Improvements in Coin-freed Machines for Administering Electric Currents.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1893-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Machines for Administering Electric
Currents.
I, PHILIPP REINER, Mechanical Engineer, of Gutenbergstrasse, Cologne-
Ehrenfeld, in the German Empire, 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 has for its principal object, to construct coin-freed electric machines
in such a manner, that the current produced by the battery may be strengthened or
weakened at will by the person using the machine, by means of a variable resistance
inserted into the circuit, and that thereby the machine may be rendered suitable
for more or less sensitive persons, including children.
A further distinctive feature of my machine is a sliding contact which is kept
clean by friction, in order to avoid failure of the machine from accidental breaking
of the electric circuit.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention ;
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;
Fig. 3 is a section along line
of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 a side elevation showing the side opposite to that shown by Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 5 a cross section along line y-y of Fig. 2;
Fig. 6 a cross section along line - of Fig. 2;
Figs. 7 & 8 show a device for strengthening or weakening the current.
The machine chiefly comprises a pair of induction coils S S¹ and a clockwork
mounted on a frame g, which in its turn is screwed upon a base plate a; an electro-
magnet which is an ordinary vibrator mounted on a bracket 6° fixed to the side
of the frame g; an annular contact piece projecting from a disc d and adapted to
form contact with the armature of the electro-magnet b; and subsidiary devices,
as will be hereafter described.
To the base plate a is also secured the mouth-piece or receiving slot e, together
with the guide piece e', which is provided with lateral slots and serves to guide the
coin downward, the lower end of the guide e¹ having a bottom piece f, which carries
an arm i of insulating material, (with the exception of the metal piece ¹) and
also a two-armed lever h which a spring h¹ tends to keep constantly in the position
shown by Fig. 4.
A rod is guided in the same bottom piece f and also in a footplate a¹ formed on
the lower end of the plate a; said rod carries at its upper end an arm / which
supports a brake pin P, extending upward, as well as an arm ° extending downward
and carrying a pin 13. The said rod has at its lower end a footpiece m which
serves as a pivotal bearing for the rod m² exposed to the pressure of a spring m¹
and carrying at the top a cross piece m³. This rod m³ is capable of turning in
its bearings for a short distance limited by a lug m° formed on the foot piece m.
The head or cross piece m³ of the rod m' extends into the guide piece e¹, and is
maintained in this position by the pressure of the spring m' (Fig. 4).
The plate a supports also the fulcrum of a two-armed lever n (Fig. 4) situated
between the rod and the guide piece e', the upper arm of said lever being constantly
pressed against the rod 1, (that is to say, into the notches formed in the same), by a
spring n', while the lower arm projects slightly into the guide piece e¹.
The rack o is connected with the moveable induction coil S and serves to set in
motion the clockwork, it carries at its lower end an arm o¹, the object of which will
appear hereafter.

page_text: The secondary electric circuit includes a regulating coil S', the soft iron core of
which may be shifted axially from outside the casing, by turning a button K, as
indicated by Fig. 8, in order to weaken or strengthen the current.
The button K
is provided with a pointer moveable over a graduated scale.
The core of the coil S' is suspended from one end of a string r, which is
guided over a roller and attached with its other end to a semi-circular disc r².
This disc is mounted on the axle of the button K carrying the index finger, so
that by turning the button K situated outside the casing, the disc is caused to
turn to the right or to the left, and consequently the core is drawn out of the coil S'
or into the same, with the result, in the former case, that the current will be
strengthened, and in the latter case, that it will be diminished. By inserting the
core fully into the coil, the alternating current passing through the same, may be
rendered almost imperceptible.
In using this machine, the index finger is first set by means of the button K, so
as to point to a division of the graduated scale which corresponds to the desired
strength of current, the rod 1, as well as the upper moveable induction coil S is
raised by a pressure of the foot (acting through a pedal on the piece m), and
placed in the position indicated by Figs. I to 4, subsequently a coin is thrown into
the mouthpiece e, and the usual two handles u, u are grasped with the hands.
These handles constitute the electric terminals of the secondary or induced circuit
which passes through the induction coil S and the regulating coil S³, as indicated
by the drawings, Figs. 4 and 8.
The coin which has been thrown into the slot, drops upon the lower arm of
the two-armed lever n, thereby causing the upper arm of the same to recede from the
notch of the rod 1, in consequence of which this rod l, together with its foot piece m and
its upper arm descend under the influence of their own weight. During this
down motion, the brake pin 12 releases the fan of the clockwork, and the pin of
the arm passes between the lever and the metal piece of the insulating arm i,
thereby closing the primary electric circuit, because the pin 3 makes contact both
with the metal piece and with the double lever h. The secondary current
therefore acts on the person holding the handles.
As the fan of the clockwork is released, the latter is set in motion by the rack o,
which now descends together with the moveable induction coil, under the influence
of their own weight, thereby producing also a uniform downmotion of the arm o¹.
When the armature b' is not drawn to the magnet 6, it will slide on the annular
projection of the disc d, thereby retarding and equalising the motion of the
clockwork. During the descent or o, the arm o¹ comes into contact with the
curved upper part of the double lever and turns the latter on its axis, conse-
quently the contact with the pin n³ and the metal piece * ceases, and the circuit is
broken.
The downmotion of the rod is shared by the rod m² connected with the same by
the foot piece m, and also by the cross piece m³, which slides past the coin and
remains subsequently underneath the same.
As the slanting shoulder of the piece m³ slides over the coin, the rod m³ turns
slightly on its axis (Fig. 4).
As soon as the cross piece m³ has passed the coin, the rod m³ is pressed into its
original position by the spring m', in consequence of which the cross piece m² will
come to lie underneath the coin, so that during the subsequent lifting of this rod by
means of the treadle, the coin is also lifted along the grooves of the guide canal, and
after it has reached the top, the coin is conducted into the collecting box, under the
influence of the spring m*.
As indicated by Fig. 4, the primary current passes from the battery B through
a wire to the stationary coil S₁, thence through another wire to the metal piece i¹
and through the pin 13 to the lever h (provided that the pin makes contact
between and ), thence through a wire to the terminal of the oscillating
armature, thence to the ring d (as long as the armature is not drawn to the

page_text: magnet 6) and through the axle of the wheel d to a terminal on the casing of
the clockwork, and finally through a wire to the other pole of the battery.
The connection between the piece and the lever h depends on the insertion of
a coin, and the contact between and d is periodically interrupted by the attraction
of the magnet b, as in other induction appliances.
The secondary current induced in the coil S circulates through the regulating
cuil S to one of the handles u, thence through the human body to the other handle /
and back to the coil S.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A coin-freed electric machine, comprising in its construction a moveable.
induction coil S, a clockwork, moveable rods and m³, levers h and n, metal piece i¹
and pin, the whole being constructed and adapted to operate in such a manner,
that the insertion of a coin serves to release the lever n, to lower the rods
and m², and the said induction coil, to release the clockwork, to establish contact
between metal piece and lever h, and to close the electric circuit, substantially as
described.
2. In a coin-freed electric machine, a rod m² provided with a shoulder or head
piece m³ and with a pivotal support, the said rod being adapted to descend in
consequence of the insertion of a coin, at the same time to slide with its head piece m³
over the coin, and afterwards to lie with its inclined upper face underneath the same,
substantially as described.
3. In a coin-freed electric machine, a device for regulating the strength of the
current from outside, chiefly comprising a button K provided with an index finger
and adapted to shift the core of a regulating coil by means of a curved disc and a
string, substantially as described.
4. In a coin-freed electric machine, a sliding contact, adapted to promote
certainty of action, substantially as described.
1000