Improved Coin Freed Dale Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
Improved Coin Freed Dale Apparatus.
I, JOHN OSBORN TONKIN, of Westend, near Berlin, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 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 a coin-freed apparatus for the sale of articles arranged
in piles and especially such articles which are thin and of rectangular shape as
for instance postcards and the like.
such manner that the
The pile of goods thus
hinged at their upper
Such articles are arranged crosswise in a pile and in
longer edges of the cards cross each other at right angles.
arranged is located within a box whose walls or sides are
edges so that a spreading out of the walls or moving apart of the lower edges of
same can be effected.
The box walls or sides opposite each other always move simultaneously so that
the bottom card carried by projections on the bottom edge of these walls loses its
support and drops, whereas the whole pile above same is held by the subsequent
cross card which is supported by the projections of the walls not spread apart.
In this manner, the spring-actuated walls situated opposite each other are
alternately forced apart so that the cards and the like are released singly from the
bottom of the pile and drop into a receptacle accessible to the public.
The alternate movement of the box walls in pairs is effected by some suitable
device which is operated indirectly by a drawing rod or slide coupled with the
operating device in the usual manner by a coin.
Referring to the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 shows in vertical section on line a- of Fig. 2 a coin-freed apparatus
for the sale of postcards,
Fig. 2 a plan of Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 a vertical section on line y—y of Fig. 2 as seen in the direction of the
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line - of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 shows the interior arrangement of the apparatus or of the box contain-
ing the cards at the moment, when two of the opposite walls are moving apart
for effecting the delivery of the bottom card,
Fig. 6 is a plan of the pile of cards.
The walls or sides A A¹ of the receptacle holding the pile of cards which are
arranged cross-wise are secured by hinges a a¹ to a carrying plate or table B of
a frame or casing C. The walls A A' are connected in pairs by springs II' which
draw them together after the bottom card has dropped out.
A crosspiece D with an axle or spindle D¹ or any other suitable device is provided
on the carrying plate or table B by which device, after a coin G has been inserted
in a slot E arranged in the usual manner, an arm H preferably provided with
rollers and secured to the spindle D¹ may be rotated by means of a sliding bar F
or the like, such arm being longer than the distance between the walls A and A¹
respectively of each pair.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line - of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 shows the interior arrangement of the apparatus or of the box contain-
ing the cards at the moment, when two of the opposite walls are moving apart
for effecting the delivery of the bottom card,
Fig. 6 is a plan of the pile of cards.
The walls or sides A A¹ of the receptacle holding the pile of cards which are
arranged cross-wise are secured by hinges a a¹ to a carrying plate or table B of
a frame or casing C. The walls AA' are connected in pairs by springs II' which
draw them together after the bottom card has dropped out.
A crosspiece D with an axle or spindle D₁ or any other suitable device is provided
on the carrying plate or table B by which device, after a coin G has been inserted
in a slot E arranged in the usual manner, an arm H preferably provided with
rollers and secured to the spindle D¹ may be rotated by means of a sliding bar F
or the like, such arm being longer than the distance between the walls A and A¹
respectively of each pair.

page_text: When the arm H rotates, it comes in contact with the adjacent walls A and A¹
respectively and effects an opening or moving apart of same at the same time
stretching the springs II'.
Each wall is provided at the bottom edge with lugs or projections c, c¹ support-
ing the pile of goods S.
On the arm H being moved in such manner that it presses the walls A¹ of
the box or receptacle outwards (Fig. 5) the projections c¹ of such walls release the
bottom card b whereas the next card above, resting upon the projections c of the
walls A of the box which are not spread or moved apart supports the whole pile
of goods so that every time the apparatus is operated, only the bottom card is
released which drops upon the table K from which it may be removed.
On the apparatus being again set in operation, the spreading of the walls A of
the box and the delivery of the card 1 are effected in the same manner whereas
the pile of goods moves downwards to such an extent that the card next to the.öne
just delivered rests upon the projections c¹ of the walls or sides A¹ of the box:: In
this manner the box is successively emptied by the cards being delivered singly at
the bottom end of the pile.
The device for rotating the crosspiece D by means of the guide sliding bar F is
constructed as usual for coin-freed apparatus and preferably arranged in such
manner that the inserted coin forms an intermediate or coupling member necessary
for operating the crosspiece D and the spreading arm H.
At the end of the stroke of the sliding bar F, the coin G drops into a receptacle M
whereupon the slotted or bifurcated sliding bar F is returned to its normal position
by a spring L without operating the crosspiece D.
The guide for the sliding bar provided, in the usual manner with teeth prevents
the apparatus from being used more than once when only one coin has been
inserted, since this coin is removed from its support on the slightest backward
movement of the sliding bar.
Instead of the walls of the box being hinged at their upper edges they may also
be mounted on pins or pivots and extended beyond same so that the walls may be
opened or closed like a pair of scissors in a manner similar to that described and
shown.
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:-
Coin-freed apparatus for the sale of goods arranged in piles and cross-wise
between alternately opening walls characterized by the opening or spreading out
of the spring actuated adjacent walls A A¹ being effected by a spreading arm H
rotating horizontally and normally directed in and of a length corresponding to
the diagonal of the square formed by the adjacent walls such spreading arm
being operated by means of a cross-piece 1) secured to the shaft of the arm on the
insertion of a coin by means of a slide in the usual manner substantially, as
described and shown in the drawing.
Dated 5th March 1898