US1442941A - Coin-controlled vending machine - Google Patents

Description

.Jmm, 11923.

A. D. GROVER. ColN CONTROLLED VENDING MACH NE.

1917 2 SHEETS'SHEET 1 ORIGINAL Fl LED Auc 20,

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ORIGINAL FILED AUG, 20,

Jam, 23, 1923..

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GWEN-CONTROLLED "VENDING- MACHJENJE.

driginal fapplication ii'led' fiiugnst 10,

My invention relates to coin-controlled vending machines, and has for its'objectthe provision ofa machine of small dimensions, especially adapted for use in theatres and other :places where but little space is available for accommodating vending machines. The machine of my invention is particularly adapted to sell cylindrical packages, although it is by no means limited to any special form or style of package.

- The various features of novelty residing in my invention will become clear from a detailed description of the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In these drawings,

Fig. 1 representsa rear viewofa machine embodying my invention, the back of the casing .being removed and the parts being in normal position. i

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in section on line-33 of Fig. .1, showing how the coincontrolled actuating lever is locked against movement when the supply of goods is exhausted.

ig. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view on line l-Aof Fig. 1, looking downward.

Fig. 5is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1 with a portion'of the casing broken away to show the working parts.

.Fig. 6 isa view similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts in fully operated position.

Fig. 7 isacletached view in perspective of the magazine or goods-compartment, showing1 the coin receptacle attached thereto; an

Figs. 8 and 9 are detached views in perspective of the two parts which constitute 50 thecoin receptacle.

The. outer casing of the machine is preferab'lyconstructed in two sections,--a front section A and a rear section B. The front section Acomprises a. front plate 1, side 1917, Serial no. i e7,-aoe. ,nivmea and emanates filtciiriiiie 28,1921. Seriallil'outfidfill'i.

pieces and a bottom 3 which termiliates at the point'eg as indlcatedin Figs fl and 5 v The rear section B of the casing consists of a rearplate 5, top 6, side-flanges 7 and a bottom flange 8. The top 6 is provided with a front flange 9, which meets the'upper edge of the front plate 1 along theline indicatedat 10 in 'Figs.2 and 5. y

When the sections A and B are assembled,the side pieces 2' oi the front section A abut against the side flanges 7; of therear section B along the line indicated at 11in Figs. 12 and 5. In this way a closed {casing isiormed. Thetwo sectionsare held looked together; by any suitable locking mechanism which I havcnot deemed necessaryto show or describe, as it forms no part'of mypresentinvention. J x

lVithinithe casing is mounted the'magazine or goods-compartment indicated as a wholelbyylvl. This magazine is preferably formed oft sheet metal and comprisesaffront wall 12, sides Walls liiand inwardly extendlng rear flanges 14:. The magazine M is 'secured within the casing of the machine in the sake of brevity, T will hereinafter refer to the member D as the delivery cylinder, without thereby intending to limit myself to the cylindrical form shown in thedrawings. The particular form of this delivery cylinder will depend upon the form or style of the packages to be vended.

The delivery cylinder D is mounted in the sides of the casing by pivot pins or studs 20. The delivery cylinder is so arranged with respect'to the magazine M that in its normal position it receives the lowermost package P, as shown in Fig. 2, the remaining pa'cltages P being held inthe magazine proper by the bottom package.

The delivery cylinder D isactuated into delivery position by a bar 21 mounted at one. side of the casing. At its lower end, the bar 21 is provided with a .vertical slot 22 and a horizontal slot- 23. The vertical slot 22 engages the pivot pin 20 and thereby guides the bar in its up and down movements. The slot 23 engages a pin 2% projecting from the disk 18, whereby the vertical movements of the bar 21 produce rotary movement of the delivery cylinder. These oscillatory movements of the delivery cylinder are limited by the fixed stop 2d engaging in the curved slot 25 of the disk 18. Any other suitable means may be employed for limiting the movements of the delivery cylinder D.

At is upper end, the bar 21 is provided with a transverse extension 26 which carries a pin or stud 27 arranged to engage in the slot 28 formed in one end of the bell-crank lever 29. This lever is pivoted at 30 to the front wall of the casing, and is at its upper end provided with a forwardly extending pin 31 which extends into the coin-passage 32, as best shown in Fig. 2. The bell-crank lever 29 is normally held in the position shown'in Fig. 1 by a contractile spring 33, which has one end fastened to the pin 3a of the lever29 and the other end of a pin 35 fixed to the casing. A fixed stop 36 limits the movement of the lever 29 under the action of "the spring 33.

The slot 28 of the bell-cranklever 29 has a concentric portion 28 and an angular portion 28, the purpose of which will be presently explained.

- The casing is provided with a fixed stop 37. When the bar 21 is in normal position,

the outer end of the transverse extension 26 thereof is below the stop 37. as in Fig. 1, so that the extension 26 must first be moved laterally out of the way of the stop 37 before the bar 21 can be moved vertically. This preliminary release or unlocking of the bar 21 before its operative movement can take place, is effected by the angular portion 28 of the slot 28. Further movement of the lever 29 brings the concentric portion 28 of the slot 28 into engagement with the pin 27; This movement of the lever 29' until the bottom of the slot 28 reaches the pin'27, has no effect upon the bar 21, for the portion 28 of the slot 28 is concentric with the pivot/3O of the lever. In that particular form of machine illustrated, this lost motion of the bell-crank lever 29 is for the purpose of testing the deposited coin C which engages the pin 31 of the lever 29. The deposited coin is carried against the pin 31 by any suitable means, such as a coin disk 38,

I which is operated from the outside of the casing by a knob 39. So far as the ejecting mechanism of my invention is concerned, any suitable means may be employed for actuating the bell-crank lever 29 from the out side of the casing.

After the bottom of the slot 28 has reached the pin 27, continued forward movement of the lever 29 raises the bar 21. This upward movement of the bar 21 causes the delivery cylinder D to rotate in the direction of the arrow 1), as indicated in Figs. 2and 5,whereby the bottom piece of goods is discharged, into the position indicated at P in Figs. 2 and 5.

provided to receive the package as it drops from the cylinder and to guide it toward the front of the casing, as shown. The side walls of the casing are provided with openings 40 through which the ejected package is removed by the purchaser.

It will be clear from the foregoing that the fixed stop 37 positively prevents operation of the delivery cylinder from helowas by an ii'istrumeut inserted through the delivery opening in an effort to rock the cylinder. Should an attempt he made to operate the cylinder in any other way than through the medium of the lever 29, the extension 26 will strike the lived stop 3? and the delivery cylinder is at once locked against movement.

As soon as the coin C passes out of engage ment with the pin 31 ot' the lever 29, the spring 33 returns the lever and its connected parts (namely, the bar 21 and the. delivery cylinder D) to normal position. During the delivery position of the cylinder l), ihe column of goods rests upon the outer surface of the main section 1?. As the cylinder 1) reaches its normal position, the lowermost package drops down into the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2, and the machine ready to deliver the next piece of goods.

In order to prevent the loss or a coin to an intending purchaser when the supply of goods is exhausted, I provide means for locklng the member 29 in normal position after the last piece oi goods has been ejected. A pawl 42 is pivoted intermediate its ends on a pin or lug 43 carried by the ln-aeket tlwhich is secured to the front plate 1 of the casing by any suitable means. such as rivets 45. At its upper end. the pawl 42 is provided with a hook 4G, and at its lower end with a hook 4-7. The shell section 17 of the delivery cylinder D has an opening 48 through which the hook 4? o t the pawl 42 extends when the delivery cylinder is empty. YJhen there is a package in the delivery vyl inder. as indicated in Fig. 2 or when the cylinder in delivery position. as indicated in Fig. 5, the pawl 42 is held in such position that the upper hook i6 is out of the path of movement of the lever 29. However, after the last piece of goods has been ejected and the parts have returned to normal position, the lower hook 47 snaps into the opening 48 under the action of the spring 49, and the upper hook 46 engages the shoulder 50 or the lever 29, thereby positively locking the lever against forward movement. Consequently, when the lever 29 is thus locked, the deposited coin C cannot be carried further into the machine than indir'r slanting guide etl is preferably emon cated in Fig. 1. However, the coin-carrier 38 is free to be rotated in the opposite direction to carry the coin C back through the coin-entrance slot 51, whence it may be removed by the purchaser.

When the deposited coin is discharged from between the coin-carrier 38 and the pin 31 of the lever 29, it falls rearwardly through the opening 52 into the chamber 58 formed between the front wall of the magazinc and the front wall of the casing. At the bottom of this chamber is a coin-retaining piece ti on which the discharged coins rest. In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, the coin-retaining piece 54 is pivotally connected with the vertical strip :35 secured to the front wall 12 of the magazine M. The pivotal connection between the pieces 54-. and 55 may be effected by simply providing notches 56 and 57 bymeans of which the two pieces can be pivotally fitted together, as best shown in Fig. 7. The coinretaining piece 545 is normally held in coinretaining position by a vertically slidable bar-.158 mounted on lugs 59 carried by the front wall 12 of the magazine. The lugs 59 engage in the slots 60 of the bar 58. When the two sections of the casing are assembled, the upper end of the bar 58 rests against the top of the casing, as indicated in Fig. 2, and thereby holds the coin-retaining piece 5 1 in horizontal position. When the front section A is removed fromthe rear or stationary section B, which is intended to be fastened to a suitable support (as for instance, a theatre chair), the weight of the coins on the retaining piece 54 will over-balance the weight of the bar 58 and tilt the piece 54% downwardly to release the coins. When the front section A isput back on the rear sec tion B, after the coins have been collected and the machine replenished, the bar 58 must be forced down so as to fit within the top 6 of the rear section, and this forcing down of the bar 58 swings the retaining piece 5th into normal or coin-retaining position. In other words, the coin-trap which l have provided for receiving the discharged coins, must be inclosed position before the front section can be put back in place on the rear section of the casing.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial Number 187,206, filed ilrugust 20, 1917, and the claims herein are directed to the coin-controlled features. Although I have herein shown and described a machine of specific construction, ll would have it understood that the various features of my invention are not limited to the details of construction set forth. It isobvious that changes or modifications may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a casing provided with a magazine for the vendable articles, coin-controlled mechanism for ejecting the articles from said magazine, a movable coin-retaining lever carried by said magazine for holding the discharged coins within the casing, and movable means mounted on said magazine for causing said member to release the coins.

2. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a casing provided with a magazine for the vendable articles, coin-controlled mechanism for ejecting the articles from said magazine, a pivoted trap mounted on said magazine for holding the discharged coins within the casing, and a slidable bar also mounted on said magazine for operating said member to release the coins.

3. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a casing comprising a pair of separable sections, a magazine for containing the vendable article, a normally closed trap within said casing for retaining the discharged coins, and means automatically operable upon the separation of said sections for opening said trap to release the coins.

a. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a casing comprising a pair of separable sections, a magazine for containing the vendable article, coin-controlled mechanism for ejecting the articles, a normally closed trap within said casing for retaining the discharged coins, and a vertically slidable bar automatically operable upon the separation of said sections for opening said trap to release the coins.

atnnnr n. enovnn.

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