Improved Means and Appliances for Automatically Exposing Sprays and Button Hole Flowers, Ices, and other Articles or Things on Receipt of a Fixed Sized Coin.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 19th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1888
Improved Means and Appliances for Automatically Exposing Sprays
and Button Hole Flowers, Ices, and other Articles or Things on
Receipt of a Fixed Sized Coin.
I, ALBERT GRAY of Greville Lodge, Amyand Park Road, Twickenham, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to arrange appliances or apparatus in such a manner
that on a tilt or angular motion being given to a mercury trough or its equivalent by
the weight of a fixed sized coin, a plug or catch can be released from holding a screen,
so that the screen may by a counterbalance weight be slid or otherwise removed from
the front of a case for the removal of any article that may be therein after selecting
or choosing the same.
For the purpose of my invention, I fit to any desired part of a casing, a slotted
tube or slit frame into and down which, say a sixpenny piece can be inserted, so that
it falls upon a cant-lever which acts directly upon a balanced mercury trough to bring
one end of the trough down, the mercury following to exert pressure at the opposite
end, to lift a plug or remove a catch from a loop on the side edge of sheet of glass, so
that a weight connected to the other side edge may draw along to expose the
contents of a case to enable the article to be removed.
The invention is particularly adapted to facilitate the disposal of sprays of flowers
for ladies, button holes for gentlemen, but it can be used for the disposal of any article
as desired, said article being seen by the intended purchaser before he or she parts
with the money.
1
.ul
A
1007
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Albert Gray.

page_text: Improved Means and Appliances for Automatically Exposing Sprays
and Button Hole Flowers, Ices, and other Articles or Things on
Receipt of a Fixed Sized Coin.
I ALBERT GRAY of Greville Lodge Amyand Park Road, Twickenham, Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of this invention is to arrange appliances or apparatus in such a manner
that on a tilt or angular motion being given to a mercury trough or its equivalent
by the weight of a fixed sized coin, a plug or catch can be released from holding
a screen so that the screen may by a counter balance weight be slid or otherwise
removed from the front of a case for the removal of any article that may be therein
after selecting or choosing the same.
According to Figure 1 of the annexed drawings I show a case A in which a
series of button hole flowers are exposed or can be seen through glass doors or
screens B, B, one portion of each of which has a cord C and weight H attached to
draw the front glass B sidewise on the catch or plug I being released from the socket
plate J by the tilt of the mercury trough K under the superior weight of a coin
lodging on its opposite end L, said coin falling thereon after its deposit and sliding
down the slot M.
Figure 2 and 3 show appliances by which an opposite action can take place after
the insertion of a coin into the slot M, the door or screen B being closed by the
weight H.
In this arrangement the goods or articles are in a reserve box N and as the
door B is opened for the exposed article to be removed, a spring or claw plate P rides
. under the bottom sample Q and as the door B closes again under the pull of the
weight H and cord C the plate P draws the bottom sample with it and delivers said
sample into the receiver.
While the door is moving to and fro a sliding plate R connected to the socket
plate J holds the drop catch or plug I up until the door B is completely closed.
The mercury vessel K is so balanced that it returns to its first position when
free and becomes ready for another coin in regular order.
The mercury completely fills the trough K except to the extent of an air bubble
as in a spirit level and there being a slight preponderance of weight of the trough
at the claw or catch end I it follows, that as the opposite or coin receiving end L
of the trough is deprived of the weight of the coin by its sliding off from said end,
the preponderance of weight then present at the claw end I will overbalance that of
the other end, and said mercury trough K will re-assume a horizontal position and
relock the door B.
S is a stop to prevent the mercury trough overbalancing itself in one direction and T
is another stop for the proper level of the mercury trough when horizontal.

page_text: U is a plate attached to the door B to cover the slot in which the rod V connected
to the handle W slides.
The mercury trough K is preferably constructed similar to a spirit level with an
air bubble and one end of the trough, say at I, has a slight preponderance of weight
sufficient to upset or return the trough to a horizontal position to rest upon the bar T
when the opposite end L has been released of the weight of the coin by which the
end L was depressed by the removal of the claw I from the socket J.
By the increase of weight due to the flow of mercury to the opposite side of the
balance pivot K¹ when the end L is depressed by the weight of the coin the trough K
is somewhat sluggish in its return to a horizontal position which gives sufficient time
particularly with regard to Figures 2 and 3 for a person to open the door B before
the claw I can re-engage in the socket J, whereas if a solid lever be employed its
return action after the release of the coin from the end L would be instantaneous so
that the claw I would be reengaged in the socket J before the door could be opened.
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 1
claim is
In a coin receiving apparatus the combination of appliances by which exposed
sprays and buttonhole flowers, ices and other articles or things can be removed on the
opening of a door or screen, the release of said door or screen being effected
automatically after the reception of a coin and the tilting of a mercury trough as
described and substantially as shown in the annexed drawings.
1000