Patent GB-849381-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to parking meters
Inventor: FENNELL CYRIL HENRY
IPC: G07F17/24
Filed: 1957-06-07
Abstract: 849,381. Coin-freed parking meters. PARKING METERS (EUROPE) Ltd. July 3, 1958 [June 7, 1957], No. 18197/57. Class 27 A parking meter comprises a rotatable operating handle 31 connected to a coin driver 36 which has a nose 56 for forcing an inserted coin 48 or 49 against a projection 45 on a lever 43 pivoted on a coin plate 30 so that the plate is rotated until, according to the size of coin, a roller 57 on the lever 43 reaches one or other of two steps 61, 63 on a cam plate 59 and widens the gap between the projection 45 and the coin driver sufficiently to release the coin. The handle 31 and driver 36 are connected through a coupling 34 and spring 35 so that, after release of the coin,- the spring 35 rotates the driver further in the clockwise direction and causes a cam surface 73 to engage a part 72 of the lever 43 and hold the roller 57 clear of the steps 61, 63 to allow unhindered return of the operating handle and coin plate by springs 50 and 52: The operative movements of the coin plate are transmitted to a gear plate 27 by a pawl 75 which is set to an inner position by a smaller coin and to an outer position by a larger coin. In the inner position, a tooth 78 on the pawl engages with any of a series of teeth 80 on the gear plate and advances the plate by the full amount corresponding to that coin and adding it to any unexpired time, unless this would result in an indication greater than the maximum, in which case the pawl rides on an untoothed part of the plate before it picks up the last tooth 80. In the outer position of the pawl, it moves over the teeth 80 and picks up a large tooth 81 by which the plate is advanced to the maximum position. In a modification, only the first and last teeth are provided so that the meter cancels any time left by a previous user. To prevent over-run of the plate, the tooth 78 engages either a stop 87 or 88 (not shown), according to the size of coin. To ensure full stroke of the coin plate 30 and to prevent the gear plate 27 from being caused to creep forward by rocking the operating handle, a tooth 91 on a spring- loaded radially-sliding pawl 92 engages teeth 90 on the gear plate; in the rest position of the coin plate, the tooth 91 is held out of engagement by a cam plate 96 and when the coin driver is rotated beyond the point where the coin is released, a cam surface 95 (not shown) disengages the tooth so that the coin plate can return to rest position. A plate 97 carries pointers 17, 18 readable from the front and back of the meter against dials 15, 16 and is held against movement by a pawl 102 until the coin plate returns to rest position and the tooth 78 releases the pawl; a spring 107 thereupon moves the indicator plate 97 until a stop face engages a stop 98 on the gear plate 27, which is now in an advanced position. The gear plate is driven back to starting position by a spring 115 and escapement mechanism 113, the spring being initially under some tension and further tensioned by the operation of the meter. When the indicator plate 97 is moved from starting position, a cam surface tilts a lever 127 so that a spring-loaded toggle is "broken" and an "expired" flag 117 is raised into view and held there by a latch 132 engaging the lever 127 until the pointer arm 20, in returning to rest, releases the latch. Exhibiting coins. The two coins last inserted are exhibited behind a window 22, the lower coin resting on a fixed abutment 66 and on a spring-loaded abutment 65. As the coin plate 30 rotates, a surface 70 presses the lower coin through the abutments and carries the upper coin along a channel 69 ready to fall on the abutments on the return stroke of the plate. Specifications 849,382, 849,383 and 849,384 are referred to.