An Improved Apparatus for the Sale and Delivery of Articles on the Insertion of Coins.
Year: 1888

page_text: An Improved Apparatus for the Sale and Delivery of Articles on the
Insertion of Coins.
We WALTER WILLIAM KEY of 63 Albert Street, Islington in the County of
Middlesex, Tin worker and ROBERT HENRY MAKER of 71 Palmerston Buildings City,
Garden Row, City Road, in the same County Engineer do hereby declare the nature
of our said invention to be as follows :-
The object of our invention is to manufacture improved apparatus for the sale
and delivery of articles, on the insertion of coins.
The external case may be constructed of any suitable form and material having one
or more door or doors fitted with locks, for obtaining access to the interior, as usual;
also a slot for the insertion of the coins and an opening or openings for the delivery of
the goods.
Inside the case we fit a reservoir consisting of an upright frame the horizontal
section of which corresponds with the form of the packets of goods or other articles
intended to be sold. The reservoir is open at the bottom and at parts of the sides.
Under, or nearly under the reservoir we fit an axle, one end of which carries a
ratchet wheel. The axle is fitted with a number of radial plates, which revolve with
the axle; The lowest packet of the goods rests upon one of the radial plates, and is
thereby retained in the reservoir. The superincumbent weight of the goods is also
sustained by the plate.
In connection with the ratchet wheel a lever is fitted, one end of which is fitted with
a pawl in contact with the ratchet teeth of the wheel, and the other end of the lever
is fitted with a striking plate upon which the coin falls from the shoot when inserted
in the slot.
'
The apparatus may be arranged for the purchase and delivery of goods of various
values; thus, if each of the articles is of the value of one penny, one stroke of a penny
upon the striking plate of the lever will release and deliver one article; the ratchet
teeth and radial plates being in that case equal in number. If each article is of the

page_text: value of two pence, the ratchet teeth are twice as numerous as the radial plates, so that
two strokes of pennies, upon the striking plate are required to deliver one article; and
so on for other values.
The radial plates are so arranged that, when one plate releases an article by the
partial revolution of the axle, the next plate retains the whole weight of the remaining
articles, and secures their retention in the reservoir.
We effect improvements in the shoot by forming an inclined groove and guiding
plate, to direct the proper coin so that it rolls upon its edge towards the striking
plate. The guide is open on one side and a smaller coin than the correct one will
fail to reach the upper part of the guide and fall through the opening.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for the Sale and Delivery of Articles on the
Insertion of Coins.
We WALTER WILLIAM KEY of 63 Albert Street Islington in the County of
Middlesex Tin Worker and ROBERT HENRY MAKER of 71 Palmerston Buildings,
City Garden Row, City Road in the same county Engineer 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 :-
The object of our invention is to manufacture improved apparatus for the sale and
delivery of articles on the insertion of coins.
Inside any suitable outside casing we fit one or more reservoirs each consisting of an
upright frame, the horizontal section of which corresponds with the form of the
packets of goods or other articles intended to be sold. The reservoirs are open at the
bottom and at parts of the sides.
Under or nearly under such a reservoir we fit an axle one end of which carries a
ratchet wheel.
The axle is fitted with a number of radial plates which revolve with the axle. The
lowest packet of the goods rests upon one of the radial plates and is thereby retained
in the reservoir. The superincumbent weight of the goods is also sustained by the
plate.
In connection with the ratchet wheel, a lever is fitted one end of which is fitted with
a pawl in contact with the ratchet teeth of the wheel and the other end of the lever is
fitted with a striking plate upon which the coin falls from the shoot, when inserted in
the slot.
The accompanying drawings, in all the figures of which the same reference letters
indicate the same parts, will serve to illustrate the apparatus as constructed in
accordance with this invention and being provided with six distinct sets of mechanism,
and reservoirs for containing the articles to be delivered, any one of which being
enclosed in a suitable outside casing, would form in itself a distinct and complete
apparatus.
We have illustrated the apparatus having six sets of mechanism with six reservoirs
for containing articles to be delivered, as this form constitutes a compact machine
capable if required of containing a variety of articles, any of which may be delivered
on insertion of the required coin in one or other of the money
slots.
Fig. 1 is an elevation.. Fig. 2 is an elevation with part of the outer casing removed.
Fig. 3 a sectional view of the reservoir with the axle and radial plates showing the
course of the passage through which the article passes to be delivered. Fig. 4 is a
plan of details of the mechanism for retaining, and delivering the articles successively.
Fig. 5 is a plan of details of the coin shoots, and Fig. 6 a sectional end view of the coin
shoot H

page_text: In Fig. 1. A. A. A. are three of the doors by which access may be obtained to
three sets of mechanism with three separate reservoirs which may thus be recharged
with articles, some of which will be delivered from the outlets B. B. B. on the
introduction of the required coin at the respective coin slots C. C. C.
The coin slots C. C. C. communicate with shoots which all convey the money into a
central till common to all of them. The till may be situated under a counter or
within any suitable pedestal upon which the apparatus may stand, or the coins falling
through the apparatus near the centre may collect at the base and be accesible by means
of the doors A. A. A.
D. D. D. are glass panels exhibiting the packets E. E. E of articles to be
delivered.
When a coin is deposited in the coin slot C it descends in a shoot of peculiar form
shown by Fig. 6 having a raised edge G gauged to a width to support one side of
the required coin while tilted with its opposite side confined by the angle formed
by the junction of the opposite side H, of the shoot; with its base.
By this arrangement a coin or other article, of a diameter less than that of the
required coin, will fall flat at the base of the shoot and there slide till it reaches an
opening shown at J in Figs. 2 and 5 through which it will pass without being
conducted to the mechanism upon which the required coin is intended to operate.
The guard piece K attached to the shoot, serves to insure the confinement of the
coin during its passage along the shoot, and it also prevents the passage of a coin or
• other article exceeding, beyond a certain small limit, the diameter of the required
coin, or exceeding the proper thickness.
A coin or other article of the required diameter and thickness, being held in the
inclined position shown in Fig. 6, L being the coin, will roll upon its edge while
retained in the inclined position and by this means will be conducted over the projecting
plate M and will enter the secondary shoot N through which it falls in such a manner
that the edge of the coin strikes upon the pawl P and thereby instantly releases it
from the ratchet wheel Q, against the resistance of the light spring R and the frictional
contact of the ratchet Q, with the pawl P; caused by the superincumbent weight of
the packet or packets of articles E.
These packets E are supported in position in the reservoir S by the lowest packet
which rests upon one of the five radial plates T connected with an axle free to revolve
in virtue of the gravitation of the packet or packets E resting upon one of the
radial plates T; but prevented from doing so until, by the impact of the required coin,
the pawl P is released from the indent by which it arrested the ratchet wheel Qas
already referred to.
The ratchet wheel Q being thus released the axle with five radial plates T performs
a partial rotation, until the pawl P comes in contact with the next succeeding
indent.
During this partial rotation of the axle with five radial plates T, the radial plate
next succeeding that one which had supported the packets, comes in contact with the
lowest packet in its descent, and impinging upon the side of this packet, transmits to
it a horizontal movement, in conjunction with its vertical movement of descent and
thus frees the lowest packet from the superincumbent packets which remain sup-
ported by the opposite side of the radial plate, to that which first impinged upon the
released packet and thus produced the horizontal movement.
The horizontal movement thus produced is provided for, by removing the front of
the reservoir S sufficiently to allow, only the slightest lateral support, shown at U
in Fig. 3, for the lowest packet, and thus directly the vertical descent has commenced,
the lowest packet, only; is free to perform the required horizontal movement.
The front of the reservoir S throughout its length is partly removed, leaving only
narrow bands at each side of the front, to keep the packets in position as particularly
shown at W in Fig. 4.
By this means we are enabled to deal with square packets of articles, and still
provide for their support by the radial plates T, because the horizontal movement
being provided for, the axle with five radial plates T may revolve whenever it is

page_text: free to revolve, and at the same time may project sufficiently, under the packets of
articles to be supported, to support them whenever the rotation of the axle with five
radial plates T is arrested.
We have referred to five radial plates because we find that to be the proper number
to employ, forming between each, an angle of 70°. If four are employed; the angle
of 90°, too nearly approaches an obtuse angle, and if six are employed; the angle of 60°
is too acute to provide for the support of the packets, and at the same time to produce
the horizontal movement which we have referred to, and which is absolutely necessary
for providing the required support for the packets.
In order to prevent the admission and retirement of a coin attached to a thin
string, we have provided the teeth X Fig. 5, which may also be provided at the base
of the secondary shoot N, allowing the passage of the string in a forward direction
but arresting it by wedging between the teeth X upon any attempt to retire the
string.
The apparatus may be arranged for the purchase and delivery of goods of various
values thus, if each of the articles is of the value of one penny, one stroke of a
penny upon the pawl P will deliver one article, the ratchet teeth and radial plates
being in that case equal in number.
If each article is of the value of two pence the ratchet teeth are twice as numerous
as the radial plates so that two strokes of pennies upon the pawl P are required to
deliver one article and so on for other values.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. The combination of parts forming our improved apparatus for the sale and
delivery of articles on the insertion of coins substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. The employment of the axle with five radial plates T arranged so as to be free
to rotate whenever it is released, having the superincumbent weight of the packets
supported thereon, whenever it is detained, and producing the required horizontal
movement in conjunction with the vertical descent of a packet required to be
removed, from underneath similar packets supported vertically and laterally thereon,
substantially as described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. The peculiar construction of the coin shoot described and illustrated in detail
by Figs. 5 and 6, providing for the escape of coins smaller than the required coin ;
for the detention of coins larger or thicker than the required coin; for the con-
finement of the required coin within the coin shoot H during its passage along the
shoot for the passage of a coin attached to a string in a forward direction only,
and having the projecting plate M guarding the entrance to the secondary shoot N,
against small coins which might otherwise leap over the gap between the first
and second shoots; all substantially as described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination of the shoot, connected with the coin inlets C, and the secondary
shoot N; arranged to deliver the required coin from the first to the secondary shoot,
by providing for the inclination of the required coin in the first shoot, in such a
manner that it will surmount the projecting plate M which forms a complete barrier
for all coins slightly smaller than the required coin; substantially as described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
DL: 1 of December 1888