Improvements in Coin-freed Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1894
Improvements in Coin-freed Machines.
I, ROBERT WILLIAM PAGE, of Stanley House, Hewlett Road, Cheltenham, in
the County of Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in coin freed height measuring and
weighing machines whereby the indications of the height and weight of a person
are effected in a novel manner on a coin being inserted in the machine, the
indication of the height being obtained without the necessity of employing as
hitherto a moveable device to rest on the head.
In carrying out my invention for height measuring I make use of a suitable
mirror and a vertical scale so that on a coin being inserted in the apparatus the
scale which is normally out of sight will be brought into view and a person standing
in front of the mirror will be able to see his height by comparing his reflected height
with the scale.
My invention may be carried out in various ways, for example when used in
combination with a weighing machine, I employ the usual arrangement of platform
and levers communicating with a counterpoise consisting of a weight or spring the
end of the platform lever being also connected to a band passing over a drum and
giving a rotatory motion to the drum spindle. On this drum spindle I mount a
larger drum over which passes a band to the end of which is attached a pointer
capable of moving in a vertical direction as the drum rotates over a vertical scale
which is advantageously of cylindrical form and has thereon also the height.
measuring scale.
On a coin being inserted in the machine and a person standing on the platform a
rotatory motion will be communicated to the cylinder so as to bring the side of the
cylinder on which the scales are marked or printed, into view, and on a person
stepping off the platform the cylinder carrying the scales will be caused to rotate
in the opposite direction until the scales are again out of sight. This movement of
the cylinder may be effected by means of a weight or spring operated by the
counterpoise weight.
The rotation of the scale cylinder may be utilized to operate a lever or push
piece which will thrust outside the machine a cigarette or other article.
Instead of employing a rotating scale as above described, it will be obvious that
the scale may be fixed and the insertion of the coin be caused to operate a sheath
or cover so as to expose the scales to view; or the scales may be arranged to shut
against or pass behind the mirror. Or the scales may be independent of the weight
of the person, the coin being used simply to release a lock when the scales could be
brought into view by hand.
1
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Machines.
I, ROBERT WILLIAM PAGE, of Stanley House, Hewlett Road, Cheltenham, in
the County of Gloucester, Engineer, 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 improvements in coin-freed height measuring and
weighing machines whereby the indications of the height and weight of a person
are effected in a novel manner on a coin being inserted in the machine, the
indication of the height being obtained without the necessity of employing as
hitherto a moveable device to rest on the head.
In carrying out my invention for height measuring I make use of a suitable
mirror and a vertical scale so that on a coin being inserted in the apparatus the
scale which is normally out of sight can be brought into view and a person standing
in front of the mirror will be able to know his height by comparing his reflected
height with the scale.
My invention may be carried out in various ways, for example, when used in
combination with a weighing machine, I employ the usual arrangement of platform
and levers communicating with a counterpoise consisting of a weight or spring the
end of the platform lever being also connected to a band passing over a drum and
giving a rotary motion to the drum spindle. On this drum spindle I mount a
farger drum over which passes a band, to one end of which is attached a pointer
capable of moving in a vertical direction as the drum rotates, over a vertical scale,
which is advantageously marked or printed upon a cylinder the height measuring
scale being also marked thereon.
On a coin being inserted in the machine and a person standing on the platform a
rotatory motion will be communicated to the cylinder so as to bring the side of the
cylinder on which the scales are marked or printed into view, and on the person
stepping off the platform the cylinder carrying the scales will be caused to rotate in
the opposite direction until the scales are again out of sight. This movement of the
cylinder may be effected by means of a weight or spring operated by the
counterpoise weight.
The rotation of the scale cylinder may be utilized to operate a lever or push
piece which will thrust outside the machine a cigarette or other article.
The scales may in some cases be independent of the weight of the person, the coin
being used simply to release a lock when the scales could be brought into view by hand.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a coin-freed height measuring
machine constructed according to my invention :
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 but with the lower portion of the casing of
the machine broken away to disclose some of the interior mechanism :
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 Figure 2:
Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 Figure 3; and,
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the coin receptacle drawn to an enlarged scale :
Figure 6 is a front elevation of a combined height measuring and weighing
machine constructed according to my invention, the indicating scales being
automatically disclosed:
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a front elevation and a side elevation of the
machine but with a portion of the casing broken away to disclose some of the
interior mechanism :
Figures 9 and 10 are respectively horizontal sections on the lines 9-9 and 10-10
Figure 7 drawn to an enlarged scale:
Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the machine looking from the front:

page_text: Figure 10:
Figure 14 is an elevation drawn to an enlarged scale of the lower portion of the
cylindrical scale hereinafter described :
Figure 15 is a front elevation of the upper part of a combined height measuring
and weighing machine in which the indicating scales are arranged to be disclosed
by hand according to my invention:
Figure 16 is a vertical section looking into the interior of the machine from the
right hand side :
Figures 17 and 18 are respectively horizontal sections on the lines 17-17 and
18-18 Figure 16; and,
Figure 19 is a detached view of the coin receptacle and locking lever hereinafter
described.
Referring to Figures 1 to 5 a indicates a mirror arranged at the front of a
casing and provided with a central longitudinal opening c through which a
vertical scale can be disclosed. This scale is marked or printed upon a cylinder d
adapted to be rotated. In order to rotate the said cylinder d I provide its
spindle d with a spur pinion e with which engage rack teeth on a spring push-bar f
so that when the said push-bar is pressed in, it will rotate the cylinder and disclose
the scale thereon through the opening c in the mirror.
The push-bar is arranged to be normally locked so that it cannot be operated
until a coin or the like is inserted in the machine and for this purpose I advan-
tageously provide a vertically sliding bolt g engaging with a notch 21 in the
push-bar as shewn in Figures 4 and 5. The bolt works in a recess formed in
one side of a box secured to the front of the casing b and adapted to receive the
coins introduced into the apparatus through the slot h¹ and coin chute h². This
box has pivotted within it a bell-crank lever i Figure 5, the end of which
engages with the said bolt g, while the other end projects in such a manner that
when a coin is introduced into the box the said bell-crank lever will be moved
thereby to disengage the bolt g from the push bar f. Upon the push bar is a
projection normally located beneath the open bottom of the box h and serving
to support the coin thereon until the push bar is moved inwards sufficiently to
take the notch g' from beneath the bolt. By this arrangement a coin or the like
inserted in the coin slot falls onto the projection ; and at the same time moves the
bell-crank lever i to lift and disengage the bolt g from the notch g' in the push-
bar so that the latter can be operated to disclose the scale ou the cylinder d as
indicated in Figure 1, the movement of the said push-bar causing the projection ;
thereon to be removed from beneath the box / whereby the coin being no longer
supported will fall into the machine.
If a person now stands in front of the mirror a he will be able to know his
height by comparing his reflected height with the graduations of the scale.
Upon the release of the push-bar fits spring will return it to the normal position
the bolt g again falling into the notch '.
Referring now to Figures 6 to 14 which illustrate my height measuring machine
combined with a weighing machine, k is the usual weighing platform and is the
band connected at one end to the said platform through the medium of the usual
levers (not shewn) which communicate with a counterpoise (also not shewn) in a
well known manner. m is the drum located at the upper part of the machine on to
which the other end of the band is wound and n is the larger drum arranged on
the shaft or spindle m³ of the drum m. o is the band wound upon the drum n
and o is the pointer connected with the lower end of the band o. The said band o
is advantageously arranged to pass through the cylinder d marked with the height
measuring scale and which is made hollow for the purpose, the pointer o¹ being
provided with a hole engaging with the spindle d' and projecting through a vertical
slot in the said cylinder as shewn clearly in Figures 10 and 14 so that it can rise
and fall with the band o and indicate upon a weight scale, also marked upon the
said cylinder, the weight of the person or other body being weighed. In order

page_text: that when the cylinder d is rotated to disclose the scales the band o shall not be
carried round with it, I form the portion o' of the pointer to which the band is
connected separate from and serving to support the other part or pointer proper as
clearly shewn in Figures 7 and 11.
p is the weight whereby the cylinder d is caused to revolve and disclose the
scales thereon, this being advantageously effected by connecting the said weight
by a lever to a shaft p which carries a bevel wheel p³ gearing with a bevel
wheel p on the spindle d' of the said cylinder d. In order that the shaft p' shall
be locked and thus prevent the cylinder d being revolved to disclose the scales until
a coin or the like has been inserted in the machine and a person is upon the
platform k, I advantageously arrange a roller q upon the lever of the coin
receptacle or bucket 1 to be normally in the path of revolution of a quadrantal
arm upon the shaft p', as shewn in Figure 12, and a weight r Figures 11 and 13
to support the weight and carried at the end of a cord or chain passing
through an eye on the said weight, the weight r being connected to and adapted
to be unwound from a drum upon the shaft m' so as to leave the weight p
unsupported when a person is upon the platform k.
In order that the coin in the bucket q' shall not be discharged until the scales
have been disclosed by the revolving of the shaft p', I provide the quadrantal
arm with a projecting stops in the path of the roller g so that when the
bucket has moved down a portion of its course under the weight of the coin
it will be arrested, the said stop being placed in such a position that when the
roller g is resting upon it the arm is free to be moved to allow the scales to
be disclosed, such movement causing the stop s to move from beneath the roller g
whereby the bucket gl is free to finish its course and discharge the coin. After
such discharge the coin bucket again moves up, but as the arm 92 has been
will strike
moved slightly in the direction of the arrow, Figure 12, the roller
against the curved periphery of the said arm and when the latter is caused to
move back to its normal position by the removal of the person or body being
weighed the said roller q will again take up its position in the path of the
said arm.
By this construction it will be seen that upon a coin being inserted in the
chute it will pass into the coin-bucket g₁ and cause the same to drop and
remove the roller q from the path of the arm q, and upon a person standing upon
the platform k the weight r will be lowered through the medium of the cord or
chain, drum, shaft m', drum m, and band 1 from the weighing levers so as to
allow the weight p to fall and rotate the shaft pl and consequently the cylinder d
and disclose the scales thereon at the side of the mirror a, the pointer o¹ at the
same time being caused to rise by the band o being wound upon the drum n and
indicate upon the weight scale the weight of the person upon the platform k.
Upon the person stepping off the platform, the weight r will be raised by the
weighing counterpoise through the medium of the parts r', r³, m³, m and l
hereinbefore described and will lift the weight p whereby the cylinder d will be
returned to its normal position and hide the scales from view behind the mirror a,
the coin bucket q' again rising to its normal position as hereinbefore described
and locking the cylinder d.
t Figures 10, 11 and 13 is the lever or push piece which I sometimes employ
for thrusting outside the machine a cigarette or other article, the said lever t
being advantageously fixed upon the shaft pl and caused to operate by the weight
when the latter revolves the cylinder d. The lever t is sufficiently high to engage
behind the lowermost of a series of superposed articles to as shewn, and is provided
with a curved rearward extension t' adapted when the front of the lever is pushing
forward the lowermost article to support all the articles above it until such time
as the lever returns to its normal position when the articles being no longer
supported fall so as to present the lowest one ready to be thrust out at the next
operation of the machine.
Instead of employing a rotating scale as hereinbefore described, it will be

page_text: obvious that the scale may be fixed and the insertion of the coin be caused to
operate a sheath or cover so as to expose the scales to view; or the scales may be
arranged to shut against or pass behind the mirror.
Referring now to Figures 15 to 19 which illustrate a combined height and
weighing machine in which the indicating scales are arranged to be disclosed by
hand, d represents a plate having the height and weight scales marked thereɔn and
adapted to be disclosed through the openings c, c in the mirror a. The said plate
is advantageously supported by links u, u, u, u jointed thereto and to the back of
the casing and also to a lever handle projecting through the front of the casing,
the said handle when moved in the direction of the arrow Figure 18 serving to
disclose the scales through the openings c, c. In order that the handle 'v shall be
locked until a coin is inserted in the machine, I advantageously arrange upon the
said handle a coin bucket w having an open bottom beneath which is normally
located a plate upon a weighted lever a¹ pivotted to the casing b, the said lever
having an abutment or stop thereon normally located in the path of the handle v.
By inserting a coin in the chute 2 it will pass into the bucket to and fall upon the
plate thereby overbalancing the lever and removing the stop 2 out of the way
of the handle which is then free to be moved and disclose the scales, the coin by
the movement of the handle being moved free of the plate whence it falls into the
machine. The lever ¹ when relieved of the weight of the coin then tends to
return to its normal position but the handle v being in the way the upper part of
the stop bears against the underside of the said handle. Upon the handle
being returned to its normal position the lever ' again moves up the stop a to lock
the said handle.
In this arrangement the drum n is advantageously arranged in proximity to the
handle t, so that its movement can be utilized to return the handle v to its normal
position in case the operator should fail to do so, a spring pin y being, for this
purpose, attached to the said drum and normally bearing against the said handle as
shewn in Figures 15, 16 and 18. By this arrangement when a person steps on to
the weighing platform the consequent movement of the drum n removes the pin y
from the handle v, which if left in the position into which it is moved to disclose
the scales will when the person steps off the platform be returned to its normal
position by the pin y impinging against it on its return movement.
In this arrangement I have shewn the shaft m¹ carrying the pulley n adapted to
be operated by means of a rack z and pinion 20 the rack being connected to the
weighing lever and counterpoise, but I may employ instead a band and drum as in
Figures 6 to 14. In consequence of the position of the drum n I have arranged
the band o carrying the pointer ol to pass up to the upper part of the machine
where it is arranged over pulleys 2¹, ¹ and provided with a weight 2ª to keep it in
tension.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A coin-freed height measuring machine in which on the insertion of a coin or
the like therein a scale is adapted to be disclosed so that the reflection of a person
in a mirror can be compared with such scale substantially as described.
2. A coin-freed height measuring inachine comprising a mirror, a hidden scale
marked upon a cylinder and means for rotating the said cylinder to disclose the
scale upon the insertion of a coin or the like in the said machine, substantially as
described.
3. In a coin-freed height measuring machine of the kind described in the
preceding claiming clause means for rotating the cylinder carrying the scale
comprising a pinion upon the spindle of the said cylinder and a spring push-bar
having rack teeth gearing with the said pinion and means for normally locking the
said push-bar, such means being adapted to unlock the said bar by the insertion of
a coin in the machine, substantially as described.
c

page_text: 4. A coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine in which on
the insertion of a coin therein two scales are adapted to be disclosed one of which
allows the reflection of a person in a mirror to be compared with such scale while
the other has a pointer working over it to indicate the weight of such person,
substantially as described.
5. A coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine comprising a
mirror, two hidden scales marked upon a cylinder, and means for automatically
rotating such cylinder to disclose the scales upon the insertion of a coin or the like
in the machine and the placing of a body to be weighed upon the weighing
platform, substantially as described.
6. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the kind
described in the preceding claiming clause means for rotating the cylinder carrying
the scales comprising a bevel wheel upon the spindle of the said cylinder, and a
bevel wheel upon a shaft carrying a lever and weight and means for normally
locking the said shaft, such means being adapted to unlock the shaft by the insertion
of a coin in the machine and the placing of a body to be weighed upon the weighing
platform, substantially as described.
7. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the kind
described in the preceding claiming clause, means for locking and unlocking the
shaft operating the scale-cylinder comprising a weight adapted to normally support
the weight attached to the said shaft and operated by a cord and drum from the
weighing mechanism and a roller upon the coin bucket lever normally located in the
path of an arm also on the said shaft, substantially as described.
8. The combination with a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing
machine of means for delivering goods, substantially as described.
9. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the kind
referred to in the preceding claiming clauses, the combination with the shaft for
rotating the scale cylinder of, a lever or push piece for delivering goods from the
machine and provided with a curved extension, substantially as described.
10. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the
kind described, mechanism for disclosing the scales by hand, substantially as
described.
11. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the
kind described the combination of a plate having the scales marked thereon, links
jointed thereto and to the casing of the machine and a handle for moving the said
plate to disclose the scales, substantially as described.
12. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the
kind described in the preceding claiming clause means for locking and unlocking
the handle for disclosing the scales, substantially as described.
13. In a coin-freed combined height measuring and weighing machine of the
kind described in the preceding claiming clause, means for locking and unlocking
the handle for disclosing the scales comprising a coin receptacle on the said lever
having an open bottom and weighted lever provided with an abutment or stop
thereon normally in the path of the said handle and with a plate normally located
beneath the coin receptacle substantially as described.
14. The improved coin-freed machines hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 1 to 5 Figures 6 to 14 and Figures 15 to 19 of the accompanying
drawings.
2004
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.