US3102624A - Coin operated devices - Google Patents

Description

B. HEYWOOD COIN OPERATED DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor 5/ H W006! g Attorney Bern r B ZJ Sept. 3, 1963 Filed April 3, 1961 Se t. 3, 1963 B. HEYWOOD 3,192,624

COIN OPERATED DEVICES Filed April 3, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Berna nr/ My W00 cl By -LB Alforngy Sept. 3, 1963 B. HEYWOOD COIN OPERATED DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 3, 1961 Inventor fiernarc/ Hey 0061' By x A Horney United States Patent Ofiice 3,102,624 Patented Sept. 3, 1963 3,102,624 COIN OPERATED DEVICES Bernard Heywood, Halifax, England, assignor to Bloctube Qontrois Limited, Ayleshury, England, a British company Filed Apr. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 160,211 1 Ciairn. (Cl. 194-72) This invention relates to coin-operated devices such as parking meters. In eifeot it has its origin in a parking meter of the kind described in the specification to Patent No. 2,680,506, but it should be understood that it is not intended that the invention should be limited to devices of this particular kind.

In certain countries the denominations and/or sizes of coinage in use are such that there is no single coin which can conveniently be used for the purchase of a given period of time, this being the normal purpose of a device such as a parking meter, and the present invention has for its object to overcome this problem. To this end, very broadly this invention provides a device such as a parking meter, each operation of which requires the insertion of a plurality of coins. More particularly it provides a device such as a parking meter having a coin reception element and a pointer or the like for indicating a period of time purchased, with a drive mechanism operatively interposed between them for moving the pointer in relation to an indicator scale, said drive mechanism having interposed therein an interrupter unit which is operated through part of the drive mechanism every time a coin is inserted and is adapted to effect completion of the drive mechanism between the coin reception element and the pointer only on the insertion of the last of a given number of coins.

The interrupter unit may comprise a cam element adapted to be moved repeatedly through a sequence of step-by-step movements, that is it is moved one step for each coin insertion, such cam element being adapted on one step of the sequence to bring a member associated with the pointer into a position in which it will be engaged by an element of the drive mechanism which moves on the insertion of every coin. During the remaining step movements of the cam element the said member occupies a position in which it is not engaged by the element of the drive mechanism on the movement thereof.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 shows in side elevation part of a parking meter mechmism as described in the specification to Patent No. 2,680,506, modified in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURES 2 and 3 are like views showing the mechanism during the operation thereof, and

FIGURE 4- is a fragmentary rear elevation of the mechanism as shown in FIGURE 2.

In a parking meter as described in the specification to Patent No. 2,680,506 the pointer 1 moves with a segmental plate 2 pivoted at the centre of curvature of its arcuate edge, along which ratchet teeth 3 are provided. These teeth are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 4 on a member 5 mounted on an arm 6 pivotally mounted on the same axis as the segmental plate 2, the outer end of this arm, on which said member is actually mounted, extending beyond the arcuate edge of the segmental plate so that it moves outside such edge. In the operation of the drive mechanism this arm is adapted to be drawn down through an angle of about seventy degrees and then returned to its initial position. A curved guide plate 7 is provided which is actually engaged by a pin 8 on the pawl carrier member 5, the latter being rockably mounted on the arm 6 and normally urged into a position in which the pawl would not engage the ratchet teeth of the segmental plate by a lever 9 carried by the arm bnt capable of limited rocking movement thereon. This lever has a projecting lug 10 which, on movement of the arm 6, moves behind or inside the segmental plate 2, the latter having on the inside thereof a pin or the like, as indicated at 2 which engages the lug and causes the lever 9 to pivot rearwardly thus freeing the pawl carrier member 5 which under the influence of spring means 11 then moves to bring the pawl 4 into engagement with a ratchet tooth 3 on the segmental plate. This plate and the pointer 1 are thereby moved together.

in the arrangement as shown in the accompanying drawings, the curved guide plate 7 is shortened and the pin or the like 2 on the segmental plate is omitted. A rectangular slot 20* is formed in the upper edge of the segmental plate 2 and extending into this slot is a finger 21 provided on a curved lever 22 intermediate the ends thereof, this lever 22 being rockably mounted at its lower end on the outside of the segmental plate 2. This finger 21 replaces the omitted pin and is adapted to be engaged by the lug 10 as mentioned above. A light spring 23 urges the lever towards and normally holds it in a position in which the finger engages the front of the slot 20 in the segmental plate (see FIGURES 1 and 2). The upper end of the lever 22 is adapted to co-operate with a pear-shaped cam 24 rotatably mounted on the adjacent fixed support frame 25 and having rigidly and coaxially arranged therewith a plate 26 with four equally spaced pins 27 around the periphery thereof. On the arm 6 with the pawl carrier member 5 there is provided a resilient blade 28 which is adapted to cooperate with these pins. It is pointed out that the number of these pins may be varied and is determined by the number of coins which have to be inserted to effect the operation of the meter as will now be explained.

Each time a coin is inserted into the coin receiving element 29 the meter drive mechanism as far as the arm 6 with the pawl carrier member 5 is operated. On the insertion of the first three coins the lug 10 moves through a path which misses the finger 21 on the curved lever 22, such finger being held in the front of its containing slot (see FIGURE 2). Also as the arm 6 returns to its initial position the resilient blade 28 strikes one of the pins 27 on the cam plate 26 and rotates it and the cam 24 through ninety degrees. The blade 23 is resilient so that at the start of each downward movement of the arm the blade can flex over the next pin which will be engaged. For the insertion of the foruth coin the cam 24 will be in engagement with the curved lever 22 and press it down to bring the finger 21 into the rear of its containing slot 20, in which position it is engaged by the lug 10 (see FIGURE 3). The pawl 4 therefore is then engaged with a ratchet tooth 3 on the segmental plate 2 and the latter together with the pointer 1 is moved.

While the invention has been designed to deal with the problem as aforesaid it will be obvious that it could equally well be employed for any device requiring the insertion of a plurality of coins. Moreover the term coin as used herein is intended to cover tokens of disc like form.

I claim:

A device such as a parking meter comprising in combination a coin reception element; an indicator scale graduated in periods of time; a pointer adapted to be moved in relation to said scale for indicating a period of time purchased; a segmental member fixed in rela tion to and movable with said pointer, said segmental member mounted for pivotal movement about the centre of curvature of its arcuate edge; a drive arm pivotally mounted on the same said axis as the segmental member; actuating means for pivoting said drive arm first in one sense and then in the opposite sense in relation to said segmental member on the insertion of a coin in the coin treoeption element; a pawl member carried by said drive arm; at least one ratchet element on the arcuate edge of said segmental member adapted to be engaged by said pawl member on movement of the drive arm in relation to the segmental member; positioning means on said drive arm for normally holding said pawl member in a position in which it cannot engage said ratchet element; a contact element mounted on said segmental member for engaging said positioning mean-s and causing same to move to allow the pawl member to move into a position in which it will engage said ratchet element; said contact element being mounted for rocking movement between a first position in which it will be engaged by said positioning means and a second position in which it will not be engaged; spring means for normally holding said contact element in said second position; and a cam adapted to be engaged by said drive arm on each coin initiated movement thereof and to be moved one step in a sequence of step-by-step movements, said cam having a part adapted after one step in said sequence to cause movement of said contact element into the position 10 in which it will be engaged by said positioning means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Richter Nov. 11, 1913 Woodrnff June 8, 1954

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