Improvements in Coin Operated and Coin Freed Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug.,* 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin Operated and Coin Freed Machines.
We, JOHN WALSH of 36 Throgmorton Street in the City of London, Electrical
Engineer, PERCY RUSKIN ALLEN of 35 Mall Road Hammersmith in the County
of London, Electrical Engineer, and JOHN GARFORD of 3 Vernon Chambers,
Bloomsbury, in the County of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in coin operated and coin freed machines
and has for its object the ready detection of defective and spurious coins, blanks,
tokens, or other foreign matter, and to provide means for the identification of the
same with a particular operation of the machine.
To this end there is used in conjunction with the coin shoot or device for guiding
coin into the machine, a coin receptacle so constructed, arranged, and operated in
relation to the said coin shoot or device, that coins or bodies inserted into the
machine in lieu of coins with a fraudulent intent, are retained in the order or
sequence in which they were inserted. Thus when applying the invention to a
stamping apparatus for stamping and franking letters, telegrams and other
documents the coins as they pass into the machine are received in a coin
receptacle formed with a number of compartments, and so mounted and arranged
that it advances one compartment every time the stamp is used. The stamp also
carries a set of consecutive numbers that are moved one at a time each time the
stamp is operated. With this arrangement if a bad coin be found in any com-
partment say for example No. 39 then the letter bearing the stamp 39 can be at
once identified as being the particular letter it was attempted to fraudulently frank
forward, and can be dealt with as desired. When the coins are collected the coin
receptacle or drum is made to assume its original position so that the first com-
partment is put back to 1 and is in position to again receive a coin, and the figures
on the stamp are reset so that Figure 1 will be again in position for use.
When
applying the invention to coin-freed or coin-operated telephones, the coins or bodies
inserted in lieu thereof are received in a similar manner, so that they can be
identified with any particular message transmitted through the central office.
The coin receptacle can be in the form of a drum with compartments and placed
either vertically, horizontally or inclined; or the compartments can be attached to
an endless chain or to a bar the arrangement in each case being such that a fresh
compartment is brought into position to receive a coin or other body each time the
machine or apparatus is worked. Or the coin receptacle may be in the form of a
tube provided with means for keeping the coins separate and in the same order as
they pass into the machine. Or the coin receptacle with compartments may be
made stationary the coin shoot or guide in this case being made movable so that it
automatically delivers into a fresh compartment each time the machine is operated.
Thus it will be seen that in each case the arrangement is such that the coins or
other bodies inserted into the machine are retained in the order in which they are
inserted and corresponding to the operations of the machine. The coin receptacles
are so constructed that a bad coin or blank can be readily detected by inspection
and the arrangements are such that the compartments can be rapidly emptied
when it is desired to collect the coins. If desired means may be provided whereby,
when the coin receptacle is full, the machine can no longer be operated, further
insertion of coin being prevented.
Dated this 23rd dox of Tun 1901
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin Operated and Coin Freed Machines.
We, JOHN WALSH of 36 Throgmorton Street in the City of London, Electrical
Engineer, PERCY RUSKIN ALLEN of 35 Mall Road, Hammersmith, in the County
of London, Electrical Engineer, and JOHN GARFORD of 3 Vernon Chambers,
Bloomsbury, in the County of London, Gentleman, 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 in coin operated and coin freed machines
and has for its object the ready detection of defective and spurious coins, blanks,
tokens, or other foreign matter, and to provide means for the identification of the
same with a particular operation of the machine.
To this end there is used in conjunction with the coin shoot or device for guiding
coin into the machine, a coin receptacle constructed with compartments and so
arranged, and operated in relation to the said coin shoot or device, that improper
coins or bodies inserted into the machine in lieu of proper coins with a fraudulent
intent, will be retained in the order or sequence in which they were inserted.
Thus when applying the invention to a stamping apparatus for stamping and
franking letters, telegrams and other documents, the coins as they pass into the
machine are received in a coin receptacle formed with a number of compartments
and so mounted and arranged that it advances one compartment every time the
stamp is used. The stamp also carries a set of consecutive numbers that are
moved one at a time each time the stamping apparatus is operated. With this
arrangement if a bad coin be found in any compartment, say for example No. 39,
then the letter bearing the stamp 39 can be at once identified as being the
particular letter it was attempted to fraudulently frank forward, and can be dealt
with as desired. When the coins are collected, the coin receptacle or drun is
made to assume its original position so that the first compartment is put back to 1
and is in position to again receive a coin, and the figures on the stamp are re-set
so that figure 1 will be again in position for use. When applying the invention
to coin freed or coin operated telephones, the coins or bodies inserted in lieu thereof
are received in a similar manner so that they can be identified with any particular
message transmitted through the central office.
The coin receptacle can be in the form of a drum with compartments, and be
placed either vertically horizontally or inclined; or the compartments can be
attached to an endless chain or to a bar, the arrangement in each case being such
that a fresh compartment will be brought into position to receive a coin or other
body each time the machine or apparatus is worked. Or the coin receptacle may,
be in the form of a tube. Thus it will be seen that in each case the arrangement
is such that the coins or other bodies inserted into the machine will be retained in
the order in which they are inserted and corresponding to the operations of the
machine.. The coin receptacle is or may be so constructed that a bad coin or blank
can be readily detected by inspection and the arrangements are such that the com-
'partments can be readily emptied when it is desired to collect the coins.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional elevations in planes at right angles to each other;
and
.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan, of stamping apparatus with coin receptacle constructed
and arranged according to this invention.
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan; and
Fig. 5 a sectional elevation of the stamp and adjacent parts.
Figs. 6 and 7 are cross sections of the stamp showing the parts thereof in two
different positions.
Fio.8 is an underside view of the stamn *

page_text: Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view illustrating an engaging and disengaging device
hereinafter referred to.
The remaining figures are hereinafter referred to.
The stamping mechanism is enclosed within a box 1 secured to the wall 2 (not
shown in Fig. 1) of a suitable box or receptacle, for example a letter box. The
box 1 is provided with a sliding side 3 by opening which access can be gained to
the said mechanism, and with a recess 4 for the reception of the letter or other:
document whilst being stamped or franked. The stamping mechanism comprises
a stamping and numbering device contained within a frame 5 provided with a
stem 6 arranged to be moved vertically in a hollow slotted guide 7 by a lever 8,
pivoted at 9 and carrying a pin or projection 10 that enters a cam groove 11 formed
in oue side of a disc 12. In the other side of this disc 12 is formed a cam
groove 13 into which projects a pin 14 carried by a lever 15 that is fixed to a rock
shaft 16 and has its lower end jointed by a link 17 to a sliding shutter 18. This
shutter carries an ink pad 18 and normally closes an opening 19 in the bottom
of the box 1 through which the stamping device descends when in the act of
stamping or franking a letter. The disc 12 has formed in one therewith a boss 12ª.
and a disc 12 and is mounted to turn freely upon a driving shaft 20 that is fitted
externally with a handle 21 and internally with a disc 22 that is caused to engage
with the disc 12 when a coin 23 has been passed into the coin shoot 24. Mechanism
for this purpose comprises a three armed lever 25 pivoted to the disc 12° and
adapted to be acted upon by an arm 26 that is pivoted to a fixed point 27 and is
connected by a rod 28 to a pivoted spring arm 29 that normally projects through
the bottom of the coin shoot 24 so as to be in the path of a coin inserted therein.
The arrangement is such that until a coin has been inserted in the shoot, a lateral
projection 25* on the lever 25 will be held out of the path of a projection 22*
on the disc 22, and the handle 21 can be turned freely but without working the
stamping mechanism.
When however a coin 23 is inserted in the shoot 24 it will act upon and depress
the spring arm 29 and thereby cause the arm 26 to move the lever 25 into the
position shown in dotted lines at 25ª and so as to bring the projection 25* into
the path of the projection 22*. If now the handle 21 be operated the disc 12
will be partly turned against the action of a spring 12* and cause the lever 8 to
raise the stamping device slightly above the inking pad 18 carried by the
shutter 18 which will then be inoved laterally out of the way of the stamping
device by the action of the cam groove 13 on the pin 14 and lever 15. During
the further movement of the handle, the stamp will be caused by the action of
the cam groove 11 on the pin 10 ani lever 8 to descend through the opening 19
and stamp or impress a letter or other document placed in the recess 4.
coin 23 is held above the spring arm 29 by one end of a pivoted catch 31 the
other end of which will be depressed by a pin 31ª on the shaft 11 when the
stamp has been depressed, so as to thereby release the coin which will then
complete its descent through the coin shoot and enter a coin receptacle placed
below the lower end of the same.
The
32 is a pin fixed to a shaft 32" so as to be in the path of the arm 25 of the
lever 25 when the same is moved with the disc 12. The shaft 32ª is provided
with a spring 32b that will permit the pin 32 to move into the position shown
in dotted lines in Fig. 9 when acted upon by the arm 25" but will not permit
the pin to move in the opposite direction from its original position so that after
the arm 25 has passed beyond the pin 32 in the one direction the pin will act
as an abutment to turn the lever 25 into the dotted position shown at 25b and
disengage the projection 25* from the projection 22* and thereby prevent the
machine being operated a second time without the insertion of a second coin.
The coin receptacle consists of a disc 33 provided with a number of partitions
or divisions 34 that are arranged to form an annular row of compartments 35 the
disc being mounted to turn upon a pin 36* fixed to the wall 2. This coin receptacle
is caused to intermittently rotate through a space equal to the width of one

page_text: compartment each time the stamp is operated by any suitable means such as a
pawl 36 that engages with a ratchet wheel 37 at one side of the coin receptacle and
is worked by a rod 38 from an arm 39 fixed to the rock shaft 15. The pawl 36
is carried by an arm 36" mounted on the pin 36*. 40 is a detent to prevent the
receptacle rotating in a backward direction. Thus it will be understood that the
intermittent movements of the coin receptacle will only take place while the shutter 18
is moving into its open position so that an empty compartment will be in proper
position before a coin is dropped into it from the shoot 24. The coins in the com-
partments are guided between two fixed concentric rings 41 and 42, of which the
outer one 41 is slotted at.41ª for the passage of a coin from the shoot above and
is provided at its lower part with a hinged or movable piece 41 that can be
turned back as indicated in dotted lines when it is desired to remove the coins
from the compartments which are or may be numbered for the purpose hereinbefore
mentioned.
The numbering or stamping device comprises a frame 5 carrying a spindle 43
upon which can turn a series of discs 44, 44" and 44%, each having numbers
from 0 to 9 upon its periphery. These discs of which there may be three, as
shown, each has fastened to it a ratchet wheel 45 actuated by a pawl 46 carried
by a shaft 47 mounted in the arms 48 of a swinging frame that is mounted to turn
upon the shaft 43 and is provided with other arms 48" that are connected to a
spring 49. The arrangement is such that the arms 48ª will strike against a fixed
bar 50 every time the stamp ascends into the case after making an impression and
will be thereby caused to turn in the direction of the arrow against the action of
the spring 49 which will afterwards return the frame to its normal position, when
the stamp again descends. One of the pawls 46 actuates the unit ratchet wheel 45
every time the stamping mechanism is worked but the pawls for actuating the tens
and hundreds discs 44" and 44" although they move over their respective ratchet
wheels every time the stamping mechanism is worked, only come into gear with
these ratchet wheels each tenth and hundredth stroke respectively. This is effected
by cutting a groove 51 in one side of the units and teus discs 44 and 44". Each of
these grooves is recessed, as shown at 51* at a point opposite the figure 9 on the
corresponding number disc so that when a pin 46* on the corresponding pawl 46
drops into this recess, the pawl will engage the corresponding ratchet wheel and
partly turn the same when the swinging frame again turns in the direction of the
arrow! A tail piece 46" on the tens pawl by acting on a tail piece 46" on the
hundreds pawl, prevents the hundreds pawl from acting until the number 99 has
been reached, as otherwise the hundreds disc would move when the number 90 was
reached. Each ratchet wheel 45 is prevented from turning in the wrong direction
by a spring detent 52.
As will be seen the swinging frame 48-48 is so arranged
that the operation of the number discs will only take place on the upward stroke of
the stamp and after the stamping mechanism has been released from the control of
the operating handle 21.
To the bottom of the frame 5 are attached mmovable pieces, one of which 5*
serves to carry a distinctive mark of the district in which the apparatus is placed,
whilst others 5 serve as changeable date stamps.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the box 1 containing the stamping
mechanism is shown applied to the exterior of a pillar letter box 2" within which
the annular coin receptacle 33* is arranged horizontally upon an annular support 53,
upon which it is moved through the space of one compartment 35, every time the
stamping mechanism is used. This can be effected by a pawl operated from a rod 38
as in Figs: 1, 2 and 3; and which engages with a toothed wheel 37* that is carried
by a pin fixed to the box, and is in gear with an annular rack 37 fixed to the coin
drum or receptacle. A part of the support 53 which normally forms the bottom.of
the coin receptacle, may be made removable to permit of the coins being easily
removed from the coin receptacle without removing the same from the letter box.
Fig. 12' is a rear view, Fig. 13 a plan and Figs. 14 and 15 vertical sections shewing
a coin receptacle 33* constructed with a series of slanting compartments 35 which

page_text: are intermittently fed upward opposite the lower end of the coin shoot 24 by means
of a pawl 36 that engages a rack 37 at one side of the coin receptacle and is
operated by a rod 38 worked in the manner hereinbefore described. 53° are guide
rods for the coin receptacle. 54 is a pivoted rod arranged at the back of the coin
receptacle to keep the coins in place. By turning this rod backward as shown in
Fig. 14, the coins can be allowed to fall out of the compartments and be collected.
Fig. 16 shows the application of this arrangement to a pillar box.
Fig. 17 is a vertical section illustrating another construction of coin receptacle.
Figs. 18 and 19 are horizontal sections on the lines a banded respectively of
Fig. 17.
Fig. 20 is a side view of part of the coin shoot and coin receptacle.
Fig. 21 is a similar view to Fig. 17 illustrating the parts in a different position.
In this arrangement the coins are received in regular order in a tube 55 that is
held by locking apparatus within an extension 24" of the coin shoot 24 leading from
the stamping apparatus. The locking apparatus comprises two levers 56 each
mounted on a rod 57 carried by the extension 24" and provided with a jaw 56ª
adapted to enter a hole or recess 55ª formed in the upper end of the tube 55 as
shown in Fig. 17. When it is desired to remove the tube from the extension 24"
to collect the coins 23, a piston 57* arranged to slide loosely in the lower end of the
tube, is pushed up by a plunger 58 until the coins that are in the tube are caused
to press against the inner ends of the levers 56 and disengage the jaws 56" from the
holes or recesses 55" and thus release the tube. The piston 57 is provided with two
lateral catches 59 that are pressed outwards by means of spiral springs 60 and
engage in teeth 61 formed on the inner side of the tube, the arrangement being such
that when the piston is pushed up it cannot be withdrawn from the tube until the
ends thereof are opened which is to be done by a duly authorized person. The
tube is closed at each end by a cap secured by a band 62 of material for example
gum paper. It will thus be seen that with this arrangement the coins whatever
number there may be in the tube, will be kept packed in exactly the same consecutive
order as they were received from the stamping apparatus and that the tube cannot
be removed until they are so packed.
Fig. 22 shews apparatus according to my invention applied to a coin freed
telephonic apparatus that may be of any known or suitable kind. 21 is a handle
by which the apparatus may be worked after the coin has been caused to pass into
the shoot 24 and act against the arms 25 which may be adapted to complete an
electrical circuit or operate lever arms as hereinbefore explained to enable the
handle 21 to be rendered operative and permit the apparatus to be used. 33* is a
coin receptacle, such as that hereinbefore described, to receive the coins from the
shoot. It is intermittently operated from the driving shaft by a pawl 36, rod 38
and lever 39 in the manner hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. In a coin operated or coin freed machine the combination of a coin receptacle
constructed with a number of compartments into which coins are successively
deposited, and stamping apparatus provided with consecutively advancing numerical
stamps, the arrangement being such that each time the stamping apparatus is
operated after inserting a coin or its equivalent in the machine the coin receptacle
will be moved relatively to the coin shoot so as to bring an empty compartment
thereof into position to receive a coin so that the coins will be retained in the
order or sequence in which they were inserted in the machine, and the corre-
sponding numerical stamp will be brought into position to be impressed upon
a letter or other document substantially as herein described for the purpose
specified.
2. Coin operated or coin freed machines, constructed arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described with reference respectively to and shown

page_text: in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive; in Figs. 10 & 11; in Figs. 12 to 16 inclusive; in
Figs. 17 to 21 inclusive; and in Fig. 22 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 27th day of April 1892.
W. Lloyd Wise,
JOHN WALSH.
JOHN GARFORD.
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.