Apparatus or Means for Preventing More than One Electric Shock being Given after the Insertion of a Coin into Automatic or other Machines in which Electricity is Employed.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1887
Complete Left, 26th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 15th June, 1888
Apparatus or Means for Preventing More than One Electric Shock
being Given after the Insertion of a Coin into Automatic or
other Machines in which Electricity is Employed.
I, WILLIAM JOHN WOODWARD of 55 St. Stephens Road, Upton Park, Essex,
Electrician do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to the known construction of electrical apparatus for administering
electric shocks or currents after the placing of a coin into the apparatus, it is usual
by a rapid repetition movement of the handle or its equivalent to obtain a fresh shock
without the insertion of a fresh coin and this can be carried on to an unlimited
extent. Now the object of my invention is to prevent a fresh shock being obtained
unless a fresh coin be first inserted into the apparatus.
The invention is particularly adapted to the machine Patented on the 20th day
of July in the year 1886 by William Oliver No. 9399, in which machine a handle is
free to be operated after the insertion of a coin, for indicating the strength of an
electric current administered to a person holding said handles also to eject a marked
card and effect if necessary a change of advertisement, but the invention is applicable
for other constructions of electrical machines, into which a coin is inserted previous to
the circuit being closed.
For the purpose of my invention, I attach loosely to the first motion bar or rod,
a depending lever, this being provided with a stud to ride upon and press down one
end of a bell crank or its equivalent to which a flexible strip is secured, the opposite
end of the flexible strip by the downward movement coming into contact with an
inclined faced plate a spiral or other spring being put into tension thereby.
The upper end of the depending lever has a cheek or lug projecting to press against
a pin on the draw bar to hold said lever rigid while moving in one direction but said
lever loses its vertical position at the least possible reverse motion of the draw bar so
that it i.e. the lever becomes a drag or wiper, the spiral or equivalent spring having
TD 0.11

page_text: returned the bell crank to its first or normal position and the flexible strip from
contact with the bevilled or inclined plate, thus the one forward movement however
slight, of the draw bar has no influence on the contact makers..
On the return of the drawbar to its first position the pin or stud of the dependent
lever slips into a notch of the bell crank and is ready again for depressing the bell
crank after the insertion of a fresh coin into the machine.
The distance of motion of the crank lever is capable of adjustment.
D
TL 1007

page_text: Apparatus or Means for Preventing More than One Electric Shock
being Given after the Insertion of a Coin into Automatic or
other Machines in which Electricity is Employed.
I, WILLIAM JOHN WOODWARD, of 55 St. Stephens Road, Upton Park, Essex,
Electrician do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
With electrical apparatus as heretofore constructed for permitting electric shocks or
currents to be administered after the insertion of a coin into the apparatus, it is
possible, by a rapid repetition of the movement of the operating handle or its
equivalent, to obtain a fresh shock without the insertion of another coin, and this can
be carried on to an unlimited extent. Now the object of my invention is to prevent a
repetition of the shock unless a fresh coin be first inserted into the apparatus.
I will hereinafter describe my said invention more particularly as adapted to the
machine described in the Specification of Letters Patents granted to William Oliver
and dated 20th July 1886 No. 9399, in which machine a handle is free to be operated,
after the insertion of a coin, to administer an electric shock or current to a person
holding the handles, to indicate the strength of the electric current, and also to eject a
marked card and effect, if necessary, a change of advertisement; the said invention is,
however, applicable to electrical machines of other construction, into which a coin
must be inserted previous to the current being obtained.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of one form of apparatus constructed according
to my present invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are similar views showing other forms or modifications of my
invention.
said
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figure 1, a is a draw-bar suitably supported in such a manner that it
can be drawn outward by means of a handle at one of its ends after the insertion of a
coin into the machine to which my apparatus is applied. To the said draw-bar a is
pivoted a depending arm 6 having at its upper end a cheek or lug b¹ adapted to bear
against a pin or stop a' on the draw-bar a when the latter is pulled outward. The
lower end of the depending arm bis arranged to slide upon or otherwise move in
contact with one arm c of a bell-crank-lever c, c', which has its fulcrum at c². A
spring d is secured at one end to the arm c¹ of this bell-crank-lever and at the other
end to a fixed part of the apparatus, and an adjusting screwe held in a bracket e¹
forms a stop to the said bell-crauk-lever. To the arm c of the said lever is firmly
attached one end of a flexible strip, the other end of which is arranged to slide upon
an inclined plane constituted by a metal plate g and a strip g₁ of non-conducting
material let into the said plate. This metal plate is electrically connected with one
pole of a galvanic battery or other generator, the said lever being connected with the
other pole thereof.

page_text: In the normal position of the draw-bar a, the depending arm bis in an inclined
position, the lower end of the same extending slightly forward and resting in a notch c³
provided in the said arm c, which is kept raised to such an extent that the lower end
of the flexible strip f is in contact with the non-conducting strip g' of the aforesaid
inclined plane, and consequently no current can pass through the said strip. When a
coin is inserted into the machine, and the draw-bar a is pulled outward, the lower end
of the arm b will remain in the said notch c³ until the cheek or lug 6¹ of this lever
strikes the pin or stop a¹ on the draw-bar a. The arm then occupies a vertical or
approximately vertical position, in which it is maintained by the aforesaid pin a as
long as it is drawn forward towards the front end of the lever c, which, by this
motion, is depressed against the action of the spring d, the flexible strip / being thus
caused to slide from the insulating. to the metallic part of the inclined plane so that the
electric current for administering the shock will pass through f, a, b, a.
At the commencement of the return movement of the bar a (which is effected by a
spring or other suitable means) the depending arm will abandon its vertical, or
nearly vertical position, turning upon its pivot, so that its lug b' moves away from the
pin or stop a' the said arm is then free to be moved upward and allows the spring d
to draw the hell-crank-lever c, c¹ back to its original position, in which the strip f
bears against the non-conducting part g of the inclined plane. The lever c, el cannot
be again depressed by the arm b until the said arm has again entered the notch c³, or,
in other words, until the bar a has been pushed inward as far as it will go. Therefore,
after an electric shock has been obtained, and the draw-bar has commenced its return
movement, no further shock can be obtained by again pulling the bar a before it has
moved back to its original position. When it resumes this position, the lower end of
the depending arm b enters the notch c³ of the bell-crank-lever, and is then ready for
again depressing the latter, which operation can be effected when, but not until a
fresh coin is inserted into the machine.
In the modification illustrated in Figure 2, the parts of the apparatus are similar to
those in the arrangement hereinbefore described. The arm 6 depending from the
draw-bar a extends, in this case, downward behind the end of the arm e of the bell-
crank-lever so that, when the draw-bar is pulled outward, the said arm b will slide
upon the said arm c and consequently depress the same with its flexible strip against
the force of the spring d. A current can now pass to give an electric shock; as soon,
however as any backward or return motion of the draw-bar takes place, the depending
arm releases the lever-arm c, the latter is then caused by the spring d to return to its
original position, at which moment the current ceases to flow.
In another modification represented in Figure 3, the bell-crank-lever and accessory
parts are dispensed with, and the depending arm attached to the draw-bar a is
adapted to slide directly upon an inclined plane g made of conducting material and of
a length corresponding to the distance through which the draw-bar has to be moved.
The arm is pivoted to the draw-bar in such a manner that, although it can be turned
upon or about its pivot, it will remain in any position to which it may be moved.
While the apparatus is not in operation, the lower extremity of the said arm is either
a short distance from the inclined plane g or it is in contact with the same. A small
insulating strip g', in the latter case, forming part of the inclined plane to prevent the
passage of a current through the aforesaid arm.
On the draw-bar a being pulled outward, the arm & slides upon the inclined plane
gradually taking a more and more inclined position, and establishes electrical connection
between the latter and the draw-bar. Its contact with the said plane is, however,
broken as soon as the draw-bar commences to move backward. Shortly before the
said bar has returned to its original position, the lever b strikes against a stop by
which it is returned to its vertical position a short distance away from the said inclined
plane or in contact with the part g of the latter.
It is obvious that my improvements may be
operating bar or rod has to be pushed in instead
apparatus having a reciprocating bar or. rod
mechanism.
applied to apparatus wherein the
of pulled out, and also to other
forming part of the operative

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
First. An electrical machine for the purpose above specified, in which provision is
made whereby the electric circuit may, upon the insertion of the proper coin or coins,
be closed by actuating a handle or other operating device and will be interrupted at
the commencement of the return movement of the said device, so that, before the said
circuit can be again closed the said device must complete its return movement, for the
purpose above specified.
Second. The combination, with the operating bar or rod, of a pivoted arm so
arranged that, when the said bar or rod is pulled outward or pushed inward, the said
arm will close an electric circuit by depressing a lever against the force of a spring,
or by contact with an inclined surface, and at the commencement of the return move-
ment of the said bar, will break or interrupt the circuit, substantially as, and for the
purposes, set forth.
Third. The combination of parts comprising the operating bar or rod provided with
the pin or stop, the pivoted arm, the bell-crank-lever acted upon by the spring and
provided with the contact strip (with or without the adjusting screw), and the inclined
surface having the piece of insulating or non-conducting material, all substantially as,
and for the purposes, set forth.
Fourth. The combination, with the draw-bar, of an arm pivoted thereto in such a
manner that it will remain in any position to which it may be turned, and arranged to
operate in conjunction with an inclined plane to complete the electric circuit, and a
stop or projection for effecting the return movement of the said arm, substantially as,
and for the purposes, set forth.