. fEach solenoid is associated with a coin or a particular'jdenomination and is energized only when thatcoiii'islinserte'd in the vending machine. When this f happens,the pushrods'in theenergized solenoid move into; pushing engagement with the ratchet wheel. Lever means are .provided so that this engagement displaces the ratchet wheel in proportion to the'monetary values of the coins .inse'rtedin. the vending machine.

' 'A reset mechanism is provided. to enable return of the ratchet wheel to its zero or rest .position, .after theivending operation orchange operation'has been completed. This reset mechanism includes both aspiral spring which is connected to the ratchet-wheel to exert'the required restoring force, and an escapement pawl which is spring biased into engagement with the teeth of'ithejratchet wheelandprevents it from rotating back to its zero position after each coin is inserted in the machine. The biasing-force exerted on the escapement pawl may be overcome by a reset solenoid, which, when actuated, drives 'a'pu'sh rod into engagement with a part of the escapementpawl and forces it out of engagement with the ratchet whe'elsothat the ratchet wheel and its associated co- :axi'allymounted switch blade can rotate'back to its zero positionunder the restoring force exerted by the spiral p ne- "This mechanism is satisfactory if the escapement pawl is held out of engagement with the ratchet wheel long enough for it to return to zero. 'The difliculty arises when the reset mechanism, either by accident or design, is given a very shortimpulse so that the escapement pawl is permitted to move back into-engagement with and stop the ratchet wheel before it rotates back to its zero posi "ice isinserted inthe machine. What is needed, therefore,

*and comprises the principal object of this invention, is a device .for positively restoring the ratchet wheel-in an accumulator tOzltS zero position each time the reset mechainismvis :actuated.

A further object of this inventionistto provide a simple mechanical device for positively restoring the ratchet wheel of an accumulator to its zero position each time thereset mechanism is actuated, which is simple to make andeasy to install.

These and other objects of this invention will become .more apparent when read in the light of the accompanying drawings and specifications wherein- Figure .1 is a frontelevational-view of the accumulator in zero. or-trest position;

Figure 2 isa. sectional v-iewtaken on the line 2-2 of Figure land looking in the direction indicated;

Figure 3 is a portion of a front elevational view of the accumulator -with;parts broken away to show the arrangement of; the internal parts;

Figure 4 shows. a portionof the frontview of the ac- ..cumulator with .apush rod actuated by the insertion of a quarter in the vending machine, rotating the ratchet wheel;

figure .5 shows .the position. of the .various arts of -theaccumulatorwith the movement of the .pushrod of the; resetrsolenoid indicated in dotted. lines; and

fFiguretdshows asectional viewtaken on the line 6-6 oiFigureS .andlooking in. the. direction indicated.

Referring,nowtoFigure .l of; the drawing, the accumu- .1ator mechanism,,for a coin-operated vending machine, indicated ,generally by .the .referencevnumeral 10, com- .prises,an L shapedssupport 12, see Figure '2. A shaft '14,is. rotatably mounted on the support .by any conven- 12 below arm 18. A conventional. circuit (not shown) is connected to these solenoids; to energize them by the insertion ofa nickel, dime, or .quarter in the coin vending machine. Push rods '30, 32, .and .34 are mounted inside these solenoids, see Figure 1, and each of them is adapted 'to "move. into engagement with arm'18 when its solenoid J1s energized. This movement is illustrated in Figure 4,

which shows 'push rod 34 in raised position engaging arm matter the solenoid 28 is energized by the insertionof a quarter in the vending machine. ,This engagement causes arm 18 .to rotate and this in turn rotates "'theratchet wheel 16 by means of the engagement of pawl'22 with the ratchet wheel.

7 The push rods engage the' armltl at different distances from the rotational axis of the arm so the degree of rotation of the ratchet wheel depends upon the solenoidtwhich'is energized. ,These points of Contact between the push rods and arm .18are adjusted-so that energizing solenoid 24 by the insertion of'ianickel in the vending machine rotates the ratchet -'-whe'el a distance equivalent to one tooth, energizing solenoid 26 by the insertion of a dime rotates the ratchet wheel through' two teeth, and energizing solenoid 28 by the insertion of a quarter rotates the ratchet wheel through 'five -te'eth. With this arrangement it is seen that the explained in greater detail in the patent to Tratsch, No.

3, 2,459,008, to which reference is now made. With this mechanism, the accumulator would be complete by mount ing a conductive switch blade on shaft 14 to be rotatable therewith, and providing a plurality of hot contact points leading to vending machines around the axis of shaft 14 for engagement by the switch blade when the required sum of money is inserted in the vending machine.

As seen in Figure 3, a flat spiral restoring spring 36 is connected by any conventional means (not shown) between the support 12 and the ratchet wheel 16 constantly to urge the ratchet wheel to rotate back toward zero position. In order for the accumulator to sum or totalize the money inserted in the vending machine, the ratchet wheel 16 must operate in a step-by-step manner as each coin is inserted in the machine. This requires that an escapement pawl 38 be provided which will engage the ratchet wheel 16 to prevent it from rotating back to zero after each coin is inserted in the machine. This escapement pawl, as seen in Figures 4 and 5, includes a lever 40 which is pivotally secured to the support 12 at pivot 42. The escapement pawl is integral with arm 44 of the lever, and a coil spring 48 is connected to the other arm 46. This coil spring biases the lever 40 in a clockwise direction to urge the escapement pawl 38 into engagement with the teeth on the ratchet wheel.

After enough coins have been inserted in the vending operated. After this, the ratchet wheel 16 must be rei turned to its zero or rest position for the next sale by the vending machine. This requires that a reset mechanism be provided. In the form shown in the drawings,

the reset mechanism indicated generally by the reference .4 a lower actuating arm 72, see Figure 5. The inner edge 74 of the recess 68 does not extend to the periphery of the ratchet wheel, so when the escapement pawl 38 enters the recess 68, it can engage the teeth on the ratchet wheel and prevent it from rotating back to its zero or rest position. When this happens the effect of spring 62 is to bias lever 61 into engagement with the escapement pawl 38 so that the lower edge 71 of the abutment 70 rests on the top edge 39 of the escapement pawl 38, see Figure 5. In this position, the blocking mechanism does not afiect the operation of the accumulator in any way, but when the reset mechanism is actuated forcing the escapement pawl 38 out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and out of recess 68, the lever 61 is freed to rotate. When this happens, the biasing force exerted by the spring 62 forces lever 61 to pivot further in the clockwise direction until the actuating arm 72 engages and is stopped by the latch bar 33, see Figure 3. This bar, as described in the abovementioned patent to Tratsch, has the added function of preventing backlashing of the ratchet wheel. In this positionflhe blocking abutment 70 has moved into the path of the escapement pawl 38 to prevent it from moving back into engagement with the ratchet wheel 16 after the reset solenoid is de-energized, see Figure 3. This permits the ratchet wheel 16 to rotate back to its zero position renumeral 50, includes a solenoid 52 having a reciprocably movable solenoid actuated push rod 54 mounted inside.

The top of this push rod 54 is positioned beneath the end portion of arm 46 on lever 40, see Figure 6, so that when the solenoid 52 is energized, the push rod 54 is forced upwards against the lever 40. This engagement pivots lever in a counterclockwise direction against the action of the biasing spring 48 and forces the escapement pawl 38 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 16, see Figures 3 and 5. This movement frees the ratchet wheel and lets it rotate back to its zero or rest position under the biasing force exerted by the spiral spring 36. When the solenoid 52 is de-energized, the push rod 54 falls back to its rest position and the biasing force exerted by spring 48 on lever 40 again forces the escapement pawl hack in the direction of the ratchet wheel. Since the effect of the solenoid 52 and push rod 54 is only to move the escapement pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, it is apparent that other reset mechanisms could be provided.

It is noted that if the duration of the actuation or energization of the solenoid 52 is too short, the escapement pawl 38 may be permitted to move back into engagement with the ratchet wheel 16 and stop it before it has completely returned to zero. If that happens, less money would have to be inserted in the machine to .rotate the ratchet wheel 16'and its switch blade to-the required angular position, or in effect the machine would sell its product at a loss. To prevent this from happening, an escapement pawl blocking mechanism, indicated generally by the reference numeral 60, is provided, see Figure 1. This blocking mechanism, in the particular embodiment shown, comprises a lever 61 which is rotatably mounted on shaft 14. A coil spring 62 is connected at one end to a lug 63 secured to support'12, and at the other end to an arm 64 on the lever 61, thereby exerting a clockwise rotational force on the lever.

Another arm 66 of lever 61 is provided with a recess 68 defining an upper blocking abutment member 70 and gardless of the period of the actuation of the reset solenoid 50.

After the accumulator ratchet wheel 16 has returned to its zero position, it is necessary to move the blocking lever 61 back to the position shown in Figure 5, so that the escapement pawl 38 can move back into engagement with the ratchet wheel for the next sale. This can be done by giving the latch bar 33 an added function. As described in the abovementioned patent to Tratsch, the latch bar 133 is raised into engagement with the ratchet wheel 16 each time one of the coin-operated solenoids is energized, see Figure 4. Since the actuating arm 72 abuts against the top portion of the latch bar, when the first coin is inserted in the vending machine, the latch bar will rise and force lever 61 in the counterclockwise direction so the abutment member 70 moves from the blocking position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 5 in which the escapement pawl 38 again enters recess 68 and moves into engagement with the ratchet wheel.

The invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof as set forth in the claims, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and it is intended to include all changes which come within the scope and range of the claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a support, a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted on said support, rotating means connected to said ratchet wheel, restoring means connected to said ratchet wheel to restore it to a rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, a pawl movably mounted on said support, means connected to said pawl to move it into en gagement with said ratchet wheel to prevent the restoring means from rotating the ratchet wheel back to its rest position reset means associated with'said support, said reset means operating to move and hold said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet wheel for the period of its operation whereby the ratchet wheel can start rotating back to its rest position, and blocking means, said blocking means in operative association with said reset means and said pawl so that when said reset means is operated said blocking means holds the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheelpermittingthe ratchet wheel to rotate completely back to its rest position regardless of the period of operation of the reset means.

'i ea binatiqn supp t. a ratche he l g at blr mounted q t aid ap g t o tin mentpammed: osai t at het wheat rest in m n d-z to a atchet-Wheel to rotate. it back to a rest positionafterit has.been rotated away. therefrom, a pawl movably-mounted onlsaidsupport, means connectedto said. pawl. tomoveit into eligagernent with said ratchet wheel to prevent the, restoring means from rotating the ratchet wheel back to its rest positiomreset means associated with said: support .sa id reset means operating to move and hol'dsaid .pawl out of epgagementwith saidratchetwheelfor the period of its operation whereby the ratchet wheel can star rotating back to its rest position, and blocking means mounted on said support, said-blocking meanstmovable: between a blocking and a non-blocking position and normally in a non blockingposition, means. connectedvto said blocking means andtriggered by the operation of the reset means tomovetheblocking means to said blocking position-between said pawl and' said ratchet wheel and thereby prevent said pawl from moving back into engagement with said ratchet wheel so that the ratchet wheel will always rotate completely back to its rest position regardless of the period of operation of the reset means.

4. An accumulator for a coin-operated vending machine, comprising in combination a support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, rotating means connected to said ratchet wheel, restoring means connected to said ratchet wheel to rotate it back to a rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, a pawl movably mounted on said support, means connected to said pawl to move it into engagement with said ratchet wheel to prevent the restoring means from rotating the ratchet wheel back to its rest position, reset means associated with said support, said reset means operating to move and hold said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet wheel for the period of its operation whereby the ratchetwheel can start rotating back to its rest position, and blocking means mounted on said support, said blocking means movable between a blocking and a non-blocking position and normally in a non-blocking position biasing means connected to said blocking means and triggered by the operation of the reset means to move the blocking means to said blocking position between said pawl and said ratchet wheel and thereby prevent said pawl from moving back into engagement with said ratchet wheel so that the ratchet wheel will always rotate completely back to its rest position regardless of the period of operation of the reset means.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 4 including means connected to said blocking means for moving it out of said blocking position when said rotating means is actuated.

6. An accumulator for a coin-operated vending ma chine, comprising in combination a support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, rotating means connected to said ratchet wheel, restoring means connected to said ratchet wheel to rotate it back to a rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, a pawl movably mounted on said support, means connected to said pawl to move it into engagement with said ratchet wheel to prevent the restoring means from rotating the ratchet wheel back to its rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, reset means associated with said support, said reset means operating to move and hold said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet wheel for the period of its operation whereby the ratchet wheel can start rotating back to its rest position, andblocking means pivotally mounted on said support, the pivotal axis of said blocking means coinciding with the rotational axis of said shaft, said blocking means pivotal between a block ing position and a non-blocking position and normally in a non-blocking position, biasing means connected to said blocking means and triggered by the operation of means connected,to .said. .blocking means, includes an acma n a rm a d aqtuat ne tm. a e b ed by, aportion ofl said-rotating meanswhen it is actuated whereby said ;blockingmeans is rotated, out of said blockin g, position. thereby. pennitting saidpawl to move back into n asemcn t a d i t' h tr h t 9 a'ccurnulator. for, a, coimoperated vending machine,comprising;incornbinationasupport, a shaftrotatably mounted on said support, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, rotating means connected to said ratchet wheel, restoring means connected to said ratchet wheel to rotate it back to a rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, a lever pivotally mounted on said support, said lever having first and second arms, a pawl connected to one arm, spring means connected to said other arm to pivot said lever and bias said pawl into engagement with said ratchet wheel to prevent it from rotating back to its rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, reset means associated with said support, said reset means operating to exert a rotational force on said lever for the period of its actuation which overcomes the biasing force exerted by the spring means and causes said pawl to move out of engagement with said ratchet wheel to permit the restoring means to start rotating the ratchet wheel back to its rest position, and blocking means pivotally mounted on said support, the pivotal axis of said blocking means coinciding with the rotational axis of said shaft, said blocking means pivotal between a blocking position and a non-blocking position and normally in a non-blocking position biasing means connected to said blocking means and triggered by the operation of the reset means to pivot the blocking means to the said blocking position between the pawl and said ratchet wheel so that the ratchet wheel will completely rotate back to its rest position regardless of the period of the operation of the reset means, and means connected to said blocking means for pivoting it out of said blocking position when said rotating means are actuated.

10. The apparatus set forth in claim 9 wherein said means connected to said blocking means includes an actuating arm, said actuating arm'positioned to be en gaged by a portion of said rotating means when it is actuated, whereby said blocking means may be rotated out of said blocking position thereby permitting said pawl to move into engagement with said ratchet wheel.

11. An accumulator for a coin-operated vending machine comprising in combinationa support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, rotating means connected to said ratchet wheel, a restoring spring connected between said support and said ratchet wheel for rotating it back to its rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, a lever pivotally mounted on said support, said lever having first and second arms, a pawl connected to one arm, spring means connected to said other arm to pivot said lever and bias said pawl into-engagement with said ratchet wheel to prevent the restoring spring from rotating it back to its rest position after it has been rotated away therefrom, reset means mounted on said support, a push rod driven by said reset means and adapted to move into engagement with said lever when said reset means is operated, said engagement exerting a rotational force on said lever which-overcomes the 7 pawl to move out of engagement with said ratchet wheel and permitting the restoring spring to start rotating the ratchet wheel back to its rest position, and a blocking lever pivotally mounted on said support, the pivotal axis of said blocking lever coinciding with the rotational axis of said shaft, said blocking lever pivotal between a blocking position and a non-blocking position and normally in a non-blocking position biasing means connected to one arm of said blocking lever to pivot the blocking lever in a predetermined direction, the outer edge of another arm of the blocking lever provided with a recess, said recess defining an upper blocking abutment member and a lower actuating arm, the inner edge of said recess at a distance from the axis of said shaft which is less than i the radius of said ratchet wheel so that the pawl may enter said recess to engage the teeth on said ratchet wheel and to engage a portion of the arm of the blocking lever in the recess and thereby prevent the blocking lever from a 8 pivoting to its blocking position, said biasing means caus ing said blocking abutment member to pivot to a blocking position between the pawl and the ratchet wheel when the reset means is operated to force said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet wheel and out of said recess, said actuating arm engaging a portion of said rotating means when said blocking abutment member is in blocking position so that when said rotating means is actuated it pivots said blocking abutment member out of its blocking position thereby permitting said pawl to move back into the recess and into engagement with said ratchet wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS