Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Counters.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 23rd day of September 1897.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Counters.
I ALFRED RICHARD FAIRER of 24 Letterstone Road Fulham in the County
of Middlesex Clockmaker do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in connection with the apparatus
commonly known as automatic machines and has for its object the provision of a
reliable record of the amount of cash placed in the machines and the consequent
prevention of fraud.
Automatic machines may be divided into two classes:
1st. Those in which goods are delivered in exchange for a coin. In machines
of this class the check of the amount of money put into the slot is provided
by the amount of goods delivered and so no special recording apparatus is
necessary.
2nd. Those in which information is given or a game allowed to be played or a
trial of skill made after the insertion of a coin. Of this class are the automatic
weighing machines fortune tellers, strength testers &c. and it is to this class that
my invention more especially applies.
In carrying my invention into effect I fix a recording counter in or on the
machine and arrange it to be operated in the manner described below.
The recording counter I prefer to use is that described in the Specification of
my Patent No. 21317 of 1893 but I do not confine myself to any special form of
counter as any type which can be operated by the backwards and forwards motion
of a ratchet pawl would be suitable for use with my invention.
Close to the coin slot of the machine I fix a lever or its equivalent which shall
project into the path of the coin and be so arranged as to be pushed back on a coin
being pressed into the slot.
This lever is provided with a spring or weight which tends to replace it in its
normal position and a catch or detent is provided to hold it when it has been pushed
back by the action of inserting the coin in the slot.
This catch is released by a trigger arranged to be operated either by the return
of the automatic mechanism to its normal position after the machine has been
used or by the coin itself in falling down the shoot into the receptacle provided
for it.
The lever is then replaced by the action of its spring or weight.
The ratchet pawl of the counter is attached to the lever and is operated by the
backward and forward motion produced as described above.
In practice I prefer that the counter shall be operated by the backward motion
of the lever so that the power required for the purpose is directly provided by
the person using the machine and all that the mechanism or the coin has to do

page_text: subsequently, is to release the lever so as to allow. it,. to return to its starting
position.
I may however in some cases reverse the order of these operations, so that the
counter shall be moved by the releasing of the lever which has previously been
placed in an operative position by the coin being pressed into the slot.
In some automatic machines the coin is returned if a certain degree of strength
or dexterity has been exhibited by the operator and it is of course only required
to record the number of coins actually retained by the machine. In such cases I
fix the releasing trigger in the coin shoot leading into the cash drawer so that the
operation of recording can only be completed by a coin which is to be retained in
the machine.
Dated this 11th day of June 1896
Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Counters.
I, ALFRED RICILARD FAIRER of 24 Letterstone Road, Fulham, in the County
of Middlesex, Clock-maker, 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 counting devices, such as are employed
in so-called automatic or coin-freed machines, for recording the number of coins
inserted into the machine.
The said invention is applicable to automatic machines of the kind that are used
for indicating the weight, height, or strength of persons after the insertion of a
proper coin into the machine, that is ta say, machines in which their operation
does not involve the delivery of articles, and in which consequently there is no
effective means of checking the number of operations performed, against the
number of coins in the machine at any particular time. When such machines
are provided with ordinary counting devices it may be possible for a person to
fraudulently or mischievously actuate the counting device an indefinite number
of times and consequently with such a counting device there is no reliable check
on the person whose duty it is to collect the coins from the machines.
Now the object of the said invention is to provide means whereby after the
insertion of a coin, the counting device cannot be again actuated until the machine
to which it is applied has performed its function. Thus a counting device provided
with my improved mechanism records only the number of times that the joint
operations of inserting a coin and working the machine have been actually
performed, and consequently reliably indicates the number of coins there ought to
be in the machine.
In carrying out my invention I provide in connection with the counting
mechanism, a suitably arranged catch or detent, wherely after the said mechanism
has been actuated by the insertion of a coin, the parts thereof are prevented from
resuming their normal position until the machine to which the mechanism is
attached has indicated the height, weight or strength of the user as the case may
be, or has delivered an article in exchange for the inserted coin, or has otherwise
performed its function.
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is an elevation, anl

page_text: Figure 2 is a plan shewing my invention applied to a so-called automatic weigh-
ing machine. In these figures I have only shewn such parts of the said machine
as are necessary for a proper understanding of my invention.
Figure 3 is a horizontal part section on the line za of Figure 1 showing a detail
hereinafter referred to.
Figure 4 illustrates diagrammatically a modified arrangement of my counting
mechanism.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, a is the body or case of the
counter proper and 6 represents the numeral discs by which the record is kept.
The said counter may be of any suitable construction but I have illustrated and
prefer to employ one of the kind described in the Specification of my former
British Letters Patent No. 21317 of the year 1893. c is an arm by which the
counter is operated, this arm being in its normal position in Figure 1 and heing
retained in this position by a spring (not shown). The said arm is actuated by
one end of a lever d whose other end projects into the coin shute e in such a manner
that when a coin is inserted, the said lever is caused to turn on its pivot d¹ and act
on the arm c. f is a segmental toothed plate or rack working in close proximity
to the case a and carried by the arm c. g is the catch or detent by which the
parts of the counter mechanism are prevented from resuming their normal position
until the machine has been worked. This catch is carried by a curved spring g
whereby it is pressed into engagement with the rack f when the arm e is actuated
by the said lever d on the introduction of a coin, thereby, temporarily preventing the
said arm from resuming its normal position until the machine has operated and
released it. For the purpose of effecting the release I provide a lever h pivoted
at to the case a. This lever carries a finger or projection I, which engages
with the said catch when the lever is operated. At its outer end the lever his
connected to a depending rod i. This rod is advantageously flat and passes through
a slotted plate & secured to the cross piece 7 to which the springs and the platform
of the weighing machine are connected. In proximity to the slotted plate and on
each side of the rod i is a lateral projection ¹ (see Figure 3) whose inner side is
inclined as shown. The arrangement is such that when the cross piece is moved
down by the weight of a person standing on the platform of the machine the rod i
is pushed back from the position shown in Figure 1, until the plate & descends
below the projection, when the rod swings forward and the projections a lie above
the said plate. Consequently when the plate rises after the weight is taken off
the machine, it engages with these projections and pushes the rod i upward
thereby lifting the lever hand through the finger disengaging the catch or
detent. The rack f and the arm c are thus liberated and resume their
normal positions under the action of the aforesaid spring connected with the
said arm.
Suitable means are provided for moving the projections off the plate before
the latter reaches its highest position whereby the said rod is disengaged and can
move downward to allow the catch or detent g to again come into engagement.
To this end the rod i is provided with an inclined extremity adapted in the
upward movement of the said rod to engage with a pin m, thus throwing the rod
to one side sufficiently to enable the projections to clear the plate and allow the
rod and its connections to resume their normal positions. The pin m is carried
by a short adjustable arm m² secured to a pillar m³ by a screw m passing through
a slot m so that the position of said pin can be varied and the release of the
projections adjusted."
The parts of the mechanism not previously referred to, such as the balance
lever n carrying the coin bucket a whereby the weight of the coin is caused to
liberate the mechanism; the index or pointer o; and the rack and pinion for
operating such index: form no part of my invention.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 4 the lever d upon which the coin acts is
connected with the arm e for operating the counter, by a bent rod and is acted
upon by a spring d which tends to force its upper end d into the coin shute e.

page_text: At its lower end the lever d has a laterally projecting tooth d upon which
normally rests a short pivoted toothed catch g having a depending arm or rod gl
whose lower extremity rests upon an arm p pivoted at p and supported by a pin 2
This arm carries at its free extremity a short lever q pivoted centrally at q', and
having its inner extremity of such a weight that it normally rests upon a pin or
stop while its outer extremity projects into the path of the coin bucket n¹
carried by the balanced arm n as in the previous arrangement.
The result of this construction is that when a coin is inserted in the coin shute
the lever d is moved into the position shown, and actuates the counter through
the rod d and arm c. In this movement the spring d² is compressed and the
tooth d is moved into its extreme position where it is retained by the catch g, so
preventing, for the time being, any further registration by the counter a. After
the coin has entered the bucket n¹ the latter moves downward past the arm p, the
lever thereof tilting on its pivot to permit the said bucket to pass.
When however the machine is operated, and the balance arm n swings up again,
the bucket n engages with the underside of the lever q, and as the latter is
prevented from turning by the stop q², the arm p is raised and by striking the
rod y lifts the catch g and disengages the tooth, thereby allowing the lever d
and the parts connected therewith to resume their normal position, ready for
recording the next insertion of a coin into the coin shute.
When my improved counting device is applied to a machine wherein the coin is
refunded if a certain degree of strength or skill be employed by the user,
I arrange a device for releasing the aforesaid catch or detent, in such a manner
that it is operated by the passage of the coil into the cash drawer or compartment,
so that the counter only actually records the coins that are retained in the
machine.
Although in the arrangements described the actual movement of the numeral
dises bis effected by the coin in pushing aside the lever d yet it is obvious that
such movement could if desired be effected by the return of the arm c to its normal
position after the release of the catch or detent g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim in a coin-freed machine is:-
1. A counting and registering device provided with means substantially as
described, whereby it is held out of action after each registering operation until
said means are released independently of the coin by some moving part of the
machine as the latter performs its function.
2. The combination with the counting and registering mechanism, of a lever
which is actuated by the insertion of a coin into the coin shute, a toothed segment
operated by the said lever, a catch or detent for engaging with said toothed segment,
and means for disengaging the catch and the toothed segment for the purpose
specified.
3. My improved mechanism for use with a counting and registering device,
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, and for the purpose specified.
DateT CITES Two day
ALFRED R. FAIRER,
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.