Improvements in Automatic Goods Selling Apparatus
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 4th Mar, 1889-Accepted, 4th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Automatic Goods Selling Apparatus
I HENRY BORN NOBLE of 43 Globe Road Mile End Old Town in the county of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
-
My said invention relates to means for the purpose of preventing the use of pieces
of lead and other base metal & counterfeit coins in Automatic Goods Selling Apparatus
and the consequent robbery of articles therein, and is applicable to many existing
Automatic Boxes and Apparatus
My present improved arrangement consists of a money shoot connected with the
usual slot through which the coin passes, and it may be used either with or without
the vertical continuation The shoot has two grooved sides or guides, open at the
bottom so as to allow to fall through any small substance One of these grooved sides
is fixed to the side of a plate, and the other is so arranged as to move outwards on two
pins fixed into the plate, and over which pins it runs by means of two hollow tubes
underneath the groove, connected by a bar touching the plate upon which the fixed
groove is fastened, and against which plate, while the shoot is at rest, this bar is kept
by a spring fixed on the plate Above the shoot is a steel or other metal bar or fork,
fixed by means of an arm or bracket and screw to the plate, at the end farthest from
the slot, and jointed in itself about the centre, and terminating at the end nearest the
slot in sharp teeth of bardened steel, preferably of a width nearly that of the coin
intended to be used in the apparatus Fixed over this bai, where it is Jointed, is a
spring, regulated by means of an adjustable screw or balance weight, and thus hept at
such an angle to the mouth of the slot that, when the shoot is opened by the insertion
of a coin or piece of metal, the teeth at the end of the bar fall upon and touch what-
ever substance may be inserted in the slot, and if this should be a piece of metal softer
than any current coin as, for example, a piece of lead or a piece of other soft metal or
cardboard, the teeth at the end of the jointed bar hold on to the face of the coin or
piece of metal, and prevent its passing through the slot, and if force be used, cause the
teeth to enter the substance, and thus increase the resistance, while all current coin
will pass
While the shoot is at rest, the points of these teeth are kept just above the slot, by
means of a lever and spring, having the arm of the lever resting under a short arm or
hook fixed on the toothed end of the bar or fork, and on this lever being released, the
teeth drop on to anything which may be inserted in the slot
The shoot is worked by means of a lever, having two arms working through the
side of the plate on which the fixed side of the shoot is fastened
One arm of this lever, (terminating preferably in a small roller), is so placed as to
be pushed against by any coin or piece of metal inserted in the slot-The other arm
forms a pin, impinging upon the bar connecting the tubes of the moveable side of the
shoot before described-Any coin or piece of metal, when inserted in the slot, presses
upon the roller end of the lever near the slot, and this causes, by means of the pin at
the other end of the lever, the moveable side of the shoot to open, and also the lever
which holds up the teeth of the bar fastened over the shoot to be released, and thus to
let the teeth drop on whatever may be inserted in the slot
As soon as the centre of the coin has passed the roller end of the lever, both the
shoot, which has been opened by the pressure of the coin on the roller, and the toothed
bar or fork, at once return to their original position, by means of springs fixed to the
side of the plate, and the coin then travels down the shoot, the two grooved sides
forming a guide, until it comes to the vertical continuation hereinafter mentioned
This continuation is mainly for the purpose of preventing robbery by the withdrawal

page_text: of the coin, and the method I use is a metal shoot or tube, having on the under side,
and being the side against which the coin would travel, a false side or lining, closed at
the top, and fixed out of the perpendicular, so that if a coin having attached a piece
of wire or other material for the purpose of withdrawing it, be inserted, and attempted
to be drawn up, it is caught and retained by the lining above referred to
Dated this 4th day of June 1880
HENRY BORN NOBLE
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Automatic Goods Selling Apparatus
I HENRY BORN NOBLE of 43 Globe Road Mile End Old Town in the County
of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement
My said invention has for its object the preventing the use of pieces of lead and
other base metal and Counterfeit coins and Cardboard or other discs in Automatic
Goods Selling Apparatus and the consequent robbery of articles therein, and is
applicable to many existing Automatic Boxes and Apparatus
My present improved arrangement consists of money shoot, connected with the
usual slot through which the coin passes, and it may be used either with or without
the vertical continuation hereinafter described
The shoot has two grooved sides or guides, open at the bottom so as to allow to
fall through any substance_smaller thin the coin intended to be used One of
these grooved sides is fixed to a plate which in most Apparatus would be fixed on
the side of the Box, and the other grooved side is made with 2 small brackets
having hollow tubes attached, and by means of which it slides outwards on two
guide pins fixed into the plate These tubes are connected by a bar, touching the
plate upon which the other grooved side is fastened, and against which plate, while
the shoot is at rest, this bar is kept by a spring fixed on the plate
Above the shoot is a steel or other metal bar or fork, fixed by means of an arm
or bracket and screw to the plate, at the end farthest from the slot, and jointed in
itself about the centre, and terminating at the end nearest the slot in a sharp tooth
or teeth of hardened steel, which may somewhat vary in width or teeth according to
what it may more generally be required to stop, as for example lead or card discs or
iron wishers
1 fix over this bar where it is jointed, a spring, regulated by means of
a set screw or balance weight, and by means of which the teeth are kept at the
required angle to the mouth of the slot On the insertion of a Coin or piece of metal
or card in the money slot the shoot is opened and the tooth or teeth at the end of the
bar fall upon and touch whatever substance may be inserted in the slot, and if this
should be a piece of metal softer than any current coin, as, for example, a piece of lead
or a piece of other soft metal or of Cardboard, the tooth or teeth at the end of the
Jointed bar hold on to the face of the coin or piece of metal, and prevent its passing
through the slot, and, if force he used, the teeth enter the substance, and thus increase
the resistance, all current coin will however pass the teeth The advantage of the
opening of the shoot is that pieces of paper card or other substance which, if inserted
in a shoot with fixed sides, would block the shoot, will in my improved apparatus
fall through and do no harm
Before the insertion of any Coin or piece of metal in the slot, the points of the
tooth or teeth are kept just above the slot, by means of a lever and spring, having
the rm of the lever resting under a short irm or hook fixed on the toothed end of
the fork, and on this lever being released, the tooth or teeth then drop on to anything
which may be inserted in the slot
The shoot is worked by means of a rocking lever, having two arms working through
holes in the plate to which the fixed grooved side is attached One arm of this lever
working through a hole in the plate near the money slot (and terminating preferably
in a small roller) is so placed as to be pushed against by any coin or piece of metal

page_text: inserted in the slot The other arm forms a pin, also working through a hole in the
plate and impinging upon the centre of the bar which connects the guide tubes of
the moveable grooved side of the shoot as before described Any coin or piece of
metal, when inserted in the slot, presses upon the roller end of the lever near the
slot, and this causes, by means of the pin at the other end of the lever, the moveable
side of the shoot to open, and also the lever which holds up the teeth of the bar
fastened over the shoot to be released, and thus to allow the teeth to drop on whatever
may be inserted in the slot
As soon as the centre of the Coin has passed the roller end of the lever, the shoot,
which has been opened by the pressure of the coin on the roller, at once returns to its
original position by means of the spring fixed to the side of the plate as before
mentioned, and the toothed fork also is returned to its position just above the slot by
spring at the back of the plate The coin then passes down the shoot, the two
grooved sides forming a guide, until it comes to the vertical continuation hereinafter
mentioned
This continuation is mainly for the purpose of preventing robbery by the coin being
withdrawn, as for instance by a thread or wire, and the method I use is a metal
shoot or tube, having on the underside, and being the side against which the coin
would travel, a false side or lining closed at the top, and fixed out of the perpendicular,
so that if a coin, having attached a piece of wire or other material for the purpose of
withdrawing it, be inserted, and attempted to be drawn up, it is caught and retained
by the lining above referred to
In the accompanying Drawings Fig 1 is a front elevation of the shoot showing the
underneath part and the guide tubes and lever but the teeth of the fork being concealed
by the money plite or slot Fig 2 is a top view shewing the two grooved sides, the
toothed fork and bar, and the lever by which it is worked
Fig 3 is a side view shewing the outside or moveable groove removed but shewing
the bar connecting the guide tubes of the moveable side
Fig 4 is a side view of the moveable grooved side shewing the position it occupies
with regard to the plate but not being attached thereto
Fig 5 is a side view of the reverse side of the plate being the opposite side to
Fig 3
Fig 6 is a section of the vertical continuation
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts
When the coin H is inserted in the usual manner in the money slot I the side of
the coin presses against the roller L attached to the arm k of the lever K, and thus
works the lever, so that the other arm k¹ of the lever presses against the bar E, and
causes the moveable side B of the groove to open, by sliding over the pins d di
The same action of the coin on the roller L simultaneously causes the arm k of the
lever K to press against and press outwards the smaller lever J, which by means of
the short arm or hook fixed thereon holds up the toothed bar F, and thus to lower
the end of the lever J which is under such arm or hook, and there being then nothing
to keep up the toothed or hinged end of the bar F, such end falls, and the teeth or
ooth forming the termination thereof descend on, and touch, the coin at an oblique
angle, and if the coin be any current coin the teeth of the bar F glide over it, and
llow it to pass, while if a lead or other disc or material softer than a current coin the
eeth enter into and retain it in the slot, and prevent its going through the shoot and
working the box For the purpose of preventing the use of iron washers one tooth
nly at the end of the bar E is preferable the washer being then caught thereon by
ne ins of the hole in the middle of the washer Such disc or washer can be readily
withdrawn from the slot by pulling it outwards and must be taken away before another
oin can be inserted so soon as the centre of the coin has passed over the roller L
t is beyond the teeth and descends the shoot (the grooved sides A and B of which
orm a guide for it) until it comes to the continuation shewn on figure 6 or other
rrangement by which it is conducted to the working part of an automatic Box and
he opening side B of the shoot is returned to its proper position and closed by means
f the spring e fastened to the plate C, while by means of the spring M, the smaller

page_text: lever J is returned to its position, and the arm thereof under the hook on the toothed
end of the bar F again lifts up the teeth above the money slot I ready to be brought
into action on the insertion of another coin
In Figs 1 2 3 and 4 A and B are the two grooved sides of the shoot-the side A
is attached to the plate C the side B is connected by means of the brackets 6 6¹ to the
hollow tubes D, D', sliding over the guide pins d, d' E is the bar connecting these
hollow tubes and kept in place when the shoot is at rest by the spring e F is the
Jointed bar or fork, jointed in itself, fixed to the plate by the bracket f, and terminating
in teeth or a single tooth G is the spring regulated by the set screw 9-H shews
the method of insertion of the coin in the money slot I J 1s the lever which keeps
the teeth above the slot and having the arm resting under the hook, fixed on the
toothed end of the fork K is the rocking lever working the shoot having the two
arms kk-The one arın k terminates in a roller L and the other arm k¹ touches the
bar E
In Fig 5 M is the spring at the back of the plate which returns the lever and
toothed fork to position after the coin has passed the centre
In Fig 6 N shews the false side or lining closed at the top for the purpose of
catching the coin if attempted to be drawn back
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the sime is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1 The improved apparatus for the prevention of the use of pieces of lead and other
base metal Counterfeit Coins and card board and other discs in Automatic goods
selling Apparatus and robbery therefrom hereinbefore descubed and represented
2 The combination is applied to Automatic Goods Selling Apparatus of an opening
shoot having a toothed fork, worked by the Coin inserted in the slot for the purpose
of preventing the use of pieces of lead and base metal Cardboard and other discs,
substantially as herein before described and represented
Dated this 4th day of March 1889