Patent GB-766196-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to coin separators
Filed: 1954-12-09
Abstract: 766,196. Sorting coins in coin-freed apparatus. NATIONAL REJECTORS, Inc. Dec. 9, 1954 [May 20, 1954], No. 35656/54. Class 27. A coin sizing gauge for a coin separator comprises a movable coin-receiving surface 68 on a weighted lever 66 pivoted at 64 and a stationary coin-receiving surface 96 positioned close to the pivot 64. As a coin of correct weight and diameter is received between the two surfaces, the surface 68 moves in an arcuate path about the pivot 64 and its distance from the stationary surface 96 increases until the coin is released between the two surfaces to a runway 48 ; if the coin is too small, it will be released into a reject shoot 132 after the surface 68 has moved only a short distance and, if it is too large, it will either fall backwards of the surface 68 into the . shoot 132 as that surface approaches the bottom of a slot 62 or continued to be held by the coin-receiving surfaces. As' the lever 66 is rotated by a coin, the effective moment arm of the weight 70 is increased and the momentum of the coin is absorbed so that, if the coin is still held by the surfaces 68, 96, the lever will start to return until the coin is jammed against accidental dislodgement. By adjustment of a bracket carrying the pivot 64, the relative positions of the pivot and the stationary surface 96 can be varied so that the two surfaces release a correct-sized coin after the desired amount of rotation of the lever 66. A coin passageway is formed by a wall 20 and hinged spring-loaded clearing wall 30 and a coin entrance preventing insertion of greatly oversized coins is formed by a pin 35 and a flange 92. Coins accepted by the gauge 68, 96 roll down the runway 48 between a magnet 46 and a magnet keeper 38. The magnetic field retards the rate of rolling of the coins and, if the coin has the desired electrical conductivity, it will follow a path leading to the accepted coin shoot 134. If the electrical conductivity of the coin is not of the proper value the coin will either be retarded too much or too little and will fall into a shoot leading to the reject shoot 132. If the coin is of magnetic material it will be stopped and held by the magnet 46. During initial movement of the lever 66 a surface 58 on a lever 56 blocks the entrance to the runway 48 so that undersized coins passing the surfaces 68, 96 do not reach the runway 48. By the time that the lever 66 has rotated sufficiently to release a correct-sized coin, it has engaged an ear 60 on the lever 56 and has moved the surface 58 away from the entrance to the runway 48. Also, during initial movement of the lever 66, the lever moves away from an inclined portion 86 of a weighted feeler 84 and allows the weight 88 to force the feeler into the coin passageway so that it can intercept washers. During the return movement of the lever 66 it withdraws the feeler 84 and releases the washer but as the washer has no momentum it falls into the rejected coin shoot 132. In the modification shown in Figs. 12 and 13, two sets of movable and fixed surfaces 172, 158 and 200, 186, operating similarly to the surfaces 68, 96, are provided and five different coins can be received and separated. The coins are directed by a runway 154 and stop 156 to the first coin-receiving surfaces 172, 158 and a quarter and half dollar will be initially held by these surfaces while a penny, nickel and dime will fall between the surfaces without rotating the lever 170. A quarter will rotate the lever 170 and the coin-receiving surface 172 will guide the quarter until it is released for movement to the runway 176 and thence to the left of a guide 210. After a partial rotation of the lever 170 the half dollar will roll backwardly from the surface 172 and fall to the right of a divider 182. The penny, nickel and dime which fell between the surfaces 172 and 158 are directed by a runway 184 and stop 180 to the second set of coin-receiving surfaces 200, 186. A dime will fall directly between the two surfaces into the area defined by a pin 206 and a divider 208, a nickel will be too large to move between the two surfaces and will fall from the surface 200 between the pin 206 and a divider 204, and the penny, before release, will have rotated the lever 198 sufficiently for it to be delivered between the dividers 208 and 210. The stops and runways are chamfered to reduce bouncing. In another modification, a single movable and single stationary surface operate similarly to the surfaces 200, 186 to direct four types of coin to four different channels. Clearing apparatus.-In the first version shown in Figs. and 6, depression of a plate 122 moves a cam 116 against the wall of a hemispherical recess 114 to drive the clearing wall 30 away from the wall 20 and, through a lost-motion connection that allows the cam to move first, to move a blade 118 that wipes off any coin held by the magnet 46. A stripper plate 98 has a limited movement with the wall 30 until restrained by the outer end of a notch 110 on a pin 108 and then openings 101 in the wall telescope over two fingers 100 on the plate and strip off any coin held in the vicinity of the stationary surface 96. In the modified version of Figs. 12 and 13, depression of a plate 246 first moves a deflector bar 260 to block off an accepted coin shoot 264 and direct scavenged coins to a reject shoot 266. Thereafter, a cam 254, striking the upper inclined portion of a clearing wall 142, rotates the wall about its pivot 140 and a spring 245 causes a hinged stripper plate 212 to move with the wall until ears 236 on the plate reach the end of slots 238 in frame flanges 138. The plate is then held against further movement but the wall 142 continues to move, thus withdrawing the stops, runways, pins and guides from the stripper plate and releasing any trapped coins for defleetion by the bar 260 into the reject shoot 266.