Improvements in Coin-freed Folding Chairs or Seats.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 27th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Folding Chairs or Seats.
I, FELIX BEHLOW, of Klosterstrasse 43, Berlin, Germany, Merchant, 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:-
This invention relates to a folding chair or seat which is held fast in a raised
position by means of special locking mechanism & which can only be lowered for
use by the insertion into the mechanism of a coin of given size whereby its release
can be effected.
The principal feature of this invention is the certainty of action of the
mechanism whereas coin-freed folding chairs or seats as heretofore made and
used have been found imperfect owing to uncertainty of action, for instance by an
oblique position of the mechanism or by an unforeseen alteration of the equilibrium
of the working parts.
The invention is represented in its essential parts in the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is an interior view of the mechanism, shewing the position of the parts
when the chair or seat is held fast in a folded up position, and Fig. 2 is a side view
of same.
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 shewing the position of the parts when the
chair or seat is liberated, &
Figs. 4 to 7 are detached views of details of construction.
The same letters of reference where they occur are used to denote the same or
corresponding parts in all the figures.
The locking mechanisin is contained within the casing d and is withdrawn from
the keeper e, which is carried by the chair or seat, by the insertion of a coin
through the coin aperture 1. The locking mechanism consists essentially of two
sliding plates a and c and a bolt (shewn detached in plan and edge views in
Figs. 46 and 5 respectively) which slide in partitions f&f secured to the
casing d, and by means of the spring controlled levers g aud h the sliding plate a
and the bolt bare normally kept in front of an aperture d' in the casing d. is an
arm pivotted at its upper end to the casing d and having curved slots i¹ and i² in
which engage the pins or pegs a' and c' of the sliding plates a and c respectively,
so that said sliding plates are caused to move conjointly.
When the sliding plates a and c and the bolt bare retracted, a spring controlled
catch lever v having a lateral arm v lies in front of them and holds them in the
retracted position until the catch lever is released by the keeper e in the manner
hereinafter described.
When the chair or seat is raised, which may be effected by spring power,
balance or by hand, the keeper e enters the casing d through the aperture d'. The
keeper e, which is shewn detached in front, side and plan views in Fig. 7, is
provided with a lateral slot ¹, and over this is a second slot e whose front flank is
shaped obliquely towards the outside.
อ
When the keeper e enters the aperture d'it strikes against the lateral arm » and
releases the catch lever a from before the sliding plates a and c and bolt b. The
pin on the front edge of the bolt b is then, by the pressure of the spring con-
trolled lever h, caused to enter the lateral slot el in the keeper, and similarly the
incliued projection a³ on the front edge of the sliding plate a is by the lever g
caused to enter the oblique slot . In this position the slots m and n are in

page_text: •
register. As the sliding plato a travels forward to the shot position, the
pin a thereon moves forward the pivotted arm which in its turn acts on
the pin and causes the sliding plate c to take up such a position that the
slot o therein comes perpendicularly under the slots m and n in the plate a and
bolt b respectively.
The chair or seat, now held fast in the manner above described, is released in
the following way.
0
Each of the sliding plates a and e and the bolt b is provided with a slot m, o, n,
and when the chair is in the locked position shewn in Fig. 1. these slots are in
register and are situated immediately under the coin-aperture 1. These slots allow
of the insertion through the coin-aperture of a coin of given size, until its lower
edge rests on a tongue piece pl on the plate secured to the partition f. By
means of the inserted coin which now lies in the slots m, n, & o, as shewn in
Figure 2. the bolt is coupled to the sliding plates a and c in such a manner that
the three parts move conjointly.
After the insertion of the coin in the aperture, when pressure is put on the sent
to fold it down and to disengage the keeper e from the locking mechanism, the
inclined projection a² on the sliding plate a is by the pressure of the oblique slot e
caused to slide away and the sliding plate a is thereby forced backwards and simul-
taneously also the sliding plate e and the bolt b are forced backwards by reason of
the slotted arm and the inserted coin lying in the slots m, n, and o; con-
sequently the keeper e. is free and the chair or seat can be pulled down without
hindrance.
Now after the keeper e is removed from the casing d as above described, the
sliding plates a and e and the bolt b are held back in their retracted position by
the spring controlled lever v.
During the passage of the bolt and connected parts from the shot to the
retracted position the coin is carried over the tongue piece pl on the plate p, and
when the bolt is fully retracted the coin has passed the said tongue piece and is
free & falls into a cash receptacle beneath.
The registering apparatus shewn in the lower parts of Figs. 1 to 3, consists
essentially of a ratchet wheel q carrying a spiked roller s, and by the revolutions
of the ratchet wheel the spikes are caused successively to enter a slit t' in a guide
passage through which passes the end of a roll of paper contained in a box u.
is a pawl secured to the end of the lever hand at every movement of the latter
on its pivot the pawl 'cause the ratchet wheel q to advance one tooth. As the
number of the spikes on the roller is equal to the number of teeth on the ratchet
wheel 9 every movement of the pawl produces a perforation on the paper roll r
and the paper is advanced a distance equal to that between two succeeding spikes
on the roller s, the paper being drawn forward by the two preceeding spikes. It is
thus possible to ascertain the number of times the chair or seat has been used &
consequently to check the number of coins which should be in the machine, by
counting the number of perforations in the paper strip.
8
After every use of the chair or seat, and by the rising of the person using the
same the seat folds back automatically by the action either of a spring or balancing
arrangement as before desoribed, or by any other suitable means, the keeper e
enters the aperture d' in the casing d strikes with its foremost edge against the
arm of the catch lever vand forces the latter back. Thereby the sliding
plates a and c and the bolt bare released and the inclined projection a3 and
pin slip again into the slots e¹ and e³ of the keeper, and the chair or seat remains
locked until another coin is inserted into the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is
(1.) A coin-freed folding chair or seat consisting of a keeper e secured to the
seat & having slots and

page_text: contained in the casing d, a second sliding plate c linked to the sliding plate a by a
pivotted armi, registering slots m, o and n, in the plates a and c and bolt b
respectively whereby they can be coupled together by an inserted coin and move
conjointly when the keeper is withdrawn by reason of the obliquity of the slot e
in the keeper and projection a' on the sliding plate a, all the parts being arranged
to operate substantially as herein before described & illustrated in the accompanying
drawings and for the purpose stated.
(2.) In combination with coin-freed folding chair or seat mechanism of the kind
indicated in the preceding claim, registering mechanism consisting of a ratchet
wheel 9 carrying a spiked roller s, operated by a pawl on the lever actuated by
the retracting bolt b, the spiked roller pricking holes in and unwinding a strip of
paper from a roll r, arranged substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described & illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(3.) My improvements in coin-freed folding chairs or seats combined and arranged
to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described
& illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of November 1895
F. W. GOLBY,
36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent. Agent for the Applicant.