Improvements in and connected with Coin-freed Supply Apparatus.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Coin-freed Supply Apparatus.
I. ERNEST SIMPKINS of 139, Croxted Road. West Dulwich Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature or 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 to provide a simple strong and effective coin-freed
apparatus or machine which is not liable to go out of order. The apparatus consists
essentially of four parts, namely, a container (for holding the articles to be
exchanged for the coin); a slide or drawer by which the article is brought out of
the machine: the mechanism for locking or unlocking the slide or drawer, and the
receptacle for catching the coins. The apparatus is made of any suitable material
or combination of materials, as wood, metal, or wood and metal.
The container is preferably made vertical and has a cover at the top and a
suitably situated door by which the contents may be from time to time replenished,
and is also further provided with a sliding weight or other contrivance for pressing
down the articles and ensuring their escape through the open bottom. Immediately
under the open bottom is a delivery slide, sliding box or equivalent (hereinafter
called the slide) so that when the apparatus is closed, the lowermost of the articles
in the container is in contact with the upper surface of the slide or in a recess or
depression therein. Directly outside the front of the container is a slot passing
through the slide of dimensions suitable to the coin intended to be used in the
apparatus, and at the rear end of the slide is a slot or gap extending from the end
of the slide a certain distance towards the front thereof; and from side to side
across this gap is a rod. In front of the side is a handle for moving it to and fro.
Between the rearward edge of the coin-slot in the slide is a downward tending guide
to keep the coin vertical. Immediately under the slide and extending from the
front edge of the coin slot is a wedge whose thicker end is attached to the front of
the apparatus, the thinner edge being directly under the forward edge of the coin
slot. An opening is provided in the downward tending coin-guide above mentioned,
of such dimensions as will allow the wedge to pass through when the slide is drawn
forward. At a short distance below the slide, but not connected thereto, is a rod
passing from side to side of the apparatus. This rod passes through a lever whose
forward end extends slightly beyond the front edge of the coin slot and whose
rearward end is preferably curved upwards and made "beak" shaped; the beak
embracing somewhat loosely the upper part of the rod passing across the gap at the
rear end of the slide. This lever is not equally balanced, that is to say, the rod
passes through it somewhat out of the centre of its length, so as to cause the beak to
be over the rod across the gap, thus keeping the slide normally locked. Below the
lever is a box, drawer or the like to catch the falling coins.
In order to further explain my invention I make reference to the accompanying
drawing which shows a longitudinal section of a coin-freed apparatus, made according
to my invention. a is the container for holding the articles, b, which can be kept
down by a weight e or by other suitable means. is closed at the top d and behind
at e and provided with a door at f. g is the slide having the coin slot h, handle i
and gap across which passes the rod k. is the coin-guide, having the opening m.
n is the wedge over which 9 slides and which itself (n) passes through m.
lever pivotted on the rod p and having the beak end 9 embracing the upper part
of k. r is a coin inserted in h. s is the receptacle for catching the coins. t is a
stop to prevent the heavier end of o falling too low.
o is the

page_text: The action of the apparatus is as follows: Assuming the slide to be pushed home
and a coin inserted as shewn in the drawing, then on drawing forward the slide g by
the handle the wedge n will force down the coin r and depress the forward end of
the lever o and simultaneously lift the beak end from the rod k and thus allow the
slide to be drawn out to its full extent and carry with it the undermost of the
articles in a, the coin dropping off the lever and falling into the receptacle
The article can then be removed from the slide and the latter pushed home ready
for use again. The slide is prevented from being entirely withdrawn either by the
guide striking the front of the apparatus or by any other suitable means.
In order to prevent the insertion of a coin after the last article is removed
I provide the following arrangement: An angular plate of metal or other suitable
material is attached to the front of the machine below the door. This piece of
material has a slot in it corresponding to that of the coin slot in the slide. In the
centre of the weight is a loose fitting plunger vand in the slide is a hole w somewhat
more rearward than the plungere. When the last article is withdrawn, the
plunger will enter the holè w in the slide, and the whole is so arranged that
when this takes place, the coin slot is covered by the forward part of the angle
plate u.
Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings is a section of an alternative mode of
arranging the slide, coin slot, lever; clutch and other parts. In this arrangement
the slide g' has near its rearward end two wedge-like projections x and y of about
the form shown: is a lever having a weight at one end, and. provided with. a
notch or clutch A This lever is attached to a rod pl which passes through it, and
. each end of which turns in slots B (of which only one appears in the drawing)
tending downward from the grooves in which the slide g runs. are the
grooved guides (one of which is each end of the coin slot) for guiding downwards
the coin wlien the latter is inserted into 4 n'is the wedge (n of Fig. 1) and
performs the same function. o' is the hole in the slide to accommodate the lower
end of the plunger and as above described when the last article is withdrawn this
plunger enters the hole w', the whole being so arranged that when this takes place
the coin slot is covered by the forward end of the wedge n'. On pushing back the
slide for the purpose of inserting the coin the notch y passes over the projection A¹
of the clutch A and partly over the projection c, thus slightly depressing the coin
end of o¹. On inserting the coin in the slot h' the end of o is still further depressed
and on drawing out of the wedge n' will force down the coin and lower o¹
sufficiently to permit the projections x and y to pass over A' and thus allow the
slide to be drawn out to its full extent. The slide can then be pushed back again
and the operation repeated until the last article is withdrawn whereupon the plunger
enters the hole w¹, the position of 10' being such that when immediately under u the
forward end of wedge n' will be below the slot and so prevent the insertion
of another coin.
The component parts of the apparatus may be made of any suitable materials or
combination of materials, but in practice I prefer to make as much as possible of it
of any suitable metal or combination of metals.
I do not restrict myself to the precise configuration, relative proportions or
dispositions of parts as shown in the drawings or described in the specification as
any or all of them may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of
my invention.
Having now particularly. described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be perforined, I declare that what I
claim.is.:-
1. A coin-freed apparatus operated by the insertion of a coin through a slot in
and the drawing out of a slide having beneath it a guide which carries forward the
vertically placed coin, the upper edge of the said coin passing under a wedge which
gradually depresses it and causes it to press down one end of a pivotted lever and
to disengage the other end from a locking bar at the rear eud of the slide, and so

page_text: permitting the said slide to be withdrawn sufficiently to carry with it the undermost
of a number of articles contained in a receptacle above the slide, the coin on passing
the end of the lever falling into a box, drawer or the like provided for its reception
the whole substantially as described in the above specification and exemplified in the
accompanying drawings.
2. The coin-freed apparatus the method of locking and unlocking the delivery
slide by means of pressure on one end of a lever having at its opposite end a beak
embracing a rod on the slide, substantially as described in the specification and
exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
3. In coin-freed supply apparatus the combined self-acting weighted lever o¹ and
clutch A A' constructed and operating substantially as described in the above
specification and more particularly exemplified in Fig. 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In coin-freed apparatus the method of preventing the insertion of a coin when
the last article is withdrawn, the said method consisting in a plunger in the weight
falling into a hole in the slide, this event happening when the slide is in such
position that the coin slot therein is covered by a piece of metal attached to the front
of the machine, the whole substantially as described in the above specification and
exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
5. A coin-freed apparatus provided for and operating substantially as described
in the above specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1896.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.