Improvements in Apparatus for the Automatic Sale of Cigars.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1887.
Complete Left, 29th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted. 24th June, 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Automatic Sale of Cigars.
JAMES PARKER 20 Pendril Street Beverly Road Hull Yorkshire Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in the making of a Cigar Box for the automatic selling of
cigars by the placing of the necessary coins, into the said box through a slot provided
for them, at the back of the slot or openings provided for the coins a gallery is
arranged for the coins to slide down, this gallery being jointed or in one or more
pieces, each of these parts or pieces are balanced so that the weight of a coin the size
of a penny does not interfere with the arrangement of the different parts, but should
a piece of lead be put down the extra weight disarranges the parts of the gallery, and
the imitation coin falls through into the bottom of the box.
At the end or termination of the gallery a small cup or box is presented to receive
the coins, this box being at the end of a lever, which by the weight of the coins placed
therein puts into motion a drum or wheel working in a hopper or box, which contains
or holds the cigars to be sold, through the intervention of a pinion and wheel, the
proportion of the gearing being so arranged that each movement of the lever by the
necessary coins being put into the box on the end of the same, just rotates or moves
the drum in the hopper a sufficient amount to allow of one cigar being delivered, by
the wheel, this wheel or drum having divisions for the cigars on the rim or
exterior.
The lever on the end of which the box is fastened to contain the coins is balanced,
so as to always return to the first position, or opposite the end of the gallery down
which the coins slide, and is held in position by a trigger so balanced that until the
necessary weight of coins is in the box it remains in on position.

page_text: I further employ in connection with the said drum or wheel by which the cigars are
delivered, a small lever, balanced so that the end of this lever drops into each of the
divisions on the said drum or wheel by which the cigars are delivered, but as the
divisions of the said drum are nearly filled when the cigars are therein, this lever
cannot enter into the spaces but when the last cigar has passed or an empty space is
presented to this lever it immediately enters therein, and by so doing moves a telltale
on which the word empty appears, this slide or telltale being arranged to appear
before an opening, so that when the last cigar is sold the public will be informed that
the box is empty.
Dated this 25th day of Ta1007
JAMES PARKER.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Automatic Sale of Cigars.
1, JAMES PARKER of 20 Pendril Street, Beverly Road, Hull, in the County of
York, 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:-
My invention for improvements in apparatus for the automatic sale of cigars and
other similar articles comprises a box provided with a hopper for the cigars and with
such mechanism that on suitable coins being inserted through a slot in the side of the
box they slide down an inclined shoot into a box on the end of a balanced lever which
is depressed by the weight of the said coins and rotates a longitudinally grooved drum
receiving cigars from the hopper, thus causing a cigar to be delivered from the drum
down an inclined shoot to the outside of the main box and to the person inserting
the coins. At the end of the depression of the lever, the coins are knocked out of
the box on the end of the lever, the hinged bottom of the said box coming in contact
with a projection and are deposited into a drawer or cash receptacle in the main box.
The lever then returns to its original position, it being suitably counterbalanced for
this purpose. In order to prevent lead or other discs or iron or other washers being
employed instead of coins for obtaining the cigars, the inclined shoot guiding the
coins is constructed in two parts, the lower part being pivotted to the upper part and
so balanced that if any piece heavier than a copper penny (or it may be any other
suitable coin) is delivered onto it from the upper part of the shoot this balanced part
is depressed and returns the rejected piece by an open shoot to the outside of the main
box. In order that washers may be rejected, a small spring is arranged in the
balanced shoot so that it enters the hole in the washer and prevents it sliding down
the shoot, it being eventually delivered into the aforesaid open shoot. This spring is

page_text: depressed by a disc of metal such as a coin The upper part of the inclined shoot is
constructed to guide the coins only at their circumferences so that coins of a less size
than a penny drop through the open bottom directly into the aforesaid open shoot.
The balanced lever is fitted with a projection engaging with a spring catch on a
balanced trigger so that while the balanced lever is always free to return to its initial
position ready to receive the coins from the inclined shoot, it cannot descend until the
required coins are in the box on its end, the weight of the coins releasing the lever
from the trigger. This balanced lover works the drum receiving the cigars from the
hopper by means of a weighted pawl pivotted to the lever and a wheel fixed on the
spindle of the said drum. The pawl is arranged not to move the drum until
the balanced lever has descended a certain portion of its stroke and acquired sufficient
momemtum to overcome the inertia and friction of the parts. The drum is rotated
through one division and releases one cigar for each depression of the balanced
lever.
In order to prevent the insertion of any coins in the apparatus when the hopper is
empty the end of an arm on a counter-weighted spindle is arranged to bear in a
circumferential groove in the drum opposite that longitudinal groove of the drum
which in the ordinary course would contain the cigar to be next released. When a
cigar is in that groove the end of the said arm is raised and withdraws by suitablo
connections a card containing the word " empty from before a slot in the side of
the box but when the groove is empty the word "empty" appears before the slot. If
desired the arun nay be arranged to close or partially close the slot for the reception
of the coins.
In order to adjust the apparatus for cigars of different sizes one side of the hopper
is suitably inclined and is arranged to be adjustable towards and from the drum.
One or more sets of apparatus as described above may be arranged in one box for
selling cigars or other articles of different prices.
In the accompanying three sheets of drawings
Figs. 1 and 3 are sectional side elevations of apparatus constructed according to my
invention for the automatic sale of cigars.
Fig. 2 is a sectional transverse elevation.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation and
Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the same.
The inclined coin shoot is constructed in two parts suitably connected together.
The upper part A is fixed to the side of the main box and has a slot B for the insertion
of the coins. This part A is formed with an open bottom C so as to allow of the
passage of smaller sized coins than pennies directly to the open shoot M. and thence to
the outside of the box. The other part E is pivotted to the part A and provided with
a counterbalance weight and with a spring G. When a penny is inserted in the
slot B it slides down the shoot A E over the spring G, its weight not being sufficient
to depress the part E, into a box on the end of a balanced lever K. If however a
disc of the same size as a penny but heavier be inserted in the slot B when it reaches
the part of the shoot this part of the shoot is depressed sufficiently to discharge the
disc into the open shoot M. If a washer be inserted into the slot B, it is retained by
the spring G which passes up its centre until a sufficient weight is on the part E when
it is discharged into the open shoot M.
The balanced lever K is fulcrummed at L and provided with a counter weight F,
which when the end J of the lever has been depressed by the weight of the coins
returns the lever to its initial position as shown when relieved of the weight of the
coins. The box J has a hinged bottom which at the end of the depression stroke
strikes against the projection № and throws the coins into the drawer 0. In order to
prevent the end J of the lever from descending until the required coins are deposited
in the box J, a projection P from the box J rests on a spring catch Q hinged to a
counter balanced lever R. When the box J is ascending, the projection P moves the
spring catch Q and passes it. In descending the projection Prests on the catch Q
until there is a sufficient weight in the box J to depress the end of the lever R. The
lever K works the drum S which receives the cigars from the hopper T by means of a

page_text: weighted pawl V pivoted to the lever and engaging with a wheel W attached to the
spindle of the drum S. The paw! V is arranged not to operate the wheel W until
the latter part of the motion of the lever K so that it may attain sufficient momemtumn
to ensure its rotating the drum S. The drum S is rotated through the space equal to
one division for each depression of the lever K and delivers a cigar into the inclined
shoot X whence it passes to the outside of the main box and is received by the person
inserting the coins. A weighted stop lever prevents the momentum of the drum S
carrying it through a space greater than one division for each depression of the
lever K.
In order to show when that division of the drum S which in the ordinary courso
would deliver the next cigar is empty an arm a on a weighted axis & bears against
the periphery of the drum S in a circumferential groove except when a cigar is in
the aforesaid division in which case the arma is forced outwards and operates, through
the axis band the connections shown, a card d on which is the word "empty" which
card is lowered from before a slot e in the side of the main box. When no cigar is in
that division the word "empty" appears through the slot e.
In order to adjust the apparatus for cigars of a different size, one side of the
hopper is suitably inclined and is adjustable towards and from the drum S.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what claim is :-
In boxes for the automatic sale of cigars and other similar articles.
1. The construction of apparatus consisting of a grooved drum for receiving the
said articles from a hopper and rotated through one division at a time to automatically
deliver one of the said articles by a pawl on a balanced lever operated by the weight
of one or more coins, the said lever automatically returning to its initial position after
being automatically relieved of the weight of the said coins, the whole substantially
as described.
2. The construction of balanced shoot so that heavier discs than the proper coins
inserted in the apparatus are rejected substantially as described.
3. The construction of balanced shoot with spring so that washers inserted in the
apparatus in lieu of the proper coins are rejected substantially as described.
4. The construction of shoot with open bottom so that pieces of a less diameter
than the proper coins inserted in the apparatus are rejected substantially as described.
5. The construction of trigger mechanism for holding the balanced lever operating
the parts for releasing the said articles until the required weight of coin is on the end
of the said lever substantially as described.
G. The construction of mechanism for indicating when that division of the drum
which in the ordinary course contains the article to be next delivered is empty
substantially as described.
7. The arrangement of box with hinged bottom on end of balanced lever for
automatically discharging the coins into the cash receptacle substantially as described.
8. The arrangement of adjustable side in the hopper for adjusting the apparatus for
articles of different diameters substantially as described.
9. The construction of apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawings.
1
3041 1
A 1007
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
Agents.