Patent GB-684232-A (GB)
Title: Improvements, in or relating to, coin-controlled, electrically-operated vending machines
IPC: G07F11/16
Filed: 1949-02-22
Abstract: 684,232. Coin-freed machines vending articles from piles. ROWE MANUFACTURING CO., Inc. Feb. 22, 1949 [April 6, 1948]. No. 4763. Class 27. Delivery of articles stored in piles; selective delivery of different articles. Any one of several ejectors, each associated with a different column of articles to be sold, may be coupled by a corresponding manual selector to 'a common ejectoroperating member driven by an electric motor which is controlled by a single switch closed and opened by mechanical coin freed means. In the machine shown one of several brands of cigarettes for sale is chosen by depressing a corresponding push-button 22, Figs. 5 and 6, after inserting coins. When any button 22 is pressed a slide 144 carried by it engages a portion 154 of a camming member 156 formed with surfaces 162, 164 which co-operate with the slots in the housing 158 so that the member 156 is raised as it is moved forward by its button, 22. Bobbins 336 loose on an ejectoroperating bar 100 sliding in a slot 128, Fig. 4, are each formed with flanges 338 embracing the corresponding member 156. As the member 156 is raised during its forward movement it raises the corresponding bobbin 336 to engage a cut-away portion 334 of a plate 326 sliding in a slot 324 in the housing 158 and carrying a member 328 for ejecting packets of cigarettes from the storage column. Thus the ejector member 328 corresponding to the button 22 which has been depressed is coupled for sliding. movement with the bar 100. A cam 66, Fig. 4, driven through gearing, by an electric motor engages a roller 88 on a crank member 98 pivoted at 92 and connected by a link 104 to reciprocate the bar 100. The packets of cigarettes in each container 330, Fig. 5, normally rest on the ejector member 328. When this is moved to the right in Fig. 5 by the bar 100 the lowermost packet falls from the container on to the top of the housing 158 to be ejected down a delivery shoot 20 when the ejector member 328 returns with the bar 100. The crank member 98 also operates a link 118 actuating a mechanism for delivering a match. Locking and restoring article-selecting devices. Coin action. When a button 22 is depressed the portion 154 of the corresponding camming member 156 turns a plate 166 about its pivot 168. A rod 178 on the plate 166 engages in a slot 188, Fig. 3, in a floating lever 184 pivoted at 186 to a lever 180 pivoted at 182, the lever 184 being biased by a spring, 190 connected to the; lever 180: Thus depression of any of the push buttons 22 rotates the lever .180 which is connected through a link 234 to a lever 230 pivoted at 232. The lever 230 is pivoted to a bell-crank 246 pivoted to a second bell-crank 256 mounted on a fixed pivot 258 and connected :by a spring 244 with a lever 240. The latter lever is pivoted at 242 and is formed with a surface 280 cammed downwardly by a roller 278 on the lever 230. The floating bell-crank 246 is connected by a spring 264 to a yoke carrying two links 266, 268 pivoted each to two further yokes carrying links 270, 272, 274, 276 connected to extensions 222, 224, 226, 228 of slides in a coin register as described in Specification 684,231. The slide extensions 222, 224, 226, 228 are normally fixed, but are released on insertion of a quarter, two dimes, a dime and two nickels, and four nickels. respectively. If they have been so released before the button 22 was depressed, the movement of the. bell-crank 246, communicated through the links 266, 268, 270, 272, 274, 276, moves whichever of the slide extensions 222, 224, 226, 228 has been freed, to engage a lever 218 pivoted at 220. The motion of this lever removes, a flange 216 from beneath a step 201 in a lever 202 pivoted at 204 so that the lever 202 is, pulled by a spring 214 into engagement with serrations 308 on a lever 198 which has been moved about its pivot 200 by the floating lever 184. The lever 184 is thus locked in its displaced position and holds the plate 166 in a position in which lugs 172, Fig. 6, on it engage the portions 154 of the members 156 to prevent release of the depressed button 22 and to prevent depression of any other button. The lever 218 also moves a lever 312, Figs. 3 and 4, to cause a member 316 to close a switch 318 controlling the electric motor. When the reciprocating bar 100 moves to operate an ejector it holds down a pivoted latch member 174, Fig. 7, which engages the plate 166 to hold the push buttons in their operated positions. During its return movement (to the right in Fig. 3) the bar 100 engages a cam surface 192, Fig. 3, on the floating lever 184 to turn this lever about the pivot 186 and so, through link 210, turn the lever 202 for re-engagement by the flange 216 of lever 218. The plate 166 and the push buttons are thus released when the bar 100 reapproaches its initial position and releases the latch 174, Fig. 7. Continued rotation of the cam 66, Fig. 4, brings a pimple 380 into engagement with a sliding link 376 to operate a member 378 which opens the switch 318 in the motor circuit. The motor is brought to rest quickly by a portion 382 of the cam 66 which has increased curvature and by a permanently applied friction brake. Shoulders 150, Fig. 6, on the plate 144 associated with each button 22 are adapted to separate one pair of a set of sliding splitter bars 150 preventing simultaneous depression of two buttons. Coin discharging mechanism; The crank member 98 is connected through a link 110 to oscillate a lever 106 pivoted at 108 and engaging a roller on a coin receiving shelf. The shelf is thus turned clockwise about its pivot to discharge the coins thereon to a receiver. Fraud, preventing. The rear of the container 330, Fig. 5, is extended downwardly at 332 to guard the lowermost packet, and during the movement of the ejector-operating bar 100 and ejector member 328 away from beneath, the container a member 502 is engaged by the bar 100, to turn a shaft 506 and position a flap 500. to prevent the lowest packet being fished out. Change-giving mechanisn. Price-changing mechanism. The machine shown is adapted to receive a quarter, two dimes, a dime and two nickels or four nickels; and to vend packets of cigarettes at prices of 20 cents or 15 cents, delivering change in nickels. The member 156. Fig. 6, associated with the button 22 for the cheaper cigarettes carries a flange 386 which is adapted to move a flap 384 pivoted at 168 and carrying a bar 390, Fig. 2, engaging a lever 392 operating a member 394 to simulate the insertion of an extra nickel in the coin register as described in Specification 684,231. Nickels inserted in the machine to make a purchase are directed to a shoot 396 to be dispensed as change. The lowest two nickels rest on plates carried by levers 400. 402 so that when the levers are moved aside by cams 404, 412 on levers 406, 414 the nickels are allowed to fall through a gap in the shoot 396 to be delivered to the purchaser. The levers 406, 414 may be turned about their pivots 408, 416 against the bias of springs 410, 418 by pins 422,424; 432 on vertically moving links 420, 430. The latter are pulled downwardly by springs 428, 436 but are normally held in their upper positions by pivoted levers 426, 434 supported by members 36, 38 controlled by the coin register. If a quarter is inserted for a 20 cent sale the member 36 is moved to engage a step 484 on the lever 426 so that the pin 422 moves downwardly and the lever 406 operates the lever 400 to discharge one nickel; a slot 480 in the lever 414 receives the pin 424 so that the lever 414 is not moved. If a quarter is inserted for a 15 cent sale the action of the member 394 causes a movement of the member 36 sufficient to disengage the step 484: the resultant movement of the pin 424 is sufficient to move the lever 414 so that a nickel change is delivered by operation of each of the levers 400, 402. If coins to the value of 20 cents are inserted the member 38 is moved, but this movement is not sufficient to move the pin 432 to the bottom of a slot 482 in the lever 406, so causing a nickel to be delivered as change, unless the member 394 is operated to correspond to a 15 cent sale. If the number of nickels in the shoot 396 falls below two, a feeler 438 normally resting on the second nickel falls to lower a bell-crank 440 about its pivot 444 and thus move a pin 448 on a sliding link 446 to permit a lever 450 to be coupled to a flange 472 projecting through a slot 474 in the lever 450 and carried by a spring biased bell-crank 132 pivoted at 134. The bellbiased bell-crank 132 has a flange 130 engaged by the lever 106, Fig. 4, oscillated during each operation of the machine. Thus if there are less than two nickels in the shoot 396 the bell-crank 132 is turned to operate a plunger 464 and eject a nickel from a reservoir 460 to fall through a shoot 466 into the shoot 396. Insertion of coins in empty apparatus, preventing; returning coins: Indicators. A vertically sliding member 346, Fig. 9, on the ejector member 328 is normally pressed down by the packets resting on the member 328 against the weight of a lever 344 pivoted at 342. Should one of the columns be empty the lever 344 falls to the position shown where a locking plate 352 on it engages a notch 354 in the member 156. By this means the member 156 is permitted a movement only sufficient to cause its portion 154 to engage a spring 356 on the lever 344 and move it into contact with a conducting bar 360 carried by an insulator 358. thus completing a circuit for an indicating lamp. The coins inserted may then be recovered by depressing a part 286. Fig. 3. accessible from outside the machine, of a spring-biased lever 282 pivoted at 284 and carrying a pin 288 engaging in a slot 290 in a vertically moving link 292. When depressed by the pin 288 the link 292 engages at its lower end a cam shaped pin 306 secured to the coin shelf to swing the coin shelf anticlockwise so returning any coins on the shelf to the purchaser. If however o