US690926A - Coin-controlled vending-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 690,926. Patented Jan. 14, I902. A. C. EAREY.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. '7, 1901.) I (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shaw '1.

Tnz cams PETERS cu mom-umu, WASHINGTON u. c.

- Patented Jan. I4, I902. A. C. CAREY. COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

(Ap plication filed Aug. 7, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

V wea Patented Jan. l4, I902. A. C. CAREY.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

[Application filed Aug. 7, 1901.] (N 0 M 0 del.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 THE Noam: PEI'ENS co. PHOTDJ-ITHQ, WASHINGTON, n. c.

Warren TrtTns PATENT Trie AUGUSTUS O. CAREY, OF LAKE PLEASANT, MASSACHUSETTS.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 69 dated n a y 14, 1902- Application filed August 7, 1901. Serial No. 71,231. (No model.)

To to whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS C. CAREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lake Pleasant, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coin-Controlled Vending-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of machines which are commonly known as coincontrolled vending machines or apparatus; and the primary object of the invention is to provide such a machine which can be manipulated only when a coin of a predetermined denomination and size is used and which will be locked against operation when a dummy or piece of metal or other article of less thickness than the predetermined coin is inserted in the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a machine in which the coin can be inserted when the operating-lever is pulled or pressed down without affecting the operation of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a machine in which the working parts are fully exposed to View; and a further object of the invention is to provide such a machine with means to prevent the insertion of coins and other and injurious articles in the slots of the machine when the machine is closed over night and at other times when the machine is intended not to do business or in the absence of an attendant.

The invention consists of a coin-controlled vending-machine having a pusher, an operating-lever therefor, and a bracket upon which said parts are mounted, the said parts being so constructed and arranged with relation to each other as to form a coin'catcher, whereby the coin is caused to effect the engagement of the operating-lever with the pusher.

The invention also consists in providing the pusher-operating lever with an arm or extension working between the slot of the machine and the coin-catcher, whereby when the operating-lever is pressed or pulled down the said arm or extension will lie in the path of the coin to the coin catcher and will support or hold the coin in such position and permit it to drop into the coin-catcher when the le vcr is released.

The invention also consists of a coin-controlled vending-machine in which the pusheroperating mechanism is so constructed, combined, and arranged that all of the working parts of such mechanism may be exposed to view at the front of the machine and their movements and working clearly observed.

The invention also consists in the combination, with a coincontrolled vending-machine, of a movable or detachable cover for the slots or coin-openings of such machine adapted to be locked or secured in place over such openings or slots by the door of the machine or ap paratus.

The invention also consists in other details of construction and combination of parts, all as I will proceed now more particularly to set forth and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my machine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, on a larger scale, taken substantially on the line 2 2, Fig. 4, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing in elevation one side of the pusher-operating mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a similar view showing in elevation the other side of the pusher-operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, on a larger scale, of the pusher-operating mechanism, showing in dotted lines the position of parts when the lever is depressed upon the insertion of a coin of proper dimensions; and Fig. 6 is an elevation, on a larger scale, of the reverse side of the pusher-operating mechanism, showing in dotted lines the position of parts when the lever is depressed upon the insertion of a dummy or piece of metal of less thickness than the predetermined c'oin. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the pusher-operating mechanism, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the slot-coverer.

In carrying out my invention I provide a case of any approved construction, and, as shown in Fig. 1, the case preferably is constructed of an upper portion 1 to contain a suitable number of chutes or receptacles for the articles to be delivered, and a lower portion 2, which is extended to form a ledge 3 and in which ledge the coin openings or slots 4 are arranged at suitable distances apart and in number corresponding to the number of article chutes or receptacles. The lower portion of the case also contains the pusheroperating mechanism and the coin-drawer 5, to be presently described. The upper portion of the case is provided at its front with a door 6, which, as herein shown, is hinged to one side of the ease and swings outwardly, although the door may be otherwise constructed. As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4:, the bottom edge of the door does not extend to the ledge 3, there being a slight space left between the lower edge of the door and the ledge for the passage of the articles to be delivered and also which serves a further pur pose of my invention, to be presently described. The door is also provided with a panel 7 to receive printed directions or advertisingmatter and also with a glass panel 8 at its lower edge, through which the articles may be observed and distinguished.

Within the case and arranged between the door 6 and the back of the case and mounted upon the ledge 3 is a slotted standard 9, in the slots of which the pushers hereinafter described are adapted to work in the operation of pushing the article from the chute or receptacle, the bottom article of the pile of articles resting upon said standard. (See particularly Figs. 1, 3, and 4.)

The pusher mechanism comprises a bracket having a base-plate a, adapted to be mounted upon a board b, secured within and to the back of the case, the said bracket also having an outwardly-extending or right-angle arm a at its lower end, and at its upper end the said bracket is provided with an outwardly-extending or right-angle arm a the said arm a being constructed at its outer end with a series of fingers a and M, the said fingers a being bent or curved upwardly and prises a lever c, pivoted at its lower end, as

at c, to the arm a of the bracket a, and this lever 0 extends up through the slot a in the arm a and is provided at its upper end With an elongated head 0 adapted to engage the article and force the same from its chute or receptacle. Rigidly secured to the lever 0,. about centrally and just above the arm a of the bracket a, is an arm a constructed as a yoke and provided at its outer end with downward projections o upon opposite sides. The arm or yoke o is cut away at its outer end (see Fig. 7) to form a passage for the pusher-operating lever, and thereby permit a free movement of said lever when depressed without effecting the operation of the pusher when there has been no coin inserted in the machine. The arm or yoke is cut away just suffleient to allow of this movement of the pusher-operating lever and to provide inwardly-extending flanges 0 about said cutaway portion, for a purpose presently appearing. This arm or yoke is also provided upon its inside and near its outer end and adjacent the downward projections c with inwardlyprojecting lugs or ridges 0, (see Figs. 2 and 6 arranged opposite each other, the said arm or yoke 0 being also provided at its outer end with a projection 0 having upon its inner under side an undercut shoulder a (See Fig.6.) A coiled spring d is secured to the arm or yoke 13 at one end, about midway said arm or yoke, and at its other end the said spring is secured to a screw or stud fastened to the arm a or to the bracket a. This spring normally tends to keep the pusher and its attached yoke in a retracted position.

The pusher-operating lever comprises an arm a, pivoted at e to the outer end of the arm a of the bracket a, which lever then extends upwardly at substantially right angles, as at e and extends between the fingers a (r ot the arm a and terminates at its upper end in an elongated curved portion e which portion e extends rearwardly toward the pusherlever c and through the enlargement a of the slot a in the arm (1 and at its forward end is provided with a shoulder e for a purpose presently appearing. Also secured to or made integral with the pusher-operating lever is a rearwardly-extending arm 6 provided at its outer end with an antifriction device and adapted to contact with the pusherlever o to thereby limit the rearward movement of the pusher-operating lever. A coiled springfis secured at one end to the arm 6 of the pusher-operating lever and at its other end is connected to the bracket a, which spring normally tends to keep the pusher-operating lever in a retracted position.

The arm 01 with its fingers a and a the outer or free end of the arm or yoke c of the pusher-lever c, and the upwardly-extending arm 6 of the pusher-operating lever e are so combined and arranged as to form a coincatcher-that is to say, the fingers a form the bottom of said coin-catcher, while the curved fingers a embrace the outer walls of the yoke. The outer end of the arm or yoke 0 forms the sides and one end of said catcher, and the projection or shoulder e of the arm 6 and the lugs 0 form the other end of said catcher when the parts are in their normal position. (See Figs. 2 and 6.) These parts are so arranged within the case that the said coin-catcher will lie just beneath the coinslot and in the path of travel of the coin inserted in the slot. A staple g or other suitable device (see Figs. 3 and 4.) maybe secured upon the under side of the ledge 3, to the rear of the coin opening or slot, and thereby assist in directing the coin into the coin-catcher.

The coin-drawer 5 is fitted to slide in the bottom of the ease, and in order to lock said drawer I have provided novel means consisting of a sliding bolt h, constructed of a thin fiat piece of metal provided at its upper end with a right-angle extension to form a handle h and at its lower end with an outwardlybent hooked portion W. This bolt h is arranged within and at the back of the case and is preferably held in place and guided in its movements in a cut-out portion of the board I). The handle h of the bolt h extends over the article chutes or receptacles Within reach of the operator or attendant when the door is open. The hooked end it of the bolt h when depressed is adapted to engage the rear wall or end of'the drawer 5, thereby to lock the drawer in place.

In order to prevent the insertion of coins and other and injurious articles in the slots of the machine when the machine is closed over night and it is not intended to do business, I have provided a cover for the slots of the machine adapted to be locked in place by the door of the machine. This cover in its preferred form consists of an elongated rightangular block 2' of wood or any other suitable material. (See particularly Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 8.) The base portion of this rightangular block is made somewhat wider than the perpendicular portion and is adapted to be placed over the slots of the machine when the door 6 is open, and when the door is closed the rear face of the lower edge of the door will engage the thicker and perpendicular portion of said right-angular block, and when the door is locked the said block will be securely held in place, and thereby conceal the slots of the machine.

As will be observed in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and i, the arms e of the pusher-operating levers extend through slots or openingsj in the front of the lower portion of the case and are provided at their extended portions with fingerpieces e adapted to be engaged by the fingers in manipulating the machine. It will be ob served also that by the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the pusher-operating mechanism they are brought very closely together and are very compact, and in order to expose to view the operation or movements of the several parts of said pusher-operating mechanism 1 have provided the front lower portion of the case, just in front of the pusher-operating mechanism, with a glass panel 76. So, also, it will be observed that the bracket 0. and its arms a and a form a single integral device upon which the pusher and the pusher-operating lever are mounted, and by this construction and arrangement it is only necessary to remove the fastening devices of the bracket in order to take out all the parts of the pusheroperating mechanism in case it is necessary to remove said mechanism for repairs or other purposes.

I have herein shown the machine provided with four pusher-operating mechanisms; but it is obvious that the machine may be constructed with as many such mechanisms as may be desired, and all of such mechanisms being alike I have described in detail only one of such mechanisms.

The coin-slots and the coin-catcher and operating methanism are constructed for the insertion and operation, respectively, only of and by a coin of a predetermined size and thickness.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The machine having been filled with the articles which it is intended to deliver, a coin of the predetermined size and thickness, having been placed in one of the slots, will fall through such slot and will be caught by the coin -catcher. The pusher-operating lever is then depressed, and its. upper end or shoulder e will impinge against the coin and force it against the front of the arm or yoke 0", thereby effectually locking the yoke and lever together. Upon further pressure upon the lever the yoke, and consequently the pusher, will be drawn forward, and during this movement the projection e of the pusher-operating lever will ride or slide upon the coin until it reaches a point above the undercut shoulder a of the yoke and also above the edge of the coin, when the coin will be released to fall into the drawer, it having been carried beyond the fingers a of the arm a The lever and yoke are thus left in sliding engagement, (see dotted lines, Fig. 5,) and upon a further depression of the lever the pusher will be brought forward to discharge the article from the chute or receptacle. (See dotted lines, Fig. 4:.) Thelever is then released and the parts returned to their normal position by the springs d andf. Should a dummy or a piece of metal or other substance of less thickness than the predetermined coin be inserted in the machine and the lever depressed, it will be caught in between the lever and the front of the yoke and will lie beneath the undercut shoulder c of the yoke, and upon further pressure upon the lever its end or shoulder a will ride or slide upon the dummy until the said shoulder or projection 6 comes into engagement with the said undercut shoulder c of the yoke. The dummy will then be released or not released, and the lever and yoke will remain locked against further movement on account of the difference in the arcs of movement of the lever and yoke. The parts thus become locked before the pusherhas been moved far enough to discharge the article. The lever is then released and the parts returned to their normal position by the springs 63 and f, as before described. Should the dummy remain in the coin-catcher, it can be hooked out by passing a small wire hook through an opening 10 in the ledge 3 just in front of the coin-slots, (see Figs. 1, 3, and 4,) which operation may be observed through the glass panel 7r. Should the lever be depressed before the coin is inserted, its upper and elongated curved end e passes through the coincatcher and remains in the passage to the such a position that upon the release of the lever it will be permitted to drop into the coin-catcher ready for the manipulation of the machine upon again depressing the lever, and thus the difficulty of locking the machine to against operation by the premature depression of the lever before the insertion of the coin is avoided.

When it is desired to remove the coins from.

the drawer 5, it is only necessary to open the :5 front door of the case and raise the bolt 72 by its handle h, thus raising the hooked end k above the rear wall of the drawer, when the drawer may be pulled out.

When the machine is left over night and at other times when the machine is not intended to do business and is without an attendant, the coverer or block i is placed upon the ledge 3 over the coin slots or openings and its perpendicular portion forced back against the standard 9, the door having been opened for this purpose. The door is again closed and locked and the coverer thereby held in place against removal and serving to prevent the insertion of coins or other and injurious 0 articles in the slots of the machine.

What I claim is 1; In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a case, a pusher, an operating-lever therefor, and a single integral bracket adapted to be 5 secured within said case and upon which said pusher and operating-lever are mounted, the said pusher, lever and bracket provided with arms or extensions combined and arranged to form a coin-catcher, whereby the coin is caused to effect the engagement of the operating-lever with the pusher, substantially as described.

2. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a case, a single integral bracket adapted to be secured in said case, a pusher pivoted to said bracket, and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to said bracket, the said bracket, pusher and lever provided with arms or ex.- tensions combined and arranged to form a coin-catcher, whereby the coin is caused to effect the engagement of the operating-lever with the pusher, substantially as described.

3. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a case, a single integral bracket adapted to be secured in said case and having an arm ex tending at substantially right angles therefrom, a pusher pivoted to said bracket and provided with a yoke-shaped arm, and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to said bracket and having an extension arranged adjacent the arms of said bracket and pusher to thereby form a coin-catcher, whereby the coin is caused to effect the engagement of the lever with the pusher, substantially as de- 6 5 scribed.

4. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a pusher mechanism, comprising a bracket having an armextending at substantially right angles therefrom and terminating in a series of fingers, a pusher pivoted to said bracket and provided with a yoke-shaped arm havingits closed end terminating at and arranged above the fingers of the bracket-arm, and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to said bracket and having an upwardly-extending arm passing through said fingers and terminating within the yoke-shaped arm, thereby forming a coin-catcher whereby the coin is caused to effect the engagement of the lever .and pusher, substantially as described.

5. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a pusher mechanism, comprising a bracket having an arm extending at substantially right angles therefrom and terminating in a series of fingers, a pusher pivoted to said bracket and provided with a yoke-shaped arm having its closed end terminating at and arranged above the fingers of the bracket arm and provided with an undercut shoulder, and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to the bracket and having an extension passing through said fingers and terminating within the yoke-shaped arm, thereby forming a coincatcher, and a shoulder or projection on said lever adapted to engage the undercut shoulder on the yoke-shaped arm when a dummy of less thickness than the predetermined coin is' inserted in the machine, to thereby lock the pusher mechanism against operation, substantially as described.

6. In a coin-contr0lled vending-machine, a pusher mechanism, comprising a bracket having an arm extending at substantially right angles therefrom and terminating in a series of fingers, a pusher pivoted to said bracket and provided with a yoke-shaped arm having its closed end terminating at and arranged adjacent the fingers of the bracket-arm, and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to said bracket and having an upwardly-extending arm passing through said fingers and terminating within the yoke-shaped arm, thereby forming a coin-catcher, and an extension on said lever adapted to pass into said coincatcher when the lever is depressed, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a pusher mechanism, comprising a bracket having an arm extending at substantially right angles therefrom and having a longitudinal slot and terminating in a series of fingers, a pusher pivoted to said bracket and passing through said slot and provided with a yokeshaped arm having its closed end terminating at and arranged adjacent said fingers, and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to said bracket and having an upwardly-extending arm passing through said fingers and terminating in said yoke-shaped arm, thereby forming a coin-catcher, and an extension on said lever working in said slot and passing through the coin-catcher when the lever is depressed,

substantially as and for the purpose described.

ceases- 8. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a pusher mechanism comprising a bracket having an arm extending at substantially right angles therefrom and having a longitudinal slot and terminating in a series of fingers, a pusher pivoted to said bracket and passing through said slot and provided with a yokeshaped arm having its closed end terminating at and arranged adjacent said fingers,

and a pusher-operating lever also pivoted to said bracket and having an upwardlyextending arm passing through said fingers and terminating in said yoke-shaped arm, thereby forming a coin-catcher, an extension on said lever working in said slot and passing through the coin-catcher when the lever is depressed, springs for retracting said pusher and lever, and an extension on said lever adapted to engage the pusher to limit the rearward movement of said lever, substantially as described.

9. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a case, a door therefor, and coin slots or openings in said case adjacent said door, combined With a removable slot-coverer, adapted to be secured in place over said slots when the door is closed, substantially as described.

10. In a coin-controlled vending-machine,

a case, a door therefor, and coin slots or openings in said case, combined with a right-angular block adapted to be placed over said slots and engaged by said door to thereby lock said block in place, substantially as described. 11. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a case, article chutes or receptacles, a pusheroperating mechanism within said case, a drawer arranged at the bottom of said case below said pusher mechanism, combined with a locking mechanism for said drawer, comprising a sliding bolt arranged within said case between the back thereof and the article chutes or receptacles and provided at its upper end with a handle extending over said article chutes or receptacles toward the front of the case, and at its lower end adapted to engage the rear wall of the drawer, to thereby lock the drawer in place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of August, A. D. 1901.

AUGUSTUS O. CAREY. \Vitnesses:

NORRIS S. HENRY, L. E. HENRY.

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