Improvements in Vending Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Vending Machines.
I, EDWARD SHAW, of 9, Lower Castle Street, Bristol, in the County of Glouces-
ter, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
This invention has reference to a construction of vending machine designed to
deliver from bulk and in exchange for a proper coin, a predetermined quantity
of goods. For example the machine may be arranged to deliver a certain weight
of goods in exchange for the coin inserted; and may be adapted for holding and
delivering in return for coin, sweets of various kinds including those known in
the confectionery trade as boiled goods and dry goods respectively or it may be
employed for selling nuts, peas, rice, marbles, and various other articles. Pro-
vision is when needful made to protect the goods in bulk as far as possible from
injurious action of the external atmosphere, and to prevent the machine being
operated until after a coin of the proper value has been inserted therein.
For the purpose of enabling the nature of my invention to be readily under-
stood I hereunto annex (merely by way of illustration) drawings shewing how a
machine embodying my various improvements may be arranged when it is desired
to combine them all in one compound machine, but it is to be noted that machines
according to my invention may be variously constructed and that in some cases
it may be found convenient and advantageous to embody some of the features of
my invention without others and to apply some of my improvements in machines
which in other respects may differ more or less from the one illustrated.
The compound machine illustrated may be described as comprising four vend-
ing sections and one paper supplying section the object being to enable four
different kinds of goods to be supplied and a piece of paper to be delivered with
the goods withdrawn. But although four vending section are indicated it will
be evident that any other convenient number might be included in one compound
machine with one or more paper supplying sections or a machine might include
simply one vending section and one paper supplying section.
Fig. 1 shows in front elevation, Fig. 2 in side elevation, Fig. 3 in rear eleva-
tion and Fig. 4 in plan, so much of the compound machine as I have briefly
referred to as a vending section and which includes an enclosing casing a money
box and a dust tray.
Fig. 5 shows in front and Fig. 6 in side elevation the same apparatus as is
indicated by Figs. 1 to 4 but without its casing, money box and dust tray, whose
positions are however, indicated approximately by dotted lines.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line C D of Fig. 6.
Fig. 7 shows a vertical section on the line A B of Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 shows the weighing mechanism in a discharging attitude.
Fig. 9 a section on the line C¹ D¹ of Fig. 6.
Fig. 10 a section on the line E. F of Fig. 9.

page_text: Fig. 12 shows a plan of the paper delivering section.
Fig. 13 shows a section on the line G H of Fig. 12.
Fig. 14 a section on the line I K of Fig. 12.
Fig. 15 a section on the line L M of Fig. 12.
Figs. 16 and 17 are detail views hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 18 shows a transverse section of the compound machine.
Fig. 19 shows partly in side elevation and partly in section, the device for trans-
mitting motion from a handle to the mechanism of one vending section and to
that of the paper delivering section.
Fig. 20 shows in elevation the worm wheel and ratchet arrangement for com-
municating motion from the operating shaft of the vending sections to the paper
delivering shaft.
Fig. 21 shows a transverse section of the compound machine and
Fig. 22 a front elevation of the same.
1 is a receptacle for holding in bulk goods to be delivered, 1º is an air tight
cover to the same such as usually used with sweet tins. 2 is an endless chain
carrying scoops 3 and passing round sprocket wheels 4 and 5, thus constituting an
endless conveyor (which is arranged to be operated by driving and coin testing
apparatus) adapted to lift goods from the bulk stored in the receptacle and deliver
them as hereinafter explained into an automatic weighing device. 6 is a brush
that is through suitable gearing rotated from the upper sprocket wheel 4 and
sweeps the goods off the scoops 3 as they successively come under its influence,
so that such goods then fall into the hopper 7, and thence into the receptacle 8
of the weighing device. This receptacle (hereinafter called the scale pan) has
an inclined bottom and its outer end is made separate as a flap or door 9 hinged
at 10 and kept normally locked by a locking lever 11 pivoted at 12 and arranged
so that when the scale pan is tipped as hereinafter explained the locking lever
is by contact of its arm 11° with a fixed bar 13 or equivalent deflector moved
about its fulcrum sufficiently to unlock the flap 9. The scale pan 8 is carried
by levers 14, mounted on a shaft 15 and provided with an adjustable weight 16,
which normally retains the scale pan 8 in its uppermost position. When the
predetermined weight of goods the apparatus is adjusted to deliver in exchange
for a coin has been raised by the endless conveyor and deposited in the scale pan
the weight 16 is overbalanced, thus causing the pan 8 to begin tipping and through
a connecting rod 17 to actuate an arm 18 and cause its free end to engage with
the chain of the endless conveyer, which during its further movement actuates
the said arm so as not only to complete the tipping of the scale beam, but also to
actuate mechanism whereby the further movement is arrested. The contents of
the pan 8 are delivered through the shoot 19.
The arm 18 is one arm of a lever which is pivotted at 18 to a bar 20 able to
slide longitudinally. As the arm 18 is moved downward by the descending por-
tion of the endless chain 2 the second arm 18b of the lever is raised and lifts a
catch 21 pivotted at 22 so as to release the sliding bar 20 and allow it to be by
its spring 23 moved into position represented in Figs. 9 and 10 in which the nose
of the lever arm 18 is clear of the descending portion of the endless chain and a
nose or projection 24 on the sliding bar has engaged with the said chain at the
ascending side and has arrested and locked it.
In the example illustrated, the mechanism for receiving a coin, testing it and
starting the apparatus for delivering goods from bulk into the scale pan, com-
prises a coin shoot 25, a coin slot 26 carried by the sliding bar 20, a series of lugs
or projections 27 formed on an enlarged portion of the shaft 28 on which the
lower sprocket wheel 5 is so mounted that the shaft is able to make a partial for-
ward rotation independently of the sprocket wheel in order to enable the conveyor
chain to be unlocked as hereinafter explained, bevel gear 29 and a shaft 30 adapted
to be actuated from outside the machine for driving the mechanism after the

page_text: insertion of a coin, and a coin discharging shoot 31 by which the coin is conveyed
to the coin-receiving chamber 32 after being released. In connection with the
coin shoot 25 there is arranged (see Fig. 6) a magnet 25 for the purpose of pre-
venting any iron disc inserted in the coin shoot 25, from passing down into the
coin slot 26 and thus enabling the machine to be worked.
This magnet 25 has a long armature or keeper 25b which forms the top of the
coin shoot 25; the under surface of the armature 25b is at the entrance of the coin
shoot 25 so placed as to allow a clearance of say 1/16 of an inch from the top
edge of coin or disc. The operation would be as follows:-A disc of iron being
inserted into the shoot 25 would run down the shoot until it reached the arma-
ture 25b whereupon it would be attracted by the magnet and would run along the
underside of the armature (the action of gravity being reversed) and upon reach
ing the end of the armature would drop off clear of the coin slot.
In Fig. 7 the slide bar 20 and coin slot 26 are shown in the positions they occupy
when the parts of the machine are set to receive a coin. A coin passing down the
shoot 25 enters the coin slot 26 and descends until its lower edge rests either
upon one of the lugs 27, whereupon a slight backward movement of the handle
will cause the coin to ride up the back of the lug or projection and drop in front
thereof or upon the boss of the lower sprocket wheel in front of one of the lugs 27.
On the shaft being now rotated in a forward direction one of the lugs or pro-
jections 27 is forced against the projecting lower part of the coin which if genuine
is strong enough to resist bending and acts as a key forcing back (i.e., towards the
right in Fig. 7) the sliding bar 20 in opposition to the spring 23 until the free end
of the catch 21 has dropped in front of the shoulder 33 of the sliding bar 20 and
as the rotation of the shaft 28 is continued, the projection 27 moves clear of the
lower edge of the coin and allows the coin to drop down the shoot 31, during
which time the spring 23 has moved the sliding bar 20 back sufficiently to bring
its shoulder 33 against the catch 21. By the movement of the sliding bar 20
through the medium of the coin the nose 24 has been moved clear of the chain 2,
thus unlocking the chain. The operations that follow (from continued rotation
of the shaft 28) of withdrawing goods from the receptacle 1, weighing and deliver-
ing the weighed quantity and stopping and locking the mechanism with the coin
slot 26 in a position to receive another coin will be understood from the explana-
tion already given.
34 is a pawl for preventing backward movement of the chain 2.
For storing paper in a continuous length, cutting off and delivering a given
length at each operation of the vending section, the following arrangement is
employed:-
--
A continuous sheet of paper is wound upon a roller 35 and at the free end is
passed first between a friction roller 36 and a smooth stationary guide 37 and then
between guide plates 38, 38° and 39, 39º. Narrow openings or slits 40
and 40 are left between the plates 38, 38" and between the plates 39 and 39º,
so as to allow a knife 41 to pass between them and cut the paper at the proper
time as hereinafter explained. The slit 40° is wider than the slit 40 so that there
may pass into it preparatory to the cutting operation a paper gripper comprising
a couple of longitudinal bars 42 having between them a slit or space 42° for the
passage of the knife to sever a length from the continuous sheet of paper after
the holder has nipped the paper between itself and the plates 38, 38°.
After severing a length of paper from the continuous sheet, the parts of the
mechanism assume positions in which the separated piece of paper is left free to
fall outside the machine.
The movements necessary for actuating in their proper successive order the
friction roller 36, the paper gripper 42, and the knife 41 are obtained all from
one shaft 43. This shaft is operated by chain and sprocket gear 44 from a
shaft 45 which, in turn, is rotated by worm and wheel from the short shaft 46
through which a vending section of the apparatus is worked.

page_text: It will be observed that in the example the shaft 45 is geared to the shaft 46
of each of the vending sections of the combined machine. It is to be noted that
each of the worm wheels 48 is connected to the shaft 45 by a ratchet 48" and
pawl 48 the object being to enable any one of the handles 49 and consequently
the corresponding worm 47 and worm wheel 48, to rotate the shaft 45 in a forward
direction at the same time allowing it to rotate in that direction freely through
the worm wheels which are not at the time being actuated. This arrangement
allows of the paper delivering mechanism being actuated by turning any one of
the handles 49 whilst the others remain stationary.
On shaft 43 are fixed the sprocket wheel 44ª and a ratchet wheel 50%; freely
mounted on the same shaft is a hollow shaft or long sleeve 51 provided with a
long bolt 52 influenced by a spring 53 and adapted by engaging with the ratchet
wheel 50 to couple or lock the hollow shaft 51 to shaft 43 when the paper delivering
and cutting mechanism is to be operated. A wedge or cam 54 on the end of a
lever 55 fulcrumed at 56 and influenced by a spring 57 serves to move back the
bolt 52 so as to uncouple the hollow shaft 51 from the inner shaft 53 and keep
them uncoupled until through intervening mechanism the cam is moved clear of
the nose of the bolt 52 which then engages with the ratchet wheel 50. The
lever 55 is operated from the bolt 20 when the latter is moved towards the right
of Fig. 10, through the medium of a lever 58 which is pivoted at 58 and receives
a kick from the bolt 20 the effect of which is to cause the end 58b of the lever 58
to move the end 55ª of the lever 55 in the direction indicated by the arrow 1 in
Fig. 15 thereby moving the cam or wedge 54 clear of the locking bolt 52. In
Fig. 15 the hollow shaft 51 is coupled to the shaft 43, the bolt 52 being shown in
the position it would occupy after the shaft-53 had nearly completed one revolu-
tion. As the apparatus is driven the shafts 43 and 51 whilst coupled rotate in
the direction of the arrow 2 Fig. 15 until the nose of the locking bolt 52 passing
along the inclined surface of the wedge 54 is thereby gradually moved clear of
the ratchet wheel 50 thus uncoupling the two shafts.
55b is a short lever pivoted on the end 55ª of the lever 55 the arrangement
being such that movement of the lever arm 58% from right to left (Fig. 15) will
cause movement if the lever 55 until by their radial motions the two levers clear
one another but that assuming the lever 55 to be in the attitude in which it is
represented in Fig. 15 then the lever arm 58b will be free to move back past the
small lever 55 without actuating the lever 55.
36 is a friction tyre or surface it may be of india rubber arranged partly
around the periphery of the friction roller 36 in such a manner that during the
portion of its rotation 36°, 36, 36 the roller will have a drawing effect upon the
paper but during the succeeding portion of the rotation 36b, 36°, the roller will
clear the paper.
The paper gripper comprises besides the bars 42 a couple of
lever arms 59 pivoted at 60 so as to be acted upon by cams 61 fast on the hollow
shaft 51 and a couple of springs 62 which cause the arms 59 to follow the back-
ward movement of the cams 61 so freeing the paper.
The knife 41 is carried in a frame 63 able to reciprocate in guides 64 and pro-
vided with projections 65 adapted to be acted upon at the proper times by cam-
like arms 66 which are fast on the hollow shaft 51, 67 being a spring tending
always to retain the knife in or return it to its backward position, that is, clear of
the cutting plates.
As will be evident, the details just described may be more or less modified
whilst retaining the sequence of the operations according to which, first a suffi-
cient length of paper is drawn forward, then the paper gripped and held, then the
required piece is severed from the remainder and then, whilst the paper is still
held, the knife is returned, then the paper is released and the severed portion
delivered or allowed to fall outside the machine.
A vending section, according to my invention is or may be, with its enclosing
case, complete in itself (the coin-receiving chamber excepted) so that it may be

page_text: used alone or as part of a compound machine comprising any convenient number
of such vending sections with or without a paper-delivering section or sections
and any vending section forming part of a compound machine may be readily
removed and another vending section be substituted for it if necessary or desirable
for any reason.
Referring to Fig. 18, the vending section is supported in the outer casing of the
compound machine by the bars 68 and 69 so that its weight does not rest upon
the dust-tray 32ª which projects laterally from the coin-receiving chamber $32.
The wall of this chamber is made with a coin slot provided with a short shoot 69
projecting into the chamber and below there is an opening through the wall
which is closed by a plate 70 that is soldered in position so that any given seal
or mark can be impressed in the solder in order to enable any improper opening
to be detected.
In the outer casing of the compound machine, there is a door 71 running past
the ends of the entire series of coin chambers or there may be a separate door
opposite each coin chamber if preferred, the arrangement being such that by
opening such outside door or doors the coin chambers with their connected dust-
trays can be removed and others substituted. For the purpose of enabling intend-
ing purchasers to inspect the goods they are about to buy, receptacles 72 containing
samples may be arranged within the outer casing which may be formed with
suitably arranged openings 73; the openings may be glazed and the samples con-
tained in bottles arranged within the receptacles, if desired. Conveniently a
receptacle with window is provided for each vending section the window of each
receptacle being arranged in proximity to the operating hand of the respective
vending section.
I, EDWARD SHAW, formerly of 9, Lower Castle Street, Bristol, in the County of
Gloucester, but now of Broad Street House, in the City of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:.
This invention has reference to a construction of vending machine designed to
deliver from bulk and in exchange for a proper coin, a predetermined quantity
of goods. For example the machine may be arranged to deliver a certain weight
of goods in exchange for the coin inserted; and may be adapted for holding and
delivering in return for coin, sweets of various kinds including those known in
the confectionery trade as boiled goods and dry goods respectively, or it may be
employed for selling nuts, peas, rice, marbles, and various other articles. Pro-
vision is when needful made to protect the goods in bulk as far as possible from
injurious action of the external atmosphere, and to prevent the machine being
operated until after a coin of the proper value has been inserted therein.
For the purpose of enabling the nature of my invention to be readily under-
stood I hereunto annex (merely by way of illustration) drawings shewing how a

page_text: machine embodying my various improvements may be arranged when it is desired
to combine them all in one compound machine, but it is to be noted that machines
according to my invention may be variously constructed and that in some cases
it may be found convenient and advantageous to embody some of the features of
my invention without others and to apply some of my improvements in machines
which in other respects may differ more or less from the one illustrated.
The compound machine illustrated may be described as comprising four vend-
ing sections and one paper supplying section, the object being to enable four
different kinds of goods to be supplied and a piece of paper to be delivered with
the goods withdrawn. But although four vending sections are indicated it will
be evident that any other convenient number might be included in one compound
machine with one or more paper supplying sections, or a machine might include
simply one vending section and one paper supplying section.
In the drawings accompanying my Provisional Specification
Fig. 1 shows in front elevation, Fig. 2 in side elevation, Fig. 3 in rear eleva-
tion and Fig. 4 in plan, so much of the compound machine as I have briefly
referred to as a vending section and which includes an enclosing casing, a money
box and a dust tray.
Fig. 5 shows in front and Fig. 6 in side elevation, the same apparatus as is
indicated by Figs. 1 to 4 but without its casing, money box and dust tray, whose
positions are however, indicated approximately by dotted lines.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line C D of Fig. 6.
Fig. 7 shows a vertical section on the line A B of Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the weighing mechanism in a discharging
attitude.
-
Fig. 9 is a section on the line CI 11 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 10 is a vertical section on the line E F of Fig. 9.
Fig. 11 shows in elevation one end of the coin operating shaft.
Fig. 11 is a cross section on the line a b of Fig. 11.
Fig. 12 shows a plan of the paper delivering_section.
Fig. 13 shows a section on the line G H of Fig. 12.
Fig. 14 is a section on the line I K of Fig. 12.
- Fig. 15 is a section on the line L M of Fig. 12.
Figs. 16 and 17 are detail views hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 18 shows a transverse section of the compound machine.
Fig. 19 shows partly in side elevation and partly in section, the device for trans-
mitting motion from a handle to the mechanism of one vending section and to
that of the paper delivering section.
Fig. 20 shows in elevation the worm wheel and ratchet arrangement for com-
municating motion from the operating shaft of the vending sections to the paper
delivering shaft.
Fig. 21 shows a transverse section of the compound machine and
Fig. 22 a front elevation of the same.
The several figures are drawn to different scales.
1 is a receptacle for holding in bulk goods to be delivered, 1º is an air tight
cover to the same such as usually used with sweet tins. 2 is an endless chain
carrying scoops 3 and passing round sprocket wheels 4 and 5, thus constituting an
endless conveyor which is arranged to be operated by driving and coin testing
apparatus as hereinafter described and is adapted to lift goods from the bulk
stored in the receptacle and deliver them, as hereinafter explained into an auto-
matic weighing device. 6 is a brush that is, through suitable gearing, rotated
from the upper sprocket wheel 4 and sweeps the goods off the scoops 3 as they
successively come under its influence, so that such goods then fall into the
hopper 7, and thence into the receptacle 8 of the weighing device. This recep-
tacle (hereinafter called the scale pan) has an inclined bottom and its outer end
is made separate as a flap or door 9 (Figs. 7 and 8) hinged at 10 and kept normally

page_text: locked by a locking lever 11 pivoted at 12 and arranged so that when the scale
pan is tipped as hereinafter explained, the locking lever is by contact of its
arm 11 with a fixed bar 13 or equivalent deflector, moved about its fulcrum
sufficiently to unlock the flap 9 (Fig. 8). The scale pan 8 is carried by levers 14,
mounted on a shaft 15 and provided with an adjustable weight 16 which normally
retains the scale pan 8 in its uppermost position. When the predetermined
weight of goods the apparatus is adjusted to deliver in exchange for a coin has.
been raised by the endless conveyor and deposited in the scale pan, the weight 16
is overbalanced, thus causing the pan 8 to begin tipping and through a connecting
rod 17 to actuate an arm 18 (Fig. 9) and cause its free end to engage with the
chain 2 of the endless conveyor, which during its further movement actuates the
said arm so as not only to complete the tipping of the scale beam, but also to
actuate mechanism whereby the further movement is arrested. The contents of
the pan 8 are delivered through the shoot 19 to the exterior of the apparatus.
The arm 18 is one arm of a lever which is pivoted at 18" (Fig. 10) to a bar 20
able to slide longitudinally. As the arm 18 is moved downward by the descending
portion of the endless chain 2, the second arm 18 of the lever is raised and lifts
a catch 21 pivoted at 22 so as to release the sliding bar 20 and allow it to be, by
its spring 23 moved into the position represented in Figs. 9 and 10 in which the
nose 18 of the lever arm 18 is clear of the descending portion of the endless
chain 2 and a nose or projection 24 on the sliding bar has engaged with the said
chain at the ascending side and has arrested and locked it.
In the example illustrated, the mechanism for receiving a coin, testing it, and
starting the apparatus for delivering goods from bulk into the scale pan, com-
prises a coin shoot 25, a coin slot 26 carried by the sliding bar 20 (see Fig. 7) a
series of lugs or projections 27 (see Figs. 11 and 11*) formed on an enlarged por-
tion 28 of the shaft 28 on which the lower sprocket wheel 5 is so mounted that
the shaft is able to make a partial forward rotation independently of the sprocket
wheel in order to enable the conveyor chain to be unlocked as hereinafter explained,
bevel gear 29, a shaft 30 adapted to be actuated from outside the machine for
driving the mechanism after the insertion of a coin, and a coin discharging
shoot 31 by which the coin is conveyed to the coin-receiving chamber 32 after
being released. One bevel wheel 29 may be fixed to the enlarged portion 28" of
the shaft, which is conveniently connected with the boss 5 of the sprocket wheel 5
by clutch teeth 28* & 5* that allow a limited amount of play between the two
parts.
In connection with the coin shoot 25 there may be arranged (see Fig. 6) a mag-
net 25 for the purpose of preventing any iron disc inserted in the coin shoot 25,
from passing down into the coin slot 26 (Fig. 7) and thus enabling the machine
to be worked. This magnet 25ª has a long inclined armature or keeper 25b which
forms the top of and extends some little distance beyond the coin shoot 25; the
under surface of the armature 25b is, at the entrance of the coin shoot 25, so placed
as to allow a clearance of say 1/16 of an inch from the top edge of coin or disc.
Opposite the entrance the side of the shoot is slotted so that if a disc of iron be
inserted into the shoot 25 beneath the armature 25b it will be attracted thereby
and, instead of passing down the shoot, would roll or run along, hanging by its
edge from the underside of the armature (the action of gravity being overcome by
the magnetism of the armature) and will thus pass out through the slotted side
of the shoot and, upon reaching the end of the armature, would drop off clear of
the coin slot.
In Fig. 7 the slide bar 20 and coin slot 26 are shown in the positions they
occupy when the parts of the machine are set to receive a coin. A coin passing
down the shoot 25 enters the coin slot 26 and descends until its lower edge rests
either upon one of the lugs 27, whereupon a slight backward movement of the
handle will cause the coin to ride up the back of the lug or projection and drop
in front thereof, or upon the boss of the lower sprocket wheel in front of one of

page_text: the lugs 27 as shown in full lines in Fig. 74, which is detail view of certain parts
of the apparatus.
On the shaft being now rotated in a forward direction from a to b Fig. 7* one
of the lugs or projections 27 is forced against the projecting lower part of the coin
which, if genuine, is strong enough to resist bending and acts as a key forcing
back (ie., towards the right in Figs. 7 and 7^) the sliding bar 20 in opposition
to the spring 23 until the free end of the catch 21 has dropped in front of the
shoulder 33 of the sliding bar 20, when the slot 26, and the coin will occupy the
positions shown in dotted lines Fig. 7* and, as the rotation of the shaft 28 is con-
tinued, the projection 27 moves from 6 to c Fig. 7 clear of the lower edge of the
coin and allows the coin to slide over its back or drop from the position shown
in dotted lines down the shoot 31,, during which time the spring 23 has moved
the sliding bar 20 back sufficiently to bring its shoulder 33 against the catch 21.
By the movement of the sliding bar 20 through the medium of the coin the
nose 24 has been moved clear of the chain 2, thus unlocking the chain. The
operations that follow (from continued rotation of the shaft 28) of withdrawing
goods from the receptacle 1, weighing and delivering the weighed quantity, and
stopping and locking the mechanism with the coin slot 26 in a position to receive
another coin will be understood from the explanation already given.
34 (see Fig. 6) is a pawl for preventing backward movement of the chain 2.
For storing paper in a continuous length, cuting off and delivering a given
length at each operation of the vending section, the following arrangement is
employed:
-
A continuous sheet of paper is wound upon a roller 35 (see Figs. 12 and 13) and
at the free end is passed first between a friction roller 36 and a smooth stationary
guide 37 and then between guide plates 38, 38 and 39, 39°. Narrow openings
or slits 40 and 40" are left between the plates 38, 38ª and between the plates 39
and 39 respectively, so as to allow a knife 41 to pass between them and cut the
paper at the proper time as hereinafter explained. The slit 40° is wider than
the slit 40 so that there may pass into it preparatory to the cutting operation a
paper gripper comprising a couple of longitudinal bars 42 having between them
a slit or space 42" for the passage of the knife to sever a length from the con-
tinuous sheet of paper after the holder has nipped the paper between itself and the
plates 38, 38º.
After severing a length of paper from the continuous sheet, the parts of the
mechanism assume positions in which the separated piece of paper is left free to
fall outside the machine.
The movements necessary for actuating in their proper successive order the
friction roller 36, the paper gripper 42, and the knife 41 are obtained all from one
shaft 43. This shaft is operated by chain and sprocket gear 44 from a shaft 45
which, in turn, is rotated by worm and wheel from the short shaft 46 (see Fig. 18)
through which a vending section of the apparatus is worked.
In the example taken the shaft 45 is geared to the shaft 46 of each of the
vending sections of the combined machine. It is to be noted that each of the
worm wheels 48 is connected to the shaft 45 by a ratchet wheel 48" and pawl 48b
(see Fig. 20) the object being to enable any one of the handles 49 and conse-
quently the corresponding worm 47, and worm wheel 48, to rotate the shaft 45 in
a forward direction at the same time allowing it to rotate in that direction freely
through the worm wheels which are not at the time being actuated. This arrange-
ment allows of the paper delivering mechanism being actuated by turning any
one of the handles 49 whilst the others remain stationary.
On shaft 43 are fixed the sprocket wheel 44" and a ratchet wheel 50; freely
mounted on the same shaft is a hollow shaft or long sleeve 51 which carries the
friction wheel 36 and cam wheels 61 hereinafter referred to. 52 is a long bolt
which is capable of slight endwise movement through holes in the wheel 36 and
in one of the wheels 61; it is influenced by a spring 53 and adapted by engaging

page_text: with the ratchet wheel 50 to couple or lock wheel 36 and the hollow shaft 51 to
shaft 43 when the paper delivering and cutting mechanism is to be operated. A
wedge or cam 54 on the end of a lever 55 fulcrumed at 56 and influenced by a
spring 57 (see Fig. 15) serves to move back the bolt 52 so as to uncouple the
hollow shaft 51 from the inner shaft 53 and keep them uncoupled until, through
intervening mechanism, the cam is moved clear of the nose of the bolt 52 which
then engages with the ratchet wheel 50. The lever 55 is operated from the
bolt 20 when the latter is moved towards the right of Fig. 10, through the medium
of a lever 58 which is pivoted at 58" (Fig. 21) and receives a kick from the bolt 20
the effect of which is to cause the end 58b of the lever 58 to move the end 55"
of the lever 55 in the direction indicated by the arrow 1 in Fig. 15 thereby moving
the cam or wedge 54 clear of the locking bolt 52. In Fig. 15 the hollow shaft 51
is coupled to the shaft 43, the bolt 52 being shown in the position it would occupy
after the shaft 43 had nearly completed one revolution. As the apparatus is
driven, the shafts 43 and 51, whilst coupled, rotate in the direction of the arrow 2,
Fig. 15, until the nose of the locking bolt 52 passing along the inclined surface of
the wedge 54 is thereby gradually moved clear of the ratchet wheel 50 thus un-
coupling the two shafts.
55b is a short lever pivoted on the end 55" of the lever 55, the arrangement
being such that movement of the lever arm 58b from right to left (Fig. 15) will
cause movement of the lever 55 until by their radial motions the two levers clear
one another but that assuming the lever 55 to be in the attitude in which it is
represented in Fig. 15 then the lever arm 58 will be free to move back past the
small lever 55b without actuating the lever 55.
36 is a friction tyre or surface it may be of india rubber arranged partly
around the periphery of the friction roller 36 in such a manner that during the
portion of its rotation 36°, 36", 36b the roller will have a drawing effect upon the
paper but during the succeeding portion of the rotation 36b, 36°, the roller
will clear the paper.
The paper gripper comprises besides the bars 42 a couple
of lever arms 59 pivoted at 60 so as to be acted upon by cams 61 fast on the hollow
shaft 51 and a couple of springs 62 which cause the arms 59 to follow the back-
ward movement of the cams G1 so freeing the paper.
The knife 41 is carried in a frame 63 able to reciprocate in guides 64 and pro-
vided with projections 65 adapted to be acted upon at the proper times by cam-
like arms 66 which are fast on the hollow shaft 51, 67 being a spring tending
always to retain the knife in or return it to its backward position, that is, clear of
the gripper plates 42.
As will be evident, the details just described may be more or less modified
whilst retaining the sequence of the operations according to which, first a suffi-
cient length of paper is drawn forward, then the paper gripped and held, then
the require: piece is severed from the remainder and then, whilst the paper is still
held, the knife is returned, then the paper is released and the severed portion
delivered or allowed to fall outside the machine.
A vending section, according to my invention is or may be, with its enclosing
case, complete in itself (the coin-receiving chamber excepted) so that it may be
used alone or as part of a compound machine comprising any convenient number
of such vending sections with or without a paper-delivering section or sections,
and any vending section forming part of a compound machine may be readily
removed and another vending section be substituted for it if necessary or desirable
for any reason.
Referring to Fig. 18, the vending section is supported in the outer casing of
the compound machine by the bars 68 and 69 so that its weight does not rest upon
the dust-tray 32" which projects laterally from the coin-receiving chamber 32.
The wall of this chamber is made with a coin slot provided with a short shoot 69
projecting into the chamber, and below there is an opening through the wall
which is closed by a plate 70 (Fig. 3) that is soldered in position so that any

page_text: given seal or mark can be impressed in the solder in order to enable any improper
opening to be detected.
In the outer casing 1 of the compound machine, there is a door 71 running
past the ends of the entire series of coin chambers, or there may be a separate door
opposite each coin chamber if preferred, the arrangement being such that by
opening such outside door or doors the coin chambers with their connected dust-
trays can be removed and others substituted. For the purpose of enabling intend-
ing purchasers to inspect the goods they are about to buy, receptacles 72 (Fig. 18)
containing samples may be arranged within the outer casing which may be formed
with suitably arranged openings 73 (Fig. 22); the openings may be glazed and
the samples contained in bottles arranged within the receptacles, if desired. Con-
veniently a receptacle with window is provided for each vending section, the
window of each receptacle being arranged in proximity to the operating..handle
of the respective vending section.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A vending machine designed to deliver a predetermined quantity of goods
from bulk in exchange for a proper coin comprising a receptacle for holding the
goods in bulk, a conveyor adapted to convey goods therefrom, a weighing device
into which said withdrawn goods are delivered, means for operating said con-
veyor by hand and a locking device which upon delivery of the quantity of goods
already paid for is caused to lock or prevent the further operation of the conveyor
until the same is again released through the medium of another proper coin, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In a vending machine the combination with two or more removable sections
each comprising the parts mentioned in the preceding claim of means for holding
and delivering paper, said means being so arranged as to be operated each time
any one of said sections is caused to deliver goods substantially as described.
3. In a vending machine of the kind referred to in Claim 1 so connecting the
operating device with the conveyor that the former can be slightly moved inde-
pendently of the latter and providing said operating device with one or more
tugs or the like and the locking device with a coin slot or holder, the arrangement
being such that, when in said slot, a coin will serve as a key between the operating
and the locking devices and that movement of the operating device will first
unlock the conveyor and release the coin and then drive in a positive manner the
conveyor, substantially as described.
4. In a vending machine of the kind referred to in Claim 3, the combination
with the locking device of means whereby it can be held in the unlocked attitude
and of a lever connected to the weighing device and so arranged that during the
descent of the scale beam of the latter the lever is caused to engage with
the conveyor so that further movement of the conveyor completes the tipping of the
scale beam and causes the release of the locking device, substantially as described.
5. A vending machine designed to deliver a predetermined quantity of goods
from bulk in exchange for a proper coin comprising one or more vending sections
constructed, arranged and operating substantially as described with reference to
and shown in Figs. 1 to 11 inclusive of the accompanying drawings.
6. In a vending machine, paper storing and delivering apparatus constructed
arranged and operating substantially as described with reference to and shown in
the accompanying drawings.
7. A compound vending machine for supplying different kinds of goods from
bulk and paper substantially as described with reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
8. In a vending machine, the arrangement of a magnet in connection with a
coin shoot in such a manner that a disc of iron or the like running or rolling

page_text: through the shoot will be attracted by the magnet which will only allow it to
continue to run or roll in contact with the armature of the magnet so that, upon
the disc reaching the end of the armature, it will have been caused to pass clear
of the shoot leading to the coin holder and, under the action of gravity, will free
itself from the magnet, substantially as described.
bruary 1898.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE, Chartered Patent Agent.
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,