US3339835A

US3339835A - Reinforced coin box construction

Info

Publication number: US3339835A
Application number: US559756A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Itman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-06-23
Filing date: 1966-06-23
Publication date: 1967-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1984-09-05

Description

Sept. 5, 1967 w. B. ITMAN 3,339,835

REINFORCED COIN BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed June 23, 1966 30 52 52 1 20 12 as 45' H" 40 i. "'"H I l.

I 48 film I 49 m l 6'5 ;I 65' 46 22 1 In 56/ 42 15 24 15 16 I 3 F155 INVENTOR.

MAL/4M 8 [mu/v L 47' TOE/WW8 United States Patent 3,339 835 REINFORCED com Box CONSTRUCTION William B. Itman, 1614 Vincent Ave. N., Minneapolis, Minn. 55411 Filed June 23, 1966, Ser. No. 559,756 8 Claims. (Cl. 2321) This invention relates to a tamper proof coin box construction and more particularly to an improved coin box for mounting on a coin operated machine to prevent tampering and pilferage by break-in.

Coin box constructions which are used with coin operated machines and the like take a variety of forms and constructions depending upon their location relative to the machine and the type of protection they are to aiford. Thus many coin boxes may be included as part of the machine in which a variety of special locking devices are incorporated therewith. Still others include separate and sealed coin drawers with special locking provisions to prevent tampering by servicemen. The present coin box construction is designed to prevent pilfering of coin boxes exposed on a coin operated machine by break-in such as by prying the cash drawer from the box with a tool or by unauthorized keys. Such coin box units are used on coin operated machines such as automatic washers, dryers and the like where the coin box is not included in the machine but is added thereto and exposed on the surface of the same. Under these circumstances coin boxes are normally a target for pilfering, particularly where such areas are not kept under continuous surveilance.

In the present invention, an improved coin box con: struction of the tamper proof type is provided which will prevent break-in through partial destruction of the box. In this improved invention, the addition of a reinforcing structure added to a conventional coin box protects the coin drawer such that the reinforcing structure or the coin drawer cannot be pealed from the remaining portion of the housing with the coin drawer pried therefrom. In the improved coin box construction protective side plates and a recess protective cover plate is positioned over the coin drawer to provide a substantially flush surface which will prevent the entrance of any prying tool and will prevent this type of tampering while permitting normal access to the cash drawer for servicing and removal of coins therein. Further a protective cover on the lock mechanism guards against pilfering by prying or lock picking and through the use of an unauthorized key in that a special tool is required to remove the protective cover from the lock.

Therefore it is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved coin box construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide an im-- proved tamper proof coin box which may be readily adapted to existing equipment or added as a modification to conventional coin boxes.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved coin box construction which is easy to install, is low in cost and is simplified in usage.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached description together with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved coin box mounted on a coin operated machine,

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the improved coin box with the coin drawer open and with parts broken away,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the coin box taken along the lines 3-3 in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the improved coin box taken along the lines-44 in FIGURE 1.

My invention in an improved coin box construction is particularly adapted for use with coin operated machines in which the coin box is mounted on the surface thereof and exposed thereon. Thus as is shown in FIGURE 1, the coin box 10 is mounted on the top of washing machine 11, which will represent a surface of any coin operated machine. The coin box 10 is generally rectangular in configuration and cross-section and is formed of a housing 12 of a stamped metal construction, suitably welded together to form an enclosure. The housing 12 includes a plurality of apertures 15 in the base thereof, and an access opening 16, through which the housing is mounted on the surface of the machine with which it is to be associated and also through which suitable control wires or conduit may pass to connect with the machine for the purpose of controlling the same.

The housing 12 is internally divided into two compartments through a partition 20 to provide a mechanism chamber or compartment 22 and a coin receiving chamber 24. The mechanism chamber has a coin inserting mechanism 28 positioned on the face portion 30 of the housing which extends through a suitable aperture (not shown) into the interior of the mechanism chamber and disposed above an aperture indicated at 32 in the partition leading to the coin receiving chamber. The mechanism chamber also includes a suitable control such as switching and a timing apparatus indicated generally at 35 which is operated in the conventional manner from the coin inserting mechanism to provide a timed circuit closure and control to the associated device or machine 11 with which the coin box is associated. The face of the housing 30 also includes an aperture 38 therein communicating with the coin receiving chamber and substantially as large as the same extending partially along the extent of the housing and against a vertical portion of the partition 20. Poistioned in the coin receiving chamber and ex tending through the aperature 38 is a coin drawer 40 having a face plate 42 adapted to be normally flush with the surface or face 30 of the housing when the drawer is in the closed position and filling the aperture 38. The coin drawer has a lock mechanism 45 in the form of a tubular shaft 46 which extends through a journal section 48 in the coin drawer face 42 and having a threaded extent adapted to fit into a threaded bushing 49 positioned in the vertical portion of the partition 20 for the purpose of locking the drawer within the housing. The exposed portion of the lock mechanism has a suitable key receiving surface (not shown) at the journal portion 45 and the shaft 46 extends across the upper surface of the coin drawer in a conventional manner and may be positioned at any point in the face of the coin drawer.

Coin box constructions of this general type are subject to tampering such as by prying with a suitable tool to bend or distort the stamped metal and allow access to the coin drawer for pilfering of coins therein. In the present invention the improved coin box construction is provided with a reinforcing structure in the form of heavy metal non-bendable plates or

plate members

50 and 52 which extend along the sides of the housing and across the top of the same with the plate-

likemembers

50 and 52 fitting together with a tongue and groove type massing surface, as indicated at 54. The plate-like members are secured to the sides of the housing and top of the same through suitable screw or rivet means, shown in phantom at 53, which preferably extend through the wall of the housing from the interior thereof and into the plate-like metal surface to hold the same on the housing from the inside and eliminate exposed connecting portions which could be severed. In the present disclosure I have shown the plate 50 to be substantially L shaped in form covering the one side and the top of the housing and extending back along the length of the same a distance substantially the same or slightly larger than the length of the coin receiving chamber 24. Plate 52 is of the same length dimension. It will be recognized that variations in this reinforcing structure may be provided to cover only the sides of the housing or to cover the sides and top of the housing, if desired. The edges of the plate-

like members

50, 52 at the front face 30 of the housing, as shown herein, extend or project beyond the housing a predetermined distance substantially equal to the thickness of the plate-like members which distance may vary as desired. The particular thickness dimension of plate-like members to be non-bendable will be substantially thicker than the stamped material forming the housing 12 itself. However, these dimensions may vary in accord with the strength of the material used in the reinforcing structure. Associated with the reinforcing plate-

like members

50, 52 is a cover plate 55 having substantially the same dimension as the face 42 of a coin drawer and adapted to fit flush with and adjacent the same. The cover plate 55 has flanged edges 56 which fit into grooves or recesses 60 in the exposed or projecting edges of the

plates

50, 52 or over a portion of the same such that the cover plate will fit into the groove recesses 60 in the

plate members

50, 52 at the flange portions 55 and be substantially flush therewith. Because of the coin inserting mechanism 28, the cover plate will extend only slightly above the edge of the coin drawer to protect the opening 38 therein. The cover plate 55 is secured to the face 42 of the coindrawer by means of the lock mechanism 45 which extends through an aperture 62 in the cover plate 55 and fits snugly therein. The journal section 48 of the lock mechanism 45 is flanged, as at 63, to hold the plate 55 against the face of the coin drawer and a lock washer 65 threaded on the journal section 48 inside the drawer holds the cover plate 55 and coin drawer together. With this arrangement, the key receiving surface of the lock is recessed from the face in the cover plate 55 but accessible to a key type tool adapted to rotate the shaft 46 relative to the bushing 49 in the partition 20 to connect or release the shaft and hence the coin drawer therefrom in the openingand closing operation of the coin drawer. The cover plate, being of the same nonbendable type material as the reinforcing

side plates

50, 52 will not be subject to bending and will provide with the side plates a reinforced structure which is relatively tamper proof while permitting ready access or opening and closing of the coin drawer. If desired, the cover plate 55 may also be secured to the face surface 42 of the coin drawer through other additional attaching means such as a rivet, not shown. Thus the cover plate will move with the coin drawer in the opening and closing direction and in the closed position will present a substantially flush surface with the reinforcing side plates so that no prying tool may be inserted therebetween.

Also included in the cover plate 55 and adapted to fit into the aperture therein through which lock 45 extends is a lock cover member 67. Cover 67 is a disc of the same or similar material as that which the cover plate is made of with such dimension so as to fill and snugly fit into the aperture in the front of the lock 45 and cover the lock or key receiving end thereof with the face of the cover member being substantially flush with the surface of the cover plate 55. Cover member 67 has a spring 66 attached to the inner surface of the same which faces the lock 45 so as to urge the cover member out of the aperture for releasing the cover member from the cover plate. The cover member 67 is held in the aperture to cover the lock by placing the member in the aperture against the force of the spring and threading a set screw 68 in a tapped aperture 80 positioned in the cover plate so that the said screw engages the edge of the cover member to hold the same in the aperture in the flush relationship with the surface of the cover plate 55. This will prevent further tampering and pilfering with the coin box by force or with a key. The set screw 68 may have a special tool receiving end (not shown) so that only a certain tool will release said screw in the aperture 80. Aperture 80 for the said screw extends from the aperture in the cover plate in which the lock is positioned to an exposed edge of the cover plate for tool access purposes.

This improved coin box construction or the modification thereto may be readily incorporated into existing coin box constructions to protect the same against tampering and pilfering. While I have shown the side plates as covering a portion of the sides and top of the housing for the coin box, it will be recognized that this location may vary depending upon how the box is secured to the machine with which it is to be associated. Thus the reinforcing structure will be applied only to the exposed surface of the coin box and may be applied over the entire surface of the same. It will be recognized, however, within the scope of the present invention that the reinforcing structure will protect the coin receiving chamber and the coin box therein by covering at least the portion of the housing enclosing the same. The improved coin box construction is low in cost and readily applicable to existing designs as well as new units to provide a tamper proof coin box construction which will prevent break-in.

In considering this invention it is intended that the present disclosure be primarily illustrative and the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tamper proof coin box for use with a coin operated machine comprising, a housing having a coin receiving chamber and a mechanism chamber therein with a partition in the housing dividing the chambers, a coin inserting mechanism attached to a face of the housing and extending into the mechanism chamber, an aperture in said face of the housing communicating with the coin receiving chamber, a coin drawer slidably positioned in the coin receiving chamber and extending through and filling said aperture in the face of said housing, said coin drawer having a face exposed in said aperture and normally flush with said face of the housing in the closed position, said housing being mounted on a surface of the coin operated machine with mechanism in said mechanism chamber being interconnected with the coin operated machine, a reinforcing structure covering a portion of the housing on surfaces of the same not in contact with the coin operated machine, said reinforcing structure projecting a given distance beyond said face of the housing and the face of the coin drawer, a cover plate connected to the face of the coin drawer and having a thickness dimension substantially equal to the distance the reinforcing structure projects beyond the face of the housing to provide a substantially flush surface therewith, and lock means extending from the exposed surface of the cover plate through the coin drawer to cooperate with securing means positioned in the partition within the housing, said lock means including a portion thereof securing the cover plate to the face of the coin drawer.

2. The tamper proof coin box of claim 1 in which the reinforcing structure includes at least two plate-like members which fit together in a tongue and groove type joint.

3. The tamper proof coin box of claim 2 in which the reinforcing structure is attached to the housing by securing means extending outwardly from the housing into the plate-like members from within the housing.

4. The tamper proof coin box of claim 3 in which the cover plate has flanges along at least two edges thereof which fit into recesses into the projection of the platelike members of the reinforcing structure extending beyond the housing.

5. The tamper proof coin box of claim 4 in which the reinforcing structure has a dimension which covers the portion of the housing in which the coin receiving chamber is located.

6. The tamper proof coin box of claim 5 in which the reinforcing structure surrounds the exposed portion of the housing in which the coin receiving chamber is located.

7. The tamper proof coin box of claim 1 in which the lock means is inserted through an aperture in the cover plate, and including a cover member positioned in said aperture in the cover plate and selectively secured therein to enclose and protect said lock means.

8. The tamper proof coin box of claim 7 and including a set screw threaded into a tapped aperture in the cover plate which extends from an edge of the cover plate to said aperture and cover member therein to engage and secure the cover member in the cover plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 0

Claims

1. A TAMPER PROOF COIN BOX FOR USE WITH A COIN OPERATED MACHINE COMPRISING, A HOUSING HAVING A COIN RECEIVING CHAMBER AND A MECHANISM CHAMBER THEREIN WITH A PARTITION IN THE HOUSING DIVIDING THE CHAMBERS, A COIN INSERTING MECHANISM ATTACHED TO A FACE OF THE HOUSING AND EXTENDING INTO THE MECHANISM CHAMBER, AN APERTURE IN SAID FACE OF THE HOUSING COMMUNICATING WITH THE COIN RECEIVING CHAMBER, A COIN DRAWER SLIDABLY POSITIONED IN TTHE COIN RECEIVING CHAMBER AND EXTENDING THROUGH AND FILLING SAID APERTURE IN THE FACE OF SAID HOUSING, SAID COIN DRAWER HAVING A FACE EXPOSED IN SAID APERTURE AND NORMALLY FLUSH WITH SAID FACE OF THE HOUSING IN THE CLOSED POSITION, SAID HOUSING BEING MOUNTED ON A SURFACE OF THE COIN OPERATED MACHINE WITH MECHANISM IN SAID MECHANISM CHAMBER BEING INTERCONNECTED WITH THE COIN OPERATED MACHINE, A REINFORCING STRUCTURE COVERING A PORTION OF THE HOUSING ON SURFACES OF THE SAME NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE COIN OPERATED MACHINE, SAID REINFORCING STRUCTURE PROJECTING A GIVEN DISTANCE BEYOND SAID FACE OF THE HOUSING AND THE FACE OF THE COIN DRAWER, A COVER PLATE CONNECTED TO THE FACE OF THE COIN DRAWER AND HAVING A THICKNESS DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE THE REINFORCING STRUCTURE PROJECTS BEYOND THE FACE F THE HOUSING TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH SURFACE THEREWITH, AND LOCK MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF THE COVER PLATE THROUGH THE COIN DRAWER TO COOPERATE WITH SECURING MEANS POSITIONED IN THE PARTITION WITHIN THE HOUSING, SAID LOCK MEANS INCLUDING A PORTION THEREOF SECURING THE COVER PLATE TO THE FACE OF THE COIN DRAWER.