Improved Automatic Coin-freed Vending Machine.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Automatic Coin-freed Vending Machine.
I, JOHN OSBORN TONKIN, of Westend, near Berlin, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In coin-freed machines hitherto known, the delivery of the goods is effected by
means of a slide drawn out by the buyer on pulling a handle after a coin has been
inserted in the apparatus, such slide bearing the lowest packet of the pile of goods.
This apparatus is however not adapted or reliable for articles which are very
thin and of light weight, since the subsequent downward movement of such goods
does not take place with the regularity and exactness necessary for accurate opera-
tion of the slide.
My invention relates to an automatic coin-freed apparatus for the sale of post-
cards and the like which are thin and of light weight and its object is to avoid
the disadvantages caused by the arrangement of a slide.
In my improved apparatus, I provide a movable support at the bottom of the
apparatus in such manner that when the latter is not in use or operation the bottom
card or a strip or lath underneath same serving as a carrier rests upon the said
support, whereas same may be removed after the coin has been inserted the article
thus dropping within reach of the person using the apparatus.
During the removal of the support for enabling the bottom card to drop out,
the remaining articles in the pile are secured in their position by a supplementary
holding device which is automatically introduced between the bottom card and
the one next to it and prevents the latter from falling.
The movement of the supplementary holding device and that of the movable
support take place simultaneously, as soon as the latter returns to its normal
position, the supplementary holding device ceases to operate so that the pile of
articles by virtue of its own weight, descends to the movable bottom support.
According to this arrangement the articles fall out of the apparatus so that
perfect regularity and accuracy of the subsequent moving of the articles is not
necessary but even in case of slight irregularities, the apparatus is sure to operate
accurately.
It is advisable to arrange crossing guide ways in the apparatus and to separate
the various cards by interposed strips of suitable material. This arrangement is
however not new and therefore immaterial for the invention proper and may be
modified in any suitable manner.
In the accompanying drawings an automatic apparatus for the sale of goods is
shown which is provided with a moveable bottom support for the cards and strips
or laths for separating same.
According to the construction shown, these strips or laths are retained in the
apparatus and not delivered to the public but articles of some value for instance
pencils may be substituted therefor and adapted for delivery.
Figure 1 shows in vertical section on line of Fig. 2, an automatic apparatus
constructed according to the present invention;

page_text: Figure 2 is a side elevation of the automatic apparatus one side of its casing
being removed;
Figure 3 is a vertical section on line y-y of Fig. 4;
Figure 4 is a
plan view;
Figures 5 & 6 show, on an enlarged scale, the arrangement of the movable
bottom support in two different positions.
Figures 78 & 9 are views to illustrate the discharge of the coin after the
operation.
The casing A rests upon a support or pedestal whose table B is recessed and
provided with two guide-rails C in which a frame a is guided. The cards bare
arranged in a pile in a box D and separated from each other by strips or laths c
preferably made of some suitable metal, for instance, aluminium.
The cards bare guided in the side walls of the box D and the strips or laths c
are guided in recesses or grooves D¹. The frame a is arranged in such manner
that the sides of same which are parallel to the side walls of the box D) engage
below the guide recesses D¹ so that the bottom strip or lath c may rest upon same
whereas there remains at the bottom of the box a free space, through which the
cards fall below as soon as they are no longer carried by the strips or laths c. The
sides of the frame a are each provided with a slot a¹, which is arranged close to
the strips or laths c, such slots a¹ corresponding with the guide grooves D₁ in size
and shape. The table B is provided with similar slots B' directly below the guide
grooves Dr.
On the frame a being moved in such manner that the slots a¹ coincide with the
grooves D¹ the strip or lath c, which usually rests upon the sides of the frame a,
loses its support and drops through the slots a¹ and B¹.
Fingers or projections f are arranged above the slots a¹ at a height correspond-
ing to the thickness of a strip or lath and card, such projections f being preferably
secured to the frame a.
When the apparatus is not in use the projecting ends of the bottom strip or
lath crest upon the sides of the frame a and the fingers or projections f do not
operate. On the frame a being moved, the fingers f pass between the ends of the
bottom strip or lath and the one next to it, so that they prevent the latter from
falling below.
For this purpose the guide grooves D¹ only reach to the top of the fingers for
they are provided with slots, through which the fingers f may pass.
An inclined table E is provided below the table B such collecting table E being
adapted to receive the dropping card and having a slot E through which the lath c
dropping simultaneously with the card, may pass into a special collecting
chamber F (Fig. 3).
The device for moving the frame a is constructed as usual for coin-freed apparatus
but is preferably arranged in such manner that the inserted coin forms an inter-
mediate or coupling member necessary for operating same.
The coin G passes through the passage H into the collecting hopper J open
below which is provided directly above a recess or slot B2 of the table B in such
manner that the lower part of the coin G extends into the slot B2, whose diameter
is somewhat smaller than that of the coin, such lower part of the coin being
secured by the edges of the slot whereas the upper part of the coin extends into
the hopper J (Fig. 7.) The hopper J is secured to the frame a and provided with
a recess or slot i (Fig. 8) through which a spring-mounted pin or bolt J³ with
press button J passes so far that its fore end is situated directly in front of a coin
in the hopper J. On the pin or bolt J³ being displaced by pressing the button J¹,
its fore end comes in contact with the coin G in the hopper J and clamps the same
against the inner wall of the hopper J whereby the frame a is coupled with the
pin or bolt J³. On a further displacement of the pin or bolt J³ the frame a will
also assume another position, the coin G passing into the slot 132 of the table B.
The slot B of the table B extends to another slot B3 which is of larger diameter
than that of the coin G and is arranged in such manner that the coin passes therein

page_text: immediately before the frame a has reached the end of its course.
As soon as the
coin G in this position is released by the pin or bolt J³ the coin drops through
the recess or slot B³ into a groove N (Fig. 9) from which it passes into a collecting
receptacle (Fig. 7.) The pin or bolt J3 is automatically returned to its normal
position by a spring (Fig. 2) and the frame a by springs L (Fig. 4.)
The arrangement of the pin or bolt J3 and the device for coupling same with
the frame a do not form a part of the invention and are only explained by way
of example; the same may therefore undergo any desired modification.
The apparatus operates as follows:―
On inserting a coin G into the passage H the connection necessary for the dis-
placement of the frame a is established between the latter and the pin or bolt J³.
The press-button J¹ is then so far pressed back until the same comes in contact
with the front wall of the casing A. The frame a now moves in such manner
that the slots a' coincide with the grooves D¹ and the slots B₁ of the table, the
fingers simultaneously passing between the projecting ends of the bottom c and
the one next to it (Figs. 3 & 6), consequently the bottom strip or lath c drops
together with the bottom card b, the latter being received by the table E.
The backward movement of the frame a through the springs L is prevented
from taking place too soon by means of a falling latch M which on the card being
delivered is released on the return of the bolt J3 by means of a pin J2 connected
therewith the stroke of the frame a is limited by stops g, g¹.
On the return of the frame a into its normal position the sides of same pass
again below the guide grooves D', whereas the fingers f are simultaneously removed
from the strip or lath c situated upon same and set this strip or lath free so that
it drops upon the frame a, whereupon the said operation may be resumed.
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:-
Automatic coin freed vending machine for postcards and the like, having fingers
or projections f provided on the slide a for holding or
securing the
pile of articles characterized by the arrangement of strips or laths C
between the cards 6 for ensuring delivery of one single card b such strips or
laths c projecting in lateral guide-grooves beyond the cards and after the coin
has been inserted and the slide drawn out dropping through openings a¹ of the
slide and through slots B' & E' of the table B and the collecting table E respec-
tively into a special chamber F, the card 6 being received by the collecting table E
substantially as described and shown in the drawing.
Dated 5th March 1808
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Associate Agent.