Improvements in Coin-freed Liquid-vending Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 8th Sept., 1900-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Liquid-vending Apparatus.
I, RICHARD KANN, of 1 Kahlaischestrasse, Jena a/Sale, Germany, Physicist,
o hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus in which
he quantity of liquid to be retailed after the introduction of a particular coin
The outflow of the liquid
s weighed out by means of a weighing mechanism.
s governed, in coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus according to this invention,
by two electro-magnets, one of which, hereinafter called the opening-magnet,
opens the stop-cock fixed in the delivery pipe, whilst the other electro-magnet,
hereinafter called the closing-magnet, closes the cock. The electric circuit of
the opening magnet may either be closed by the introduction of the prescribed
coin into the apparatus, or by this operation and the placing of a vessel (which
may be of peculiar shape) on the pan of the weighing machine. The closing-
magnet is excited when the prescribed quantity of liquid has flowed into the
vessel to be filled, the pan of the weighing mechanism sinking down and com-
pleting the electric circuit of the said closing-magnet. Means may be provided
whereby the closing magnet would also be excited if the vessel to be filled were
removed from the pan of the weighing mechanism before the pan had. sunk
down.
In the delivery pipe of the receptacle for containing the liquid to be retailed
there is provided a stop cock on the plug of which is fixed a two-armed lever
To this lever are attached the armatures of
hereinafter called the cock-lever.
the opening-magnet and the closing-magnet respectively. When the opening
magnet is excited, it attracts one of the aforesaid armatures, and the stop-cock
is opened. When the closing-magnet is excited it attracts the other of the afore-
said armatures and the cock is thereby closed. The said lever is in connexion
with a switch lever through a link. When the stop-cock is closed the said switch
lever rests on a contact-piece from which the switch lever is removed when the
stop-cock is opened.
The mechanism for weighing out the liquid to be retailed comprises a lever
and an arm both pivoted to an upright, the forward ends of the said lever and
arm being pivoted to a vertical support underneath the pan of the weighing
mechanism. The rear portion of the lever carries an adjustable weight. The
pan may be provided with one or more pairs of contacts hereinafter called pan-
contacts, which are brought together upon placing the drinking vessel or glass
on the pan; also with a pair of contacts, hereinafter called preventive contacts,
which normally touch each other but are caused to separate by placing the glass
on the pan.
an inlet tube it falls
When a coin is introduced into the apparatus through
against a horizontal part of a bent lever having a horizontal fulcrum. To the
lower arm of this bent lever is fixed the armature of an electromagnet (hereinafter
called the detent-magnet) the coil of which is connected on the one hand through

page_text: a lead with a contact (hereinafter called the detent-magnet fixed contact) and
on the other hand through another lead with a pan-contact fixed to the pan.
A contact is fixed to the armature of the detent-magnet and is in connexion with
the opening-magnet through a lead. When the detent-magnet is excited, the
last mentioned contact comes against a contact which is connected by leads with
a battery. The coin introduced into the inlet-tube strikes, when it reaches the
said horizontal arm of the bent lever, against a movable contact arm, which is
in connexion through a lead with the contact piece on which rests the aforesaid
switch-lever, and the introduction of the coin thus causes the aforesaid movable
contact arm to close a circuit through the detent-magnet fixed contact.
When the glass that is to be filled, is placed on the pan of the weighing mech-
anism, the two contacts constituting each pair of pan contacts, are pressed to-
gether. If at the same time the detent-magnet fixed contact is made to touch
its fellow contact by the introduction of a coin, the circuit of the battery is
completed. The current then flows through the pan-contacts, the coil of the
detent-magnet, and the switch lever and the contact piece on which it rests,
and excites the detent-magnet, which, consequently, attracts its armature. The
horizontal arm of the aforesaid bent lever is thereby drawn back so that the coin
is freed and can fall, whilst simultaneously the contact carried by the armature
is, as hereinbefore stated, brought against another contact connected with the
battery. The freeing of the coin, however, interrupts the circuit of the detent-
magnet and in order to prevent the bent lever from being thereby immediately
brought back to its original position, whereby the contacts last mentioned would
be separated, there is arranged behind the bent lever a spring contact which
is connected with the detent-magnet by leads and is pressed, when the bent
lever is shifted as stated, against another contact so as to complete an alterna-
tive path for the exciting current of the detent-magnet. The last-mentioned
two contacts are brought together before the detent-magnet movable contact-
arm is separated from its fellow and the detent-magnet remains excited and
retains its armature in the attracted position, so that the contact on the armature
of the detent-magnet and its fellow remain together and therefore the circuit of
the opening-magnet remains closed.
As soon as the circuit of the opening-magnet is closed as above described,
the lever rigidly connected to the plug of the cock is moved, and the circuit
of the detent-magnet is consequently broken by the separation of the aforesaid
switch-lever from the contact-piece on which it normally rests; the armature
of the detent-magnet is, therefore, released, and the bent lever is brought back
to its original position by a spring. The contact on the armature of the detent-
magnet and its fellow are thereby also separated and the circuit of the opening-
magnet is also broken.
When the prescribed quantity of liquid has flowed into the glass, the pan
will sink, bringing together a pair of contacts (hereinafter called the closing-
magnet circuit contacts), one of which is fixed to the lower end of the support
of the pan and is in connexion with the closing magnet, whilst the other is fixed
and connected with the battery. The current now flows from the battery and
excites the closing-magnet, which attracts its armature and thereby closes the
stop-cock.
Instead of having a single pair of pan-contacts, as is the case in one example
of apparatus according to this invention, one may also arrange several such pairs
of contacts and connect them in series, so that the circuit of the detent-magnet
will in this case be closed only when all the movable contacts are pressed out-
wards by the glass, placed on the pan. Consequently the apparatus will be
actuated only when a glass of a prescribed shape be placed on the pan of the
weighing mechanism.
By removing the glass from the pan before the glass is quite full and there-
fore before the closing-magnet circuit contacts are brought together and the
circuit of the closing-magnet is closed, the introduction of a coin would procure

page_text: an indefinite supply of liquid. To prevent this, the aforesaid preventi
are provided in connexion with the pan, one of the contacts being stationary
The contact fixed to the pan is normally in
and the other fixed to the pan.
touch with its fellow but these contacts are separated upon placing the drinking
vessel on the pan. The stationary contact is in connexion with the battery
through a lead. whilst the contact fixed to the pan is connected by a lead with
a contact which comes against a contact attached to the lever of the stop-cock
when the cock is opened, and is connected by two leads with the closing-magnet.
If, now, when the stop-cock is open. the glass is removed to the full extent from
the pan before the scale has descended and brought the ordinary closing-magnet
circuit contacts together, the preventive contacts are thereby brought together
and current caused to flow through the closing-magnet which is consequently
excited and closes the cock.
1000
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
I, RICHARD KANN, of Kalaische Strasse 1, Jena a/d Saale, Germany,
o hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
o be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ng statement:-
This invention relates to coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus which is adapted
to supply automatically beverages containing a large quantity of carbonic acid,
as beer.
When strongly effervescing liquids are supplied automatically by volume the
formation of froth makes it almost impossible to maintain the proper measure.
When the liquid is supplied by weight, however, by means of known automatic
vending machines, in which the liquid to be supplied is weighed in a receptacle
on a balance and the weighed quantity is thereupon poured into a glass, the
result is not satisfactory, inasmuch as by pouring the liquid into the weighing
receptacle before pouring it into the glass the quality of the beverage is affected.
Furthermore, some time elapses before such a vending machine delivers the bever-
age after the coin has been inserted, since the liquid must first be weighed on the
balance before it is delivered.
In a vending machine according to this invention the liquid to be sold is also
delivered by weight, but the defects of known vending machines of this kind
are obviated by using the drinking vessels (hereinafter called glasses), in which
O the liquid is supplied, as receptacles in which the liquid is weighed. All the
glasses, which are intended to be used for supplying liquid in a certain vending
machine, are therefore made of the same weight, so that when a certain weight
is used on the balance the quantity of liquid contained in the glass on the scale-
pan is always the same.
15
50
In order to prevent any misuse of the vending machine and any interruption
of the operation of the same, when the liquid is weighed in the glasses, care
must be taken that the vending machine acts only when a coin is inserted in
the machine and a glass is placed on the scale-pan. When false glasses are used
there must be no delivery of liquid although a coin has been inserted.
When the liquid is weighed in the glasses themselves special arrangements

page_text: are rendered necessary in other respects, for example, when the vending machine
is properly operated by inserting a coin and placing a proper glass on the scale-
pan, the full quantity of liquid corresponding to the value of the coin inserted
must not be allowed to flow out under all circumstances, but must be automa-
tically stopped if the glass is prematurely removed from the scale-pan.
The electric vending apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings fulfils
the requirements of apparatus in which the liquid is weighed in the glasses
themselves, since a plate provided with movable contact pieces is used as a
scale-pan and its contact pieces are operated in such a manner that, when a proper
glass is placed on the scale-pan, a circuit is closed which causes the liquid delivery
pipe to be opened, but when the glass is prematurely removed a second circuit
is closed which causes the flow of liquid to be stopped.
A vending machine according to this invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 is partly a vertical section and
partly a diagram, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the scale-pan with the
several contact pieces.
When a coin is inserted the liquid is supplied from a storage receptacle v
through a delivery pipe w from which it flows into a glass u, when the said glass
is on the scale-pan.
The balance for weighing the liquid comprises a lever f and an arm h which
are pivoted to an upright h¹ and are connected at their forward ends to the
vertical bar or support r of a scale-pan s. The lever f extends backwards and
carries an adjustable weight g. The scale-pans is provided with one or more
pairs of contacts m and m¹, which are closed by placing the glass on the scale-
pan s, and with a pair of contacts o and o¹, which are opened when the glass
is placed on the scale-pan.
C
A cock is inserted in the delivery pipe of the liquid receptacle and is
rigidly connected to a double-arm lever b. The armatures and of the
electro-magnets c and d are mounted on the lever b. When the electro-mag-
net e is excited and its armature b¹ is attracted the cock a is opened, whilst when
the electro-magnet d is excited and its armature 2 is attracted, the cock a is
closed. The lever bis connected by means of a link y to a contact lever y¹ which
bears on a contact bar y² when the cock a is closed (as is shown by dotted lines
in Fig. 1), but is clear of the said bar when the cock a is open (as is shown by
full lines).
When a coin is inserted into an inlet-tuber of the apparatus; it falls on the
upper horizontal arm 2 of a bell-crank lever a', which carries on its lower arm
an armature z of an electro-magnet i, the coil of which is connected on the one
hand with a contact through a lead 11, and on the other hand with a contact m
of the scale-pans through a lead 10. A contact is fixed to the armature z of
the electro-magnet i, and is connected with the opening-magnet through a
lead 5. When the electro-magnet is excited, the contact comes against a
contact, which is in connection with a battery through leads 4, 3, 2 and 1.
When the coin inserted into the inlet-tube reaches the arm 2 of the bell-
crank lever, it strikes against a movable contact arm 1, which is in con-
nection with the contact bar y through a lead 12 and causes the contact arm /
to close a circuit through the contact 7, (Fig. 5).
When the glass w, which is to be filled, is placed on the scale-pans, the con-
tacts m and m² are pressed together. If at the same time the contacts 7 and 1
are brought together by the introduction of a coin, the circuit of the battery k
is closed. The current then flows along the leads 1, 2 and 9 through the con-
tacts m and m, along the lead 10, through the coil of the electro-magnet i,
along the lead 11, through the contacts and , and then along the lead 12,
and through the contact bar y², and the switch arm (which bears on the
contact bar when the cock is closed) and the leads 13 and 8 back to the
battery k. The electro-magnet i is consequently excited and attracts its arma-
ture z, whereby the horizontal arm is drawn back so as to release the coin

page_text: and allow it to fall (Fig. 4), whilst the contact ¹ on the armature 2 is simul-
aneously moved against the contact . Now the release of the coin interrupts
the circuit of the electro-magnet i, and in order to prevent the immediate
return of the bell-crank lever ¹ to its original position whereby the contacts k¹
and would be separated, there is placed behind the bell-crank lever r¹ a
spring-contact e, which is in connection with the electro-magnet i through the
leads 20 and 11, and is pressed against a contact when the bell-crank lever.cl
is oscillated. The contact e¹ is in connection with the lead 12 through a lead 30
and the contacts e and e¹ are closed before the contacts and are opened by the
release of the coin, so that the current then flows from the battery k through 1,
2 and 9, m and m, 10, i, 11, 20, e and e¹, 30, 12, y², y¹, 13, and 8 back to the
battery. The electro-magnet i thus remains excited and retains the armature z
in the attracted position, so that the contacts and 12 remain together and the
circuit of the opening-magnet « remains closed.
The circuit of the opening-magnet is as follows:--The current flows from
the battery k along the leads 1, 2, 3 and 4 through the contacts and k', along
the lead 5 to the opening-magnet e and thence along leads 6, 7 and 8 back
to the battery k. The electro-magnet c is consequently excited and attracts
its armature bi, so that the lever b takes up the position shown in Fig. 1, and the
cock a is consequently opened.
Owing to the motion of the lever b the circuit of the electro-magnet i is broken
at y and y, the armature z is, therefore, released and the bell-crank lever l
is brought back to its original position by a spring. The contacts and
thereby separated and the circuit of the opening-magnet c is broken.
are
When the prescribed quantity of liquid has flowed into the glass u, the scale-
pan s descends and causes a contact p, fixed to the lower end of the support r,
to connect with the closing-magnet d, by bearing against a contact p, which
is in connection with the battery . The current then flows from the battery k
along the leads 1 and 14 through the contacts and p, along the lead 15 to
the electro-magnet and thence along the leads 16, 7 and 8 back to the battery.
The electro-magnet d is thus excited and attracts its armature so as to close
the cock a.
Instead of having only a single pair of contacts m and m¹ in connection with
the scale-pans (as is shown in Fig. 1), several pairs of contacts, as m .and m¹
m² and m³, m and m³, ms and m may be arranged in series (as is shown in
Fig. 2), so that the circuit of the electro-magnet i is in this case closed only when
all the movable contacts m, m2, m and m³ are pressed outwards by the glass
placed on the scale-pan Consequently the apparatus can be actuated only when
a glass of the prescribed shape is placed on the scale-pan of the weighing
0 mechanism.
8.
In order to prevent the delivery of a greater quantity of liquid than that
corresponding to the value of the coin inserted by removing the glass u pre-
maturely from the scale-pan s before the glass is filled, a contact arm o is fixed
to the scale-pan s and normally in touch with the contact o¹, but is separated
The contact o is con-
5 therefrom when the glass u is placed on the scale-pan s.
nected to the battery through a lead 17, whilst the contact o' is connected through
a lead 18 to a contact q², which bears against a contact g of the lever b when
the cock is opened. The contact g¹ is connected to a lead 15 of the closing-mag-
net d through a lead 19. If the glass u is removed from the scale-pan s when
10 the cock is open and before the scale-pan has descended so as to bring the con-
tacts and together, the contacts o and are thereby brought together.
The current then flows from the battery k along the leads 1, 2, 3 and 17, through
the contacts 0 and o¹, along the lead 18, through the contacts 92
and g, and along the leads 19 and 15 to the closing-magnet d and
55 thence through the leads 16, 7 and 8 back to the battery. The electro-magnet d
is consequently excited and the cock a is closed.
Instead of controlling the cock a by means of the lever b carrying the arma-

page_text: tures and 6, toothed wheel gear can be used, as is shown in Fig. 3. Further-
more, instead of closing the circuit to excite the opening magnet e by means of
a coin, an ordinary contact button can be used. The cock is opened when this
button is pressed, but is closed automatically when the predetermined quantity
of liquid has flowed into the glass.
In the example shown in Fig. 3 the opening-magnet and the closing mag-
net are placed close together. Their armatures 1 and 2 are attached to a
lever pivoted at its lower end and carrying at its upper end a toothed sector r,
which engages with a toothed wheel mounted on the lower end of a rod con-
nected with the cock a. When the lever is moved from one end position into
the other the cock is turned one quarter of a revolution, so as to open or close
the delivery pipe w.
To the toothed sector r and insulated therefrom there are attached two con-
tact pieces and s which are inserted in the circuits of the opening and closing
magnets respectively. When the cock is closed the contact piece s of the closing-
magnet d is not in contact with a fixed contact s¹, but the contact piece of the
opening-magnet e is in contact with a fixed contact t¹.
If the contact button is pressed down when the parts are in the position
shown, the current flows from the battery along the lead 1. through the con-
tacts and, along the lead 4, through the contacts and t¹ and along the
lead 5 to the opening magnet e and thence through the lead 2 back to the
battery. The electro-magnet c is consequently excited and attracts its arma-
ture b¹, so that the lever b is moved to the left and the cock a is opened. The
contact pieces comes simultaneously into contact with the contact s¹, whilst
the connection between the contacts and is interrupted. When the required
quantity of liquid has flowed into the glass on the scale-pan, the said scale-
pan descends and causes the contact to bear against the contact p¹. The
current then flows from the battery along the lead 16 to the electro-magnet d
and along the lead 6, through the contacts sands along the lead 15, through
the contacts p and p¹ and along the lead 14 back to the battery k. The electro-
magnet d is consequently excited and attracts its armature 62, so that the lever b
is again returned to the position shown in Fig. 3. and the cock a is again closed.
The lever b, which is influenced by the electro-magnets, can. of course, be
connected to the cock a. otherwise than by means of the toothed sector and
toothed wheel without altering the mode of operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. Coin-freed apparatus for vending liquids by weight, wherein the glasses
in which the liquid is delivered are used as receptacles in which the liquid is
weighed, and are consequently all of the same weight.
2. Coin-freed apparatus for vending liquids by weight, comprising two
electro-magnets, of which one opens the cock and has its circuit closed by the
insertion of a coin or by pressing a button, whilst the second electro-magnet
serves for closing the cock and has its circuit automatically closed by the
downward movement of the scale-pan when the glass located thereupon has been
filled to the predetermined extent.
3. Coin-freed apparatus for vending liquids by weight wherein the drinking
glass is used as a receptacle in which the liquid is weighed and the delivery
valve is opened and closed by means of electric circuits comprising respectively
contacts and ², and p¹ and 7², whereof the contacts and 2 of the opening
circuit are automatically separated when the valve opens, whilst the descending
scale-pan brings together contacts p and p of the closing circuit and thereby
closes the delivery valve after a sufficient quantity of liquid has been supplied,
whether or not the separation of the contacts and of the opening circuit
is effected directly by the separation, caused by the movement of the valve, of

page_text: contacts y and y³ inserted in a circuit by means of which the contacts k¹ and k
of the opening circuit are brought together.
4. Coin-freed vending-apparatus according to Claims 1 and 2 in which con-
acts m and m' inserted in the opening circuit, provided on the periphery of the
scale-pan and operated by the drinking vessel u, are furnished with contact pieces
projecting over the scale-pan in such a way that they can be operated only by
a receptacle of a definite form.
5. Coin-freed vending-apparatus according to Claims 1 to 3, in which the
closing-circuit has a branch circuit (19, q', q³, 18, o, o', 17, 3, 2) containing two
pairs of contacts (q' and q², and o¹) of which one pair is open when the
apparatus is in the inoperative position and is closed by the opening of the
valve, whilst the other (o and o¹) is closed when the apparatus is in the inoperative
position and is opened by the placing of a drinking vessel on the scale-pan, for
the purpose of effecting the closure of the closing-circuit and of the valve when
the drinking vessel is removed from the scale-pan prematurely-i.e.,.. before the
closing of the pair of contacts p and p' by the scale-pan.
6. Coin-freed vending-apparatus according to Claims 1 and 4, in which a coin
inserted into the apparatus holds contacts and together with the aid of a bell-
crank lever under the influence of an electro-magnet until the bringing to-
gether of the contacts m and m¹ by the drinking vessel u placed on the scale-pan
completes the closure of the exciting circuit of the magnet i, whereupon the
magnet i attracts the bell-crank lever and releases the coin and simultaneously
brings together the contacts and of the circuit of the opening magnet c.
7. Coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus according to Claims 1 to 5, in which
by moving over the bell-crank lever ¹ a pair of contacts ee of the circuit of
the electro-magnet i is closed, so that the electro-magnet is energized after the
coin has been released by the bell-crank lever and the pair of contacts k¹, k² of
the opening-circuit remains closed until the opening-magnet has had time to
attract its armature b¹ and open the outflow cock, when an interruption of the
circuit of the magnet i is effected by the sliding of the contact lever y¹ off the
contact bar y³.
8. The improved coin-freed liquid-vending apparatus constructed, arranged,
and operating as herein before described with reference to and shown in Fig. 1
of the accompanying drawings and the same modified as described with refer-
5 ence to and shown respectively in Fig. 2 and in Fig. 3 thereof.
1000
Dated this 8th day of Septe
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.