An Improved Coin Freed Apparatus for the Sale of Stamps and other articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Coin Freed Apparatus for the Sale of Stamps
and other articles.
I, GEORGE ASHFORD, of Caerlon Road, Newport, in the County of Moninouth,
Engineers Representative, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved apparatus for the sale of stamps, and other
articles automatically, by the insertion of a coin, or coins, and consists of an outer
case, or shell of any suitable material, provided with slots for the reception of coin.
The said coin when deposited drops upon a weighted, or spring governed lever,
fulcrumed in such a manner as to be depressed thereby. The act of such
depression operates upon a toothed wheel, connected to, or upon a drum, upon
which is wound a continuous strip of stamps, having a perforated division between
each. The said lever is so arranged that each depression operates the revolution
of the drum a distance equal to the breadth, or division of one stamp, which is pushed
thereby through an opening in the machine in view of the purchaser. The said
lever at this moment releases the coin, and returns to its normal position, ready for the
next purchaser, and at the same time, a pressure is given to the next unsold stamp,
enabling the purchaser to tear off the stamp paid for. The passing out of the last
stamp releases a slide that closes the coin slot, so that more coin cannot be inserted
The slot, or slots for the
until a fresh supply of stamps is wound upon the drum.
reception of coin, is magnetized for the detection of iron discs, or other magnetic
base coin.
The said arrangement may be duplicated for the sale of articles other than
stamps, and the lever constructed to be operated by coins other than pennies if
desired, so that a return of value may be given for the money deposited.
The said apparatus can be constructed of a size adapting it for attachment to
existing pillar boxes for the sale of stamps.
Dated this 6th day of June 1891
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
+, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Coin Freed Apparatus for the Sale of Stamps
and other articles.
I, GEORGE ASHFORD of "Montefiore," Caerleon Road, Newport, in the County
of Monmouth, Engineers Representative, 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 relates to an improved coin freed apparatus for the sale of
postage stamps, cards, papers, counters, or other like articles that can be arranged
in continuous form so as to be wound around a drum or wheel.
My invention consists of a self contained mechanism which may be connected to
any form of case or container such as those in general use for giving off value for
a coin deposited, or may be fixed within the door or other part of any of the pillar.
boxes in use by the post office authorities for the reception of letters, so that a
person posting a letter may be able to purchase a stamp therefor, or the mechanism
may be arranged within a container, stand or case for the sale of checks or

page_text: admission.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I have appended hereunto a
sheet of drawings, in which,
Figs. 1; 2 and 3 are side elevation, plan and end elevation respectively of the
mechanism constituting my invention.
Fig. 4 is a view of an ordinary pillar box for the postage of letters, showing
how my invention may be adapted thereto without interfering with the functions
thereof.
Fig. 5 is a view of the door of Fig. 4 showing the positions of the coin and
delivery slots.
I wish it understood that I do not confine myself to any particular form of
motive power for operating the mechanism of my invention, but may employ the
use of a spring or springs, or a weight or weights, or a lever actuated by a weight
for attaining this, according to the space at my command and other surrounding
circumstances. In the accompanying drawings I have chosen to illustrate my
invention actuated by a weighted lever, this being a convenient form where space
is limited and only a small stock of stamps or counters or the like are needed to be
kept. If a spring be used as the actuating power, I should prefer to arrange the
drum capable of containing the same, but where depth will permit and a depending
weight or weights be used for this purpose, I may extend the width of the drum so
that the chain or line bearing the weight or weights may be wound upon said
extension, or I may attach to the side of the drum any form of clock winding
novement suitable for the purpose. And further I wish it understood that I may
duplicate the said mechanism any number of times within the same casing or
machine and not necessarily all operated by the same means, and arrange that
each mechanism may operate for a different purpose or for the sale of a different
article that is to say, a combination machine may be arranged that a penny
deposited in one slot may give forth a penny stamp in return therefor, while other
slots may in like manner. give forth halfpenny stamps, post cards (if these be
arranged in a continuous strip) counters etc. as may be desired. Nor do I confine
myself to any particular dimensions, or material of which to construct the several
parts of the mechanism hereinafter to be described, and with this in view the
accompanying drawings do not show the parts drawn to any particular scale
relatively to each other.
In carrying my invention into effect I construct a drum or wheel A of a width
suitable for the reception of the article to be wound thereon, which for the
purposes of description may be supposed to be penny stamps. Upon the side
of A and concentric therewith I fix a cog wheel B, and these are mounted upon
a spindle C, borne within plates or frames D, D', which may be provided with
lugs or their equivalents E, E', for connecting them to the machine case or
pillar box F, and lugs G G¹ for connecting them if needed to cross stays or
a partition or shelf if present, and held together by suitably shouldered bolts a.
Upon the end of the spindle C outside the plate Di or its equivalent I mount a
pinion Hwhich gears with a toothed wheel I, mounted upon a spindle 6 carried
within bearings formed in D', and an extension plate D", the latter being
purposely omitted from Fig. 1 to show the mechanism. The spindle also
carries a small cog-wheel K, which gears with a toothed quadrant L, fixed to a
spindle c, borne by and between the plates or their equivalents D₁ D₁, and which
extends outwardly beyond D" and carries a lever M fixed rigidly thereto, upon
the end of which and capable of sliding therealong I provide a weight N, rendered
adjustable by means of a screw or its equivalent d. The plates or their
equivalents D and D also carry two other spindles e and f, the former of which
extends beyond D' and carries upon its end a small cog
wheel g which gears with
the cog wheel B on A, and centrally between D' and D, e also carries a wheel O,
upon the periphery of which are two stops or projections diametrically
opposite to each other, and from one to the other of these around the periphery

page_text: of O are graduated webs ii. The spindle carries a cranked lever P, the crank
of which m is kept in contact with the stops h or by the tension of a spring n,
the opposite end of P being widened at p forms a pan for the reception of
the coin when this has passed down the shoot R, and the manner of operation is as
follows.
The strip of stamps or the like is wound around the drum A, in such a manner
that its free end lies within the shoot or guide, which extends from the delivery
openings in F to the under part of the drum A, so that the first stamp or the like
to be sold would lie next to and within the slot or opening s. A. slot or opening t
for the reception of the coin would be provided in the front of the machine, or the
door or other part F of the pillar box, and the coin when deposited therein,
edgewise, would fall down the shoot R, and be arrested by the pan, and this by
the weight and impact of the coin would be depressed, and the coin roll off into a
bag, box or other contrivance S. The number of teeth in the wheel would be
such that one half turn of the wheel O would permit B to revolve sufficiently that
the circumferential travel of A would be equal to the length or breadth of the
stamp or other article being sold, accordingly as these may lie sidewise or endwise
to each other around the drum A. The depression of p as described, by the
insertion of the coin removes the crank m from under hor has the case may be,
and O being thereby released would commence to revolve by the agency of the
wheel B, this being set in motion by the gearing K, I, H, actuated by the weight N
and the quadrant L. Upon the release of the coin from p the crank m, by the
agency of the spring n seeks to return to its normal position and is held thereby
in rubbing contact with the then passing flange i or as the case may be, until the
stop h or h' as the case may be comes in contact therewith, when the rotation of O
is again arrested by m assuming its original position before the insertion of the coin.
The half turn taken by O during this time, has, as before described permitted A to
revolve such a distance that one stamp or other article has been pushed outside the
delivery slots and can be torn off by the purchaser.
To guard against fraud or to prevent the purchaser from taking more than one
stamp or other article paid for, I provide a lever T pivotted to D¹ at v and
pivottally connected to a weight or cutter wo pivotted at w¹ to F. The lever T
when in a position of rest permits the weight or cutter w to press the next unsold
stamp upon the shoot r. The lever P is provided with a stud P1 and when P is
depressed by the insertion of the coin as described, the stud P' depresses that end
of the lever T and raises w off the stamp, so that it may be pushed out by the
action of A as aforesaid, and as P is kept depressed after the release of the coin by
the passing web or as the case may be, it follows that, T is also depressed for
the same period, but the moment I regains its normal position, so also does the
lever T, and at this instant when the stamp or the like has been pushed out
sufficiently as before described, the weight or cutter e falls upon the shoot r, and
either cuts off the stamp or the like sold, or bites the next following one, so that
only one can be torn off by the purchaser.
In order to guard against fraud upon the purchaser and prevent coins being
inserted when the stock is exhausted, I provide a shutter U pivotted at X to F,
and this while the stock is being sold remains in the position shown by Fig. 3, but
when the last article has been sold and the quadrant L has completed its downward
travel, the heel L of L engages with the heel U of U and tilts its head, which,
passing between the back of the slot t and the mouth of R prevents the insertion
of another coin. This will be understood by referring to the position of the
upper end of U as shown at Fig. 2.
The shoot R would be preferably made of steel and magnetized so that if a
magnetizable base coin be inserted in R this would be retained at the mouth and
prevented from falling to operate the mechanism.
A suitable registering index W may be provided actuated by the spindle C, for
showing at a glance how much coin should be in the receptacle S. The weight N

page_text: and lever M may be dispensed with when the mechanism is actuated by a spring or
depending weights as described.
Figs. 4 and 5 show the manner in which my invention may be connected to pillar
boxes, without further description.
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
I claim is
1st. In an improved coin freed apparatus for the sale of postage stamps, checks,
counters and the like, the construction and use of the mechanism herein described,
actuated by the means of springs, depending weights or weighted lever, connected,
combined and operating substantially as set forth.
2nd. In an improved coin freed apparatus for the sale of postage stamps checks
counters or the like the construction and use of the mechanism herein described
actuated by the means of a spring or depending weights or by that of a weighted
lever as shown, when a coin is deposited in the manner stated, and consisting of a
wheel or drum A upon which is wound the article to be sold, and to which is
attached a cog wheel B, both mounted upon a spindle C, between plates D D or
their equivalents held together by bolts or the like a, with pinion H, in gear with a
toothed wheel I, upon a spindle b, carrying a cog wheel K, in gear with a toothed
quadrant L, mounted upon a spindle c, carrying a lever M, provided with a
weight N. The spindle e carrying a cog wheel g in gear with B, and also carrying
the wheel O having stops, and graduated webs ii. The magnetized shoot R
for the detection of base coin, and for the reception of genuine coin, which when
deposited therein falls upon the pan p of lever P, mounted upon a spindle f, and
having a crank m, for engaging with ', for staying the rotation of O, and having
a stud P, for operating a lever T, connected to a weight or cutter w, with bag or
box S, for the reception of the coin when released from p, the whole connected,
combined and operating substantially as and for the purposes stated and shown by
the appended drawing.
3rd. In combination with the mechanism set forth in the piceding claim, the
manner of closing the coin slot by the agency of the shutter U, actuated by the
quadrant L, for the prevention of fraud to the purchaser, connected and operating
substantially as herein described.
4th. The application of the mechanism herein described and shown to the existing
pillar letter boxes for the sale of stamps, cheques or the like, substantially as
described and shown by Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.
Dated this 8th day of March 1892.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.