Improvements in Fraud-preventive Devices for Coin-controlled Machines or Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1898-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fraud-preventive Devices for Coin-controlled
Machines or Apparatus.
We, JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER ROMANS, Machinist, of No. 82, Front Street,
in the Town of Weymouth, in the County of Norfolk, and ALBERT DEANE
GROVER, Draftsman, of No. 49, Judson Street, in the City of Malden, in the County
of Middlesex, both in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America, 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:-
-
Our invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective fraud-preven-
tive device for coin operated or controlled machines or apparatus of all descrip
tions, whereby the operating of the apparatus or machine by means of coins of
less than the required thickness or diameter, or by means of washers, or by disks
or pieces of pasteboard, lead or other soft material of the proper size is effectually
prevented, thereby avoiding the loss and inconvenience hitherto experienced from
Another object of our invention is to prevent the coin-receiving
mechanism from becoming.clogged or obstructed by the introduction of foreign
substances which has hitherto been a source of annoyance and loss by rendering
the apparatus inoperative until again put in order by an authorized person;
the apparatus being meanwhile deprived of its earning capacity.
this cause.
Our invention is designed to overcome all of the above mentioned difficulties
and objections, and consists in certain novel features and combinations of parts
as will be hereinafter fully described and specifically pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a plan of our improved fraud-preventive device for coin-controlled
apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the underside of the same.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional details to be referred to.
Fig. 7 is a plan of the upper side of the lower plate of the slideway.
Fig. 8 is a plan-view of the underside of the coin-slide.
Fig. 9 is a transverse section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3, showing a coin of the
proper size in the coin-slide.
Fig. 10 is a similar section, showing a coin of less than the proper diameter
in the coin-slide.
Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 2.
In the said drawings, B is the coin-receiving slide, which may also serve as
a delivery-slide when it is applied to a machine for vending merchandise, or
it may be used to operate an electric-switch, or to release or set in action any mech-
anism which may be contained within the casing of the machine or apparatus.
The slide B, which is of the same thickness as the coin required to operated the
machine, moves in a suitable slideway consisting, in the present instance, of
[Price 8d1

page_text: In
two plates a, b, fitting closely against its upper and lower surfaces, the upper
plate a, being preferably composed of hardened steel and of such length as to
extend beyond the coin-opening c in the slide B, said opening c being preferably
of slightly larger diameter than the coin which it is intended to receive.
the front end of the plate a, immediately over the opening c, when the slide is
drawn out, is formed a circular opening d of the exact size to allow the proper coin
to pass through it into the opening of the slide B, and by making said opening c
of slightly larger diameter than the opening d, it will be obvious that it will be
impossible to jam a piece of metal or other substance into the opening c with a
view to have it remain there to operate the machine, for the reason that a piece
or disk which will pass through the upper opening d will fit loosely within the
coin-opening c and will consequently drop out of the latter when the slide is
pushed in to operate the machine.
The turned up end 15 of the slide B, which forms a handle therefor, has a narrow
neck 16 which passes through an opening e into and across the opening d as the
slide is pushed in, thus giving a longer range of movement to the slide without
unnecessarily increasing its length.
Between a pair of ears projecting from the underside of the lower plate b.
is pivoted at 20 a feeling-lever D, the upper short arm of which is provided with
a sharp-edged steel anti-friction roll g which projects through a slot in the
plate located at the center of its width, so that the coin-opening c will pass
centrally over it as the slide is pushed in. k is a stiff spring which
acts against the long arm of the lever D and causes its roll g to bear with
considerable force against the underside of the coin or article in the coin-opening c
as the slide is pushed in, so that when the coin is of proper thickness and diameter
the lever D will remain stationary during the operation of pushing in the slide,
the coin dropping out through an opening m in the plate 6 into a chute E and
thence into a suitable coin-receptacle (not shown) when the slide is at the extreme
limit of its inward movement.
The lower end of the long arm of the feeling-lever D is connected by a pin
and slot with a lever G fulcrumed at 22 to a hanger h secured to the underside of
the plate 6, its long arm 17 which forms a locking-pawl, having a sharp point or
tooth 23, which when carried upwardly by a slight movement of the long arm
of the feeling-lever, due to its coming into contact with a coin or disk of less
than the normal thickness, engages one of a series of ratchet-teeth 24 on the under-
side of the coin-slide B, thus securely docking the same and instantly arresting
its inward movement. The feeling-lever D is fulcrumed a short distance only
from its upper or feeling end, while the pawl-lever G with which it is connected,
is fulcrumed near its lower end, consequently a very slight upward movement
of the feeling-end of the lever D will produce a very considerable upward move-
ment of the long arm of the pawl-lever G, the ratio of the movement between
the two arms being such that when a coin of less than the proper thickness is
placed within the opening c, it will on reaching the feeling roll 9 of the lever 1)
permit the latter to rise an amount equal to the deficiency in the thickness of
the coin and cause the point of the pawl-lever to engage the ratchet teeth 24
of the slide B and thus instantly lock it as described and prevent the machine
from being operated until a coin of the proper size and thickness is placed within
the opening
C.
If the slide is pushed in with the coin opening cempty, the roll 9 of the feel-
ing lever D will enter the opening and operate the pawl-lever to lock the slide,
a similar action taking place if a washer is used, as the feeling roll will enter its
central opening as the slide is pushed in. If a blank or token of the proper size
and thickness composed of lead, pasteboard or other soft material is placed within
the coin-opening c, it will on its arrival over the sharp-edged spring-pressed
roll g be cut into or indented by the said roll as it passes into contact therewith,
the spring being of sufficient strength to cause the feeling-roll g to sink into
the soft substance, when the slight upward movement of the feeling-end of the

page_text: feeling-lever D thus produced will cause the pawl-lever G to engage the ratchet
teeth 24 of the coin-slide B and prevent it from being pushed in.
The coin-slide B is pushed inward against the resistance of a spring p, one
end of which is fastened to a post 25 projecting from the underside of the plate b,
and the other end secured to a projection r on the slide, said spring serving to
return the slide to its normal outward position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 11 with
its opening c ready to receive a coin.
It should be understood that it is desirable to operate the switch or other
mechanism which sets the machine or apparatus in action, always at the same time,
which time should be at the moment when the slide has reached a certain
predetermined point in its inward movement and the coin drops from the coin-
slide into the coin receptacle; otherwise if the machine can be set in action or
the goods delivered before the coin drops out of the slide, it is possible to
slowly push in the slide until it has set the machine in action and then, before
the coin has dropped, allow the slide to be returned by its spring to its normal
position when the coin can be recovered and used again; and although the
primary object of our invention is to prevent the fraudulent use of the machine,
it is also equally important that the machine should not take a coin and fail to
give or deliver an equivalent therefor. To accomplish these ends we provide a
shelf 35 located under the coin-slide at the farther edge of the chute E and secured
to the plate b, onto which shelf the rear end of the coin drops as shown in Fig. 4
just before the slide reaches the end of its inward movement, the shelf thus
supporting this end of the coin in an inclined or tilted position and preventing
it from dropping into the chute E through the opening in the lower plate b
directly over said chute, as would otherwise occur. As the slide continues to be
pushed in to the end of its movement the coin is carried still further onto the shelf
until its front edge 36 reaches a point directly over the front edge 37 of the
opening m in the plate b, when the coin being supported at one edge only by the
shelf, drops into the chute E and thence into the coin receptacle, the slide at the
same moment operating the switch or other mechanism to set the apparatus in
motion or deliver the goods. Now if the slide is not pushed in as far as it will
go, but is stopped as soon as the coin drops onto the shelf and is then released,
its spring p will carry it back until the edge 38 of the coin-opening strikes the
coin in its inclined position, when the coin-slide will become wedged as shown in
Fig. 5 and will not return to its normal position. The customer then finds
that he is not getting the desired result and by again pushing in the slide, this
time to the full end of its inward movement he causes the coin to drop into the
chute and the machine to be simultaneously set in action; and it will thus be seen
that it will be impossible for him to recover the coin after setting the machine in
action, or for the machine to take the coin without giving an equivalent therefor.
To prevent the machine from being operated by two or more thin disks placed
in the coin-opening c, one over the other, to make up the proper thickness, the
coin-slide B is cut away on its underside around the front edge of the coin-opening,
forming a recess 40 as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8, whereby when the slide
is first pushed in, the upper disk will be slid over the one beneath it by the contact
of the upper edge or lip 41 as shown in Fig. 6, thus leaving a space 42 under
the projecting further edge of the upper disk for the entrance of the roll
the spring-pressed feeling-lever D, which thus permits the lever G to engage with
teeth 24 of the slide B to lock the same and prevent its further inward movement
as required. To relieve the slide 13 of the friction of the roll g during the first
part of its inward movement before the coin reaches said roll g, we provide the
underside of the slide next to the teeth 24 with a cam or projection 43 against
which rests the end of the locking-lever G which thus holds the roll g of the
feeling-lever away from the slide so that it will not exert any pressure thereon
until the coin or article in the coin-opening c reaches the roll g, when the point
of the lever I passes out of contact with the cam thus releasing the feeling-lever
and permitting it to exert its full pressure on the underside of the coin as required.
<f

page_text: On the return movement of the slide to its normal position, the roll 9 rises into
the empty coin-opening c and just before the square edge 38 of said opening reaches
the roll, the cam 43 acts on the lever D and produces a movement of the feeling
lever away from the slide thus withdrawing the roll g from the opening c at the
proper moment to avoid the excessive friction which would otherwise be produced
by the riding of this roll over the square edge of the coin-opening, which would
prevent the slide from being carried back by its spring; and by this device the
coin slide is enabled to return to its normal position without undue friction.
To prevent the apparatus from being operated by a coin of less than the required
diameter, we provide the upper and lower plates a, b, between which the coin-
slide moves, each with a recess 45 as shown in Figs. 3, 9 and 10, said recesses
being located on opposite sides of a line passing longitudinally through the center
of the coin-slide, the transverse distance between the outer edges of the two
recesses 45 being less than the diameter of a proper coin as shown in Figs. 9
and 10. To the upper side of the plate a is loosely secured a spring-pressed dog 46,
a projection 47 at the end of which, projects through an opening 48 in said plate a
which opening is located directly over the recess 45 in the lower plate b, so that
said projection 47 will bear forcibly upon a coin or article in the coin-slide as it
passes beneath the same. If now a coin of the proper diameter is passed under
the spring-pressed dog, it will maintain its proper level or horizontal position
by reason of its being prevented from tipping by the portion 50 of the upper
plate a, as shown in Fig. 9, but if a coin of somewhat less than the proper diameter
is placed in the coin-slide, it will on reaching the spring pressed dog 46 be tilted
thereby and by the upward pressure of the spring-actuated feeling-lever D beneath
the same into the inclined position shown in Fig. 10, one unsupported edge being
pressed down into the recess 45 of the lower plate b while the opposite unsupported
edge will rise into the recess 45 of the upper plate a, this movement of the coin per-
mitting the sharp-edged feeling-roll g of the spring-pressed lever G in contact with its
underside to rise and through the connections previously described cause the pawl-
lever to engage the ratchet-teeth 24 and thus instantly lock the coin-slide B
as required.
While we prefer to employ the spring-pressed dog 46 to force one side of the
coin into the recess 45, of the plate b, it will be obvious that this dog may be
dispensed with and the tilting of the coin effected solely by the upward pressure
thereon of the spring actuated feeling-lever D.
V
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. A fraud-preventive device for coin-operated machines or apparatus, compris-
ing a slide having an opening to receive a coin of predetermined size, a spring-
pressed feeling-lever arranged to bear against the under surface of said slide and
adapted to contact with the coin as the slide is pushed in, and a locking
pawl-lever operated by the feeling-lever and adapted to engage the coin-slide to
lock the same and arrest its inward movement when the feeling-end of the feeling-
lever is permitted to rise, substantially as described.
2. In a coin-operated machine or apparatus, the combination with a slide hav-
ing an opening for the reception of a coin, of a spring-pressed feeling-lever
bearing against the under surface of said slide and adapted to contact with the
coin as the slide is pushed in, and a locking pawl-lever operated by the feeling-lever
and adapted when so operated to engage the coin-slide, said levers being so
fulcrumed with respect to each other that a slight inward or upward movement
of the feeling-end of the feeling-lever will produce a sufficient movement of
the pawl-lever to cause it to engage the coin-slide and thereby prevent its further
inward movement, substantially as described.
3. In a coin-operated machine or apparatus, the combination with a slide
having an opening for the reception of a coin, of a spring-pressed feeling-lever

page_text: bearing against the under surface of said slide and adapted to contact with the
coin as the slide is pushed in, and the locking pawl-lever operated by the feel-
ing-lever and adapted when so operated to engage the coin-slide, said feeling-
lever being provided at its feeling-end with a sharp-edged anti-friction roll
adapted to contact with and cut into any soft substance placed within the coin-
opening of the slide, whereby a sufficient movement of the feeling-lever is pro-
duced to actuate the pawl-lever and cause it to engage the slide to prevent its
further inward movement, substantially as described.
4. In a coin-operated machine or apparatus, the combination with the coin-
slide having an opening of slightly greater diameter than the 'coin required to
operate the machine, of a plate arranged directly over said slide and provided with
an aperture of the exact diameter of the proper coin and registering with the
coin-opening in the slide when the latter is drawn out, whereby the retention
of a coin in the coin-slide after the latter has been pushed in is prevented, sub-
stantially as set forth.
5. In a coin-controlled machine or apparatus, the combination with a slide
having an opening for the reception of a coin, of a shelf or projection located
directly under said slide at a point to receive and support one edge of the coin
when the slide has nearly reached the end of its inward movement, whereby said
slide is prevented by contact with the coin from returning to its normal position
until the coin has dropped therefrom, substantially as described.
6. In a coin-controlled machine or apparatus, the combination with a slide hav-
ing an opening for the reception of a coin and a slide-supporting plate having
an opening for the passage of the coin as it drops from the slide, of a shelf or pro-
jection located directly beneath and close to said slide at the farther edge of the
opening in the said slide-supporting plate through which the coin drops, said
shelf or projection being so placed as to receive and support the rear edge of the
coin when the slide has nearly reached the end of its inward movement and permit
the coin to drop on the completion of said inward movement, substantially as
described.
7. In a coin-controlled machine or apparatus, the combination with a slide hav-
ing an opening for the reception of a coin, of a shelf or projection located under
said slide and adapted to receive and support one edge of the coin in an inclined
or tilted position when the slide has nearly reached the end of its inward move-
ment, whereby a slight backward movement of the slide before it has reached the
end of its inward movement will cause it to be wedged by the coin and thereby
prevented from resuming its normal position while said coin remains therein,
substantially as described.
8. In a coin-controlled machine or apparatus, the combination with the spring-
pressed feeling-lever and the pawl-lever operated thereby, of the coin-slide pro-
vided on its underside with a recess formed around the front edge of its coin-
opening to ther by reduce the thickness of the slide at such point, whereby the
upper one of two or more disks placed in the coin-opening may be pushed over the
one beneath it to afford a space for the entrance of the end of the feeling-lever,
substantially as described.
9. In a coin-operated machine or apparatus, the combination with the coin-
slide, the spring-pressed feeling-lever and the pawl-lever operated by said feeling-
lever to lock the slide, of a cam or projection secured to the coin-slide and adapted
to contact with the end of the pawl-lever as the slide is moved inwardly or out-
wardly to thereby actuate the feeling-lever and relieve the slide of the pressure
and friction of its roll and withdraw the latter from the empty coin-opening on
the return movement of the slide, substantially as described.
•
10. In a coin-controlled machine or apparatus, the combination with a coin-
slide having an opening for the coin, of a pair of plates placed one above and
the other beneath the same to form a slideway therefor, said plates being provided
with recesses located on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the coin-slide,
and the spring-pressed feeling-lever and the pawl-lever operated thereby to lock

page_text: the slide, said feeling-lever being arranged to bear upon the under surface of a
coin directly under the upper one of said recesses, whereby said coin, if not of
proper diameter is tilted into an inclined position to permit the feeling-lever to
rise and thereby produce the locking of the slide, substantially as described.
11. In a coin-controlled machine or apparatus, the combination with a coin-
slide having an opening for the coin, of a pair of plates placed one above and the
other beneath the same to form a slideway therefor, said plates being provided with
recesses located on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the coin-slide,
the spring-pressed feeling-lever and the pawl-lever operated thereby, and a
spring-pressed dog adapted to bear upon the upper surface of a coin directly over
the lower one of said recesses, whereby said coin if not of the proper diameter,
is tilted into an inclined position to permit the feeling-lever to rise and thereby
produce the locking of the slide, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of May 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.