Patent GB-339280-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to coin freed amusement apparatus
IPC: G07F11/00
Filed: 1929-08-28
Abstract: 339,280. Walton, A. L. Aug. 28, 1929. Pictonial mechanical toys.-A coin-freed fortune - telling machine comprises a casing provided with mechanism adapted to bring one picture of a rotatable picture bearing element slowly into a stationary position in front of a viewing lens and to illumine same, or alternatively, where the pictures are arranged in separate compartments, to illuminate one picture gradually from dim to full illumination so as to bring it from invisibility to a clear view of the user, and to operate simultaneously means to deliver a card. As shown in Fig. 1, the casing is a hollow sphere 1 of glass silvered on the inside or of metal polished &c. on the outside. On inserting a coin and pressing a knob 9 pivoted levers 22, 48 swing forward, the latter engaging a lever 49 to release a lever 46 from a catch 47 and allow a lever 44 to swing forward under the action of a spring 43, tensioned by the movement of the lever 22, and move a drum 5, rotatably mounted on a bracket 60 and carrying a series of pictures 4, Fig. 4, into the dotted position 45 within the focus of lenses 2. An extension 51 of the lever 44 simultaneously makes electrical contact with a bracket 53 to illumine a lamp 67. The bracket 53 is rigidly connected to a bellows box 55 causing slow forward movement of the drum. On the initial movement of the lever 22, a push slide 23 ejects the top card of a pile 35, pressed upwards by a slidable member 27 connected to a tensioned band 28, on to a plate 38. At the same time a push slide 24 on a lever 19 is swung to its rear position by levers 18, 21. When the drum 5 has moved forward, a lever 56 releases a catch 39 on the lever 22 and the tension of the spring 43 returns the lever 22 and swings the lever 19 forward to deliver the card on the plate 38 through an opening 57. The spring tension now decreases permitting the lever 44, together with the drum 5, to fall backward by gravity until the lever 46 re-engages the catch 47. A pawl 63, Fig. 4, on a lever 62 rotatably mounted on the boss of a ratchet wheel 61 fixed on the shatt 59, engages the ratchet wheel and rotates the drum one step, the rotation being controlled by a spring 64. The sphere 1 may be replaced by a semi-spherical surface mounted vertically on a flat mirror surface, the combination giving the appearance of the sphere 1. In a modified construction for actuating the drum and delivery mechanism, Fig. 5. after prepayment, the lamp 67 is illumined and a motor 73 rotates a cam 70 to actuate a roller 69 on a spring-controlled lever 68 and rotate the lever 22 connected directly to the push slide 23 and lever 44. The periphery of the cam 70 is arranged so as to give a slow forward and quick return motion to the drum 5 and push slide 23. As an alternative to the sphere and drum in Fig. 5, the pictures 78, Fig. 6, are arranged in separate compartments 78a with lamps 80 and are viewed through a translucent plate 77, the illumination of the lamps being controlled by a resistance mounted on the cam shaft 72, Fig. 5, enabling the illumination to increase slowly as the cam 70 rotates. At each operation of a catch 74, Fig. 9, by a coin inserted in the shoot 7, a ratchet wheel 87, driven by a pawl 86 rotates a contact member 85 one step to engage one of the stationary contact members 84, connected to lamps 80, so that a different lamp is illuminated. A semi-spherical globe provided with lenses may be arranged in front of the surface 77.