Improvements in and relating to Coin-freed Cases for Holding Articles for Sale or Hire.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Coin-freed Cases for Holding
Articles for Sale or Hire.
I EDWARD THOMSON of 16 Torbay Road, Kilburn in the County of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in and relating to coin-freed cases
for holding articles for sale or hire, and has for its object to provide a coin-freed
case certain in its action and not liable to be blocked, and specially suitable to
railway carriage and like lending libraries, though the apparatus is equally adapted
to all analogous purposes.
The case is made of a shape suitable to receive any book or article, or it
may be
divided transversely into any number of compartments each adapted to hold a book
or any other article for sale or hire. Longitudinally the case is divided by a
partition forming a back space for the mechanism.
The front of each compartment is hinged at one side preferably its base and
opens outwards.
Upon the inner side of the said opening part or upon a band encircling the book
or article is fixed rigidly a curved and notched locking latch, which consequently
partakes of the radial movement of the hinged opening part.
The said locking latch in locked position passes through an opening in the
longitudinal partition, and on the back of the said partition in suitable position is
pivotted a suitably formed spring-pressed locking lever adapted to engage and hold
the locking latch of the opening part; A money shoot is provided and arranged to
direct the coin to fall and be held between its base (or an equivalent stop) and the
breast of the said locking lever. The external operating lever is disposed so that
when operated a part of it will engage and force forward the coin when held in the
position described, the coin then lifts the lock lever out of engagement with the
locking catch freeing the opening part which with its locking latch then falls
forward clear of the book or article which can then be removed, when no coin is
present the operating lever is inoperative.
A special feature of my invention lies in thus giving a radial travel to the
locking latch, which acting in conjunction with its curved form above specified has
the effect of raising the locking lever higher than is actually necessary to release
the locking latch in order to ensure the liberation of the coin which must therefore
fall to the receiver and cannot block the apparatus.
To prevent re-closing the opening part until the article is replaced I arrange
a lever or levers adapted to be held clear of the locking lever by the action of the
article itself when present, but when it is removed the position of said lever or
levers is automatically changed by gravity or spring action to restrain the said
locking lever from re-engaging the locking catch until the article is replaced.
Dated this 7th day of January 1892.

page_text: $
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Coin-freed Cases for Holding
"
- Articles for Sale or Hire.'
I, EDWARD THOMSON, of 16, Torbay Road, Kilburn, in the County of London,
Engineer, 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 certain improvements in and relating to coin-freed cases
for holding articles for sale or hire, and has for its object to provide a coin-freed
case, certain in its action and not liable to be blocked. My improvements refer
more particularly to the arrangement of the locking mechanism; to the means of
absolutely ensuring the liberation of the coin after its action so as to prevent
blocking; and to the arrangement for preventing the re-locking of the case, even if
closed up, until it has been replenished. To these ends I employ the arrangement
and combination of mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which
form part of this Specification, and in reference to which I will now fully describe
.and ascertain
my invention.
Fig. 1 is an internal back elevation, Fig. 2 a cross section thereof, and Fig. 3 an
elevation of my specially formed locking latch.
A is the external box-like casing, the front part a of which projects as shown and
is of a shape suitable to the article. Any number of such projecting parts a may
be arranged on one main casing A, each adapted to hold a separate container and
article, and each having its own separate mechanism arranged as hereinafter
described; but for the sake of convenience I have illustrated and will describe a
single machine. In a is fitted the container C, of a shape suitable for any required
article, (a book, for example, being illustrated at D,) and having preferably a
glass front and being hinged at its base at c, so as to open outwards, as dotted in
Fig. 2, for a limited distance. Behind container C is fixed to the front side of
casing A a frame F supporting the locking apparatus. Upon the inner side of
container C, or upon a band fixed thereto so as to encircle the article D, is fixed
the locking latch M, shown separately in Fig. 3, having a notch m and an upper
surface specially curved as shown at m', for a purpose hereinafter described. The
latch M passes through a hole fin frame F, and consequently when the container C
is opened the latch M partakes of its radial movement.
Upon frame F is centred a locking lever L, with projecting nose and depending
stop, and normally pressed down by a spring P. $ is the money slot, from which
a shoots directs the coin X to the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein it is supported
between the base s¹ of shoots and the lock lever stop . K is the operating bar
extending to outside the casing A, and having a return spring k and external
knob k¹. It carries an inwardly projecting pin k working in a slot f' in frame F
as dotted in Fig. 1. c, c¹ are two hooks which pass through two holes f'f' in the
frame F, to limit the outward travel of container C.
Such being the simple apparatus, the action is as follows.
The latch M is normally held locked by the nose of lever L, but when an
operator inserts a coin at S it falls down shoot 's to position of X, Fig. 1, supported
between the parts s', ', and in front of. On pushing knob the pin k³, on
lever K, presses the coin against the stop and raises lever L, forcing its nose
out of engagement with notch m of catch M and thereby freeing the container C,
which turns on its hinge pin c to the position shown dotted in Fig. 2, when the
article D can be removed. Meantime the coin is freed and falls down the extension
shoot to the locked receiver R.
A special feature of my invention lies in giving the above mentioned radial
travel to the locking latch M, which acting in conjunction with the curved top m'
above specified, has the effect after the nose l of lever L has been forced up as

page_text: described out of engagement with notch m, of further lifting the lever L higher
than is actually necessary to release the latch M in order to ensure the liberation
of coin X which must therefore fall to the receiver R and cannot block the
apparatus.
By the above described construction the container C can be relocked after
removal of the article, which is undesirable; therefore to prevent it I pivot to
frame Fat n the drop lever N, normally pressed towards the container C by a
spring n' or by gravity. The lever N has a catch P adjacent to lever L, (which
is thickened at this point) and opposite its foot p is a slot f' in frame F. When
the article D is present the foot rests against it and holds back the lever N in
the position shown in Fig. 2, the catch P being clear of lever L; but when the
article D is removed the lever N automatically changes its position to that shown
dotted in Fig. 2, when the foot p passes into the empty space in C and the
catch P then engages the thickened part and holds up the lever L so that it cannot
re-engage and lock latch M until an article has been replaced in C and has forced
back the lever N into normal position.
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 :-
as
1. In a coin freed case such as is hereinabove described the arrangement of the
notched locking latch M, rigidly fixed to or upon the opening container C so
to partake of its radial travel, in combination with the locking lever L, constructed
and disposed as shown, and the operating bar K with coin stop k², all adapted to
operate through the medium of the coin as set forth.
2. The means described for preventing blocking of the apparatus, consisting in
the special curved form of the locking latch M fixed to the opening container C,
whereby in operation after the said container C is freed, the lever L is lifted
so high as to clear any coin and absolutely ensure its liberation as set forth.
3. The use in conjunction with a coin freed case such as is above described, of
the arrangement for preventing the re-locking of the opening container until
replenished, consisting of the drop lever N, normally supported by the article D,
and adapted to automatically change its position when the article is removed and
then prevent re-engagement of the lever L with the latch M until an article has
been replaced as set forth.
Dated this 7th day of October 1900.