US622826A

US622826A - shaffer

Info

Publication number: US622826A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1899-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 1916-04-11

Description

No. 622,826. Pafented Apr. ll, I899.

- P. C. SHAFFER.

GAS 0R LIQUID VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed 1m; 28, 1898.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 'l.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY T NORR|$ PEKERS ca}. PHOTO-LITHO WASNINGTDN o c No. 622,826. Patented Apr. ll, I899.

P. C; SHAFFER. GAS 0R LIQUID VENDING MACHINE.

Applicntion filad Km. 23, 1898) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

4.44 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. ll, I899.-

N0. 622,826. P. 6.. SHAFFEB.

GAS 0R LIQUID VENDING MACHINE. um filed In. as, 1898.) (No llodel.) 3 Shouts-Sheet 3.

INVENTOR QM X9. A

WITN A? fl/ZflwvZ-j 7 M ATTORNEY m: norms PETER& co PNDTOAJYHO" vusmusmu. o c.

' been consumed.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL O. SHAFFER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAS OR LIQUID VENDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,826, dated Aprilll, 1899.

Application filed March 23, 1 8 9 8- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL (J. SHAFFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas or Liquid Vending Machines, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in gas or liquid vending machines in which a coin actuates the mechanism which opens the valve and the meter mechanism automatically closes the same; and the object of my improvement is to provide a more efiective way of automatically cutting oif the supply of gas or liquid when the amount of the same equal in value to the coin inserted shall have I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a gasmeter, showing the meter mechanism and the vend ing-machine attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a front view of the vending-machine with the front of the outer case removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 2 along the line 93 00, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is averticalsection of the vending-machine along the line y y, as shown in Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 5, is a side elevation of the valve having a part broken away, showing the position of the parts when the gas is about to be shut off. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the coin-conduit and coin-receptacle, and Fig." 7 is a front elevation of a meter having the vending-machine attached thereto.

The various parts of the machine are shown in the position they occupy when the gas is about to be cut off.

I shall describe the operation of the machine and point out myimprovement therein.

In the operation of the machine a coin 1 is placed in the coin-conduit 2 and thence delivered into a V-shaped cavity 3 in the rotatable coin-receptacle 4, the edge of the coin slightly projecting from the cavity, as shown in Fig. 4. On the outside of the coin-conduit 2 a trap or door 5 is hinged, adapted to close the aperture left in the Wall of coinconduit 2 for the passage of the projecting edge of the coin.

The coin-receptacle 4 is incased in a sta- Serial No. 674,865. (No model.)

tionary shell 6, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 6, which shell has a portion cut out in such manner as to prevent the withdrawing of the coin at any other place except the place of receiving and that of delivering the same in the cash-receiver of the machine. The mode of retaining the coin by means of the flanges of this stationary shell is especially illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6' of the drawings, in which it is shown that the distance between the inner edges of the flanges, while less than the diameter of the coin, is suflicient to al= low the edge of the coin to project.

The coin-receptacle 4 is mounted in suitable bearings and provided on one end with a ratchet-wheel '7 and gravity-pawls 8 and 9, allowing the coin-receptacle to be rotated in one direction only. The stem of the coin-receptacle projects through the outer case 10 of the machine and there carries ahandle 11, by means of which it is rotated.

A crown-wheel 12, revolved by the meter mechanism, when the meter is working, by means of a pinion 13, secured to shaft 14, serves to regulate the quantity of gas to be delivered for a unit of coin, one revolution of this wheel corresponding to the quantity of gas to be delivered for one coin. The wheel 12 carries on its back a pin 15, as shown in broad segmental leg 20 being provided with

notches

21, 22, 2 3, 24, and 25, all of which, with the exception of the first notch 21, are equal. Thetoothofthefirstnotch21islonger than the teeth of the other notches in segmental leg 20 in order to afiord a greater bearing-surface to engage with thecoin, and thus throw the latch 16 over the first long tooth on rack B to effect the purposes hereinafter described. The coin-receptacle 4, with the projecting edge of the coin acting as a tooth or finger, will engage one of these notches and cause the lever A to oscillate, and thereby open the inlet-valve V until the spring-latch 16, attached to the other leg 17 of the lever A,

. ply-pipe 32.

.two teeth 34 and 35.

slips behind

teeth

26, 27, 2s, 29, or 30, respec-- tively, which teeth are cut into the upper edge of a stationary rack B, mounted upon the frame of the machine. One coin is required to advance the leverA one tooth, and in turn each revolution of the wheel 12 will raise the latch 16 by means of pin 15 and cam 18, and the leg 17, actuated by spring 31, will slip back to the next tooth on the rack B, gradually closing the inlet-valve V in the sup- Oorrespondin g to the first large notch 21 on leg of leverA are

teeth

33 and 26 on rack B, the combined length of which is more than the length of any one of the remaining teeth. This is so that the first coin inserted will open the valve wide enough to permit a full supply of gas to escape. The tooth 33 is less distant from the center of the circle the circumference of which touches the teeth 26, 27, 28, 29, and than are these teeth, so that the small tooth 34 oncam 18, actuated by pin 15, will raise latch 16 over tooth 33, while it will not raise it over the other teeth on the rack B. The cam 18 is loosely mounted on valve-stem 19 and has As has been pointed V out, the cam is actuated by pin 15 on wheel 12 engaging one of the teeth on the cam. Tooth 35 is large enough to raise latch 16 over any of the teeth on rack 13, while tooth 34 is only large enough to raise latch 16 sufficient to allow pin 15 to pass thereunder and also to raise latch 16 over tooth 33, as shown.

When the amount of gas paid for has been nearly consumed, tooth 35 will raise latch16 over tooth 26, andlatch I6, snapping back, will rest on tooth 33. The gas will then be partially cutoff, the valve V being in the position shown in Fig. 5, and the diminution of the light will Warn the consumer that the gas is soon to be entirely cut 01f. When the entire amount of gas is consumed, tooth 34 will raise the latch over tooth 33, and the latch, snapping to its resting place, will immediately shut off the gas by closing valve V. In the form of tooth 33 shown in the drawings a steady diminished flame will burn to the end; but should the tooth be at a more acute angle then the flame will gradually increase after the first diminution, as in raising latch 16 the valve V will be opened slightly before the final cutting ofi. Should the tooth be at a more obtuse angle, then the flame will diminish gradually by the gradual closing of the valve, and should the face of the tooth be of an irregular outline then the light would alternately increase and diminish according as the valve more or less opened and closed. In each of these cases a more certain warning is given theconsumer of the approaching closing of the valve.

In this machine, as shown, it is possible to place five coins or less in the receptacle successively, and thus provide for a continual flow of gas until the equivalent of such coins shall have been used. It is obvious that more coins can be inserted by so adapting the machine.

If the operator of the machine should endeavor to remove the coin inserted through' the coin-conduit, the trap or door 5 will prevent such procedure, and I preferablymake such trap or door with a knife-edge, so as to cut any string which might be attached to any coin inserted. -The same object-that of preventing fraud-can be attained by employing the device shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, whereby the coin-receptacle 4 is rotated directly by the meter mechanism by means of an oscillating lever 36, shaft 38, ratchet-wheel 7, and pawls 8 and 9.

The valve-stem 19 extends to the front of the machine and there has secured to it 'a dial 37, having suitable figures printed upon its face and by means of which the amount of gas purchased can be ascertained. The outer case 10 of the machine is provided with an aperture through which the dial may be seen, as is shown in Fig. 7.

To insure the valve V working uniformly without too great friction, the spring 31, operating the lever A, is wound spirally around valve-stem 19, one end of the spiral portion of the spring resting against the barrel of valve V and the other against a shoulder or stop on the valve-stem, thus enacting a lateral pressure, transferring sufficient of the friction between the valve-stem and the barrel to the nut on the back of the valve to prevent the jamming of the valve-stem and barrel.

To meet the fluctuations in the price of gas,

I employ crown-wheels having more or'less teeth according as the price fluctuates, and by making the crown-wheel removable and supplanting it by another the fluctuations can be met.

It is evident that the use of this machine is not confined to gas-vending machines as herein principally described, but can also be used to dispense measured quantities of liquids.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.- In a gas or liquid vending machine the combination with coin-controlling means, of a rack having a series of teeth the last of said teeth being smaller than the others, a springlatch adapted to engage said teeth, means operated by the movement of said latch for controlling the valve, and a cam having a plurality of projections so arranged with respect to said teeth that one projection will raise the latch over each of the teeth while another will raise the latch over the small tooth only, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a gas or liquid vending machine the combination with coin-controlling means, of a rack having a series of teeth, the last of said teeth being smaller than the others, a spring-latch adapted to engage said teeth,

means operated by the movement of said latch for controlling the valve, and a cam having a plurality of projections so arranged with respect to said teeth that one projection will raise the latch over each of the teeth While another will raise the latch over the small tooth only, and a wheel having a pin adapted to operate said cam, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a gas or liquid vending machine, coincontrolled means whereby a predetermined amount of gas or liquid is permitted to escape, said means including a Wheel 12, pin