Coin-freed Folding Chairs or Seats.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Coin-freed Folding Chairs or Seats.
I, JOHN OSBORNE TONKIN, of Westend near Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The present invention relates to a device attached to chairs, or seats let out for
hire, in which, on certain coins being dropped into a slot, a locking bolt is displaced
and allows of the chair being opened out into the position required for use.
When
the scat is folded back and locked, it is arranged to have a certain amount of free
or preliminary movement, (as, for instance, is apparent when attempts are made to
open the chair without inserting a coin) this preliminary movement being utilized
for displacing the locking bolt through the intermediary of the coin inserted.
While the seat is being opened out, the coin falls down into the coin receptacle and,
after use, the seat folds and locks itself automatically by means of springs, it being
necessary to insert another coin in order to re-open it.
This forms the characteristic or main feature of my invention, which can also be
carried out in several modified forms as will be hereafter explained.
With reference to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side view of a chair provided with the new device the seat being in a
locked folded position; the position for use is as shown in dotted lines.
Fig. 2 is a view of the slot and locking mechanism when the seat is in a locked
folded position, and
Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of said mechanism when the seat is opened out.
Figs. 4 & 5 are part views (similar to Figs. 2 and 3) of modifications of the
device, the one showing the parts when the seat is in a folded position and the other
when same is opened out.
The folding chair or seat Fig. 1 consists of the seat s pivoted on to the chair
frame so as to turn on same, being forced upwards (when not in use) into a folded
locked position, and as near as possible to the chair back m, by springs or other
suitable arrangements which are not shown in the drawings. On moving the seat,
the lever arms located in the under part of the chair frame and subject to upward
spring pressure, are made to slide with anti-friction rollers y' in guide rails y², fitted
underneath the seat; when the seat is opened out as shown by dotted lines (Fig. 1.)
said arms a form a support for same on coming in contact with the projections or
rests of the under frame (Fig. 1). In this position the parts p and q on the chair
back and seat are also opened out thus forming the arms of the chair.
One of the lever arms or side levers is arranged to displace a locking bolt
inside the box A of the locking device and which box, firmly fastened on to the
frame, serves, at the same time, as coin receptacle. The rod g pivoted at g¹ on to
the seats near the fulcrum s' thereof descends into the box A its course however
being barred by the bolt previously mentioned if the requisite coin is not inserted,
the mechanism thus remaining locked. The inner mechanism of the box A is as
shown in Fig. 2 and 3. The slot tube e is provided with a hole e' through which
coins not of the proper size fall and drop down into the receiver Z out of which they
can then be taken by the person who inserted them. When a coin h (Fig. 4,) of
the right size is inserted in the slot it slides down on to the ring shaped rest h¹
(Fig. 4,) at top of the short arm of the crank lever h; this lever turns on a
pivot h. In this position the coin h is directly in the course of a vertically sliding
piston rod t which is held in its normal upper position by a spring f¹ and which on
being pressed down, when there is no coin on the ring end simply passes through

page_text: and enables the
back the locking
the aperture whilst if a coin is inserted it blocks the hole
downward motion of the rod t to actuate the lever h to move
bolt ".
This bolt is normally held in the position shown in Figure 2 by the
spring on guide pin w in which position the lug blocks the downward movement
of the rod g preventing the seat of chair being shut down. The requisite pre-
liminary power is applied to the crank lever h, for drawing back the locking bolt r
assuming that a coin is under the piston rod by the intermediary of the lever u
pivotted with the upper end of the piston rod t arranged to be pressed down by
rollers y mounted on the lever as the scat is being opened out. The relation of
the movements and position of the pivots is such that the downward movement of
the rod is slow enough to allow of the bolt r getting in the proper position to
move the lug out of the path of the bottom of the rod g. As soon as the roller y
has passed over the hook formed end ' (Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) of the lever u, during
the pulling down of the seat, the piston rod t springs back into its normal position
and the coin meanwhile falls down into the box. The locking bolt cannot be
slid back into the locking position until the rod is, drawn over the lug
takes place during the upward folding movement of the seat. The position the
parts of the device take up when the seat is opened out is shown in Fig. 3, the
movement of the lever u, piston rod t, crank lever h, hand locking bolt r being
shown by dotted lines.
:
which
The part 2 of bolt 7 serves for relieving the strain on said bolt in case attempts
should be made to open the chair without inserting the necessary coin, since it
slides over a counter surface in such way that the rod g is held by the lug ¹, the
opening out of the seat being thereby made impossible. In this case the piston
rod would pass freely through the circular aperture of the crank lever h,
without displacing the locking bolt.
Fig. 4 and 5 show modifications of the new device. The piston rod t has a sort
of roof formed cap t' on which a finger i, mounted on the arm and corresponding
to the projection y, (Fig. 1) has a direct action in passing over its apex the bow-
formed lever a being thereby rendered unnecessary. As is evident the pressing
downward of the piston rod t and the tilting of the crank lever h, by the coin, only
takes place in the moment when the finger passes over the apex of the cap surface
of said rod t and at the commencement of opening out the seat s. In Fig. 4 the
locking bolt is not provided with a support, a lever piece e being arranged with a
shoulder for this purpose. In Fig. 5 a similar lever d coupled to the crank lever 4,
by a link dis made to act as locking bolt. A spring fastened to the pivot of
the locking lever presses the lever in the normal locking position.
The front face of this lever d bars the downward movement of the rod g
substantially as aforedescribed.
It may be mentioned that the movement of another part of the folding mechanism
can be employed for effecting the locking action in place of the lever arm æ;
suitable means need merely be arranged for transmitting a backward movement to
the locking bolt which will be slightly quicker than that of the rod 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a coin freed-chair the combination of the seat adapted to be folded with a
locking device attached to the chair frame and consisting of a crank lever a rod
locking bolt and pressure rod or pin such crank lever being adapted to receive a
coin so that by pressing down the rod or pin the crank lever is tilted and locking
bolt released and the rod allowed to descend, when the seat is lowered, substantially
as described and shown in the drawings.
2. In a coin freed chair a locking device in combination with a rod for displacing
the locking bolt by the intermediary of a crank lever, the necessary pressure being
applied to said rod by a finger forming part of the lever moving the folding
mechanism, substantially as described and shown in the drawings.

page_text: 3. In a coin freed chair locking device, the combination with the locking bolt of
a crank lever pivotally connected by link d' with a part d substantially as
described and shown in the drawings (Fig. 5).
Dated this 30th day of March 1893.
FREDERIC PRINCE,
1, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for Applicant.