US3026022A - Vandal resistant parking meter housing - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1962 B. c. CURRY VANDAL. RESISTANT PARKING METER x-xousmc INVENTOR BENNETIC CURRY MQJ ATTORNEY) BY; I

Filed April 5, 1961 v Mam- \Wr! 1 7122771 74 i 7 March 20, 1962 B. c. CURRY 3,026,022

VANDAL RESISTANT PARKING METER HOUSING Filed April 5, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY) States Patet ice 3,026,022 VANDAL RESISTANT PARKING METER HGUSING Bennett C. Curry, R0. Box 4, Woodstock, Va. Filed Apr. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 100,213 8 Claims. (Cl. 232-1) This invention relates to coin or check operated parking meters and more particularly to a vandal-resistant housing structure therefor, and this application is a continuationin part of my copending application Serial No. 37,210, filed June 20, 1960, now abandoned, for a Vandal Resistant Parking Meter Housing.

An important object of the invention, as disclosed in both applications is to provide a housing structure which will resist vandalism of the housing structure such as forcing the lock structure thereof, as by forcing the lock structure inwardly, or forcing an entrance to the coin or check compartment, such as by Way of a coin or check compartment door or similar closure.

Another important object is to provide a housing structure for the purpose described above, which includes two telescopic main housing portions one of which, when unlocked, will automatically move longitudinally of the other and open the mouth of a coin or check discharge way, whereby a collection container held below or around the mouth will receive the coins or checks automatically discharged from the mouth, yet when the housing structure is locked, there is no sign of the mouth in evidence and there is no indication of the probable location of the coins or checks within the housing, yet an authorized operator, unlocking the housing portions will know where to position the collection container in order to collect the coins or checks without the need to scoop or otherwise manually remove them.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide latch means associated with the telescopic housing portions and the lock thereof to automatically latch the housing portions latched upon a downward push upon the meter cap integral with the uppermost of the telescopic housing portions.

Additionally, an important object is to provide means which will retain the telescopic housing portions still in telescopic relationship, while the coins or checks are being discharged. Thus, there is no necessity for lifting oif the meter cap or any portion of the housing structure in order to effect automatic discharge of the coins or checks.

Yet another important object is to provide a housing structure adapted to be mounted upon conventional parking meter supports and to have associated therewith conventional coin or check-receiving means and conventional time metering means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming portions of this disclosure, and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the housing structure, mostly in vertical section, with structure within the housing shown either in elevation or vertical section, and all associated with a support, shown in vertical section.

FIG. 2 a view, mostly in vertical section of the housing structure of FIG. 1 but with the parts in assembled portions.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the coin tube or lower end portion of the housing structure mounted upon a support shown in elevation.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional view of the coin tube, substantially on their respective lines of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view, substantially on the line 77 of FIG. 1, but on an enlarged scale.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are vertical sectional views, along the lines of FIG. 7 but showing altered positions of a latch means of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the line 88 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view, substantially on the line 99 of FIG. 1 but on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 10 is a horizontal sectional view, substantially on the line ill-11 of FIG. 2, but on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view, substantially on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a horizontal sectional view, substantially on the line 1212 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view, substantially on the line 1313 of FIG. 1, but on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of lock means and latch means associated together.

FIG. 15 is an elevational veiw of a parking meter containing the preferred embodiment of the housing of this invention.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally designates a packing meter; B, a support; C, coupling means for securing together the support B and the housing structure D, of the invention which includes; lock means E and latch means F.

The parking meter A is illustrated, by way of example, in FIG. 15, as one which may be mounted to extend upwardly along a curb or the like and includes a conventional timing mechanism 20 contained within a suitable conventional cap or housing 21, which is preferably fixed-t ly mounted upon the upper portion of the housing D in any approved way, and which housing D is preferably fixedly mounted upon the support B. Shown, by way of example, is a horizontally disposed partition plate 22 containing a coin or check receiving opening 23 communicating with a coin or check receiving chute 24 opening to the exterior of the cap or housing 21.

Referring now to the support B and coupling means C, the support -B may be, for example, as shown particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2, an upwardly-extending tubular member or meter post 25 having an open upper end portion 26 providing an upper edge or rim 27 and a downwardlyfacing inner annular shoulder 28 for abutment thereagainst of the upper edges of a plurality of upwardlyextending tongues 30* of the coupling means C carried by a suitable yoke 31 having a centrally disposed screwthreaded opening therethrough, with the screw threads thereof adapted to mate with the exterior screw threads of a bolt shank 32 with the head or nut 33 at the upper end thereof disposed upon a washer 34 adapted to be carried by a portion of a check or coin tube forming a portion of the housing D to be subsequently more fully described.

The housing structure D is much like that disclosed in my copending application, referred to above, and includes two elongate telescoping tubular housing portions 441 and 55, shown disassembled in FIG. 1 and assembled in FIG. 2, with the outer portion 40 having walls of any approved shape. By way of example, there is shown a continuous wall 41 defining a substantially square chamber 42, which walls may slope upwardly and outwardly to joint snuly the bottom portion of the cap or housing 21. inwardly of its lower edge, the wall 41 is shown as provided with a downwardly-facing shoulder 4B. I prefer to round oif the lower edge of the wall 41 so that there will be no purchase for an instrument for attempting to pry apart the housing portions 40 and 55. From FIGS, 1, 11 and 12 especially, it will be seen that there is provided a suitable number, such as four, spaced-apart inwardly-opening longitudinally-extending elongate grooves in the wall 41. Three of these, as the grooves 44, preferably are of the same length and width throughout their lengths, but the groove 45, midway its length is deepened, as may be appreciated in FIGS. 1, 2 and and widened, as may be seen in FIGS. 7, 7A, 7B, and 10, to provide a preferably elongate recess 46 for portions of the latch means and the wall 41 containing the groove having the recess 46 is shown as provided with a grooved opening 47 extending from a circular recess 56 at the walls outer face to the base of preferably the upper part of the recess 46. This opening 47 is provided to snugly accommodate portions of the lock means, as will be detailed later. It will be noted that the grooves 44 and 45 may be provided in elongate radially-disposed ribs 48 (FIGS. 11 and 12, for example), extending longitudinally of the housing portion 40 (FIG. 1). At their upper ends, the grooves 44 and 45 are closed by a wall 49 (FIG. 1, for example) but they are open at their lower ends, since they are adapted to slidably receive, at their lower ends, the ribs 57 and 58 of the second telescopic housing portion 55, next to be described.

The telescopic inner housing portion or coin tube 55 may be provided with a wall 56, substantially circular in transverse section, as in FIGS. 4 and 5, defining a chamber 71, with the wall 56 preferably being rather elongate, with smooth inner wall faces, from which project preferably a plurality of longitudinally-extending spaced-apart ribs, such as four, three of which are designated as ribs 57 and one as the rib 58. The ribs 57 extend, for example, from adjacent the upper edge 59 of the wall 56 and may be bevelled at their upper end portions so as to assist in inserting them into the grooves 44, and end at their lower end portions adjacent an inwardlythickened portion 6% of the wall 56 and Provided with a central bore or opening 61 to receive a portion of the shank 32 of the coupling means C as may be seen in FIG. 1. The wall portion 66 provides an upper surface upon which the washer 34 of the means C may be disposed, and an outwardly-extending annular flange 61' having a downwardly-facing shoulder 62 to rest upon the rim or upper edge 27 of the support B. I prefer that the mating outer edges of the shoulder 62 and rim or upper edge 27 be rounded so as to provide no purchase for a tool or the like in attempts to pry the housing portion 55 from the support B.

Referring now to the rib 58 which differs from the ribs 57 it will be noted, such as in FIGS. 1 and 3, that this rib is shorter than the others, does not extend upwardly as far as do the ribs 57 and terminates in a bevel 65, differing from the bevels at the upper end portions of the ribs 56, since it is a cam surface along which a portion of the latch means will slide as will be described later. Also, this rib 57 ends short of the bottoms of the other ribs so it may clear the mouth 67 of a coin or check discharge way 68, to be later detailed, and is provided with a transverse groove 66, preferably quite narrow so as to receive with minimum clearance, another portion of the latch means to be described. Thus the ribs 58 has plural functions.

Below the lower end of the rib 58 there may be the mouth 67 of a coin or check discharge way 68 (which mouth is wholly concealed when the two housing portions 4! and 55 are telescoped). This way 58 is preferably defined by a curved plate 69 FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, which I designated as a shoe horn in my co-pending application referred to above, extending downwardly from that part of the wall 56 opposite that part of the same wall provided with the mouth 67. The lower end portion of the curved plate 69 is provided with an outwardly-extending, narrow flattened flange portion '76 adapted to rest upon the edge defining the bottom of the mouth 67, and the edges of the curved plate 69 are adapted to contact the inner periphery of the wall 56. Coins or checks (not 3 shown) which drop through the housing portion 55 will accumulate upon the upper surface of the curved plate 69.

The two housing portions 4% and 55 may be telescoped as shown in FIG. 2 but the housing portion 49 will normally be urged upwardly by suitable resilient means as the expansion coil or helical spring 75 with its uppermost convolution contacting the partition plate 22 and its lowermost convolution disposed upon the upper edge of the housing portion 55. When contracted, as in FIG. 2, the spring 75 cooperates with the latch means, to be described, to provide a very secure and tight association of the latch means with its keeper, which keeper is defined by the walls of the transverse groove 66. In addition, the spring 75 automatically raises the housing portion 40- when unlocked and unlatched from the housing portion 55, so that the concealed mouth 67 is opened and the coins or checks will slide out of the mouth and into a suitable receptacle (not shown) held at the mouth.

Referring now to the lock means E, shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 9, 1O, 13 and 14, the same may be a conventional cylinder lock, with suitable key (shown in dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 1) for manipulation thereof in order to rotate a cylinder within the housing thereof, which cylinder cannot be rotated, with respect to the housing, without proper manipulation of the key which, in turn, manipulates pins within the lock, as is well known in the art. The housing of the lock is preferably provided with a peripheral flange 81 at its outer end portion and this may be received snugly in the recess 50 while the barrel portion of the lock housing may be snugly accommodated in the opening 47, with the radially-extending wings 82 (FIG. 9) disposed within the grooves of the opening, thus preventing rotation of the housing. A part of the inner end portion of the conventional lock cylinder shaft 83 may be encircled by a washer and in a terminus 84 non-circular in cross section, as shown in FIG. 13 on which may be mounted a portion of the latch means F. A suitable sorew threaded axial opening 35 may be provided, extending inwardly into the shaft from its inward end face to receive the shank of a screw of the latch means F next to be described.

The latch means F is best shown in FIG. 14 and in application in FIGS. 7, 7A and 7B and 8 as well as elsewhere in the drawings, and preferably comprises an integral substantially L-shaped body portion with a lug 91 at its lower end portion. The body portion 9t) may be a hat strong strip of suitable metal, as steel, provided at the juncture of the normally horizontal short arm 92 and normally vertical long arm 93 with an opening 94 to snugly receive the terminal 84 of the shaft 83 and an eye 95 at the free end portion of the arm 92 to receive the upper terminal convolution of a contraction helical spring 96, the opposite terminal convolution being secured to a suitable lug 97 carried by the body portion 55 below the eye 95 as may be seen in FIG. 7 or 10 for example. The lug 91 at the lower end of the arm 93 is of special shape, in that it is very slightly wider than the width of the groove 66 and it has an end face which is not vertical, as viewed in FIGS. 7, 7A, 7B, 8 and 14. In the examples shown, it curves so that this curved face is presented to the bevel or cam surface 65 of the rib 58 whereby it may slide along this surface from the upper end of the surface to the lower end thereof, then along the edge of the rib 58 until it reaches the recess 66 whereupon the tension of the spring 96 will urge the lug 91 into the recess 66 and thus latch the two telescopic housing portions 40 and 55 together. Thereafter, there is no way or method of unlatching the means F except by means of unlocking the lock means E.

An important association of structure of the housing structure D, with the lock and latch means E and F respectively, is the very close proximity of the rib 5'8 to the head tdt) of the machine bolt 191, the screw threads of the shank 1% which mate with the screw threads of the screw threaded opening in the inner end portion of the shaft 33 with a lock nut 103 interposed between the head 100 and shaft end face, and thus secure the body portion 90 to the shaft. This is exemplified particularly in FIG. 10. The importance lies in the fact that vandals bent upon breaking open parking meter housings frequently drive the lock mechanism inwardly until they have broken it loose from the housing. This is generally not diflicult but, since the lock means E can not move into the housing chambers 42 or 71, because of the rib 58, this vandalism cannot be accomplished.

As has been disclosed above, there is no conventional door closing the coin or check-discharge mouth 67. In fact, it would be difficult for vandals to ascertain just where the coins or checks are located within the housing.

Should the plate (shoehorn) 69 become damaged or worn, it may be readily replaced, since it is preferably not fixed permanently to the housing portion 55. In fact, in assembling the parts of the housing D, the plate 69' may be properly oriented and dropped down through the chamber 71 of the housing portion 55 and automatically come to rest in its proper positions for the accumulation and subsequent discharge of the coins or checks.

Upon inserting the proper key into the keyhole of the locked lock and turning the key will cause a partial rotation of the lock cylinder and the shaft 83 attached thereto and, consequently, a partial rotation of the body portion 90 of the latch means F whereby the lug 91 will emerge from the transverse groove 66 in the rib 58. This will release the housing portion 4t} which will spring upwardly, urged by the spring 75, and open the mouth 67. Obviously, if the sudden upward projection of the housing portion 40 is not desired, the operator may place one hand upon the cap or housing 21 and press somewhat thereon, whereupon the housing portion 40 will rise more slowly. The operator will then have time to release the key and place the container, to receive the coins or checks, at the mouth 67. However, he may, instead, place the container in position with one hand and simply unlock the lock with the other hand, as is now believed obvious. This insures a rapid collection of the coins or checks. After collection, pressing downwardly upon the cap or housing 21 will cause the housing 40 to descend and the lug 91 of the latch means will enter the groove 66 thus both latching the latch and operating the lock, whereupon the key may be withdrawn.

Various changes may be made to the forms of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Parking meter housing structure for the reception of coins or checks, said housing structure including an inner tubular housing portion having a tubular wall defining a coin or check-receiving chamber and a mouth extending through said wall to said chamber, an outer tubular housing portion telescoping with said inner tubular housing portion, provided with a substantially horizontally disposed plate and a wall defining a chamber slidably receiving said inner tubular housing portion and normally covering said mouth; securing means carried by said housing portions for releasably securing said housing portions together with a portion of said wall of said outer tubular housing portion covering said mouth; and spring moving means carried by said housing structure for moving outer tubular housing portion upwardly relative to the other portion to uncover said mouth when said securing means is released, comprising an expansion coil spring with one end portion thereof bearing against said plate and the other end portion thereof bearing against said tubular wall.

2. Parking meter housing structure for the reception of coins or checks, said housing structure including an inner elongated tubular housing portion having a wall defining a coin or check-receiving chamber, a mouth extending through said wall to said chamber and a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinally-extending ribs, extending radially outwardly from the outer face of said wall one of said ribs being provided with a groove extending transversely herethrough; an outer elongate tubular housing portion telescoping with said inner elongate tubular housing portion, provided with a wall defining a chamber slidably receiving said inner elongate tubular housing portion and with a portion of the last-named Wall normally covering said month, said last-named wall having a plurality of spaced apart longitudinally-extending grooves with said ribs slidably received in said grooves; releasable securing means carried by said housing portions for securing said portions together against relative longitudinal sliding movements, with a part of said wall of said outer elongate tubular housing portion covering said month, said releasable securing means including a downwardly-extending latch body pivotally carried by said outer housing portion and disposed at one of said grooves and provided with a lug spaced below the pivot of said pivoted body and movable into said groove in said one of said ribs when said housing portions are telescoped; and moving means carried by said housing portions for automatically sliding one of said housing portions longitudinally of the other housing portion to uncover said mouth when said releasable securing means is released.

3. Parking meter housing structure according to claim 2 characterized in that said one of said ribs has a cam face at an end thereof, spaced from the transverse groove of said one of said ribs, said outer elongate tubular housing portion has a plurality of longitudinally-extending elongate ribs and the grooves of said outer elongate tubular housing portion extend longitudinally of said ribs thereof and one of the last-mentioned grooves has a recess receiving said pivoted latch body, with said lug normally disposed in the path of travel of said cam face, when said housing portions are being telescoped, to pivot said pivoted latch body of said latch out of the path of travel of said one of said ribs until said transverse groove is aligned with said lug, whereby said lug will move into said transverse groove, upon pivoting of said pivoted latch body portion, to latch said housing portions together.

4. Parking mete-r housing structure for the reception of coins or checks, said housing structure including an inner elongated tubular housing portion having a wall defining a coin or check-receiving chamber, a coin or check discharge mouth extending through said wall to said chamber, and a longitudinally-extcnding rib, extending radially outwardly from the outer face of said wall, said rib being provided with a cam face above its lower end and a transversely-extending groove above its lower end and below said cam face; an outer elongate tubular housin g portion, provided with a wall defining a chamber slidably receiving said inner housing portion and with a part of the last-named wall normally covering said mouth, said last-named wall having a longitudinally-extending groove with said rib slidably received in said groove, said wall of said outer housing portion being provided with a recess opening to said groove in said last-named wall and an opening extending from said recess to the exterior of said outer housing portion; releasable securing means carried by said outer housing portion for securing said inner and outer housing portions together against relative longitudinal sliding movement, comprising a depending elongated latch body disposed within said recess and provided with a lug below its upper end, said lug normally extending into said groove and disposed in the path of travel of said earn face and the wall of said transverselyextending groove to move over said cam face, as said outer and inner body portions are being telescoped and move into said transversely-extending groove, and lock means extending through said opening and including a lock shaft extending into said recess and with the upper end part of said depending elongated latch body mounted upon said shaft to rotate upon rotation of said shaft, whereby said lug will move into and out of said transversely-extending groove upon selected rotation of said shaft, and attaching means securing said depending elongated latch body to said shaft.

5. Parking meter housing structure according to claim 4 characterized in that said rib is of rigid metal and said attaching means includes a rigid attaching portion extending into said shaft and through and outwardly of said depending elongated latch body and in close proximity to and facing the outer edge of said rib when said outer and inner housing portions are telescoped with said mouth closed by the Wall of said outer housing portion.

6. Parking meter housing structure according to claim 5 characterized in that said rigid attaching means is a machine bolt with the head thereof in close proximity to said edge of said rib.

7 Parking meter housing structure according to claim 5 characterized in that said depending elongated latch body is of inverted L-shape, with said lug carried by the longer portion of said body, and resilient means is provided connected between the shorter portion of said body and said wall of said outer housing portion to urge said lug into intimate contact with the wall of said transversely extending groove.

8. Parking meter housing structure according to claim 5 characterized in that said depending elongated latch body is of inverted L-shape, with said lug carried by the longer portion of said body, resilient means is provided connected between the shorter portion of said body and said wall of said outer housing portion to urge said lug into intimate contact with the wall of said transversely extending groove, and resilient means is provided, carried by said housing portions to normally urge said outer housing portion longitudinally of said inner housing portion and normally urge a wall of said transverse groove against said lug.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,613,871 Broussard Oct. 14, 1952 2,779,534 Jones Jan. 29, 1957 2,869,777 Share Jan. 20, 1959

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