Improvements in or relating to Coin Freed and like Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Coin Freed and like Apparatus.
I, JULIUS BRUNO RUCKERT, of Sedanstrasse, Leipzig, Germany, Manufacturer, 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 coin freed and like apparatus designed to be placed in
public rooms, rooms for social gatherings, public places and halls, &c., and used in
combination with musical boxes or other devices and it has for its object to cause an
audible signal to be produced after the apparatus has been operated a predetermined
number of times, whereby a person in charge of the machine, will have some
indication when it is necessary to wind up or otherwise set the apparatus to maintain it
in working order. For this purpose the apparatus is so constructed that after it has
been operated the predetermined number of times it will cause or permit a weight to
fall and operate the signalling device.
The weight may conveniently consist of a disc of metal, and the signalling device
may conveniently consist of a gong against which the weight will strike in falling.
The apparatus for carrying and discharging the weight comprises according to one
arrangement a rocking beam which is actuated by the motive mechanism of the
apparatus, and moves between two walls, of which the front one is or may be
transparent at one part. Near to one end of the rocking beam there is formed in the
box or casing of the apparatus, a slot which until the apparatus has been operated
the predetermined number of times, is normally covered or bridged over by a movable
axle in such a manner as to prevent the weight falling out prematurely, and producing
a false signal.
After a predetermined number of revolutions of the mechanism, this axle is shifted
by means of the spring barrel of the musical box so that the discharge slot previously
obstructed by the said axle, is uncovered and the weight then allowed to fall out
against the bell or gong and so produce an audible signal.
The movement and the automatic discharge of the weight can however be effected
by means other than those bereinbefore mentioned.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrate in front elevation, a musical
apparatus of the kind referred to, the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 differing from that
shown in Fig. 1 only in that it is provided with a hinged door at the front.
Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional detail views.
Fig. 5 shows partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, Fig. 6 in plan and
Fig. 7 partly in front end elevation and partly in cross section, the apparatus for
moving and discharging the weight.
Fig. 8 is a detail view of the mechanism for disconnecting the apparatus for moving.
and discharging the weight.
Fig. 9 is an elevation partly in section, and Fig. 10 is a cross section on the
line -y of Fig. 9 showing a modified arrangement.
Fig. 11 is a side elevation illustrating a further modified arrangement.
As will be seen, the several figures are drawn to different scales.
It is situated
Two
In the arrangement of apparatus shown in Figs. 2 to 8 inclusive, H is the rocking
beam that carries the weight T which is in the form of a metal disc.
between two plates P and D, of which the latter is partly transparent.
plates E and E arranged between the plates P and D, serve to provide between them
a space in which the rocking beam H is able to move without hindrance. The axle h

page_text: of the rocking beam H is pivoted at h¹ (Figs. 5 and 6), and carries a bent lever W
which is rigidly fixed thereto. The free upper end of this bent lever W carries an
antifriction roller w which works on an undulating pathway U extending round the
driving spring barrel O of the apparatus, the necessary friction between the sliding
surfaces being produced partly by the weight of the lever W and partly by the action
of a spring which is continually pressing against the said bent lever W, the
arrangement being such that when the spring barrel O moves in the direction
indicated by the arrow (Fig. 6), the rocking beam H will be caused to move also.
By this means, when the apparatus is in operation, the weight T lying on the rocking
beam H, as indicated partly in full lines and partly in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2, 3,
and 4, is moved alternately to and fro, disappearing entirely at the end of the
downward movement to the right and then again showing itself gradually until it is
again almost wholly visible. In these to and fro movements, as shown in Figs. 3, 4,
and 6, the weight will strike at one end against the plate E, and at the other end
against a movable axle A which extends through the plate P. This movable axle A
bridges over an outlet slot S (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) for the weight T, and thus
prevents the weight from prematurely falling out of the apparatus.
When the axle A, Figs. 6 & 7 is moved back, the weight T will fall through the
slot S on to a gong G which it sounds, and thus produces the required audible signal at
the proper time.
In order to move the axle A inwards at the proper moment, that is to say at the
predetermined moment for the purpose of discharging the weight T, there is provided
a disconnecting device, as hereinafter described, which is operated by the driving
mechanism of the apparatus, and which may obviously be variously constructed and
arranged, as also may the mechanism for actuating the weight.
In the example shown, the spring barrel O carries on its lower cover plate a pin i
which at every revolution of the spring barrel, moves a toothed wheel Z, mounted on
a screw-spindle Q, forward to the extent of one tooth, so that a nut C formed as a
fork and carried by the spindle Q, is thereby caused to move in the direction
indicated by the arrow 1, Fig. 6. The nut C, can by means of a squared end Q',
of the shaft Q, and a corresponding key, be set and re-set from the exterior of the
apparatus to withdraw the axle A and release the weight after any desired number
of revolutions of the spring drum O, or after any desired number of coins have been
placed in the apparatus for operating the same. Thus in the present case, the further
the nut C is moved towards the right (Figs. 5 & 6), the greater will be the amount
to be received by the apparatus before the weight will fall from the rocking beam H
out through the slot S, and thence to the bell or gong G. The spindle Q is supported
at one end in the bearing L, and at the other end in the wall of the box.
The nut C, which is made of fork-shape for the purpose of allowing of the passage
therethrough of other parts belonging to the driving mechanism but which form no
part of the present invention, carries close to its lower end a bent or an angle piece N
which is fixed thereto by means of a screw n. This angle-piece N is provided at its
free end with a suitably formed nose N1, is arranged to bear against the adjacent
bearing B of the movable axle A, and is guided so as to slide easily between two
rollers R, r, of which r is fixed on the axle A. Between this roller r of the axle A
and the oppositely situated bearing B, there is arranged a coiled spring f which
normally presses the axle A outwards into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6.
The axle A has an upwardly projecting extension A' which, as shown in Figs. 3,
4, 7, and 8 is arranged to pass through a slot P' in the plate P. If now by
repeated operation of the apparatus the nut C is moved quite close to the toothed
wheel Z, that is to say, to the driving spring barrel O, the nose N₁ of the angle-
piece N will move into the position shown separately in Fig. 8, and since the axle A
with its extension A' is free to move end ways in the slot P₁ of the plate P, the nose N¹
will actuate the roller r and consequently move the axle A back, whereby the slot S
previously bridged over by the axle, will be uncovered (Figs. 2 & 7), and the weight T
will be free to fall out of the apparatus striking in its passage the bell G and so giving
an audible signal. The spindle Q may then be again set from its end Q' to any

page_text: desired amount, the spring / returning the axle A back into its original position to
again prevent the premature falling out of the weight T which has been again placed,
upon the rocking beam H.
In the modified arrangement shown in Figs. and 10, the rocking beam H
carries on its rearwardly extended axle h, an upwardly projecting rod W₁ that is
constantly held by a spring F against an elliptical or cam shaped slideway U¹
arranged on the spring barrel O of the driving mechanism. By this means, when
the barrel Orotates, there is imparted to the rocking beam H carrying the
weight T, a rocking motion, and by making the elliptical or cam shaped slide-
way U₁ with an undulating or corrugated edge as is partly indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 10, there will be imparted to the rocking beam H in addition to its main
rocking movement, a series of smaller rocking movements whereby a jumping motion
will be imparted to the weight. The spring drum O of the driving mechanism has a
nose i¹, which at each rotation, strikes against a pawl M which is under the influence
of a spring m, whereby the corresponding ratchet wheel Z' is advanced to the extent
of one or more teeth.
A pin or stud Z² fixed on this ratchet wheel Z', strikes, after every revolution of
the latter, against a nose a² of a bent lever a', which is pivotted at a and is under the
influence of a spring f, and whereby the said lever is then caused to move from the
front of the outlet slot S, so that the weight T is free to pass through such slot, and
thence into a drawer t, striking in its passage the bell G. 6 is a stop against which
the bent lever a¹ is held by the spring when it is released by the pin or stud Z2, so
as to obstruct the passage of the weight T to the slot Z until the required time. In
order to ensure that the ratchet wheel Z' shall only be able to be moved in one
direction, a detent k may be provided.
If it be desired to reduce the time of sounding the signal, that is to say, to enable
the signal to be sounded before the termination of the rotation of the apparatus,
the pawl M is moved alternately backwards and forwards by means of a suitable
key Q2 through the medium of a rod Q' extending towards the wall of the box,
with the result that the ratchet wheel Z is moved in the direction of the arrow
marked in Fig. 9, and the releasing pin Z2 moved nearer to the nose a² of the
bent lever a¹.
In the further modified arrangement shown in Fig. 11, in place of the rod Q¹
provided with a key Q3, there is provided a hook-shaped handle Q³ which also
engages with the pawl M. The latter is guided along a pin as in the arrangement
shown in Figs. 9 and 10), and is drawn back by means of the spring m. Also, in the
arrangement shown in Fig. 11, the rotation of the ratchet wheel and consequently the
release of the weight, can only be accelerated, but cannot be retarded or arrested.
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 or like apparatus in which a carrier adapted to carry a weight and
to be operated by a movable part of the apparatus is combined with a stop arranged
to normally prevent the weight on the carrier from leaving the apparatus, with
releasing mechanism for controlling the stop, and with an audible signalling device,
the arrangement being such that the weight will, after a predetermined number
of operations of the apparatus be discharged and cause an audible signal to be
produced, substantially as herein described."
2. A coin freed or like apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claim,
in which the carrier is in the form of a rocking beam arranged to work between
plates of which the front one has a transparent part, and the stop is in the form of a
spring bar or lever arranged between the discharging end of the rocking beam
and a discharge aperture and is adapted to be withdrawn out of the path of a
weight on the carrier by mechanism that is intermittently operated from a movable
part of the apparatus, substantially as herein described.
3. In a coin freed or like apparatus, the combination with the coin freed mechanism

page_text: therein, of mechanism constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference respectively to and illustrated in Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive, and
in Figs. 9 & 10, or modified according to Fig. 11 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1895.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.