Improvements relating to Prepayment or Coin-in-the-slot Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1898
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Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Prepayment or Coin-in-the-slot Machines.
I, WILLIAM LUKE DENNIS, of 97, Corporation Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Architect, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of improvements relating to pre-payment or coin-in-
the-slot machines for the delivery of cigarettes, chocolate, and other articles,
my object being to construct simple coin feed mechanism in such a manner as to
ensure its reliable working and to permit of adjustment to suit coins of varying
value, and to compactly arrange the complete machine within a small compass.
In constructing a machine in accordance with my invention for the delivery,
of cigarettes, I employ a small casing of a rectangular or other shape and pre-
ferably of electro-plated sheet metal, having a slot at the upper end of its outer
face for the insertion of the coin, and an aperture at the lower end for the dis-
charge of the cigarette.
Within the casing I mount a barrel having longitudinal grooves around its
surface, each of such grooves being of sufficient dimensions to receive a
cigarette.
The barrel is mounted on a suitable spindle or trunnions and can be rotated
by the turning of a small knob or handle on the exterior of the casing, the
circular movement of the knob being transmitted to the barrel by a lever and
ratchet or other suitable mechanism arranged within the casing.
The barrel is normally locked or prevented from rotation by a weighted lever
which engages with notches formed around the periphery of the disc secured to
one end of the barrel or its spindle, but on the end of the lever which is immedi-
ately below the end of the coin tube or channel in the interior of the casing, I
pivot a catch box, and on the coin falling therein the lever is depressed and thus
becomes disengaged from the notched disc. On moving the external knob
hereinbefore described, the barrel can then be rotated a sufficient distance to
cause the discharge of a cigarette from one of the barrel grooves down an in-
clined shoot and thence through the discharge aperture. During such movement
the pivotted catch box is tilted by one of a number of projecting pins disposed
around the face of the notched disc herein before described for the purpose of
causing the coin to drop out and fall to the bottom of the casing. On the dis-
charge of the coin from the catch box the counter weight will raise the lever and
cause it to engage with the next notch in the disc and thus the barrel will be
again locked until another coin is passed through the slot.
The cigarettes are fed on to the longitudinal grooved barrel from a magazine
or hopper arranged within the casing.
By adjustment of the counter weight on the locking, lever, the mechanism can
be set to work with coins of varying value according to the quality of the article
to be supplied.
In the construction of a machine in accordance with my invention for the sale
and delivery of packets of chocolates, or other articles, I employ a rotatable

page_text: barrel having suitable apertures for the reception of the articles, or I sometimes
arrange an external knob or handle and the locking mechanism herein before
described in combination with a sliding shelf or conveyor within the casing by
which the articles are discharged singly to the exterior of the machine.
A suitable door is provided for access to the interior of the machine for charg-
ing the same and for the withdrawal of the coins, and I make a suitable window
or sight aperture for inspection purposes.
I sometimes provide for the automatic closing of the slot when the machine
is empty by means of a shutter combined with gearing so constructed and arranged
as to operate the shutter after the mechanism has been put into motion the
number of times corresponding with the number of articles with which the
machine was charged.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1898
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.
I, WILLIAM LUKE DENNIS, of 97, Corporation Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Architect, 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:-
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This invention consists of improvements relating to pre-payment or coin-in-
the-slot machines for the delivery of cigarettes, chocolate, and other articles,
my object being to construct simple coin freed mechanism in such a manner as to
ensure its reliable working and to permit of adjustment to suit coins of varying
value, and to compactly arrange the complete machine within a small compass.
In the seven accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to,
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 a sectional side elevation through
the line (Figure 1), representing a cigarette delivery machine constructed
in accordance with my invention.
Figure 3 is a view from the side y of the machine, and Figure 4 a view from
the side z, the side plate being omitted in each view.
Figure 5 is a back view of the machine with the hinged back plate or door
removed, and Figure 6 a plan of the weighted locking lever.
Figure 7 is a side elevation and Figure 8 a plan showing a modified type of
hopper, whilst Figure 9 is a side elevation and Figure 10 a front or end elevation,
showing, to a larger scale, the arrangement of parts for the operation of the
shutters on the hopper partitions.
The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same parts.
In constructing a machine in accordance with my invention for the delivery
of cigarettes, I employ a small casing as A of a rectangular or other shape,
(suitable for suspending from a wall or to be otherwise supported), and prefer-
ably of electro-plated sheet metal, having a slot a at the upper end of its outer
face for the insertion of the coin, and an aperture a¹ at the lower end for the
discharge of the cigarette.
Within the casing I mount a barrel B having longitudinal grooves around its
surface, each of such grooves being of sufficient dimensions to receive a cigarette.
The barrel is mounted on a suitable spindle or trunnions carried in bearings

page_text: formed by the side plates C C which are mounted on the cross plate 1) fixed
within the casing A. The rotation of the barrel B is affected by the turning
of a small knob or handle E on the exterior of the casing, the circular movement
of the knob being transmitted to the barrel by levers e e¹ with connecting
link and ratchet wheel e3 such as shown, or by other like mechanism arranged
within the casing.
The barrel is normally locked or prevented from rotation by a spring or
weighted lever as F which engages with notches formed around the periphery
of a disc G secured to one end of the barrel or its spindle; but on the end of the
lever F which is immediately below the end of the coin tube or channel H in
the interior of the casing, I pivot a catch box J, and on the coin falling therein
the lever F is depressed and thus becomes disengaged from the notched disc G.
On moving the external knob E the barrel can then be rotated a sufficient dis-
tance to cause the discharge of a cigarette from one of the barrel grooves down
an inclined shoot K and thence through the discharge aperture a¹. During such
movement the pivotted catch box J is tilted against the action of a suitably
arranged spring, (to the position indicated by dotted lines at Figure 3), by one
of a number of projecting pins g disposed around the face of the notched disc G
for the purpose of causing the coin to drop out and fall to the bottom of the
casing. On the discharge of the coin from the catch box the counter-weight f
will raise the lever and cause it to engage with the next notch in the disc G and
thus the barrel will be again locked until another coin is passed through the slot.
Instead of a pivotted catch box as J for the reception of the coin, I sometimes
employ a coin catch box or receptacle on the lever F, with spring clips or jaws
at the lower end which will arrest and retain the coin sufficiently to depress the
lever and thus release the barrel for the necessary movement, but will yield
(under the action of the projecting pins from the disc G), to allow the coin to
pass through after such movement.
The cigarettes are fed on to the longitudinally grooved barrel from a magazine
or hopper as L arranged within the casing.
By adjustment of the counter-weight on the locking lever F, the mechanism
can be so set as to be freed with the coins of varying value according to the
quality of the article to be supplied.
In the construction of a machine in accordance with my invention for the sale
and delivery of packets of chocolates, or other articles, I employ a rotatable barrel
having suitable apertures for the reception of the articles.
The entire back plate A¹ of the casing is hinged and arranged to serve as a
door for access to the interior of the machine for charging the same and for
the withdrawal of the coins, and I provide a suitable window or sight apertures
as M for inspection purposes, and to enable a purchaser to see that a cigarette
is on the barrel ready for delivery before inserting his coin in the aperture a.
Thus as represented at Figure 1, the cigarette N can be seen through the window,
the portion of the hopper immediately at the rear of the window being suitably
perforated to permit of inspection.
I sometimes provide for the automatic closing of the slot a when the machine
is empty by means of a shutter combined with ordinary gearing so arranged as
to operate the shutter after the mechanism has been put into motion the number
of times corresponding with the number of articles with which the machine was
charged.
To prevent a stoppage or jamming of the cigarettes in the hopper L, I employ
a hinged base piece as L' which is vibrated by the action of the ratchet like
wheels 001 on the stalks P P1 projecting from the said hinged base piece.
I sometimes employ a hopper or magazine having a number of separate com-
partments, such as shown by Figures 7 to 10 inclusive, each compartment re-
ceiving a single row or column of cigarettes. At the lower part of each partition
I arrange a sliding shutter as Q each shutter being normally kept in its closed
position (against the tension of a spring as R) by lever shaped bolts as S; when

page_text: the shutters are thus kept closed the cigarettes cannot pass from the compart-
ments controlled by the said shutters along the inclined lower part of the hopper
and thence to the grooved barrel. At the top of each row or column of cigarettes
I place a weight as T and on the withdrawal of the cigarettes from
a particular row or column its weight descends until, when the column
is exhausted, the reduced ends of the weight (which project through
slots in the sides of the hopper) strike the adjacent end of the lever
withdraw the opposite ends from engagement with the
shutter Q. By the action of the spring R the shutter is then raised to permit of
the discharge of cigarettes from the next compartment of the hopper. At
Figure 7 two of the compartments are shown empty, and the shutters of such
compartments open to permit of the free passage beneath them of the cigarettes
from the other compartments of the hopper.
bolts sand SO
The weight T from the last compartment of the hopper is permitted to descend
until its end pegs or reduced projecting portions arrive at or near the ends of
the slots or apertures as t in the hopper, in order that it may act upon the
lever U and thus raise a blind or shutter as V at the back of the window M; such
blind or shutter has a word as empty" displayed thereon to indicate that the
hopper is exhausted.
*
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:—
1. In pre-payment or coin-in-the-slot machines for the delivery of cigarettes
and other articles, the arrangement and combination within a casing A suitable
for suspending from a wall or to be otherwise supported, of a grooved barrel B
intermittently rotatable beneath a supply hopper or magazine by the operation
of a turning knob or handle E on the exterior of the casing, and of an adjustably
weighted lever F provided with a coin catch box and engaging a notched disc G
thereby locking the barrel until overbalanced by the weight of the coin, sub-
stantially as herein before described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In pre-payment or coin-in-the-slot machines for the delivery of cigarettes
and other articles, the combination with a locking lever as F which is arranged
for disengagement by the weight of a coin, of a pivotted coin box or receptacle
as J and means for tilting the same to effect the discharge of the coin therefrom
after depression of the said lever F, substantially as hereinbefore described and
as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. An improved pre-payment or coin-in-the-slot machine for the delivery of
cigarettes and other articles, having coin freed mechanism constructed and
arranged substantially as herein before described and as illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and 25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.