Improvements in Apparatus for Receiving Coin and Permitting the Use of Opera Glasses and the like in Exchange therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 10th May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Receiving Coin and Permitting the
Use of Opera Glasses and the like in Exchange therefor.
We, EDMUND CYRIL JONES of No 148 Ninth Street, Machinist and WILLIAM JAMES
GLEASON of No. 2415 Fillmore Street, Attorney at Law, both in the City and County
of San Francisco and State of California United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to opera glass cases or receptacles for use in theatres and like
places of amusement to supply an opera glass or similar instrument to the occupant of
a seat upon deposit by such person of a piece of money of given denomination in said
receptacle, the introduction of said coin being made to operate on locking mechanism
controling the door or lid of the receptacle and thereby give access to the inside for
removing the glass.
Our present improvements embrace a novel construction and arrangement of case
or receptacle having an opening controled by a revolving door or shutter which is
formed of a disk arranged to turn on a central pivot and provided with a solid or closed
portion on one side of the pivot and, on the other an aperture corresponding in size
with the aperture in the receptacle through which the opera glass can be inserted and
removed. By rotation of said shutter on its pivot either the aperture or the solid
portion can be brought into line with the opening in the receptacle and according as
the shutter is made to occupy one position or the other the receptacle is either closed or
it is opened to permit the opera glass to be removed.
In connection with such revolving disk or shutter our improvements embrace novel
operating mechanism and a coin-actuated locking device so combined for operation
that by the introduction of a coin of given denomination through a coin-slit in the
receptacle the revolving shutter is caused to turn automatically and uncover the
opening in the receptacle. The shutter operating mechanism for this purpose consists
essentially of a spiral spring of suitable strength applied to the pivot of the shutter to
rotate the same or, in place of a spring an equivalent mechanism composed of a cord
and weight, in which case the receptacle is mounted on a hollow post or standard to
bring it at suitable height from the floor, and the weight is arranged to be concealed
and run up and down in said post.
The locking mechanism is formed of a catchlever adapted to engage the rim of the
revolving shutter and carrying on one end a small pan or receptacle to receive a ball
weight which constitutes the means for depressing the catchlever to release the shutter,
while the ball-weight is held in position for action by a ball-trough immediately above
the catchlever, in which holder the ball is detained by a lever suitably arranged with
reference to the coin-slit and a chute or conductor leading downwards therefrom to
be struck and depressed by the falling coin inserted through said slit. The gravity of
such coin in its descent is made to trip the lever that holds the ball weight, and that
part being thereby released descends and acts upon the catchlever, through which the
revolving shutter is released and is rotated on its pivot until its aperture coincide with
the opening in the receptacle.
The weight or spring by which the shutter is rotated so acts that the movement is
sufficient to bring around the shutter-aperture into position where the opera glass may
be removed from the receptacle.
By means of a cord or light chain of suitable length the opera glass may be
permanently attached to its receptacle, so that it can be conveniently used, but cannot
be taken away.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Receiving Coin and Permitting the
Use of Opera Glasses and the like in Exchange therefor.
We EDMUND CYRIL JONES of No. 148 Ninth Street, Machinist, and WILLIAM JAMES
GLEASON of No. 2415 Fillmore Street Attorney at law both in the city and county of
San Francisco State of California United States of America do hereby declare the
nature of our Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to opera glass cases or receptacles for use in theaters and like
places of amusement to supply an opera glass or similar instrument to the occupant
of a seat upon deposit of a piece of money of given denomination in said receptacle, by
the introduction of such coin certain locking mechanism that controls the door or lid
of the receptacle being thrown out of action and the lid released to give access to
glass inside.
Our present improvements embrace a novel construction and arrangement of case or
receptacle having an opening closed by a revolving door or shutter which is formed of
a disk hung on a pivot and having a solid or closed portion on one side of the pivot
and on the opposite side an opening corresponding in size with the opening in the
opera glass case. By rotation of the shutter on its pivot either the opening or the solid
portion can be brought into line with the opening of the receptacle, to close or to open
the same.
In connection with such revolving shutter our improvements embrace certain novel
coin operated locking mechanism so constructed and combined for operation that by a
coin of given denomination introduced through a coin-slit in the receptacle the
revolving shutter is released and by turning on its pivot is caused to uncover the
opening. This movement of the shutter is produced either by a coil-spring applied to
the pivot or by a cord and weight, and in the last mentioned construction the receptacle
being mounted on a post or standard to bring it at suitable height from the floor, the
post is made hollow and the weight to operate the shutter is concealed in it.
The shutter locking mechanism consists of a catch-lever having on one end a trough
to hold a ball-weight and adapted to engage the rim of the shutter at the outer end, a
ball holding rack above said lever and a latch to retain the ball-weight in the rack until
such time as it is to act, and a latch-tripping lever so placed with relation to a coin-
chute or way leading from a coin-slit in the front of the receptacle that the inserted coin
striking said tripping lever releases the ball-weight from its rack and allows the weight
to drop into the ball trough on the catch-lever below. The weight thus released
through the action of the inserted coin acts directly on the shutter holding lever to
draw it out of play and the shutter is revolved by its spring or cord and weight as
before described to bring its opening in line with the opening in the front of the
receptacle.
The construction and operation of these parts and mechanisms are illustrated in the
accompanying drawing in which―
Figure 1 represents the receptacle in front elevation with portions of the outside
broken away to show the construction within. Figure 2 represents the receptacle
opened by the operation of the inserted coin on the locking mechanism through the
agency of the ball-weight.
Figure 3 is a section taken vertically through the center, and Figure 4 is a section
taken horizontally through the receptacle at a point below the shelf on which the
opera glass rests."
A indicates the case or box that constitutes the receptacle, and B a partition or shelf
dividing the interior space into a compartment X to hold the opera glass and another Y
beneath to contain the coin-actuated mechanism.
C is a revolving shutter hung on a center pivot C* and having on one side of the
center an opening or cut away portion corresponding in size with the opening in
the front of the receptacle above the line of the horizontal shelf and on the opposite

page_text: side of its center a solid or closed portion which may be either the same substance
or material as the body of the shutter, or may be a glass pane through which the
opera glass can be seen when the receptacle is closed. By revolution of the shutter.
on its pivot for 180° or one half around either the opening or the solid portion is
brought into line with the opening in the front of the case.
D is a hinged door conforming to the shape of the lower front portion of the case
and arranged to cover and also to permit access to the lower compartment for
removing the deposited coins and for adjusting and setting the mechanism. The
door is secured by a suitable lock to prevent it being opened except by an authorized
person.
F is a cord attached at to the rim of the shutter and lying in a groove from that
point around to a sheave G on the bottom of the compartment Y, from which sheave
the cord runs down into the hollow upright support I, and is made fast at the lower
end to a weight H. The hollow post I is fixed in a socket A× on the bottom of the
case, and its lower end is provided with a base-plate I* through which screws are
put to fix it to the floor.
R is a catch-lever hung on a center k at the back of the case and having a
catch L on the front end set to engage a notch in the back of the shutter, this point
being about diametrically opposite to the point f where the cord is attached when
the cord and weight are employed. M is an upright ball-guide or chute fixed by a
bracket or foot m* directly over the pan on the rear end of the catch-lever, and
N is a slanting ball-rack secured under the shelf with its lower end over the ball
chute. In front of this lower end and to hold back the ball weight in the trough
a latch P is set, which being a part of a lever P is drawn down below the end of the
chute when that lever is depressed. Px is a pan or trough on the end of the lever P
and directly beneath the end of the coin-chute T into which the coin drops after being
inserted at the coin-slit Tx at the front. The chute runs from the coin-slit to the
back of the case and thence down to the end Px of the lever P. The opposite
end of the lever is pivoted at p³, and the spring a holds up the outer end.
A spring k also holds the catch-lever K against the revolving shutter, but the
strength of this spring is adjusted to yield under the weight of the ball S when the
latter drops upon the end of the lever K, and in like manner the spring q is adjusted
to let the lever P yield under the weight of the coin of a given denomination. The
size of the coin slit and chute is requested to admit a coin of standard diameter and
thickness, and the strength of the spring a determines the weight necessary to be
possessed by the coin in order to operate the tripping lever.
As thus constructed and combined the introduction of the coin through the coin
slit T gives access to the receptacle X for removing the opera glass by acting on the
ball-holding latch, and the ball by its weight and momentum when released and
allowed to drop operates on the catch-lever to release the revolving shutter which is
thereupon turned on its pivot and its opening is brought in line with the opening in
the case.
This receptacle may be used also to contain articles other than opera glasses for hire
or to sell, and when used for opera glasses and articles of greater value than the coin
called for to open the receptacle, the article is attached to the case by a cord or
chain W secured to the case inside by an eye w³ and to the glass at w¹ so that the
article can be conveniently handled but cannot be carried away.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The combination of a suitable case having an opening to be controlled, a
revolving shutter formed of a circular plate or disk and having an aperture in it.
corresponding in size with the opening in the case upon one side of its pivot or
center of revolution, a cord and weight or a spring as a means of turning said shutter
on its pivot to bring its aperture into position, a locking lever adapted to hold said
shutter against such movement on its pivot and mechanism adapted to be acted on by
:

page_text: the weight of a coin of given denomination to move said locking-lever and thereby
release the shutter, substantially as described herein.
2. In combination with the case A the pivoted revolving shutter-disk having an
opening on one side of its pivot to correspond with the opening in the case, and a
solid portion of like size or area to close said case opening when turned into position
across it, the weight and cord, catch lever, ball-weight, ball-chute, slanting ball-rack,
latch to confine said ball in its rack, latch-lever with coin receiving trough on
the end, the springs adapted to hold said catch lever and latch-lever in position
and the coin-chute all arranged for operation substantially as described and
shown.
3. In combination with a receptacle adapted to hold an opera-glass or like article
for hire, a revolving shutter adapted to close the opening in said receptacle through
which the glass may be removed and by its revolution to uncover said opening, the
weight and cord as a means to move said shutter, a locking-lever holding said shutter
in position to close said opening, suitable mechanism arranged to be set in motion by
the weight of a coin introduced in the receptacle and through the action thereof to
move the said locking-lever and release the shutter, and a chain or cord attaching
the opera glass to the receptacle for operation as herein set forth.
Dated this 5th dor of April 1890
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.