Improvements in or Connected with the Coin Slots Of Automatic Sale Machines and other like Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 18th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Feb., 1889
Improvements in or Connected with the Coin Slots Of Automatic
Sale Machines and other like Machines.
I, DUNCAN URQUHART, of No. 12 Garscadden Street, Port Dundas Road, Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
-
This Invention. relates to improvements connected with the coin slots of automatic sale
machines and has for its object to prevent the passing through of spurious metal, pieces
of cardboard, or other usual methods of causing the machine to deliver the selling
article without dropping into the machine the proper coinage.
My Invention consists in the employment of two short arms behind or below the
slot plate, the one guarding at each end of the slot; the said arms are so pivoted that
their free extremities are in proximity with each corner of the slot and so that when
the coin is inserted in the slot and attempted to be dropped into the machine
the coin has also to pass between the two extremities of the said pivoted arms.
The two arms are kept. in their normal position by a cross piece of metal
slotted at its ends for the reception of pins formed on the arms; between the said
pins I stretch an elastic band, or its equivalent, so that the two arms offer resistance to
the article attempted to be inserted.
The extremities of the arms are fornied with teeth, or two or three sharp points;
on inserting the smooth edge of a penny piece, the said edge is capable of slipping
over the teeth, disteuding the arms and passing into the machine; if however a
counterfeit of lead or any soft material such as cardboard is attempted to be
inserted, the teeth bite into the edge of such materials and the arms cannot be
distended.
If an attempt is made to wedge the counterfeit through, the oscillating arms are
drawn towards the one end or other of the slot and prevent the coin passing into the
machine, as the said counterfeit will be wedged between the end of the slot and the one
toothed portion of the arms.

page_text: Improvements in or Connected with the Coin Slots of Automatic
Sale Machines and other like Machines.
I, DUNCAN URQUHART of No. 12 Garscadden Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, 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 connected with the coin slots of Automatic
Sale Machines, and has for its objects to prevent the passing through of spurious metal,
such as pieces of lead, and the passing through of other materials in order to cause
the machine to deliver the selling article without dropping into the machine the
proper coinage.
In carrying out my invention I employ the mechanism shewn in the accompanying
sheet of Drawings
Figure 1, is a side elevation of the mechanism.
Figure 2, a plan of the underside of same.
Figure 3, an end elevation.
Figure 4, details hereinafter referred to.
Figures 5 to 8, modifications of my invention as hereinafter referred to.
Two arms A of steel or other suitable metal are pivotted upon the Pins B the one
arm guarding at each end of the penny or other coin slot c, of the slot plate C, and
immediately below the said slot; the said arms are kept at the required distance apart
by the piece of stamped sheet metal D, or its equivalent, kept in postion by the slots d,
at each end of the Distance piece, and into which, pins a, provided upon the heads of
the Levers A fit; between the said pins I stretch an elastic band E or its equivalent;
the arrangement is such that when the coin is inserted in the slot c it has to pass
between the heads of the two pivotted arms before it can pass into the niachine to
effect, the opening of the Tray or receptacle containing the article for sale, or the
actuating mechanism whatever it may be for causing an article to be delivered.
The heads of the arms A are formed with teeth (a), with sharp edges as shewn,
more particularly, in the detailed view, Figure 4; I have shewn three teeth, but I may
have one sharp edge only, or two sharp edges, or any required number of edges:
Upon inserting the smooth edge of a penny piece, the said edge will, by slight
pressure, slip over the teeth, distending the arms, and passing into the machine; if
however a counterfeit of lead or any soft material is attempted to be inserted, by
slight pressure, the edge of such counterfeit, instead of slipping easily over the teeth,
will be indented by the said teeth, and the counterfeit will be locked or jammed; so
that the arms are prevented from opening out to allow the counterfeit to pass
through.
An essential feature of my said invention consists in the simultaneous movement of
the one arm with the other and which is effected by the two arms being capable of

page_text: rocking together as one movement; if an attempt is made to wedge a counterfeit
through the slot, by giving motion of partial rotation to the counterfeit, the arms are
drawn towards the one end or other of the slot, so that the counterfeit will be wedged
between the end of the slot, and the one toothed portion of the arms.
As a modification of my said invention, as shewn in Figures 5 to 8, the same
motion of the teeth to one side or other of the slot, may be effected by a sliding
motion of the said teeth, in lieu of the rocking motion by the pivotted arms A.
The said sliding motion is shewn in elevation, figure 5; under plan, figure 6; end
elevation, fig. 7; and figure 8 shews details of the teeth. In this inodification I may
employ the same elastic band E, Distance piece D, and Pins a. In this modification
I have shewn one tooth or knife edge F, mounted on the short arm; the said arm
sliding between the two Guide pieces G, screwed to the underside of the slot plate C,
as shown more particularly in Fig. 6; the knife edges of the sliding portion may be
of steel or other suitable metal.
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 -
1st. In Sale Machines operated automatically by the insertion of a coin or coins, the
arrangement and combination of parts for the purpose of preventing the passing
through the slot and into the Machine, of lead or similar counterfeits.
2nd. The arms or clips constructed and mounted substantially as herein described
and shewn in Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying Drawings, or any mechanical
equivilent of the same; such as that hereinbefore described and shewn in Figs. 5 to 8
of the accompanying Drawings.
n
100
1
" T
1000