Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for the Automatic Sale and Delivery of Prepaid Articles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for the Automatic
Sale and Delivery of Prepaid Articles.
I, EDWARD THOMSON, Engineer, 16, Torbay Road, Kilburn, London, N.W. do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The construction of a delivering machine, simple in its action.
The goods are stored horizontally in a suitable case having at the bottom a slot
sufficiently long and wide to allow the article to drop through on to a slide or barrel
for delivery.
Immediately beneath the case is fixed in bearings a barrel having a longitudinal
groove corresponding to the slot in the case and in shape suitable to receive the
article for delivery.
The coin passes down a shute into two fixed guides so placed as to allow the front
edge of the coin to rest against a pin or cam fixed on the end of the barrel or
shaft.
A slide bar with a pin at one end and having an external knob is fixed so that by
actuating the same the coin is forced or drawn between the fixed guides and at
the same time the front edge of the coin pressing against the pin or cam on the end
of the barrel or shaft naturally causes the latter to partly rotate until the groove in
the same is brought under the slot in the bottom of the case and the article for sale
drops into it. The coin having travelled a sufficient distance falls into a Box. The
barrel is then drawn back to its normal position by the aid of a spring and the article
falls out of the groove on to a platform.
When there is no coin in the machine the slide-bar can. .be
forwards freely.
moved backwards and
The coin can be made to fall into a longitudinal slot in a barrel working freely on
a fixed shaft & actuated by the push bar as described. On arriving at the desired
position the coin is ejected by an eccentric fixed on the shaft.
If it be intended to sell a flat article from the machine 1 can use a rack and pinion
working a slide, a pin, or cam on the pinion being actuated in the same manner as
the barrel.
To prevent the coin in each case being used more than once I fix a loose tongue or
pawl which allows the coin to pass freely, but blocks it from returning.
Dated this 28th day of February 1889.
EDWARD THOMSON
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for the Automatic
Sale and Delivery of Prepaid Articles.
I EDWARD THOMSON, of 16 Torbay Road, Kilburn, London in the county of
Middlesex, 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 my invention is the construction of a delivering machine simple in its
action.
I will fully describe my invention in reference to the accompanying drawings in
which two forms of apparatus are illustrated. Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the
delivery device of an apparatus adapted to cylindrical articles such as cigarettes pencils
and so forth in normal position of rest. Figure 2 is the same showing change of
position after first motion. Figure 3 is an internal front elevation partly in section

page_text: and Figure 3 is a part of the same view of an alternative arrangement. Figure 4 is
an elevation of the locking and operating device. Figure 5 is an internal elevation
partly in section, and Figure 6 a front view of an apparatus adapted to flat articles
such as packet goods, and Figure 7 is a detail hereinafter referred to. In all these
figures similar letters indicate similar parts and the arrows indicate as far as practicable
the various directions of motion.
The goods are stored horizontally in a column in a suitable case a either open at
its base or having a slot therein sufficiently long and wide to allow the article to drop
freely through on to a supporting barrel or platform for delivery.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 immediately beneath the case a is fixed a spring return
barrel mounted on a shaft set in suitable bearings f'in or on the frame fand
having a longitudinal groove c corresponding to the base of, or slot in the base of the
case a and in shape suitable to receive the article for delivery, represented in the
illustrations as a cigarette; for the spring return, on the said barrel 6 or its shaft b¹
is fixed a lever or crank which in normal position is held by any suitable spring
such as as illustrated in figure 1; it will be seen in figure 1 that the groove c when
in normal position lies behind the case a containing the goods which are supported on
the face of the barrel b. The locking end of the said barrel b may either itself project
through the frame fas in Figure 3, or its spindle b¹ may pass through it and carry a
disc 62 or a pair of discs 22 as in figure 3", but in any case either to the end of the
barrel itself or between the two discs is fixed a pin p by which through the coin's
action hereinafter explained the delivery is effected.
The coin d passes down a shoot s of any suitable construction and is directed into a
coin receiver Ġ formed of two side plates and a base plate and rests between two fixed
guides 9 g one g at the top being bevelled off towards its front end and the other g¹ at
the bottom for purposes hereinafter explained. The coin receiver G is so placed
as to allow the received coin to rest between the guides 9 9' and with its front edge
against the pin p. is a slide bar working in guides and having a catch or a pin i
at or near its back end projecting through a slot into the coin receiver G. The
bar / extends to the outside of the apparatus and has an external knob h¹.
9.
When there is no coin in the machine the slide bar h can be moved backwards and
forwards freely but is inoperative, when however a coin is introduced and held as
described by actuating the bar the coin d is forced or drawn forward in the coin
receiver and guided by the fixed guides 9 g¹ its front edge presses against the pin p
and naturally causes it to partly rotate against the force of spring until the groove c
in the barrel is brought under the slot in the bottom of the case a and the lowest
article a drops into it as illustrated in figure 2. The coin is prevented from rising up
by the upper fixed guide g and when it has travelled a sufficient distance to perform
its duty it has arrived at the bevelled part of the upper guide g and is forced out,
when it falls into a box k and the barrel b is then instantly returned to its normal
position by spring 1, the article contained in the groove falling out of the same on or
into any suitable platform or receptacle such as r.
If it be intended to sell a flat article from the machine I use a spring return rack
and pinion working a sliding pusher, a pin or cam on the pinion being actuated by the
coin in the same manner as the barrel above described.
This modification is exemplified in figures 5 and 6: here the spring / acts upon a
pinion o which device may conveniently be an ordinary spring barrel as illustrated
at o baving a part of its periphery flanged and toothed as at o¹: or instead of a
pinion a toothed quadrant may be used and any suitable spring applied thereto; the
pinion or quadrant o is mounted on shaft 61 and to either said pinion or shaft is
applied the pin p arranged in relation to the coin receiver its guides 9 9' and slide
operating bar as above described in reference to figures 1 to 4 and as illustrated.
The teeth o gear with the rack m on the sliding pusher n (shown separately at
figure 7) the flat end of which is arranged to be normally behind the lowermost
article a, figure 5. Its head n¹ is formed of a shape adapted to the goods and so as
to encircle or encompass the lowermost article presenting a metal face n' at the front
side thereof. In this case as before without a coin the slide bar is inoperative, but

page_text: when a coin is introduced and the sliding bar h pulled out the front edge of the coin d
is guided and pressed against the pin p causing the pinion o to be partly rotated
against its spring as shown dotted figure 5, thereby forcing outwards the rack m and
pusher n and carrying the lowermost article a forward through the aperture in front
of it, whence it falls into any suitable receptacle. The coin is ejected as before described.
The enclosing of the lowermost article in the pusher head n¹ effectually prevents
the possibility of any person obtaining the lowermost article by fraudulent means.
To prevent the coin in each case being used more than once I fix a loose stop-
tongue or pawl g in suitable position in the coin receiver preferably on the upper
guide which allows the coin to pass freely, but blocks it from returning and
compels the operator to complete the action and eject the coin before he can obtain
the article.
The whole of the above described mechanism is placed in a suitable casing and
provided with the usual fitting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
1. In an apparatus for the automatic sale and delivery of prepaid articles the
combination with a spring return part rotary delivering barrel disposed in regard to
the articles for sale as above set forth of a pin on or applied thereto and a coin
receiver provided with guides and a slide bar such as h carrying pin i all arranged
and operating substantially as set forth in reference to figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 and
subject to the modifications illustrated in figure 3º.
2. The combination with spring return pinion or toothed quadrant rack and sliding
pusher of a pin such as p on or applied to said pinion or quadrant and a coin receiver
provided with guides and a slide bar such as h carrying pin i all arranged and operating
substantially as set forth in reference to figures 5, 6 and 7.
3. In an apparatus such as is specified the combination with the part rotary devices.
and operating bar h of the coin receiver G with guides gg' and stop pawl 9 substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
4. The construction and arrangement of the mechanisms and their disposition in
regard to the articles for sale as set forth in reference to Figures 1 to 4 and to
Figures 5 and 7.
Dated this Twentie h day of November 1889
h day of November 1889
J. C. CHAPMAN, Fel. Inst. Patent Agents,
70, Chancery Lane, London W.C., Agent for Applicant.