US3145821A

US3145821A - Coin testing device

Info

Publication number: US3145821A
Application number: US110961A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard W Simpson
Original assignee: REED ELECTROMECH CORP
Current assignee: REED ELECTROMECH CORP
Priority date: 1961-05-18
Filing date: 1961-05-18
Publication date: 1964-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1981-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1964 R. w. SIMPSON com TESTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1961 INVI ZNT0R.

Bzchard W Simpson Aug. 25, 1964 R. w. SIMPSON com TESTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1961 INVENTOR. Pzchard W. Sampson w United States Patent f) 3,145,821 COIN TESTING DEVICE Richard W. Simpson, Rockford, Ill., assignor, by mesue assignments, to Reed Electromech Corporation, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 18, 1961, Ser. No. 110,961 8 Claims. (Cl. 194-102) This invention relates to a coin testing device wherein separation is effected as between coins of various denominations and as between legitimate and spurious coins of the various denominations.

Previous multiple coin testing devices have been complicated in structure and operation and, because of such complications, they have required precise adjustments of various of the elements for proper operation. Because of the high degree of sensitivity demanded of the various elements, for proper operation, maintenance for cleaning, adjustment and repair have required a high degree of skill and care with corresponding increase in cost. Because of the portable nature of the vending or change-making machines with which the coin testing devices are associated, previous testers have required careful and precise mounting for proper operation thereof. Present coin testing devices make use of combinations of various types of tests including a size test for classification into various denominations, composition tests for separation of coins of various denominations into legitimate and spurious coins, and physical tests such as feel, bounce or the like for further separation as between denominations and/ or legitimacy.

One of the tests for size separation into the various denominations comprises the use of a counterweighted cradle positioned with a pair of spaced arms extending into the path of the coins fed into the device for testing, with the spacing between the arms being slightly lessthan the diameter of the coin adapted to be separated from the other coins such that coins of smaller diameter will pass through the cradle between the arms while coins of the desired dimension or larger will come to rest on the arms of the cradle for separation. The arms of the cradle are offset from the cradle pivot so that the center of gravity of the coins coming to rest on the arms will be offset from the pivot by an amount sufficient to overcome the counterbalance thereby automatically to rock the cradle from normal to operated positions whereupon the separated coin is delivered laterally from the cradle to a downwardly inclined runway 'over which the coin travels for subsequent testing, as

through a magnetic field which has a calculated effect on the coin depending upon its composition, either to arrest the coin or to have a calculated effect on the trajectory of the coin as it leaves the runway for continued travel to the coin box or reject, as the case may be.

While the arms of the cradle are spread by an amount sufficient to provide for the passage of undersized coins therebetween to by-pass the runway, it has been found .that coins of smaller dimension sometimes bounce or otherwise travel through the coin slot in a manner to engage one arm of the cradle with sufficient momentum to cause rocking movement of the cradle by an amount which enables the coin of smaller dimension to be delivered laterally onto the runway over which coins of larger dimension or denomination are intended to travel. For example, a nickel or even a dime may have sufficient momentum upon engagement of the arm of the cradle next to the runway to rock the runway whereby the nickel or dime is displaced onto the quarter runway for test.

It is an object of this invention to produce a coin ICC.

testing device of the type described embodying said improvements in construction and operation whereby a more effective separation is achieved for denomination or size thereby to improve the effectiveness'and the efficiency of the device.

Another object is to produce a coin testing device of the type described embodying a means for releasably latching the cradle to prevent rocking movement by a coin of lesser dimension than the spaced relation between the arms of the cradle but which releases the cradle for rocking movement responsive to a coin of the desired dimension coming to rest on the arm of the cradle thereby to block coins of smaller dimension from rocking the cradle for delivery onto the pathway intended to be travelel only by such coins of the desired dimension.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to produce a coin testing device of the type described having an improved cradle construction and operation whereby the cradle functions to separate out coins for displacement only of coins of a selected and predetermined size or denomination thereby to make any subsequent tests more efiicient and effective in the separation of spurious from legitimate coins of the selected denomination.

A further object is to produce a device of the type described wherein a counterbalanced cradle is used for separation of coins as to size or denomination but wherein means are employed in combination with the cradle to prevent cradle separation and delivery of oversized or undersized coins thereby more effectively to restrict the coins delivered by the cradle for subsequent acceptance or test whereby such tests can be made more effective without undesirable modification in preciseness, tolerance or control.

These and other objects 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- FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a fragmentary portion of a coin testing device embodying the features of this invention, showing the cradle in relation to the pathway through which the coin is delivered by the cradle;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in elevation of the cradle construction of FIG. 1 with the cradle unlocked by a coin coming to rest on the arms of the cradle;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view similar to that of FIG. 2 showing the cradle in operated position to deliver sepa rated coins onto the runway;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view similar to that of FIG. 2 illustrating the reaction of elements to coins of various denominations or size;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view similar to that of FIG. 4 showing the reaction of the elements to coins of proper dimension or size when coming to rest on the arms of the cradle; and FIG. 6 is an elevational view similar to that of FIG. 4 showing the reaction of elements to coins of smaller dimension than the coins selected to be separated out by the cradle. I

Briefly described, the concepts of the invention reside in a cradle construction and arrangement embodying a latching means which is effective to prevent rocking movement of the cradle by the passage of coins of smaller dimension but which becomes ineffective to permit rocking movement of the cradle when coins of the desired dimension come to rest on the arms of the cradle.

Referring now to the drawings, illustration is made of but a portion of the coin testing device including a portion of the main frame 10 on which the cradle 12 is mounted for rocking movement about a pivot 14 from a normal position, shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, to an operated position, shown in FIG. 3, for delivery of the separated coin 16 onto a laterally extending, downwardly inclined runway 18 over which the displaced coin travels through a magnetic field (not shown) and then off of the runway along a trajectory by. which it either enters the coin slot 20 for acceptance or engages various anvils 22 or abutments 24 by which it is displaced from the normal path of travel for rejection. The handling or the processing of the separated coin subsequent to cradle delivery forms no part of the present invention and, therefore, detailed description thereof will not be given. It will be understood that other elements are associated with the base plate and cradle in the claimed coin testing device including, for example, a pivoted gate normally mounted in spaced relationship with the base plate to define a slotted portion therebetween through which the coins travel in test and scavenger means operative to rock the gate about its pivot to enable displacement of coins held up for one reason or another between the gate and plate, and an arm for sweeping the rejected or upheld coins from the test elements to free the elements for subsequent tests when returned to normal position. A fragmentary portion of the coin testing device shown is sufficient for illustration and description of the concepts of this invention. For a fuller description of the remainder of the construction, reference can be made to US. Patent No. 2,588,510.

The invention will hereinafter be described with reference to a cradle construction and arrangement designed to effect separation for displacement of coins of the dimension of a 25-cent piece. It will be understood, however, that the concepts described can be adapted for use in the separation for displacement of coins of other denominations, such as half dollars, nickels, dimes, etc., upon proper adjustment of the dimensional characteristics of the elements in accordance with the concepts which will hereinafter be described.

The frame 10 is provided at its upper edge with a coin chute 26 into which the coins of various denominations can be fed for travel gravitationally downwardly through a coin slot 28, which is defined between the frame 10 and the gate, to the cradle 12. The cradle 12 is provided with a pair of

arms

30 and 32 extending outwardly from the cradle into the path of travel of coils with the arms spaced one from the other by an amount slightly less than the diameter of the ZS-cent piece or such other coin as is adapted to be separated thereby so that all coins of the diameter of the 25-cent piece or greater will come to rest on the arms of the cradle.

The cradle is mounted for rocking movement about the pivot pin 14 which is offset from a vertical center line between the arms in the direction away from the runway 18 so that the center of gravity of a coin coming to rest on the arms of the cradle will be offset from the pivot in the direction towards the runway to urge rocking movement of the cradle about its pivot towards the opposite position. The cradle is provided with a counterbalance 34 in the direction of offset to provide a force vector which is effective constantly to urge return of the cradle to normal position when freed of the coin but which is insufficient to counterbalance the offset weight of a legitimate coin coming to rest on the arms of the cradle whereby such coin is effective to overcome the counterbalance and rock the cradle to operated position.

An important concept of this invention resides in a latching means operative normally to engage the cradle to prevent rocking movement but which is made ineffective for latching the cradle when a coin of the diameter of a 25-cent piece comes to rest on the arms of the cradle and which is effective automatically to re-engage the cradle for latching upon return of the cradle to normal position. Thus the cradle is freed for displacement by rocking movement when a coin of the predetermined diameter comes to rest on the arms of the cradle.

For this purpose, as illustrated in FIG. 4, use is made of a bell crank lever 40 pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 42 fixed to the frame member for rocking movement between a raised or latching position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 4, and a lowered or unlatching position, shown in broken lines in FIG. 4 and in solid lines in FIG. 5. The bell crank lever 40 is formed with a latch ing means at one end in the form of a lip 44 which extends upwardly from a recessed portion 46. When the bell crank lever is in raised position the arm 30 of the cradle is received within the recess 46 with the lip 44 lying adjacent the inner surface of the arm and in the path of the arm when the cradle is rocked about its pivot. Thus the cradle is latched against rocking movement from normal to operated position when the bell crank lever is in its normal or raised position. The portion of the bell crank lever at the other side of its pivot is counterbalanced constantly to urge the bell crank lever to rock about its pivot to normal or raised position. A stop 48, rigid with the frame, is positioned to lie in the path of the counterbalanced end portion 50 to block rocking movement of the bell crank lever beyond normal position. A horizontally disposed ledge 45 integral with and arranged alongside the inner edge of the arm 30 is in position to be engaged for displacement by the periphery of coins coming to rest on the arms of the cradle.

The upwardly extending portion of the lip is formed with a cam edge 52 at the upper end in the form of a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion whereby engagement between the arm 30 and the lip 44 during return movement of the cradle to normal position will operate to cam the lip and the bell crank lever 40 for rocking movement about the pivot to displace the lip from the path of the arm thereby to enable return of the cradle arm to normal position.

Illustration will now be made with reference to the operation of the device in response to the insertion of coins of various denominations. Normally the elements will be in the arrangement shown by the solid lines in FIG. 4 with the lever 40 in raised position so that the latching lip 44 will lie in the path of the arm 30 to block the cradle against rocking movement about its pivot.

The position of the latch is such that any coin of smaller diameter than the spaced relation between the arms of the cradle will be incapable of coming into engagement with the latch to release the cradle until the coin has already committed itself for passage beyond the arms of the cradle. Thus upon the insertion of a coin of the dimension of a dime or a 5-cent piece into the coin chute, the coin will pass downwardly gravitationally through the coin slot. If it comes into engagement with the arm 32 of the cradle or if it first engages the arm 30 of the cradle from which it is bounced to the arm 32, the cradle will remain latched against rocking movement responsive to the inertia force of the coin. Thus the arm 32 will remain in position to block passage of the coin laterally onto the quarter runway.

Thus the only area available for the passage of such coin of smaller diameter is through the space between the arms of the cradle. While it may be possible for the bouncing coin to engage the lip 44 or ledge 45 during passage between the arms of the cradle to release the cradle for rocking movement, the location of the latching means beyond the upper edge of the arms permits such release to be effected until after the coin of smaller diameter has passed beyond the point where it can engage the arms to effect such rocking movement and is thus fully committed for continued passage downwardly between the arms and beyond the cradle, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6.

When a quarter is inserted into the chute for travel downwardly through the coin slot to the cradle, the coin will come to rest on the

arms

30 and 32 of the cradle. The peripheral surface of the quarter portion extending between the arms will engage the lip to effect an amount of displacement from raised to lowered position to displace the lip from the path of the arm 30. Thus the weight of the quarter at rest on the arm becomes effective to rock the freed cradle from normal to operated positions, shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, to enable the quarter to roll off the lower arm 32 for lateral displacement through the device for subsequent test or delivery. 7

During such rocking movement of the cradle, the counterbalanced lever 40 will become effective to return the latching lip 44 to raised or latched position, even before return of the cradle arm 30 to normal position. Upon return of the cradle arm 30 to normal position, the arm will engage the cam edge 52 of the lip which lies in the path thereof to cam the lip towards lowered position thereby to enable return of the cradle to normal position. As soon as the arm 30 clears the lip 44, the counterbalanced end 50 will become effective automatically to return the latching lip to raised position to latch the cradle into position of use.

Usually other means are available to separate out coins having a dimension larger than the dimension of coins intended to be displaced by the cradle. While the latching means is intended chiefly to prevent the cradle from being rocked by coins of smaller dimension, the latching means can be made effective also to prevent the cradle from being unlatched for rocking movement by coins of a dimension larger than the coins to be displaced. For this purpose the position of the lip or ledge is so related to the curvature of the coin coming to rest in upstanding position on the arms of the cradle that engagement by the periphery of a coin of the desired dimension causes displacement of the latch by an amount to remove the latching lip from the path of the arm while the amount of displacement effected by a coin of larger dimension is insufficient to remove the lip from the path of the arm thereby to prevent the cradle from being rocked.

Thus, when a coin having a diameter larger than a quarter is inserted into the coin chute, the coin will pass downwardly through the coin slot and will come to rest on the arms of the cradle, assuming that there are no other abutments or limitations to the movement of the coins of such diameter through the testing device. Since the curvature in the periphery of such coin of larger dimension is less than that of the quarter, the amount that the lip is displaced by the periphery of such coin coming to rest on the arms of the cradle is insufficient to displace the lip from the path of the cradle arm 30. As a result, the cradle remains latched against rocking movement from normal to operated position. Such coin of larger dimension is thus held up on the cradle arms until scavenged from the device.

It is desirable to so locate the release for the latching means at some point beyond the upper edge of the cradle arms to prevent release of the cradle for rocking movement until the coin has passed beyond the position capable of engagement with the arms to rock the cradle. In the preferred practice heretofore described the release lies alongside the arms and beyond the upper edge thereof.

While it is preferred to construct the latching means in the arrangement described for operative engagement with the far arm 30 of the cradle from the underside, it will be apparent that similar concepts may be employed for operative engagement between such latching means and the inner arm 32 of the cradle but with the lip approaching the arm from the top side since the arm 32 moves downwardly away from the lip during operation from normal to operated positions. In such arrangement, it is desirable to take into consideration the positioning of the elements out of the path of the side delivery of the selected coins from the cradle when the latter is rocked to operated position.

It will also be apparent that the concepts described can be adapted for use in the displacement of coins having diameters other than that of a quarter or for the displacement of other discs, checks or the like, wherein the dimensional boundaries defined can be established.

While description has been made of the mounting of the cradle and the latching means on the base plate, it will be understood that the elements including the cradle latching means and runway may, in the alternative, be provided on the gate portion of the device. It will be further understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a coin separating device of the type described, frame means defining an entrance passageway through which coins fall edgewise by gravitational force, a laterally extending and downwardly inclined runway over which coins of a predetermined denominational dimen sion are adapted to be displaced from the entrance passageway, cradle means pivotally mounted on said frame means for rocking movement between normal and 0perated positions, said cradle means having a pair of arms extending into the entrance passageway and spaced one from the other by an amount slightly less than the diameter of coins adapted to be displaced from the entrance passageway to the runway, a latching lever pivotally mounted on the frame means for rocking movement between latching and unlatching position with a portion of said lever, when in latching position, lying in the path of one of said cradle arms when the cradle is in normal position to block the cradle against rocking movement from normal to operated position, said latching lever having a part disposed between the arms of the cradle in position to be engaged by the peripheral edge portion between said arms of coins coming to rest on said arms whereby coins of the curvature of the desired dimension operate to rock said latching lever to unlatching position and free the cradle for rocking movement to operated position.

2. In a coin separating device of the type described, frame means defining an entrance passageway through which coins fall edgewise by gravitational force, a laterally extending and downwardly inclined runway over which coins of a predetermined denominational dimension are adapted to be displaced from the entrance passageway, cradle means pivotally mounted on said frame means for rocking movement between normal and operated positions, said cradle means having a pair of arms extending into the entrance passageway and spaced one from the other by an amount slightly less than the diameter of coins adapted to be displaced from the entrance passageway to the runway, a latching lever pivotally mounted on the frame means for rocking movement between latching and unlatching position with a portion of said lever, when in latching position, lying in the path of one of said cradle arms when the cradle is in normal position to block the cradle against rocking movement from normal to operated position, said latching lever being constructed and arranged in such a manner that coins of the desired diameter serve to rock said lever to unlatched position to thereby free said cradle for rocking movement to operated position while coins of a diameter other than that of the desired denomination are normally unable to effect suflicient rocking movement of the latching lever to free the cradle.

3. A coin separating device as claimed in claim 2 which includes means counterbalancing the cradle constantly to urge the cradle for return to normal position, said counterbalancing means being insufficient to counterbalance the cradle when a coin of the desired denomination comes to rest on the arms of the cradle.

4. A coin separating device as claimed in claim 2 which includes means constantly urging the latching lever towards latching position automatically to return the latching level to latching position in response to removal of the coin causing the displacement thereof.

5. A coin separating device as claimed in claim 2 which includes stop means positioned on the main frame to lie in the path of the latching lever when in latching position thereby to define the latching position.

6. A coin separating device as claimed in claim 2 which includes a cam edge on the part of the latching lever lying in the path ofthe cradle arm for enabling the cradle arm to cam said part from the path thereof during return from operated to normal position and until said arm clears said part upon return to normal position.

7. A coin separating device as claimed in claim 2 in which the latching means comprises a bell crank lever 10 counterbalanced at one end and having a lip at the other end adapted to underlie the trailing edge portion of the cradle arm as defined during movement from normal to operated position and positioned to extend in the area between said cradle arms into the path of said arms during movement thereof between normal and operated position and into the path of coins coming to rest on the cradle arms.

8. A coin separating device as claimed in claim 7 in which the lip lies alongside the inner surface of the cradle arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 686,074 Holzmann Nov. 5, 1901 1,193,967 Antoine et al. Aug. 8, 1916 2,371,310 Patzer Mar. 13, 1945 2,569,603 Gottfried Oct. 2, 1951

Claims

1. IN A COIN SEPARATING DEVICE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED, FRAME MEANS DEFINING AN ENTRANCE PASSAGEWAY THROUGH WHICH COINS FALL EDGEWISE BY GRAVITATIONAL FORCE, A LATERALLY EXTENDING AND DOWNWARDLY INCLINED RUNWAY OVER WHICH COINS OF A PREDETERMINED DENOMINATIONAL DIMENSION ARE ADAPTED TO BE DISPLACED FROM THE ENTRANCE PASSAGEWAY, CRADLE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME MEANS FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT BETWEEN NORMAL AND OPERATED POSITIONS, SAID CRADLE MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF ARMS EXTENDING INTO THE ENTRANCE PASSAGEWAY AND SPACED ONE FROM THE OTHER BY AN AMOUNT SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF COINS ADAPTED TO BE DISPLACED FROM THE ENTRANCE PASSAGEWAY TO THE RUNWAY, A LATCHING LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME MEANS FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT BETWEEN LATCHING AND UNLATCHING POSITION WITH A PORTION OF SAID LEVER, WHEN IN LATCHING POSITION, LYING IN THE PATH OF ONE OF SAID CRADLE ARMS WHEN THE CRADLE IS IN NORMAL POSITION TO BLOCK THE CRADLE AGAINST ROCKING MOVEMENT FROM NORMAL TO OPERATED POSITION, SAID LATCHING LEVER HAVING A PART DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ARMS OF THE CRADLE IN POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY THE PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTION BETWEEN SAID ARMS OF COINS COMING TO REST ON SAID ARMS WHEREBY COINS OF THE CURVATURE OF THE DESIRED DIMENSION OPERATE TO ROCK SAID LATCHING LEVER TO UNLATCHING POSITION AND FREE THE CRADLE FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT TO OPERATED POSITION.