Patent GB-819235-A (GB)
Title: A coin-operated device
IPC: G07F5/24
Filed: 1957-07-05
Abstract: 819,235. Coin-feed apparatus. NATIONAL REJECTORS Inc July 5, 1957 [Nov 5, 1956], No. 21341/57. Class 27 The coin-freeing mechanism of a vending machine comprises a pivoted coin-feeling element 312 or 326 movable in a coin passage. way, a coin reservoir 486 providec with at least one change-giving slide 418, a latch 282 that can prevent movement of the slide tc change-giving position unless held raised by the element 312 when the latter has detected the presence of a coin and a cam shaft 194 driven by a motor to control the movement of the slide 418. In a machine for vending 5-cent articles on insertion of a 5-, 10-, or 25-cent coin, two change slides 418 and 440 are provided, the slide 418 dispensing a single 5-cent coin from the reservoir 486 through an opening 416 and the slide 440 sliding on top of the slide 418 and having a coin hole 446 with depending ears. 444 that withdraw three 5-cent coins from the reservoir for dispensing through the coin hole 422 of the slide 418 and through the opening 416. The slides 418 and 440, respectively, have upstanding lugs 424 and 448 with rollers 430 and 452 engaging multi-lobe cams 196 and 208 on the shaft 194 and, at the other end, lugs 432 and 458 with pins 434 and 460 engaging the latch 282. The rear edge of the coin hole 422 of the slide 418 is sloped down at 438 to reduce that edge to a value equal to the thinnest 5- cent coin that could be effected to be in circulation and to provide a lifting area that will raisethe stack of coins in the reservoir above: the rear edge of the hole 446 is, similarly sloped) to; provide a lifting area. Springs 506 pull the slides towards change-giving, position, the end of the movement being cushioned by a resilient pad 408. A third cam. 218, on the shaft 194 is engaged by a roller 242 on a lever 234 having a slotted engagement with a lever 250. An inserted 5-cent coin is passed by the coin sorter 510 to a 5-cent. coin passageway and depresses the actuator 270 of a switch 268 thus operating relays that extinguish a lamp indicating that the machine would accept 5-cent, 10-cent. and 25-cent coins and de-energizing electromagnets that prevent the acceptance of further coins by inserting their armatures in the path of coins through the coin sorter. When the 5-cent coin passes below the actuator 270 and the switch returns to its original position, a circuit is established that initiates a vending cycle which continues until a delivery switch opens and restores the circuit to initial position. The 5-cent coin will pass vertically between ears 498 of a guide at the top of the coin reservoir 486 and then fall on its side in the reservoir, unless the reservoir is already full, in which case it will rest between the ears 498 and divert subsequent 5-cent coins to an accepted coin shoot. When a 10-cent coin is inserted, it will be directed to a 10-cent; passageway and will depress the actuators 270 and 266 of switches 268 and 264 in succession, thus establishing a circuit that starts the vending cycle in the same manner as the 5- cent coin and. also a circuit that, starts the motor driving the cam shaft 194. The coinblocking surface 328, of the: element 326 is in position to intercept and hold the 10- cent coin while it is holding the actuator 266 depressed and therefore the motor continues to run as long as the element 326 remains in this position. The cam section 218 will rotate the lever 234 clockwise and permit the lever 250 to move down so that a pin 256 will hold the switch actuator depressed and then the cam section 196 in engagement with the roller 430 on the lower change slide 418 will move that slide a short distance to the right. This movement will cause pin 434 at the other end of the slide 418 to engage the camming surface 288 on the latch 282 and raise the latch so that the elements 312 and 326 are rotated counter-clockwise sufficiently for the 10-cent coin to engage and be held by the inclined face 330 of the element 326. The 10-cent coin thus holds the latch disengaged from the pin 434 on the slide 418 and, when further rotation of the cam 196 allows it, the slide can move to the left under the action of spring 506 until one 5-cent coin falls as change through the 'opening 416. Further rotation of cam 196 returns the slide 418 to the right for enough for the pin 434 acting on camming surface 288 to move the element 312 sufficiently for release of the coin to the accepted coin shoot. The cam then gradually allows the slide to move to the left until the pin 434 engages the notch 290 on the latch 282, thus preventing further movement to the change-discharging position, and the fall of the latch moves the elements 312 and 326 towards their initial positions. Further rotation of the camshaft 194 tends to free the upper change slide 440 for movement to the change-giving position but at one stage it is hooked up behind the lower slide and this movement is prevented. In the final stages of a revolution of the camshaft, the lever 234 moves the pin 248 to the left-hand end of the slot in the lever 250 and moves the lever to release the switch actuator 266, thus deenergizing the camshaft motor. When a 25-cent coin is inserted, it is directed to a 25-cent passageway and actuates the switches 268 and 264 and starts the vending cycle and the cam shaft motor as for the 10-cent coin, before coming to rest on the coin-blocking surface 320 of the element 312. The rises and falls of the cam section 196 which, for a 10-cent coin, moved the elements 320 and 326 sufficiently to release that coin to the coinfeeling position are not sufficient to move the element 320 so that the 25-cent coin is released and this action and the release of the single change-coin slide 418 are delayed to a later stage in the revolution of the cam shaft. The cam 196 causes the release of the slide 440, carrying three 5-cent change coins, to take place after the release of the slide 418 so that the total of 20-cents change is delivered in two stages, thus reducing the number of coins in the slide 440 and reducing thickness variation problems that might be caused by a larger number of coins in the multicoin slide or the presence of an unduly thin coin in the single-coin slide. In order to modify the machine so that it will sell only 10-cent articles, the cam section 196 is omitted, the cam section 208 is replaced by another cam section, the latch 282 and rod 302 are shifted so that the latch co-operates only with the threecoin slide 440, leaving the single-coin slide 418 in position over the opening 416, and a flipper is inserted in the 5-cent coin passage so that, when two 5-cent coins are inserted, only one of them is directed to actuate the switch 268 and the other is deflected to the coin acceptance shoot. If the level of the 5-cent coins in the reservoir falls too low, a feeler enters a slot and actuates a switch to illuminate a lamp indicating that the machine will accept only 5-cent coins and, at the same time, to de-energize the electromagnet that prevents passage of 10- and 25-cent coins through the coin sorter. If the supply of articles in the vending machine is exhausted, another lamp is illuminated and both electromagnets controlling the passage of 5-cent and 10- and 25-cent coins through the sorter are de-energized. When it is desired to empty the coin reservoir 486, the handle 380 of a switch 378 is operated, thus raising the latch 282 by means of a lever 388 and completing a circuit to the camshaft motor so that the camshaft 194 will continuously reciprocate both coin slides.