Goods in Exchange for Coin.
Year: 1885

page_text: Goods in Exchange for Coin.
I WALTER WILLIAM MEADOWs of N° 2 Aldine Street, Shepherds Bush in the
County of Middlesex, Artist 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 :—
My invention relates to improved apparatus for automatically delivering cigars
cigarettes and tobacco in exchange for coin corresponding to the value of the
article delivered.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specifica-
tion wherein figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus one half in section on
line 1-1 figure 2. Figure 2 is a plan with the lid removed showing one of the
containing hoppers in place the apparatus being partly in section on line 2-2
figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 figure 1. Figure 4 is a
vertical section on line 4-4 figure 2 showing the essential parts of the apparatus
and figure 5 is a similar view showing the same parts in another position.
The apparatus consists mainly in the combination of a hopper to contain a
supply of the article to be retailed, a drawer to receive the goods from the hopper
and deliver the same to the customer, a combined locking bolt and spring balance
whereby the drawer is secured automatically and unlocked by the weight of coin
placed in the balance, an arrangement of shoots for conveying coins of the proper
denomination onto the scale, and if desired for rejecting and returning coins of
other than the proper denomination the whole combined and arranged for opera-
tion substantially as hereinafter described.
In the apparatus shown in the drawings three combinations of the above
described apparatus are provided for the delivery of three different classes of goods
the only differences between them being those necessary to adapt them to the
different bulk and weight of the articles to be delivered and the different value
to be received therefor as will be readily understood. The same description will
therefore apply to all.
The apparatus is contained within an outer casing A provided with a hinged
cover and lock. At the upper part are one or more hoppers B according to the
number of different classes of goods to be delivered and close beneath each hopper
is fitted a sliding drawer C which slides through corresponding apertures in the
front and back walls of the hopper.

page_text: This drawer C has a longitudinal cavity c which when the drawer is pushed in
comes directly beneath and corresponds to the delivery aperture of the hopper and
which is of a size to hold but one at a time of the articles it is intended to
deliver.
Beneath the drawer is a horizontal partition D furnished with guides d in which
the drawer C slides. Through this partition passes a vertical bolt E guided at its
lower end in a cross bar F and at its upper end by the partition D. This bolt is
immediately beneath the middle of the drawer and in the locked position the upper
end of the bolt projects up into a corresponding recess e in the underneath side of
the drawer.
It will be seen that the length of the drawer is rather more than twice the
width of the hopper from back to front and that the rear part of the drawer is
solid and forms a closure for the bottom of the hopper when the drawer is
pulled out.
Upon the rod E is a spiral spring which is confined between cross bar F and a
collar or pin on the rod and the lower end of the rod is forked and between the
arms of the fork is pivoted a scale pan G the arrangement being such that the
pan normally remains in a horizontal position and atuomatically resumes such
position after being oscillated as hereafter described. For this purpose the scale
plan is not balanced on its axis but is heavier towards one side thereof, and is
maintained in a horizontal position by lugs e¹, formed by the inwardly bent ends
of the fork taking under it, so that it can oscillate only in one direction from the
normal position, as shown in figure 5. To assist this action the axis of the pan is
preferably situated towards the lighter side as shown. Beneath this pan is a
hopper H whose rear side is immediately in the path of the heavier end of the
scale pan so that when the pan is depressed as hereafter described it will be caused
to oscillate and discharge the coin which is upon it into the hopper H, by its
heavier end being arrested by the back of the hopper as shown in figure 5. I is a
drawer beneath hopper H to receive the coins from the scale.
The tension of the spring by which the scale pan and its rod are supported is
such that when coin of the proper weight is on the scale pan the latter descends
until it just meets (or nearly so) the hopper H, the pan still retaining its normal
horizontal position as shown in figure 4. In this position the upper end of the
bolt E is withdrawn from the recess e thus unlocking the drawer.
Immediately behind this recess e and on the underside of the drawer is a double
inclined surface k which when the drawer C is pulled out after being unlocked as
above described passes over and presses on the upper end of the bolt E thus further
depressing the bolt and scale pan and causing the scale pan to tip and discharge
the money as shown in figure .5. By this arrangement the coin remains undis-
charged from the scale and the drawer remains unlocked until the latter has been
The shoulder kl
drawn out for the purpose of removing the contents of the cavity c.
at the rear end of the double incline forms a stop which engages with the bolt E
When the drawer is
and prevents the drawer C being completely pulled out.
again pushed in it becomes automatically relocked and is again refilled from the
hopper B above.
In order to ensure the regular delivery of the articles from the hopper to the
drawer and prevent choking of the hopper, one of the inclined sides b of the latter
is pivoted at its upper end and is free to be vibrated slightly by a lug b¹ fixed to
and projecting from the drawer 0 sliding against the serrated lower edge b³ of the
inclined side b as the drawer is moved in and out.
In order to guard against any surreptitious abstraction of goods from the hopper
when the drawer is pulled partly out a guard plate L is provided which falls into
the cavity c of drawer behind the goods just delivered and so cuts off all possible
access to the hopper. This plate works between the front of the hopper B and
the casing A and is carried by an arm / which is pivoted at / to the casing A and
has a downwardly bent end whose extremity rests upon a spring m fixed to the
partition D alongside the drawer. When the drawer is pushed in the arm and

page_text: plate are raised by the spring to the position shown in figures 1. 3 and 4 but
when the drawer is pulled out a lug m³ fixed to its side comes over and presses
down the spring shown partly depressed in figure 5 thus allowing the plate L to
fall as above described.
The coin to be deposited upon the scale pan G is inserted through a slit in the
front of the casing and is conveyed to and deposited upon the pan by a shoot M
suitably arranged for the purpose.
In order to prevent coins of less than the proper value or size being placed on
the scale pan they may be intercepted and returned as follows:-The shoot M is
made of a width corresponding to the diameter of the coin which it is intended
should be received and is provided with an aperture m² in the bottom of a size to
allow coins of less than the proper diameter to fall through into a return shoot N
below, whence they are discharged through another aperture and received in a
tray n at the front of the casing.
The drawer I receives all the money discharged from the scale pans of all the
apparatus contained in the same casing A and it is locked by a catch i accessible
only from within the casing A.
The apparatus may be adapted to receive coins of any denomination desired and
may be so arranged that the unlocking of the drawer C will be effected by a single
coin or by several such coins as may be required but when adjusted for the
reception of a coin or coins of a given denomination it is not adapted for
the reception of an equivalent amount of another denomination for example
the balance corresponding to the drawer delivering cigars may be so adjusted as
to unlock the drawer when three pennies have been successively placed upon its
scale pan but the equivalent amount in half pennies or in silver would be
returned to the customer.
Similarly the balances corresponding to the other drawers which respectively
deliver packets of tobacco and cigarettes may be rendered operative when two
pence and one penny have respectively been deposited thereon whilst smaller coins
would be returned as in the other case,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In an apparatus for automatically delivering goods in exchange for coin, the
combination with a hopper and with a drawer beneath the hopper adapted when
in one position to receive goods from the hopper, and when in another position to
form a closure for the hopper of a combined bolt and spring weighing scale, the
former adapted to engage with and to lock the drawer, and the latter so con-
structed as to be operated partly by a given weight placed upon the scale and
partly by an inclined surface on the drawer acting on the bolt in such manner that
the bolt is first withdrawn by the weight and the scale is then discharged by the
act of pulling out the drawer substantially as herein described and shown in the
drawings.
2nd The improved apparatus for automatically retailing goods constructed and
arranged to operate substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 6th day of October 1885.
W. W. MEADOWS.
By A. M. & Wm Clark,
Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.