IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING PREPAID CIGARETTES, CIGARS OR MATCHES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOSEPH CHARLES CHAMBERS of 78 Belle Vue Road, Leeds, in the County of
York, Electrician do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING PREPAID CIGARETTES, CIGARS OR MATCHES, 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 certain improvements in the means employed for
delivering prepaid Cigarettes, Cigars, or Matches in railway carriages, tram cars,
clubs, and other places where it is inconvenient to have an attendant to receive the
money for the sale thereof. I construct a box into which are placed a number of
Cigarettes, Cigars, ormatches in tubes similar to those used for carrying cartridges.
The holders or tubes are attached to a belt of metal or leather, which is perforated
and passes round two rollers, one of which is attached to and receives motion from
a ratchet wheel that is actuated by a bar extending to the outside of the box, the
other roller merely acting as a guide.
By means of a slot near one end of the box a penny or two half pençe can be
introduced into the inside of the box, the coin or coins falling on to a lever
mounted at a slight incline, thereby allowing the coin or coins to roll to one end of
the same, which by the weight, actuates the said lever and removes a lock bolt
from a bar that extends to the outside, thereby liberating the latter, so that when
the said bar is pushed, the driving roller is moved such a distance that one of the
tubes containing the goods to be sold is brought over an aperture and thus drops
out into a suitable receptacle accessable to the operator.
When the holders or tubes on the revolving belt are empty of Cigarettes or
other articles placed therein, the aperture for the receipt of the coins is closed by a
plate, so that no more coins can be received: this plate is operated upon by an
arm secured to the last of the tubes. The said holders or tubes are again filled by
the removal of the box cover, when the plate is put into the requisite position
ready for being operated upon by the said arm, when the holders or tubes are
again empty.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I will further describe
the same by making reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1
represents a plan of the box containing my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan,

page_text: with the box cover and part of the framework removed. Fig. 3 shews a view of
the underside or working parts for actuating the rollers and tubes. Figs. 4 and 5
are enlarged details.
The box A is provided with two rollers B and B¹, the former is prepared with
projections B2 which pass into perforations in belt C mounted on the said rollers.
Secured to the said belt are a number of holders or tubes D: these holders or
tubes are filled with Cigarettes, Cigars or Matches as the case may be, and on
dropping a penny or two half pence through the hole or slot E in the top of the
box, on to troughed lever F, at F1, which is mounted on trunnions T at a slight
incline thereby allowing the coin or coins C¹ to roll down to the other end as
shewn at F', against lever L; the weight of the coin or coins causing the lever F
to move on its trunnions, from the position shewn by Fig. 4, into that as shewn
by Fig. 5; by which the lock holt G is withdrawn from a hole in the push bar H;
thus liberating the push bar H, which when moved in the direction of the arrow,
the hooked end H¹ acts upon the ratchet wheel J causing it to rotate one tooth, and
the driving roller B to move the belt C and holders or tubes D the distance from
one tube to another, thereby allowing the contents of the tube that is brought
over the aperture K to drop out into a suitable receptacle accessable to the
operator.
When the bar H is pushed by the operator as before described, it comes in
contact with arm M moving it in the direction of the arrow No 1 against lever L,
which is mounted on bar L' as fulcrum, thereby moving the said lever into such a
position that the coin or coins are allowed to drop through aperture N into a
receptacle provided underneath. The bar H after being pushed is brought back
to its normal position by spring S, and is then ready for the next operator; the
ratchet wheel J is prevented moving in the opposite direction by pawl P, and the
lever L is moved to its normal position by flat spring S¹.
To one of the holders or tubes D, as shewn by Fig. 1, I secure an arm V which
as soon as the said holders or tubes are empty of the goods to be sold comes in
contact with plate X thereby moving it on its fulcrum such a distance that it
covers the slot or aperture E on the top of the box, thus preventing the would-be-
operator from depositing his coin.
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
The arrangement and combination of the apparatus for receiving money and
automatically delivering cigarettes or other articles to be sold, all arranged
substantially in the manner described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
The trough lever F for the reception of coins combined with lock bolt G and
bar H arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.
The combination of arm V with the plate X for the purpose herein before
described.