US2673133A - Ticket vending machine - Google Patents

Description

March 23, 1954 J. c. KOCH 2,673,133 TICKET VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 23, 1954 c KQCH 2,673,133

TICKET VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4 b

INVENTOR John C. Koch BWM "60m ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 23 1954 TICKET VENDING MACHINE John G. Koch, San Jose, Calif.,

Vending Machine 00.,

notation of California Application December 17, 1951,

1 Claim. (01. 312-55) The present invention is directed to, and it is a major object to provide, a novel machine for relatively stiff rectangular cards.

While the instant invention is especially designed for use to deliver cards, as tickets, at an automobile parking lot of self-service type, the machine obviously is capable of many diiferent uses.

Another important object of the invention is to provide slide unit being freely placement of a coin therein.

for ease and economy of manufacture.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a practical and reliable ticket vending machine, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a persual of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the ticket dispensing mechanism, with a card as dispensed, and the parts of the mechanism in position to start the next dispensing operation.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the slide as advanced to deliver a coin into the mechanism, and preparatory to retraction of the slide and dispensing of the card.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, but shows the manner in which the slide is locked against full operation when it is attempted to be advanced without a com.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the ticket vending machine.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan on line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing mainly the coin receiving slide unit.

assignor to S & S

San Jose, Calif., a cor- Serial No. 262,069

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the novel ticket vending machine comprises an upstanding rectangular housing I which includes a front wall 2; the lower portion of such front wall being in the form of a removable panel 3 which constitutes the front of a coin box 4 secured in the lower end of said housing I by a screw lock 5.

Some distance above the coin box 4, i. e. in the upper portion of the housing I, the latter is fitted therein with an open-topped hopper 6 which is rectangular in plan; such hopper being attached to the front wall 2 and including a floor I. The front wall 2 above the removable lower panel 3 is likewise removably mounted by means which includes a securing bolt 8 accessible only from within the housing; 1. e. through the open space existent when the coin box 4 is withdrawn.

The rectangular hopper 6 is adapted to contain thin, stiff cards 9 which are, rectangular in plan and which serve as the tickets; there being a follower weight H) which rests atop such stack in the hopper 6.

The cards of the stack 9 are adapted to be dispense the lowermost card. of the stack 9 through the slot H and I 8 which hopper G.

Transversely spaced tension springs l9 connect between the depending attachment plate The above described card dispensing assembly is actuated or caused to reciprocate by means of a coin controlled, manual operating mechanism disposed below the hopper 6 and constructed as follows:

A longitudinal, horizontally disposed guideway, indicated generally at 20, and of substantial width, is mounted in connection with the front wall 2 by "a front attachment plate 2|; the guideway projecting both outwardly and inwardly from said latter plate.

The guideway 20 includes a bottom 22 and laterally inwardly opening grooves or channels 23 on opposite side edges.

A flat, coin slide 24 having anupturned finger tab 25 on its outer end engages in the channels 23 of the guideway 20 from the outer end thereof; the tab 25 thus being exposed exteriorly of the housing I for manipulation.

The slide 24 is of such length that it extends into the housing i a substantial distance, run hing-inwardly of the front wall 2beneath a fixed cover 25 on the guideway 29 and a removable cover 2'1; the latter being disposed rear-- most.

The slide 2 includes a flat rearward extension '28 which is generally U-shape in plan and -ini tially separate for ease of manufacture; such extension including forwardly projecting side arms 29 which extend under the removable cover 21 and couple to the rear portion of the slide 24 by inturned finger and notch connections 31].

With this arrangement the rearward extension 28 providesla wide longitudinal slot 31 open for a substantial distance rearwardly of the slide 24.

The side arms 29 of the rearward extension 28 are supported from below on horizontal flanges 32 carried by side plates 33 which depend from the hopper 6.

The slide 24 "is formed with a coin receiving opening 34 which is accessible exteriorly of the front wall 2 when said slide is 1n :its starting or retracted position. with a coin 35 in the opening 34, such slide travels to a point at which the coin opening 34 registers with a coin-drop opening 36 in the bottom 2t. of the guideway 25); the coin then dropping through openingilii into the coin box l.

The numeral 31 indicates a coin deflector disposed in a position to deflect the coins into the forward partof said coin box.

As the slide 24 is advanced to the coin discharge or release position, as above, the rear end of the slide extension 28 engages the depending attachment plate l and pushes it rearwardly .a distance to impart to the pusher plate H- a full retracting stroke; i. e., sufficient to clear said pusher plate it from the stack 9.

Thereafter, as the slide 24 is retracted to its starting position, the tension springs i9 tend to advance attachment plate It and the pusher plate M to impart a forwarder advancing stroke to the latter, whereby to discharge a card, as at 12, from the machine. As the springs 19 may not haveisufiicient load in themselves to accomplish the card discharging stroke of the pusher plate It, a rigid depending leg 38 is adjustably secured on the guide rod H5 by a set screw 39, and depends through the slot 3!. With manual retraction of the slide 24, and before it reaches the limit of such motion, the leg 38, which is square in sectional plan, is matchingly engaged in "a notch 40 in the rearmost portion of the rearwardextension 28,,and isadvanced with the in self-service parking lots.

described.

4 necessary to complete a full M, with resultant slide to an extent advance of the pusher plate discharge of a card.

The outer limit of retracting motion of the slide 24 is obtained by the leg 38 abutting the rear end of the guideway 22, as in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent dispensing of a card by actuation of 'the'slide 24' when no coin is placed in the coin receiving opening 34, the following automatic blocking mechanism is employed:

A longitudinal locking arm 4! is disposed above the guideway 20 inwardly of the front wal1 2, and such locking arm 4| is pivoted at its rear *end, as at 42, to an upstanding ear 43 on the cover 21. The locking arm Al is urged downwardly by a compression spring 44 between the ear I8 and the upper edge of said arm intermediate its ends.

At the front the locking arm M is formed with an integral downwardly projecting dog 45 tapered, as shown, to form an inclined '.cam 46 on its rear-edge.

Intermediate its'ends the locking armfll i lalso formed with a rectangular, downwardly project ing dog H. The lower end of the dog 45 rides atop the slide 25 in alinement with the coin receiving opening 34, andifrno coin is insuc'h opening as the slide is advanced, said dog 45 falls through opening 8 4 and a then registering openingit in the bottom 22 of the 'guideway .20. See Fig. 3.

At the same time, the dog 41 lowers to a position which blocks further advancingmotion of the slide 24; i. e. blocks the slide against themotion which would otherwise cause retraction of the attachment plate i5 and pusher plate 14.

When the slide 2% is subsequently pulled forwarder retracted, the inclined :cam edge 46-by reason of its engagement with the adjacent portion of the slide-causes the locking arm 41 to swing upwardly to its normal inoperative position; it being recognized that when the :slide is advanced with a coin 35 in the coin receiving opening 3 3, such coin prevents the dog "45 :from falling through said opening 34 and "the .opening 48, holding, the dog 31 inan'inoperative position clear of said slide. The opening Missmaller than the opening 3t so that the .coin 35'may pass over said opening 48 without dropping through the latter.

The dogs land 41 work downwardly :of :course through slots Miami '59 in the covers 26 and 21, respectively.

The structureof the card dispensing assembly, and the coin controlled, manualoperating mechanism-while "being effective in operation-nevertheless is relatively simple in structure, .and designed for convenience of manufacture and installation.

The described vending machine provides :a practical, positive, smooth-acting mechanism .for dispensing cards. The machine is (especially designed -for dispensing cards used as tickets; one adaptation being the dispensing 'of tickets for use The patron, by depositing a coin andmanipulating the machine, obtains a ticket which he then places in the drivers compartment at a point where it can readily be seen and then locks the automobile. An attendant who visits the lot at infrequent times need only check the automobiles there parked in order to be sure that each patron has purchased and used a ticket in the manner From the "foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrom may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are designed.

In a card dispensing apparatus having a front wall and a pusher plate whose forward movement dispenses a card from the apparatus, an element depending from and rigid with the pusher plate, a slide plate parallel to and below the pusher plate projecting through the front wall for actuation from outside the same, means mounting the slide plate on the apparatus in position to engage said element and retract the pusher plate to a card-clearing position, spring means connected to the pusher plate to advance the same and at the same time cause the slide plate to be moved forwardly, a horizontal guide rod fixed with the pusher plate, and a leg depending from and adj ustably mounted on the rod and projecting through a longitudinaI slot in the slide plate; the slot being arranged so as to cause the pusher plate to be positively pulled forwardly to its limit of movement upon similar movement of the slide plate while providing for a predetermined extent of rearward movement of the slide plate from said forward limit of movement before the slide plate engages the depending element.

JOHN C. KOCH. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 484,502 Lee Oct. 18, 1892 498,832 Williams June 6, 1893 640,963 Sibley Jan. 9, 1900 1,075,527 Whitmore Oct. 14, 1913 1,080,754 Foster Dec. 9, 1913 1,592,285 Meyer July 13, 1926 1,720,505 Williamson July 9, 1929 1,746,279 Purdum Feb. 11, 1930 2,008,357 Koehler July 16, 1935 2,380,533 Lebrecht July 31, 1945 2,400,104 Compton et a1 May 14, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 33,234 Switzerland July 24, 1912

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