Improvements in Coin-freed Apparatus for the Automatic Delivery of Photographs, Cards, and other Articles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1890-Accepted, 26th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Apparatus for the Automatic Delivery
of Photographs, Cards, and other Articles.
I, JAMES GILBERT CUMMING of 88 Polwarth Gardens, North Merchiston, Edinburgh,
in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the providing a machine for the automatic delivery
of photographs, cards, or other articles on the purchase money being deposited in the
machine.
The coin or coins, equal in value to the price of the article wanted, on being placed
in a slot made in the machine for the reception of the purchase money, rolls down an
inclined plane and falls on to a lever or levers. By the action of a slide or push on a
cam which acts on the lever or levers holding the purchase money, another lever or
catch is released from a ratchet which allows the slide or push to be operated on by
the purchaser to obtain the article purchased from the machine. If no coin has been
placed in the slot the action of the slide or push on the cam is not communicated to
the lever or catch working on the ratchet.
In one method of carrying out my Invention the machine consists of a box which
contains the photographs, cards, or other articles for sale, and the mechanism required
for the automatic delivery of the same.
In the front of the box there is a slide in which there is inserted a glass front which
is recessed in the slide to a depth equal to the thickness of the articles to be sold.
The cards, or other articles are carried on a shelf and pressed forward against the
glass of the slide by means of an India-rubber or other spring. The glass front
enables the purchaser to see the photograph, card, or other article for sale. On the
purchase money being placed in the machine, and the slide pulled down, the above-
described levers release the catch from the ratchet, and the article for sale is carried
along with the slide. When the slide is returned the article is held by means of a
catch which prevents it being carried back by the slide, thus enabling the purchaser
to obtain the article. As the slide is being pulled out, the above-mentioned cam falls
into a recess in the slide, and the levers which hold the coin or coins widen apart and
allow the money to fall into the box or receiver.
The machine may also be constructed with the glass fixed in the end of the box,
and the articles for sale pressed against the glass by means of a spring, as described
above. When the purchase money is placed in the slot and falls on the above-
described levers a push is freed, and on the purchaser pressing this push the card is
pushed down through a slot, ready for the purchaser to remove it. A spring replaces
the push to its former position.
I may also arrange to remove and deliver the article for sale by means of a horizontal
slide or push, with an arrangement to catch the bottom photograph, card, or other
article. On the push being pressed in, the catch seizes the bottom photograph, card,
or other article, and on the push returning to its normal position by the action of the
spring, the photograph, card, or other article is carried along with it and delivered
through a slot in front of the machine. The surface on which the photograph, card,
or other article rests is grooved, in order to diminish the friction between the surface
and the article when it is pulled along by the slide or push. The mechanism for
actuating this slide or push is similar to that already described.
Dated this 30th day of trout 1000
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Petitioner's Agents,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Apparatus for the Automatic Delivery
of Photographs, Cards, and other Articles.
I, JAMES GILBERT CUMMING, of 88 Polwarth Gardens, North Merchiston, Edinburgh,
in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My Invention has for its object the providing a machine for the automatic delivery
of photographs, cards or other articles on the purchase money being deposited in the
machine.
The coin or coins equal in value to the price of the article wanted, on being
placed in a slot made in the machine for the reception of the purchase money, rolls
down an inclined plane and falls on to a lever or levers. By the action of a slide or
push on a cam which acts on the lever or levers holding the purchase money, another
lever or catch is released from a ratchet, which allows the slide or push to be operated
on by the purchaser to obtain the article purchased from the machine. If no coin has
been placed in the slot the action of the slide or push on the cam is not communicated
to the lever or catch working on the ratchet.
In one method of carrying out my Invention the machine consists of a box which
contains the photographs, cards or other articles for sale, and the mechanism required
for the automatic delivery of the same.
In the front of the box there is a slide in which there is inserted a glass front, which
is recessed in the slide to a depth equal to the thickness of the articles to be sold. The
cards, or other articles are carried on a shelf and pressed forward against the glass of
the slide by means of an India-rubber, or other spring. The glass front enables the
purchaser to see the photograph, card, or other article for sale. On the purchase
money being placed in the machine, and the slide pulled down, the above described
levers release the catch from the ratchet, and the article for sale is carried along with
the slide. When the slide is returned, the article is held by means of a catch, which
prevents it being carried back by the slide, thus enabling the purchaser to obtain the
article. As the slide is being pulled out, the above mentioned cam falls into a recess
in the slide, and the levers which hold the coin or coins widen apart, and allow the
money to fall into the box or receiver.
The machine may also be constructed with the glass fixed in the end of the box,
and the articles for sale pressed against the glass by means of a spring, as described
above. When the purchase money is placed in the slot and falls on the above
described levers, a push is freed, and on the purchaser pressing this push the card is
pushed down through a slot, ready for the purchaser to remove it. A spring replaces
the push to its former position.
I may also arrange to remove and deliver the article for sale by means of a hori-
zontal slide or push, with an arrangement to catch the bottom photograph, card, or
other article. On the push being pressed in, the catch seizes the bottom photograph,
card, or other article, and on the push returning to its normal position by the action of
the spring, the photograph, card, or other article is carried along with it, and delivered
through a slot in front of the machine. The surface on which the photograph, card,
or other article rests is grooved, in order to diminish the friction between the surface
and the article when it is pulled along by the slide or push. The mechanism for
actuating this slide or push is similar to that already described.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect, I have hereunto appended five explanatory sheets of drawings, in the several
Figures of which corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of reference.
Figures 1, and 2, are vertical sections of one form of machine in which the article
for sale is delivered by means of a vertical slide.
Figure 1. is a section through the middle of the machine.

page_text: Figure 2. is a section at one side shewing the mechanical arrangement for work-
ing the slide.
b
Referring to Figure 1, A A is a slide in the front of the box, having a glass front a a,
which is recessed in the slide as shewn at b, to a depth equal to the thickness of the
articles to be sold. The cards or other articles B are carried on a shelf C, and pressed
forward against the glass of the slide by means of an India-rubber band D; or other
suitable spring arrangement. The glass front enables the purchaser to see the article
for sale. When the slide is freed to come down by introduction of the coin as herein-
after described, the purchaser by means of the handle E, pulls down the slide, when
the projection 6 brings one of the cards or other article with it through the slot d.
A small bar F is pivotted at e, and has one end pulled down by a spring f¹. The
other end of this bar is rounded at the top, and ends in a sharp edge which projects
a little beyond the side of the box. As the slide comes down, carrying the article for
sale, the end y is depressed, but when the slide returns, the sharp edge catches the
article contained in the slide and prevents it being carried back. The slide being
returned, the purchaser can then remove the article purchased. The recess G is
formed in the front of the box to allow of the finger getting behind the article to
remove it.
The arrangement for working the slide is shewn at Figure 2. On a plate H there
are three levers I, J, K, as shewn in the drawing, pivotted respectively at i, j, k.
The lever I is provided with two arms and 2. One of these arms is in contact
with the slide A A, and the other arm is in contact with one end of the lever J,
which is pressed against it by means of the spiral spring L. The other end of the
lever is free. The third lever K, pivotted at k has one end k¹ pressed against the
ratchet on slide A A by means of the spring M, and prevents the slide being pulled
down by catching the teeth of the ratchet 1.
When the proper coin is put in the slit in front, it falls down the shoot N, and is
caught between the ends and 2 of the levers J and K. Now, on pulling down
the slide A A by the handle E, the arm rises up the projection m, and the arm
pushes the end farther from the front, which brings the end 2 nearer the front.
The coin being caught between 2 and 2, this motion of is communicated to k², and
thus k is lifted from the slide, and so the ratchet is allowed to pass the end k¹ of
the pawl or lever k, and the slide comes down bringing the article with it as already
described.
This
As the slide comes down, the projection m passes along and keeps the arm ¿¹ pressed
out. After the projection m has passed, the arm i¹ falls into the deep recess n.
allows the spring L to pull the end of the lever J far enough apart from ² to
permit of the coin falling down into the receptacle provided for the coins. O is a
catch, pivotted at o, for keeping the slide at the top of its range. The end o¹ fits into
a notch in the slide, and is held up by the spiral spring P.
The slide A A may also be worked by a push acting on levers, so as to bring the
slide down.
In Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 the Invention is shewn as applied for delivering the
article for sale by means of a horizontal slide A A. One end of this slide A A is
attached to a spiral spring a'. The other end of this spiral spring is attached to the
slide cover a, and on the slide A A being pushed in to its full length it returns by
means of the spring to its normal position, bringing the article purchased along with
it as after-mentioned. The horizontal slide is prevented from being pushed in by the
end of a lever B, pivotted at b, becoming engaged with a ratchet a on the slide
A, until a coin of the proper size is dropped into the shoot C C. The coin when
dropped into the shoot C, falls on to the arms b' and d' of the two levers B and D.
A spiral spring E keeps the end 62 in contact with the slide, and a spiral spring F
keeps the end d in contact with the slide. A projection a' is formed on the upper
side of the slide, and as the slide is pushed in the end d of the lever D rises on to
this projection. If no coin is caught between d¹ and 6 the rising of 12 on to the
projection a' produces no effect on the lever B, and the slide is stopped when the

page_text: first tooth of the ratchet a reaches the end 62 of the lever B. But if there is a
coin caught between d¹ and b', as d² rises up the projection a¹ a pressure is com-:
municated from d¹ to 61 through the coin, which causes the lever to turn round on
the pivot b, and the end is raised up so that the ratchet a passes freely. The.
end is kept up so long as the projection a' is travelling past d, but at the other
end of the projection falls into a deep hollow, and d¹ falls away from b¹ to a
sufficient distance to allow the coin to fall away into a receptacle provided to receive
the coins.
On the under-side of the slide a ratchet a², with pawl G, is provided to prevent the.
slide coming back before it has been pushed in to the full extent to catch the card
or other article. A bent piece of metal H, pivotted at h, and pulled by a spiral
spring 1, is held in the position shewn on the drawings by the projection a³ on the
under-side of the slide. As the slide is pushed in and this projection moves forward,
the spiral spring I causes the end to fall on the pawl G. When the slide is
pushed in to the full extent the projection a³ comes in contact with the arm
pushes it forward, thus lifting the end 9' from contact with the slide. The end
now falls into the notch g2, and holds the end gl away from the slide until the slide
has returned to its normal position, when the projection a³ coming in contact with h²
lifts h¹ out of the notch g², and the spiral spring J is free to bring the end g¹ in
contact with the slide again.
and
On referring to Figures 4, 5, and 6 the method of delivering the card or other
article will be understood. Figure 4 is a transverse, and Figure 5 is a longitudinal
section. The cards or other articles for sale are placed in a box K. The slide
already described works on the outside of this box. To the slide there is attached a
piece of metal L, Figures 4 and 5, which moves out and in with the slide. This
piece of metal is shaped as shewn in Figures 5 and 6, with a projection 1, Figure 6,
equal in height to the thickness of the card or other article for sale, so that when the
slide is pushed in to its full extent, and the piece L comes to the position shewn in
Figure 6, the card or other article falls on to the lower part of L, and as the slide
returns, the projection / catches the card and pushes it out through a slit in the front
of the box, as shewn in Figure 5, when it can be taken away by the purchaser.
The bottom of the box is grooved, as shewn in Figure 4, to allow of the card
sliding along easily.
The machine may be arranged so that the slide is worked by two coins, as shewn
at Figure 7. The first coin is caught between the points 3 and d³, but the slide can-
not be pushed in until the second coin is put in and is caught between the points 6'
and d¹.
The working of the slide when the two coins are in will be easily understood from
the description already given with reference to Figure 3. The arm K is used for
throwing the coins out of the shoot at the proper time. This is accomplished by the
projection a catching the pin ³, and throwing the end k' against the coins. The
arm is brought back by the spring L. When the first coin is put into the slot it
falls on a bar pivotted at d, which tilts the other end d', so that the second coin is
caught between d¹ and b².
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
1. In coin freed apparatus, the slide for delivering the article for sale, provided
with a ratchet and pawl or lever, which prevent the slide being worked until a coin
or coins of the proper size is or are placed in the machine and allowed to fall between
two levers, substantially as described and shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the annexed
drawings.
2. The slide, having a glass front fixed in it, and a catch for removing the article
for sale along with the slide, substantially as described and shewn at Figure 1 of
the annexed drawings.

page_text: 3. The catch F, Figure 1, for preventing the article being carried back by the
slide.
4. In the apparatus in which the article is delivered by a horizontal slide having a
grooved surface on which the articles for sale are placed, substantially as described
and shewn in Figure 4 of the annexed drawings.
Dated this 21st day of March 1800
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.