Improvements in or applicable to Coin-freed Apparatus.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1891-Accepted, 13th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Coin-freed Apparatus.
We, ALFRED BURNESS GREIG and HARRY EVERSHED, both of 39, Lombard
Street, in the City of London, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved mechanism applicable to coin-freed apparatus
for automatically locking the same and allowing of the apparatus being released on
the insertion of a coin or the like.
In carrying out our invention we employ for locking any two parts of coin-freed
apparatus a ball of suitable material and arranged so that it will lock the parts
together by entering a recess in the said parts. For releasing the parts so that
the apparatus may be operated a coin is inserted in a suitably placed slot so as to
move the ball either by acting directly upon it or otherwise.
In practice we find it advantageous that the ball be allowed to fall into its
locking position by gravity but it will be obvious that a spring can be used to cause
it to take its locking position and in all cases more than one ball may be employed.
Dated the 22nd day of August 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Coin Freed Apparatus.
We ALFRED BURNESS GREIG and HARRY EVERSHED both of 39 Lombard
Street in the City of London Engineers 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:-
This invention relates to coin freed apparatus and consists in improved.
mechanism for locking the same and for permitting the apparatus to be released by
the insertion of a coin.
This invention contemplates two parts of the apparatus, one part movable relatively
to the other part, the said parts having certain sockets or holders so relatively
disposed and made that the presence of a ball allowed to fall into these sockets or
ho'ders by gravity or impelled thereto by spring or other pressure shall prevent
the relative movement of the parts and consequently lock the same until by action
of a coin the ball is removed from its seat sufficiently to allow of the parts being
moved relatively the one to the other by the application of suitable force.
In practice we prefer to carry out the invention as follows. One member of the
apparatus of sufficient solidity is provided on its upper face with a level or curved
plane or surface in which is a seat either in the form of a true hemispherical cavity
or having parts of its bearing surfaces of this form or otherwise of such shape
that it is adapted to receive the locking ball and support the latter with half of its
mass beneath the level of the plane and half above the plane or substantially so
when the ball falls therein under the influence of gravity.
A second member of the apparatus also of sufficient solidity is arranged above
the first and its lower surface is made as or of a plane to accurately fit upon the
aforesaid plane upon the first member of the apparatus and the one member of the
apparatus is movable in respect of the other member so that the touching surfaces
move in sliding contact. In the upper member of the apparatus is a socket
preferably of cylindrical form but essentially of such size and capacity as to freely

page_text: receive the whole of the locking ball without any part of the latter projecting
beyond the mouth of this socket.
In the locked position of the apparatus the ball lies half within the cavity in
the one member and half within the socket in the other member so that the ball
opposes the sliding movement of the members relatively the one to the other, until
by the insertion of the coin the ball is lifted wholly into the socket or sufficiently
so to enable the moving member to complete the lifting of the ball and the two
members are thus released.
In order that the invention and the mode of carrying out the same may be
better understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings showing the
invention applied to a coin-freed turnstile so constructed that by the insertion of a
coin of the necessary size, the turnstile is unlocked and may be moved through
a quarter revolution whereupon it is again automatically locked.
Fig. 1 represents the turnstile in plan.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line a a Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism within the head of the centre post with
cap removed.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the lower member removed from the apparatus.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the mechanism aforesaid with the cap, upper member, and
part of the lower member removed.
Fig. 6 is a section on line bb Fig. 2.
A is the upper member with the socket a' therein and the contact plane a².
the lower meniber with the socket therein and the contact plane b².
B is
C is the locking ball. One of these members is fixed to the stationary centre
post, the other is fixed to the turnstile so that it is obvious that when the ball C is
located in the manner before described and illustrated in Fig. 2 the two members
are locked and the turnstile cannot be turned. In the member B below the upper
rim of the socket is the coin slot 3 which is so arranged that by the thrusting of
the coin into the slot, the edge of the coin meets and lifts the ball C sufficiently
to enable the latter to be completely lifted out of the socket by the edge of the
said socket meeting obliquely the curve of the surface of the ball as the
members A and B are moved one with regard to the other, and thus lifting
the ball into the socket a' where it remains until it falls into another socket in the
member B.
Dis the central fixed post of the turnstile E the turnstile moving thereon and
provided with the four gates E' E2 E3 E. The upper crown E of the turnstile
forms the member B the lower crown E" revolves on the journal D' on the post D
and carries the spring operated pawls ee gearing with the ratchet teeth d in said
post D preventing the turnstile from being revolved in an opposite direction to that
intended.
On the upper end of the post D is the head D2 the interior of which forms or
contains the money box. D³ is the door affording access to the interior of said
post.
The top of the head D2 is made as shown in Fig. 2 with the central raised
circular portion in the centre of which is the boss d³ carrying the pillar d by
which the cap is carried and fixed. The periphery of the circular raised
portion is bevelled at d³.
Over the top of the head D2 rests the crown E of the turnstile a washer ring de
being interposed between the flange e' of said crown and the edge of the head D2
so that the crown may be revolved upon the head D². The shape of the upper
face of the crown E is shown more particularly in Fig. 5, the face e² is shaped as
an inverted truncated cone the inner circular edge of which meets the bevelled
edge of the raised portion d² of the head D2. In the face e² are cut the four
coin slots 63 extending from the outer edge of the face ² to the inner edge so that
the coin placed in any of the said slots rests (except as hereinafter explained) upon
the floor of said slot and with its edge against the bevelled edge d. In the floor
of each slot is the opening of such size that should any smaller coin than that

page_text: intended to unlock the mechanism be placed in the coin slot it will fall through the
opening and fail to unlock the machine.
Below the position in which coins may be placed in the coin slots the head D² is
provided with the opening d so that the coins which fall through the openings 64
fall also through the opening d' into the interior of the head D2. On the face e² is
fastened the truncated inverted conical ring (Fig. 4) which forms part of the
locking member B. In this ring are the four sockets corresponding in position
to the four coin slots 63 in the face e². The shape of these sockets is that of a
section of a hemisphere so that the ball C may rest in any one of said sockets
and be supported thereby with half its body above the face 2 of the ring B.
Above the ring B is the member A. which is preferably formed as an inverted
truncated conical plate with its lower face a² exactly in contact with the upper
face 2 of the ring B. The plate A is firmly fixed by screws onto the part d² of
the head D2 and remains stationary. On the plate A are the two cylindrical
sockets at a containing respectively the two locking balls CC. The distance
from the centre of one socket a' to that of the other socket a² subtends an angle
of 45° or thereabouts at the centre of rotation of the member B. The whole is
covered by the cap F fixed on the central pillar and having at fa slot coinciding
with the path of the coin slots 3 and of a length equal to rather more than one
eighth of the circumference. The cap F is fixed with this slot in the position
shown in Fig. 1.
It will be understood that if the parts are in position shown in Fig. 1 the
locking ball C has fallen into the socket 6' and the turnstile is locked. By
placing the required coin in that slot 63 which is visible through the slot "the
ball is lifted so that the edge of the socket when the turnstile is moved meets
the receding curve on the lower part of the ball and lifts the latter upon the
socket a where it remains while the member B is moved, the presence of the
coin in the slot prevents the second ball C¹ from locking the mechanism and
the member B (and therefore the turnstile) is thus left free to be moved through a
quarter turn when the ball C falls into the next socket and the turnstile is again
locked. If the ball C had been raised by a coin or instrument afterwards
withdrawn the ball C¹ would fall into the same socket as it passed thereunder
and the turnstile would be locked after it had been moved through an eighth of a
circle only by which the person so defrauding would remain locked between the
arms E and E2 and the side frame E', the coin slot having meanwhile passed
beyond the end of the slotuo coin could be inserted to release such person, but
this could be done only by removing the cap by which access could be had to the
said coin slot to lift the ball C. If at any time the turnstile be not moved
through a complete quarter circle so that the parts fail to arrive in their locking
position, the coin may be still inserted so long as a coin slot 63 is visible through
the slot when the turnstile is then revolved, the ball C falling upon the coin in
the slot fails to lock the mechanism until a slot not occupied by a coin arrives
under the socket a¹. After the coin has passed beneath the sockets a¹ and a² it
falls into the interior of the head D2 through the hole in the bevelled edge of
the part d² (Fig. 5) as the respective coin slot passes the said hole.
The construction of the parts here shown allows the ball to lock and the coin to
fall out at the coin slot by action of gravity but if desired springs may be applied
to force the ball into locking engagement and to eject the coin.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a coin freed apparatus a locking mechanism consisting of a ball or balls
adapted to lock the apparatus by engaging in a recess or recesses whence it or they
may be removed by the action of a coin for the purpose set forth.
2. In a coin freed apparatus, a locking mechanism consisting of two members
inovable one with respect to the other in sliding contact and having recesses or

page_text: sockets therein substantially as described in combination with a ball or balls
adapted to lock said members by engagement in said recesses or sockets and to
be removed from locking engagement by insertion of the coin substantially as
set forth.
Dated thin 0th day of M... 1901
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicants.