US650565A - Coin-actuated mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

C. E. PADGETT.

No. 650,565. Patented Mayv29, I900.

com AcfuA Tan MECHANISM.

(Application filed. Mar. 5, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets'-Sh89t l.

Vlffaanreaz- Patented May 29, I900. C. E. PADGETT.

COIN AGTUATED MECHANISM.

(Application filed Mar. 5, 1900.)

3 SheatsSheet 2.

(No Model.)-

WIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIII g /l/A I! I I In! TNE nonm- Pmns 00.. PNOTD-L|THO.. WASNINGTON. n. c.

Patented May 29, I900.

0. PADGETT. COIN ACTUATED MECHANISM.

(Application filed Mar. 5, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

Urti' rnn STATES PAT NT anion.

CHARLES in. modern or chrome, ILLINO'IS.

COIN-ACTUATED MECHANISM.-

SPECIFICATION forining part of Letters Patent No. 650,565, dated May 29, 1900. Application filed March 5, 1900. Serial No. 7,311. (No model) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. PADGETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Actuated Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of myinvention are to facilitate and expedite the service of customers in restaurants and to'prevent the loss that results from mistakes in checking and similar methods, and at the same time relieving the customer from thetrouble of paying his money to cashiers or waiters, and to minimize the employment of waiters, cashiers, and others, and to make the service as near automatic as practicable; and my invention consists in the features, combinations, arrangements, and details of construct-ion hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figu re 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a restaurant equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partly in section, showing the location and arrangement of one of the lifts employed to deliver an order to a customer. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, taken in the line 3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, showing-an enlarged view of one of the complete operative devices, of which there are four illustrated in I Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a Vertical section of the means used for raising and lowering the lift. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a box of indicators hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is a rear view of a portion of the same with the back of the box removed. Fig. 8 is a vertical end section of the indicator, taken in the line 8 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 9 is a View of a detail hereinafter described.

In making my improved coin actuated mechanism for use in restaurants I employ as many operative devices as may be desired to accommodate the expected number of customers, so that there can be one for each customer. In Fig. 1 I have illustrated four of these complete operative devices; but of course it is obvious that as many maybe employed as desired, so that there may be one arranged-at the counter in front of each seat provided for customers. Each operative device contains three main parts, which in turn consists of a numborof subordinate or auxiliary devices or accessories necessary to effectuate its proper and complete operation. These three main parts may be referred to generally as the ordering devices, the receiving devices, and the delivery devices. I will describe the construction and operation of each of thesein the order named. The ordering device A is arranged immediately at the back of the counter A, on which the food is placed when served. It is provided at its front with abill of fare a, made, preferably, of metal, on which the different articles of food are printed or otherwise displayed. Opposite to each article of food is arranged a slot at, through which a coin may be inserted. Each article of food is opposite its appropriate slot and the price at which it is furnished, so that a customer will know the cost of the same and be enabled to insert a coin of the appropriate denominationas, for instance, a nickel, a dime, ora quarter. Each of the slots in the bill of fare opens into a pipe or chute 0. which carries it to the receiving device.

The receiving device consists of an indicatorB and its associated parts. It is intended to be located in the basement of the restaurant, so that the coins will travel to the same by gravity and so that the culinary department of the restaurant will be away from and out of sight of the customer. There are as many receiving devices as there are ordering devices. In Fig. 6 I have represented a box containing three indicators to accommodate the same number-of ordering devices. It is obvious, however, that each indicator may be arranged separate and distinct from the others or as many arranged in a single box as may be desired. The front of the indicator is provided with a plate B, preferably of metal, containing a bill of fare corresponding Instead of slots, however, opposite the articles of food it is provided with indicating needles or fingers b, operated, respectively, by the diiferent coins inserted through the slots in the ordering device. Each indicator contains as many divisions or compartments as there are tubes or chutes leading into it from the ordering device, so that each coin will be delivered into its proper appropriate division or comas to articles and prices to the bill of fare employed in the ordering device.

' against or falling upon the pin will sufficiently depress it and oscillate the lever so as to free the end of the trigger b and allow its heavier upper end to tip forward and down, as shown in dotted lines at the right hand of- Fig. 7, so as to turn the indicating finger or needle attached to. the pin on which the trigger is mounted. This enables the waiter in the basement to see the particular article of food called for, so that he can supplythc same. After releasing the trigger and permitting the indicating-finger to be turned the coin proceeds downward and strikes a hell or gong B so as to call the attention of the waiter to the receipt of an order. The coin then falls upon a coin-plate 13", which is arranged behind a pane of glass where it may be seen, so that the waiter can know that a coinof the proper denomination has been inserted by the customer. The coin or coins received from the same customer may afterward be dumped, as hereinafter described, into a coin-box B, where they may be rcmoved by the proper person having access to the box.

The delivering devices comprise a lift 0, mounted on a piston-rod c, which extends down through a tube or cylinder C and which is provided at its lower end with a pistonhead 0'. The cylinder isheld in place or supported in a vertical position in any desired or suitable manner. The piston c is intended to fit the interior of the tube or cylinder airtight and is of course provided with the usual packing to enable it to do so. A pipe-(J leads fro m a-reservoir or tank filled with compressed air supplied to it in any desired manner and enters the tube or cylinder 0' beneath the piston 0, so that by the admission of compressed air under the piston the same will be caused to rise in the tube or cylinder and carry the lift up to a position adjacent to the customer. The air-pipe is provided with an ordinary three-way cook or valve C This valve may be turned or operated by a rod 0 so as to open it and permit the compressed air from the source of supply to pass into the tube or cylinder to raise the elevator. The rod is provided with a handle 0 within convenient reach of the waiter in the basement, so that he can turn it and operate the cock to admit the air when the articles of food orstill farther around after the articles of food have been removed from the lift, so as to open the three-way valve and allow the air toescape from the tube or cylinder into the atmosphere, when the lift will descend by gravity to the basement again. The construction and operation of the three-way cook or valve being old and of the ordinary kind will be readily understood without any further or detailed description. As the lift risesacatch c on it engages with the free end of apivoted lever D, fulcrumed at d, so as to carry it up until it has moved out of the path of the catch a, when it will be permitted to drop again into its normal position. This lever is provided with a weighted end d, so that as the lift descends the catch 0 may press the free end of the lever down, tipping the wei hted end up until thecatch is passed, when the weighted end will again drop into its initial position and raise the free end again into the path of the catch, to be again moved as the lift ascends. The lever carries a frame D, which is raised, as the free end of the lever is raised, by the catch, so as to restore the indicating needles or fingers to their initial position, as shown at the left hand of Fig. '7, so that they may be again freed and operated by the descent of a coin, as already explained. To etfect the restoration of the indicating needles or fingers to their initial position, the frame D has rods (1 passing down adjacent to the weighted ends of the triggers, which rods are provided with pins (2 on which the weighted ends of the triggers rest after they have been freed, as shown in dotted lines at the right hand of Fig. 7, so that as the rods areraised by the frame D the pins raise the weightedends of the triggers and restore them to their initial position ready to be again tripped, as already explained. ing of the coin-plate, a rod (1 passes down from the f rameD bythe side of the indicator To effect the automatic dump-- and is pivota-lly connected to a'weighted rod soon as the frame is restored to its normal position the coin-plate resumes its position to receive the next coin that comes and hold it in view of the waiter until the order is filled.

In operation a customer entering the restaurant seats himself on a stool or seat X. The bill of fare, with the prices and the slots opposite the prices, is before him at the rear of the counter on which his food is to be placed. He selects such article of food as he may desire and d-rops'a coin of the proper'denomination intothe slot opposite the food selected. The coin descends through the tube in its passage.

looking through the glass in front of the coinreceiving plate, seesthat a coin of the proper denomination has been inserted by the customer. The indicating needle or finger points to the corresponding article of food on the bill of fare before him, so that he is informed of what has been ordered. lIe places the food ordered in the lift and turns the rod 0 the desired distance to admit the compressed air under the piston. The lift then rises and in its passage up automatically restores the indicating needle or finger to its initial position. lVhen the lift has reached the limit of its up movement, it stops in front of the customer, and he removes the food, and so far as he is concerned nothing remains but to eat his lunch. A waiter, passing back and forth on the restaurant-floor, sees the lifts that have been emptied and by turning the handle 0 a desired further distance permits the compressed air beneath the piston of the lift to escape, so that it can automatically descend into the basement ready again to deliver food as an order is received from the same customer or another taking his place after he has left.

I have described the construction and operation of the coin-actuated mechanism employed by me in restaurant service, as above, with considerable minuteness and attention to details. I desire it understood, however,

that I only intend to limit myself to details to the extent pointed out and called for in the claims. 4

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveying a coin to a receiving device, a receiving device comprising means actuated by the coin for indicating a desired article, and a delivering device comprising means for conveying the article to a desired destination, substantially as described.

2. The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveying a coin to a receiving device, a receiving device comprising means actuated by the coin for indicating a desired article, and a delivering device comprising means for conveying the article to a desired destination and at the same time restoring the ordering and receiving devices to their normal condition for renewed action, substantially as described.

3. The combination of an ordering device comprising a plate having the names of articles and their prices thereon and slots therethrough opposite the articles and tubes or chutes leading from the slots to a receiving device and adapted to convey coins thereto, a receiving device comprising an indicator provided with needles or fingers actuated by the passage of coins and devices for restoring the needles or fingers to their normal position, and a delivering device comprising a lift for conveying articles to a desired destination and means for raising the lift and means for operating the devices for restoring the needles or fingers actuated by the passage of the lift, substantially as described.

4. The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveying a coin to a receiving device, a receiving device comprising an indicator provided with needles or fingers mounted on pins carrying Weighted triggers and means actuated by the passage of a coin for holding the Weighted triggers and the fingers or needles in their normal position, and a delivering device comprising means for conveying an article to a desired destination and at the same time restoring the ordering and receiving devices to their normal condition for renewed action, substantially as described.

5. "The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveying a coin to a receiving device, a receiving device comprising an indicator provided With needles or fingers mounted on pins carrying weighted triggers and weighted catches carrying pins actuated by the passage of .a coin for holding the weighted triggers and the fingers or needles in their normal position, and a delivering device comprising means for conveying an article to a desired destination and at the same time restoring the ordering and receiving devices to their condition for re newed action, substantially as described.

6. The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveying a coin to a receiving device, a receiving device comprising means actuated by the coin for indicating a desired article and a frame and a pivoted lever having its free end extended beyond the plane of the frame for restoring the parts to their normal position as the free end of the lever is lifted, and a delivering device comprising means for convey-' ing the article to a desired destination and at the same time engaging and lifting the free end of the lever for restoring the parts of the receiving device to their normal position, substantially as described.

7. The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveying a coin to a receiving device, a receiving device comprising means actuated by the coin for indicating a desired article and a coin-receiving plate on which the coin is exposed to view and from which it may be dumped by oscillating the receiving-plate and a frame and a pivoted lever having its free end extended beyond the plane of the frame for restoring the parts to their normal position as the free end of the lever is lifted while oscillating the coin-plate, and a delivering device comprising means for conveying the article to a desired destination and at the same time engaging and lifting the free end of the lever for oscillating the coin-receiving plate and restoring the other parts to their normal position, substantially as described.

8. The combination of an ordering device comprising means for receiving and conveyend of the lever islifted while oscillating the coi n-plate, and-a delivering device comprisin 5: means for conveying the article to a desired destination and at the same timeengaging and lifting the free-end of the lever for oscillating the coin-receiving .plate and restoring the other parts to their normal position, substantially as described. A

CHARLES E. PADGETT. Vitnesses:

THOMAS A. BANNING, THOMAS B. McGREGoR.

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