A Combined Automatic Folding Chair and Coin Freed Controlling and Registering Mechanism.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 18th Nov., 1893
COMT DUID DIMITTUATION.
A Combined Automatic Folding Chair and Coin Freed Controlling
and Registering Mechanism.
I, GUSTAV THEODOR WAGNER, of Schönhauser Allée 56, Berlin, in the
Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire, Manufacturer, 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 a combined automatic folding chair and coin freed
controlling and registering mechanism and my chief object is to enable the chair to
be readily available for use as required and to be capable of automatic folding
immediately after its use is discontinued.
In order to effect this object the chair is provided with an apparatus for the
reception of coins, the insertion of the proper coin releasing the seat which was
before fastened to the back of the chair, and allowing it to be brought into
position for use. So soon as the seat is no longer used, it returns automatically
into the original position and in so doing operates a registering apparatus intended
to show the number of times which the seat has been used.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings forming part of this Specification-
Fig. 1 is a side view of the chair before use.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a front view.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing the locking device.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the lever mechanism.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the same.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section showing the lower part of the coin introducing
mechanism.
A is the frame of the chair; is the movable seat of the same; g g are down-
wardly bent hollow tubes attached to the seat and weighted with heavy balls, by
means of which and the spring n the seat b, when not in use is caused to resume its
position of attachment to the back of the chair; c is a box fastened to the back
part of the chair and intended for the locking and coin freeing mechanism, and if
desired the chair may be so shaped as to conceal this box; d is the coin freeing
mouth or aperture; e the shoot down which the coin passes; the plate upon which
the coin presses and h the receptacle for the coins, which receptacle may be opened
by a key i; k is a lever which carries the coin plate f and is mounted to move
freely and with but little friction round its fulcrum r in such a way that very little
weight is sufficient to press it down to the right or to the left; is a small tube
filled with mercury intended to facilitate the displacement of the centre of gravity
of the lever to either side of the fulcrum; m is a locking hook attached to the
front side of the seat frame, carrying the fixed projection or nose o and also a
hinged movable projection or nose p; s is a ratchet or toothed wheel which is turned
forward, the length of one tooth by the operation of the movable nose p upon the
falling of the hook m back into its locking position. This toothed wheels is part
of the registering apparatus and has on its front side a disc shaped depression into
which is placed paper intended to receive the impressions which form the record or
register. On the registering leaf lies the smaller disc a detachably fastened by
strips of sheet metal and a nut. In this way a circular groove is produced into
which penetrates the needle v, Fig. 6, fastened to the spring u. The spring u is
fastened at the side and curved over the front of the toothed wheels and is held in
tension whenever the chair is not in use, by means of the stud x, Fig. 5, applied to

page_text: When the seat is turned down, the spring loses its tension and the needle v
enters the groove t and effects a visible impression upon the registering leaf. The
number of these impressions corresponds with the number of times the chair has
been used and a coin has been inserted.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
If a coin be dropped through the hopper d, it will fall through the shoot e onto
the plate and there remain. The plate is thereby caused to move downwards
and the end of the lever k k¹ is raised; and the mercury in the tube, the latter
being fastened to the said lever, will retain the lever in its inclined position. The
hook m is thus freed and consequently the seat may be easily turned down ;
whereupon the spring u loses its tension and the needle attached thereto enters
the groove t and leaves a visible impression upon the registering leaf.
When the seat b is no longer in use it is raised by the spring n, Figs. 2 and 3,
and resumes its position of attachment to the back of the chair by the weight of
the balls moving inside the tubes 9 g. The wheels provided with the registering
leaf will thereupon be moved by the nose p to the extent of one tooth whilst at the
same time the stud will put the spring again into its state of tension and the
nose o will press down the lever arm k' which had been in its upward oblique
position. The mercury tube will resume its original horizontal position and
thereby the lever arm will be brought in contact with the clutch of the hook m,
thus causing said hook to be arrested.
By the pressing down of the arm k¹ the lever kk is forcibly acted upon and the
coin which has hitherto remained on the plate f of the lever arm k¹ will be thrown
against the plane Z, Fig. 7, and from thence will drop into the collecting box h in
the manner indicated by the arrow.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A combined automatic folding chair and coin freed controlling apparatus,
having a lever mechanism, which holds the seat of the chair, when not in use, in
attachment to the back, by means of a tube filled with mercury or an equivalent
device, which causes the lever arm to engage a locking hook but after the proper
coin has been inserted into the hopper the weight of said coin reverses the action of
the mercury tube thus turning the lever in the opposite direction, and releasing
the locking hook and leaving the seat free to be brought into position for use, all
substantially as herein set forth.
2. In apparatus substantially as described in Claim 1, the arrangement use and
application of a registering device, consisting of a toothed wheel which turns to
the extent of one tooth, each time that the chair is used, the front side of the said
toothed wheel bearing a disc shaped registering leaf, the registering device having
n spring fastened at the side of the toothed wheel and bent thereover, and being
furnished with a needle the spring a being held in tension by a stud when the
chair is not in use and put out of tension when the seat is turned down so that the
needle v enters the annular shaped groovet of the registering wheels, thereby
making a visible impression on the paper, all substantially as herein set forth.
3. The general arrangement of parts constituting a combined automatic folding
chair and coin freed controlling and registering mechanism, substantially as herein
shown and described.
1
1000
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
Agents for Applicant.