Patent GB-674221-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in vending machines
IPC: G07F5/18
Filed: 1947-12-17
Abstract: 674,221. Coin-freed vending machines. CARUSO, M. Dec. 17, 1947 [Dec. 26, 1946], No. 33310/47. Class 27 Delivery of articles stored in pilee.-In the machine illustrated a carriage comprising two parallel spaced racks 214, Fig. 7, carrying ejector members 216 is reciprocated so that one of the ejector members pushes a packet of cigarettes P from the top of one of several magazines 258 into a delivery shoot 277. As shown in Fig. 13 each ejector member 216 is pivoted to the carriage at 218 and is normally held in an inoperative position by engagement at its end 221 with a hole in a latch 217 also pivoted to the carriage In use one latch 217 only is raised by a corresponding solenoid 206 operated in response to depression of a corresponding push-button to permit the ejector member 216 to fall to the operative position shown in broken lines in Fig. 7. During reciprocation of the carriage a roller 222 on the operative ejector member 216 rests on a slotted plate 224 so that towards the end of the ejecting movement the ejector member 216 is raised by a ramp 225, 226, Fig. 7, to re-engage its latch 217. The carriage is reciprocated by an electric motor 77<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 4, which, through two worm gears, drives a crank 71 connected by a rod 69 to an arm 59 fast with a gear section 47 which meshes with a gear 46 fast on the same shaft 45 as gears 239, Fig. 7, meshing with the racks 214. The packets P are raised to the top of each magazine by a platform 259 driven by a toothed drum 260 engaging a fixed rack 268 and turned by an internal spring 260<SP>1</SP>. A pawl 266 constrained frictionally by a spring 267 serves to lock the platform in its lowest position when the magazine is being loaded. The machine delivers a book of matches with each packet of cigarettes. For this purpose the sector 47 is connected by a rod 63, Fig 9a, with a lever 64 carrying a pawl 65 which drives a ratchet wheel 66 one step each time the machine is operated. The ratchet wheel 66 is fast on the same shaft 67 as five cranks 284 spaced angularly and along the shaft. Each crank 284 is associated with one of five magazines 28 for matches and carries a pin 285 adapted to engage the end 288 of a yoke 287 embracing the magazine and pivoted to it at 286. The yoke 287 carries at its lower end a bar 291 with a bent-over edge 292 so that as the pin 285 depresses the arm 288 the edge 292 moves the lowest book of matches ready to be pulled by spring 294 to eject the lowest book into the shoot 277 when the pin 285 leaves the arm 288. Coin action: weight and multiple coin with delivery proportionate to value of coin: price-setting mechanism.-Nickels and dimes are inserted in corresponding slots to fall through a coin receiver I, Fig. 4, to a coin tester II from which defective coins pass to a funnel 38 and coin tube 39 while valid coins pass to a counting unit III. This comprises side-by-side shoots 130, 131, Figs. 22 and 24, for nickels and dimes respectively. Associated with the shoot 131 is a switch 143 one blade 144<SP>1</SP> of which is moved to make contact with the other blade 145<SP>1</SP> by a cam 138 when the bent end 140 of an arm 139 is engaged by a dime. A further similar switch 143<SP>1</SP> is mounted in the shoot 131 and a switch 142 in the shoot 130. The shoots are cut away at 141 adjacent the switches to facilitate passage of the coins. The switches 142, 143, 143' are connected in parallel with one another and in series with a solenoid 111, Fig. 28, and a source of power so that an impulse is fed to the solenoid 111 for each 5 cent unit inserted. Each impulse operates a spring biassed pawl 107 to permit a ratchet wheel 97 made of insulating material to be turned one tooth clockwise by a spring 100 so causing a conducting sector 99 on the ratchet wheel to connect a contact 105 with contacts 106, 106<SP>1</SP>, 106" according as one, two or three 5-cent units have been inserted. The contact 105 is connected to one pole of the power supply while the contacts 106, 106<SP>1</SP>, 106" are connected to bars 194, 195, 196, Fig. 16, respectively. The latter are connected by switches 201 to push button switches 16 operable by the purchaser, the setting of the switches 201 determining the price of the articles delivered on depression of each button. When a push button 16 is depressed after inserting coins of the correct value, the polarity on the bar 194, 195, 196 to which the button is connected is extended to the corresponding solenoid 206, Fig. 13, to raise the corresponding latch 217 and release the associated ejector member 216. The solenoids 206 are all in series with the contacts on blades 232, 236 of a switch 233 normally held in the position shown by a roller 231 on a spring biassed member 228 pivoted to the ejector carriage. When one of the ejector members 216 falls its rear end turns the member 228 to remove the roller 231 from engagement with blade 232 which is then moved by a spring to engage a contact on a blade 237 and complete a circuit for the motor to reciprocate the ejector carriage. As the carriage completes its return movement with the ejector member 216 raised the roller 231 again engages the blade 232 to open the motor circuit. The motor circuit is held while the blade 232 moves across the gap by contacts 248, 248', Fig. 26, held in engagement by a member 245 pivoted at 246 and operated by a cam 78, see also Fig. 4. Further contacts 247, 247<SP>1</SP> closed by the member 245 place a resistor in series with the motor circuit to slow it down at the end of its movement. The arm 59, Fig. 4, is connected through a torsion spring to the arm 55 of a bell crank 54 the arm 56 of which is connected to a member 118 for resetting the ratchet wheel 97. The member 118 comprises a yoke 117, Fig. 28, connected by a compression spring 119 to a link 114 which slides relatively to the yoke 117 and is formed with a slot 113 engaging a pin 101 on the ratchet wheel 97 to pull it back to its normal position when the arm 59 oscillates during delivery. To prevent the simultaneous depression of more than one of the buttons 16 each button carries a wedge 174 Fig. 18, adapted to spread slidably mounted plates 181 pressed together by springs (not shown) and limited in their movement by engagement of pins 183 on the end plates 181<SP>1</SP> in fixed slots 184. Discharging coins.-During the delivery motion of crank 71, Fig. 4, the crank pin 70 engages the end 93 of a lever 92, Fig. 22, pivoted at 91 so that a pin 95 thereon rocks a lever 81 about its pivot 80 against the centering bias of a spring 86 joining pins 83, 83<SP>1</SP> engaging arm 82 of the lever 81 and mounted on levers 84, 84<SP>1</SP> pivoted at 85, 85'. A yoke 88 at the end of arm 87 of the lever 81 engages a pin 89 on a vane 90 pivoted at 155 and carrying a roller 157 which normally supports a platform 158 shown (see also Fig. 25) against downward movement about its hinge 159. Coins which have passed through the shoots 130, 131 fall through a funnel 149 in to the platform 158 so that when. the vane 90 is moved to the left by the lever 81 the coins fall down a slope 154 into a coin receiver. Empty machines locking: returning coin.-When one of the magazines 258, Fig 7, is empty a stop 263<SP>1</SP> on its platform 259 projects through a hole (not shown) in plate 224, to prevent the corresponding ejector member 216 from falling: by preventing operation of switch 233 this prevents operation of the motor. A thermally operated switch in series with all the solenoids 206 prevents one of these from being burnt out by continued depression of the button 16 corresponding to an empty magazine. To retrieve coins for which no packet has been delivered a handle 17, Fig. 4, is operated so that a member 58 engagesa pin 57 on the arm 55 of bell-crank 54. Arm 56 then raises the composite link 118 sufficiently to cause the pin 101, Fig. 28, to close the contacts of a switch 125. This switch completes a circuit through the unoperated switch 233 of Fig. 13 of a solenoid 43, Fig. 22, which rocks the lever 81 in the opposite directions to that which discharges the inserted coins. This tilts the vane 90 to the right so that the coins fall from the platform 158 down a slope 153 to the coin return 148 to which the tube 39 for rejected coins also leads. A flap 163 pivoted at 162 prevents slugs from tube 39 falling on to the slope 153 and becoming lodged. Casings.-The casing of the machine includes a fixed back 10<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 7, which is integral with roughly half of one side of the casing, a front portion 11 including the other half of one side of the casing, a front portion 11 including the other half of that side and hinged there to the back 10. A panel closing the remaining side and one closing the top are hinged to the back and may be opened after the front.